God bless 'em anyway

I first got into hockey during the 2000 playoffs. The year the Flyers won the 5 OT game and came thisclose to winning the eastern conference. After the Flyers were eliminated, the headline was "God Bless 'Em Anyway," and that's pretty much what I'm feeling for the Phillies. In the words of my friend Ellen, who LOVES the Phillies, "They had a GREAT season." And they did. Too bad it didn't end as fabulously as last year, but god bless 'em anyway. (Hopefully, my mom and aunts will be okay... they're going through total baseball withdrawal!)

Despite the stressfulness of this week for Philly sports fans, it was comedy hour at our house on Monday!

Me (pre-game): Aaahhh! Grab your Phillies shirt and your rosary!

Pops (post-game): If there's a game seven...
Me: Oh no, I'll be in class!
Pops: No way! I'll write you a note! And it'll say, "P-H-U-C-K class."
Me: Hmm, somehow I don't think my professor will appreciate that...

Pops (watching snippits from the '93 World Series): Freakin' Joe Carter! There went my music career!

Little known fact! Pops and his friends wrote a song for the '93 Phillies that was actually played on the radio! They even had a P.O. box for cassette tape requests (and fan mail?). However, when the Phils lost that year, record sales crashed. They were on the verge of going platinum zinc, until Joe Carter hit that home run. Curses!

ANYWAY, with the end of the World Series, there is nothing to distract us from total hockey love! The Flyers continue their jacked-up schedule with a game tomorrow against the Sabres, and hopefully, they'll perform well on three days rest! (Though Soph and I do enjoy our beloved Craig Rivet, and we've welcomed Staffy and Pommers onto our fantasy teams with open arms!) Speaking of the Sabres, they'll be here on Black Friday, and I really want to go to that game. (Soph, Pops, and I had a fabulous time at the Black Friday game last year... even though I think the Flyers lost in OT?) I guess I better start twisting Pops' arm now!

I'm trying not to be Debbie Downer...

Well, yesterday was a super Saturday for two of our faves! First, Braydon Coburn got two goals in the Flyers' 6-1 win over the Canes! Huzzah! I'm mostly glad to see that I have not, in fact, totally hexed the poor guy. Kind of like with Debbie Downer, my love is the number one killer of NHL defensemen (and not domestic cats, as far as I know). Coburn's goals break that streak (for now), in addition to making my heart happy.

Jayson, I think our relationship would be a real home run...

(Sorry Chase.)

Then, J. Werth added two home runs in the Phils game! I love that man... he's just so cool. And the cast of Glee sang the National Anthem. (Too bad they couldn't throw, like, "Bust a Move" or "Don't Stop Believing" in there too! They're always looking for new mash-ups, no?) Otherwise, that game was rather a downer. The only silver lining is that last night was take two of the Smooch Chooch Party, so I got to see most of the game with my crazy family, who were literally waving rally towels while standing in the living room. (There was also a pretty intense round of Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit going on during the rain delay... I know you're all jealous.) I've baked cupcakes, I've done my part... now the Phils just have to win three games! Come on, guys!

Also also: Today is November 1st, which means it's Day 1 of National Novel Writing Month! So break out your quill pens and typewriters and get writing! I highly doubt that I can bust out a whole novel in a month... but I'm going to try to finish a novella that I've been working on. (Which means I'll have to push through my usual problems of "Everything I write suuuuucks!" and "No! No! Too much schoolwork! Can't. write. ever.") We'll see what happens with that...

Randy Jones is coming back...

Sike! (or is it "Psych"? I've never actually written it out before) The Kings stole him on re-entry waivers.

Now not only is he's not playing but the Flyers still get half of the caphit. It's perfect since the Flyers have so much cap space to work with it. Beeeeeautiful. I love paying for nothing. Love him or hate him, this is no good.

As You Dislike It

How did they know Pops was coming?!

So last night, Pops and I went to the Flyers-Sharks game, and I had some mixed emotions going into it. I've been rather disenchanted with the Sharks this season, since they've blown up the team that originally captivated us in '07. I just don't know these guys anymore. As for the Flyers, something is wrong with them. I don't know if it's the bizarre schedule they've had so far this season or what, but they just don't all seem to be on the same page... Richards' really unnecessary hit on David Booth certainly didn't help matters. (That was so sad/scary to watch. Here's hoping poor David Booth has a speedy recovery! He was a former member of Slightly Sucky, so we obviously love him.) We're shocked Richards wasn't suspended because that hit was definitely questionable.

But don't worry! Once we got to the game, my mixed emotions got thrown out the window:

Me: Aaaahhh! PICKLES!
Pops: I thought you didn't like the Sharks anymore...
Me: Whatever, man!

Woo, woo, woo, Claude Giroux!
And Coburn, sneaking in past the camera

I would totally baby-sit Shelley's kid... getting paid to go on Facebook would not be a problem!
I also like Dan Boyle a lot, though I always forget he's on the Sharks now.

I enjoy Timonen's dramatic glance here.
I wonder if he can smile with his eyes like on ANTM...

Pronger always looks like he's in pain in my pictures.
Perhaps because Carter is about to mow him down?

Pops also decided to bring a sign for Soph:

Pops: I want the bald guy to find us on the Sharks' feed!
Consequently, during the game, Pops would ask when Drew was going to find us as he waved his little sign!

