Gold Star Winner: October 29, 2008

Philadelphia Phillies
2008 World Series Champions

Come on. Could it have gone to anyone else?

I love my life, and I count my blessings as much as I can, but in two of things I love most dearly - baseball and politics - I associate first and foremost with losing. My entire experience in my two greatest passions has been colored by a long, laughable legacy of losing.

Not anymore.

Tonight, the Philadelphia Phillies, the team of my childhood, the team of 10,000 losses, the team from a city that had not won anything in a quarter-century, won the World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies, 2008 World Series Champions.

Unbelievable.

I was terrified that I would never see this day. I mean, the Red Sox went 86 years in between World Series victories. The White Sox went 88. The Cubs are 100 years and counting - in fact, they haven't even been there in 63 years! Even the law of averages, I assumed, would somehow not include a World Series victory for the Fightin' Phils.

Like many other times, of course, I was wrong, and I have never been happier to be wrong. The Philadelphia Phillies are today's Gold Star Winner, for winning their first World Series in 28 years, for ending Philadelphia's 25-year drought, for making me scream longer and louder than I ever have before... and, most importantly, for making my wildest, wackiest, most wonderful dream finally come true.

Philadephia Phillies, 2008 World Series Champions. Unbelievable.

One Win Away

The Phillies beat the Rays 10-2 in Game 4 and lead the best-of-seven series three games to one.

A win tomorrow night, with Cole Hamels on the mound in Philadelphia, would make the Phillies world champions.

I am cherishing this moment, as being a Phillies phan has taught me that these occurrences are few and far between. And while a much larger event looms just over a week away, a possible Phillies world championship would truly be one of the most joyous - and long-awaited - moments of my life.

A legacy of losing breeds bitterness even among faithful fans like me. But it also makes winning much sweeter, and when good times come along, it's a beautiful thing.

One win. One more win and I'll officially know what it feels like. I have imagined the moment for years. I hope I don't have to much longer.

A Series Worth Watching

The Phillies-Rays World Series is sure to be a snooze in the ratings, but in the three games thus far, it has made for some really, really good baseball.

Wacky, Wonderful

Jayson Stark recaps last night's incredible Game 3 of the World Series, which gave the Phillies a 2-1 series lead:

The Phillies now hold a 2-1 lead in this Series. They lead it even though they're hitting .061 (2-for-33) with runners in scoring position. They lead it even though neither of those two hits left the infield, and one of them didn't even score a run.

They lead it even though their late-inning defensive replacement has produced more runs than their leadoff hitter. And they lead it even though they've allowed that team they're playing to score eight consecutive runs, over two games, on plays that included either an out or an error.

"It's a funny game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said when this insanity was over. "That's how the game goes."

It is indeed a funny game. And it'd be downright hilarious if the Phils not only win the Series, but win it while continuing their team-wide ridiculousness of the first three games. 2-for-33 with runners in scoring position?!? This is arguably the best offensive team in the National League!

Of course, the only thing more incredible than 2-for-33 is the fact that, despite it all, the Phillies are winning.

Unbelievable.

I've waited a long time for this, and this Series is certainly not disappointing in terms of sheer entertainment value. Everything has been unpredictable and exciting - just the way it should be, in fact.

Slighted

That's how some of the Phillies' reserve players feel, after only the starting lineup was announced before Game 1 of the World Series.

It's tradition that both starters and reserve players and coaches get announced and line up on the field before the first game of the Fall Classic. Guys like Matt Stairs, who's in his 40s and is playing in the World Series for the first time, were bitterly disappointed - even angry - to find out their names wouldn't be announced.

FOX says they don't want to push back the start time of the game any further. Fine. Then don't spend half an hour on the lame-ass pre-game show with Jeanne Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy. I don't think there's a soul alive who would complain if FOX scrapped the pre-game BS. Give guys like Matt Stairs their due. It's about the players, and they deserve to be rewarded for the accomplishment of reaching the World Series.

The Dream Lives...

...as the Phillies win Game 1.

3 more wins, and the Philadelphia Phillies will be World Series Champions.

HOPE!

Obama Phlip-Phlopping?

On the Phillies?

