Ok, I’ll admit it. I left the game early yesterday. My #1 rule has always been, “You never leave a baseball game early.” The reason is simple. There is no such thing as a safe lead in baseball. It is safe to leave a 35-0 game in football. It is not safe to leave a 10-3 game in baseball. That being said, I had to work. I had warned the Vous and the players that I might be a bit late due to the game, but with it 10-3 in the 7th, I figured I might as well leave to get there on time after all. I hopped on the subway and rode under the city to the Rendezvous, hearing the other hopeful Phils fans in the subway reassuring each other with things like, “Hey, it’s a long season” and “They’ll get their bats back in Colorado.”
I walked into the Rendezvous, and everybody’s eyes got big. “Don’t tell me you left!” someone screamed. “Yeah, of course I left. Why would I have stayed out in the wind for that garbage?” Someone told me to look at the TV. My jaw hit the floor. 10-9 Braves. Chase was then walked 10-10. Howard grounds out but drives in a run. 11-10. I shook my head in disbelief. Of course, a comeback unlike any I had ever seen in person took place…while I was riding on the subway under the city. And which leaves me in a curious position. Did my attending the game spur the team onto victory, or did my leaving the game inspire the club to a win? Do I need to leave the stadium every time the Phils fall behind? Should I spend the rest of the season riding on the subway whenever the Phillies have an important game? There are a lot of questions to be answered over the next few months. But hey, it’s a long season.