If You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Can Dodge a Ball

The link between Patches O'Houlihan and the impending launch of Washington Babylon on Substack

I know this is starting to sound like the dog ate my homework, as I previously gave an ETA of April 15 for Washington Babylon’s debut on Substack and after blowing past that deadline promised to post the first story last week and blew past that one too — but please give me one more chance. There are still a few technical glitches that need to be worked out, which is the main reason I had to push back again, but I’m putting the finishing touches on Story I at the moment and it’s just about ready to go.

Meanwhile, you may be wondering about the headline atop this post and the image below it. If you’re a fan of the movie Dodgeball — and if you’re not you haven’t watched it after taking mushrooms or a stronger hallucinogen, which I highly recommend — you’ll be familiar with the immortal words of Coach Patches O'Houlihan: “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball,” which sets the stage for one one the greatest movie moments of modern times.

So, you may well still be wondering, what’s Patches O'Houlihan got to do with Washington Babylon’s impending launch? It’s a good question, so let me explain. I initially had the following sentence at the end of the first paragraph of this post, which I moved here instead: “So hold tight, barring only a nuclear strike on Washington or my ill-timed demise over the next 48 hours, I’ll be posting the story tomorrow or Thursday.”

That’s still the plan, but since I’m still experimenting on Substack, I thought I’d insert an image after that sentence and the two logical choices were either a photo of a nuclear cloud or of a well-known figure’s untimely demise, and no one had a more untimely demise than Patches, which, as you can see, I went with. I don’t want to give too much away about Dodgeball’s plot so as not to ruin anything for those of you who haven’t seen it, so I’m posting the image below without comment.

OK, I need to get back to work on Story I, but keep your eyes peeled as it will be dropping shortly, and there’s more in the pipeline. Thanks for your continued patience.