Here are some things that made me happy:

• Powe-wow scored! I always forget that I like him, but I do. He brought a lot of energy tonight. And he scored for the famous CASE OF TASTYKAKES!!!111!!! Lucky him!
• No propositions for the Kiss Cam. Woo!
• They still play "Swagger Like Us" during warm-ups!
• Coburn was a starter and didn't get booed! I was really worried for him...
• When Syvret got his delay of game penalty for knocking the puck over the glass, Pickles immediately dimed him out, pointing frantically at the glass. Oh Pickles, what a tattle-tale!

Things that made me sad:

• It was just a weird game overall. It went by really fast but had like no flow to it.
• Coburn and Timonen were each a -3.
• Timonen lost his stick for an extended period of time and no other Flyer gave him one. And then the Sharks scored. Aren't forwards supposed to give up their sticks to a defenseman in need?
• I still have my death cough and thus spent most of the game coughing (and probably making the cute couple next to me fear for their lives).
• Soph wasn't there with us. Major sad face :(
  

I guess Pickles got the last laugh:

Even with my mixed emotions, I can't wait to go to another game. I'm gonna have to face it, I'm addicted to hockey!

*Fun Fact! This post's title came from this conversation during the game:
Pops: The power-play looks like a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream...
Me: Um, what?! (seconds later) God, I hate that play! And As You Like It. More like, As You DISLIKE It!
(Ooh, BURN, Shakespeare! My B.A. in English will be promptly revoked, don't worry...)

Birthday wishes and baseball smooches?

Whoa-oh here she comes... watch out, she's the birthday girl!

First of all, today is Soph's birthday! So, happy birthday to my other half, the Sam to my iCarly (since I'm the prissiest), the Vinny to my Marty (we'll be playing together now!)... well, you get the idea... Hope you have a fabulous b-day on the best coast! :D

Since the Flyers are off for another 8,000 days, let's talk about the Phillies! Sunday night, my mom's Phillies-crazed family gathered to watch the game at my cousin's Smooch Chooch Party. (Nobody actually kissed his framed picture of Ruiz, though, which is probably for the best!) In honor of this momentous occasion, I embarked on my most ambitious baking project yet:

Phillies cupcakes! (Or, good luck cakes, perhaps???)
I'm not a vanilla girl, but I took one for the team... literally!

J. Werth got another homer (way to hit it, playa!) in the Phillies 11-0 rout. During the course of the night, one aunt decided that Raul was "a cutie" (um... whaaaat?), the uber-religious aunt announced that she's been praying for the Phillies, and my cousin came clean about his various Phillies bromances. (Along with Ruiz, he also looooooves Chaaaaaase. Shocker! Chase is the ultimate man-crush, it seems.) As for Monday night's game, I really thought it was over when the Phils couldn't capalize in the bottom of the eighth. So imagine my surprise when Pops started freaking out about Jimmy Rollins knocking in the winning runs. Daaaaamn. You go, boys!

Red October

Things I've done over Fall Break:

- homework (puh-lease!)
-bake Flyers cupcakes
-watch the Phillies advance to the second round of the playoffs!!!

I've got a fever (or, more accurately, a "phever")... and the only cure is more Phillies! Yes, it's true. Much like my mom and co., I've fallen victim to Phillies Phever and spent last night screaming at the TV and hiding under my Jayson Werth blanket in fear during the game. But they won! In dramatic, come-from-behind fashion! With our beloved J. Werth knocking home the game-winning run! (Let's hear it for the boy!) And even I couldn't keep myself from wailing, "I loooooove you Chaaaaase!" by the end of this game. My mom's Red October is not, in fact, in jeopardy, which is fabulous news.

Meanwhile, Pops has decided that our house needs a Phillies mascot. But we don't have a Phanatic handy, so this is Goonk:



He's from Ikea, and we found him last summer while cleaning out my old toy chest. I guess he could be the Phanatic's Swedish cousin?


In other news, Soph and I were doing some bicoastal J. Werth research tonight, and we discovered that our fave Phillie used to to look like a total dork! Which only makes us love him more! (Seriously, I think I had those glasses in like third grade.) He looks like the type of guy you could have played Legend of Zelda or Earthbound with for hours... which is awesome. From uber geek to B.A. chic... a pretty impressive transformation. Just one more endearing side of Jayson Werth.

Cards, cards, cards, yeah!

Apparently, the Flyers-Pens game was bananas? Soph and I saw exactly zero minutes of it (thank you, time differences and school), so we missed out. Moving on, the Flyers play the Ducks tonight, which means that this guy is coming to town:

Yes, that's my TV.
I actually took the picture in my euphoria over having Center Ice this week...
Sibsa just happened to be on-screen at that moment!

Remember when I was secretly in love with Sbisa? Yeahhh, well, I haven't really been following him, but I imagine he'll be playing tonight, along with Joff Lupul. Pops has a gig tonight, so there's a good chance I'll miss all of this game too. Curses!

In other news, I stopped by my favorite sports memorbilia store today, to celebrate the first day of Fall Break! The owner and I are like BFFs these days. When I came in over the summer, he found me some Claude Giroux cards and told me that "my friend" (aka Soph) would be jealous. I guess he doesn't get a lot of hockey-crazed girls dropping by the store, so we must be pretty memorable! Today's visit wasn't the most exciting, but I did get some packs. One pack contained both a Malkin card AND a Mike Richards card, so I think we know who that was meant for... Aside from that, the highlights were Marty and Vinny cards ("We have a song!"), along with Joe Sakic and Sergei Fedorov for Pops.