On the one hand, cultural critics suggest openly that — not unlike the bread-and-circus efforts of Caesar’s Rome — that sport serves as an opiate of the masses. On the other hand, a thing that people fail to recognize is how opiates make you feel indestructible and also there are no side effects.

In conclusion, what one finds here is footage of three fastballs, all thrown by Colorado rookie right-hander Jon Gray this evening against the Mets for strikeouts — and all recorded at 95 mph or greater. Mere diversion or monument to human potential: this is the reader’s choice, ultimately.