I have a confession to make.... I am a die-hard Red Sox fan and equally faithful Democrat. I’ve been slightly torn in trying to focus on this week’s moving and inspiring convention while the Red Sox and Yankees are matched up for a series the same week. Between the sports metaphors from political pundits and parade of New York and New England delegates / speakers, its easy to understand how one could easily digest these events simultaneously.
Unfortunately, shortly after the end of the Red Sox win over the Yankees last night and just before Biden took the stage, the media started to report that McCain’s VP choice has already been made and may likely shared to the public today or tomorrow. Sound familiar? If you are a Red Sox fan (or A Rod hater), the tune of this song has a strikingly similar ring to Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.
I have a confession to make.... I am a die-hard Red Sox fan and equally faithful Democrat. I’ve been slightly torn in trying to focus on this week’s moving and inspiring convention while the Red Sox and Yankees are matched up for a series the same week. Between the sports metaphors from political pundits and parade of New York and New England delegates / speakers, its easy to understand how one could easily digest these events simultaneously.
Unfortunately, shortly after the end of the Red Sox win over the Yankees last night and just before Biden took the stage, the media started to report that McCain’s VP choice has already been made and may likely shared to the public today or tomorrow. Sound familiar? If you are a Red Sox fan (or A Rod hater), the tune of this song has a strikingly similar ring to Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.
In late October Alex Rodriguez decided to announce that he would opt out of his 10-year, $252 million contract with the Yankees. What made this announcement so appalling to so many baseball fans (not just the Red Sox nation) was not simply the gross display of excessiveness and greed that has corroded the contemporary business of major league baseball. Rodriguez decided to make his announcement at the finale of Game 4 of the World Series while the Red Sox completed their 4 game sweep of Colorado.
ESPN reporter Buster Olney put it not-so-mildly when he said this of A-Rod’s self-interested and inappropriate decision:
"The way this played out could not have been more apropos, because A-Rod needs to be bigger than the game; he needs to be more important than the Red Sox or the Rockies or any other team, or any other player. He is one of the greatest players in history at compiling statistics, the greatest ever at compiling wealth, and his next employer will have to buy into that. The World Series can't matter as much as A-Rod."
Today we face significant milestones as a country – both Democrats and Republicans. We have our first African American nominee for President of the United States and today is the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s "I have a dream" message of hope and justice.
Considering the increasing murmurs from the McCain camp about their own VP nomination during this historic day, I have to wonder if A-Rod’s approach to putting himself before the game of baseball on one of the most anticipated days of the entire season appeals to McCain’s sensibility. Just like the Yankee primadona, McCain is good at compiling inflated statistics of himself, the greatest at compiling wealth, and he certainly expects the nation to buy into that as well. He wants to be bigger than than the significance of this American moment and wants to be more important than any team, Democrat or Republican.
So don’t be too surprised if the Republican VP pick shows his face tonight, distracting the attention of American’s away from hope, freedom, and justice. And if it turns out to be Alex Rodriguez – you heard it here first!