Not at all modeling related, but I must say I am so thrilled to finally call a team I have rooted for my entire life a World Series Champion. No offense to the Dodgers (a team that, frankly, I have loathed almost as much as the Texas Longhorns).
I am a native Houstonian. I remember the heart breaks of 1980 and 1986 like it was yesterday. I remember Love Ya Blue (Houston Oilers) and Bum Phillips wanting to kick in the door - unfortunately for him, his Oilers resided in the same division with one of the all-time greats, the Steel Curtain defense. A bit more recently, I remember the Oilers inventing new ways to lose in the playoffs, particularly with the 35-3 second-half lead that became a 41-38 OT loss on the icy plains of Buffalo, New York. I was elated with the Killer B's, and that team got agonizingly close to the ultimate accomplishment, but in the end it was too much Houston (bad) luck. Then another close call in 2004 followed by their first ever National League title in 2005, which was followed by a swift broom at the hands of the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series. But like the manager portrayed by Wilford Brimley in the movie The Natural, I was just elated to finally get that league pennant.
This year I detected a different vibe in this Astros team. Even when things seemed futile, they found ways to win. It was great to see them go right through the Boston Red Sox, survive the New York Yankees and become the first team (I think) to win league pennants in both leagues. I watched Game 1 of the World Series, a loss, and then opted not to watch Game 2, a victory. So it was clear that I was a jinx, so I opted to not watch Game 3, another Astros win. Then I was invited to watch Game 4 with friends, so I did, and wouldn't you know it, the Astros lost. No more actual watching for me. And that was agonizing, especially last night, when the Astros jumped all over the Dodgers' starting pitcher and scored 5 runs in the first two innings. I was following it online on a message board, not even streaming the game. As the game grew more intense, I was counting down the number of outs remaining. And when that final out was recorded, I turned on the TV just in time to see the celebratory pileup.
So for the first time in my 50 years, I can finally get that feeling of being on top, well, not me personally, but the team that I have always called my own. And it feels awesome. Now if I could just get that in college football ...