Screwed
Or
Ya Gotta Grieve
In the continuation of a rough stretch for the 1980 Phillies, former Phils great Tug McGraw died of brain cancer last night at the age of 59. (Watch your back, Del Unser.) The defining moment in the 121-year history of the Philadelphia Phillies was best described by Harry Kalas on October 21, 1980 at 11:29 p.m.: "65,000 on their feet, the Tugger needs one more," seconds before Tug struck out Willie Wilson to secure the lone championship in franchise history and leapt exultantly into Phillies lore. In another poignant moment in the closing ceremonies at Veterans Stadium, McGraw recreated that triumphant leap, which also served to underscore how far McGraw had come after nearly dying in spring training when two brain tumors were removed. He had been recovering, but another tumor was recently discovered. Following a 1974 trade with the New York Mets, McGraw brought his "Ya Gotta Believe" attitude and slogan from the 1973 pennant-winners, a diving screwball and a unique wit that endeared him to the Phillies faithful, and would make up for that whole abandoning his bastard son Tim until he was a famous millionaire thing.
Some selected quips:
Asked for a preference of grass or Astroturf: "I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf."
On how he'd spend his 1973 World Series share: "Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
On handling pressure situations: "Ten million years from now, when the sun burns out and the Earth is just a frozen iceball hurtling through space, nobody's going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded."
He also had a penchant for naming his fastballs:
the John Jameson (straight, like I drink it)
Cutty Sark (it sails)
Bo Derek (a nice little tail)
Peggy Lee ("Is that all there is?")
And in the world that we all care about, this is the first hit of the year, and congrats to newcomer Jen for drawing first blood.
Ya Gotta Grieve
In the continuation of a rough stretch for the 1980 Phillies, former Phils great Tug McGraw died of brain cancer last night at the age of 59. (Watch your back, Del Unser.) The defining moment in the 121-year history of the Philadelphia Phillies was best described by Harry Kalas on October 21, 1980 at 11:29 p.m.: "65,000 on their feet, the Tugger needs one more," seconds before Tug struck out Willie Wilson to secure the lone championship in franchise history and leapt exultantly into Phillies lore. In another poignant moment in the closing ceremonies at Veterans Stadium, McGraw recreated that triumphant leap, which also served to underscore how far McGraw had come after nearly dying in spring training when two brain tumors were removed. He had been recovering, but another tumor was recently discovered. Following a 1974 trade with the New York Mets, McGraw brought his "Ya Gotta Believe" attitude and slogan from the 1973 pennant-winners, a diving screwball and a unique wit that endeared him to the Phillies faithful, and would make up for that whole abandoning his bastard son Tim until he was a famous millionaire thing.
Some selected quips:
Asked for a preference of grass or Astroturf: "I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf."
On how he'd spend his 1973 World Series share: "Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
On handling pressure situations: "Ten million years from now, when the sun burns out and the Earth is just a frozen iceball hurtling through space, nobody's going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded."
He also had a penchant for naming his fastballs:
the John Jameson (straight, like I drink it)
Cutty Sark (it sails)
Bo Derek (a nice little tail)
Peggy Lee ("Is that all there is?")
And in the world that we all care about, this is the first hit of the year, and congrats to newcomer Jen for drawing first blood.
posted by The Grim Reaper at 9:41 AM
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