Japan Series: When is it time to let go?

Approaching the beginning of another college basketball season, in the midst of another pitiful season by the Cincinnati Bungles, who would think that professional baseball was still going on? The Japan Series (the World Series of Japan) just wrapped up yesterday with a thrilling Game 7 win by the Seibu Lions. They defeated the evil Yankees of Japan, the Yomiuri Giants, 3-2 in a thrilling come-from-behind series victory.

So what does that have to do with "letting go?" Well, I have a small insignificant tie to the last batter the Giants threw up against the Seibu pitcher with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth of a one run game. The batter, Alex Ramirez, was one of my favorite players for my favorite Japanese baseball team, the Yakult Swallows. He left after last season for the hated Giants after contract dispute last season.

However, my connection to Mr. Ramirez goes one step beyond the team connection.

In Summer 2006, I went to Yokohama to watch a baseball game with a couple of friends. The day started off rather poorly with my vomiting in the bathroom of the train on the way down to Tokyo; the ill after-effects of those evil nomikai. I remember the day vividly because it turned out to be the last day I would ever see the friend I went and met.

Now that I have set you all up for big disappointment, I will tell you the end of these stories.

It was a rainy day, but the rain was light enough to get in this afternoon game. Right when people were giving up on the game (my Swallows were pounding the home team) and going home, I walked up to the outfield wall and started yelling all the clean spanish I knew at the Venezuelan born Ramirez. He responded by throwing the practice ball toward me (not because he was mad, but because he was giving it to me). It slipped in the rain, but he ran back to the wall (shaking his head in disgust at my butterfingers) and threw it back up to me. It was the first and only ball I've ever caught at a baseball game.

Now that you know my connection and his bitter contract dispute ending with him leaving his team of 7 years for the evil Giants, the question is when is it time to let go? When should I give up my anger/disappointment with his bitter departure? Should I have been happy or sad when he hit that grounder straight to the shortstop ending his first chance for a professional championsip?

(For those who don't think that Japanese baseball is professional, the Japanese won the World Baseball Classic, so they can't be that bad. I try to keep out of the debate enjoying the differences in the American/Japanese games instead of analyzing which is best.)

If you are still wondering why that day was the last day I saw that friend, it is because he divorced from his wife, and I am a friend of his wife's family effectively ending our relationship.