Among Other Things - Ahh, baseball playoffs

Most memorable of this season’s baseball playoffs that I’ve watched on TV was last Saturday’s battle between Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox in the opening game of the American League championship series.

Starting Tiger pitcher Anibal Sanchez, after striking out 12 batters, had a no-hitter going through six innings when he was pulled for a relief hurler. Four more pitchers kept the no-hitter in tact through one out in the last of the ninth inning when Boston’s Daniel Nava singled to center for the only Red Sox hit.

Then things got really interesting – and tense – in Beantown.

Between pitches the TV cameras viewed sections of the crowd. There were hands clasped as if in prayer, other fans were biting their fingernails; still others covered their faces, afraid to watch the action; some peeked between fingers to see what would happen.

During a regular season game occasional camera angles showed spectators yakking face to face about whatever was on their minds, while ignoring the action on the field … as many fans stared at those infamous little electronic boxes while their fingers tapped outgoing text messages and eyes were focused on incoming texts.

Not so in the Detroit-Boston battle. I didn’t see anyone texting or yakking. For once, it seemed as if everyone’s attention was geared to the game.

Anyone else notice that?

Oh yeah. After Nava’s single, he stole second, Stephen Drew flied out to center field and Xander Bogaerts popped out to shortstop to end the game and the Tigers won 1-0.