I’ve been invited to try brevity for a change in this space; and it seemed like a novel idea. So here’s a brief aperture on the past. Last fall, I was campaigning for Barack Obama in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. I was deep inside enemy territory, and I knew it. I was in a red state — Phillies red. Worse yet, the Phillies were in the World Series — a New Yorker’s nightmare. I’ve been a Mets fan (“ardent” would be a polite understatement) for about 45 years, which is two ballparks ago.  Yet despite the threatening environs, I was so enthralled with the prospect of change that I let myself go. Approaching a house with a Phillies sign in the yard, I found myself saying to the occupants: “Go Phillies!” It may have cost me, but it helped Obama carry Pennsylvania. Now, however, I must get right with the baseball gods. So for the record, I said “Go Phillies,” and not “Let’s Go Phillies,” which would have had far graver implications, since I’ve been saying “Let’s Go Mets” all my life.

And just as crucially, I didn’t specify where the Phillies should go.

• Author Bio
• Latest Posts

Jeff Scheuer

Jeff Scheuer is a writer and critic based in New York. He is the author of two books about media and politics: The Big Picture: Why Democracies Need Journalistic Excellence (2007), and The Sound Bite Society: How Television Helps the Right and Hurts the Left (1999), named a Choice “Outstanding Academic Title.” Jeff is currently writing about critical thinking and the liberal arts.

Latest posts by Jeff Scheuer (Posts)

• Appraising the Moment: A Cowardly New World - January 20, 2017
• Some Thoughts on Charlie Hebdo - January 12, 2015
• The Matter with Kansas - October 28, 2014
• And for What? Reflections on the First World War - August 10, 2014
• A passage through India - February 12, 2014

Tags: ends & odd, sports // 2 Comments »