I Used To Be Carried In The Arms of Cheerleaders.......

So last night was the night.
The Phillies finally won the World Championship of Baseball.
I still can't get over it. I know it hasn't fully sunk in but I still can't think about it without welling up.
It was a pretty subdued scene at the house last night. The four of us sat in the bedroom and watched on the small TV. Kristen held Kyle on the bed while Brodie and I were lounging on the floor. I wore my '83 St Pats Jersey, '08 National League Champs shirt and my ever lucky Bunker Hat. This is the first time all year that I had to break out the bunker hat but I felt it needed to be done. (A quick explanation: The bunker hat was purchased three years ago on Opening Day. Its a retro hat and it is really the only hat that doesn't make me look like a fool. Anyway it is really beat up and the sun has rendered it a redish white so I only break it out when absolutely necessary....or when I go fishing. Thats how it got the name 'Bunker Hat'. Every summer my father-in-law, brother-in-law and myself pile into a ridiculously small boat to consume lots of 'greenies' and do some killer crabbing. We usually catch next to nothing, end up way too intoxicated, make some obscene jokes and show up to the beach house only to find disappointed looks awaiting us. We also use frozen bunker as the bait in our traps. After one of these trips I was informed that my hat would spend the duration of the vacation on the porch because it stunk like these awful fish. Hence Bunker Hat) It really was a perfect night. I had enough beers to make me really excited and just a little bit out of control so that my wife got to calm the baby down after an occasional shout or scream. We also turned down the suck that is Buck and synced up 1210 so I could hear Harry make the final call.
I cried really hard. Really hard. I got to hold my baby while watching Manuel accept the trophy. Thats something I'll never forget.
We popped some Champagne and just laid in bed crying and watching. It was really special.
A lot of people called me immediately following the game. I only answered the ones who had people on the line that would understand why I was hysterically crying. Sorry Dad, Mom, Dan the Surfer, Frank and Noah (the first time).
I also took off work tomorrow and have two tickets to watch the parade celebration inside CBP. It is going to be absolutely outrageous.

Well right before my wife fell asleep she asked me if this was the greatest day in my life. I can't say that it was. I gave it some thought and came up with the greatest day ever. Its a very short description but I think the simplicity of it is what makes it so special.

My wife and I were in Baltimore once. We were staying at the Inner Harbor but took the Water Taxi over to Fell's Point. We had lunch at a really small sushi place. Next we headed of to Max's (which that day had 96 beers on tap) and enjoyed quite a few drinks while chatting baseball with some Orioles fans. We then took the Water Taxi back to the Inner Harbor to watch the Orioles play the Devil Rays. I bought a retro Orioles hat and was given a Rafael Palmeiro bobble head. After the game (and some Rolling Rocks) we went to Max's Ballpark Bar and had some nachos. To end the evening we walked into a very questionable part of the city and got hot corned beef sandwiches at a sandwich shop called Shane's.

My heaven would be reliving that day over and over. I know most people would have chosen other days (wedding, birth of child, World series etc) but I can't choose a day where I was forced to take a generic anti-diahrrhtic.

Time to play the waiting game................. I'm sick of this game. Lets play Monopoly.

Last night was a complete bust. I am really disappointed in Bud Selig and MLB as a whole.
I had a huge rant planned out but I'll keep it to myself.
The game will eventually be played and I'll be watching. The Phillies have 3 more outs than the Rays to score one more run. I guess I'm OK with that.
Until then the two bottles of champagne will stay in the fridge.

The boy has some killer gas and it kills me to watch him struggle with it but at the same time I can't help but laugh. I mean here is this 6 week old baby grunting his way to some truly glorious gassers. It amazes me that these simple occurrences have taken the place of me going to the World Series or spending the evening at the bar. I guess that in and of itself isn't really too amazing but the fact that I'm fine with it is.

Working on a mix for my brother and its one great song away from being perfect.
Mental note:
I need to find everything released by Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers and Frightened Rabbit.

Halloween is coming up. There may be baseball in November. This is shaping up to be a pretty wild time.

There's No Crying In Baseball

So this is it.
Game 5. The Phils are up 3-1.

