Good Morning gentle readers!

One thing I was thinking about yesterday after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy was 1980. Now, in 1980 I was in eighth grade and really didn't know a whole lot about politics. I could, though, do a decent Boston accent.
So, as our school did a theme (did they even use that word then?) on the 1980 election (Jimmy Carter vs. Ted Kennedy in the Democtratic primary) I put my glasses down the end of my nose, did a fake Boston accent and pointed a whole lot. So, in our mock election, I campaigned as Ted Kennedy.
Of course, knowing what I know now, I would have tried a southern accent and carried around a jar of peanuts.
Just think for a minute, though, how different the world would be if you could change that 1980 election.
For some reason (gas prices, recession), the U.S. wasn't in the mood to re-elect Jimmy Carter. He somehow appeared too weak and southernly to run the country (but we elected 'W' twice?).
Anyway, if Carter had said he wasn't running for a second term, Kennedy would have been the Democrat running against Ronald Reagan.
Now, Kennedy certainly had a lot of flaws. What politician doesn't? Anyway, he probably would have given Reagan a run for his money (which is why he won anyway).
So, we never would have had the trickle-down theory of Reagan-omics (we are still feeling the effects of that one). We never would have had Iran-Contra. Probably never seen Bush the elder and, maybe (we can hope anyway), Bush the younger.
Maybe we would already have health care reform. Maybe we would already have worker's rights. Maybe we wouldn't be in another unwinnable war.
Then again, maybe we'd have somebody like Mitt Romney running the country now.
Let's hope it all evens out in the wash.
By the way, they also traded on fear in 1980:

Good Morning as we wait a whole day for the Phillies/Dodgers Game 5!

It's probably a good idea for the Phillies to finish off the Dodgers tonight in Los Angeles. You never want to give a team any kind of life when you have a chance to finish off a series.
Still, it would be kind of sweet to see the clinching game at home Friday night. The final games of the 1980 World Series and 1993 NLCS were both home games. The celebration, unlike those in other cities, was quite civil. There were a few bad apples out there, but at least the city wasn't burned down or cars overturned.
You know, in the grand scheme of things, a bunch of millionaires winning a professional sports title doesn't mean a whole lot, but it does make you feel a little happy to watch your favorite team get it done.
It's a pretty good escape, especially for those of us who had to sit through years of Von Hayes, Wally Ritchie, Todd Zielle and countless other players who just made the summer boring.
So, it's nice to enjoy the ride while it lasts.
By the way, here's how Broad and Locust looked the night the Phillies finished off the Braves to reach the 1993 World Series:


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