Thoughts on the World Series

Today at noon there will be a parade in Philadelphia. Thousands of happy people will be there. Members of the Philadelphia Phillies organization will be cruising down Broad Street on floats. I am not able to be there (though I was seriously tempted to skip the assignment I am working on to free up the time to go), but I have many memories from the World Series.

Does Anyone Remember the Melody Line of the National Anthem? I did not like any of the five versions of the National Anthem that were sung before the World Series games. First off, there is no place for harmony and improvisation in the anthem. Bad idea. Just sing the song like it was written. In fact, they should have played the Olympic recording of the anthem before one of the games . . . that would have been a nice touch.

Speaking of Songs. It might be very unpatriotic of me, but I do not like God Bless America being sung in the middle of the 7th inning. What happens to this new ”tradition” if Toronto makes the World Series? Why did MLB decide not to sing it (or at least not televise it if it was sung) in Game 5?

Tug was on the Mound. Before Game 3 Tim McGraw was on the field for a first pitch ceremony. He walked out to the mound with a child who was throwing a first pitch. While he was standing beside the mound he sprinkled some of his father’s ashes on it. So Tug was on the mound when both Phillies World Series titles were won.

Two Wins on One Day. I’m not sure if this has happened before or not, but the Phils picked up two world Series wins on the same day. Game 3 was delayed at the start, causing it to run well past midnight. So the win was secured early in the morning. That night the Phils made quick work of the Rays in Game 4. Now that’s a good day.

Two Sides to Every Hitter. It seemed the Phillies had a happy side and a sinister side at the plate. Sort of like that Southwest commercial.

All it took to bring out the sinister side was a runner on second or third base. I’ve never seen a team struggle more with runners in scoring position. Thankfully in the 6th and 7th innings of Game 5 the Phillies came up with big hits that assured the RISP woes would be forgotten.

Players that Distinguished Themselves. Several players distinguished themselves over the course of the series. Cole Hamels was named the WS MVP for good reason. He stepped up and proved he deserves to be considered an ace. With King Cole on the mound it felt like the Phillies could not lose in the postseason. Carlos Ruiz hit .375 in the series and played well. His biggest hit was a little bouncing ball in the infield in Game 3, but it was just enough to score Eric Bruntlett form third. Jamie Moyer pitched well in Game 3 (better than the boxscore indicates, for an umpire’s mistake cost him two earned runs). Jamie is from Souderton, PA. He attended the WS parade for the 1980 Phils. He’s 45 years old. He’s gritty. And he also was suffering from severe gastronomical distress the day before his start. Joe Blanton was acquired mid-season by the Phils. He pitched Game 4, and he pitched well. In addition to that he also hit a home run, which is amazing considering his history of futility at the plate. Chase Utley had a rough series. He hit a paltry .167. However, he hit a huge home run in his first at bat of the series and made several excellent defensive plays. The shining moment came in Game 5 when he threw out Jason Bartlett (the potential tying run) at home plate in the 8th inning. Brad Lidge just kept on getting outs. He saved the final game, giving him 7 saves during the postseason.

And that’s not all of the players that distinguished themselves. Almost everyone on the postseason roster contributed something during the postseason. . .

Now You See it, Now You Don’t. The umpires had a shaky World Series. There were numerous blown calls and an everchanging strikezone. It’s tough out there for an umpire. But all is forgiven in Philadelphia. . .

Wave the Flag. One of my favorite images from the World Series win is the Phanatic running out onto the field and waving a Phillies flag at the end of Game 5. I don’t have a good picture of it, but here is a low resolution shot of the green guy celebrating.

Phillies Win!

I’m just smiling and soaking it in right now. The Phillies are World Champions.

Expectation

The past few days have felt like the night before Christmas. The Phillies are one win away from a championship, but getting that last win has been elusive. In several hours Game 5 will be resumed (at 8:37pm).

To further set the night before Christmas mood, we have had snow flurries throughout the day.

Of course on this Christmas the presents under the tree might be really cool . . . or really cruel.

I’m having serious trouble focusing on my work (and that’s been the case for the past 3 days). . .

Endurance

Oscar Wilde once said “All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling.” That brings a smile to my face. I like that.

I rarely write poetry. I’ve heard it said that prose writers make terrible poets. My attempts at poetry, which are a prose + poetry hybrid I calI prosetry, are no exception. When I write things I am often attempting to process them. Recently I was thinking about spiritual discipline. How do I remain aware of God and focus on things that have eternal value? Why does it feel so draining at times? I can force myself to do things, but I want more than that; I want to act out of a genuine motivation. Anyway, here is what I wrote:

Resolve seeks a holiday

Denied by the will

The mind embraces

That which the heart cannot

 

Victory is elusive

Waves upon sand

Here and gone

Wait for the tide

 

Fear not the pain

Rather its absence

To be numb

Is to surrender

 

Fatigue slips in

Excuse to fail

Resentment follows

I’m only human

 

With each new dawn

Hope awakens

Is she cruel? Heartless?

Or maybe she understands grace?

Fall Foliage

As a horticulturist I get asked many questions about plants. I’m normally happy to hear them, and from time to time I can even answer one. This is the time of year when inquiring minds begin to ask: why do leaves change color in the fall? Well here is my cocktail party answer for that particular question.

An Acer rubrum looking red

Leaves are cool. They are able to capture the energy from light and turn it into chemical energy. Take some light energy, throw in some water and carbon dioxide, and boom . . . you have carbs (leaves are not very Atkins friendly). Why do I mention photosynthesis? Well chlorophyll is the light receptor in leaves, and here’s the important part, it happens to be a green pigment. So this is why leaves are normally green during the spring and summer.

As the fall progresses there is less daylight and temperatures drop. These are the cues to the plant that it’s time to shut down photosynthesis for the winter. The chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, resulting in the loss of greenosity (ok, so I made that word up, the important thing is that the leaves are no longer green). At this point other pigments in the leaf get their moment to shine.

A Ginkgo biloba looking yellow

The big group of pigments that cause fall foliage color are called flavonoids, though other pigments may also be involved. Many of these pigments are the same ones that give flowers their colors. In the leaf these pigments may be present all spring and summer but only get revealed when the chlorophyll breaks down, or they may be present as colorless flavonols that develop into a color once the chlorophyll breaks down. Either way the result is fall foliage color.

A Stewartia pseudocamellia looking good

The levels and mix of pigments varies by plant (on both an individual and species level), so that is what causes some plants to look nicer than others. The growing conditions of the spring, summer, and fall may also impact how showy plants are. A warm moist spring is good. Summer drought is bad. A cool and dry fall is good.

By this time the poor people standing near me at the cocktail party wish the question had not been raised. I realize I could have just said “Leaves are colored by pigments that are visible in the fall.” Sometimes, however, parsimony leaves out important details.