Well, it’s all over. For now.
The MLB and MLBPA have reached an agreement and, as it turns out, we will get a full baseball season after all.
And, as much as it may be tempting to hold onto a lot of anger from the last few months (or years), it would do us all some good to put that aside for a moment and get back to the game we love.
Plenty of issues are left unresolved for another set of sure-to-be-ugly disagreements down the road. Plenty of ugly things were said and done during these negotiations.
But let us not lose sight of the fact that the primary concerns of the fans were ultimately met while the players were able to fight tooth and nail for a better, fairer game.
The rhetoric from the owners about canceling games and setting deadlines proved to be as empty as it sounded once deadlines were moved and games were uncanceled.
Businesses in the neighborhoods of your local ballpark can get back to planning their Opening Day extravaganzas and all the employees of the stadiums now know where they will be this summer.
In the end, nothing of tangible value was lost to fans of the game, and much was gained by the players’ insistence on holding as firm as they could for as long as they could. As terrible as it felt, it was for the best.
Again, though, let us not dwell on the disaster that might have been and take a few moments to appreciate the journey that lies ahead.
An Atlanta ballclub full of bright young superstars will attempt a repeat at the World Series while behemoths like the Dodgers and Yankees resume their ever-expanding arms race.
Phenoms like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto are preparing as we speak to continue their takeover of the game.
Don’t forget about the veterans like Colorado’s own Charlie Blackmon and maybe the last ride of Albert Pujols?
All the sights and sounds of the game — the roaring vendors and cheering crowds and cracking bats and booming announcers — will be back and just as wonderful as they were before. No amount of squabbling can ruin those finer moments of the baseball experience.
Also, teams absolutely nobody is expecting to be good (think last year’s Giants) are waiting in the shadows right now, ready to pounce.
Players are going to rise from obscurity to stardom and win over the hearts of their new fanbase.
The hard times will come, too. Players will get hurt. Teams will underperform. Managers and front offices will have us scratching our heads and swearing into our pillows. And the owners are still, well, themselves.
But once the umpire, or in most cases these days some lucky little leaguer, yells out “play ball!” none of that matters any more.
No matter how much we may love the other things in life, there is simply no replacement for stickball.
There’s nothing like that moment the pitcher stares in to get his signs.
There’s no feeling that matches the thrill of a no-doubter.
There’s no way to mimic the tension of a bases loaded, two-out, 3-2 pitch.
Some have threatened to spend their time at the movies, or on a myriad of streaming services, or engaging with any number of other sports that have been a lot less frustrating for the past few months.
But let’s be honest with ourselves.
Baseball at the highest level is back. And there is nothing else in the world quite like it.