Sports Flux in Universe

Although the loss this last weekend by both the Kiwi All Blacks (to France) and the Aussie Wallabies (to England) in the Rugby World Cup did not even get a story in the New York Times, this was a huge pair of sporting upsets throughout the rest of the world. That said, I'm sure that the Yankees' two losses to Cleveland in the baseball American League Conference Championship best of five series on Thursday and Friday nights merited little attention outside of the US, the Caribbean and a few Latin American countries. However, for about forty-eight hours, or up until the fifth inning of last night's Yankees' game three (which they won) there was some kind of flux in the order of the universe that controls the outcome of sporting events. At the Rugby World Cup, the two teams considered most likely to survive to the finals were knocked out in the semi-final elimination round by countries that most aficionados did not think had a chance.

Then there were the Yankees, who have played baseball since mid-July better than any team in the last seventy years. Everyone knew that they would easily defeat the lowly Cleveland Indians as they steamrolled their way to the World Series. The flux settled over Cleveland's stadium on Thursday night, causing Yankee batters to swing at nonexistent balls and Yankee pitchers to send their pitches directly into the swinging bats of opposing hitters.

An example of the flux in its physical manifestation occurred on Friday night when a plague of small insects descended on to the playing field in Cleveland, just as the most phenomenal mid-game pitcher in recent history, Joba Chamberlain, was in the process of protecting a one-run Yankee lead. Out of nowhere, this swarm of nat-like midges began to land on his neck, face and fly into his nose, mouth and ears

1 Photo AP

Joba was so distracted that he walked a batter on four pitches and this batter eventually went on to score on a wild pitch later in the inning. This run proved to be the one that sent the game into extra innings, where Cleveland won.

Luckily for South Africa in the World Cup, the flux ended just as there was a fear that they would lose to Fiji. Finally, right after Giambi struck out at the start of the fifth inning, the flux lifted above the Bronx. The Yankees' bats began connecting with pitches, they singled, doubled, singled and then Damon stepped to the plate and lifted a ball ever so slowly just over the railing in right field for a three-run homerun.

The sports flux in the universe had ended, at least temporarily, although aftershocks may occur at any time. We all have our fingers crossed for game four tonight in the best of five series, with Cleveland ahead two games to one and the Yankees still poised on the brink of either elimination or a miraculous comeback.

Meanwhile, in the World Cup, where loses equal elimination, the countries of Australia and New Zealand are still under suicide watch.