Or don't blame it on the rain...

[UPDATE] The remainder of Game Five will be played tomorrow, Wednesday, beginning at 8:37 p.m.

NOTE: This is a special-guest feature from my friend, Dave, who is the biggest Philadelphia sports fan I know. As an anti-Philadelphia sports fan myself, I obviously did not plan to write a sympathetic post in opposition of the events of last night's World Series Game Five, but I know that the suspension is drawing huge criticism and who better to air the grievances than a tortured Philadelphia sports soul?

The stage was set last night. It was supposed to be the night that the so-called curse was lifted, and Philadelphia had a sports championship to celebrate.

God had other plans.

We all know what happened: Delayed after 5 ½ innings; play will resume when "weather conditions permit." [see the logistics surrounding the suspension, below]

No one can be blamed for what happened with the weather. If it’s going to rain, it’s going to rain. Nothing can be done; however, the way it was handled was perhaps the biggest disgrace that Commissioner Bud Selig has ever been apart of. And if you’re a baseball fan, you know there were many--including but not limited to the tie at the all star game in 2002, and the continuous blind eye to blatant use of performance-enhancing drugs.

What the casual fan may not have seen last night was Selig’s post-game press conference, which was an absolute joke. It was an obvious attempt to deflect blame off of himself. You can go back and read the transcript yourself, but he essentially blames the groundskeeper, and then the weatherman at the stadium for letting it get out of hand.

The real problem, however, may not even be Bud Selig; it is rooted in the fact that these games don’t start until about 8:45 pm. There is no reason that these games can’t start at 7:30 or 8:00 on the dot. Major League Baseball wonders why kids aren’t as interested in baseball as they used to be. Perhaps it’s because they’ve never been allowed, or physically able to stay up until 1 am to see a team experience the joy of winning a World Series.

Nevertheless, the city of Philadelphia deserves better. The wait is now on and the worst part is, the fans of this city don’t even have a clue as to when the final 3 ½ innings of this game are going to be played. The anticipation is intense.

Look at it this way Philadelphia: The wait has been 23 years, 6 months, 28 days since the 76ers completed the sweep of the L.A. Lakers in the 1983 NBA finals. What’s one (or two) more days?

And hey, it could be worse: Game Four of the 1911 World Series between the Giants and the Athletics in Philadelphia was postponed for six days due to rain.

RELATED LINKS
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Blame it on the rain

Updated Oct. 28, 2 p.m.

Yeah, you like that Milli Vanilli reference?

Anyway. For the first time in World Series history, a game has been suspended due to the weather. Due to a rain/snow storm hitting the tri-state area (yes, snow in October), the remainder of the game will be played tomorrow (Wednesday), beginning at 8:37 p.m.

Game Five--the potential championship-clinching game for the Philadelphia Phillies--was suspended in the bottom of the sixth inning, after the Tampa Bay Rays scored a run to tie the game at 2.

Thankfully, baseball officials said it was not an option to make the game official after five innings, determining the Fall Classic winner by way of a called game.

When the game does resume, it will be picked up from where it was left off; fans and commentators have criticized the determination, stating that the call should have come at the beginning of the sixth inning (before Cole Hamels gave up the run in poor weather conditions), or that frame should be erased and the game should resume from the top of the inning.

Check back later for a special commentary and updates on the game.

RELATED LINKS
Taco, taco, taco!
World Series set to go
Boston wins World Snoozefest
Speedy Gonzalez
Yo quiero free taco

Guess who's back?

Sound the trumpets: I am back in New Jersey.

I'm thrilled. Really.

My cruise was fabulous and full of fun times on the Carnival Valor. I'll spare you the details, but some highlights include our grand transfer bus from Fort Lauderdale Airport catching on fire, shopping in Grand Cayman, glorious beach weather in Honduras, kayaking in Belize and swimming with dolphins in Cozumel.

Oh yeah, and there's the migrant Cubans we found floating next to our cruise ship. Hilarious!

Check out this news story out of Miami: Cruise ship encounters migrants at sea, and feel free to click the slideshow to see even more pictures of the Cubans. (I was trying to squeeze my camera between the other 3,000 people trying to take pictures on the one side of the ship). We're famous--whoo!

MIAMI -- Passengers aboard a Carnival cruise ship spotted seven Cuban migrants floating on a raft near Miami on Saturday.Two women were on the 10th floor of the ship "Valor" when they spotted the raft about 5:45 p.m. The ship was returning from a seven-day Caribbean cruise.The women said they were able to communicate with the group of six men and one woman by shouting. The Cubans gave the women a phone number to relatives in Miami, and asked them to let family members know they were alive.

Ship workers contacted the Coast Guard and provided the dehydrated Cubans bottled water, Carnival said. The ship stood by until a Coast Guard cutter arrived, then continued to Miami.Passengers took photos of the Cubans, who said they had been in the water for about five days.It is unlikely the migrants will be allowed to stay. The U.S. has a wet foot/dry foot policy regarding Cuban migrants. Those who reach U.S. soil are generally allowed to stay. Those intercepted at sea are returned to Cuba.

Don't tell me to chill

So...it was cold today. -41 degrees - heyyyo!

Update: It's a twister

CNN is reporting that 54 people have been killed in tornadoes that swept through four southern states last night.

The trail of death stretched across four states, with four people killed in Alabama, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and 30 in Tennessee.

For more, click here.

RELATED LINKS:
It's a twister

It's a twister

I know I tend on the lighthearted side of things, but in wake of the Super Tuesday primaries, a serious disaster took place and may have been overshadowed by the election buzz:

Tornadoes that ripped through Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee have reportedly killed at least 45 people, as of 9 a.m. today. More people are being uncovered as the day goes on, and I'll post an updated number later this evening.

The number of tornadoes that touched down last night is at least 60.

In Jackson, Tenn, a retirement home and the campus of Union University were hit hard, trapping people in buildings and devastating the area.

To read more, click here.

I'll do the details no justice, so take a look at the iReports and news stories from AFP, Associated Press, or try a Google News search.

Time-honored tradition

Sorry, folks: This year we (or "you") did not even place in the running for Time's Person of the Year. Landing the top spot this year is Russian President Vladimir Putin.


Not completely sure about this, but the article about him is fantastic, a very deep look into his every move and his motivations. Personally, my favorite part is when he reveals to Adi Ignatius that his favorite Beatles song is Yesterday. Or that he's never sent an e-mail in his life.

The runner-up was Al Gore--no surprise there.

And also not surprisingly, author J.K. Rowling placed second runner-up--I mean, she was 2007's Most Fascinating Person, according to Barbara Walters.

Don't forget to check out the list of "People Who Mattered" in 2007, which includes a lot of question marks and some shockers, like Miley Cyrus and Radiohead?? And my favorite is that silly snowmwan who asked the global warming question during the presidential debate--even he made the list!