That's what McCain says.

Once his hometown White Sox were eliminated from the baseball playoffs, Obama decided to root for the Phillies, the favorite team of his campaign manager, David Plouffe (as well as yours truly, of course). But here's Obama in Tampa, home of the AL champions and the team that ousted the White Sox, on Monday:

“I want to just make the point I’ve said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate, bringing people together,” Obama told the crowd. “So when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays, and the Rays showing some love back, you know we’re on to something right here.”

It doesn't sound to me like he's switching horses, though as usual McCain wants us to think something that's not true, even if it's something relatively trivial.

The Weirdest World Series in History

About a year ago, I wrote a Facebook note called "The Colorado Rockies are the 2007 National League Champions." And at that point in time, I thought it was the absolute weirdest thing ever to happen during my life as a baseball fan.

Well, shit just got weirder.

The Phillies, the team of 10,000 losses, will play the Rays, the team that used to be the Devil Rays. So basically baseball's historical laughingstock will play the laughingstock of the past 10 years.

W
T
F

????????

How many people foresaw a Phillies/Rays matchup in the World Series before this season began?

Right now, someone in Vegas is filthy rich, I bet. And I can't get over how stunned I am.

The second Papi hit that homer in Game 5, I thought the Red Sox were gonna pull it out. I really did. I'm shocked that they didn't - and shocked that they lost to the Rays. Can't believe it. Ridiculous. Impossible. The only thing that makes it even more insane is the fact that, now that the Rays have won, they're going to play the PHILLIES.

The PHILLIES!!!! Playing the RAYS!!!! IN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, anything's possible, I guess. What's gonna happen next season? My money's on a Nationals/Mariners World Series. And even that wouldn't be as weird as THIS.

But, nevertheless, Phils: I hope you kick the crap out of these clowns. Welcome to the majors, Tampa. Finally.

The Vindication of Ed Wade

In 1998, the Phillies hired Ed Wade to be their general manager. Soft-spoken and cautious, Wade was never popular with the boisterous, blue-collar fan base in Philadelphia. It also didn't help that the Phillies routinely stunk. But, from the very beginning of his tenure, Wade paid a lot of attention to scouting, player development and the draft, through which the Phillies would quickly secure future stars like 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell and Chase Utley.

In 2001, following the hiring of Larry Bowa as field manager, the team got off to a fast start, was in first place for much of the season and ended up finishing just two games out of the playoffs. Based on the team's 2001 success, hopes were high with each successive year, especially beginning in 2003, after the signing of All-Star first baseman Jim Thome. Despite Thome, a high-priced payroll and sky-high expectations, the Phils barely missed the playoffs in 2003, 2004 (Bowa's last season as manager), 2005 and 2006. Wade, who was fired after the 2005 season, was blamed for much of the team's failures.

Wade is now GM in Houston, and the Phillies are run by legendary GM Pat Gillick and manager Charlie Manuel. The conventional wisdom is that it's Gillick's craft moves and Manuel's soft touch that enabled the Phillies to finally make the playoffs in 2007 and reach the World Series in 2008. But, believe it or not, the nucleus of the team - Rollins, Burrell, Utley, 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard, 2008 NLCS MVP Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Ryan Madson - was drafted and developed by none other than Ed Wade. It is thanks to his moves - and some of his non-moves, in which he could have traded away players like Utley and Hamels a few years ago for short-term fixes - that have enabled the Phillies, my Phillies to reach this point. In characteristic Ed Wade fashion, of course, he's not taking much credit:

Wade is busy trying to build a championship club in Houston, and he is far too modest to claim any credit for the success of the 2008 Phillies. His first instinct is to credit the team’s scouts and player development personnel who drafted and developed league MVPs Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, ace pitcher Cole Hamels and All-Star Chase Utley on his watch.

Yet, the 2008 Phillies are an example of what kind of team can build even if he is not willing to take credit for it.

“I just think it reinforces the point that every baseball guy will make if you ask him the same question, (and that’s) that the life blood of any organization is based in player development and scouting,” Wade said.

True. An I never thought I'd say this, but I'm saying it now: thanks, Ed. Phillies phans everywhere owe you a great deal.

