Thursday, October 16, 2008

October 15th, A Day Which Will Live in Famy

I am not sure what the appropriate word is for "really good and never to be forgotten". The opposite of "infamy" would be "neutral obscurity". I'll go with plain old "famy".

The Philadelphia Phillies will return to the World Series for the first time in 15 years and only the sixth time in their 125 year history. In 1915, the Babe Ruth-led Boston Red Sox downed the Quakers in five games in their first WS appearance (nb. the Babe did not pitch and had only one at-bat as a pinch hitter). In 1950, the juggernaut Yankees, led by Joltin' Joe, Yogi and other assorted ne'er-do-wells took the Phils behind the woodshed in a four-game sweep. Fast forward through the Cuban missile crisis, JFK's assassination, free love, a ruinous little police action in Southeast Asia and disco to 1980, when the stars aligned and freedom-loving people everywhere rejoiced in Michael Jack Schmidt and Steve "Brotherhood of Zion" Carlton's victory over the Royals in six. 1983 brought a handsome young man with piercing blue eyes to the fore, and a tall drink of water who looks good in Jockey shorts pitched impressively, as the O's from down the road beat your favorite team. Ten long years later, a group of reprobates, some with less than a full repertoire of reproductive organs, gave Philly Nation a thrill ride through the season, beating the hated, wife-beating Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, only to fall to invaders from the North in six in the Phall Classic. The Clinton years may have brought peace and prosperity to America, but it did nothing for the boys down on South Broad Street. Bush fils, needless to say, did nothing good for anyone, least of all the Phils.

However, October 15th will be rememebered as the moment when the promise of a new day in America was fulfilled, with Obama showing calm under a cranky old man's desperate, and frequently non-sequitor attacks, up by double digits and redrawing the electoral map...and the Phillies in the World Series. All is right with the world.

Plus, Leanne won Project Runway. I loved her collection. The wave-inspired architecture, the flawless execution, the cohesion as she showed us a pant, a short, a cocktail dress and a gown...breathtaking. And Kenley lost. Wheee, heeee! The producers just kept her on there to stir the pot. They needed an anti-hero (I guess that's a villain) to keep people involved. No worries, though, as the Good Guys prevailed on all fronts.

Look up in the nose-bleeds for me at Games 3 and 4 in Philly. I'll be there in my latest Leanne creation. I think I am going to choose the cocktail dress. Flirty but sophisticated.

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