Off Days

...are the worst! Yesterday, my new summer roommate who I refer to as "Creepy Ben" (for reasons that I can disclose if you would really like to know) was watching a Cops marathon on truTV which is apparently a channel. At 8:00, I asked if it would be okay if I watched the Phillies game. Creepy Ben then said to me, "Can't you go one day without watching the Phillies?"

Uh, no. I can barely make it through today. I am actually watching Bull Durham (fantastic baseball movie) right now so I can get my baseball fix and spare myself the trouble of listening to ESPN commentators. I don't really think it's all that ok to miss a game. A big problem I have in the summer at home is that I would rather watch the Phillies than hang out with anyone.

Cheese was here Friday night and Saturday. I haven't been able to update on his fandom at all because I haven't seen him at all and he hasn't really said much about it. Unfortunately, I think that means he hasn't been watching all that much. I blame myself for this, but it's tough to make a consistent long-distance Phillies relationship work. It takes a really special duo to have that. Although Cheese and I are special, we weren't prepared for that. All slightly gay comments aside, what I was really going to mention was something Cheese said to me this weekend. I said something about watching a Phillies game and he asked "Do you watch every game?" Obviously. Then he asked, "Do you ever get tired of watching or not feel like watching a game?" No. "Do you ever turn a game off?" No, never.
I guess people just don't understand. But is it really that tough to comprehend? I don't know of any true sports fan that wouldn't prefer to watch every game for their team. With the Phillies, there isn't really a night when the game isn't incredibly exciting. Just look at our starters right now. Hamels is looking again like one of the best pitchers in baseball. Blanton has been on fire. Jamie Moyer is pitching well at the age of 46. And we have 2 guys no one outside of southeastern Pennsylvania or Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic had heard of before this season with sub-3 ERAs. And that's not the most exciting part. On any given night, any one of our hitters is either ready to turn his season around, keep his career year going, or continue to be one of the best players in franchise history. Not to mention the fact that if any of those pitchers decide to suck, our hitters can keep us in any game no matter how many outs are left. And if our hitters aren't doing a thing, our pitchers can keep us in any game no matter who they're facing. And if all else fails, you'll see some Gold Glove defense. A lot of it.

So, YES, I will watch every single game every single night I can. And that makes nights like tonight all the more depressing. So if you're like me and looking for something to do on an off night, here are some suggestions:

- Watch a baseball movie. Bull Durham, my current selection, is a great one, but there are plenty others. The Sandlot, Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, Field of Dreams, The Bad News Bears (the original), and Major League are all good ones. Steer clear of The Final Season, though. That was a piece.
- Watch The Perfect Season if you have it. It's a DVD about last year. If you don't have it, take this time to order it.
- Watch YouTube videos of last year's team. There are loads of them, and if you watch enough I guarantee you'll cry. Everyone has their breaking point. For me it's halfway into 1.
- Go out and buy and read Worth the Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies by Jayson Stark. Zack bought it for me as a thank you for taking him to Game 5, and I have yet to start reading it. I don't know what is taking me so long, but I definitely plan on starting it soon.
- Look up random Phillies statistics. There are billions of baseball statistics out there. A lot of the things you see on TV aren't as readily available as you might think, and if you're a freak like me, it's fun to try to look them up or do the math yourself. But you're not that weird. Trust me
- Watch Jeopardy. Games on the East Coast affect my ability to keep up on my general knowledge. Not so on off nights.
- Exercise
- Not really though
- Do my schoolwork for me. Just ask what I need done, there's plenty to go around
- Take time just to talk about the Phillies, how they are doing, and where they are going. I always love a phone call to talk about the Phils, and it's nice to take an off day to take a breath and look at everything that has been going on and what is coming up. Call anyone who is willing to talk, but if you call me, you may either get some inside blog information or even get mentioned in here. (!!!)
- Just sleep. The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner game day comes again.
- Read this. Bean usually keeps me on my toes and makes me update every day

Tomorrow I'll talk about the series coming up with the Mets. One of the least important series we'll ever play against them.