It may sound stupid to other people and frankly I don't care. I'm sitting at work in tears. Not the balling type but glossy eyed choked up tears. There are a thousand thoughts running through my head. I think back to my first Phillies game with my father, uncle and cousin. I remember wondering why my mild mannered father was booing Mike Schmidt. I remember spending lazy Sunday afternoons with my grandmother in the left field bleachers of the Vet. She used to make me promise that when I became a pro ball player I would buy her a Jaguar. I remember thinking it was a real possibility. I remember going to a game with my Aunt Carol and getting 100 years of Phillies history over the course nine innings. I remember attending the '93 World Series with my dad and being amazed at the look on his face as we walked up to the park. He had a look a I had never seen before or since. It was sheer excitement. I remember the strike of '94 and swearing off the sport because my hero's had now become something evil. I remember falling in love with the team again in '99 during a completely inconsequential Reds series. I remember staying up all night with Noah just to watch them blow that rat hole up. I remember going to the first night game at Citizen's Bank Park with my best friend and sitting through 2 hours of rain delays only to have him miss his train home. I remember hugging my wife after Thome belted #400 and how could I forget making her wait out that entire rain delay because Phillies fans stay until the game is official.
I take it back now...... that choked up tearing has officially gone to full blown tears. My coworkers must think I'm crazy.
I remember Kristen giving me season tickets as the greatest birthday gift any human has ever given another. I remember every single Opening Day that carries the anticipation of my birthday, Christmas and Halloween wrapped into one. I remember pushing back our honeymoon for one day because the Red Sox were in town and then getting share that game with some of the greatest people I've ever known. I remember Father's Days with my dad and guys nights with my Father-In-Law. I remember the greatest game I've ever attended. The last game of the 2007 season. I remember watching a four game sweep of the Brewers with my brand new baby boy.

I think of all of this and I can't help but be emotional. I love baseball. I love it as more than a sport.
I'll cry when they win tonight. Not only because this is the greatest season I've ever experienced but also because this miracle of a season will finally come to close.

Speakers Push Air?

Big night last night.
Baseball
Baby
Office
Awesome!

A few random thoughts as I drove to work this morning:

-Kristen and I go to my parents every 4th of July because they live by the shore and fireworks on the beach equal big fun. This year we were on the AC Expressway and we see a billboard advertising the Beach Boys playing a free show on July 4th. We spent the rest of the drive recalling our favorite Full House memories involving the Beach Boys with my favorite being my father-in-law cursing the TV when Uncle Jesse jumped on drums with them. We get to my parents and sorta forget the whole thing. So anyway, the 4th rolls around and I pick up the paper to find out exactly what time the fireworks are set for and then I see it....... John Stamos will be joining The Beach Boys. Now I have always been a casual Beach Boys fan. I mean Pet Sounds is cool and I think that God Only Knows is one of the best songs ever but beyond that I'm indifferent. I guess you could say that I'm a bigger Stamos fan than a Beach Boys fan. As pathetic as it sounds, Full House has had a more profound effect on my life than the Beach Boys. Especially a Brian Wilson-less Beach Boys. Although I'm not a Brian Wilson fan. Hmmm... this has been one wild tangent but I feel the need to take a moment to vent about the Brothers Wilson. I used to think that I like dBrian Wilson. I thought he was amazing. I was waiting with wild anticipation when Smile came out. Then I played it non-stop. I even bought Lucky Old Sun and bobbed my head along with it. Then I heard Pacific Ocean Blue and it hit me. Dennis Wilson was the heart and soul of the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson was nothing more than a fraud. He never surfed, he screwed the rest of the band and he was a horrible person to his family. Now he is putting out these god awful records with out dated harmonies and lyrics that rival the intelligenc eof a third grade love poem. Pacific Ocean Blue on the other hand has some soul. Anyway back to the story at hand. My wife and I ended up going to the show and sure enough Stamos was there. The band sounded tight and my 5th grade social studies teacher gave me a beer. Overall a good time was had by all

I had a few more stories to convey that related to music but the market is killing me and it took me all day just to write that story (I'm sure its obvious by the disjointed nature)

Weekend
Awesome

Long time coming

It has been quite some time since my last post. I guess I've been putting it off since I wasn't sure how to word everything.
Keep it simple and move on.

Kyle Patrick was born 9/13 at 12:02 AM
8 pounds 9 ounces
Labor was tough. Something I never want my wife to go through again. So bad in fact that I didn't even cry when he was born. Too concerned with her well being.

There it is.
I really can't say much more about the last few weeks so I'll just pick it up from there.

Tonight the Phillies play game 1 of the NLDS against the dreaded Dodgers.
Really? I never worried about the Dodgers but the media would have you believe that Jesus himself plays left field because the Fightin's don't have a chance.
We'll see.

I'm so excited to get home and engage in my new favorite activity. Doing absolutely nothing while holding by lil'boy. Hopefully he will be wearing his Phillies shirt over a long-sleeve onsie when I get home.
Then its dinner and off to the couch for a night of baseball with by main man on my lap, my puppy at my feet and my incredible wife next to me.
I tend to complain quite a bit (not here but in general) but after reading that last sentence I have to think that I'm a lucky guy.