YOU NEVER KNOW

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to create my own English course. The formal title is Literature of Sport, an elective class open to all 11th and 12th grade students. I think it has been fairly well-received, based on past student comments. At the beginning of each semester I ask both classes the following question: Why Sports? It always elicits numerous responses ranging from competition to entertainment. After noting all responses on the white board (I hate chalk!), the correct answer (or one of the top three)remains elusive. In nearly every class, I have to provide the answer. Simply stated, it encompasses three words: YOU NEVER KNOW. That sounds a bit abstract, but perhaps I can explain.

In virtually all parts of our lives, the end result of each endeavor is clear cut. If high school students get As in all their classes, they will attend a reputable college. As a teacher, I know in advance what my salary will be each month -- no mystery. With the possible exception of this year's highly acclaimed, yet incredibly strange No Country for Old Men, movie plots are not difficult to unravel.But sports offer something different. Favorites don't always win; there is no set formula for victory or defeat. The list follows an endless array of surprises: USA Hockey in 1980, Red Sox-Yankees, 2004, Michigan-Appalachian State, 2007, and hundreds of other individual and team results that defy definition. This is a long-winded introduction to the latest YNK example: Fresno State's hard-to-believe College World Series victory.

I worked in college athletics for nearly 15 years. During that time I had front row seats to many an upset. But what the Fresno State baseball team achieved in the past several weeks renews the axiom for Why Sports? They were the lowest seeded team to reach the grueling 64-squad event that included a four-team double elimination regional tournament, a best-of-three super regional playoff, and the College World Series itself, another double elimination design lasting two weeks in scenic Omaha, Nebraska. FSU should never have been there. They lost 12 of their first 20 games and had to win their conference (Western Athletic) tournament to even qualify for the NCAA bash. They lost their best pitcher to a shoulder injury before the regular season ended, and two of their best hitters had digit injuries to overcome throughout the tournament. So what happened? They proceeded to beat heavy favorites and highly-ranked opponents at every stop, dodging elimination games against San Diego and Arizona State in the regional and super regional rounds, then downing Rice, number one-ranked North Carolina twice, and heavily-favored Georgia twice for the championship, after losing the first game of that best-of-three finale. In all they had 31 losses on the season, most ever for a championship team. The final exclamation point came from sophomore outfielder Steve Detwiler. He had suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb prior to the tournament. It requires surgery and months of rehab to correct the injury. Detwiler played through the pain and hit two homers to drive in all six FSU runs in the title contest. That just doesn't happen in real life. Even to an old cynic like myself, this improbable journey to a championship was stunning and highly entertaining. It was nice to take a break from gas prices and roadside bomb epitaphs.

********************************************************************

For whatever this is worth, my game plan is to write three of these a week if possible. It's something I should have done years ago to at least satisfy or placate my Writing Jones to use the modern vernacular.

MM