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What can I say?  It was right here in the September 30^th 2008 edition of The Knight’s Roundtable that I boldly went where no one seemingly was ready to go…..

And I quote:  “Yes the Phillies have a team that is capable of winning it all; many of the pieces are in place.  But call it a, “feeling” or a, “vibe” on my part..... I really think that a parade down Broad Street in Philadelphia just might be coming in November.”

Ok, ok…. So I was off just a little bit… I missed it by ONE DAY.  The actual parade itself went right down Broad Street last Friday on October 31^st.

For this Phillies Phan…. The roughly 8 weeks of September and October were just pure magic.  From the infamous bases loaded double play against the Nationals that locked up the National League East, to Brad Lidge striking out Eric Hinske to clinch only the 2^nd World Series in 136 years of Phillies baseball… I’m not sure it could have been scripted much better.

Yes, I had my “feeling” and my “vibe” but I never could have predicted that the Phillies would go an astonishing 11-3 in the playoffs.  While many of the games were close, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies not only won a World Series, but were dominant in doing so.

Phillies fans like me know how foreign that entire concept is!  In fact, the following is a sentence that I never saw myself typing in this lifetime:

The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in DOMINATING fashion.

Wow.

Last Friday I did a story that aired on CBS 21 about how tough it was to find Phillies Championship gear.  All of the local stores were completely SOLD OUT.  I really wanted the official locker room hat that all the players proudly wore upon winning the Championship. 

I won’t get a World Series ring like the players do, but in my mind, that official hat was the “poor man’s” Championship ring and I was bound and determined to get one… and get one fast.

I finally managed to track one down, and was so excited that I just had to have a photo snapped of me wearing it nearly on the spot.

Once again… a picture is worth (Werth?) a thousand words….

I’m a Phillies fan (or “phan” as I like to think of myself) therefore I am always waiting for the proverbial “other shoe” to drop.  Things might go our way for a while, but I know that the inevitable heartbreak is always lurking around the next corner.

The Phillies are the second oldest franchise in baseball history.  It was in 1883 that the Phillies began representing the city of Philadelphia’s baseball hopes and dreams.  Count ‘em up… that’s 125 years of rich baseball history… except for one tiny little fact.  The Phillies history ain’t all that rich… in fact it’s wrought with futility (or phutility if you will).

No professional sports franchise has lost more games than the Philadelphia Phillies.  They have managed to lose over 10,000 baseball games.  Yep, that’s not a misprint…TEN THOUSAND.

125 years of Phillies baseball and ONE lone world championship.  That’s right, just one.  There were generations of Phillies fans from the late 1880’s and in the early 1900’s that never lived to see that magical season of 1980. 

I’m one of the lucky ones I suppose.

I was born in 1970, and the Phillies swindled me.  Growing up in Lancaster County, I naturally gravitated toward the Phillies, and it didn’t hurt that the gravitational pull came just as I was beginning to develop my love for sports.  1976 to 1983 was the greatest era of Phillies baseball…. 5 Division crowns, 2 pennants, and their only World Series Championship.

I was a 10 year old 5^th grader on the night of October 21^st, 1980.  I can still remember exactly where I was and the “lucky” Phillies hat and shirt that I was wearing when Tug McGraw (my favorite player on the team) struck out Willie Wilson with the bases loaded to clinch the World Championship for the Phillies.

Here we are now in 2008, and for the first time in over 25 years the Phillies are going to the playoffs for a second year in a row. 

Last year I was just happy to see the Phillies end a 14 year playoff drought, and I get the impression that the team was too.

It seemed like there was so much focus on just getting in to the playoffs that they forgot to show up once they got there.  The Colorado Rockies dumped my Phillies in 3 straight games.

I know that I should know better, hasn’t 125 years of phutile history taught me anything?!  But I really feel like this might be our year.

The Phillies have a tremendous lineup that features the last two National League most valuable players, and Ryan Howard just might win it again this year.  The Phillies can certainly score runs and would you believe that their bullpen has actually been strength?  Phillies closer Brad Lidge isn’t being talked about as a legitimate M.V.P. candidate, but he should be. 

All “Lights Out” did this year was be absolutely perfect.  He was an incredible 41 for 41 in save opportunities and is the owner of the greatest season a Phillies reliever has ever had.

Starting pitching (as always) is a slight question mark.  But if either Cole Hammels or Brett Myers can get hot in the playoffs, it would go a long way toward a Pennant.

