Welcome (What's it all About?)
I have become obsessed with baseball. There, I've said it. I feel better already.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I was bred to be a Phillies fan. My father was a Phillies fan. His father was to. As for my grandfather, his is an interesting story, one rife with the heartache of watching the Phillies franchise since his childhood...But more on Pop-Pop, later.
I was 9 when the Phillies won the World Series. I can still remember it. Bits and pieces of it, anyway. I have a clear memory of Bob Boone and Pete Rose over by the dugout doing that little juggling act for that amazing out. I can remember Tug McGraw on the mound, patting his hand on his heart in an attempt to slow it down after a long drive that, mercifully, went foul. I can also remember him leaping into the air after getting the last out.
I grew up wanting to be Tug, or Greg Luzinski, or, most probably, Mike Schmidt. I have loved the Phillies ever since those boyhood memories were formed. I suppose I will always love them.
Being a Philly fan (both baseball and football) has taught me to love the underdog. Enter the Boston Red Sox! My love for the Red Sox was born out of three facts. #1 I hate the Yankees. Got this from Dad, too, but also because to me, it feels like common sense. #2 Boston is the quintessential underdog. And three, even with inter-league play, Having to choose in a game between the Sox and the Phils is the rarest of rarities.
My first real exposure to the Sox was a cap. My dad picked up a Red Sox cap somewhere and I adopted it. I loved that hat. It fit perfect (which for me is not the norm) it was the right color (I always had a little trouble getting into the Phillies red cap) and I learned right off that they were the Red Sox Nation - the Yankee Haters! I wanted in.
I followed baseball in general very sporadically for most of my adult life. Of course, I was in front of the TV in '93 to see that Blue Jay doofuss Joe Carter hit the home run to steal the Series from Lenny Dykstra, Kruk, Dalton, and the rest of my Phils. But after that I got away from baseball for a long time. I eventually came back in steps. I was watching the night Cal Ripken Jr. broke the consecutive games record. I was watching when Mark McGuire broke Roger Maris's single season home run mark. In fact, I followed the race between him and Sosa all the season. I was drawn in by Barry Bonds (both for his records as well as his metamorphoses.)
Then came 2003. There was a lot of talk about the Sox that year and I was totally sick of having to watch the Yankees winning post-season games. I began to pay attention to the Sox and watched them right up through and including Aaron "bleeping" Boone (son of Bob Boone)! I was hooked going into 2004 because the hype was even greater with all the stuff going on with A-Rod and such. Plus, I have a handful of total Yankee nuts in my office, a couple of which I consider buddies. Being a Sox fan was fun, win or lose.
As you know, they won the Series that year. So I had to let go of carrying that oh-I'm-a-Sox-fan-and-we-haven't-won-since-1918-and-the-curse-of-the-Babino shtick, and just be content to be a fan. A fan with split loyalties, for sure, but a fan! This season, for some reason, I'm almost feverish about it. The wife has noticed. Maybe it because the Sox are in first by like 8 games over the Yanks and the Phillies,
while third in their division, are keeping things respectable (a late season surge is unlikely, but not ludicrous.) whatever it is, I find myself checking box scores every morning, watching Sports Center and Baseball Tonight every chance I get. I even bought an MP3 player so I could download podcasts from ESPN!
I'm hooked!
I plan this blog to consist of ramblings, stats, stories, thoughts, and other various things related to the Phils, the Sox, and baseball in general. Mostly baseball though, I think. If I ever have a lot to write about the Eagles or Notre Dame, I'll start another blog.
Welcome!
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I was bred to be a Phillies fan. My father was a Phillies fan. His father was to. As for my grandfather, his is an interesting story, one rife with the heartache of watching the Phillies franchise since his childhood...But more on Pop-Pop, later.
I was 9 when the Phillies won the World Series. I can still remember it. Bits and pieces of it, anyway. I have a clear memory of Bob Boone and Pete Rose over by the dugout doing that little juggling act for that amazing out. I can remember Tug McGraw on the mound, patting his hand on his heart in an attempt to slow it down after a long drive that, mercifully, went foul. I can also remember him leaping into the air after getting the last out.
I grew up wanting to be Tug, or Greg Luzinski, or, most probably, Mike Schmidt. I have loved the Phillies ever since those boyhood memories were formed. I suppose I will always love them.
Being a Philly fan (both baseball and football) has taught me to love the underdog. Enter the Boston Red Sox! My love for the Red Sox was born out of three facts. #1 I hate the Yankees. Got this from Dad, too, but also because to me, it feels like common sense. #2 Boston is the quintessential underdog. And three, even with inter-league play, Having to choose in a game between the Sox and the Phils is the rarest of rarities.
My first real exposure to the Sox was a cap. My dad picked up a Red Sox cap somewhere and I adopted it. I loved that hat. It fit perfect (which for me is not the norm) it was the right color (I always had a little trouble getting into the Phillies red cap) and I learned right off that they were the Red Sox Nation - the Yankee Haters! I wanted in.
I followed baseball in general very sporadically for most of my adult life. Of course, I was in front of the TV in '93 to see that Blue Jay doofuss Joe Carter hit the home run to steal the Series from Lenny Dykstra, Kruk, Dalton, and the rest of my Phils. But after that I got away from baseball for a long time. I eventually came back in steps. I was watching the night Cal Ripken Jr. broke the consecutive games record. I was watching when Mark McGuire broke Roger Maris's single season home run mark. In fact, I followed the race between him and Sosa all the season. I was drawn in by Barry Bonds (both for his records as well as his metamorphoses.)
Then came 2003. There was a lot of talk about the Sox that year and I was totally sick of having to watch the Yankees winning post-season games. I began to pay attention to the Sox and watched them right up through and including Aaron "bleeping" Boone (son of Bob Boone)! I was hooked going into 2004 because the hype was even greater with all the stuff going on with A-Rod and such. Plus, I have a handful of total Yankee nuts in my office, a couple of which I consider buddies. Being a Sox fan was fun, win or lose.
As you know, they won the Series that year. So I had to let go of carrying that oh-I'm-a-Sox-fan-and-we-haven't-won-since-1918-and-the-curse-of-the-Babino shtick, and just be content to be a fan. A fan with split loyalties, for sure, but a fan! This season, for some reason, I'm almost feverish about it. The wife has noticed. Maybe it because the Sox are in first by like 8 games over the Yanks and the Phillies,
while third in their division, are keeping things respectable (a late season surge is unlikely, but not ludicrous.) whatever it is, I find myself checking box scores every morning, watching Sports Center and Baseball Tonight every chance I get. I even bought an MP3 player so I could download podcasts from ESPN!I'm hooked!
I plan this blog to consist of ramblings, stats, stories, thoughts, and other various things related to the Phils, the Sox, and baseball in general. Mostly baseball though, I think. If I ever have a lot to write about the Eagles or Notre Dame, I'll start another blog.
Welcome!
Labels: baseball, Boston, fan, Philadelphia, Phillies, Red Sox
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 7/17/2007 03:16:00 PM.
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