Destiny?

In the movie Patton, there is a scene towards the end of the movie. Patton is in the midst of his American Blitzkrieg across France in the summer of 1944. His gas shortage is becoming extreme, and in the aftermath of a battle, he observes to his aide “I had a dream last night. In my dream it came to me, that right now the whole Nazi Reich is mine for the taking. I was nearly sent home in disgrace. Now I have precisely the right instrument, at precisely the right moment of history, in exactly the right place. This will change to very quickly, like the planets spinning off into the universe. A moment like this won’t come again for a thousand years, and all I need is a few miserable gallons of gasoline. Right now, the weak spot is here. In ten days, we could be in Berlin.” In short, everything was lined up for his greatest triumph. But it was not to be.

I thought of this line back in October 2003 when everything seemed poised for a Red Sox versus Cubs World Series. The Cubs had a three games to one lead and the Sox had a three run lead in game seven against the Yanks. The whole playoffs had been great, tense exciting games that came down to the wire. It was almost magical, and I thought to myself, a moment like this won’t come again for a thousand years. But then the planets spun off into the universe as the Cubs crumbled and Grady left Pedro in too long. I was left thinking “WHY??!!?!?!?” Why would something like this happen? It is a truly cruel world in which baseball fans can be set up for such a glorious moment only to have it crushed in front of them. It was like seeing your destiny, outlined so clearly and then watching it disappear. What was the point, has the universe no meaning?

Then came 2004, and somehow the ALCS ended up being the Yankees versus the Sox again. But everything seemed to be going to hell as the Yankees stomped on the Sox for the first three games. But then things started to happen:

Game 4-Dave Roberts stealing second like Willie Mays Hayes in Major League and Ortiz winning it with a homerun in the 12^th.

Game 5-the most gut wrenching game I’ve ever watched as the Yanks once again blow it, Tim Wakefield floating the knuckler pitch after pitch as Varitek hung on when it counted and Ortiz won it again, this time with an RBI single in the 14^th.

Game 6-Schilling making one of the great pitching performances and then Keith Foulke almost letting it go. You could hear him say “You gotta make it interesting” as he ran off the mound after striking out Tony Clark to end the game.

Game 7-This game was pure vengeance as the Sox complete the most historic comeback in baseball while crushing the Yanks in the House that Ruth Built.

Looking back, the World Series seems like a foregone conclusion with the sweep of St. Louis. That was for Red Sox fans. But oh, the Yankees series will be remembered for a long time and that was for all baseball fans. Part of what made it so sweet, so satisfying, the kind of thing that just makes you feel good, was the previous year. What had seemed like defeat, a letdown, the end, was in fact part of the setup for an even greater experience. The Red Sox hit rock bottom after the first three games, turned it around, and became an unstoppable force. And everyone who watched had the thrill of being along for the ride. What a game.

What to think; curses are meant to be broken, conventional wisdom can be wrong, things are meant to change, the unexpected can be better than what was originally anticipated, what may seem like a time of trial can be a building block and a setup for something new and better down the road, and if you don’t see the point just be patient.