I think that the American League will be represented by either the Red Sox or the Angels, and on paper the Phillies are overmatched by both of those teams.  But Championships aren’t decided on paper; go ask Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Yes the Phillies have a team that is capable of winning it all; many of the pieces are in place.  But call it a, “feeling” or a, “vibe” on my part…. I really think that a parade down Broad Street in Philadelphia just might be coming in November.

I fully realize that I will most likely look back on this blog in about a week and feel like I should go straight to the nearest tattoo parlor to have the word, “sucker” inked on to my forehead.  But, I’m a fan, and that’s what truly diehard fans like me that bleed Phillies red do!

If you don’t believe that the Holiday season really brings out the best in your fellow man, you weren’t in my neighborhood this past Sunday afternoon.

We live in New Cumberland, and one of the neat traditions in our town is the annual visit from Santa Claus as he rides high atop the borough’s fire truck.  Every year around Christmas, the normal quiet of our street is suddenly shattered by a massive blast of the fire siren and immediately all of the young ones in our neighborhood drop what they are doing and race outside to give Santa a wave as he slowly rides by.  The volunteer firefighters ride along on the outside of the truck and serve as Santa’s helpers and they always take the time to hand out a small hand wrapped package to each child.

In all honesty, I could post an entire blog on what these volunteer men and women do year round.  Is there a better way to serve your community than being a volunteer firefighter?  I don’t know if there is a more selfless act of volunteerism for your Community than to literally risk your life in the name of service and safety for your fellow residents.

What they do during the Holidays is an admirable gesture any year, but they went well above and beyond the call of duty in 2007.

Last week, it was announced that Sunday afternoon would be the time that the New Cumberland volunteer fire company would bring Santa to the streets for his yearly visit.  But when Sunday arrived, there was just one really big problem…… the weather.  As you know, the weather this past Sunday was just absolutely miserable.  I glanced out the window around Noon and it was dreary, windy, and there was a hard and driving windswept rain.  I thought about the scheduled annual visit from Santa and figured that they were probably going to have to either try to reschedule for Christmas Eve (never easy) or just skip this years visit altogether.

Beyond that, I didn’t give it much thought…… until about 2:30 when suddenly there was a huge bellow from a fire truck siren.  I glanced out the window to see that not only was it still raining, but raining even harder.  “You’ve got to be kidding me” was the only thought that was going through my mind. 

Normally it seems to take about four or five hours for my two boys to get their shoes, coat, and hat on…… when that siren went off, it only took them about 10 seconds.  They waited patiently by the front door until the fire truck got to our house and then they dashed outside in to the pelting raindrops to wave to Santa and get their gift from one of the firefighters that was serving as one of Santa’s elves.  Here these volunteers were, on a long Holiday weekend that most folks were spending with their family and friends, giving their time to bring Santa around to every house in the borough during a driving rain storm.  They were all absolutely soaked, and with rain dripping in torrents off their caps, they gave my boys a smile, a small gift, and wished them Merry Christmas.

Not only do these men and women volunteer year round as firefighters, but this was the kind of dedication and service that is rarely seen, and it was all done for little or no recognition.  Suddenly I got the idea to go grab my camera and snap a picture of them as they were riding past my house.  I know it’s not much, but it occurred to me that a picture and a public thank you on our CBS 21 Community website would be my own little way of saluting these truly Hometown Heroes.

So here’s a sincere tip of the cap to the New Cumberland volunteer firefighters for their dedication to the community.  By braving the elements to bring smiles to all of the borough children yesterday, they reminded me of exactly what the fellowship of the Holiday season is all about.

Nice job guys.

As Tom Petty once sang, "The Waiting is the hardest part......."  That's the way I feel every Summer.... waiting...... waiting..... waiting....... sometimes it feels like it will never get here, but when it finally does, I feel like a kid again on Christmas morning.

Football season is BACK!  The NFL gets going this week, and thanks to my annual purchase of the NFL Sunday ticket satellite package, my next 17 Sundays are spoken for.

Thankfully, the College football season got started a week earlier then the NFL, and the first slate of games is already in the books.  All I can say is that I sure wouldn't want to be a Michigan fan!  Did you hear that Jaime Meyers?

There is nothing like the first game of the year in Happy Valley.  It's the first tailgate, and that first Nittany Lion frank that's cooked under the large shadow of Beaver Stadium always tastes awesome.  It's also our first chance to get a look at the latest edition of the Nittany Lions.  I have questions about both their offensive and defensive lines, but overall I think this is a good team that has a chance to be a great team.

