I Miss Jimmy Like I Miss My Wine

Here's hoping Phillies fans aren't singing this next season:

(download)

Facts about Jimmy is track 3 on A Few Small Repairs. I learned about it from the same mix that introduced Morphine to this blog.

Opening Day

The 2010 baseball season officially started last night, but the Phillies don't play until this afternoon, so today's the real day.

It has been by far the best few years of my baseball-loving life, and, in honor of my favorite team in all of sports, here are some goodies....

1. My giddy reaction to the end of the 2008 season.

2. The collective giddy reaction to the best moment of the 2009 season.

3. And the greatest piece of sports commentary I've ever experienced:

Welcome, Roy Halladay, to the family.

Go Phils.

Manuel on Manny

Before the game, Manuel was acutely aware that Ramírez, one of his favorite people, was in hot water again -- this time for being in the clubhouse shower when Rollins got his walk-off hit Monday. A bad nonchalant teammate? The Philly media roasted him.

"Whatever Manny has to do be relaxed, he has to do it or he can't hit as well," said Manuel who knew Ramírez before he could even read or write and had breakfast with him nearly every day. So, if, to attain that calm, he must feign indifference or have Manny-Being-Manny outbreaks, so be it. Manuel loves it all. "When Manny doesn't run out a grounder to the pitcher, I think sometimes he's just so focused on hitting he forgets."

I read that in a Washington Post article by Thomas Boswell. And seasoned it with those links.

Objectively High Cheese

I found out today that David Murphy, the Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter whose Phillies blog I've been reading this season, doesn't root for the team.

He grew up a fan, but he doesn't feel right, as a professional journalist, wanting the Phillies to win.

I'm a little bit shocked. And sad. And jealous that I don't get paid to write about the Phillies every day.

So I poked around the internets a bit, kicked the tires on a couple of other Phils blogs (something I've never done before, which surprises me), and subscribed to Beerleaguer.

It'll be fun to compare.