".....picking up the broad-tipped charcoal pencil, he drew a sweeping ellipse across the center of the great park. This, he said, will be the grand living room of the city, where the ordinary will be ennobled and the extraordinary - rendered immortal"
-from "Frederick Law Olmstead: Landscape Dude"
****
Not since 80's pop icon, Prince, debuted his ass-less pants at a free concert in the park, has the Great Lawn been so abuzz. The semi-final match-up, between defending SLAM champions, Gensler and their arch-rival Skidmore/Swanke/Cooper, pitted the winners of the last 6 titles against each other with a trip the Championship Series on the line.
Last week's uncharacteristically high-scoring Game 1 had put SSC one win from the Finals, but alas Art Gensler's crew would not go gentle into that good night that is the off-season. A classic defensive struggle led to a come from behind 3-2 victory for the defending champs and with that intangible pendulum, that is momentum, swung to their side, the decisive Game 3 began.
As the three remaining trees, in Central Park, cast their long shadows across the field, a game for the ages began unremarkably enough - no hits, no runs - a scoreless frame. But as the innings went by and the scoreboard got crowded with "zeros", the hushed spectators began to realize that they were witnessing one of the great games of the genre (if you consider "nyc architecture league modified fast-pitch softball" a genre). After 7 scoreless, gut-wrenching innings of nearly flawless play on both sides of the diamond, SSC suddenly rallied for a 3 spot in the first frame of extra-innings and held on to win the battle 3-0.
At a short ceremony following the game, Parks Commissioner, Adrian Beneppe spoke these words about the contest; "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."
No comments:
Post a Comment