{"id":2362527,"date":"2024-11-01T05:08:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T09:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-baseball-mattered-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-01T05:10:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T09:10:05","slug":"when-baseball-mattered-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-baseball-mattered-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"When baseball mattered &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhen-baseball-mattered-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2362527&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article \u200ddiscusses the new Netflix docuseries, &#8220;The Comeback,&#8221; which chronicles \u200dthe Boston Red Sox&#8217;s remarkable 2004 playoff victory over \u200bthe New York Yankees. It has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/babys-eyes-turn-from-brown-to-bright-blue-after-covid-19-treatment\/\" title=\"Baby&#039;s eyes change color from brown to blue after COVID-19 treatment.\">received positive \u2063reviews<\/a> from outlets such as the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, \u2063highlighting the nostalgia and\u2062 historical significance of the series for baseball fans. The author expresses \u2064a fondness for baseball \u200dnostalgia and emphasizes that old\u2062 baseball often\u2063 captivates \u200cmore than contemporary sports. The \u200cseries covers the pivotal moments leading up to and during\u2064 the Red\u200d Sox&#8217;s comeback from a three-game deficit, spotlighting key figures like team \u2063owner John \u2063Henry\u2063 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">general manager<\/a> \u200dTheo Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>The docuseries skillfully recounts the \u200dessential \u2064decisions and strategies made \u200bby the Red Sox&#8217;s management while\u200b also focusing on\u200c the thrilling on-field action, making it more engaging than simply rewatching the original games. The show&#8217;s narrative captures the excitement and \u200ddrama of the players&#8217; performances, \u2064highlighted \u200dby memorable plays and player commentary. &#8220;The Comeback&#8221; is positioned as a \u2062must-watch\u200b for baseball enthusiasts and anyone interested in \u200bsports history.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-sacff-txt\">Magazine &#8211; Life &amp; Arts <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">When baseball mattered<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>&ldquo;Pitch perfect.&rdquo; &ldquo;Fresh.&rdquo; &ldquo;Really good.&rdquo; So say the <em>Boston Globe<\/em>, the <em>Boston Herald<\/em>, and the Springfield, Massachusetts, <em>Republican<\/em> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/netflix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Netflix<\/a>&rsquo;s new docuseries, <em>The Comeback<\/em>, a three-episode look at the Boston Red Sox&rsquo;s historic 2004 playoff victory over the New York Yankees. Are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New York <\/a>critics as effusive? Hard to say. Word out of Gracie Mansion is that baseball-loving mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/eric-adams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Eric Adams<\/a> is considering banning the streaming service in the five boroughs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>For the rest of us, the success or failure of Netflix&rsquo;s latest depends largely on our feelings toward baseball nostalgia. Count me among the believers. Only a psychopath would dedicate three hours to a 20-year-old hockey series, no matter how gloriously the puck slid. Old-fashioned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/football\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">football<\/a> works about as well as a dial-up modem. Yet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/baseball\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">America&rsquo;s pastime<\/a>, however bright its present, is ever and always the sport of yesteryear, the province of uncles, grandfathers, and men named Earl. So, what if a mere sprinkling of dust has settled on the American League Championship Series in question? Old baseball is invariably more interesting than new, and <em>The Comeback<\/em> is what is presently on offer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Ortiz as seen in The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox. (Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t hurt that Netflix has on its hands one of the most riveting sports sagas in living memory. In the 2003 ALCS, having pushed the Yankees to the brink of playoff elimination, the Sox blew a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 7 before losing outright in the 11th. The subsequent year, after battling to a rematch, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/boston\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Boston<\/a>&rsquo;s squad promptly fell behind three games to none, giving up an astonishing 32 runs in the process. Though what happened next is <em>The Comeback&rsquo;s <\/em>main concern, the program explores, too, the formation of the Red Sox team that would go on to shock the world. In doing so, the show gives due credit to the two nonplayers most responsible for Boston&rsquo;s accomplishment: John Henry, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">forward-thinking investment tycoon<\/a> who bought the Sox in 2002, and Theo Epstein, the 28-year-old wunderkind who took over as general manager at the end of Henry&rsquo;s first season.