Granted, Florida International is a sad excuse for a football team, but my first impressions of the 2007 Lions are mostly favorable.  It's hard to grumble when the final score is 59-0, but despite the 59 points I thought the offense looked a little sluggish at times.  Anthony Morelli threw for nearly 300 yards, but he wasn't totally in synch with his wideouts.  If he would have been a little more sharp, he would have thrown for 500 yards.

I have no complaints about the defense.  Linebacker U might have it's best set of linebackers ever..... and that's saying something.  They have a chance to be a shut down defense, we'll see how it plays out.

It was also an extra special day for me because it was my son's first trip to a Penn State game.  He just turned 7, and I made the executive decision that he was now old enough and had enough interest and patience to deal with the all day affair that is a Penn State game.

We were blessed with terrific weather, and the two of us tailgated, tossed the football around the parking lot, and then made our way up to section WBU on a perfect sun splashed day.  I know that Florida International was totally overmatched, but it's still fun to watch your team win.  Just ask all of those Michigan fans that left their home opener with tears streaming down their cheeks...... Did you hear that Jaime Meyers? 

Here's some pictures of our day: 

The Penn State Blue Band-

The Lions huddle-

The student section "S" -

A great day to be Penn State fans-

A couple of months back I blogged about the death of Boston lead singer Brad Delp.  Within the context of that blog I stated that in my opinion Boston's "More Than a Feeling" was one of the top ten rock songs of all time.

A reader from Lemoyne that remembers me from my days as a local disc jockey on the old Solid Rock 92-7 Starview commented that a list of what my top rock songs of all-time actually are would make for a good blog topic.  

It was flattering to hear from someone who still remembers me from my local radio career and the days of my, "mullet."  I also figured that compiling such a list would actually be a lot of fun.

 Me...... "back in the day"

  An old Lancaster Newspaper ad 

I enjoyed doing it, but it was also a challenge.  Go ahead... try it.  Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and try to write down the definitive top 25 rock songs of all time.  For me the challenge was (as Bob Seger once sang) "What to leave in, what to leave out."

I decided to establish one very important rule for my list.  I would only include songs that were released during my lifetime, therefore anything prior to 1970 would not make the cut.  I guess I just didn't feel like having to tax myself with the debate over whether or not artists like Dion, Del Shannon, the Supremes, or the Miracles belong in a top 25 "rock" songs list.  To me, I define most of the 50's and 60's stuff as "oldies."  Therefore, I came up with the "1970 rule."  Also, just to be clear, this is not a list of my personal favorite top 25 rock songs of all time, that list would look different.  This is a list of songs that I feel are the true heavyweights of the genre, regardless of my personal opinion.

I took several criteria in to consideration while compiling this list, including popularity of the song, frequency of radio airplay over the years, the songs impact, and the general impact of the artist as a whole.

Don't agree with my list?  Want to go upside my head with an Elvis or Motown 2 x 4?  Wondering how a list like this could omit the Doors, the Police or R.E.M.?  Not happy about not seeing "Fantasy" from Aldo Nova make the cut?  I would love to hear your comments, that's what lists like this are all about.

For better or for worse, here we go...... 

25. Baba O’Riley – The Who 1971

This is a song that is often (and incorrectly) called “Teenage Wasteland” thanks to its chorus.  The song comes from their 1971 effort Who’s Next, an album that many consider to be The Who’s best.

24. “We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions” – Queen 1977

From it’s “stomp, stomp, clap” beat during We will Rock You, to the soaring vocals of the late great Freddie Mercury on We are the Champions, these two songs played back to back epitomize everything that made Queen one of rock’s most influential bands.

23. “Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac 1976

For a period of time in the late 1970’s, Fleetwood Mac was the biggest act on the planet.  The first song released from their 1977 album, Rumours propelled the album to spending 31 weeks at the top of the charts.  To date, Rumours has sold almost 20 million copies, and counting.

22. “Creep” – Radiohead 1992

The first of two “grunge” era songs to make the chart, this was the first Radiohead single to receive wide airplay.  “Creep” put British band Radiohead on the United States map.  For a time Radiohead was perceived as a one hit wonder, but the 1997 album Ok Computer became a huge critical and commercial success.  More success came in the new millennium with the albums Kid A and Amnesiac.

