Will it be Cleveland that gets to add a championship banner to its collection? |
There were two other playoff games held Monday, with the Washington Nationals managing a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers that puts them but one win away from advancing to the next round of National League playoffs – and closer to the first World Series appearance by a D.C. ball club in 83 seasons.
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LET ALONE THE only victory for a Washington team since 1924.
They’re
not even alone in the trying-to-make-history category!
Because
at about the same time that the Cubs were taking on the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of
what they hope is the final game of this round of playoffs, the Cleveland
Indians were managing to pull off the final inning of their 4-3 victory over
the Boston Red Sox.
Thereby
clinching this round of playoffs for the Indians; who haven’t had a World
Series title since 1948. We don’t have to have a Chicago Cubs team in the World
Series for it to have historic overtones this season.
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AND
AT THE very least, the Red Sox’ defeat ensures we won’t get the Fenway/Wrigley
ballpark series that some baseball fans fantasize about way too much for it to
be healthy.
Of
course, none of this is at all set in stone. A Washington team would have to
get past the Cubs to advance, and the Indians will have to defeat the Toronto
Blue Jays in order to win an American League championship.
Maybe
we’re not even meant to have anything historic about this year. Maybe we’re
destined for a Toronto/Los Angeles World Series.
A
baseball brawl between ball clubs that think they’re long-suffering because
they haven’t won a World Series since 1993 and 1988 respectively. The series
that allowed Joe Carter and Kirk Gibson their moments of baseball immortality.
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THEY’RE
ALSO ONES that cause their own twinges of grief when viewed by Chicago baseball
fans. For Carter was once a Cub whom some fans are convinced team should never
have traded away. While Gibson’s home run came off former Cubs pitcher Dennis
Eckersley.
Besides,
any White Sox fan with sense knows that if there were really any sense of justice
in the world of baseball, that ’93 American League pennant would have been
flying over New Comiskey Park all these years instead of inside Skydome.
-30-
EDITOR’S
NOTE: The Cubs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as of when this commentary was
written. Whether they’ll be able to hold it, or blow it and have to return for
another game Tuesday in San Francisco will be seen.
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