Onto the Playoffs

Beginning this week

Baseball season ended today.

There are days I truly detest. New Year's Eve, for instance, is just the worst.

I even hate the words and, basically, everything associated with it.

But I feel utter sadness at the end of baseball season.

While there are the playoffs to consider, and the World Series, and we still have (basically) another month of the sport, the large majority of baseball is done.

The day-to-day is over.

Teams are cleaning out lockers. Managers have been removed from their jobs.

Those with no playoffs to play are reveling in smallish things like individual records.

Let them.

To that end, congratulations to Pete Alonso. He's great fun to watch.

Those who have the playoffs in front of them are gearing up for that.

Still, two more teams will be done by late Wednesday night.

Then, some fans will wait until Thursday for their teams to play. Others (hi!) will wait until Friday.

There's promise, but it's painful.

Baseball is our old friend. We don't watch or listen to every game but we know it's there.

And now it's not.

I know the very bane of the Yankees' existence (meaning, most of baseball but especially Mets and Red Sox fans) are sharpening their respective knives for the eventual demise of the Bombers.

Such is life in the National Pastime.

Which it still is.

The days get shorter and bleaker now.

We'll savor the next month.

Then look forward to next year.

*****

Marty, Vin, Harry, Ueck

Secondary baseball note. I saw this picture on a Facebook page I belong to.

I mean, just idiotically ugh.

Look, I realize people are nostalgic over Marty Brennaman, the longtime voice of the Cincinnate Reds who just hung up his microphone this week.

Brewers fans love Bob Uecker, of course.

Then there's Harry Caray.

But only one of those four belongs on a Mount Rushmore of "golden voices" and it's Vin Scully.

After that, it's Red Barber, Mel Allen and Ernie Harwell.

It's that simple.