One of these things is like the other

There's a pained analogy to be made here, between baseball and politics, between Cardinals and Democrats, and apparently I'm going to make it. No, I'm not drawing any lines between Tony LaRussa and John Kerry, though, come to think of it, they are both successful, educated men who catch flak for not being "regular guys" , but as of the 2006 World Series only one of them has a rep for coming up short when it really counts, so, nevermind.

Instead, I'm thinking of Lonnie's friend and her "I hope the Dems don't muck it up" comment and how it reminds me of my experience as a baseball fan and, yes, Democrat.

Around here, it takes more effort to not be at a baseball fan than it takes to be one, but back in junior high I started to really love the Cardinals. They gave away free tickets (at the time, I believe, a $6 value) to kids on the honor roll, and something just clicked--something more than a teenage girl's appreciation of Tommy Herr. They won the 1982 World Series, and I was hooked. The next years were less magical, but they had some great players and a charismatic manager; I was dedicated. Then in 1985 an amazing squad took them back to the Series, where a lesser team beat them with the help of a motorized tarp and notorious missed call (see my April 1986 letter to the SI editor). I was crushed. When the Cardinals returned to the Series in 1987, I was thrilled, but wary. And thus not quite as saddened when they lost to the ridiculous stadium that houses the Twins. By the time Fate led the Red Sox past them in four, my heart was as hard as a Rawlings game ball. Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed, but you won't enjoy anything as much as you could.

Have I ever been so wrapped up in the Democratic Party? Not exactly. But I can rememember the McGovern signs in the yard, the vacation stop at the Truman museum, the cheers for Carter, and the disbelief that people that we knew actually voted Republican. Growing up in the Reagan era, disillusionment with the government came quickly, tempering my expectations of the whole enterprise but solidifying my liberal leanings. Even during the comparative glory of the Clinton years, there was plenty of disappointment to be found, from the '94 midterms to Monica. After the shock of 2000 and the soul-crushing debacle of 2004, well, there was precious little faith left.

And then came 2006. As has been documented right into the ground, this was a craptacular year for the Redbirds. It was a year of underwhelming signings, blown saves, lacksidaisical play, and too much money spent on tickets that were invariably behind a fence or a rail or a foul pole. In a word, it sucked. I was so negative I annoyed even myself, but I couldn't help it, so frustrated was I with a team that wasn't even playing up to its questionable potential, until, of course, they did. For the only two weeks that matter.

Now, can I compare Democrats to a bunch of highly compensated, sporadically performing men? Well, possibly. On the other hand, I'm sure no one on the DLC is injecting HGH. At any rate, I saw a lot of Dems do and say impressive things this year, but I still steeled myself for the seemingly inevitable. After all, Fitzmas was never what I wished it would be. And we do, in fact, live in times when actually getting more votes does not necessarily mean actually winning the election.

During the first round of the playoffs, my initial hope was only to catch a glimpse of lovely San Diego and Petco Park, where we had attended a game in 2005. Then, whaddya know, they won. When the NY series began, I predicted Mets in 5 while crossing my fingers where no one could see. When Yadier Molina hit that home run, I cheered as loud as anyone, but it was more an out-of-body experience than a thrill. Finally, the next week, instead of achieving the mean goal of not embarrassing themselves, the Cardinals won the whole damn thing. And, I tell ya, after 24 years the relief was sweet.

Did the Tigers give that thing away? Technically, I think they threw it right past third base. But, as Lonnie pointed out to me right before he cut off the angsty baseball talk, no championship is unearned. The Cardinals did make the pitches, get the hits, and run like hell when the ball went sailing by. They took advantage of the opportunities that were presented, and, they won.

Did the Republicans lose this election? Well, yeah, I'm sure if they hadn't managed to destroy America as we knew it they would have picked up a few more votes. But the Democrats won. They ran hard, spoke the truth, and brought in the votes.

So I understand that impulse, the urge to say, "Sure, this is good. But just you wait. I've been around! I know! Bad things happen. Just you watch." If you cling to that, you'll miss out on the good things, even in something as inconsequential as a baseball game. If you cling to that notion in real life, not only will you miss out on the good, you may actually help make those sour predictions come true. I can't control the national Dems any more than I can control the Cardinals' moneygrubbing ownership. But I can give them credit for their successes, and, in some small way, I can give them a hand. If I'm afraid of what they might do, or if I'm punishing for what they did before, I won't do that, and then they may, indeed, muck it up.