Jesus As The "Boss"

Well, actually, He is The Boss, although most of the world refuses to acknowledge it, and most of us who do still don't live in a way that shows it. But I'm not talking about the boss of all things, I am talking about "The Boss," as in George--you know George Steinbrenner, the guy who owned the Yankees and drove them to a bunch of their now 27 World Series titles.

I know there are no few Yankee haters out there, and I will confess that most of the time I don't really care all that much whether they win or lose. And, further confession, I was pleased when the Bosox exorcised the Curse of the Bambino, and I was happy when the Palehose (White Sox) won it all a few years back (Though I would have preferred to see Ernie Banks' old team win a World Series). But, and this may well bug a lot of you Yankee haters, but the Yankees sitting on the MLB baseball throne is good for America. It sends a signal that, despite the health care reform circus, and the near hysteria over the potential threat of swine flu, and the way things are going down the toilet in Afghanistan, and the unemployed status of 10+ million Americans that all is right with the world. Listen, if God didn't think it was a good thing for the Yanks to win their first title since 2000 He would have seen to it that one of the other seven playoff teams was drenched in champagne last night.

I am sure that if Jesus ran the Yankees, as The Boss once did, and the Boss's sons now do to a somewhat lesser extent, He would pursue the crown as passionately as ol' George. So, what did Jesus do, not actually having the chance to play ball? Think about how Jesus went about assembling His team. He searched far and wide, and held serious high-level conferences with His Father, before drafting the twelve who would all become Hall of Famers (Well, one actually has a place in the Hall of Infamy). And, like George, Jesus was someone hard to say "No" to (Though the gospels record the story of a free agent who was so rich that he turned down Jesus' offer.). And, like the franchise in the Bronx, it took some time for the team to really gel. They all but folded in the Garden of Gesthemane when the season came down to its most crucial moments. There were clubhouse squabbles about who should be the franchise players (The mother of James and John lobbied hard for her boys to the captains of the team). And, when the roster was depleted because Judas had to go on the permanently disabled list, the team of apostles brought up a prospect from the farm, though their decision was a bit of a gamble.

In short, Jesus played to win, though His strategy confounded the experts, and, rather than a grand slam, it took a sacrifice to win it all. So, it wouldn't surprise me if, at least today, they're wearing pinstripes in Heaven. Will the New York victory impact the Heal Care debate in Washington? I doubt it. Nor will a Yankee victory help settle things down in Afghanistan. But, and this is just my opinion, I think the nation feels a little more confident, a little more sure of ourselves, when the team from the Bronx does what it's supposed to do. And, if nothing else, the Yankees having won this year will keep a lot of people alive for the next 12 months in the hopes of being around next year to see them lose.