There is no outdoor party more hearty than one deferred by the caprices of Mother Nature and the stupidity of Father Baseball.
Thought they had you, did they?
Because the back end of Charlie Manuel's bullpen will only need nine Tampa Bay Rays outs to short-circuit the inhibition meter, the biggest block party in Philly history should erupt just after Brad Lidge nails down the 27th out of one of the weirdest Game 5s in World Series history. Certainly the longest.
I'm giving short shrift to the weather for Game 5, The Conclusion. It won't be a day at St. Pete Beach, but it won't be health-threatening, either. In fact, after Cyclone Selig, the bottom-of-the-sixth first pitch will be thrown with the temperature in the 40-degree range. No rain. A chilly breeze will blow toward the rightfield corner. But you won't have to lash the kids to their seats.
Just a little more than an hour of resumed endgame, then go party - peacefully, of course. There will be normal late-October weather for the parade. *
- Bill Conlin