<\/p>\n<p>The series&rsquo;s business-of-baseball stories are fleetly and entertainingly told. When, during the 2003 playoff collapse, manager Grady Little left declining ace Pedro Mart&iacute;nez on the mound too long, Red Sox brass swiftly canned him &mdash; &ldquo;Can we fire him now, or do we have to wait till the end of the game?&rdquo; Henry recalls asking an underling. The same pitilessness was on display in 2004 when Epstein traded disgruntled star Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in exchange for a defensive upgrade. Among <em>The Comeback&rsquo;s<\/em> strengths is its ability to make sense of the hundred decisions that proceed from a baseball front office as winning teams position themselves for the playoffs. Yes, the 2004 Sox were lovable &ldquo;idiots,&rdquo; to borrow center fielder Johnny Damon&rsquo;s term, but they were assembled by a brilliant and daring management crew.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the show is at its best when focusing on the actual field of play. If old baseball is good, baseball condensed into documentary style simply can&rsquo;t be beaten. As fans have been complaining for decades, the live game is a near-endless sequence of filibusters, as players spit, scratch, loosen, tighten, double-check, and adjust. Recent innovations such as the pitch clock have helped, but the vast majority of the contest still involves standing around and waiting for something to happen. The irony is that baseball&rsquo;s sporadic &ldquo;moments&rdquo; are as exciting as anything in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-passes-bill-banning-transgender-athletes-from-girls-sports\/\" title=\"Mississippi Passes Bill Banning Transgender Athletes From Girls\u2019 Sports\">team sports<\/a>. Hence the success of professionally edited retellings such as the one Netflix has now produced. Watching <em>The Comeback<\/em>, we get the gold without the dross: Mart&iacute;nez&rsquo;s iconic, dead-eyed stare from the mound, David Ortiz&rsquo;s towering homers, two outs and the bases loaded, the crowd going wild. You can&rsquo;t have one without the other, obviously, but it is notable that Netflix&rsquo;s docuseries is far more entertaining than a straightforward reairing of the games would be. And the games were baseball classics!<\/p>\n<p>Then, too, <em>The Comeback<\/em> gives us amusing commentary from those involved. If Ken Burns&rsquo;s <em>Civil War<\/em> docuseries had its Shelby Foote, Netflix&rsquo;s production has Kevin Millar, the Sox&rsquo;s wisecracking, yarn-spinning, likable buffoon of a first baseman. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t run, couldn&rsquo;t throw, couldn&rsquo;t field,&rdquo; Millar relates to the camera. &ldquo;I was just a dude that loved baseball.&rdquo; As it does during interviews with teammates Ortiz, Mart&iacute;nez, Bronson Arroyo, and Curt Schilling, that love shines through.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As for the story these former players have to tell, it is extraordinary. Down 3-0 and fighting for their playoff lives at Fenway Park, the Sox evened Game 4 in the ninth inning behind a Dave Roberts stolen base and a Bill Mueller single. Ortiz sent the crowd home happy in the 12th with a walk-off homer, and the Boston squad was off to the races. On the unlikely chance that a prospective viewer doesn&rsquo;t recall the details, I will not linger on what followed. But baseball has rarely been more fun. If one loathed the Yankees &mdash; and, frankly, how could one not? &mdash; that week in October was something to behold.<\/p>\n<p>Were the 2004 playoffs the last time baseball mattered? Or were they merely the last time it mattered to me? That fall, I was dwelling unhappily in Brooklyn, a penniless graduate student gigging a menial office job. As long as I live, I will never forget my exhausted coworkers stumbling in bleary-eyed, having stayed up half the night to watch the Yankees lose. Reader, I drank those tears. Call me a monster if you like, but never underestimate the seducing thrall of sports hatred. Netflix deserves great thanks for letting me relive it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Graham Hillard is an editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner&nbsp;<em>magazine contributing writer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Netflix&#8217;s docuseries, The Comeback, highlights the Red Sox&#8217;s 2004 playoff win over the Yankees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":956,"featured_media":2362528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/LA.TV_.1106.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[44135,15360,13353,37913,32076],"class_list":["post-2362527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-american-culture","tag-baseball","tag-nostalgia","tag-sports-history","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/LA.TV_.1106.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2362527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2362528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2362527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2362527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2362527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}