I feel cheated

Tonight I wanted to relax and enjoy a nice, comfortable evening, so I turned on the TV to watch the Red Sox-Yankees game. Things started off well, with Schilling in fine form and Mussina looking uncomfortable. Doug Mirabelli hit an RBI single to tie the game at 3, and then in the following inning, David Ortiz hit a beautiful home run to put the Sox up by one. An insurance run was added in the bottom of the seventh to make it 5-3.

Then things got ugly.

Instead of putting in Papelbon, the only reliever on the roster who hasn't been stinking it up lately, Francona put in Timlin. Big mistake--he immediately gave up a leadoff single and then hit the next guy with a pitch. Out he went, and in came Lopez, who walked his man to load the bases with nobody out. Finally they sent in Papelbon to get out of the jam. He did well, giving up only one run on a sac fly by Giambi. With only one inning to play, the stage was set for the Sox to win.

But of course, it didn't work out that way. I don't feel like recounting the excruciating details of the ninth and tenth innings, but suffice it to say that the Red Sox blew yet another lead to lose for the 11th time in their last 15 games. Oh, and it was also their fourth consecutive loss to their arch-rivals. Once again, it looks like the Yankees are going to be division champions, only this time, the Red Sox won't even get the wild card--that honor will belong to either the White Sox, the Twins or the Tigers.

Which brings me to my point: I'm beginning to think that watching sports on TV is generally a waste of time. So is following sports online. Sports make you care about things that really have nothing to do with your life or the welfare of the world in general. If your team wins, great--you enjoy a pleasure that lasts all of half an hour, a poor payoff for the time you put into watching the game. Even if the Red Sox had won tonight, I'd still be annoyed that the game lasted such a ridiculously long time--it pretty much took up my whole evening. On the other hand, if your team loses, especially in such agonizing fashion, it only brings frustration. You think, "I just wasted three hours watching this game, and all I have to show for it is a bad mood." The only way watching sports is edifying is if you do it purely to enjoy the beauty of athleticism, without caring about who wins or loses. Because in the long run, how many people remember that anyway? And who cares? You're just contributing to the already oversized market for sports in our consumer society. You'd be better off exercising yourself, enjoying the wonder of your own body instead of wasting away on the couch watching others. (Every time I come back to America, I'm amazed at how many fat people there are.)

Therefore, I quit. I'm not watching any more baseball this season. Maybe I'll watch the World Series, but only if the Yankees don't make it. As for other sports, (American) football is boring anyway, so that won't be a temptation. The only thing I want to see now is the U.S. Open, simply because tennis is such a beautiful game. But I'd rather break out my racket and relearn how to play. If only I could find someone to teach me.