Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm waiting for the first pitch at 6.07--in the morning. But still....the 2008 season is here. The pre-game ceremony is over. The flowers have been exchanged (do they do that before every game?) There seems to be some difficulty getting the microphones synchronised, but so long as no one yells "Remember Pearl Harbor", that shouldn't be a problem. And Pedroia gets a hit! A lead--off single to start the season. World Series repeat here we come!
My father, who was born in 1943 and was a World War II historian, never quite forgave Japan for its contribution to the Axis cause. So something tells me he would have had mixed feelings about the now distinctly Japanese profile that the Red Sox have (as well as MLB, for that matter.) But as I watched a military band perform "The Stars and Stripes Forever" in the Tokyo Dome (he definitely would have liked that!) I can't help but try to look past the recent observation of the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Is it too unrealistic to hope that perhaps, 50 or 60 years from now, baseball could be played there between American teams, in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, with a star Iraqi pitcher? Is that any more unbelievable than this morning's game would be for someone like my father? I certainly hope not, and if I have any hope in the future of mankind, I have to believe it is possible.
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