A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiams...enthusiasms.
What are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy?
Baseball!
A man. A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part. Of. A. Team.
Looks, throws, catches, hustles. Part of one big team. Bats himself the live-long day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and so on. If his team don't field...what is he? You follow me? No one.
Sunny day, the stands are full of fans. What does he have to say? I'm goin' out there for myself. But...I get nowhere unless the team wins."
De Niro as Capone uttered these wise words as a prelude to beating one of his top men to death with a baseball bat.
I know how he feels.
The Yankees are out of the playoffs for the first time since 1993 (they didn't have a post-season in '94). I know...we Yankee fans have been spoiled with the best teams money can buy over these last 15 or so years. It still sucks.
Now all I have to root for is another September implosion by the Mets. And two teams from the AL East are in the playoffs as well. Joy. Joy. So I guess I can root against the Rays as well as the fucking Nation.
Right now, I just feel like beating an underling to death with a baseball bat.
(I've seen this picture with the kid wearing a Sawx jersey too...so it's probably been photo shopped a bunch of times. I like the sentiment, though. Even if Boston clearly doesn't suck. Sigh. - Earl)
