Why is it impossible to find a maple bar doughnut on the East Coast?

Aaaaaaand I’m out of the cave. What can I say? The pendulum swung back to the side where old Brainstorm was more a hassle than a whatever it is the rest of the time when it’s awesome. Then not writing begets not writing, and the snowball gathers mass. Jay Smooth says it best.

That’s not to say that I wasn’t inspired at least once daily to rave about something or more likely complain pointedly on here. But at those moments I was on the subway or in the midst of some mundane office thing.

Finally, it took an absolutely perfect evening to end the sequestering.

Last night, for the third time in my life, the Phillies WON THE NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT AND ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!! The first time was the year of my birth, 1980, when the Phillies WON the World Series. We have pictures somewhere of me as an infant in a Phillies onesie. Then the second time was 1993 when John Kruk and Lenny Dykstra who only had one nut were on the team and Wild Thing Mitch Williams blew the series against Toronto. I was in the Poconos that weekend and watched the final heart-breaking game from a cabin near Jim Thorpe. Then last year they had their year-end coup when the Mets buckled. But last year, for some reason, even though I swore by Rollins and Victorino, I didn’t expect them to get the division title and was plenty satisfied with first in the NL East.

But now, it’s different. Last night’s game just went like Swiss clockwork. JRoll lead-off – BAM. Then follow that up with two hits, get to second and third, walk Victorino, and let Howard, Burrell, and even Ruiz knock them home with bloopers that slip by. Add to that the Dodgers being totally rattled and unable to even hold onto the ball in the infield while the Phillies lurch and flee toward home every time. Wow.

To quote a Haiku I wrote this morning for a coworker (for whom I occasionally write perfectly platonic Haikus),

Phillies WORLD SERIES
plus Obama wins debate
fresh start, hate-free day!

That last line was because we’d been hating pretty hardcore the previous afternoon. But this Haiku explains the OTHER reason last night rocked my house. The Obama-McCain debate could not have possibly gone any better. Obama was smart, quick, believably bemused and righteously indignant with McCain. McCain in absolute contrast was bumbling, sniggering, uncomfortable and potentially coked up. McCain went there on every issue that he probably shouldn’t have went there on. Ayers, the born alive amendment, ACORN, even Fanny and Freddie. Remember them? Really – COULD McCain have done worse? I was too busy today to really look hard at the commentary or polls, but I have to assume McCain can’t WIN this, right? The American people have to be pickin up what he’s layin down, right?

Right. I’m, starting to feel real real good. These next few weeks are gonna be something.

More to come soon.

Beat the brewers!

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a home run, Pat Burrell connected twice and Jayson Werth added a solo shot Sunday to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched their first trip to the NLCS since 1993.

After winning this best-of-five playoff series in four games, the Phillies next face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 is Thursday in Philadelphia.

“I like our chances,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I think we can beat anyone in the National League, really.”

Overshadowed by the home run barrage was a gem by midseason addition Joe Blanton, who held the Brewers to one run after an eight-day layoff. Burrell backed him with a three-run shot and a solo drive, breaking out of a playoff slump.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled. You know, I don’t think it’s actually sunk in all that much yet,” said Burrell, who has been with the Phillies since they drafted him in 1998.

The Phillies partied in their clubhouse, dousing each other with bottles of champagne and cans of beer. Rollins, who wore swimming goggles, grinned as he darted around the clubhouse, looking for unsuspecting — not to mention dry — teammates.

The Dodgers and Philadelphia have met for the NL pennant three times before. Los Angeles won in 1977 and ‘78, while the Phillies took the flag in 1983.

This, plus McCain pulls out of Michigan?
I’m gettin excited…

Letterman’s not been able to contain himself lately. His debate recap is ridic. Watch the series of outtakes at the end. Honestly, SO FUNNY.

WINS!

No big surprise here. Biden delivered the debate performance of his life last night. To use Katie Couric’s suggested headline to describe Palin, “She Didn’t Embarass Herself.” Except she kind of did. She was miles above the standard set by her last few blundering appearances on tv, but a performance worthy of the office of VP it was not.

Biden, on the other hand, couldn’t have been stronger, more passionate, classier, more sensible or more likeable.

Step 1 in this magical season accomplished. PHILLIES GOT THE PENNANT!!

World Series is next! Then Obama in the White House!

FALL CLASSIC 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the press release we prepared at work yesterday in advance of the debate, was titled, “Obama Knocks it Out of the Park!” Another title could have been “How is this election close?”

For the first half hour I thought Jim Lehrer was the most impressive, demanding that both candidates talk to each other and own up to how the economic crisis would change their governing. Neither could really say for sure, but Joe Biden, speaking post-debate on CBS explained best in saying these are unprecedented times and no one can tell what the future of the economy will hold. The closer brings it home.

I’d been waiting for Obama to tie the economic crisis to the $10 billion/month war in Iraq. He nailed it when he finally got to it, 34 minutes in.

When the conversation shifted to foreign affairs—McCain’s supposed strong suit—McCain looked the fool—“meeting without preconditions will legitimate Ahmedinejad,” “Senator Obama doesn’t know the difference between a tactic and a strategy.” What? He just sounded annoyed and irrelevant. Obama gave McCain the pounding of the night when he schooled him on his mistakes in Iraq:

You said quick and easy
You said we would find the weapons of mass destruction
You said we’d be greeted as liberators
You said Shia and Sunni had no historical

The he followed up with the central question we need to ask about starting this war:
WAS THIS WISE?

As the debate went on, Obama looked more and more presidential. He even turned the meeting with rogue regimes argument in his favor by saying as President he’d reserve the right to meet with whoever the hell he damn well pleased.

McCain, this time he both twitched AND tried to scare the Jews in reminding us that Ahmedinejad called Israel as “stinking corpse.”

But McCain’s in the weeds. My own personal Nielson ratings would have McCain’s dial way low down on the screen, Obama’s way up top. No surprises tonight. Other than the perplexing wonder at how McCain is only 5 points down nationally.

Really? VICE PRESIDENT?

For those you, who like me, don’t really understand what the hell is going on with Wall Street and the impending economic doom, there is a really great piece in the London Review of Books that describes things in detail. It’s quite long, but good.

Last night I thought that I was finally over Palin. I was even going to write about it today. But then I saw a news item on People.com  that I couldn’t resist. They are really beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel for new insights into Palin’s ability to be VP. My favorite:

“She’s adaptable. Palin used to wear Mary Kay lipstick, but she now prefers MAC.”

Wait…. Doesn’t that make her a flip-flopper?

Seriously though, at some point this insane fascination with Palin has got to end. I mean, really, the VP is only a figurehead. Just ask John Adams. The way they’ve put her in the forefront as if she is the one running against Obama is ridiculous.

I almost feel sorry for McCain. He’s like this teacher I had in high school who was fresh out of college and desperate to become a member of the “in” crowd that he obviously had not been a part of during his own high school days. In his desperation, he went a little nuts – started drinking with the students, allegedly having an affair. In the end he lost his job and his wife. I think that McCain started to realize how unpopular he was after seeing the popularity of Palin explode. Now he’s desperate. And going a little nuts.