Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

We lost. Oh, Diamondbacks, how we rooted for you! There is always a winner and a loser. Defeat and victory. Cheering and jeering. Hopes rising and dreams dashed. It is the way it is, Dear Readers. Our team got further than we imagined, but not exactly far enough. Losing hurts.

We saw everything. The improbable rise of a baseball team that didn’t seem to have many chances to make it to the playoffs. Then a shutout of the mighty Dodgers. Tearing through the Phillies. Slaying the goliaths of baseball. Is this really happening? Our team might get to the Series and win it all? Are we dreaming? No, we saw greatness.

The D-Backs and Texas Rangers were both unlikely teams to make it to the World Series. This is the first time both teams playing in the Series are only two years removed from a 100-loss season. And while 2021 might have been dreadful for both teams, it is not like they set the world on fire in 2022. And yet, with talent, persistence and hard work, the magic happened.

We had the chance to see it all. Two titans of baseball, with hellacious pitchers and batters with arms of steel. Balls being caught that would defy all odds. Runners sprinting at the speed of Olympians. We thrilled to balls that blaze to the heavens, out of sight and into God’s glove. Stealing bases were nothing short of an art form of brazen courage. Pitchers with wicked arms threw fast balls that ripped over 100 mph.

There was great hope. We believed! Then came heartbreak. One winner. One loser. Millions of Texas fans felt jubilant. Others in Arizona wept. Baseball is not just a game. We had hopes and dreams pinned on this outcome. All bets were off. But the Rangers had a date with destiny that would not be blocked by our beloved D-Backs. And it took 51 years of trying for the Rangers to win it all.

Baseball is the great American pastime and a part of our collective childhood memories. If you need reminding, watch the great baseball movie, The Sandlot” which evokes the love of this sport. While watching a baseball game, we sometimes are holding our breath, with each thwack of a ball.

Yes, we grabbed a hot dog and a beer to root, root, for the home team. Diehards, causal fans, even those disinterested in the sport seemed to embrace the possibility of the trophy. And then it was over. Defeat hurts. After the final loss, D-Backs manager, Torey Lovullo, said “I want to run away and hide for a few days, go camping, sit in a tent, suck my thumb and eat ice cream.” Hey, we feel the pain.

We must remember the words of Babe Ruth. “Every strike gets me closer to my next home run.” After a big loss, life goes on and so do we. All we can do is wait for the next baseball season to get into full swing.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected]or at www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.