DIANA RODRIGUEZ WALLACH

Pedro Martinez has become a Philadelphia Phillie. Now, you may not think this is significant. But that’s because you don’t realize that Pedro and I have a long-standing history. When I lived in Boston, Pedro pitched for the Red Sox. I watched him in his prime, playing alongside Nomar (ah, Nomahh) and a team that has an uncanny way of making baseball fans out of anyone. Really, spend four years living within walking distance of the Green Monster and believe me you will leave that town wearing a Red Sox hat. (There’s one in my closet. It’s pink.)

Then, I moved to New York. And what happened? Pedro followed me. Started playing for the NY Mets. It was a love-hate relationship since the Mets and the Phillies are both in the National League East division. And while I’m not a huge baseball fan, I am a huge Philadelphia fan. So once again, we were star-crossed lovers, until…

Pedro followed me to Philadelphia.

At first, I was like, “Pedro, no. We can’t go on like this. I’m married.” But how I could ignore his devotion? I mean, to follow me to three different cities! And he’s an injured old-timer now looking for a comeback. You can’t get more Philadelphia (and Rocky) than that! It has to be a sign! We’re meant to be together!

Okay, I’m kidding.

Though the timing of the moves is very coincidental. And it brings me to my next point. While I may not be a baseball nut, I am a crazy football fan. The hubby and I already have tickets for a game this season. (Got them during the five-minute window Eagles tickets were available to the general public. I swear it’s harder to get seats at The Linc for an Eagles game than a Madonna concert. But I digress…)

I’m Eagles fan who owns not one, but two jerseys; a fan who has sat out in the freezing cold to watch a playoff game (4th and 26, baby!); and a general fan of naming my characters after people I like. So some of you might notice that when my WIP comes out at some point in the distant future (fingers crossed!), a few of my characters will have last names that might sound a tad familiar to you sports fans. Ahem, Detective Dawkins—that’s all I’m saying.

And this brings me to my final thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated in my contest last week and who posted my YouTube video around cyberspace. I’m happy to report that Ivy League Sister has personally contacted a Colbert producer! This means that the little inside joke I inserted into my novels years ago, a joke I never really intended to bring to light, has now exceeded my wildest expectations and made its way (almost) to the source.

I still can’t believe it, and I think it’s very cool. So thank you all! Maybe this time next year, I’ll be asking you to decode every name in my book that’s tied to a professional athlete. Now that would be a cool contest.

POP CULTURE RANT: So You Think You Can Dance

How much did you love that Breast Cancer routine? Wow. Really. And “This Woman’s Work” is one of my favorite songs ever. So this leads me to come out and just take sides here—Melissa and Ade are my favorite dancers this season. Melissa, because she’s a naughty ballerina in my age bracket—so I love that a woman who can be considered too “old” for this profession is dancing circles around people. And Ade, because I seriously think he could lift Hulk Hogan over his head and make it look effortless. And when he jumps, it’s like he sprang off a trampoline. It’s sick. Really, the two of them rock. Love this show.