PASADENA, Calif. — There’s nothing like going out in the morning after a couple of days in the snow, ice and frost for a run beneath giant palm trees with green grass underfoot and the smell of orange flowers in the air. Call that the reward for the stress and tension of being unaware of where I was going when Game 4 of the NLDS was one strike away from a finish.
It was truly a bizarre thing to see the ebbs and flows of a ballgame determine travel plans for hundreds of people but there we were waiting and watching our fate. Definitely tense, but way fun, too.
How about this one—if Ryan Howard had not bashed that two-out double off Huston Street, would we be heading off to Wednesday’s workout day at Dodger Stadium, or would the Phillies be cleaning out their lockers today?
We’ll never know.
Instead, after nights and mornings filled with rush laundry jobs and trips to the airport or clothing stores courtesy supreme knucklehead, Brett Myers[1], we’re here… and what a place! On my morning run today I passed by as many cosmetic surgery storefronts and anti-aging clinics as I did Starbucks. I also saw a Dunkin’ Donuts that had gone out of business, but next door the gay-and-lesbian bookstore and the Whole Foods market seems to be doing well.
Spanish and Japanese are spoken as often as English. Thai restaurants outnumber cheesy chain places and the late-night taco truck is always nearby.
And that’s why it’s so difficult not to love it here. So-called “crazy” is normal.
Then again, that’s not the way it is with the baseball set. Generally speaking, baseball writers and lifers are about as interesting and unique as the corner Cheesecake Factory, as in, “Wow… you can have cheesecake as a main course!”
Yeah, nuts.
Though his baseball analysis is… well, not good, Keith Law is a baseball guy with an excellent idea of where to hang out and where to eat. His non-baseball blog is great.
So that’s how we got here. It will be interesting to find out if we make it back, too. Like last year I have a strong sense that the Phillies are going to win this series. Call it a hunch because the info from the gamblers I was spammed say the money is on the Dodgers and Yankees to come out of the league championship series. So to be a contrarian, I’m going the other way—Phillies vs. Angels with the opener in Orange County on Oct. 28.
Anyway, look out for more ramblings soon. It’s time to check in some of the Dodgers like Jim Thome and Randy Wolf. Incidentally, Wolf will start in Game 3 of the NLCS when it gets back to Philly on Sunday night. Charlie Manuel has not determined who he will start past Game 1 (Cole Hamels), though here’s another hunch…
The Phillies go Hamels, Pedro and Cliff Lee.
There it is.
[1] I’m all for having a good time and being a little obnoxious from time to time, but what was with this dude after Game 4? He dumped beer, champagne, ice, water and whatever else he could find on everyone. And I mean everyone. It was like he was out for revenge against teammates, media and team execs and it was the most ridiculous thing ever. By my count, the Phillies have had seven clinching celebrations since 2007 yet Myers acted as if he had never been there before. On another note, what’s with the champagne thing to begin with—especially after the NLDS? They don’t do it in other sports, do they? Seems silly and, well, stupid. It was fun the first time, but whatever. Act like you’ve been there before, big boy.