Not moonstruck by lunar eclipse

I just happened to be awake for the total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning so I thought I’d take a look. Unfortunately, the rare event, which hadn’t happened in 372 years, wasn’t visible from the comfort of my home, so I stepped outside onto the back deck for the show.
My first impressions about a rare total lunar eclipse that coincides with the winter solstice:
(1) It’s really cold on my back deck in mid-December.
(2) Rare total lunar eclipses don’t move very quickly at all.
(3) It’s really, really cold on my back deck in mid-December. In fact, it's not fit for witches or brass monkeys.
I snuck out right at 12:30 a.m., looked toward the heavens and saw . . . the moon, doing absolutely nothing. By 12:34 a.m. I was back inside reading some more about what I was supposed to be seeing while I was freezing my patootie off on the back deck.
What I learned about watching an eclipse appeared to be simple enough: Go outside and look up. I did that. Nothing happened.
So I waited until 12:55 a.m., bundled up, went back outside on the back deck, looked up . . . and nothing was still happening, only this time there appeared to be a lot more it.
Back inside I got on the laptop to study some more. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it would have been nice if a cow jumped over the moon or maybe a silhouette of Santa and the team warming up in the bullpen with a couple of moon fly-bys.
By 1:20 a.m., I returned to the deck, looked up, and saw . . . nothing. I didn’t even get a nod of acknowledgement from the man and the moon. By that point, I was convinced that science geeks had made up the whole thing just to get me onto the back deck in my pajamas in sub-freezing temperatures.
Well, the plan worked to perfection. Fortunately, this phenomenon won’t again until Dec. 21, 2094. By then, I will have forgotten this experience and probably fall for the whole thing again.

Doesn't matter who wears No. 34

Cliff Lee vacated the Phillies jersey No. 34 when he was dealt to the Seattle Mariners a year ago.
In his place, the Phillies traded for Roy Halladay, who chose to wear No. 34 as well. All he did with that number last season was win 21 games, pitch a regular-season perfect game, a post-season no-hitter and snag the 2010 National League Cy Young Award.
The guess here is that Halladay will give Lee back No. 34 and pitch next season with a middle-finger symbol duct taped to the back of his shirt.
Because after watching Halladay compete for a year, that’s what he thinks about his opponents, how much he cares about winning and how little I suspect he cares about what number is on his back.
If you were up late Monday night and engaging in social networking, it was indeed an exciting time to be a Phillies fan. I grew up in Chicago Cubs territory, and believe me the Cubbies have never generated as much interest and excitement as the Phillies did last night, unless of course the late, great Cubs Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray had consumed a case of Budweiser during a ballgame.
The Twitter crowd was absolutely out of its collective mind. Rumors started floating through Twitter late in the evening about the Phillies getting Lee and it was equal parts excitement and wariness. Some thought it was just some Twitter shenanigans designed to work the faithful into a lather.
Then word started filtering in from more official baseball media sources that first the Yankees, and then the Rangers, had been informed that they were out of the running for Lee. And the aforementioned lather became a full-blown eruption.
It was a lot of fun to see the immediate reaction of the Phillies fans on Twitter. I was still reading comments until 2 a.m. It’s a great story.
And there’s a whiff in the air that general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. may not yet be done wheeling and dealing.
Given this stunning set of circumstances, at what point today will the Phillies be forced to cut off season ticket requests?

It's May in December

Dan May doesn’t mind working on his birthday. So there he was Saturday night at the sold-out PSALM Salon on his 52nd birthday doing what he loves best — singing and performing.

The non-profit Philadelphia Society for Art, Literature and Music is the brainchild of Jamey Reilly, PSALM chairman. Essentially, he and wife Suyun have turned their living room into a 60-seat entertainment venue for music, dance, comedy, performance art and literary readings, reminiscent of the old-world salons of Europe. (www.psalmsalon.com)
The Blonde Accountant and I have been there a few times — to see our favorite Philly singer-songwriter Dan May — and it’s truly a unique experience. In fact, if it was my house, I’d take the concept a step further. I’d get a big recliner and call it “Mike’s Chair” in which I could sit and watch all the wonderful performers who grace the stage.
We have been Dan Fans (www.myspace.com/danmaycd) for a while now. And we’re PSALM Salon fans as well. For us to be able to see talented artists in a comfortable and intimate setting makes for an ideal date night, although I’d still opt for the recliner option if Jamey offered it, and I would encourage him to do so, but only for me, of course.
There was even a birthday cake for Dan, which he shared with all those in attendance during the intermission and after the show. That’s another unique aspect of the PSALM — getting to spend time with the artists one-on-one.
I would encourage you to explore Dan’s music and the PSALM Salon. It’s certainly a place where you can have your cake . . . and eat it, too.

Happy-happy, Roy-Roy

I spent the better part of last weekend thinking that I did something to hork off Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt. Take a look at the photo accompanying this blog item. Does Oswalt look happy to see me? It’s like I told him his dog just died or something.
The hurler was among the many stars that appeared at a big ballcard show at Valley Forge Convention Center over the weekend. Among the Phillies who attended were Shane Victorino and Ryan Madsen, along with former Phils’ greats Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Pete Rose.
Recently crowned National League Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels were also scheduled to attend in what was billed as an “H2O” event, a nickname given to the Halladay-Hamels-Oswalt starting staff of the Phillies.
Unfortunately, Halladay postponed (and hopefully will be rescheduled in a few weeks) and Hamels canceled his personal appearance but was signing mail-order autographs.
The Blonde Accountant had purchased me an Oswalt autograph ticket for my birthday, so I was among the throngs of autograph seekers and baseball card treasure hunters on Saturday. (The find of the day was a 1967 card of Pirates Hall of Famer Willie Stargell — my favorite player as a kid — for $5.)
My time with Oswalt was brief. The whole thing lasted maybe 30 seconds. The only thing I said had to do with a request as to where he would sign my item. I then lumbered around the table on arthritic knees and a balky back to pose for the picture that you see.
When I looked at the picture afterwards, I thought, “Hey, I took a shower.” Roy Oswalt doesn’t even know who I am. So why does he have the Sad Sack mug?
Then the news broke Sunday evening that Oswalt’s teammate Jayson Werth had signed a seven-year deal with the Nationals for $126 million. No doubt Oswalt prefers Werth playing behind him in right field and providing run support when Oswalt is on the hill.
So I’m guessing of all the things that could make Roy Oswalt grimace, having his picture taken with me likely doesn’t make the list.
But losing a middle-of-the-lineup teammate to a division rival for a mountain of coin could sour one’s disposition.
That, or maybe his lunch just wasn’t sitting right.