Knowing Now...

And so the baseball season of 2006 has ended with something of a whimper by the Detroit Tigers. It is a sign of an inexperienced team when it repeats its mistakes. The Tigers certainly did this, with the pitchers’ errors and walks in particular. The Cardinals, on the other hand, used their postseason experience, and were able to avoid repeating their mistakes in the pressure situations. And that was that. The Tigers lost several winnable games.

(I’d rather not tip my cap to the Cardinals, even if they deserve it, owing to my extreme distaste for the club as an institution.)

The question at hand is one I’m working through in my end-of-season essay (forthcoming): Knowing what you know now, would you do it all over again? Tigers fans, knowing that you would come up short, would you still enthusiastically and unrestrainedly support your team? Cubs fans, knowing that 2003 would not only end so noxiously but would also be followed by ’04-’06, would you have held something back that October?

I think not. I think that if someone offered me the 2003 season in April, I’d have taken it. I speculate that Tigers fans would have done the same this April, although at least they won a pennant. Which leads to the bigger question: So what? What is it about these almost moments that enriches our lives?

It’s a question for another day, though, I’m afraid. Time is of short supply, and I must use it efficiently. Suffice it to say that this World Series disappointed me, but that it wasn’t all that bad getting there.

Meanwhile, Piniella is the Cubs new manager, Trammel is the new bench coach, and a new era is in the air. Since I don’t have time to think about it, I’m happy to let it all unwind with a wait and see attitude. As long as they re-sign Pierre, or figure out who else is going to hit leadoff.