Sep 13 2008
Rainout allows thoughts to shift toward more serious items
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – The circle of life, and the backbeat of baseball, marches onward, no matter what.
There are times, however, when the music stops, when we must pause. In baseball terms, it’s when the heavens open up and rains pour down, much as was the case Friday night at Shea Stadium in New York City, when inclement weather forced postponement of the Atlanta Braves’ series opener against the Mets.
But as life shows us from time to time, there are moments when things grind to a halt.
Case in point: Hurricane Ike, which battered the Texas coast Friday night with heavy rains, high winds and a storm surge that gave all of us who watched the projections of the water push into Galveston cause to pause … and to pray.
Also important is the impact Ike is having on the residents of southeast Texas and, for that matter, critical also is the impact on gas prices. I paid $3.48 a gallon Thursday night to fill up the family vehicle. Gas Friday night sat at $3.99 a gallon, a 51-cent jump in prices in just 24 hours.
Of course, the calendar serves as a reminder of what’s really important. Seven years ago Thursday, our lives changed forever when terrorists turned passenger airliners into weapons of destruction. Those of us who lived through the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will never forget the tears, the pain, the anger we felt on that horrid Tuesday morning.
Personally, we all have lived through those moments. I’m fighting through one of those times in my life right now, as my Dad has been diagnosed with cancer. His chemo treatments begin next week, and we are optimistic and hoping for the best.
Indeed, in the context of a hurricane, in the context of war brought to our shores, in the context of a father staring at cancer, a baseball game holds little meaning.
And yet, life goes on. We clean up the damage from the storm. We mourn those who were killed senselessly and hunt for those responsible. We gather our strength and stand ready to support our loved ones.
A doubleheader will be played in New York this afternoon and evening, as the Braves and Mets play two games. We hope the games will be played, if for nothing else than to give us something fun to focus on, if only for a few hours.
On deck
Braves at Mets (DH)
3:55 p.m. today, Shea Stadium
The Skinny: In the opener, the Braves send lefty Mike Hampton (2-2, 5.60 ERA) to the slab, and Hammy looks to bounce back after from allowing four homers in his last start Saturday against the Nationals. Still, you can’t argue the fact Hampton has given this whole team a lift just by returning from a nearly three-year layoff and staying healthy. For the Mets, remember all the talk of how lefty Johan Santana (13-7, 2.70 ERA) would totally dominate the National League? Well, while he’s been pretty good, he by no means has owned the league like some people thought. He’s a horse, though, having topped 100 pitches in nine of his past 10 starts as the Mets push toward the division title. In the nightcap, Jo-Jo Reyes (3-10, 5.26 ERA) gets the ball. Jo-Jo toed the slab at Shea upon his return to the majors last month, the lefty pitched well enough to win, giving up four hits and two earned runs in six innings. He got a no-decision that night, and since then we’ve seen the ups and downs that have made Braves fans scream in frustration at the 23-year-old’s performance. Reyes pitched well in his last outing, holding Washington to one run over six innings Sunday. Still, time is running out for Jo-Jo to make a good impression on management this season, and to show his good work from mid May through mid June wasn’t a fluke. For the Mets, lefty Jonathon Niese (0-0, 15.00 ERA) gets the call as New York bumps Pedro Martinez back to Monday. Niese gave up seven hits and five runs with four walks in his big-league debut against Milwaukee on Sept. 3.
—30—
Bud, all I can say is “Touching”