Wouldn't you know it, The Royals have come to town and I haven't a thing to wear.
I suppose I can take a break from going into labo(u)r -- don't ask, and no it's not Leopold Bloom's child even though I'd not kick him out of bed since he's slimmed down so yummily -- to bring you this Labo(u)r Day thread concerning the KC Royals and the Oakland Athletics and a baseball game to be played at 1PM. Rich Harden is pitching against the ever-mysterious TBA. Or "TBD" if you're Baseball Press. (Update: KC is throwing Felipe Paulino.) Rumor has it that the hard-throwing Canadian will honor the holiday by replacing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the start of today's festivities with an (I've heard spine-tingling) solo vocal-and-hammer-dulcimer rendition of "Solidarity Forever," so this is definitely a game not to be missed.
With glowing hearts, we see thee rise
The true North, strong and free!
So yeah, it's Labo(u)r Day, the A's have won four straight and they really ought to win the last month of games straight through here and break their own consecutive-wins streak just to celebrate the release of Moneyball, I am just saying. Why not? Four down, 22 to go. Not that I suffer from delusional expectations, but a 26-game win streak would really whet my appetite for 2012 A's baseball and I suspect I'd not be alone in that sentiment 'round these parts. One thing's for certain: it'd be just plain crazy, that's for sure. I'm not even completely convinced I'd know how to explain it if it happened.
Legendary broadcaster Bill King airs his seminal 1965 radioplay "And Bobby Richardson Makes the Catch!" causing panicked KNBR listeners -- lemmings then as now -- to get in their cars and drive into the sea.
Speaking of the King, you better get your asses over to the Facebook page and vote for him in what may be, with the film coming out and his voice being one of the stars of it, his last chance at the Ford C. Frick Award and enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I know Rick Tittle claims it doesn't matter and that he doesn't need the city of Cooperstown's approval to have the view that Bill was one of the greatest play-by-play guys of all time in several sports validated, but that's not what this thing is about at all... sorry, Rick Tittle, I luv ya but you are too cool for school on this one. The point -- regardless of whether we have as A's fans bought into our own sense of hopeless defeatedness and marginalization enough to convince ourselves he'll never get in, so why bother? -- is to do our part to at least make the effort to push Bill over the finish line and into the HoF so the rest of the world can get hip to the Universal Truth of what I wrote way back towards the end of that last sentence there. You know, all that stuff about how awesome and deserving of the highest accolades and recognition -- and yes, that includes plaudits from people other than just the small choir of us A's fans -- we know Bill was and should be passed down to future generations as having been. So please vote if you haven't already, and toss in a few tallies for Ray Fosse -- making his first ballot appearance -- while you're there, as public participation goes through the end of this month. Annnnnnnd....
You'll need those, but I'll have to wait to add them because it's in fact 1AM the night before the game when I am writing this and Billy Beane hasn't called Bob Melvin yet to tell him who to play and where. And least not officially, so Baseball Press can steal and then post the info as soon as Susan Slusser tweets it, anyway.
{{fast forward through the Magic of miraculous Time Travel}}
OK, where was I again? McFly?!?!?! Oh, yeah...
Royales with cheese les Athletiques
And one more thing!
Because it's my favorite song with "Union" in it, that's why.
And the Union makes us strong!