In my head, it played out differently. Lidge struck out Damon to close the top of the ninth inning 1-2-3. Matt Stairs came up and hit a walk off to tie the series at two games apiece. Then, tomorrow, Cliff Lee dominated the lineup one more time, hurling a complete game shutout. And with the momentum on our side, going back to New York, we won game six easily. But that’s not the way it was meant to be, I suppose. Instead, Damon fought off a couple of foul balls in a great at bat, and walked. He stole second, and then third, on a bouncing pick off throw, and a really heads up play (helped by a mental lapse from the Phils). Then, with a man suddenly on third, Lidge stopped throwing that slider because of the wild pitch threat. And the rest is history.

Now, who knows? Maybe, even if Lidge had gotten out of the ninth unscathed, the Phillies would have gone quietly in the bottom and the Yankees may have pulled it off in extras. But there will always be those “what if’s” with this one. This team and these fans will never forget this game. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Pedro Feliz’s home run in the bottom of the eighth was supposed to be the moment the tides turned in this series. But the magic wasn’t quite there for us tonight, like it has been in the past, and like it’s been for the Yankees the past few days.

To win the World Series, everything has to break right. The calls have to go your way. Guys have to step up. And then it takes some luck. And right now, none of that is really happening for the Phillies. But, as a friend of mine and fellow phan said tonight, “Gotta start somewhere, and hopefully that’s with Lee tomorrow.”

Remember, ya gotta be-lee-ve.

Dear Phans,

I was at the game last night. It was cold. It was wet. The game started late. It was kind of miserable in the beginning. The worst part? The phans. Where was the noise? Sure, it was loud from time to time. But we have to be louder. And for those of you who left early, shame on you.

Have you forgotten what this team has done for baseball in this city? How short is your memory? You do remember that we are World Fuckin’ Champions, right? And you do realize that the fact that the Phils even made it back to the the World Series this year is history in itself, right? You do remember 1994-2006, all of those sub .500 seasons, all of those years without a postseason, let alone a thought of a ring. Right? How quickly we were spoiled.

We owe it to this team to stand behind them. Win or lose, they are winners, they are champions. They ended the drought. They brought us a parade in 2008. And they’re fighting as hard as they can to bring us another one this year. The series is not over. Sure, we are down two games to one. We need to win three out of four against a very good Yankees team. But who says we can’t or won’t do it?

We need some of that magic. Some of that magic that helped them win it all in 2008. Some of that magic that helped them beat a hot Rockies team this year. Some of that magic that, a couple of weeks ago, helped Jimmy Rollins hit a walk off double against Jonathan Broxton when we really needed it. Some of that magic that has helped Brad Lidge regain his 2008 form this postseason. And some of that magic that has helped Cliff Lee completely dominate his opponents these past few weeks.

While the magic starts within the team, it ends with us. We have to be loud. We have to stay until the last out is made, no matter what. And we have to stand behind the team that has done so much for the city of Philadelphia in such a short time. We are a fan base that is known for our passion for sports and for our teams. But when the stadium is half-full just because we’re losing, we look more like the fans of those guys in blue pinstripes, not the guys in red.

I’ll be there again tonight. And if you’ll be there too (or even if you won’t), just remember how much you love this team. And how much they need us right now.

Love,

Sam

You may or may not know Gary Vaynerchuk. If you don’t, you will some day soon. He’s the most motivated, hard-working, and inspirational person I know. He works beyond long days, and says he gets angry when his eyelids start to droop late at night. Wine is one of Gary’s biggest passions. He might not always be known for wine, but it will always be where he got his start. His energy and excitement are contageous. Don’t believe me? Watch one of his videos.

I think the portrait highlights both Gary’s serious & playful sides. The green and white in the background represent the NY Jets, the team Gary one day hopes to own. I’ve got a feeling he will.

You can find Gary at -

garyvaynerchuk.com

winelibrary.tv

twitter.com/garyvee

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Check out my first Web 2.0 Portrait (also below), featuring Owen JJ Stone aka OhDoctah.

What do you think of this concept? What can I do to improve upon it?

This is the first entry in a series I’m tentatively calling Web 2.0 Portraits. And this, my friends, is ya boy Owen JJ Stone AKA OhDoctah. I met Owen this year at SXSWi and he’s become a really good friend of mine. What’s great about this photo is that it makes him out to be this big bully, when in reality, he’s just a big teddy bear. He wouldn’t hurt a fly (although I can’t speak for the gun). Owen is one of the nicest, most genuine, and most passionate people I’ve met in this space and he’s been nothing but a friend to me. So the next time you see him at a conference, go up & say hello. He’s not as scary as this portrait makes him out to be.

You can find Owen at -

askohdoctah.com

twitter.com/ohdoctah

iqmz.com

In short:

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More detailed:

I’ve been in NYC & working for a month now. And what a month it’s been. For those of you who don’t know, I’m working as Project Manager for VaynerMedia, a digital brand consulting company started by Gary & AJ Vaynerchuk. So what do we do? We consult for personal and consumer brands on how they can best promote themselves through the Internet. We focus on social media.

I could write paragraph after paragraph about why this month has been so great, but I think I’ll highlight a few specific points to show you why it’s been so special.

