NLCS Game One - Phillies 3, Dodgers 2

It's a Beautiful Night for a Home Run - Let's Hit Two



There is plenty to say about Thursday night's game, but it will have to wait because of the quick turn around time for game two. Ashburn Alley opens at 2:00 p.m. and the inflatable slide outside the park (Paige's favorite) will be ready to go long before that. The family and I are moments from departure, which leaves me just enough time to say this:

Beat L.A.

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NLDS Game One - Phillies 3, Brewers 1

Phillies lead the best of five series 1-0

Just as the Brewers were kicking up a fuss against Brad Lidge in the ninth inning on Wednesday, the wind and rain suddenly reappeared. Fortunately for the fans, the rain was the only thing blown at Citizen's Bank Park that day.

Note: By the time this appears, I will already be inside the park for game two. When time permits, I will add more to this post, but for now, please enjoy a few snapshots of how we saw the first post-season win for the Phillies in nearly 15 years. [Click on them to enlarge]




Philles Ball Girl Jocelyn Brown, mrs. tmmullen, and Paige at the pre-game rally. This isn't the first time Paige met "Miss Jocelyn," as we call her, and I'll save that story for another post. For now, I will simply say that Ms. Brown represents the Phillies organization well. Whether or not the same thing can be said of mrs. tmmullen's representation of this blog depends on the audience. I am referring, of course, to adult beverage prominently displayed in the picture. You make the call.




Mitch Williams makes his way through the crowd to attend the pre-game rally. He's not as wild in person as he is on television.




The two teams wrap up pre-game introductions and get ready for the national anthem. There are few things in life I enjoy more than being at the ball park to hear that song and then, moments later, watch the first pitch be thrown. Although one of them is doing the same thing with my daughter in my arms.




Speaking of which, here she is waving her rally towel like a maniac. She was quite popular in our section with many of the fans around us giving her high-fives after strikeouts and other, well, high-fiveable moments of the game.

Sure, like our first game in march, it was windy and it was cold, but to us, and most of the rest, it just didn't matter.

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And We're Back...

I think it was Shakespeare who wrote, "the nature of bad news infects the teller" and that is certainly apt in my case. The amount of bad news that has befallen me since my last appearance here is difficult to believe - and even harder to explain. As my time away grew longer and longer, I felt the need to offer a more in-depth explanation for my absence before resuming my rants and ridicule. Unfortunately, this led me to put off composing this post until I had more time to devote to it, which in turn led to more time away. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Fortunately, in a moment of serendipity, I came across a long-forgotten passage by Robert Frost:

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

Which is when I knew I needed to return to this space - not for the three or four people who used to read it, but for me. Humor may be a rubber sword for some, but it is my shield. And in that spirit, I hope you will indulge me as I recap some of the lowlights from the past few months before I add posts more in line with this blog's original purpose - whatever that is.

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John Marzano Dies at 45 (April)



Nothing I could write about John Marzano could possibly capture or adequately communicate the joy I felt when I listened to him talk about baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies. Sure, we agreed on many things (in my notes from his last appearance on Daily News Live was the comment "preaching to the choir"), but that wasn't the only reason he held a special place in my heart. It seemed like every morning Johnny Marz put life in a full-nelson and squeezed as much joy as he could out of every minute of the day. And if he couldn't make you smile, then you had bigger problems than Philadelphia sports.

Case in point was his last appearance on DNL on April 17, 2008, being broadcast live from the Wachovia Center as Flyers fans were filing in for game four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals. Even though he was there to discuss the Philllies, after nearly every comment, he would turn to the crowd and yell, "Let's go Flyers!" causing them to erupt. After only a few of these, the background noise rose to a level where it threatened to drown out the broadcast, prompting this exchange:

Marzano: I love these guys! These are my boys from Philly!!

[panel laughter]

Marzano (to crowd): Johnny Marz says Flyers in five!!!

[crowd roars]

Michael Barkann (jokingly): You have lost your mind.

Marzano [laughing]: We're having a ball. That's what it's all about.

That night the Flyers won the game 4-3 in overtime (and eventually the series in seven games). Two days later, Johnny Marz was dead.

The day before, I turned 40. The day after, I was at Citizen's Bank Park for the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the New York Mets. After a few adult beverages, I couldn't stop randomly shouting "Johnny Marz!" every so often. As best as I can remember, someone echoed the call each and every time. Whether it was the pain of the loss, the sudden sense of my own mortality given our proximity in age, my choice of refreshment, or a combination of all three, when the entire stadium fell quiet for a moment of silence in his memory, I began to cry.

If you spend any time exploring what Major League Baseball makes available here about Johnny Marz, then you will too.

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Mrs. tmmullen Cleans Out Her Office (June)



Did you ever spend all morning building a sand castle on the beach only to have a sibling come along and knock it over? That's kind of what happened to my wife. After more than 15 years with the same organization, during which she nearly single-handedly built the department that she would ultimately supervise, her employer decided to, well, let's say, "restructure" and, in doing so, eliminated her department. By the end of the month, she was unemployed.

