“The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” — Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”
Can we imagine the same for San Diego Padres catcher Gene Tenace?
Monday night. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Padres versus Braves. Top of the fourth. One runner on. One out. Padres trail 7-0. Tenace at the plate. Feet squared. Hands against the boulder. Shoulder and cheek too. Pushing. Tenace lands his batted ball in the left field stands. The boulder inches. Padres trail 7-2.
Top of the fifth. Two outs. Tenace again. A runner on again. Tenace lands his batted ball in the left field stands again. Padres trail 7-4. The boulder rolls upwards.
Top of the seventh. Rick Camp pitching for Atlanta. San Diego scored two more in the sixth. Padres trail 7-6. Tenace again. Camp notices a glint in Gene’s eye. He knows not to trifle with a man who has embraced his fate. Tenace walks. Doug Rader strikes out. Two away.
Then.
A single. Then an error. Then Gene crosses home plate. The score is tied. The boulder has reached the summit.
Top of the ninth. One out. Tenace again. Tenace doubles. Rader singles. Tenace to third. Mike Champion singles. Tenace scores. The Padres lead 8-7. The boulder comes to a rest.
Bottom of the ninth. Fingers for San Diego. He’s lights out. Four saves in four chances. Leads the majors.
Then the boulder shifts. Gary Matthews singles. Biff Pocoroba Ks. Gilbreath singles. Matthews into third standing up. The boulder teeters.
Nolan pinch hits a fly to centre. Sarge steady. Hendricks back; gloves it. Matthews is off. Champion cuts the throw. Matthews scores. The game is tied. Fingers has blown it. The boulder rolls.
Top of the fourteenth. Gene again. Gene stops the boulder. Gene rolls the boulder back atop the hill. Gene lands another ball in the left field stands. San Diego leads again.
Bottom of the 14th. Another Padre arm. The last arm. Dave Wehrmeister. Wehrmeister has the yips. Pocoroba walks. The boulder rolls. Wehrmeister has the yips. He throws a 59-foot slider. Tenace can’t block the pitch. Tenace can’t stop the boulder. Pocoroba takes second; Paciorek takes his place. Gilbreath taps a roller back to Wehrmeister. Wehrmeister has the yips. He spikes the ball. Paciorek to third. Gilbreath safe. Now it’s Chaney. He squares. Suicide squeeze. Paciorek breaks. The ball rolls up the first base line. Gary Sutherland barehanded, grips, on the run, to Tenace. Paciorek dives. Tenace swipes. Late. Paciorek scores. Tenace can’t stop the boulder. Tie game. Again. Wehrmeister has blown it.
No outs. Runners first and second. Barry Bonnell. Again a bunt. Again to Sutherland. Only one play; to Champion covering first. One out. Winning run on third. Rowland Office up. His eighth at bat. Tapper to Wehrmeister. Wehrmeister has the yips. Gilbreath scores. Braves win. The boulder comes to rest at the bottom of the hill. Gene picks up his face mask. Knocks it against his leg. Looks to the sky. Disappears down the tunnel. There’s another game tomorrow.