Thursday, October 16, 2008

Dean Jackson's Facebook profile

When the Phillies defeated Los Angeles last night, it made me stop and think back to a younger time for me. Another time when the Phils were playing in a World Series.

It was the first time I really dug into baseball. I mean really cared. The year was 1980. It was a hard fought National League Division series with a highly favored Houston Astro team, if I remember right. (I still see Jose Cruz crying after the loss in the dugout.) It was Mike Schmidt who blasted homers 48 of them or something while playing pretty strong at the hot corner.

I was all of 12 years old, a sixth grader at Harlan Elementary School. Ronald Reagan was charming a nation of voters wanting change. It was a trip to Chicago’s Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry. It was Roger Staubach ending his scrambling in Dallas. (It was me worrying about what would happen to America's Team)

It was Philadelphia, it was Kansas City. It was two of baseball’s marquee superstars: Pete Rose and Kansas City’s George Brett. And, in the benefit of discretion, Brett’s publicized medical condition. But...I digress. (Pun intended) Let’s not forget that wonderfully crazy centerfield waterfall at what was called Royals Stadium.

It was the Bull – Greg Lusinski – lumbering in left field. It was Steve Carlton winning 24 games. It was a Tug McGraw, his antics and positive attitude had a national thinking – we gotta believe.

That was 28 years ago. That’s the thing about sports, there’s always another story, the latest greatest next thing. It’s another reminder that your time on top of the mountain will be short. A not so sweet lesson of life, this too will pass.
Pete Ross was (is?) destined for the Hall of Fame. Ronald Reagan moved us from a national “depression”, recession and stood up to Soviet aggression.

Tug McGraw moved from being a baseball player to being the dad of music icon Tim McGraw and cancer victim.

Brett and Schmidt are etched into displays at their respective halls of fame. Luzinski – just a name connected to a couple World Series champions.

Staubach gave way to Danny White, then Troy Aikman and any number of other quarterbacks since.

And me, a 40-year old writer-broadcaster-publicist that’s left wondering how did I get this old so soon