It's time...

Karisa scolded my last night for not updating my blog in a long time. Clearly, it's long overdue because normally Karisa is the one that I have to ask if she's read my blog and it takes her a not short time to get a round to it. So if even she is commenting on the length of my absence from the blog world, I know it's really time.

And so here is my new update. Since this is a historic week for me, I'm going to devote this post to one thing:

The Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were my favorite team as a boy in my favorite sport. In fact, I was telling Karisa the other day that baseball is one of the few things that I have ever truly loved to do for fun. My love of baseball went into recession during middle school and high school because I grew up overseas. I think my life would truly have been better if I had gotten to play baseball. (Of course, God knows best, so I shouldn't argue with what He chose).

The Phillies are on the verge of winning the World Series tonight. It would be the first time they've won since 1980 (before I was even alive!). In fact, they haven't even been in the World Series since 1993 when I was 10. Now there's lots of talk here in Chicago about the poor Cubs who haven't won the World Series in oh so long. But in 126 years of history, the Philadelphia Phillies have only won one World Series in their entire history. That's less than the Cubs, by the way.

My theory is that the Cubs are more nationally popular and receive more sympathy almost exclusively because of Wrigley Field. (Okay, there's more to it than that, but it is a big part!) I do like the Cubs myself, as well, so don't label me a Cub hater. I hope they do very well every time they aren't playing the Phillies.

Let's be honest though, for a team that played for so long at a the hideous construction known as Veterans Stadium, it's hard to develop that mythical lore in such an ugly place. The Philly fans, unlike Cub fans, have not found hope in the "always next year slogan." Instead our history has made us somewhat bitter and prone to turn on players that perform poorly. This also doesn't help raise national sympathy.

But all that is almost over because tonight, we're going to win the World Series in what may be the strangest way ever: 3.5 innnings left from a suspended game. 

Let's go Phillies!