1980... 2008... Coincidence?? (yep)

I'm a lot luckier than many Phillies fans... I've been fortunate enough to see four of the Phils' six pennants and, best of all, both World Series titles. In 1980, I was a college freshman and every game (especially in the memorable 5-game NLCS against the Astros) seemed like life and death. This championship run was a comparative stroll, as the Phillies went 3-1, 4-1, and 4-1 in three postseason series (not exactly Moses Malone's famous "fo, fo, fo," but close enough) and finished with 24 wins in their last 30 games, a sizzling .800 clip. The catch was that the offense produced only in fits and starts, so it seemed as if the road was much rougher than it truly was. The pitching was the real difference, especially the bullpen.

The Phillies' victory parade will be tomorrow, on Halloween -- entirely fitting for a franchise (and city) bedeviled by so many sports-related "ghosts." Wish I could be there, but instead, I'll be doling out Halloween Mini-Comics to costumed cherubs. This year, I'm giving out both the usual DONALD DUCK comic (this one containing an original story by Marco Rota) and a PEANUTS Halloween special produced by Fantagraphics. Have a safe and happy (and hopefully, not too gluttonous) holiday. I'll be back this weekend with (at long last!) new reviews.