I’m probably one of the few people in this town still following the World Series. This is obviously due, in most part to my home team, the New York Yankees competing for their 27th title (while my White Sox and Cubs fan friends are currently looking forward to “next year”).
But it’s who they are playing that makes it even more interesting this year. The Yankees’ opponent is the defending world champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. As we know, the name Philadelphia is Greek for “brotherly love,” given by the city’s founder, William Penn. It is a testament to the way its early settlers got along so well with each other.
The “town” the Yankees play in, New York, has been the seat of the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters for the last 7 decades. Lubavitch, the White Russian village where the Chabad movement had been based for more than a century, amazingly also translates to “city of love.”
This, and the fact that both teams have played exceptionally well all season long, makes this year’s World Series a fall “classic” indeed.
It also puts a new spin on the phrase “let the best team win.” To be sure, the team that plays the best baseball when it counts will emerge as the victor. But, this also means that the team with the best team spirit and camaraderie, the one whose players recognize each other’s contribution to the overall success of the team, will ultimately prevail.