Thursday, October 16, 2008

Red Sox Make Final Three

The Phillies are going to the World Series. More on that after this message:

An update on the situation with our friend Cathy (wife of commenter Sosock): They're still a few bucks away from getting that car. The details are here. Please consider making a donation. If you missed it, Cathy has stage 4 breast cancer, and is getting serious static from the government of the richest country in the world when it comes to health care. I can't help feel the connection to them--they used to be in the soap business, and my girlfriend Kim makes soap. Cathy has stage 4 cancer, and Kim's mom was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. And of course, the Sox fan thing. Donate if you can.

Okay, now just a little about this Philly organization--here are my Philly World Series memories:

1980: I was five years old. No real memories of the Series, but very clear memories of getting the '81 Topps Sticker Album with the two-sticker picture of the '80 champs. They had a lot of great afro haircuts on that squad. Bake McBride, Garry Maddux...okay, I've just found that team photo online and I guess it was just those two, but still....my favorite year is 1980, so that year's champs are automatically special to me. Also love that old World Series logo. And surprisingly I didn't realize it was their first championship until much later. With all my baseball knowledge, that fact somehow escaped me for a really long time.

1983: Now I was in third grade. The internet still hadn't reared its time-consuming e-head, so us kids pretty much only cared about baseball-related things. I clearly remember that White Sox-O's ALCS. Before the WS, I remember Pat sitting next to me at the Ridgebury School lunch room and saying, "I'm rooting for the Phillies but I think the Orioles will win." Okay, it might have been the other way around. And it might have been me who said it and not him. It was 25 years ago, whadda ya want from me? Anyway, the O's won, and neither team has won since.

1993: First months of college--I was never a fan of those Braves teams, so it was good to see the Phils knock them off after they'd won the previous two NL pennants. They went on to play the Jays who'd won the previous year's World Series. They were the "Phat Phillies," a bunch that I liked--not enough to even care that much, but I was on their side. Ah, the McDonough-as-top-baseball- announcer-in-the-nation years. Sean got to make the call on the second-ever World Series-winning walk-off homer. Unfortunately for the Phils, it was Mitch Williams who gave it up to Joe "See It Go" Carter. Watched it on the fourth floor of the Abel dorm at the U. of Nebraska. (The tall white building in the middle. That's the closest Street Views gets....)

And now they're back. Hopefully Game One is in Boston. I'm at Fenway tonight. See ya on the other side, Ray.

Comments:
I remember rooting for the Phillies in 83! I was a fan of their logo, which looked like it was written with toothpaste. And Mike Schmidt's 'stache had a calming effect. It seemed to say "everything is in control here."
 
Jere, thanks for posting the fundraiser. This just in: we made it!! The goal has been reached. But donations are still being accepted, so Tim & Cathy can have a little money for maintenance, gas, whatever.

I'm very sorry to hear about Kim's mom. Best of luck to the whole family.

And lastly, I lived in Philadelphia when they won their first WS, so I always felt a connection. We have a close friend who's a Phillies fan. I'd be happy to thrash them in the World Series this year.
 
Well, that was a pretty good game :)
 
Indeed.
 

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