A WIN IS A WIN!

The Phillies won again last night, but it was a lethargic win.  They hit two solo home runs and their third run was scored on two walks and an error. Explosive energy and thoughtful hitting were absent. The Fightin’ Phils went 1-for-9 with five strikeouts with runners in scoring position in the first four innings, stranding seven runners on base.  Oswalt threw a gritty six innings giving up only one hit, which was quite beautiful to watch. (I particularly enjoyed his showdown with Jorge Cantu who fouled off nine pitches. The brilliant 14 pitch at-bat ended in a 3-2 strikeout, and this series of pitches included an inventive 61 mph slider that Oswalt invented on the spot in order to fool Cantu). Outside of Oswalt’s performance, the Phillies seemed anemic.  “A win is a win,” people keep telling me.  I understand what they mean, but something about this notion bugs me.

            As a fan of the game, you want your team to win because of good baseball. Smart hitting, daring base-running, strong defense, cunning pitching, and explosive energy should be behind the movement toward victory.  Inning by inning, you want to watch your team build momentum with an intense focus on smart baseball.  When people say that a win is a win, they are saying that none of this matters.  A win is a win means that we expect little during the game.  A win is a win means that the athleticism, grit, and gracefulness that can drive a team to victory are less important than the bottom line.  But the joy of watching a batter work a walk from a pitcher, steal second base, get bunted over to third, and then be driven home by smart hitting far transcends the satisfaction of winning because the other team lost the game.                  

Right off I want to acknowledge how obnoxious this may sound to, say, a Mets fan (the Mets are currently the worst team in baseball).  I understand that when your team is a cellar dweller, a-win-is-a-win-is-a-win.  As a Phillies fan, it is possible that I have gotten spoiled over the past few years and now take winning for granted.  But this is unlikely, since after all, I am a Phillies fan. I have thrown my lot in with the losingest franchise in all of professional sports! I have endured many years with my team way under .500. If pushed, I suppose the hardest question to answer is if I would rather the Phillies win a game that is ugly and handed to them by game-losing mistakes, or lose a game that was well played and elegant, a game in which their athleticism and instincts were on clear display.  I’m not sure I can honestly say the latter, but I know that I should strive for that.  First and foremost, I should privilege the beauty of the game over a win for the local tribe. But, I am not there. Not yet.

I know that as I move through life, the grace, intelligence, and integrity that I should be cultivating are far more important than any accomplishment or “win” that I can put on a resume. Professionally, I know that my daily interactions with congregants, lay leaders, colleagues, and other clergy matter more than anything else.  A win is not a win if it means stepping on toes, being guided by ego and not values, or amplifying a false sense of importance. I need reminders of this. We all do. The way we play the game does matter. 

I am a loyal and devoted fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and I LOVE when they win. But I am working on becoming a better fan of baseball, and that requires me to learn how to enjoy a beautiful game, even when they lose.  Baseball can be more than a game when it begins to seep into our lives as inspiration for integrity. It can teach us to value beauty, elegance, and skill over our more dishonorable desire to simply win. Of course, I wouldn’t complain if the Phillies are blessed with both skillful playing and wins, but hey, what do the baseball gods owe Phillies fans? Enduring over 10,000 losses doesn’t entitle us to elegant wins...  Actually, I think it does, and maybe a few more world series titles while we are at it.