While reading Worth the Wait, Tales of the 2008 Phillies, Jayson Stark's fast-paced book on the Philadelphia Phillies' heady postseason run to the World Series, I couldn't decide if Stark talks the way he writes or writes the way he talks. If you have heard this baseball expert, now with ESPN, you will know what I mean. The book is a quick, amusing read, though for my taste Stark belabors the accursed mentality which has been a part of sports in cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. Stark is a Philadelphia native and resident and no doubt he is in touch with the local mindset. I got very tired of all that years ago. If a team has poor ownership and poor management, on the field and off, it's likely to be 'cursed'. As Stark points out, that was not the case with this current Phillies team. He also captures wonderfully well the sheer joy shared by the team, its fans, and the city last October. It was something unique. And it still brings a smile just to think about it.At yesterday's game, a couple with a 10-month-old baby was next to me. "It's her first game," said the mother, then quickly added, "but I did bring her to the parade."
Speaking of 'curses', its' been 24 years since the Hanshin Tigers last won the Japan Series. When the Tigers clinched the Central League title on the way to the 1985 series, jubilant fans tossed a statue of KFC's Colonel Sanders into the Dotenbori River in Osaka. And there the statue stayed, giving rise to the 'curse of Colonel Sanders'. This March, in an effort at reversing fortune, the statue was retrieved from the bottom of the river. So how are the Tigers doing this year?
