The Fall Classic kicks off Friday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Tex., as the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks meet for the first time in the post season.
Both underdog teams going into this year’s playoffs, few expected this matchup – including the bookmakers who gave 1,750-to-1 odds of the pairing at the beginning of the season.
Fans of each team will be rooting for their respective squads, of course. Both have endured significant championships droughts. The Diamondbacks last won it all in 2001 and the Rangers are still seeking their first ever as a franchise.
Assuming you hold no loyalty to either team, who will you be rooting for?
Many of us were moved to see Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt reading his Bible in the dugout before game seven of the National League Championship Series. Pfaadt wasn’t dominating but he struck out seven Phillies and gave up just two runs, leading his team to the World Series.
Pfaadt, who graduated from Trinity High School and Bellarmine University – both Catholic institutions – has demonstrated poise under pressure, and maybe we now know why.
Back in 2020 when he was waiting to find out if would be drafted, Pfaadt expressed a similar calm spirit rooted in his faith.
“God has a plan, so just keep working hard every single day, and hopefully, your dream will come true,” he said.
So, a guy that keeps and reads his Bible in the dugout is easy to root for, don’t you think?
But then there is the Texas Rangers – the only team in Major League Baseball who haven’t caved to the bullies demanding the franchise hold a “Pride Night.”
Responding to questions and critics earlier this season, the team once owned by former President George W. Bush, responded:
“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball,” they said. “That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do – for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
Then and now the ball club doesn’t feel it’s necessary to single out one specific group or cause.
Since 2010, the team has been owned by Ray Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of Avatar Investments, L.P.
Once upon a time, such rooting considerations wouldn’t be fathomable, but the woke and toxic cultural revolution has grabbed hold of nearly every aspect of American life – even baseball. Perhaps we know too much about players and teams. But once you do, how should you respond – and who should you root for?
It’s fashionable to say in some circles that in a world as wild and uneven as we live in, God doesn’t care about the outcome of sporting events. Yet, God cares about everything – including this year’s World Series. Whether prayers for one team or another will be answered is a whole other matter. In the meantime, it’s nevertheless good to see something positive to root for on each side.
As for me – I’m rooting for a seven-game series. Winter is long enough. The deeper into November we go with Major League Baseball, the sooner Spring Training will come.
Photos from Shutterstock.