The "It's Going To Be A Tough Evening" Story

It was an ordinary day.   Friday, October 28, 2011 and the Phils are playing the Astros at 8:03 PM this evening.  Actually...there is nothing ordinary about a day like today!  I have been a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies for...well, for a long, long time.  I have never been a fan of the Astros...so it might be tough to cheer them on tonight.  And, why would I do that you might wonder?  Well...on the cover of this morning's LNP newspaper is a guy wearing a Houston Astros' jersey, holding up his hand and pointing as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship baseball series.  So...what's going on you may wonder.  Well, it all goes back to the early mid-1960s when I went to Millersville State Teacher's College to earn a degree in education so I could be a teacher.  Back then I was a Phillies fan just as I am today, but I didn't have any reason to cheer for the opposition as I do today.  You see...the fellow on the front of the paper today, holding his hand in the air and wearing a Houston uniform, used to be a student at Millersville, just as I was years ago.  His name is Chas McCormick and seven years ago, while a student at Millersville University, he could only dream of playing for a team in the World Series.  While a student at Millersville he became the only Millersville player named All-PSAC East four times during his college baseball career.  After his final year he was drafted in the 21st round in 2017 and signed to play professional baseball.  The 6-foot, 208-pound outfielder slugged his way into a role with the Astros.  He hit 14 home runs in 407 plate appearances this past season and topped that off with two homers against the mighty New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series this month.  After graduating from high school Chas picked Div II Millersville over Division I colleges.  He excelled at the Div. II level and as you can see, has excelled in professional baseball.  He made his debut with the Astros on April 1, 2021.  They evidently knew what they had when they drafted him out of Millersville.  And now...all his former teammates as well as classmates at Millersville will be cheering for him in the World Series.  What should I do?  How can I cheer against a guy who played for my college Alma Mater?  But...how can I cheer against my favorite team whom I have cheered for since I was a little kid playing baseball in Little League?  Do I leave the TV off and read a book instead.  Yeah...right!  I will probably cheer for Chas when he comes to the plate, while cheering for the Phillies the rest of the time.  Perhaps the Phils can trade for him in the off season and I won't have to worry about it anymore.  Here's hoping the series will go 7 games so I can enjoy watching baseball as long as I possibly can.  And in the end, maybe the Philadelphia Astros will be the champs!   It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.