The King of Pointland

Take Me Out

I write to you from a very special place: New Jersey. I'm home for Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Mmmm, unleavened bread . . .

On Passover, Jews participate in the Seder, a religious ceremony combining a festive meal and prayer service. This year, as last year, our family attended our Synagogue's Community Seder. As we were sitting down, I asked my brother, "Aren't we supposed to bring our own wine?" At this point in the story it's important to know that an essential part of the Seder is the drinking of four cups of wine, which recall the four times in the Torah that God promised to free the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt.

"I think you're right," my brother responded. Noting that this would make for a good reaction shot, I waited for my dad to come to the table, and then asked him about the wine. The expression on his face was priceless. He ran out to a local store, and the rest of us first commemorated God's promise of redemption with a cup of iced tea.

Of the seventeen tables, ours was the only to forget the wine. We really are The Simpsons. Interesting note: "Seder" is Hebrew for "order".

This afternoon, my dad, brother, and I went to see the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Florida Marlins at Veterans Stadium. The Phillies will play only 71 more games at the Vet, so this is probably the last game I will see there. Built in 1971, the stadium represents the worst in a style of stadium architecture characterized by concrete, astroturf, and an unholy symmetry anathema to all that is good in the world. Where Camden Yards is Degas's Dancer with Bouquets , Veterans Stadium is the man on the Ped-xing sign. Still, I have fond memories of the stadium where, as a child, I saw my first baseball games, and I'll be sad to see it go.

And what about the game itself? The Phillies lost, 7-3, and holy crap was it cold. The winds blew at 17 mph for what seemed like the entire game, and the temperature was a balmy 43 F. I thought I might die. But I didn't. I did get a keen Phillies cap, though. Look for it this summer on a head near you.