The nail-biter Series

Five hours and seventeen minutes. That's how long last night's fifth game in the World Series lasted. It was almost 1:00 in the morning by the time it ended here in Houston. But Astros fans went home happy. Our team had won 13-12.

This has been an aggravating, heart-stopping, nail-biting series all the way. Every game has been in doubt seemingly up until the last out, because these teams, the Dodgers and the Astros, just don't quit!

They've been playing baseball since March. The players must be exhausted both mentally and physically, especially after last night's game. But they don't quit.

I've been a baseball fan since I was twelve years old and an Astros fan for almost forty years. It's really the only sport that I follow. The others are just background noise in my life, but baseball is the main event. This year's Astros team is the best I've ever seen. Not only are they good but they are a lot of fun to watch. This entire baseball season has been pure joy for me and for all long-suffering Astros fans. But I can't take much more of this!

I haven't even been able to bear to watch much of the series because it is so stressful. I just stay glued to the Astros website's gameday feature and follow the games that way. I find that slightly less heart attack-inducing.

Most of the news websites that I follow have raved about what an exciting Series it has been so far. Well, I could do with a little less excitement about now. A score of 10-0 with the Astros in the lead in the first inning would be most welcome. I could actually stand to watch the action then.

The sportswriters and commentators all spend a lot of time on the exploits of the stars of the game.
In the case of the Astros, that's people like Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Justin Verlander. They deserve all the accolades they get. But I especially appreciate some of the lesser known players.

Two pitchers in particular deserve attention - Charlie Morton and Mike Fiers.

During the dog days of summer when three-fifths of the Astros' starting rotation was on the disabled list, Charlie, who wasn't even supposed to be a starter this year, and Mike, who was the fifth starter, took the mound every five days and pitched their hearts out. They both ended the season with win totals in the mid-teens, even though Fiers flagged a bit toward the end of the season and didn't even make the cut for the playoff roster. But without Morton and Fiers, the Astros wouldn't be where they are now.

Charlie Morton has pitched in the World Series and has pitched well, although the Astros lost the game that he started. Not his fault though - that loss as well as the second Astros loss are all down to an exhausted and shaky bullpen.

So, two more games (possibly) to go. At least we get a chance to catch our breath today, but it all begins again with everything on the line tomorrow night.

The Astros may win this Series, or they may lose. But one thing we know for sure: They won't quit.

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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