By Roger Cormier
It’s getting autumn-y. The weather is cooler, our pumpkin spice lattes more justified. Fall happens to be my favorite season. The temp is juuuust right, and baseball playoffs, baby. An entire region of the U.S. (New England) is dedicated to it. What’s not to love?
Whenever I hear the phrase “seasons change” — and there is a contemporary commercial for I think Home Depot that plays constantly that says it — there is a specific song that comes to mind, and to me it has an autumn feel. The song of (the) fall is “Seasons (Waiting on You)” by Future Islands. Specifically, their March 2014 performance of it on Letterman.
People change, Samuel T. Herring sings. People do in fact change in late September, October, November from what they were in the summertime. Choked of the freedom to be anything other than the thing, things get more…intense. It’s the postseason. It all comes down to this.
When people change, they gain a piece but they lose one too. You build yourself a wall for protection, but the heart is further away. That ain’t no good.
We need someone to lead us during this time. Someone to symbolize our potential best self during this season. A recent meme reminds us of the time George Costanza shifted to soup mode. Yes, we eat soup during the cooler months, but we can improve upon this. Besides, we don’t want to have a George Costanza Autumn (or Winter or Spring or Summer). We can eat food from a different continent, like, say, South America.
It’s time to shift into a different kind of mode.
Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian restaurant chain. Steak, chicken, lamb, pork, seafood… you name it, they got it if it’s served in Southern Brazil. It’s nearing September 20. Fogo mode.
The thing that to some seems like a coincidence but really isn’t is the following two things:
Eduardo Escobar really, really loves Fogo de Chão.
Eduardo Escobar is on fire right now
Oh there were doubters — you get those when you barely hit over .200 for five months. But Eduardo, as Keith Hernandez reminds you all the time, is a veteran. He knows what time it is. It’s Fogo Time. It’s time to kick ass.
Escobar is more than a Fogo lover. His catchphrase is “Proud of you man.” At least two teams have lovingly teased him about this. It’s so wholesome. He also appreciates the aesthetic quality of teammates’ home runs.
Eduardo also possesses a howitzer for a right arm. I pledged long ago to never take bullets from an infielder to a first baseman for granted. I kept this promise to myself.
Anyway, it’s time. It’s autumn. Hit for the cycle, like Eduardo did. Be something to be proud of. Face the intensity of the fall with your heart open, like Eduardo does. Be your best while keeping cool, while keeping the passion. Don’t hibernate; elevate. Time to go Fogo Mode.
Willets Pod 17: Fogo Mode