Baseball: Wow, Canada!
A U.S. VISITOR TO CANADA ASKED A NATIVE WHAT item he might bring home that would represent the Canadian character. The reply: "An inferiority complex."
Not this week. Canada's team, the Toronto Blue Jays, won the first true World Series in a six-act thriller with America's team, the Atlanta Braves, that proved again that baseball is a game of inches and ifs. Base runners ran backward (costing Atlanta a crucial big inning); umps went myopic (depriving the Jays of the first Series triple play in 72 years). The Braves' batters mostly smacked screamers into grateful Toronto gloves. Atlanta embarrassed no Jays hurler except Jack Morris, the $10 million mercenary who lost both his starts.
Two other first-year Jays, pitcher David Cone and ageless slugger Dave Winfield, brought Toronto a 11-inning 4-3 victory in the finale. And while Atlanta's pennant flew at half-staff, Canada's flag was proudly unfurled right side up. Nice guys finish first, eh?
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