Seven Days

Someday, Eric Nadel, the voice of the Texas Rangers, is going to do one of his signature broadcast stories "A Page From Baseball's Past," about Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. He'll be describing with his uncanny eye for detail what happened on the field. What he'll miss is what was happening in homes and sports bars, in offices and warehouses, anywhere Rangers fans were gathered to watch the bottom of the 9th inning, with the Rangers up 7-5 and the Cards up for their last at-bat. I was at home and earlier had moved from the den to my bedroom, where I felt the mojo was better. Earlier in the game when the Rangers went up 7-4, I was on the bed and had noticed that my right foot was resting against my left leg. Ahh, I thought. That's my lucky position. So I stayed in that position, only taking breaks in between innings. Bear in mind, I'm 56 years old. I'm a college graduate. And I'm reduced to this magical thinking. And you know I'm not alone on this. It's sheer madness. The mojo wore off and the Cards tied the game, by which point my right leg had fallen asleep anyway. So I stood up a few feet from the TV to watch the Rangers bat in the top of the 10th. Bang-blast. A base hit and a magnificent home run by Josh and the Rangers have a two-run lead again! Wow. Divine intervention. Or was it the fact that I discovered a new lucky spot? I froze. I didn't move. I gulped when I saw Darren Oliver come out in the bottom of the 10th to pitch. But the Cards had two light-hitting lefties coming up, followed by their pitcher. And they had no pinch-hitters left to hit for the pitcher. Even with Oliver on the mound, we had this one in the bag. I just had to stay put in my lucky position....