I have a question for you...
And without taking another breath, your body begins to cringe. Like the pitcher, alone on the mound after unfurling a pitch and simply knowing it's gone. Holding on, waiting for- and fearing- the thunderous crack of the bat.
Well, I said "with all due respect"...
Perhaps in honor of one of Philadelphia's greatest baseball writers, Bill Conlin, I thought I would unfurl a tribute to one of the better "inner dialogue" writers. A talent that I feel only Bill Lyon is equal to. Both writers are as instrumental to the heart of our "passionate" Philadelphia fan base.
It was Conlin, whose voice struck me during the 93 season. He was the only link a win-starved teenager, like myself, had to the winning age of the franchise. It was Conlin, who first told me of Pope Owens and Harry Kalas. It was through Bill Conlin's eyes that I learned of Richie Ashburn, who was the universal hero of a fan base from a generation already gone by.
I have always found the idea that the Hall of Fame honors the scribes of their sport, and I ask diplomatically..who better than Bill?
From my seats in section 420, the Sunday Package crowd got a kick of seeing Halladay on Sunday. It has been a better summer for the Sunday boys, as we have been able to see Halladay twice now.
From our seats, the talk in the crowd was all about Hunter Pence and Carlos Beltran.
The consensus I felt from what I heard, is that most would prefer Pence over Beltran. Though in my mind neither make sense as addition from subtraction never makes sense.
While this team would do well with more power, a consistent bat with speed and defense would answer a lot of questions. Dominic Brown cannot be asked to produce every night, just yet.
Perhaps, we as a fan base are spoiled by the wheeling and dealing of Rueben Amaro or the steady fortification of a roster that got Pat Gillick into the HOF on Sunday.
We are so grateful of Pat, and in awe of his presence in the franchise. Silently, we revere him as Dumbledore and Gandolf combined. And while the current results are to the affirmative, we all still hope that Rueben was a good study during his stewardship.
So I ask diplomatically... Are we getting spoiled or what?
Finally, the train stops in the world of fantasy sports and walks into the room marked "ethics." (which is as murky as poker game played with a bullpen full of career minor leaguers.)
What pursues people to the "win at any costs" attitude? What possible place can it have in fantasy sports? It is a concept that is beyond me. But still, it is impossible to get through a full season with out some guy trying to get Miguel Cabrera for Justin Smoak. I can only cringe and freeze about all the insanity a Bud Selig has to deal with on a day to day basis.
If this wasn't fantasy and was real baseball, you probably would be on steroids right now.
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