OUTTA HERE!!

Outta Here!! How could two words mean so much to so many people? Its such a simple phrase echoed by so many people around the Philadelphia region but the irony of it all is that the one person who uttered it the most is now in fact "outta here" and its simply hard to believe.

I confess that besides seeing my love muffin for the first time on our wedding day, my single greatest life moment came on October 29th, 2008. There I stood with four of my closest friends on a blustery evening in a neighborhood near Manayunk. We were five grown men who have quenched the thirst of a sports championship since we were toddlers. As poetic as a Robert Frost poem came the words we long to hear "struck him out. The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball." It was a great substitute for "Outta Here."



In that moment of time my senses became frozen, my eyes welded in tears and I was not sure how to celebrate. I was just overcome with so much joy and happiness to seize that moment with friends. For me , the moment will forever be captured by the kodak of my mind. It will never be forgotten and branded in me until the day I die.

For another man it was a culmination of his career. For this man had transmitted tens of thousands of moments from over 6000 games. This man did his job and did it well for 44-years and thankfully lived long enough realize his own special moment. The man, Harry Kalas, left this earth yesterday afternoon and I'm not sure how to grieve much like I didn't know how to celebrate after his winning call only months ago. Its an odd dynamic. He is the closest family member whom I have never met.

Every Phillies fan over the age of 15 knows that the voice of Harry Kalas is as calming as the waves on the beach on a typical summer day. Its more than a metaphor but its the reality we knew. Nothing goes better together not even pancakes and syrup. His voice was candy for the ear and I was so happy to be a part those experiences.

Over the last few years, Harry had not been healthy. He was 73-years-old, had some recent medical issues, was constantly traveling, had a past history with cigarettes and alcohol. That doesn't mean his death wasn't sudden. One minute he is preparing for a broadcast, the next minute he is being rushed to a hospital. Then within in a hour his life is gone. That quick, that precious, that tragic and we never got to say goodbye.

As I reflect on the 2008 World Series, I remember the key hits and key plays that made it possible but the thing that will always be in my soul is the final call from Harry Kalas. A man who not only had the pipes to soothe ones heart on a crisp summer day but a man whose class far exceeded his achievements.

Harry, heros live forever but legends never die. Thank you for the greatest memory a super-obsessed 30-year-old sports fan can ever imagine.


***Thanks to Brandon Rubenstein for capturing this championship moment on audio. Go to his website to hear me and my friends talk and celebrate the last 2 minutes of game 5. You'll hear Harrys Legendary Call.
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Things That Don't Make Sense

So I am pleased to announce that I joined a gym. I did this partly because I have time on my hand but I'm also doing this because I'm trying to make my love muffin a happy wife. The membership is real cheap $10 a month. Unlike most gyms there are not a lot of muscleheads and know-it-alls. Just fat people looking to be skinny.

However for a place that is strongly predicated on healthy lifestyles they certainly have an odd promotion. On the first Monday of every month they have "Pizza Night." I understand that we are not obligated to eat the pizza but after sweating off 200 calories on the treadmill, I was transfixed by the sweet permeating smell that I just couldn't resist the temptation. I thought I was on a hidden camera show. Who serves pizza in a fitness gym?

On my way out I asked for a slice and inquired about the nutrional value of the pizza. I assumed it was a healthy pizza since it was served in a gym. Right? The worker stated that it was NOT healthy pizza (as if such a thing really existed). When I asked why a gym that pushes a healthy lifestyle serves pizza to its members she rattled off their gyms motto "We are a non-judgment zone." Too bad the rest of the world is not the same.