The Last Quarter

I abandoned the Knicks in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter of their last game in the Eastern Conference finals the other night. I could no longer just sit back and watch the brutal back and forth battle with the Pacers. Admittedly, I am not a big sports fan. I am often coaxed by Patti to watch various sports, but the truth is, I would rather read. Maybe it is because I was never very athletic growing up. Now, despite that, I do play a bit of tennis on Saturdays, yet I am not all in.

I was taken with the battle-weary Knicks and their comeback story, after years of defeat, to reach game six post season. But as the point margin widened, I did not want to witness the obvious impending loss. I truly felt bad for the Knicks. Also, the roughness of the game troubled me. I always thought boxing was the most physical and brutal. Yet watching that basketball game, I was shocked by all the pushing and shoving and hard falls—and nonstop fouls. The stakes were so high, it brought out the worst in some. Physicality is all part of the sport, but I did not appreciate the desperation to score at any cost behind all the forceful play. Maybe this is what the crowds want? I am not sure. Personally, the beauty of a three-point shot from the back court is more impressive than a thunderous jam at a crowded basket. But who am I to tell anyone why they enjoy certain sports? I am neither a player nor a fan. I am just an observer.

Politics, like sports today, has gotten a bit more rough and tumble. In sports you have the referee who calls a flagrant foul. Today in politics only the courts seem to be able to call foul on the edicts that come from the White House. Ultimately in sports a player can be ejected from the game. In politics, an elected official can be voted out at election time. In the meantime, the courts are being tested daily and decisions can only be appealed to a certain point. Our Constitution vests in the Supreme Court the ultimate decision on a challenge—the final arbiter. The time is not far off when the ultimate challenge will be heard on many appeals and then the real test: will the decisions be obeyed? That may be the final quarter.