Finally!!!!

Last night the Phillies won the world series. It was the first time in 28 years and only the second time in the hundred plus years the franchise has been in existence. I remember the names of people like Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw from the '80 team but I'd be lying if I said I remember any of the games. I'd also be lying if I said that I am a huge baseball fan but this victory has broader implications.

The curse of William Penn has been broken.

Sure, every slumping sports city has a "curse" of some sort, but ours is real. You see, there is a statue of William Penn on the top of city hall in Philadelphia. For many, many years He was the highest point in the city, city hall the tallest building. But then, in 1987, perhaps because the lack of skyscrapers was retarding the economic growth of the city, taller buildings began to appear. One Liberty Place was the first and thus began the "Close but no cigar" saga of all four major sports teams. There have been 7 appearances in championship finals since 1987, but no victories. Until last night.

The Phillies won because of their superior pluck and skill, but Billy Penn had a role in the championship as well. Earlier this year, a small statue of Penn was installed at the top of the new tallest structure in the city, Comcast Center. With His place of prominence restored, Penn has (hopefully) been placated and allowed sporting glory to return. The Phillies victory is tremendously important because it removes the final hurdle to a Stanley Cup and a Super Bowl. Well, a Stanley Cup anyway. To win the Super Bowl the Eagles are going to have to figure out how to cover tight ends on passing plays and also maybe diversify their offense a little bit...

Edit: There more to the win than even I imagined! Thanks, Tug...

India Point Park Bridge is Open

The newly built pedestrian bridge to India Point Park is now open, albeit without landscaping. Some pictures have been posted here, and the ProJo did a brief story here. There's also a blog posting on the Projo site which is interesting because of the comments. One commenter decries the bridge as an example of pork barrel spending:

It's really hard to make it out from the photo, but is that pedestrian bridge paved with gold? Because for $27 million, it sure must be.

This is just one more fine example of pork barrel politics. Everybody in the state is screaming about how the bridges in this state are falling down around our ears, yet DOT finds the bucks to build a gratuitous pedestrian bridge, as India Point Park is freely accessible from Gano and South Main.

The part this person doesn't mention is that the bridge was actually under budget, which is, as far as I can tell, a first for a Rhode Island public works project. I also highly doubt the commenter has ever actually walked to India Point Park via either Gano or South Main. Neither access point is what I'd call "pedestrian friendly." Here's a view of the Gano St. approach. Enticing, no? I especially like how the sidewalks end a few blocks shy of the park. The South Main approach is different, because you could walk through here or here. Not so bad, right? Problem is there's no easy way to walk to either of these spots without crossing this. Rather than bitching online, Mr. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (That's his/her screen name...) should be glad that he/she can now drive his/her Oldsmobile down to the park, Nancy Sinatra blaring, without worrying about all those dumb pedestrians getting in his way.

Another commenter offered this:

I'm not really crazy about the lettering or the signage. The bridge belongs to RI and should have a closer connection. Maybe RI Historic Bay Bridge or something along those lines.

Maybe I'm being picky, but bridges are usually named after a politician or some other noteworthy person. Sometimes they're named for the body of water they cross, or are colloquially known by the places they connect. See, for example, the Newport Bridge (Really the Claiborne Pell Bridge) or the Jamestown Bridge (Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge) or the Mount Hope Bridge (which actually crosses Mt. Hope Bay). If we apply these naming conventions to this bridge, we should certainly call our new pedestrian bridge the India Point Park Bridge. Rt. 195 is clearly not a "historic bay," after all, and I don't recall hearing that the funding was secured by Senator Point Park. Also, arguing that the bridge belongs to all Rhode Islanders doesn't get you very far since the money came from the federal government. By that logic the bridge should be called the "United States Bridge Over A Regional Interstate Highway" or something.

I reckon it's about time to head over that way and take a look at the golden-paved bridge myself...

Da Kine

It always makes me nervous when a sketchy van passes me on the road... and then I get the unmistakable whiff of cannabis. As if we, as cyclists, don't have enough to worry about with folks just being mean or inattentive or whatever, we also get to add "impaired" to the list. Of course, there are always impaired people on the road. I often think that late at night, when I'm riding home from the bar or somebody's house or a show, probably half the people on the road are impaired.

So, what's the difference between the pot smoker and the drunk? Well, from my perspective riding along the side of the road, when the stoner drives past I can smell it. I know immediately what's going on. Of course, I could probably smell a drunk if he was close enough, or drunk enough, but if that's the case I probably have bigger fish to fry. But that's exactly my point. The vehicle passes, I catch a whiff, and then I get the sinking feeling that there, right there, is a person who is waaaaaay more likely to kill a cyclist than the average motorist. The knowledge makes me ill. Funny, no? A drunk dude could roll right on by and as long as he's not swerving all over the road I'd have no idea. He's probably MORE dangerous to cyclists (and everybody else...), but since I can't necessarily tell from afar, it doesn't give me that same "Oh shit..." feeling.

I've smelled the dope cars twice in the last two days. Safety first, Providence!

I walked over to the mall for lunch today and discovered that the decrepit Fuji that was locked to the rail last week is now gone. Maybe somebody cut it down. Maybe the owner returned. Who knows. Regardless, my clever plan to catalog the bike's decline is foiled. I'm hoping the owner returned so the bike can ride on...