Ironically, the continuation of the most bizarre Game 5 in World Series history-delayed exactly 46 hours by a malady called Commishis Interruptis-was pushed back to 8:40 p.m. by a costly 30-minute infomercial by Barack Obama, the man the polls say will be elected president in 5 days.
There were no mounted police officers this time, no attack dogs baring their fangs or truncheon-bearing SWAT team members, exploding fireworks glinting off their lowered helmet shields.
As the bullpen gate swung open and the relievers and coaches there began the sprint toward the writhing dog pile of regulars and reserves that every player dreams of joining, a token force of nine officers on motorcycles rimmed the outfield warning track, lights flashing. The crowd was too busy high-fiving, man-hugging, woman-kissing, child-lifting and releasing enough pent-up emotion to light the city for a year to take notice of the subtle police presence.
MVP Cole Hamels came close to being the winning pitcher even though he had thrown his 75th pitch in an arctic monsoon Monday night, gutting his way through a sixth inning where his only weapon was a changeup because the baseball was so slick and his fingers so numb. And the Lords of Baseball prayed for him to allow a run so they could run their little, butt-saving gambit. Cole was still in the lineup until Geoff Jenkins hit for him leading off the bottom of the inning of a game tied 2-2 - no-thanks to some of the most inept and controversial rule-bending and administrative prevarication in the history of the pastime.
