“The scandals of Richard Nixon were followed by the ineptness of Jimmy Carter, but Ronald Reagan brought dignity back to the office. Now the scandals of Bill Clinton have been followed by the ineptness of George W. Bush, and we are waiting for the man who will again raise the office of the presidency to its rightful dignity. Perhaps Barack Obama is that man.”

Maybe. I did notice that the sky had not fallen overnight when I left for work last Wednesday, so at least there’s that…

What’s even more classic was the post-game ceremonies. You gotta understand, we’ve had our hearts broken for so long that we crave our time to cheer. We love our teams so much that we hate the players on those teams that make the teams look bad. (Exhibit A: Terrell Owens. Exhibit B: Eric Lindros.) On the other hand, true heroes are untouchable. (Exhibit A: Dick Vermeil. Exhibit B: Rocky.) So you can say we’re passionate about our teams and we pretty much will hoard attention to them. This explains the booing when Bug Selig stepped up. The man who interrupted Cole Hamel’s great game. Doesn’t matter if we still won, boo the guy! Charlie Manuel, class act that he is, offered a congratulatory note to the Rays for what was, without a doubt, a great five games. Even more boos. Doesn’t matter if we won, doesn’t matter if they were (besides game four) all close games, boo the losers! The crowning moment was when a pack of fans drove down I-95 a few miles to Delaware (yes, out-of-state) for the sole purpose of heckling the Rays players as they walked from their hotel to the buses.

It’s not all bad. The fans saved their loudest cheers for Charlie Manuel, who, barring a meltdown of epic proportions, should ascend to the ranks of “hero” in Philly for the rest of his life. Even watching some of the pre-game interviews on the local Fox affiliate (”Kalas on Game 5″) the fans were chanting for the play-by-play radio announcer. You can’t make this stuff up.

Philly has finally forced the sporting world to give us the respect we’ve deserved for so very long. That means you, Ken Rosenthal. That means you, too, ESPN - “Rays in 5. Well, okay, Rays in 6. No? Maybe Rays in 7. Doesn’t matter, Philly will never win.” Do you hear that sound? That’s the sound of a city of 3 million laughing at you right this very second. This is our night, our weekend, our team, our city, and, finally, at long last, our trophy.

Do you notice, every morning, how it’s a little more comfortable when you step outside? How it’s always a little cooler in the evenings than it was the day before? Have you caught yourself waking up at 3 in the morning and thinking, “Man, I should turn that AC back tomorrow,” before pulling the covers up a little higher?

Do you see it?

Do you notice the trees, how their leaves are starting to turn a little more pale, a little drier, every day? Have you noticed the condensation on your windshield when you leave for work? Have you discovered that every morning, it’s a little darker out when you leave, and how, when you come home, the sun’s not quite as high in the sky as it was the day before? Have you looked up at the clouds lately and thought, “Those clouds look exactly like the clouds before a snowstorm”?

Do you hear it?

Have you stopped recently to listen to the bees and other bugs buzzing, only to find they’re not buzzing so much anymore? Have you heard how even the crickets at night seem to sing a little deeper, a little more subdued? Have you heard the breeze in the trees, how it sounds a little crisper, a little harder?

Do you get it?

Football season has started. NFL training camp’s closed, preseason’s under way. High schools are lining up and starting practices. Fantasy leagues are forming now. And you’re reading one happy blogger, because the drought of summer is over, and now is the time when large sweating men strap on pads and helmets and meet on the field of battle to knock each other silly for three and a half hours.

It doesn’t get better. The commercials have already started. I laughed myself silly at Subway last week - perhaps you’ve seen the commercial. Perhaps, like me, you saw the punchline (”…because your Monday morning can’t touch this…”) coming from a mile away, complete with bells, whistles, and fireworks to proclaim it’s pending arrival. And perhaps, like me, you laughed hysterically anyway. Then, perhaps, you remembered all the great “It must be Football Season” commercials from Southwest Airlines, like the “I’m open” one or the fieldgoal-kicking shoe customer. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

Fall’s coming. Football’s coming. Are you ready?

1. Title: Strength For Today
   • URL: http://strengthfortoday.wordpress.com
   • Author: Diane Heeney

Diane and 200 or so more bloggers connected to Bob Jones University can be found at The List.

I’d update on my life but nothing’s really all that interesting by way of updates. The New Roomie (the previous Roomie up and got married, which would have strained the current living situation a little) upgraded himself to a 32″ Samsung and a PS3, which means CoD4, Blu-Ray, and digital TV. Neither he nor I are particularly interested in DirecTV or anything we have to pay for, really, so we’re sticking with broadcast for now…when we actually watch it.

So, blogs. Got another four to add to The List: the husband-wife tag-team of Matt and Lee Jury, Mark “The Immovable Object” Smith, and Brian “The Irresistible Force” Buda.

1. Title: EvidentLee
   • URL: http://evidentlee.wordpress.com/
   • Author: Lee Jury
2. Title: Life is Worship
   • URL: http://lifeisworship.wordpress.com/
   • Author: Matt Jury
3. Title: budaful music
   • URL: http://budafulmusic.edublogs.org/
   • Author: Brian Buda
4. Title: Just Cognitizing
   • URL: http://www.justcognitizing.blogspot.com
   • Author: Mark Smith