Watching some of the outstanding games from the World
Baseball Classic it suddenly hit me.
Here is a metaphor for the real world, not the fake one we are being
dragged into, kicking and screaming.
Make America Great again? If the WBC
doesn’t demonstrate what the REAL world is like because of this country’s
greatness (well, up until now), then nothing will. Here is THE AMERICAN PASTIME which has been
adopted throughout the world and not on a half-hearted basis, but with the
commitment and zeal that some would have you believe is a uniquely American
trait. Just look at the nations
represented in addition to the United States: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese
Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico,
Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Yes, most of the players are those already in the US Major or Minor
leagues, but it shows the diversity of what baseball has become, with
implications for world economics as well.
The nationalistic agenda of the present administration not only denies
this reality, it also unrealistically seeks a time that has long passed. We will never see that world again. Life progresses. One needs to adapt and not seek refuge in a
past before Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate at Ebbets Field.
And look at the enthusiasm the WBC has generated. This is truly a world series. I think the game between the Dominican
Republic and Colombia, with Jose Bautista throwing out Oscar Mercado by a hair at
home plate, is one of the best games and plays I've ever seen: https://youtu.be/ikKHwbajnbE
If he had scored,
Colombia would have won the game, but the favored Dominican Republic finally won
in an extra-inning game by a large score.
The DR beat the US the night before, US blowing a five run lead. We are merely competitors at our own game.
What also struck me about the DR – Colombia game is that
every one of the 37,000 seats in the Miami Marlins stadium was
occupied. Contrast that to a typical
Marlin’s ML game which would have only about a little more than half of
that. It is no surprise given the large
Spanish population in the area. But that
is the point. We are a multinational
country now. We need to
embrace it. Not run from it. And Baseball, as well as the capitalist forces
of the world economy, is of our own making. No doubt, I will root, root, root for the home
team (US of A) and if they lose it will be a shame, but we have to play the
game.
