Red October

Allow me to digress for a brief post because as you know I am a huge Phillies fan and they have just made history! They are going back to the World Series--2 years in a row--and have become the first team in the history of the franchise to win back to back pennants. Excuse me for gloating but we are feeling pretty good about our boys in red these days. Bring on the Yankees.

Anyway, what really drove home the power of baseball today was a chance encounter with a group of schoolchildren who were traipsing across the grounds at Haverford College today, obviously meant to be having a lesson on photosynthesis since the leaves are at their peak. The science teacher was in the lead, pointing out the variations in the colors of several different types of leaves, and her class was in various states of attentiveness.

Several were wearing Phillies tee shirts and looked a little tired--no doubt the result of staying up way past their bedtimes to soak in the win--but it was one little boy, off to the side of the group who was clearly somewhere else. You could see his mouth move (calling the play to himself and the throngs who were waiting with baited breath to see if he would come through) as he practiced his wind up in slow motion. There were surely two outs and the bases were loaded but he was not shaken. The movements were as picture perfect as the call in his head which revealed he had, of course, struck out the batter and won the championship for a second year.

All before his teacher called him back to earth and told him to pay attention. But in that split second he was living every little boy's dream of playing in the big leagues and coming through under pressure.

Not a bad dream--even if photosynthesis is on the back burner for a day or so.