Best Half-Game Ever

It's almost midnight on Wednesday, and I just got the following text from from friend's wife, who is staying at a hotel in Philadelphia all week for a work conference:

"I just saw a guy climb a light pole and punch out the light. I am never getting to sleep tonight."

Of course he did. The Phillies just won their first World Series since Carter was in office, and the city's first pro sports title since I was five. That's a lot of years of waiting, and everyone's got their own way of celebrating. I just hope that light pole learned it's lesson.

I think I'm still in shock right now...mainly because I don't know how to react. Here's how I did, though: I watched the game at a mostly-empty bar in New Brunswick, with a couple of friends (non-Phillies fans) and a seat at the bar right in front of the screen. There was a group of about 10 out-of-town business-travelers there who were clearly freaked out by me and my repeated clapping and yelling. I heard them snicker, but they each looked like they've never felt passionately about anything, ever. Good - I wish them long flight delays when they leave.

As the half-game (I'll explain later, or just read the news) was winding down, I heard somebody else clapping along with me - and saw some dude with his girlfriend, both of them wearing Phillies jerseys. We nodded, and continued to feel cautiously optimistic. Three outs to go. Then two outs. Then a few strikes...and then the final strike came, and - I didn't think I had this in me - but I leapt up in the air and let out a yell that can only be described as "25 years of disappointment". I high-fived people, I hugged strangers (even the lame ones), and - this part was awkward for everybody involved - I shed a few tears of joy. That couple in the Phillies jerseys that I didn't know? We embraced, and he bought us a round of drinks. After about 20 minutes of talking, I finally found out their names - he was Donovan (first name of Eagles QB, of course), and I have no idea what her name was, but she looked exactly like my friend Fran, who's one of the biggest Phillies fans I know. It was perfect, like out of a movie. I'm actually writing this from their bedroom - I went home with them. I'm kidding.

Now that the World Series is over, just a few quick thanks:

- To my mom, Loretta, for being the only person in the greater Philadelphia area who actually missed the final inning because "Private Practice" was on and she only thought it was the fourth inning. Unbelievable. Thanks for the unexpected comic relief, Mom.

- To my girlfriend, Melissa, who is the best girlfriend in the world. See, we had tickets on Monday to see Coldplay at the Meadowlands. I had gotten the tickets two and half months ago, never anticipating it would be Game 5 of the World Series and the Phils' first chance to win it all. Mainly because I sulked more than Eeyore on Sunday night and Monday morning, she understood my plight and went to the concert with her sister instead. Before you decide that I'm a total asshole, understand that if the Phillies had won while I was listening to "Fix You", (a) I would not be happy, and (b) if that ever leaked out to my friends, I'd never live it down. (What would I say? "Sorry, guys - I had to go see about a girl.")

- To karma, for making this interesting. While Melissa was at the concert, I was watching Game 5, which in case you didn't hear, ended up being the old game in World Series history that was suspended, and probably one of the worst sporting events I've ever seen. It rained, it poured, and after 6 innings - or right around Coldplay's second encore - they postponed it til tonight. So the Phillies didn't win, and I essentially missed the concert for nothing - and probably deserved it. When leaving the show, she texted me asking if they won, and I think I just wrote back something like, "It's complicated - I'll just call you."

One last thought: last week Axl Rose announced the release (on 11/23) of "Chinese Democracy", the long-awaited, perpetually-delayed first Guns 'N Roses album since 1993...which was the last year the Phillies were in the Fall Classic. Anyway, I don't want to jinx anything here, but my theory is this: sometime back then, Axl made a bet with somebody and said, "Yeah I'll put out another album when the Phillies win a World Series, and we finally put a black dude in the White House."

Almost time to pay up, Axl. Go Phils.