The 1980 Phillies

The 40th anniversary celebration of the 1980 Phillies world championship team, the first in franchise history, happened over the weekend. It was two-years delayed due to the pandemic, but was something I looked forward to as a lifelong Phillies and lifelong baseball fan.

Alumni weekend took up the entire weekend, with relief pitcher Ron Reed and outfielder Arnold "Bake" McBride being inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on Saturday.

Sunday festivities were focused on honoring the 1980 World Series Champion team, and would include the on-field return of Pete Rose for the first time in Philly in a very very long time.

Mike Schmidt had tested positive for Covid and was only represented on video. Most of the others were there. Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, Manny Trillo, Del Unser, Greg Gross, Ron Reed, Larry Christensen, and others. And Pete Rose.

Pete's lifetime ban from baseball is well known to any baseball fan. And I will not argue the merits of that here today. Or the whole Hall of Fame issue, with Pete being baseball's all-time hits leaders.

For this celebration, Pete had been included per the Phillies management on the grounds that his teammates wanted him to be included, with the most-often quote being that the Phillies wouldn't have won the World Series in 1980 without Pete Rose providing the drive and leadership to get over the hump and reach the ultimate goal.

That may be true.

Pete was interviewed before the game, asked in particular about his underage sexual relationship with a pre-16 year old girl while married in those years. His comments to the female reporter were...typical Pete "it was a long time ago, get over it Babe" (or something to that effect). He took a turn in the broadcast booth for an inning and was also typical Pete...profane, narcissistic, egomaniacal, and a dirt-poor example of a human being.

The whole thing left me feeling...dirty.

I understand that Pete Rose was very important in us winning a World Series. I recognize that my childhood sports identity is largely wrapped up in those Phillies teams, and that I unconditionally love many if not most of those players to this day.

But a key part of that team was Pete Rose, and Pete Rose is and always has been, for lack of a better term, a complete and total scumbag.

As a father of daughters, it is hard to swallow a sexual predator defense of "Hey, I thought she was 16...".

We won the World Series in 1980. Thanks in large part to Pete Rose.

Ugh. I do feel dirty.

To John Middleton and the Phillies organization who inexplicably thought this was a good idea: you were very very wrong. And don't hide behind "Pete's teammates wanted this." You chose to celebrate a dirtbag. And predictably enough he embarrassed you. Again. Shame on you.

Be better than this.

Mariano Rivera Foundation, 2nd Annual

Last spring, Julia's special needs baseball team had the opportunity to have Mariano Rivera pitch an inning to them during one of their games.

This happened as part of the day's events that were the first annual Mariano Rivera Foundation 5k run   as a Brandywine Youth Club event.

BYC Phillies with Mariano Rivera

We were lucky enough to get a repeat of this as part of the second annual event. It was a rainy day, but rather than cancel the game part of the event, they moved it to a school gym in Wilmington. The baseball game turned into a wiffle ball game.

Julia and Mariano

None of that mattered, as the kids had a lot of fun. Julia, leading off for the BYC Phillies, lined a nice single into the outfield, and can claim to have a perfect 1.000 batting average against the best relief pitcher in baseball history. Go Julia!

It's a shame that Rivera pitched for the hated Yankees, but he's a really nice guy nonetheless. If there's a third annual next year, I'm sure we'll be involved.

World Champions

It's hard to describe the effect a Super Bowl win has had on Eagles Fans.

As noted previously, I didn't see a single play of the game live due to Grace's gymnastics meet, but having taken today off well ahead of time, I have been spending a decent part of the day watching the game on DVR, and watching all the commentary on the local sports stations.

It's funny how much less stressful watching the game is when you know how it will end. I find myself taunting Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels all throughout the Tom Brady lovefest that was the NBC broadcast. They wanted a Brady comeback victory so very very bad...and didn't get it...but I digress.

It is remarkable the number of adult Eagles fans who are brought to tears by the victory. Calling in to the radio stations. Or interviewed on TV. As happy as I am in the victory, I'm not one of them. Necessarily. Or at least for the personal joy of having won a Super Bowl (to the degree that a fan can win a Super Bowl)...

What I do find moving, and what has brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion, is the reactions of others.

Beloved Hall of Fame Eagles reporter Ray Didinger's son David coming out to embrace Ray on the set of NBC Sports Philadelphia during the after-game show, bringing Ray to tears. I love and respect Ray...the ultimate gentleman. I have to be happy for Ray.

