OPINION:
March was always my favorite month of the year because it has all the sports.
The NBA was careening toward the playoffs and the games would have a significant effect on what seed the teams would gain. And the difference in seeds could turn out to be crucial, particularly with the home court advantage.
But the biggest reason March is great for basketball fans is the NCAA tournament. “March Madness,” as it has come to be known, is my single favorite sporting event. Nothing produces more unexpected results where schools from conferences no one has ever heard of routinely upset top 20 teams from power conferences in breathtakingly exciting games.
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And for any sport there is nothing more thrilling than watching “one and done” games. The team can go undefeated during the regular season, but if it loses one game in the first round because of a 35-foot prayer launched at the buzzer its season is over and its hopes are brutally extinguished. It is not uncommon to see these superb athletes with tears in their eyes as the realization sets in that their dream had finally ended.
I have spent most of my career being described as a workaholic, but I tried my best to schedule as little as possible so that I could see the greatest number of tournament games as possible.
Three years ago, I had to have a small dermatological procedure and my doctor told me that I could have it in the morning, but I couldn’t go out in public for the next four days. She said I could schedule the procedure for any time I wanted. My mind exploded with glee as I realized I could schedule it for Thursday morning of the opening round of the tournament and be forced to stay at home, which would enable me for the first time in my life to see every single one of the 32 first-round games and 16 second-round games.
In March, hockey season is also in full swing as the teams, similar to the NBA are desperate for wins to improve their seeding for the chase for the Stanley Cup. As with the NBA, with the NHL there is a sense of anticipation in March that we were driving to the finish line and the best is yet to come.
But baseball’s role in March is unrivaled. Despite the current overwhelming popularity of pro-football, baseball has always been America’s game. As James Earl Jones said in the movie “Field of Dreams:”
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again. Oh … people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.”
These words were never more relevant than on Sept. 21, 2001, 10 days after 9/11. The Mets hosted the Braves in New York and both teams were involved in a pennant race. Emotions were understandably extremely moto fiel during a pre-game ceremony that honored the first responders — hundreds of whom had lost their lives on that fateful day. The game began and the Braves led 2-1 going into the bottom of the 8th but Mike Piazza hit a dramatic towering home run and the Mets went on to win 3-2.
You could almost believe that there was divine intervention so that the battered and brutalized city could have a moment of sheer triumph and joy. Yes, baseball reminds us of what was good and what could be good again. Each March there is a sense of renewal. Pitchers and catchers report to Florida and soon exhibitions will begin. Our old friend baseball is back to comfort us and to give us a sense of normalcy. It may not be the fastest or flashiest car on the road, but it is our old dependable friend who has served us well.
The one sport that seemed to be missing is March pro-football. But even though there are no games the NFL often dominate sports talk because of the coming year which starts around the third week of March. It is the beginning of free agency and the draft is coming up soon, so even the most rabid football fans will get their fill of talk about their favorite game.
But this virus we can hardly pronounce or spell has ruined all of this. Now I realize the coronavirus has had far more significant consequences with the loss of life, widespread illness and the creation of significant economic problems, but it is also going to show us what life without sports would be.
For March, it means the loss of three weeks of everyday arguments around the water cooler about March Madness. It means the loss of the excitement of hockey and pro-basketball games as teams were hurtling toward the playoffs. And most of all, it means that our old friend, baseball, who was always there, who always stood for renewal and hope, was taken from us before it hardly got started.
I realize there are other things we can do like watch TV, read books or, heaven forbid, even talk to each other. But none of those things are the common denominator that binds all of us together, from the richest entrepreneur to the shoe shine guy on the corner — our love of sports.
• Ed Rendell was the 45th governor of Pennsylvania.
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