I nominate the Philadelphia Phillies as America’s team. Part of this is because I am biased- I’m a lifelong fan of the Phils as they are, and always will be, my hometown team. The main reason is that in this World Series, they have shown us something about us as a nation that we need to see.
Americans, like the Phils, are a great team. We have a good track record overall for successfully working together toward a shared objective. However, it seems like this only really happens when our back is up against the wall and we have someone to rally behind.
The Phils went to New York for Game One with something to prove. Even though they are defending champs, nearly everyone outside of the Philadelphia city limits had the Yankees winning the Series before it even started. Forget that the Phils had just soundly beaten the Dodgers, the NL team with the best record, and that Joe Torre himself soundly praised the Phils even as he sat in defeat. In the minds of most, the Phils were toast. But they surprised their detractors, rallied under the superb pitching of Cliff Lee and firmly trounced the Yankees in their own ballpark. They reminded all who watched the game why they were defending national champions. Relevence reestablished, they sat back and let the Yankees return the fire while not stepping up their level of play to neutralize it. The Phils lost three straight and were one game away from being eliminated.
Game Five- The Yankees were sure it was their night. Even Kate Hudson thought it was worth stepping out of the rarified air of New York City to come down to Philly, however distatsteful, to see her man A Rod win the Series. But that didn’t happen.
Lead again by the pitching of Cliff Lee, the Phils, to a man, took their job and their come from behind status seriously and again showed that they are a force to be reckoned with. With their backs against the wall, in a “do or die” situation, they forged ahead and came away victorious.
While there are other lessons to be learned from this Series, the main one is this. When we need to, when our backs are pressed against the wall, we Americans are capable of greatness when we work as a team. There is no situation that we as a nation have not come back from stronger and wiser, even in the rare case we are not victorius. Especially when we lose, we learn from our losses so that they don’t happen again. As long as we guard against “manifest destiny” and self-righteousness, there is nothing we can’t do or achieve. We know this.
But there is a nagging question here. Why do we have to wait until our backs are against the wall to act? Why does every issue have to reach a crisis point before we stand up and do something about it? What are we going to do when we meet the one situation that became so big while we sat around and did nothing that it kicks our butt? Why do we have to be on the verge of failure before we can activate our greatness? Global warming, energy dependence, health care, entitlement spending, environmental concerns, poverty, erosion of basic liberties, corruption (both public, and private); all are serious and grave concerns that will have drastic long term consequences if left unaltered.
This is not to justify unnecessarily spreading manufactured fear; what salesmen call “creating a sense of urgency” in order to close the deal. That is being done everywhere today. With that said, we cannot afford to ignore these issues in the vain hope that they will just go away or that the technology to combat them will somehow miraculously appear in the nick of time.
What I am talking about is taking a good hard look at our current situation today, realizing that it is unsustainable, and being PROACTIVE in making the necessary changes to divert the course we are on to the betterment of all. For the survival of us all. In order for this to happen, we need to be a team. We MUST be a team, for united we stand, divided we fall.
Just ask the Phillies.
GO PHILS!!!!!!!!!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“But there is a nagging question here. Why do we have to wait until our backs are against the wall to act?”
Here’s your answer;
“This economic crisis is too useful for Obama to want it to end. When Rahm Emanuel — and later Hillary Clinton — spoke of never letting a good crisis “go to waste,” many people were shocked. But now Obama seems to embody the corollary: that the crisis should continue until he has thoroughly milked it to reshape American politics, society and the economy. ”
http://townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2009/04/08/a_crisis_that_obama_wont_waste
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yeA_kHHLow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mzcbXi1Tkk
The Yankees will win! The Yankees will win!
It feels good to let that out of my system. I am a Yankee fan.
Now, for a Philly fan, you make some good points, on the state of the American political scene. I shall ignore your bias opinion on baseball matters, {Just kidding you Philadelphia! — not!). I shall stick to your political points. As usual you hit the hammer on the nail.
Back to baseball, you’re trying to hit the hammer with the nail.
Once again: The Yankees will win! The Yankees will win!