Stan Hochman, another old school newspaper reporter who died a few years back and never got to see this.

Bill Lyon, yet another of the old guard of newspapermen who is suffering from the onset of dementia (publicly acknowledged), who did get to see it.

Brent Celek, Eagles tight end and the longest tenured Philly athlete, finally getting a taste of the ultimate victory. Brent may well choose to retire after the victory. There couldn't be a more fitting way to ride off into the sunset. Seeing him in tears on the field during the celebration made me tear up.

Jon Dorenbos, 11 year veteran long snapper of the Eagles (and famous magician), who was traded to the Saints prior to the start of the season, failed a physical due to the discovery of an aortic aneurism, retired (had successful surgery), and was invited to the Super Bowl by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, and who was told "when we win the Super Bowl, you will get a ring." A classy move and well deserved. As noted in other posts, "Ohana means family, and family means no one left behind..." Kudos to Jeffrey Lurie.

And all the Eagles fans who have stories that go something like this: "My dad had season tickets for 30x or 40x years. We always went to games together. He never missed a game. He wanted a Super Bowl win so bad and never got one. He died "x" years ago and we buried him in an Eagles jersey..."

My dad was't THAT degree of Eagles fan, although he definitely was a Phillies and Eagles fan. He saw Eagles games at Franklin field. And never saw a Super Bowl win. He lived through the pre-Super Bowl championship in 1960 (and 1947 and 1948 for that matter). He saw the loss in 1980. And the loss in 2004. But never a win.

So I think of this Super Bowl victory as being for Ray and his son. And Stan. And Bill. And Brent. And Jon. And all those other nameless dads and granddads who passed before getting to see one. And my dad. And yes, lastly, for me.

E A G L E S Eagles!!!!!

The Moment of Victory

I had "watched" the first three+ quarters of the Super Bowl on ESPN's Gamecast while watching Grace's gymnastics meet. Play by play text updates were better than nothing, but...

The Patriots took their first lead of the game, 33-32, while they were doing the awards ceremony (Grace didn't have a very good meet but tied for second for score on Vault, getting 4th place because of overall score tiebreakers). I will have to admit that my reaction was probably similar to most other Eagles fans: "uh oh...please don't do this to me again..."

We finished up and got in the car to head home, going west on 22 to get to the Northeast Extension south. Thankfully all in range of WIP, the Eagles flagship radio station. Merrill Reese and Mike Quick. Familiar voices. Friends to all Eagles fans.

We were somewhere between the Lehigh Valley exit and the Quakertown exit when Nick Foles threw a TD pass to Zach Ertz to put us back up 38-33. The Patriots had taken the lead and then we responded. We came back. Foles playing like Brady. A minor whoop and a fist bump with Grace. But still a lot of time on the clock. Only a five point lead...

Ertz touchdown, 38-33

Then nearing the Quakertown exit when the Patriots got the ball back, had Brandon Graham strip-sack Tom Brady, and the fumble was recovered by rookie Derek Barnett. A big whoop and several fist bumps. A touchdown would seal the deal. But it wouldn't be that easy.

Passing Quakertown when rookie Jake Elliott hit his third field goal of the day, a 46-yarder, breaking his own 42-yarder rookie Super Bowl record for a kicker, set earlier in the game.

Elliott from 46 yards. Eagles 41-33.

Eagles up 8. A one-score game to tie (a TD and a two point conversion), but no chance of losing the game short of overtime. Feeling pretty good, but this is Brady and the Deflatriots. So anything is possible. Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels on NBC rooting HARD for Brady and the miracle finish...

With the score 41-33, Brady and the Patriots got the ball back, gained some yards, and were near mid-field with 9 seconds to go.

Only 9 seconds. Maybe 2 plays. Probably only one.

This can't happen. But every Eagles fan knows it can. We're bred with that gene that says if it can go wrong it will go wrong... And often has.

We were just north of the Lansdale exit.

Brady dropped back. Was rushed and almost sacked again by Graham. Stumbled. Rolled to the right. Longtime Eagles play-by-play man Merrill Reese called the Hail Mary. Ball in the air. Deflected. Batted again. Hung in the air. And fell harmlessly to the ground. There was a moment of silence before Merrill announced that time had expired and that the Eagles were Super Bowl champions. Color guy and ex-Eagles great wide receiver Mike Quick went nuts in the background.

