Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright.
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout.
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out!
Ernest Thayer 1888
It wasn't the mean and nasty Casey. It was the awesome, loving, benevolent and mightily feared Albert Pujols who went down swinging, even as the catcher sailed the ball to second base for a second out. What could have been the end of the trail for the Rangers became a trip to game SIX with a World Series championship in their gunsights.
Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball today. He is awesome at the bat and dependable in the field. For his size he can run. Pujols had almost single-handedly blown the Rangers away the night before with THREE towering home runs. When he came to bat in the ninth inning with a man on first it was scary for all Ranger fans. This guy had been intentionally walked THREE TIMES in the game. They couldn't do it in the ninth with a man on first. But he "went down swinging", as they say in baseball.
Did you ever hit three home runs in the game of life and go down swinging the next day? It happens all the time. We are at the top of our game and can hit everything thrown at us on one bright day, and then a change-up, slider, and fast ball down low and inside, send us back to the bench wondering what happened.
Simon Peter on one day was saying: "Even if I have to DIE with you I will never disown you!". In just hours he would go down swinging by saying, "I don't know the man!". Whiff! The mighty Simon would strike out.
It wasn't his last at bats. God kept him in the game, and in weeks he would so proclaim the Word that 5,000 people would join up in following the Lord.
I wouldn't count Albert Pujols out just yet. He will not become suddenly an easy mark because he struck out in game five. He will be up their swinging in game six. Will you?
