October's the best
For sports fans, nothing can match this month for variety or volume of options. Also: which closet did all these faux skeletons come out of? And finally: photographic proof of my McDonald's tenure.
It’s not even close: October is absolutely the best month for a sports fan.
I’ve been saying this to friends the last few weeks. The month’s got the Major League Baseball playoffs, the NFL and college football seasons in full swing and the basketball and hockey seasons getting under way.
Last night’s back-and-forth dramatic World Series opener, Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, doesn’t hurt the argument, either. But it’s only the most recent exclamation point on this October-is-the-best claim.
It ended with the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history, LA’s Freddie Freeman blasting an inside fastball into the right field stands to turn a 3-2 Yankees lead with only one more out to secure into a 6-3 Dodgers victory.
One of the cool freeze frames I captured on replay: Dodgers minority owner Magic Johnson’s1 jubilant reaction to the ball in flight.
In an interview after the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted, “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic.”
Roberts knows something about it, going back to his role 20 Octobers ago for the Boston Red Sox in that comeback win over the Yankees.2 Subbed in as a pinch runner, he stole second base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. That led to his scoring the tying run, enabling the Sox to win in extra innings.
About Those Huge Faux Skeletons…
Maybe it’s because Bridgett and I go for walks way more often than in autumns past, but it feels like there’s been a huge surge in the prevalence of these sort of whimsical, humongous faux skeletons adorning lawns in our town.
Was there a big Halloween sale that we missed? Is this a more widespread phenomenon?
And it’s not just human skeletons, either, as this canine-and-homo sapiens combination demonstrate.
…and what’s this curious scenario (below) all about?
These Photographs are My McProof
While I have no plans to run for U.S. President, if I do, at least I’ll have photographic proof of my year-plus stint at McDonald’s. About a mile from my home in Marshfield, Mass., I started in June 1984 and concluded my Golden Arches service in August 1985, right before my senior year of high school.
In that span, I worked my way up from the $3.35 hourly minimum wage to the rarefied air of $3.40 an hour. Before migrating to Dairy Queen—an upgrade on multiple fronts (including better pay and better take-home treats for the family)—I had the good sense to chronicle my last day on the McJob3:
If you recognize this as a response to one of the more recent installments of the Ridiculousness of Donald Trump, then there’s no elaboration necessary. On the other hand, if this 40-year-old memory seems entirely out of left field, then congratulations—your mental health is probably better off for it.
Only five days left in the Best Sports Month of the Year…and only 10 days till Election Day!
Magic’s “minority” designation here is because he owns 2.3% of the team—the term has nothing to do with his race.
That comeback in Game 4 set the stage for three more Red Sox wins, marking the first time in Major League history that a team had won a playoff series after being down three games to none. Boston went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series for the franchise’s first championship in 86 years.
By contrast, Kamala Harris didn’t think to document her last day at McDonald’s in 1983. Her fast-food employment, a way to connect with voters on a working-class level, is being challenged by Trump. Because, well, of course it is. Just like her race. Then again, if she had photos, videotape and a sworn affidavit from the local sheriff that she was a McDonald’s alum, all of those items would undoubtedly be dismissed as “fake.”
Even at 17, you could really pose for a picture and convey your sense of humor. I guess that's something born and not learned, if one has it, although a lot of people are more self-conscious at that age.
I started watching the new Netflix series Comeback, it's really good.