I looked over at Grace, unsure of what had just happened. She gave me a big (tired) smile. I let out a big whoop. Or two or three. Super Bowl champions. For the first time in my life (or anyone's life, for that matter). Super. Bowl. Champions.

Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles

The last 10+ miles of the Northeast Extension were surreal. Fireworks to the right. Then ahead to the left. Then behind to the left. Then ahead to the right. All over the place. Fourth of July in February.

Justifiably happy Eagles fans everywhere. First championship since 1960. First ever championship in the Super Bowl era.

A few words stuck in my head. "You can't beat Brady in a shoot out".

Well, guess what. Nick Foles and the improbable Eagles just beat Brady in a shoot out.

In the immortal words of 2008 Phillies world champion Chase Utley: World F#$*ing Champions!

Super Bowl Sunday

The Eagles play in the Super Bowl today for the third time in my lifetime. We lost to Jim Plunkett and the Raiders in 1980. And lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2004.

Maybe the third time will be the charm. If it is, this city is going to go nuts. As well as we support all of our teams, we are first and foremost a football town, and winning a first Super Bowl after all these years would be (fair to say) the biggest pro sports event of my lifetime.

Nick Foles and the suddenly improbable season

It's almost hard to believe that we are where we are after our MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down late in the year, but having gotten here, I actually think we will win.

I'll be keeping tabs as best I can from the Parkettes Invitational gymnastics meet in Allentown, where Grace will be competing, starting at 6:30pm, which is exactly the moment of kick-off.

In related news, it was announced last night that Brian Dawkins ("Weapon X") was voted into the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility. It is a fitting tribute, as Dawkins was the heart and soul of this team for 13 years, was probably the best safety of his generation, and became the blueprint for what the ideal modern safety is.

20 leads the Eagles onto the field

Congrats to Brian and Go Eagles!

Enter Sandman - Mariano Rivera Day

A funny thing happened on the way to Julia's Challenger League baseball game today. The greatest relief pitcher in baseball history showed up and pitched an inning. OK, it wasn't a surprise...

Rivera addresses the crowd

Apparently Mariano has a connection to some local charitable organizations through his Mariano Rivera Foundation. Earlier in the day there was a 1st annual Mariano Rivera 5k run, after which he would hang out and pitch at the special needs Challenger game.

Rivera and Julia's Challenger team

Honestly, I don't think any of these kids had any idea who this guy was, but many of the parents did. Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in the history of the game, and a sure future Hall of Famer. He has the most Saves in MLB history, the most games finished, the lowest ERA in post-season history, and the most Saves in post-season history. Pretty much all you could ask for in a relief pitcher (even if he did play for the hated Yankees).

Julia and Rivera

He was a really nice guy, and the event was very low key. I can't imagine him doing a similar thing in the New York city area and not being mobbed. As it was, there weren't many people at the event that didn't have a reason to be there, and there was nobody I saw asking for autographs. He chatted with various people, and took a lot of pictures, but it was all very respectful and laid back.

For me, I can chalk this up as a random brush with greatness. Based on this act of kindness alone, I now like the guy. Even if he was a Yankee...

Ice Hockey - Penn State versus Vermont

I wouldn't normally have been in attendance at the "Philadelphia Faceoff" college hockey game between Penn State and Vermont, but this year (the third annual) was different; Grace and the Garnet Valley 5th grade and Middle School choruses were singing God Bless America and the national anthem.

3rd annual Philly Faceoff

We were to arrive at the Wells Fargo Center at 11:00am for a 1:00pm game. The kids would be escorted down to the ice for an 11:15am sound check, then brought back to a waiting area to kill time until 12:20, when they would be taken back downstairs to the non-public concourses under the arena to wait for their big moment.

At about 12:30 the college teams came out for their fifteen minute pre-game skate, and then the Zambonis cleaned the ice.

Pre-game skate

At 12:55, the lights dimmed, the teams were announced, and then our kids came out to do their thing. In a professional arena that seats 20,000 for hockey, there were maybe 7,000 or 8,000 fans in attendance, which is not bad all things considered. We had about 100 kids crammed onto a few strips of carpet, but they sang well and got a nice ovation.

