Game 2

I have created a monster. First let me tell you that my body hurts from head to toe. No, it is not the result of exercise or injury. It is the result of single-handedly willing the NY Yankees to win this second game of the ALDS. Or so I thought. As Mark Teixeira cruised into the waiting arms of his teammates at home plate, my husband emitted the first sound he had made in well over two hours. I thought he was mad. I thought he was bored. But in true fanatic fashion, he had struck a bargain with the forces of fate; if he didn’t talk, they would win. They won, and he cracked up.

I know we’re not the only ones who think our behavior has any influence on the outcome of a game. Sure, we’re told “change one thing and you change the world”. But not really! There is no rational explanation for a ‘rally cap’. And yet millions of people turn their hats inside out in the hopes that looking stupid will somehow lead to a victory. But is that so stupid after all? Laughter releases tension. So perhaps an athlete, walking to the plate with the game on the line, looks up at the spectators looking so dopey with hats turned every way but right, realizes how silly it is to be nervous, relaxes and hits it out of the park. But that doesn’t explain the rest of us idiots at home. “They’ll win if I don’t look.” “They’ll win if I leave the room.” “They’ll win if I keep my glasses on top of my head.”

I’m not insane. I know I don’t have anything to do with it. I know that a Yankee victory will not change my life although it might make me feel better for a while. I know they can’t hear me when I tell them that a strikeout and a doubleplay will get them out of bases loaded and nobody out but it feels SO good when they get it! I know the energy I expend is wasted energy. But I have to go now. Boston is at bat and the Angels need me.