Blue Monday

Things That Make Me Happy: Redemption Edition

So, there's probably some important political or social stuff upon which I should be commenting, but...

Photo from the front page of the Kansas City Star

...I'm a little distracted this morning.

Last season, my beloved Kansas City Royals ended the longest playoff drought in professional sports (29 years), and got all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing a 3-2 heart-breaker to the San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium. All-Star
LF Alex Gordon stood just 90 feet away on third base when an exhausted All-Star
C Salvador Perez made the final out of the game, and Royals fans had to bear the pain of seeing someone else celebrate a championship on our diamond. It hurt.

If you read interviews with Royals players who were on the team last year, one thing that jumps out at you is how often they will say the pain of that loss never really went away. It was much the same for the fans.

After taking a 3 games to 1 lead over the New York Mets with their victory in Game 4, then, the Royals and their fans can be forgiven for not taking anything for granted. Last night was an opportunity for redemption, and in astounding fashion the Royals seized it, winning the game 7-2 and capturing the 2015 World Championship.

Follow the links in the previous paragraph to those game recaps, and read some of the other stories that have already been written about the game. For my own part, these are the moments that stuck out...

Pinch-hitter Christian Colon, who hadn't batted in a game in a month, drove in what proved to be the winning run in the top of the 12th inning. Truly a remarkable piece of hitting, in his only postseason at-bat...

"Bam!"

Under normal circumstances, manager Ned Yost wouldn't bring in All-Star closer
Wade Davis with a five-run lead, but given a chance to win a championship right then and there, Yost brought Davis in to pitch the bottom of the 12th inning. Davis (who pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings in the postseason, allowing only six hits and recording 18 strikeouts) did not disappoint...

"Oh HELL yes!"

In perhaps the most fitting bit of redemption, Salvy Perez was named World Series Most Valuable Player...

Me too, old friend. Me too...

There will be more on this topic later in the week, but for now I'm just going to savor the joy. Opportunities to do that are a rare thing in this life, and we should be careful not to rush past such moments. Life is too short, as the next item reminds us...

Requiescat in Pace

Fred Dalton Thompson, 1942-2015

A few hours before the Royals won the World Series, I came across the sad news that Fred Thompson had passed away in Nashville, Tennessee. There will be eulogies galore, of course, because of the truly remarkable life he led.

There aren't nearly enough conservative voices in the public eye these days, so it is especially painful to lose one, especially one as effective as Fred's was.

I'm proud to have supported Fred in his 2008 presidential campaign, and deeply saddened by his passing...

Football Miscellany

As I predicted here, Missouri's junior QB Maty Mauk will not play another snap this season. Just four days after his suspension (which had lasted four games) was lifted and he returned to practice, coach Gary Pinkel suspended Mauk again, this time for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs demolished the Detroit Lions 45-10 in London. The Chiefs are now 3-5, still an extreme longshot to make the playoffs. But a blowout win is fun to watch...

QB Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense had a record-setting day.

Worthy Company, Worthy Cause

2015 x Movember Set

Harry's, one of my favorite companies in the whole wide world (they have a sense of humor, and their customer service is exemplary), is once again teaming up with the Movember Foundation.

If you would like to support a good cause and get a top-notch shaving product, click the link under the image at left. I have already ordered mine.

Well done, Harry's...

Until Next Time...

One of Fred Thompson's best-remembered film roles came in director John McTiernan's 1990 thriller The Hunt for Red October, based on Tom Clancy's best-selling novel of the same name. It is one of my all-time favorite movies, chock full of memorable characters and dialogue. Fred's performance as Admiral Josh Painter might have been brief, but he certainly made the most of his on-screen time...

"Did I deliver the most memorable line in the whole movie? Maybe."

The film's soundtrack was composed by Basil Poledouris, a Kansas City native. It is considered one of his best, most evocative film scores.

Today's send-off is Poledouris's original composition "Hymn to Red October," paired with images from the film's opening credits (including Fred's name in the all-star cast list). Enjoy...