Garnet Valley sings the national anthem

Unfortunately, Amp and Julia were at the practice for Oliver at the high school, so it was just me and Grace, but we had a very nice time.

As for the hockey game itself, Grace got bored near the end of the second period, and it having been a long week, we left our seats with the score tied at 0-0. As we were making our way toward the exit Vermont scored to go up 1-0. As we were a little further around the concourse, Vermont scored again to make it 2-0. As they were announcing the goal scorer of the second Vermont goal, the horn went off again for another goal, this time by Penn State to close the gap to 2-1 Vermont. After watching 50 minutes of game time and seeing no goals, we heard three in the 5 minutes it took to exit the building. Go figure. (Sports kharma, I know...never leave a game before the end...).

Driving home in the car, and talking about it afterwards, Grace was pretty excited. Which is good. Not everyone gets to stand on the ice surface of a 20,000 seat arena and sing the national anthem. She said it was a little bit scary, but a lot of fun. I'm glad. This should be an experience to remember.

GVHS 34, Strath Haven 14

This was a close 7-7 game at the half, but the good guys pulled away in the second half with solid defense, some good running, and a few timely passing plays. Having an interception return for a touchdown called back for defensive holding that would have put us down 21-14 didn't hurt either.

Strath Haven's 400+ marching band

But the most impressive thing of the evening, by far, was the Strath Haven band. Our band is decent sized, and fairly good I think. Strath Haven was a whole different thing altogether. One of the other parents told us that (including color guard) the SH band totals 415 kids (ok, 415 young adults).

We were sitting in the home stands maybe 10 feet from our trumpeters. Every time the two bands did one of those competing battle-of-the-bands things, we could hear their band over ours. Clearly. They filled the opposing bleachers. When they marched onto the field for their halftime show, it looked like Napoleon invading Russia. And they were good. They were tight, loud, and big, filling the field from end zone to end zone, sideline to sideline. No matter how good a small or medium sized band might be, there is just something about the spectacle of a band that size that you can't get from anything other than...well...a band that size.

Hats off to the Strath Haven band.

Football Season

It's getting toward Fall, and that means high school football (at least it does around here these days). Which I find somewhat surprising. My daughters aren't the biggest sports fans in the world, to put it mildly. But they sure do love going to our Garnet Valley football games.

For Grace, It is a chance to wander around and socialize with her friends. I don't think she ever pays the least bit of attention to the actual game. Julia loves going and seeing her friends (everyone seems to know her, and say hi), but she also surprises me by paying attention to the game itself.

I'm glad the kids are enjoying it. As much as I do like going to the games (and actually watching the football...), we wouldn't be going if the kids didn't want to. So I am glad that they have each found something that they like. It's gotten to be a routine over the last couple of years that if there is a home game and we don't have something else specific going on, we'll be there.

Upper Darby at Garnet Valley

The first game of the year was a loss at Unionville (which we didn't go to). Apparently, we scored a TD early, missed the extra point, and then didn't score again for the rest of the game, while Unionville kicked a pair of field goals and registered a safety. Ugh. We have a young team this year, having lost many important graduating seniors, and I'm not sure how good we will be (at least compared to last year's state playoff team).

Last week's game was a 34-20 home win over Upper Darby (which we went to). The game wasn't as close as the score.

Garnet Valley band

Tonight, to my great satisfaction (having watched my hometown Springfield team lose to them every single year growing up), we beat Ridley at home 21-14. We went up 14-0 before giving up a 92 yard kickoff return to make it 14-7. With about 3 minutes to go in the game, we broke off a 33 yard touchdown on 4th and 3 from the 33, making it seem that the game was over. Ridley added a TD in the closing minute to get within 7, but that's as close as it got. Nothing is quite as much fun as beating Ridley.

In addition to the football, the kids enjoy watching the marching band, which includes a few of our neighbors' kids. Last year's theme was Pirates of the Carribean. This year it's Harry Potter. Early on, it looks like a promising show, but they need some work...

Next week...another home game.

Blue Rocks Baseball - July 25, 2014

The kids have enjoyed going to Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball games, and last night was a beautiful summer evening with fireworks scheduled. We had nothing planned, so we hopped in the car and went down to see the game.

Blue Rocks win!