I tried to cheer her up by quoting Mother Theresa, "What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway." She tried to kick me in the nether regions. I guess it was too soon for the philosophical introspection of a 40-year-old dad who a few weeks earlier faced his own mortality. That's the bad news. The good news is that she's doing much better now and considering starting her own agency. I've never been prouder.

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Scandal at TerMime-X (July)



Twelve current and former TerMime-X executives, including my supervisor, were indicted by an investigative grand jury for a variety of offenses. When we heard the extensive details of the alleged illegal activities, mrs. tmmullen said, "So much of the last five years makes sense now." I agreed. Plus, in the interest of full disclosure, while I was served with a subpoena and ultimately testified before said grand jury, to the best of my knowledge and recollection, I did not break any laws. And that's all I have to say about that.

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It occurs to me now that I have yet to apologize for abandoning this space - so, for that, I am sincerely sorry. Given the gravity of these events, I am confident you will forgive me for losing my way the last few months. Still, some good things happened too. Mrs. tmmullen and I took Paige to the Wildwood boardwalk for the first time. We celebrated her fourth birthday with a big pool/beach party in our backyard. My brother and his wife had a baby boy.

Life goes on.

And so will this blog.

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A Day at the Park - On Deck Series - 3/29

Sure, it was windy and cold. But a bad day at the ballpark beats most days anywhere else. While I attended the final preseason game at Citizen's Bank Park in 2007 with Mike, this year I went with my family. Allow me to introduce my wife and our beautiful daughter Paige:



Despite the cold, which prevented her from having her favorite ballpark snack (ice cream in a helmet - with sprinkles), Paige had a good time. I only wish I had gotten a picture or video of her reaction when she first spied the field. It immediately transported me back to my youth as I recalled walking through the Vet's round concrete cavern searching for our section. As we passed each entrance tunnel that led to the seats, I strained my neck to catch that first glimpse of astroturf that seemed a million times greener in person than on television.

My daughter was no different. I held her hand as we walked (okay I walked and she skipped) toward Harry the K's for a pre-game meal (and to catch some sun and avoid the wind). When it came into view, she pulled me to a stop and almost breathlessly declared, "Daddy... there's the field... it's so green..." If my mind hadn't done that Lost time-travel thing taking me back to the Vet in 1977, I probably would have cried. Whew - close call.

Also in attendance and enjoying the experience was my mom (not pictured). Yes, that's right. I chose to go to a Phillies game with three generations of crazy women. And it won't be the last time this season, so stay tuned.

Anyway, we hit Harry the K's for some good food and tasty adult beverages. Paige couldn't take her eyes off the field as the ground crew made it ready for play and the players warmed up. She was a hit, especially with our waitress, Kat (not pictured), who was fantastic and really made my daughter feel special. If you visit Harry the K's and are served by Kat, give her our best. I wanted to snap a pic to include here, but my wife frowned upon that. I also forgot to take a shot of our table, but trust me, it looked similar to when my brother and I went to Game 1 of the 2007 NLDS:



So after our meal, we made our way to our seats and didn't have to wait long for something to cheer about. As will become obvious at some point, I like Pat Burrell. I defend Pat Burrell because his numbers make it pretty easy to do. Not surprisingly, my wife likes Pat Burrell because he's hot. I am fine with that and, in fact, it is one of the reasons we chose the seats we did:



Given all the love for Pat in our house, Paige likes him too - although she likes a lot of the players and will give you a different answer every time you ask her who her favorite player is. So along the way, we taught her to say something when Pat is at the plate, but cautioned her to use it sparingly lest it lose its magic.

Naturally, when Pat came up in the bottom of the 1st with two runners on, I asked Paige, "What do we say when Pat is up?" to which she replied, "Come on Pat! Hit a tater!!" And on the second pitch of the at bat, he did. About 75 feet to our left.

There isn't much to report about the rest of the game, except perhaps for Paige's disappointment after the 2nd inning ended when a crowd of fans got up to visit the refreshment stands or the rest rooms. She looked at everybody walking up the steps and pouted, "Oh... Is it over already? I don't want to go yet..." We just smiled and reassured her that we didn't have to leave and would stay until she got too cold. While this made her happy, she was quite upset that no one hit a ball to her. After she brought her glove and everything. She is just too cute.



She was also disappointed she didn't get to see the Phanatic in person and I tried in vain to explain that she won't get to do that at every game. You see, fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), Paige actually got to meet the Phanatic at her first game (in 2006) and even gave him a high five. So while her favorite player may change, her favorite "Phillie" is, and always has been, the Phanatic. In the 8th inning when I told her he was probably done for the day because it was so cold, she agreed that we could leave.

As I waited for three generations of gals to use the ladies' room, Mike found me and we chatted briefly. To be honest, I don't remember what we talked about because it was even windier and colder where we were standing than where we had been sitting. It really doesn't matter though because my daughter had fun and Pat hit a tater.  For a preseason game, that was all I needed.

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