Baseball and Religion

I am from Philadelphia, PA. I am a Phillies fan.

And my team is currently receiving a beat-down in the 2009 World Series.
I have been watching the games, broadcast in Israel from 3 AM to 6 AM each night.

And I've been thinking... I am out of my mind!

Also, baseball is a lot like religion.

We have rituals, beliefs, hope, faith, rely on forces outside our own powers for happiness and "deliverance."


Also, the Yankees are Satan.

We wear special "hats" that make us feel closer to our Heroes.
If I stand in that spot and wear these clothes, my group shall be victorious.
I mutter nonsensically (Nobatter, Nobatter, Nobatter... Yigh, nigh, nigh nigunim).
If I concentrate hard enough, I believe I might affect someone thousands of miles away.


For me especially, Baseball and Religion are inextricably linked (quite the adverb, huh? I think it means "really, really").
I started following the Phillies during the 1993 season... because they were kickin' ass and takin' names! I hopped on that bandwagon!
In October of 1993 my Phillies went from cellar dwellers to champions of the National League.
They then met the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Let's not belabor the heartache, the Phillies lost in one of the most dramatic (and for me, soul-stomping) moments in World Series history. But I was officially a Phillies fan.
A few months later, my grandfather died (z"l), I started going to shul each night when my Dad would recite the Mourner's Kaddish, and I began getting interested in Judaism. Then, I developed psychological problems rooted in blessings and prayers.
Also, the Phillies began to suck big time. Between 1995 and 2000, The Phillies had the worst record in the National League, and I developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Stay tuned for more details later on, where we learn about my "talking to crackers" and my year and half of abstinence... from myself!