It was a nice relaxing evening as always, with better than expected fireworks, and one minor surprise. Throwing out the opening pitch, and staying to greet the fans and sign autographs, was old school professional wrestler Ted DiBiase, the "Million Dollar Man." I don't know anything about wrestling, nor do I care to, but there were a great many people at the game who obviously did. Our seats were behind third base, and DiBiase sat at a table on the concourse behind us for almost the entire game. The whole time he was there, a line of fans extended the length of the concourse.

The Million Dollar Man

Unusually for us, the Blue Rocks actually scored some runs and won the game. They aren't typically a bad team, but we tend to have bad luck and usually see losses where they only score a run or two.

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Surprisingly enough to me, the kids decided that they wanted to go to Wilmington to see a Blue Rocks baseball game. The Blue Rocks play class "A" ball in the Carolina league (Kansas City Royals system). The games are always fun, it is a cheap evening, and you get to sit very close to the field.

We went last night, sat 6 rows behind the first base dugout, and had a lot of fun. Whether they are a good team or not, they always seem to lose when we go, but we got lucky and saw a win last night (8-4 over the Frederick Keys, the Orioles minor league team).

As usual with class A baseball, we saw a wide assortment of good plays, bad plays, and everything in between. For the most part, you don't have to be a major league general manager to see that most of these kids have no shot of ever making the major leagues, but they try hard, and it is interesting to try to see who looks like they do have the tools to perhaps make it some day.

The kids asked to go this once, and hopefully they will ask again soon.

All Good Things Must End

Abington 26, Garnet Valley 21
Garnet Valley's football season ended last night in the second round of the division AAAA playoffs, losing 26-21 to Abington. The game was there for the taking, with the good guys leading 21-13 at halftime. Unfortunately, we couldn't put any points on the board in the second half, and despite leading for 47.5 out of 48 minutes of game time, we were behind at the only point that mattered - the end. With two and a half minutes to go, GV's defense was unable to hold Abington from marching down the field and scoring the go ahead touchdown on a moderately long pass into the far corner of the end zone with 25 seconds to go.

It was a good close game, and the girls were happy to stay for the whole thing. The team had a great season and gave us many Friday evenings of fun. I hope they are anywhere near this good again next year. One way or another, I am sure we will be there watching the band and cheering on the team. Thanks Jaguars!

Go Jaguars!

Garnet Valley High School football
We have been having a lot of fun the last couple of years attending the Garnet Valley high school football games. We started going semi-regularly when Julia was in 7th and 8th grades because her friends were going and she wanted to be a part of things. Grace grudgingly went along, and wasn't all that interested, but then realized that some of her friends were going with their families too, and then it became OK. It helps that the team has been good (as has been the marching band).

Julia's Spirit squad w/GVHS Cheerleaders, 11/1/13

This year, Julia is in high school, and some of her friends are in the band, or are cheerleaders, and she wants to go all the time. I think we made every home game this year except one. In addition to bringing back good memories of my own, it has been a lot of fun this year. The team has been fantastic, going 9-0 and winning the Central League, and going 10-0 overall. We are the number one seed in the District playoffs. GV scored a total of 381 points and allowed only 102, making the average game score 38-10. Most of the games have been substantially over by half time, and some of them by the end of the 1st quarter. We typically see the first half and then stay to watch the marching bands' halftime shows, and then leave (the games generally being about 30-0 or 30-7 at this point). Also, once a year, Julia's Spirit squad of cheerleaders gets to stand on the sidelines with the high school cheerleaders for a half and participate; Julia always loves that.

November 8, 2013 - Garnet Valley 35, Council Rock North 21
Last night in the 40 degree chill, we hosted the #16 seed, Council Rock North. CR started with the ball and moved it on us pretty well (which is rare) but didn't score. It was 7-0 good guys by the end of the quarter, and 14-0 a couple minutes into the second quarter. Our offense was good early but then got sluggish. It was 21-0 in the 3rd quarter when we gave up a 97 yard TD drive keyed by a lot of 7-8 yard short passes and a bunch of uncharacteristically dumb penalties by our defense. We didn't score in response, and then gave up an 80 yard TD run to the opposing QB. Suddenly it was 21-14 and we were back on our heels near the end of the 3rd quarter. The group of us sitting together wondered how the team would respond to the adversity, not having been challenged much late in games all year. At this point I have to admit that the kids were freezing despite being bundled up, and wanted to go home, which we did. I hated leaving early this time as it was a very good game, and the outcome was still in doubt. The rest of the results came by text message from our friends who stayed. Early in the 4th, as we were leaving, we had gotten the ball back and were starting to drive. We scored soon after to make it 28-14, then again to go up 35-14 effectively putting the game away. With only a few minutes left in the game, CR scored once more to get to the final of 35-21, but the game was out of reach by that point. We ended up scoring around our usual number of points, but gave up way more than normal, and the game was closer later than had happened all year. Our first string offense (missing a key running back) struggled moving the ball consistently in the middle part of the game; they are generally a juggernaut (before getting pulled for the second half). But all's well that ends well, and it is the playoffs after all...

