World Series. I'm spent.

Well, it’s been a minute because the World Series sucked every bit of mental fortitude out from under me. And that sucks, because I have thousands of words on the following:

- NBA gambling Scandal which is definitely tied to Chauncey Billups’ rigged poker game scandal

- Steve Ballmer added to the civil fraud suit brought against Aspiration because he defrauded other investors in his pursuit to circumvent the salary cap. (Kawhi is sitting out tonight for rest).

- The Jets tear down a 1-7 team by trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

- MLB’s pending free agency and even more pending labor fight.

- Wembemyama

Hot damn the content calendar is full. But we can’t get to that until we cover the Dodgers.

It’s impossible to capture in words what anyone watching Game 7 witnessed with their eyes. Here’s my interpretation of the action:

- The Jays scored three runs on a hit, walk, and Bichette 3-run Mega Tank. That’s two hits and a walk to score three. Across the other 10 innings, Toronto mustered 12 more hits and 3 more walks, but only manufactured one more run. 15 baserunners converted into one run. Imagine your team playing a 10-inning game, getting 12 hits, and walking away with one run on the board. Weird.

- Not including Bichette’s homer, Toronto was 2-16 with two walks when they had runners in scoring position. Beyond that abysmal performance, Toronto averaged almost two ultra intensity at-bats per inning. Blood pressure up to max every inning for nearly an entire game. That’s what made it amazing.

Game 7 featured two teams that were virtual mirrors of each other. Toronto’s relentless pressure but inability to convert was mirrored by no action from LA’s offense, but a handful of timely solo homers. Two ways to win a game.

Overwhelmingly, all of Canada is searching for meaning. How can a team so thoroughly outplay the opponent and wind up losing? What was the point of all those run-scoring opportunities if they didn’t produce a title? In LA, there’s little search for meaning, but huge measures of relief, joy, and pride. What’s it mean for Baseball, and more importantly, KMARK?

For one, baseball is healed. Banning shifts, adding a pitch clock, and even re-introducing steals makes for a much better, more relatable product on the field. The game looks the way it was designed. The playoffs as a whole showcased offense, defense, base running, and pitching. All 4 phases baby! This is how to display the sport with the most talented performers. Keep the ball in play, let the athletes chase it, and then bring the next chump up to get potentially mowed down. I think the surge in engagement is directly tied to the product resembling the one we all grew up with. No more innings with 3 pitching changes. No more hard liners caught by a guy thirty feet off the infield. I abhor adding rules to fix what should otherwise be enforced by the players, but baseball broke itself and needed legislation to return it to a watchable sport.

As for KMARK, watching your team win the World Series is a bank of memories to draw on for a lifetime. It’s the Human Experience. Chill guys, I’m aware I don’t play on the field. But winning the World Series means that 2025 (and 2024) are just that much more special. Baseball is a calendar. It runs March-November. Marking this time with a giant freaking bow helps me feel like the day over day grind of Life can still be punctuated with peak excitement. It validates what it means to be a sport fan. We choose to be fans. We invest the time and energy. If it wasn’t for this, I’d be into Politics? Art? I’m good. My space on earth is consumed with the efforts of other people, but at least I’m rewarded with Values and Time. Game 7 was a day that no painting or Senate election could deliver. And the good news? I get to highlight my days all over again next spring.