Sunday, April 25, 2004
Analogies
I try to veer away from sports and politics in my blog, but permit me to indulge a little in both. Trust me - I don't think you'll find this particular post too inflammatory on either.
So, imagine that I thought Ralph Nader, in principle, was the best man to be President. This may very well be the case - I'm ignoring him because he clearly has no chance to win, and a vote for him would only serve to help Bush get re-elected, which I think would be a much greater loss than losing whatever benefit Nader might provide over Kerry. At some level, this is kind of sad - I wish we didn't have a two-party system, and other viable candidates had a chance. But we don't, and so I realize I have to work inside the system. If that means voting for Kerry, whom I like, but don't think is a fantastic candidate, than so be it. Ok, that's the politics part.
Now, the sports part. It's tough for me to articulate what's more evil - Bush, and his policies that I detest, or the New York Yankees, who I believe are bad for baseball. I suppose, when it comes down to it, Bush's policies actually affect the real world, but baseball's pretty damn important too. Nevertheless, I can't stand the Yankees. They are perennial contenders for a couple of reasons - first and foremost is their boundless money supply. The second reason is that they make smart decisions, but their money allows them to fix any silly mistakes they might make, so they end up looking smarter because of it. Regardless, I just can't stand them - their fans are obnoxious, the team has this self-righteous air about it, and their success represents everything that is wrong about baseball's salary structure. I wish there was a detestable player on the team, but to their credit, most of them are classy guys. Jeter is horribly overexposed and overrated, but probably the most dislikable guy on the team is the owner - George Steinbrenner - a megalomaniac if there ever was one. Anyways, I don't like them. That's the point.
In truth, I am a die-hard Orioles fan. But, the fact is that for the past 6 years they've been terrible. They're just starting to turn it around, and now they're at least fun to watch, but they're at least a year from being serious competitors. Note that I WANT them to win - I just don't expect them to. Many people think that being a fan means that you must be delusional about a team's chances, but those people mostly live in Boston. Regardless, the Orioles, in all likelihood, are not going to win the division and make the playoffs - mostly because they're in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees, whose payrolls are approximately 2 times and 3 times that of the Orioles, respectively.
So, I'm going to root for the Orioles. I want them to win. I also know that rooting for a team doesn't actually affect that team, but let's pretend that it does - in as much as my vote (in Maryland) is actually going to affect the election. Recently, I was at an Orioles / Red Sox game, and of course I was rooting for the Orioles. But I couldn't help feel like rooting for the Orioles was kind of like voting for Nader. It was kind of sad - I felt guilty. I mean, I want the Orioles to win. Nothing would make me happier. But I realize they won't. And if that's the case, then all I really care about is the Yankees NOT winning. The team that is the most likely to stop the Yankees from winning is the Red Sox, and as such, I have to pull for them, even though I don't really like them. In this case, they are definitely the lesser of two evils.
You can see the extended analogy - The Orioles are Nader - righteous and just and principled, but a gigantic longshot. The Red Sox (quite fittingly) are Kerry - a less than optimal candidate, not quite possessing all of the qualities I'd want in a World Champion / President, but certainly better than the alternative...The Yankees, who are Bush. I know, it'd be better if this was the Dallas Cowboys, so it's not a perfect analogy. Nevertheless, the Yankees have been leading baseball (America) in the wrong direction, and it's time for a long overdue change. No longer will money (special interests) determine the direction we're headed.
What's my conclusion? I guess it's that I'm a pragmatist, with an optimistic streak. Maybe Kerry will beat Bush in 2004, order a salary cap in baseball, and the Orioles will win in 2005! A analogy-maker can dream, can't he?
So, imagine that I thought Ralph Nader, in principle, was the best man to be President. This may very well be the case - I'm ignoring him because he clearly has no chance to win, and a vote for him would only serve to help Bush get re-elected, which I think would be a much greater loss than losing whatever benefit Nader might provide over Kerry. At some level, this is kind of sad - I wish we didn't have a two-party system, and other viable candidates had a chance. But we don't, and so I realize I have to work inside the system. If that means voting for Kerry, whom I like, but don't think is a fantastic candidate, than so be it. Ok, that's the politics part.
Now, the sports part. It's tough for me to articulate what's more evil - Bush, and his policies that I detest, or the New York Yankees, who I believe are bad for baseball. I suppose, when it comes down to it, Bush's policies actually affect the real world, but baseball's pretty damn important too. Nevertheless, I can't stand the Yankees. They are perennial contenders for a couple of reasons - first and foremost is their boundless money supply. The second reason is that they make smart decisions, but their money allows them to fix any silly mistakes they might make, so they end up looking smarter because of it. Regardless, I just can't stand them - their fans are obnoxious, the team has this self-righteous air about it, and their success represents everything that is wrong about baseball's salary structure. I wish there was a detestable player on the team, but to their credit, most of them are classy guys. Jeter is horribly overexposed and overrated, but probably the most dislikable guy on the team is the owner - George Steinbrenner - a megalomaniac if there ever was one. Anyways, I don't like them. That's the point.
In truth, I am a die-hard Orioles fan. But, the fact is that for the past 6 years they've been terrible. They're just starting to turn it around, and now they're at least fun to watch, but they're at least a year from being serious competitors. Note that I WANT them to win - I just don't expect them to. Many people think that being a fan means that you must be delusional about a team's chances, but those people mostly live in Boston. Regardless, the Orioles, in all likelihood, are not going to win the division and make the playoffs - mostly because they're in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees, whose payrolls are approximately 2 times and 3 times that of the Orioles, respectively.
So, I'm going to root for the Orioles. I want them to win. I also know that rooting for a team doesn't actually affect that team, but let's pretend that it does - in as much as my vote (in Maryland) is actually going to affect the election. Recently, I was at an Orioles / Red Sox game, and of course I was rooting for the Orioles. But I couldn't help feel like rooting for the Orioles was kind of like voting for Nader. It was kind of sad - I felt guilty. I mean, I want the Orioles to win. Nothing would make me happier. But I realize they won't. And if that's the case, then all I really care about is the Yankees NOT winning. The team that is the most likely to stop the Yankees from winning is the Red Sox, and as such, I have to pull for them, even though I don't really like them. In this case, they are definitely the lesser of two evils.
You can see the extended analogy - The Orioles are Nader - righteous and just and principled, but a gigantic longshot. The Red Sox (quite fittingly) are Kerry - a less than optimal candidate, not quite possessing all of the qualities I'd want in a World Champion / President, but certainly better than the alternative...The Yankees, who are Bush. I know, it'd be better if this was the Dallas Cowboys, so it's not a perfect analogy. Nevertheless, the Yankees have been leading baseball (America) in the wrong direction, and it's time for a long overdue change. No longer will money (special interests) determine the direction we're headed.
What's my conclusion? I guess it's that I'm a pragmatist, with an optimistic streak. Maybe Kerry will beat Bush in 2004, order a salary cap in baseball, and the Orioles will win in 2005! A analogy-maker can dream, can't he?
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