Opening Days Hope

At least today, Orioles give us something to look forward to

April 9, 2010

Ira Gewanter Special to the Jewish Times

Why is this day different from all other days? Pose this question to any Orioles fan who has seen our beloved Birds perennially languish in the AL East cellar for the past twelve seasons and satisfying answers might be tough to come by. Even this year, with all the promise packaged in a slew of young players heralded around the league, both national and local pundits have predicted a doomed season which will at its best amount to a campaign in mediocrity. But pose this same question to anyone who also begins his or her springtime by celebrating a seder or two, and the answer should be notably different. Why is this day different than all other days? Ill tell you why. This day is different from all other days for the same reason that Passover night is different from all other nights. For in both instances, what we are essentially celebrating is the incredible power of hope to sustain us from generation to generation. My wife recently introduced me to the notion that hope can be quantified as theenergy and ideas we have to meet the challenges of tomorrow. If any people can attribute its survival to the crucial nature of hope, it would be the Jewish people. Never is this more apparent than in the Israeli choice for a national anthem. After thousands of years in exile, the first modern Israelis did not opt to title their national song Mission Accomplished, or The Dream Realized. Instead, they choseHatikvahThe Hope. And no holiday embodies this sentiment at the core of our cultural character as perfectly as Passover. For the true joy which I have always drawn from participation in the seder does not stem from whether there is any factual basis in our collective recounting of wondrous miracles, or even the subsequent Exodus from slavery. Alternatively, the undeniable truth which keeps me coming back to the table, is the opportunity to annually participate in a challenge to gather as a community and reaffirm our commitment to upholding a sense of hopeparticularly when all the odds seem stacked against us. Still, metaphor or not, when we finally surpass the Yankees, Red Sox, and gasp..Rays, Ill be sure to dip a pinkie finger into my cold Natty Boh and sprinkle a few drops onto my coaster in honor of the suffering and indignities meted out upon those rampaging Goliaths. Who will be the Orioles Moses? How many years will we be wandering this metaphorical desert? When will Oriole Park at Camden Yards be reestablished as the Baseball Temple, worthy of pilgrimages as it was in the past? Only time can tell Ask a Cubs fan. But grandfathers, fathers and sons will continue to gather each year on Opening Day to remind ourselves that one year, it will happen. Never lose hope. Ill be there today. And this year, the game will have special significance because I also get to celebrate my fathers upcoming birthday, in the very place where both of us can remember exactly what it is like to be a kid. We will also remember my grandfather, Dr. Nathan Leonard of blessed memory, who never missed an opportunity to remind us to stick with them Birds.

Next year in Jerusalem! But if we happen be here just a bit longer, come October, I wouldnt mind spending some quality time with all of you at Oriole Park, in the Land of the O! cheering for the Birds as they battle their way to another World Series victory.