21. “American Pie” – Don McLean 1971

This classic American sing along traces much of the history of rock n’ roll and was inspired by the events of February 3^rd 1959, a day that McLean penned as “the Day the Music Died.”  On that day, young rock stars the Big Bopper (J.P. Richards), Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly all lost their lives when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in to an Iowa cornfield.  Over the years there has been much debate about the meaning of McLean’s lyrics.  In a recent interview he coyly stated, "The song was written as my attempt at an epic song about America, and I used the imagery of music and politics to do that."  Let the debate rage on.

20. Piano Man – Billy Joel 1973

This song is based on real people from a bar that a young and struggling Billy Joel played for free.  His first major hit, it is still considered his signature song.  Released in 1973, “Piano Man” remains popular as it is still listed as Billy Joel’s top seller in the online iTunes music store.

19. Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf  1977

The best known song from Meat Loaf’s classic Bat out of Hell album.  This is a tune that everyone that has been in a long relationship can relate to and features a guest appearance by legendary New York Yankee Phil Rizzuto.  Bat Out of Hell still sells about 200,000 copies per year and has sold an estimated 40 million copies worldwide, 16 million in the US alone.

18. . Enter Sandman – Metallica  1991

With one song and one album, Metallica went from a band with a loyal but relatively small following, to a world wide commercially succesful sensation.  From the self titled or “Black” album, Enter Sandman tells the grim tale of a young child who fears falling asleep and the nightmares that come.  To date, the “Black” album has sold 15 million copies worldwide.

17.Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd  1979

From the concept album, The Wall this song helps tell the tale of the of a rock star that is slowly going insane and building a wall inside of his head between himself and reality.   According to Rolling Stone the lyrics came from Roger Waters' experience when he was injected with tranquillizers for hepatitis by a doctor prior to playing a Pink Floyd show in Philadelphia on the band's 1977 tour for the Animals album. "That was the longest two hours of my life," Waters said. "Trying to do a show when you can hardly lift your arm." The experience gave him the idea which became this song.

16.Miss You – The Rolling Stones  1978

Admitedly, a lot of the classic Stones material came out prior to 1970, but this song is one of their best.  From the album, Some Girls it was the first Rolling Stones single with prominent disco influences that reflected the pop culture of the late 1970’s.

15. Dream On – Aerosmith  1973

It’s hard to believe, but when this song was first released in 1973, it went nowhere on the chart, not even cracking the top 50.  That was most likely a result of the fact that it comes from Aerosmith’s debut album and the band was relatively unknown at the time.  Re-released in 1976, it stormed up the charts and made the top 10.  One of the first hard rock, “power ballads” and still one of the best.

14.One – U2  1991

You could argue the case for several U2 songs to make this chart, but in my mind this is U2’s best effort.  U2 was on the brink of breaking up when the band rallied around a riff The Edge was writing during the recording sessions for the album Achtung Baby.  It inspired the band to write "One," and it changed the band's outlook.  Treat yourself and seek out Johnny Cash’s cover of this song from his 2000 album American III: Solitary Man.  Trust me, it’s one of the greatest vocals the late great Cash ever recorded.

13. Layla – Derek and the Dominoes 1970

Considered one of rock music's definitive love songs, it features an unmistakable guitar opening riff that was played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman.  Layla was written by Eric Clapton about his love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison from The Beatles.  This song became a hit all over again 20 years later when it was a released as a single from Eric Clapton’s famous Unplugged album.

12. Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith   1975

From the bands breakthough album Toys in the Attic, this song was the first one to achieve major mainstream success for American rockers Aerosmith.  The song was loosely based on some of the internal turmoil that was going on amongst the wives of the band members.  Ever since its inception, the song has been a live staple at Aerosmith concerts, and even to this day, the band almost never omits it from the setlist.

11. Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers  1991

Like Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers spent years developing a loyal but small fan base.  That all changed in 1991 with their commercial break through album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  Under the Bridge is a reflection on vocalist Anthony Kiedis’ drug addiction.  It remains their most succesful song, peaking at number 2 on the charts.

10. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC  1980

In 1980 AC/DC was reeling from the death of its legendary lead singer Bon Scott.  The band considered breaking up, but ultimately decided to continue after hiring Brian Johnson as new singer and lyricist.  Amazingly the first album from the new AC/DC lineup, Back in Black became their most succesful and an instant classic.  Driven by songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Hells Bells”, and the title track,  international sales of Back in Black ascend to more than 42 million copies, making it the second most sold disc of all time after “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

9. Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who  1971

The second song on the chart to come from The Who’s 1971 album, Who’s Next.  Written by Who guitarist Pete Townshend.  The song famously mixes organs against massive guitar power chords, leading up to an extended synthesizer break into a drum entrance followed by a massive scream.  Roger Daltrey’s scream from Won’t Get Fooled Again is perhaps the most famous bellow in the history of rock music.

