Optimism of baseball

In the last couple days, we’ve seen some remarkable playoff games that
 have come down to the wire.  Specifically, the A’s and the Yankees, just 
the other night, both won in walk-off fashion to the delight of their 
hometown fans and, I’m sure, to the executives of Major League Baseball.
  The Nationals won with a walk-off as well and the Orioles won in 13 innings just last night.  The chances of future thrilling finishes this playoff season are
 expectedly

high.  Such is the case during playoff baseball.


I think this is one of the many things that separates baseball from 
other sports.  Although other sports also have their own thrilling finishes and 
last second wins, the main difference is the clock or lack thereof in
 baseball.  In all other major spectator team sports (soccer, football,
 basketball, and hockey) the clock rules over the game.  Teams with a 
lead can manipulate the clock to their advantage.  A football team can 
take their time getting to the line of scrimmage.  A quarterback can 
”take a knee” on several plays and waste several minutes in the process.
  Soccer players can play keep away for an unlimited amount of time to
 preserve a lead.  A basketball team can use the same strategy within the
 confines of the shot clock.  The point is, when there is a clock, the 
winning team can hold the ball (or puck) and prevent the other team from 
even having a chance to score and win the game.
  

Baseball is different.  There is no clock.  You have to get 27 outs.  A pitcher cannot hold the ball until the
 clock runs out.  He has to make a pitch and when he does, in 
essence, he gives the ball to the opposition and therefore keeps giving 
them an opportunity to get back in the game.


Watch baseball long enough and you will experience a game where a team 
has the game in hand only to see their pitcher completely lose the
 strike zone allowing the other team to come back and win.  Even at the 
MLB level, we’ve seen teams score an amazing number of runs with two
 outs and nobody on base to win a game.
  

This is why baseball will always be America’s game.  In America, as long
 as you are breathing, you have a chance to turn anything around and 
succeed no matter what obstacles are placed in front of you.  Every day
 is another chance.  This same built-in optimism is what the game of
 baseball provides as well.  As long as there are not 27 outs, you always
 have a shot.
  Had a bad day?  Wake up the next morning and take some more swings.  You
 never know.