WORLD SERIES BABY!!!

The Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 National League Champions

I.

Can't.

Believe It.

So.

Happy.

Live-Blogging the Debate (and Other Stuff, Too!)

10:31 PM. Obama's closing statement: fundamental change, fuck the last eight years, etc. Obama has an easier closing argument to make. Invokes Reagan by saying "our brighest days are still ahead." Brings up education, energy and the MIDDLE CLASS again. Reminds people that it won't be easy or quick, but that we have to "come together, and renew a spirit of sacrifice and service." It's exactly where his campaign started: hope, unity and change we can believe in.

10:28 PM. McCain's closing statement: He finally brings out "my friends." McCain says he is for a new direction and reform. Hearing about a "new direction" from a really old Republican is kinda tough to swallow, but whatever. McCain comes across here as kinda like the tough, gutsy straight-talker that he used to be. Oh, what could have been.

10:26 PM. IT'S OVER. Halle-freakin-lujah.

10:21 PM. Obama using "unfunded mandate" reminds me of Josiah Bartlet's debate against Robert Ritchie on The West Wing. Now, that was a debate.

10:17 PM. I did okay in high school and I went to a good college, but this question makes me remember how badly we need to reform the education system in this country.

10:15 PM. I am officially really starting to tune out. But whatever Obama just said, the Ohio voters really, REALLY liked it.

10:13 PM. McCain rolled his eyes again. And he kinda stuck out his tongue, too. Gross.

10:10 PM. Obama brings up Lily Ledbetter and the issue of equal pay. "The court has to stand up if nobody else will." Aaaaaand the Ohio women go wild.

10:07 PM. Roe v. Wade... it's not a presidential debate if a Republican candidate doesn't use the phrase "lithmus test."

10:05 PM. McCain: "I'm gonna give them... I'm gonna give them..." He should be saying "you." It doesn't sound like he's talking to Americans, it sounds like he's whining to Bob Schieffer.

10:04 PM. "Joe Six-Pack" is now "Joe the Plumber" ... with a six-pack, as my friend Matt points out.

10:02 PM. In contrast, Ohio women loooove Obama's health care plan.

10:00 PM. Ohio women hate McCain's health care plan.

9:59 PM. The Phillies are now leading 5-0.

9:58 PM. According to the graph, Obama has been doing much better in the second half of the debate.

9:57 PM. Okay... FIRST OF ALL, McCain's "Obama is Herbert Hoover" comparisons are as stupid as they are ineffective. They aren't true, and they only make McCain seem older than he already is. Also, the Phillies are leading 4-0 in the 5th.

9:56 PM. I just want to say that I am shocked I am still awake.

9:53 PM. McCain just rolled his eyes at Obama.

9:51 PM. Hard to believe, but McCain has grown more contemptuous as the night has gone on.

9:50 PM. Obama: "nothing's more important" than ending our dependence on foreign oil. Goes into a bullet-point list again about energy independence. Thank God the Ayers bit is over. The women in the focus group are back on board with Obama now.

9:48 PM. McCain, as usual: Let's build 45 new nuclear power plants.

9:46 PM. Did McCain just snort?

9:45 PM. A thought I had: the better question would have been "Why is the OTHER guy's running mate better than YOUR running mate?" I would love to listen to Obama try to defend Palin.

9:43 PM. LOL. McCain makes the case for a Palin presidency. I direct you to this website.

9:41 PM. HAHAHAHAHA Why would your running mate be a better President than the other guy's running mate? Like it's even a contest. Ah jeez.

9:40 PM. The CNN focus group has totally flatlined during the Obama vs. McCain/you're negative/no YOU'RE negative/ACORN/Ayers section.

9:35 PM. McCain plays the Ayers card.

9:34 PM. Men like McCain, women like Obama.

9:33 PM. Obama speaks very convincingly of the bitter, cynical "same old, same old" politics in this country, and directly confronts Palin's "pal around with terrorists" bullshit.

9:31 PM. Jesus Christ, Obama, stop stuttering.

9:27 PM. McCain: "I want to run a truthful campaign." Really? Well, you have 20 days to make good on that promise.

