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It really wasn't the end of the world
October 19, 2007Boston's Manny Ramirez said that it wouldn't be the end of the world if the Red Sox failed to extend the American League Championship Series Thursday night -- and he was right.
But people questioned his commitment anyway.
The Red Sox stayed alive with a 7-1 win in Cleveland that shifts the series back to Boston Saturday night and Ramirez went 2-for-4 with an RBI, so that should satisfy anyone who felt the enigmatic slugger wasn't trying.
Look, it is important for your team or mine to win every time out -- especially in the playoffs. But, I think Manny was trying to say that it's not life and death either literally or figuratively. That's the difference between watching from the stands and playing on the field.
We stopped using words like "shootout," "war" and "skirmish" in sports stories out of respect to those who really are fighting a war overseas.
By the same token, it's now time to remember that we're all fans and not frustrated professional athletes -- people who are also known as fanatics.
Posted by Stephen Smith at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
