Another Marlins Miracle on Passover

Tonight I had the good fortune to be attending a Passover Seder in the company of an enthusiastic group of Marlins fans. From the moment I arrived, plans were already in the works to go through the Seder ritual and then turn on the game. That was an unexpected turn of events, to say the least.

I expected to be sitting there at the table, sneaking a peak every once in a while at the score of the Marlins/Nationals game on my cell phone, hoping that my wife would not catch me red-handed. When I arrived, the guests who had already assembled were largely glued to the Mets/Phillies game, discussing the pennant race (if you can call it a pennant race in mid-April). The Seder soon started right on schedule, and, sure enough, ended just about in time to watch the second inning of the Marlins. The best part of all was that I did not have to embarrass myself by asking to turn on the TV. Someone else had already done the dirty work for me.

At the start, things did not look very bright for the Marlins at all, and maybe watching the game on Passover was not such a great idea. By the sixth inning, we were all shouting and clapping as the Marlins climbed back from a 3-0 deficit and eventually took the lead 5-3. By the top of the ninth, the Seder was almost forgotten as Kevin Gregg blew the save and then almost the entire game.

This turned out to be a Passover to be remembered for the ages. The Marlins bottom of the ninth heroic victory may not rank up there with the ten plagues and the parting of the waters, and Wes Helms may not measure up to Moses, but we were all feeling thankful for our past and present miracles all the same. I hope they invite me back next year.