1/11/00
Softball: The Eternal Paradox of Empathy
Dear People,
Congratz to all on last week’s fervidly fought 20-17 explosion of raw 21st century aerobic excellence. In reflecting on the first game of the new millennium, I was struck by the resilience of old and complex emotions that carry ever forward from centuries gone by. Thus, for example, as I witnessed the opposing contingent begin their last and most dazzling rally in the bottom of the 9th---only to fall just short when the tying run popped out to third---I noticed that my own joy at having endured the final onslaught was tempered by the knowledge of the inevitable anguish that those on the other side must have been feeling. Indeed, the new era was now upon us, but the psychology of sport remained as conflicted as ever, the pyrrhic glories of victory functioning as nothing more than a gaping window into the ash-strewn malaise of another’s acrid despair. Frankly, it was all so emotively medieval, and I for one hope that in these next 1000 years, they do a much better job of transcending the inherent Wittgensteinian sorrow that comes with every athletic triumph. If nothing else, as a community, let us at least hope for that.
Alas, I’m still too busy to woo you with glorious tales of baseball’s past, but there will be a game at Codornices this Saturday, January 15th at 11AM, if I get enough commits by this Friday morning…Raymond
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