So long '08

2008 ends in a few hours.
What a year it has been. I have tried to reflect upon the events in both politics and baseball, but it is impossible to hit everything. I defy anyone to say they had both Barack Obama and the Tampa Rays marked for success in their office pool a year ago.
The names fly by: Barack, Palin, Hillary (and, of course, Bill), Guiliani, Huckebee, Biden, Manny, C.C., Texeria, Madonna (o.k. I will leave her to other blogs, but she is connected to baseball now).
There have been so many laughs and so many outrageous events. Many things changed, yet so many remained the same. The Middle East seems to be on the verge of all out war. Here at home a man walks into a house on Christmas Eve, dressed as Santa no less, and guns down nine people. Popular culture celebrates gratuitous violence and sociopathic behavior. The economy went into a tailspin. Not much to be happy about.
Then there are the things that continue to amaze. First and foremost in my mind is the transition of power we are about to witness. A President will give way to a President of a very different stripe and not a shot will be fired. The American transition of power is unlike any in the world and, even when it is not the one I voted for, always gives me goosebumps when I witness it. We should never underestimate the beauty in the way we do things.
There is the resiliency of the American people. Yes, times are tough, but nobody is panicking. There is a sense that we will get through it. We will.
Baseball will provide more memorable moments. Yes they are paid too much and ticket prices are getting too high, but a backup middle infielder will win a game with a home run and we will remember why we love it.
So while 2008 certainly leaves us with a lot to make us want to curl up in a corner and hide, we won't because we know we will miss something special in 2009.