I’ve been a remarkably bad blogger this month, I know, but I just can’t drag myself away from the Olympics. Open-water swimming must be watched, you know? Last night, though, I did manage to stay away from the television long enough to see the Phillies trounce the Dodgers, 8-1.
After the red-hot first half of the season, the Phils have cooled; they’re now two-and-a-half games behind the dreaded Mets. So when pitcher Kyle Kendrick gave up a run in the first and didn’t look good in the second, I started to get That Bad Feeling™. Again. But Kendrick pulled it together, and he started getting support—and a lot of it—from his teammates. Ryan Howard had a homer. (Adorable) Chris Coste had a homer. Chase Utley had a homer. It felt like the good old days of May and June. Maybe the Phils can make another run at the division title in the next month….
Last night’s game was my first chance to boo see Manny Ramirez in Dodger blue. And even better, it was future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux’s first start as a new Dodger. (I don’t think I’d ever seen Maddux pitch in person.) He looked good early on, retiring the Phillies on (literally) a handful of pitches in the first two innings. But Maddux really let the game get away from him in the fourth and fifth innings.
I’ll remember the game, too, because I attended with a friend—let’s call him D.—who is moving to New York next week. If it’s possible for a gay man to have a man crush on a straight guy, well, I have one on D. He’s suave, knowledgeable about sports, tall and dashing. I’m going to miss him.