1. Working with friends. I met AJ on the first day of school freshman year on the basketball courts. We’ve been friends ever since, even though I left Boston University after freshman year for the west coast. AJ told me to start reading blogs like TechCrunch & Mashable and to pay attention to that “scene.” So I did. I started reading and became engrossed. The Internet is something we all use on a daily basis, but it became a passion of mine. I love what I do. But I love it even more because I’m surrounded by friends. Not just AJ, but Gary, and the rest of the VaynerMedia team. Working with people you feel comfortable with and respect creates an unbelievable environment. I’m excited to go in to work everyday. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to work with friends, but I highly recommend it if you can.
2. The Internet is an #awesomeparty that never ends. There’s a back story to this phrase that’s not really worth explaining. Simply put, being a part of this industry is inspiring & incredibly exciting. It’s impossible to keep up with everything going on in this space. I read a ton, believe me, but I miss out on things. The industry is always changing and growing, innovation happens every single second. It’s truly incredible, and it’s because of all of you! The people in this space are creative,  smart, and inherently social. I’ve already made dear friends (my SXSW people, you know who you are) and look forward to making many more. It’s amazing what I’ve learned so far from each of you and how much more there is to learn.
3. The VMPPL. If you know me at all, you know that I love sports, or anything competitive for that matter. Good thing the VaynerMedia office is full of similar people. We’ve been playing a lot of ping pong lately, and we’re starting the VaynerMedia Ping Pong league, complete with an official Twitter account and stat sheet (wins, losses, points per game, points against, even strength of schedule). It’s ridiculous, but it’s exactly what makes me happy.
4. I LOVE NY. There’s just a lot happening here. It’s a cool city, a place where I’ve always wanted to live. I really liked my time out west, but LA is big and hard to navigate without a car. All you need here is a monthly subway pass and you’re good to go. The city is crowded and fast-paced, just how I like it. With so many different cultures, New York truly is a melting pot. I love my $4 gyros from the vendor at 61st and broadway. I love the very talented musicians who perform day in and day out in the subways. I love people watching as I walk through the streets. And I love how most things are way overpriced (not really). I’ve got a whole ton more to explore here, and I look forward to it.

So that’s my one month update. Life is good. I really can’t complain, apart from missing the people I love. That’s definitely an issue.

If you’re reading this and we haven’t talked in a while, let me know how you’re doing. Find me on facebook or twitter. Email me (sam@samtaggart.com). Send me an IM. Anything… If I don’t know you, feel free to contact me in the same ways and let me know how you’re doing as well. Let me know what you thought of this post, what you think of samtaggart.com, or tell me a joke.

Today is Wednesday, May 13th, 2009. And in two days, I will officially graduate from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Communication. It’s a really strange and exciting thing, to graduate from college. I don’t think I’ve totally grasped it yet. Earlier today, a friend of mine who’s provided me with a lot of valuable advice sent me this:

“Whether you realize it or not, you are a goal oriented person. It accounts for a large majority of your happiness. You completed college and are now about to be a college graduate. As far back as you can remember, that has been your finish line, your goal. You got it. Congrats. My suggestion and advice to you is… set some short term goals. Goals for the year. It’s important to have a direction, even if you are not on a career path. Or even if you are. You don’t want to fly blind with your days and actions. Set goals. And set to achieve them.”

It’s great advice & it’s so true… When you’re little, it’s hard to see past graduation day. For a while, I couldn’t see past high school graduation, let alone college. But high school came and went, and now so has college. And then what? If college graduation was always THE goal, what are my new goals? I came up with a list.

• Become a millionaire. Become a billionaire!
• Buy season tickets to all Philadelphia Sports Teams. BUY all Philadelphia Sports Teams!
• Travel the world. Go to the moon!

Alright, maybe a little ambitious (for now). But it’s a really hard thing to do, to sit down and decide what your goals are in life. Everything in life has been mapped out for me to this point. So now what? Here was my second attempt:

• Be happy. And whenever I find something to whine or complain about or think life is so unfair, just put it into perspective. I hit the jackpot in life. I was born in the greatest country in the world and I have been blessed [I’m not religious at all, but it fits] with two amazing & supportive parents and unbelievable family and friends. I’m healthy. Everyone I know and care about is healthy. I’m a college graduate. I’ve got a fantastic job working with my best friend, in a horrible economy. Life is good
• Work Hard. My mom & dad have been especially inspirational in this sense. My mom has always told me, “Take the time to make something special. And check your work.” Those are two pretty awesome rules to live by.
• Continue to learn. Formal education might be over forever, but education is an ongoing process and there’s a lot more to learn.
• Don’t forget to stop & smell the roses. Life goes fast. And so will this next year and the one after that. Enjoy every moment of it.

So, the list is short & simple. But I like it that way for now. Of course I have more concrete goals. I’d like to buy a dog & a cat. I’d like to own a home on each coast. But what’s important right now is keeping it simple and enjoying the moment. The concrete goals will come. But goals don’t always have to be concrete.

The same friend from the beginning of this post also told me, “You will only say, ‘This is the first day of the rest of my life’ a few times in life. You are on the verge of saying it the first time where it is truly the case.”

So, here we go…