Because Barack Obama Really Needed A Lucky Break

I've talked before about how sports have aided Barack Obama in his quest for the White House. Well, the Senator and sports lovers were reacquainted recently, this time courtesy of Obama's multi-million-dollar major network ad buy to offer one final sales pitch to the American people.

A thirty-minute Obamathon scheduled for 8:00 P.M. EST this coming Wednesday, October 29, 2008 will be broadcast on CBS and NBC, amusingly not on ABC, and will also, it's worth noting, appear on FOX. Why the spotlight on Murdoch's gang? For once it's not their political leanings, but their previously scheduled programming: Game 6 of The World Series.

That's right, FOX agreed to bump the start of Game 6 of The World Series by 15 minutes so Sen. Obama (D-IL) can address America (talk about seeing the writing on the wall!). Really, it's a win-win all around. Obama gets to moonlight in the gradeur of basesball's biggest stage, and FOX gets to pump up its less-than-awesome audience for a series that features Tampa Bay and Philly. Of course, this all assumes there even is a Game 6.

The audacity of a rain delay in Philly.

Going into tonight, Philly led the best-of-seven series 3-1, which meant a win at home and it'd be champagne and cheesesteaks for the Phillies. But you can do the math: winning the series four games to one means... only five games. No Game 6, no fun newscasts, no special anything, just a regular old landmark speech. Laaaaaame.

And, so, with rain falling hard well into the sixth inning and the Phillies up 2-1, the game was ready to be stopped, the tarp rolled out, and the curtains drawn on hopes of a Tampa Bay win, a Game 6, and a media circus at Tropicana Field. Then, fittingly, there was hope!

B.J. Upton singled with two outs! Through the driving rain, Upton took off and stole second. Come on, Rays! Then, Carlos Pena looped a single into the outfield, Upton rounded third, and crossed home. The game was tied! After the inning was over, the rain delay was called with three innings yet to be played. Game 5 lives on! The World Series lives on! Hope, for the Rays, for America, lives on!

It's all scheduled to resume tonight, weather permitting. But the weather, uh, looks not so permitting:

I guess it's not always sunny in Philadelphia.

Well, if not tonight, then Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. EST. World Series to follow.