8. More Than a Feeling – Boston  1976  

The inspiration for this blog, and for my money, just about the “perfect” rock song.  It features incredible vocals from Brad Delp, stellar guitar work from Tom Scholz, and a huge sing along hook for a chourus.  The most popular of all of the Boston tracks, it has helped their 1976 debut album sell over 17 million copies worldwide.

7. Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses 1988

The opening guitar chord progression on this track by G N’ R guitarist Slash is unmistakeable.  Guns and Roses was a relatively unknown L.A. band until the release of their album, Appetite for Destruction.  Intial response to the album was lukewarm until Sweet Child O’ Mine was released as a single.  It shot all of the way to number one by September of 1988 and propelled Appetite for Destruction to sales in excess of 25 million copies

6. Hotel California – Eagles  1976

From the smash album of the same name, Hotel California is a complex song with themes of addiction, materialism, and the 1970’s Southern California lifestyle.  Known for it’s guitar solos that are performed by both Joe Walsh and Don Felder, Hotel California was a grammy award winner and an overwhelming critical and commercial success.

5. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen 1975

Without question, Born to Run has become the signature song for Bruce Springsteen.  “The Boss” had released two albums prior to Born to Run to vast critical acclaim but with little to show in actual sales.  Both the album and single of Born to Run changed all that.  Springsteen has said that he wrote the song with a desperate feeling to make something big out of his music career. The lyrics are written to a fictious girl named Wendy, and they echo those desperate sentiments: “We gotta get out while we're young, 'cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run.”

4.  Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd  1973

This epics theme was originally conceived by Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins after his steady girlfriend, who realized that the band would always come first, kept asking him questions like, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”  After the 1977 plane crash that killed Skynyrd band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines along with assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray, the song took on mythical proportions as the legendary story of Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to be told to each new generation of rock fans.

3. Smells like Teen Spirit – Nirvana 1991

Simply put, this song changed absolutely everything.  From the seminal album Nevermind, Smells Like Teen Spirit sent a seismic shock wave across the rock music landscape.  It put the sound of the 1980’s firmly in its grave and ushered in an entire era of new music.  With the possible exception of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” I don’t think another single song has ever changed things the way this one did from the then previously unknown Seattle trio.

2 Hey Jude – The Beatles 1968*

* This will be my one exception to my, “1970 rule.”  I just don’t think I can have a top 25 list like this without including a song from the Beatles.  I’ll skirt my way around my rule by virtue of the fact that the song was covered by several artists after 1970, including versions by Elvis Presley and the Grateful Dead.  Originally titled "Hey Jules", it was written by Paul McCartney to comfort John Lennon's son Julian when Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia Powell, were divorced.  Despite being over 7 minutes long, it lasted two weeks at number one in the British charts, and spent nine weeks as number one in the United States, the longest spell at the top of the American charts for a Beatles single.

1.Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin 1971

What?  You actually expected something else to be number 1?  No way.  This Led Zeppelin classic is the undisputed king of kings.  In the history of FM radio, no song has received more airplay then Stairway to Heaven.  Despite pressure from Atlantic Records, the band would not authorize the editing of the lenghty song for single release, making Stairway to Heaven one of the most well-known and popular rock songs never to have been actually released as a single.  The extended Jimmy Page guitar solo in the song's final section was played for the recording on a classic 1958 Fender Telecaster guitar.   Three different solos were recorded with Page agonizing about deciding which one to keep.  It’s safe to say that Jimmy made the right decision.  On a personal note, I was always amazed when I was a disc jockey about the amount of continual requests I would get for, “Stairway” a song that at the time was 20 years old.  Finally it occurred to me that every day there was a new young rock fan being turned on to this song for the first time, and being as blown away by it as I was when I first heard it.  As long as there are people playing rock music, there will be people playing Stairway to Heaven.

Well there you go, for better or worse, my top 25.

I’ll close with a nod to a guy I listened to on the radio every weekend growing up…the all-time countdown king…..  Some of you will know exactly where I’m going with this……. 

”Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.”