Finally!

It only took 28 years. Finally, thank God, we won it all. Think of it this way, no matter what happens for the next five years, WE WON A WORLD SERIES. A Mets fan tries to bash the Phillies...Yeah, that's great, WE WON A WORLD SERIES. The bottom line is that everything after this is gravy for at least five years, hell maybe ten years considering its Philly. The Phillies won the World Series and they did it as a team. Role players like Carlos Ruiz and Jayson Werth carried them to the championship. Guys like Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins, and Pedro Feliz had huge hits and even the big names came through when it mattered. Perhaps the most fitting moment of the 5 game series occurred when the maligned LF Pat Burrell, the longest tenured player on the roster came up to the plate in a key at bat with a huge insurmontable 0-13 line hanging over his head to that point. Pat the Bat, Manchine, PtB, whatever you want to call him came through and came through huge. He absolutely hammered a ball 400 feet to straight center. Off the bat it was a homerun on any other night. Unfortunately for Pat the wind was blowing straight in from Center. That didn't matter so much as Pat got every bit of that ball and got just enough to bank it off the wall for a standup double. Like clockwork, Burrell was lifted for a pinch runner and his Phillies career had its final moment. The pinchrunner ended up scoring the winning run for the clinching game of the World Series as Pat stood with tears in his eyes in the dugout. Pat did his job and helped his team, his only professional team, go ahead for the last time. After season after long season of losing, this victory had to be sweetest of all for Pat. And sweetest of all: WE WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

Phillies Prove Existence of Merciful God

With the entire world against them, the Phillies dominated a young Tampa Bay Rays team for most of the night yet went into the bottom of the 9th with a 4-4 tie game. The Phillies had been up 4-1 in the 7th when an absolutely brutal call on a play at first base changed the entire complexion of the game. SP Jamie Moyer made perhaps the most impressive hustle play in the history of the franchise only to see a botched call by 1B umpire Alex Halion steal his spot in history. Watching this game was an exhausting experience to say the least. Our big names continued to struggle for much of the game but heroes come from unexpected places. A 45 year old starter dominated a young opponent. A defensive replacement in the much-maligned UT Eric Bruntlett came through in a crucial situation in the bottom of the 9th on the bases. C Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz continued his bid for an MVP Trophy after batting a utilitarian .219 during the regular season. The Phillies are beginning to have the feeling of a team of destiny this October as they continue to find ways to win despite somewhat lackluster performances by their big stars. Tomorrow has SP Joe Blanton facing off against the young SP Andy Sonnanstine for the Rays. The road to winning the World Series is now looking clearer for the Phillies. Blanton will be on the mound and Ace Cole Hamels will pitch a possible clinching Game 5 on Monday.

One Down...Three To Go

SP Cole Hamels dominated on the national stage and he is now finally being talked about as an Ace Starter by the national media. This attention and respect is long overdue for Hamels. Hamels is the best left-handed pitcher to wear a Phillies uniform since Carlton and easily the best Phillies pitcher since Schilling. He's eccentric, moody, arrogant and picky. He's also a dominant player not even in his prime yet. At 24 he's still getting better each year. This season he was already a Top 5 pitcher in the National League. If he stays healthy, always a concern with Cole, then he will be a Cy Young contender every season for years to come. So far he's 4-0 with a sizzling 1.55 ERA in the Postseason joining the ranks of other elite players who raise their game to a different level in October. Cole won us Game 1 and there are 3 more to go for the first Championship in 28 years. Game 2 is tonight at 8:35 PM.

Phillies In World Series

So the Phillies are in the World Series for the first time since I was twelve years old and it still doesn't feel real. I haven't posted on this site in a few months as I've been so busy with so many other things in the real world including a new job, moving and other annoyances. The Phillies won the Pennant. Let's repeat that: The Phillies Won The Pennant! That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? So no matter what happens in the next week, the Phillies will be putting a banner up next season. The only question is whether it will be the franchise's 2nd World Series banner or 6th National League Pennant. The Phillies will be facing the upstart Tampa Bay Rays, a team not expected to really compete this season but one that turned out to dominant the toughest division in baseball for most of the year. I personally picked the Rays as my team that would compete this year but be unstoppable next sesaon as all their young talent got a little older. So I was off a year, I suppose. Of course, no one else in the world, including the Rays themselves, thought so either. The Phillies would probably have matched up better with the Red Sox but that's life. The Rays have great young pitching, underrated young players, and a decent bullpen. All in all it should be a hell of a series. The Phillies will come down to three players on offense: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. They are the heart and soul of this team and have been so for the past four seasons. If those three show up and play like they can play, the Phillies can win. If they go 3 for 27, then we're in trouble. We've got the pitching, we've got the bullpen and we've got great role players like Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. If the heart of this lineup hits like it can hit, then we can win. It'll all be over in the next 10 days.

Go Phillies!