Phillies versus Dodgers tonight
I'm excited because while you're reading this I'm on my way to the game. The Phillies are more then just the local sports team to me, every summer looking back has been filled with sounds of the ballpark. From only getting the chance to go once or twice a year to being able to afford partial season tickets for last season and this one. Its a great day for baseball and I'll be there sporting my "In Case of Emergency use Stairs" shirt I got from The Fightins.
Sitting in the left field scoreboard porch is fun, often we can heckle the left fielders so I'm a little upset about Manny being banned. We got on his nerves last year, both in the regular season and in the playoffs and it's really fun to do cause you can see it gets to him. I'm not sure how you, dear reader, feel about the sterioid scandle with him but here are some words from my cousin Tom on the subject.
"Just for the record, there’s nothing funny about the dude having to take female fertility medication because his body can’t make testosterone anymore, nothing funny at all. What would’ve happened if he didn’t take that medicine? Would it be funny if he started to look like the guy in ‘The Crying Game’. What type of sick bastard would think Manny Ramirez turning into an hermaphrodite is entertaining? How do you think the Dodgers feel now that they’ve signed an androgynous clean-up hitter who can no longer produce testosterone OR get away with taking drugs to cover it up. Now they’re going to have RuPaul playing left field next year for $23 million."
For more information about Philly sports crowds, listen to this.
More thoughts about Harry
I try not to dwell on depressing things here at SGOP, I feel that there is enough trouble and woe in each one of your lives that the internet shouldn't also bring you down. We'll get back to the funny tomorrow but I just wouldn't feel right keeping just the post from the Inquirer up, not after all that Harry has ment to me over the years. So if you want to read my heartfelt tribute to Harry to the K, click the read more button, but if you don't I'll understand.
RIP Harry Kalas (1936 – 2009)
Phils announcer Harry Kalas dies
BY THE INQUIRER STAFF
Harry Kalas, the Phillies' Hall of Fame announcer, died at 1:20 p.m. today, the Phillies announced.
Mr. Kalas collapsed in the press box at Nationals Stadium in Washington at about 12:30 p.m. and was rushed to George Washington University Medial Center.
The cause of the death was not announced. Today's game against the Nationals will be played, but the team will not visit the White House tomorrow.
"We lost Harry today," David Montgomery, the team president, said. "We lost our voice."
Mr. Kalas, who was found unconsious, missed most of spring training after undergoing undisclosed surgery in Feburary. That surgery was unrelated to the detached retina that sidelined him for part of last season.
Mr. Kalas, who turned 73 on March 26, has broadcast Phillies games since 1971. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. He is entering the final season of a 3-year contract that he signed in December 2006.
I'm finding it hard to believe that he's gone. I just fell asleep watching the games to his soothing voice yesterday! Phillies baseball won't be the same but at least he got to call the World Series win.
This is pretty cool.
Twitter is a site that allows you to 'microblog' which is the equivlant to sending everyone that is following you a text message all at once. It's pretty useful for getting friends to meet up at a bar after work - letting people know that you ate the whole thing - or just having your plants remind you to water them.
The NYTimes looked at the public timeline during the Super Bowl and created an interactive map showing you the frequency of different key words across the nation. It's got a cool play button that will actually play out the game which makes it neat to watch when Bruce went on at halftime the whole east coast errupts with SPRINGSTEEN. Check it out!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/02/sports/20090202_superbowl_twitter.html
If you’re wondering where I’ll be all summer.
As many of you know, I am the reason the Phillies are the 2008 World Series Champions! It was the first year I could afford season tickets and I jumped at the oppertunity hoping back in April of last year just to have the boys make it to the playoffs. I'm sure you could tell how happy I was/am anytime you bring up baseball to me. I still get chills everytime I hear that last call made by Harry K. Like today, when I called up the Phillies and said "I'd like to renew my season tickets and pay for them in full now!" Yeah that's right, I'm going again this year!
Ziggy's 2009 "Heaven is Citizens Bank Park" Tour
04/07 vs ATL
04/20 vs SD
04/28 vs WSH
05/01 vs NYM
05/13 vs LAD
05/26 vs FLA
06/17 vs TOR
07/06 vs CIN
07/10 vs PIT
07/22 vs CHI
08/04 vs COL
08/07 vs FLA
08/20 vs AZ
09/02 vs SF
09/15 vs WSH
09/28 vs HOU
10/02 vs FLA
I'm also planning on going to some extra games with by family members but those are all TBA.