God Bless Matt Stairs

The impending Phillies-Rays World Series is probably a ratings nightmare in the making, but for us ball fans, it promises thrills. I mean, holy shit. The Rays? They look flat out unbeatable, and they're the most recent poster children for doing it right with a low payroll. And as for the Phillies, atta'boy Matt Stairs. We were all sorry to see him go, but at least he's going to get to play in a World Series.

Whatev.

So, yeah, Paul Beeston is the Jays new interim CEO, the latest name exhumed from the glory years to make folks believe it's '93 all over again (it might be, for the Phils). I'm like: psssht, whatevs. Maybe there's more to this, maybe not. Don't care. Give me this sort of news in baseball-starved January and I'll eat it up; right now I just want to see somebody do something in Philadelphia or Tampa Bay that'll be worth remembering 20 years from now, just like I'm sitting here remembering something that happened 20 years ago tonight.

OMFG Like Is It Rilly True OMFG?!?!?!?!

Seriously? Here I was all ready to go with a bit about how I love optimism and hope as though it were a tremulous pink flower, fragrant, precious, unique, etc. but even I have to admit that, heck, it's just about September and they've dropped 2 of 3 to Tampa and really, though I might try to squint at the standings and make them say what I want them to, it's just about over for this tease of a baseball team, but hey, at least they have a winning record, and maybe the reason to watch in September will be to see just how winning they'll end up (Cito's .500 + 10? Better? Worse?) and how the call ups fare. But this call up? Never did I dream!

Maybe that's JP's thinking -- keep 'em glued. I mean, I'll watch baseball anyway, at any time, contention be damned (I'm still tuning into M's games when Sportsnet deigns to show them, fer chrissakes), but now, well now I have to watch. Because either it'll be amazing and Snider will rake like Redford in that movie and we'll all think this is exactly what we had all hoped for, or he'll struggle and I'll watch through my fingers thinking, Jesus, Toronto, did you just ruin this phenom's career by bringing him up to early? Either way, high drama.

I'll miss Stairs like that badass uncle who livens up an otherwise staid family gathering by drinking too many Lakeports and talking to you about chicks, but then leaves early because he's got another barbeque to 'hit', but I'm comforted by the thought that maybe he'll find himself in the playoffs this season.