Can you feel it yet? I can.
It’s that time of year again. The time when baseball takes center stage and every game really matters. Soon, you’ll feel the intensity in every pitch. I don’t know what it is but when playoff baseball begins, even just watching it at home takes on another level of excitement.
The first round of the playoffs features afternoon games so they’re going on right after school for kids. For adults, a peak on the office computer can’t hurt, right? I mean, it’s a tradition during March Madness. And October blows that out of the water when you think about it.
This is baseball. It’s America’s pastime, it’s dripping with history, and every October more history is made. More legends join the collective consciousness for generations.
Because there’s only one October.
October is the month in baseball everyone waits for. It’s the goal in February when spring training starts. And it’s the goal through all 162 games of the summer.
Did I mention all the history?
October is the month when all the greatest moments are made.
Think about it. Even if you weren’t alive for the moment, they’re mesmerizing. If you don’t get goose bumps and chills every time you hear Bobby Thomson’s bat connect with the ball, something’s wrong.
It is often called the greatest single moment in our national pastime. The moment by itself is perfect. The crack of the bat, the legendary call, and the lasting image of Thomson galloping home to meet his teammates all came together for perfection.
Add the fact that it was Dodgers-Giants at the Polo Grounds for the National League pennant and it only takes on more mystique. And of course, the date: October 3, 1951. It had to happen in October.
Without October, how would Reggie Jackson be remembered. Sure, he was a superstar slugger who won titles in Oakland but he made his name one night in October.
He became Mr. October.
Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases as the rest of the world watched in disbelief.
Joe Carter jumping around first base will never leave the memories of Blue Jays and Phillies fans alike.
And recently Matt Stairs became a folk hero in Philadelphia.
This year there will be another hero and another defining moment. October is the home of baseball legends.
Enjoy it this year because remember, there’s only one October