9:25 PM. McCain: "Senator Obama, your argument of standing up to the leaders of your party isn't very convincing."

9:21 PM. McCain: "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush." Strong line from McCain, and apparently quite effective with Ohio men.

9:17 PM. Still early, but I think Obama is a little professorial tonight, which is not a good Obama.

9:13 PM. McCain is owning Obama on the taxes exchange.

9:11 PM. Obama: MIDDLE CLASS MIDDLE CLASS MIDDLE CLASS. Tax cut for 95% of Americans. The CNN uncommitted Ohio voters graph takes off.

9:10 PM. McCain really does not come across as diplomatic, and has stuttered his way through two answers in a row.

9:06 PM. Obama, as usual: MIDDLE CLASS MIDDLE CLASSS MIDDLE CLASS. This is the third debate in a row in which Obama has started with a clear, concise, bullet-point list of priorities.

9:05 PM. McCain says the catalyst for the economic crisis was Fannie/Freddie. I know this is SUPER early, but McCain really does not seem comfortable talking about the economy.

9:03 PM. Nothing has happened yet. Why is McCain already writing stuff down?

8:54 PM. Tim McCarver: "Cole Hamels doesn't have his best stuff," blah blah blah blah blah. Can't shut up about it. And then Hamels hangs a breaking ball to James Loney, who lines a single into center field. Tim McCarver is jinxing Cole Hamels.

8:27 PM. Jimmy Rollins leads off the game with a home run! Phillies 1, Dodgers 0.

Best Night of TV Ever

Tonight's TV lineup features the final presidential debate, Phillies/Dodgers Game 5 (in which the Phils, my boyhood team, could punch a ticket to the World Series) and the finale of Project Runway. My perfect night is this:

1. Obama decisively wins the debate
2. Phillies win and advance to the World Series
3. Korto or Leanne wins Project Runway, and Kenley is banished to Antarctica

I mean, can you imagine if all that happened (especially the Antarctica bit)?

One Win Away

With a miraculous 7-5 win at Dodger Stadium last night, the Phillies are one win away from their first World Series in 15 years.

Ya Gotta Believe.

Halfway There

The Phillies have won their first-round series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and will advance to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The victor in the NLCS will play in the World Series.

The Phillies haven't been to the World Series since 1993, when they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.  The Dodgers last appeared in the Series in 1988, when they upset a heavily favored Oakland Athletics team (hardcore baseball fans will recall Kirk Gibson's famous game-winning home run in Game 1).

I have begun to seriously fantasize about the possibility of the Phillies winning the World Series and Barack Obama being elected president in the same year.  I don't want to jinx anything, but it sure is nice to think about.

Back (and Better Than Ever?)

Okay, so I'm back on the East Coast.

Since I left the tri-state area for the rocky hills of the Bay Area, crazy things have happened.  Sarah Palin spoke to Katie Couric, John McCain kinda-maybe-not really suspended his campaign, Barack Obama won the first presidential debate, the Mets blew another shot at the postseason and the Phillies are once again National League East champions.

Being on the West Coast is always a therapeutic experience for me.  The air is fresher and the mood is calmer than the frantic, frenetic East.  San Francisco itself is a truly incredible city: it is a a progressive, modern, urban environment sprawled atop a breathtakingly beautiful natural environment; in many ways, I find it to be the Last Great Hope for America.  Its citizens are friendly, open-minded, informed and diverse.  Everyone seems to be in a good mood. I would be too, I suppose, if I lived there.

But I'm back now, and I feel refreshed and recharged from the experience, and also from the things that happened while I was gone.  I am at an all-time high in confidence that Barack Obama will be our next President, and am eagerly anticipating the Phillies' second-straight postseason appearance.  With the economy in ruins and the future of our country seemingly hanging in a tenuous balance, the world at large seems to be on the precipice of disaster.  But from my relatively small, singular vantage point, things right now are looking up.  And that I will cherish.

It's good to be back.

De Ja Vu in New York?

Are the New York Mets in the process of collapsing in September, and thus losing another division title to the Phillies, for the second season in a row?

2008 gets weirder and weirder.