At least this ballgame’s over – until the next time

Cynics inclined to disparage sports, noting their interests lie in the “real world,” are probably grappling with ennui this postelection morning.

Where was the fun, the color, the excitement of it all?

We used to be better than this, remember?

When did subterfuge and character assassination become the accepted way to play America’s game, the one we call democracy?

The pageantry of politics used to be energizing and you didn’t have to be a political junkie to enjoy it.

It was enough to know you were bearing witness to what made America special.

Then, on a morning like this, as the curtain dropped and the winners prepared to take office, there was a welcome respite from the hurlyburly of over-the-top electioneering, perhaps even a sense of what Kipling felt in noting the tumult and the shouting had died.

The quietness felt good, didn’t it?

The late Joe DeNucci, one of this town’s most successful politicians, was also one of its most popular athletes. Before joining the Legislature and then launching a record 24-year run as state auditor, Joe had been the fifthranked middleweight boxer in the world.

Through it all he never lost his love for the sweet science.

“When the final bell rings,” he often pointed out, “what’s the first thing fighters do? They hug because they have so much respect for one another. And the harder they fought, the harder they hug.”

In modern politics it’s not like that, is it?

Donald Trump was properly elected president two years ago tomorrow, yet Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and the rest of their self-indulgent ilk continue tossing haymakers at him.

The good thing about sports is that second base is not for sale. You may find jerks playing there, but you won’t find frauds.

If only that were so in politics, too.

For instance, it’s still not clear who was playing us for fools regarding Question 1. Were the hospitals intentionally scaring us, or were the nurses knowingly stoking panic? Yes, they can be angels of mercy, but when it comes to working conditions, these daughters of Florence Nightingale are as soft and fuzzy as longshoremen.

Though the final bell rang last night, one senses this fight’s also far from over.

So, do you miss all those plastic candidates, robocalls and scurrilous overthe-top ads this morning?

Or are you wishing them all good riddance? If so, rest assured, you’re not alone.

Sports have their imperfections, but the most deserving side usually prevails.

If only that were still true at the ballot box.