Wow! And wow, again!! So here we are the week before the big post season tournament. We knew we were going to meet our big rival, the one with the pitcher six-inches taller than anyone else on the field. (Why couldn't we have had two or three precocious growth spurts of our own?) The one whose speed and control have every batter scared every trip to the plate. Well, guess what. Someone just saw that pitcher with a cast on their pitching arm. Not an ace bandage, but a real plaster cast up to the elbow, the kind of cast that gets used only when something is seriously broken. Guess what, team, this tournament is really OURS to win now. We're going to be facing a different pitcher. We felt good about our chances before. We should feel better now, but let's not get cocky or forget THAT WE STILL HAVE TO PLAY OUR GAME!!! We still have to field the way we know how, make good throws, lay off bad pitches, and our catchers need to let nothing in the dirt get past them.
This is what I felt yesterday with the McCain team's announcement of Palin as VP pick. So how can Obama/Biden play this unexpected development smartly, being more the favorite now than before? I think it can be pretty simple. They just have to continue being good at all the things that count. They need to let wild pitches like Palin go past without taking swings that have little chance of making solid contact. Wild pitches are obvious from way up in the cheap seats. Everybody can see the difference (except for diehard fans of the other team, of course). Let wild pitches speak for themselves. They will eventually move your players around the bases without your having to expend much effort at all. (Good eye! Good eye! Be patient. Let 'em walk in a run.)
Save your energy for being good at what counts in your own game. Scoop up the balls that come to you. Catch all the fly balls that you get to. make good throws. Deliver the message to the crowd that you are a smart, capable team that can play with poise and control, doesn't get rattled, and is fun to watch. Let the fans relax during the action and go home saying, "Boy, that team sure knows how to play.".
Noone really wants to see a favored team win by bullying. My greatest source of comfort with the Obama/Biden ticket is that we have a thinking person's team on the field. Skill and toughtfulness can play a decisive role. For example, my thoughts went to how Joe Biden needs to work a debate with Sarah Palin. I think it could be handled by maintaining a laser-like focus on the things that count. If it's a bad pitcher you are facing, they themselves are someone you can almost ignore. It's the pitches that count. You need to either let them sail past or whack with the right ones with authority. Concentrate on hitting pitches about protecting the constitution, protecting personal privacy, protecting the environment for our children, providing decent access to basic health care, taking REAL steps to fighting terrorism. (Everyone who has flown knows TSA airport screeners are not performing a function that makes sense!) Bad pitchers, as Palin may turn out to be, will marginalize themselves.
In conclusion, let's just play smart. We have a team capable of that. Let's deliver the message that we are worth the price of buying a ticket in November. Buy a ticket because the Obama/Biden team is good enough to play in a lot of big games the next four years. You should be able to see that clearly, even from the cheap seats.