Want something to cheer for? Root for Army-Navy playoff chaos scenario

There have already been a lot of unforgettable images from the baseball playoffs so far.But this one hit me different. This was maybe 15 minutes after the Yankees had eliminated the Royals on Thursday night, Game 5 of the AL Division Series.

The Yankees were celebrating on the field at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.And sitting alone, the last solitary figure in the home dugout, was Bobby Witt Jr., best player for Kansas City, second-best player in the American League, one of the 5-6 best players in the sport. Witt had a miserable series, 2-for-17.

Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference if he’d gone 10-for-17, but he would’ve surely liked the opportunity to find out.Witt watched quietly from the dugout.

A few teammates patted him on the back as he studied the Yankees celebration.But soon he was alone. “That’s where I want to be,” Witt would explain later, of the victorious dogpile.

“I just try to take it all in when I can.” That was something to see. But this was even better.After a while, Giancarlo Stanton — the Yankees clear MVP in this series — looked over and saw Witt.

He left the loud celebration at the pitcher’s mound and walked over to the Kansas City dugout.He offered a few words of condolence and his hand. Those few seconds captured the essence of sport.

The respect.The competition.

And yes, the sportsmanship. In his own way, Stanton displayed every bit as much respect and sportsmanship in that moment of triumph as Francisco Lindor had in his a little over 24 hours earlier when, after cranking a series-deciding grand slam, he put his head down and dashed around the bases without any histrionics, without a shred of desire to show up any of the Phillies. We forget sometimes that you can be both intense and civil at the same time.You can celebrate victory without rubbing it in.

Honestly, you can. And it seems like a good time to remember this because slowly, quietly, the Army and Navy football teams are weekly authori...