DeLorenzo's Dugout Modern Cliche Hall of Fame, Segment #1

"Speaking truth to power."

Random Thoughts & Second Thoughts Heading into the National League Championship

I will be the first to admit I fell asleep on the couch Sunday night/Sunday morning watching the Phillies/Rockies game...First question I asked when my lovely bride woke me was, "Did we win?"...Didn't miss a minute -- not even a commercial -- Monday night...What a win!...We were lucky enough to have tickets to the first game of the NLDS, the Cliff Lee "gem," and we have tickets for the first game in the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park Sunday night (probably seeing Cliff Lee pitch again -- not a problem!)...As always at this time of the year I love to see the delicate dancing on and off the bandwagon by various local media outlets, as they try to figure out how to keep beating their Eagles drums while having to cover the only team in this town that actually wins championships (sorry, I had to say it, it's my opinion, hence my blog!)...What else is up?...Well, I had a bad fall while attending a NAIA college football doubleheader in Platte City, Missouri the weekend before Labor Day (Aug. 29), broke my digital camera (in my right hand) and broke the bursa sac in my right knee (a two-point landing)...Didn't miss my turn in the rotation, worked both games of the doubleheader, from about 10 a.m. that morning to 11 p.m. or so that night...And at 3 a.m. KC time I was in the emergency room getting diagnosed, x-rayed, etc...Prescription: stay off your feet, plenty of ice and elevation, and pain killers...Crutches were offered, but as I had a 7 a.m. flight from KC to Philly, and a flight the next morning to Bermuda (!), and I live in a townhouse in Center City Philadelphia dominated by 42 steps from the garage to the first floor, I didn't think crutches were a good option...Recovering nicely, thank you, down to one ice pack a day right now...Got to spend time with ESPN founder (and founding partner of College Fanz Sports Network) Bill Rasmussen when he threw out the first pitch at the Phillies/Mets game for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball back on Sept. 13 -- celebrating the 30th anniversary of ESPN...Spent more time with Bill and the College Fanz team at the University of Virginia-Wise on Saturday, Oct. 3, high up in the Appalachian Mountains in Southwest Virginia, and on the road to Richmond the next day, where Bill spoke to the Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University...Greatly enjoyed visiting both campuses that weekend, spent lots of time behind the wheel with Bill & co. as we went from picking me up in Knoxville, Tennessee to UVA-Wise to Richmond to Philadelphia in the space of four days...And thru it all, to paraphrase James Earl Jones, runs baseball...Phillies baseball...Still the only sport that really matters (to me)...Caught "Role Models" on cable recently, absolutely one of my new favorites...You can't beat Paul Rudd, and Sean Michael Scott is now in at least two favorites (counting "The Promotion," where he shares the screen with one of my other "unsung heroes," John C. Reilly)...Fretting over the imminent departure of Vincent D'Onofrio from Law & Order Criminal Intent along with Kathryn Erbe and Eric Bogosian...Still catching up on this season's episodes of "Monk," and greatly enjoying the current seasons of "Mad Men" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"...Enjoying the new shows "Community" (with Joel McHale & Chevy Chase) and "Bored to Death"...Looking forward to more Phillies baseball, already upset there's not a game on TV every night...So, until Vincent D'Onofrio teams up with either David Mamet or William Shatner for a new project, I'll See You In the Stands!!!