Next week, Garnet Valley vs Abington, details TBD.

Memory Lane - US Open, Merion Golf Club, 1981

As Dave and I have bemoaned many times over the last few months, it doesn't seem like Mom and Dad ever threw anything away. This makes for a mountain of stuff to go through at the old homestead, but you do want to take the time to go through things carefully because of the nuggets of good stuff that are worth saving. Mom had manila envelopes with mementos of various things from throughout our childhoods. While many of these are head scratchers as to why they were deemed important enough to save, every now and then there is a little treasure of a memory. This is one of those: my ticket to the 81st US Open Championship at Merion Golf Club, June 21 1981. The ticket is for Day 4, the final round on Sunday.

This was the first and only golf tournament I have ever been to. I would have just finished my freshman year of high school. Dad had gotten two tickets from somewhere, and I got to go. Even though the $18 ticket included parking privileges, we got there by taking the Media trolley from the Scenic Hills stop into the city and then the train out to Ardmore/Haverford where we caught a shuttle to the course. I have certain images in my head clearly, and remember being awed by the names of the players as they walked by fairly close to where we stood along the fairway of one of the holes (Jack Nicklaus, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, J C Snead...). We stayed in a few places for a while and watched rather than moving around a lot. A quick search reveals that David Graham won with a score of 273, and pocketed $55,000 for his effort. Nicklaus tied for 6th and took home $9,920. Times have changed.

The Doctor

My Dr. J...

I've never been, and never will be, a big basketball fan, but over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of hype on Philadelphia sports talk radio leading up to last night's premier of the NBA TV documentary The Doctor. Having been born and raised in Philly, and a sports fan in general, if not basketball particularly, Julius "Dr J" Erving was a part of the fabric of my youth, so I tuned in and watched. I am very glad that I did.

My memories of Dr J were more of him at the back end of his career, even in terms of his years with the Seventy-Sixers, including the championship year of 1983. People spoke with reverence of the immensely talented 1977 team that lost to the Portland Trailblazers in the finals, but I have no real memory of those years (at least with regards to basketball). And I know that Dr J had come to the Seventy-Sixers from the ABA when the leagues merged. But while I have heard the stories and seen some of the old footage of the earlier legendary years of the Doc revolutionizing the game playing above the rim, I guess I just didn't understand the full magnitude of the impact Dr J had on the game, and just how unbelievable he was in the days before my time. I knew he was one of the all-time greats, but even that doesn't seem to do him justice.

...and that other Dr. J

My Dr J had a modest afro at best, with close cropped hair by the time I remember him best. He played with the brownish-orange ball, not the red white and blue ABA ball. He was a consummate team player, still capable of playing a complete game; scoring, rebounding, passing and playing solid defense. And while he was still a great player and had the ability to show flashes of that other Dr J, he wasn't the daily freak show that he had apparently been. The Doctor focused more on the Doc I didn't get to see, and therefore didn't truly comprehend. I thought I did, but I didn't. All I can say is wow.

The show was extremely well done, and while it did omit some less-than-flattering events that occurred in Erving's personal life, it did a masterful job of telling his story, and placing that story in the historical context of modern professional basketball. It's a story of humble beginnings, some personal tragedies, but ultimately is the story of a sports legend who seems to be universally well regarded for his class and dignity. I think this would be a story of interest to any sports fan, not just a basketball fan or a Philly boy.

Play Ball!

1980

The Phillies 2013 season begins tonight in Atlanta against the Braves, and there is something very special to me about the start of a baseball season. I love my Flyers, I enjoy watching the Eagles (although that organization certainly doesn't make it easy at times), but there is just something different about baseball. Football games have an intensity about them due to the limited number of games in a season, and there is a ferocious elegance to hockey, but baseball is just... baseball. And at the end of  opening day, every fan has the chance to have their team at 1-0, and tied for first place. Each season starts with the promise of what might be if everything breaks just right.

