This series ...

It's funny how a World Series can affect you when you have no horse in the race.

By "funny" I don't mean "oh, golly gee, this wacky timeless diversion that tugs on our heartstrings that we collectively adore through every delightful morsel, this base and ball of hills and valleys that we relish no matter who the participants. Jolly good show lads, jolly good show."

No, by "funny," I mean IS THIS GAME EVER GOING TO ENNNNNNDDDDD SO I CAN GO HOOOOOOOOMME????!!!!!!!!

I don't have an interest in the Red Sox or Cardinals. I'm rooting for the Red Sox by default, but by "root" I mean, "oh, so, the Cardinals won that game? What was the score? Has the boxscore come in yet? Where's my story? WHERE'S MY STORY????? ... Oh, damn, the Cardinals won."

I have seen only snippets of this series, which is is sort of expected for the job that I hold but not to this extreme. Through a quirk of scheduling, every game that the Red Sox and Cardinals have played, I have been producing the sports section for my local paper. And every game that the two teams are off, I am off. So even if I wanted to enjoy Tim McCarver's farewell TV viewer earache send-off, I couldn't. Because when I can settle in the chair and watch a game in its entirety, there is no game.

This is where someone will say, "well, can't you just watch it at work?" These are usually also the people who say, "you're so lucky, you get to watch sports at work."

Well, yes, I am lucky in that regard. When it's late June, and the Blue Jays are playing the Yankees and absolutely no other sport is in session. I can watch a game for a good three, four innings. Weeee.

But not October. The month when the summer season overlaps the fall season which overlaps the winter season.

At my job, there is a working TV two feet to the left of me. And I can't watch.

The game is on, but the sound is almost always off, because of the aforementioned McCarver, and Cialis commercials and, do we have to talk about that stuff now, I'm trying to write headlines and read stories here!

So, the game was on last night.

I knew it was the bottom of the 9th. I knew a Cardinal had gotten on first base. I knew Beltran was up. It was late enough in the night that I was waiting only for a stray NFL game (75 points from the Packers and Vikings), a stray NHL game and trying to edit an early Series sidebar when the guy next to me said:

"Did he get tagged out?"

"What?" I said.

"Did he just get tagged out? The guy on first."

I looked at the screen. They were in a replay (neither of us were aware then that Fox had completely missed the play). "No," I said, not even sure what I was watching. "I think he got back safely."

I went back to my computer fully confident the game was still going on.

"No," my co-worker said. "The game's over!"

I looked at the screen. Koji Uehara was jumping all over the place walking off the field with Mike Napoli and some other Red Sox.

"Whoaaaa," I said. "That's craz --- All right! WHERE'S MY STORY?"

And everything was frenzy for the next hour-plus.

With the exception of the first game of this Series, every other game has been tight literally down to the final play. That means I'm loathe to make a choice of a photo or story because things can change so quickly. Jonny Gomes hit that big home run last night and I thought I had an opening. But nobody could truly spring into action until Wong was picked off.

This makes for draining nights at work and I am hitting the sack even later than usual. The 3 a.m. night-night times are now 4/4:30 a.m. night-night times.

So much for "my Dodgers are eliminated, I can hibernate now."

But what about my fellow bloggers who are watching the game, what's it like for you?

I got some cards from a Braves fan a little while ago. Steve's team was eliminated by my Dodgers. I've heard from another Braves fan that the baseball season is now over. There is no baseball on TV. The season is done. But if that's true, then how come I'm getting home so late?

But I know the feeling. Red Sox? Cardinals? Geez, isn't Glee on or something?

Here are the cards from Steve:

I really miss the days when Takashi Saito was the closer for the Dodgers. Not a care in the world then.

As for the Kevin Brown relic, I can't imagine a more depressing hit.

I also received some cards from a Red Sox Fan in Nebraska, who as you can imagine is a Red Sox fan.

I believe the Series is quite a different experience for him than it is for me. The last time the Dodgers were in the World Series, I was busy trying to start a career with a lot going on -- I could barely focus on the Series. But now? I imagine a lot of angst and agony would be in store for me. And so it is for Red Sox fans, especially in such a tight series.

Here are some of the cards:

Lots of blue and lots of Ramirez, just how I like it.

It's been so long since I've experienced a Series in which I could watch leisurely with a beverage and a snack -- I'm thinking that one of the games in the 2011 Series was the last time -- that I don't even know what fans DO when these games are taking place.

Tonight there is another game and I'll be doing the same thing -- hoping that the winner is determined relatively early so work will be a little less hectic.

I need one of those because I think I'm starting to project with the headlines I write:

It's getting hairy all right.

I'm sure a few people are thinking "you picked the profession, pick another one if it's such a pain." But my inability to watch this World Series isn't that big a deal to me. Like I said. Red Sox and Cardinals. I just like to use the blog to vent a little bit. What's the fun in having a blog if you can't vent?

And there was something good that happened last night.

The Red Sox win means there will be a Game 6.

And I'm scheduled to be off the day of Game 6.

If there's no weather delay, I'll be able to have my beverage and snack and sit in my favorite chair.

That's still what people do, right?