As hokey as the movie Field of Dreams was in many places (ok, most places), there was a lot of truth in James Earl Jones' monologue about the meaning of baseball. Baseball's opening day is Spring. Baseball is Summer. Baseball is something to have on in the background that you can half pay attention to, but keeps you company as you do something else. Baseball is second guessing the manager. About lineup choices, about pinch hitters, about bunting and hit and runs, about pitching changes. Baseball is "what if's" and "if only's". Baseball is the promise that finally, this could be the year...

As much as anything else for me though, baseball is remembering my father. The single most indelible image I have of Dad is him out in the yard on a hot summer day, on his hands and knees, working on the flower beds. Weeding. Meticulously raking out the beds. An old radio is propped on a folding chair so that Dad can listen to the Sunday afternoon ball game. Harry Kalas does the play by play and Ritchie "Whitey" Ashburn provides commentary.

As another opening day rolls around, I can't help but to think of Dad, getting this year's tomato seeds going and waiting for Mike Schmidt to strike out with the bases loaded and the game on the line. But time marches on and things change. I believe that somewhere out there Dad is getting the tomato seeds going. And waiting for Ryan Howard to strike out with the bases loaded and the game on the line...

Julia Meets Ryan Howard

Ryan throws out the first pitch

Julia had a special treat today, and I was fortunate to be able to take a day off from work to see it; she met Phillies superstar slugger 1st baseman Ryan Howard.

We had gotten an email a couple weeks ago that Ryan Howard (or the Phillies, or someone...) had been  put in touch with the Challenger League, a group of special needs kids playing little league softball, and that Ryan Howard would be coming to a special game there were organizing. The plan was that he would show up, take some pictures, say a few words, and then hang around for an hour or so while the kids played.

Julia was excited, and concerned that it would be rained out, but we got lucky with a nice warm but not overly hot day, and it was somewhat overcast which made it not seem too bad under the sun for a few hours. Ryan was on time, the event went off in a pretty organized fashion, notwithstanding all the extra people that had come out of the woodwork for this particular game. He came out, said a few words, threw out the opening pitch, and then stood around on the field chatting with and encouraging the kids.

Julia leads off the game

The challenger league games are non-competitive, with each player on each team getting to bat once in each of the three innings. Everybody gets to run the bases, and everybody scores. Obviously, they don't keep score and it has nothing to do with winning and losing, but just having fun and being active with their peers.

Julia - pleased to be at third base

This special occasion was a one inning game. Julia was the very first batter, and grounded a sharp single to right field. She had a blast. Somehow in and around all the adults taking pictures, they actually managed to finish the one inning, and then there was some time for pictures before Ryan had to leave.

It was a very nice day for Julia (and the rest of us). Ryan is a big big man. And very nice with the kids. It is often overlooked how much time some of these guys spend in the community doing things like this, and it is nice to be able to recognize those who do. I also have to admit that Ryan has been my favorite Phillie for years now, and while I think my days of hero-worshipping athletes are long since past, it was still nice to get to say hi to him. Thanks, Ryan, for coming out to the game!

Julia with Ryan Howard

As an aside, the Phillies are playing the Braves tonight at home, and Ryan crushed a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning... He is coming off a ruptured achilles tendon last fall, and missed much of the season this year, but he is back playing now. He doesn't look great yet, but he's getting there. He did have a very noticeable limp at the event today. Hopefully that gets better with time.

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Minor league baseball is a fun, inexpensive and relaxing time out for the family. Since they moved back to town in 1993, we have tried to make it a habit to get to at least one Wilmington Blue Rocks game every year. Today, we were able to come with my family, my mom and Chris, and Dave and his family. It was fun to have so many of us there at the same time.

The Blue Rocks are high single-A ball, affiliated with the Kansas City Royals. Most of the players are around 20 to 22 years old. The quality of play is erratic, with many of the players showing one of two things: raw talent that is as yet unrefined, and players who clearly do not have the physical tools to advance much past this level. Over the years, we have seen a number of players who have gone on to the major leagues, and some more recognizable names, such as Pete Rose Jr, who have not.

Tickets are cheap, concessions are priced lower than the major leagues, and there is a certain excitement to being in a small stadium where you can virtually be sitting on top of the field. We were about 4 rows back behind the third base dugout, and the tickets were around $10 each. I can't imagine what similar seating at the Phillies game would cost, if you could get the tickets (which you can't).

It was a very enjoyable evening, with nice weather. As is often the case with these games, just going is the fun part, and as I write this post well after the fact, I can't remember who won. But it doesn't matter. We had three generations of the family at the game, and everyone had a good time.

Let's Go Flyers!!

Despite being a pretty big sports fan in some regards, I almost never post a blog entry on sports-related subjects. But my beloved Flyers start the 2011 post season tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. We are a 2 seed against a 7 seed. We (using the term "we" loosely) are a team loaded with young talent and veteran leadership, and during the course of the regular season were in first place in the conference for most of the year. But my boys stumbled pretty badly down the stretch, and now I don't know what to expect. Is this the team that was on pace to have the best season ever for a Flyers team, or is this the team that limped into the playoffs looking like it might have trouble beating a club team? I don't know. And being a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, I have been conditioned to expect the worst. But I should expect more, right? We're better. We have home ice advantage. We have a coach that has won a Stanley Cup. With Carolina of all places. How do they even have ice down there? So... Keep the faith. Expect to win. Let's Go Flyers!!!

Same Thing... Different Decade

or, Marching Band, and I Can't Believe We're Losing to Ridley... Again

Tonight was the one game of the year when Julia's cheer squad gets to go to the high school football game and spend part of the first half cheering along with the big girls. She was very excited, as you would expect, and to tell the truth, I was too. And for more reasons than just seeing my girl have such fun.

I graduated from high school in the mid-1980's, and played trumpet in the marching band all the way through. I would have to say that all the band and orchestra memories are the single largest bunch by far. I don't remember our band being tremendously serious in terms of practicing non-stop and entering all sorts of competitions as some do, but we took it seriously enough.

Fall meant marching band, and marching band meant football games. We started practicing in August before school resumed, for many hours in the heat. Once school started, we were on the field every day that there was band, and came back after school several days a week for evening practices. These evening practices were generally a lot of fun, working on our routines, but especially socializing with friends. And girls. Cheerleaders and rifles and flags, oh my!

The two kinds of events we performed in were parades, which I generally hated, and of course the football games which made it all worth while. Doing the routine at halftime was fun, but the good memories come from so much more. The whole atmosphere of it. Goofing around in the band room beforehand, or the bus ride to the away games. Scrambling to find some misplaced bit of uniform. The tall fuzzy hats. The uncomfortable wool and plastic uniforms that managed to accomplish two diametrically opposed things at the same time: completely unbreathable in hot weather and providing no insulation value whatsoever in cold weather. Cold metal bleachers. Trying to find a warm place to keep my mouthpiece on those frigid days so that when it came time to play a song you could actually do it. Being a trumpet player and getting to stand on the very top row of the bleachers when the band was in the stands (the "position of honor" as us trumpet players liked to think of it). Marching into the "stadium" before the games. Being turned loose and on our own between the end of the halftime show and the beginning of the fourth quarter. And the rides back from the away games, late at night, on dark buses. Ah, to be young again...

Somewhere in and around all that fun there actually were football games, although I don't remember us paying too much attention to them as they were happening. It was enough that their mere existence gave us a reason for being. And we generally weren't all that good back at SHS. Which brings me full circle back to last night. When we walked into Garnet Valley's field for the game, everything looked so familiar it was like stepping back in time. The kids hanging out having fun, the inadequately lit field, the big bleachers on the home side and the little bleachers on the away side. Everybody bundled against the cold. This was the first high school football game I had been to since leaving high school, and it was kind of surreal.

Before the teams took the field, I was standing by the fence watching everybody get ready, and I turned to the guy next to me and asked who we were playing. He said "Ridley." Wow. Ridley was Springfield's big Central League rival when I was a kid. Although I use the term loosely I suppose, since they beat us every year for many many years running, and probably wouldn't have had any idea of the importance we placed on that game. We were rivals in the sense that a windshield and a bug can be rivals, with the bug thinking "maybe this will be the time I come out on top." It never happened. So last night, we stayed through the end of the halftime shows, then left to get my cold girls home and into bed. When we left, the score was Ridley 19, Garnet Valley 0. Some things never change.