"We Will Be Back"

Image by Brian Wilson Photography via Flickr

Those of you who know me well know that this is a tough day, on two counts. First, it's the first of the roughly 100 days between the end of one baseball season and the next year's spring training. Win or lose, it's a down time for me. I can watch and enjoy other sports on a certain level, but I don't care about them the way I care about baseball; there are no teams or players that I love or hate the way there are in baseball; the ability to armchair-manage, to argue strategy, to revel in the intricate detail of the statistical minutiae and grand history of the game just is not there in any other sport. People who don't "get" baseball or dismiss it as boring are missing out on an unparalleled joy!

But this year, there is a second reason today is a tough one. The Repeat (capital "R") didn't happen. The debt was not repaid. The Philadelphia Phillies - my Philadelphia Phillies - lost the World Series.

First of all, congratulations to the New York Yankees. They and their fans are celebrating their 27th World Series victory in the history of their franchise. They came to the Fall Classic this year determined and driven, and they played like champs. Though I cannot stand A-Rod or Jeter, I have to tip my cap to their team.

But do note my wording: I didn't say the Yankees won the Series; I said the Phillies lost it. The Phils' two victories, both with Cliff Lee on the mound, were played the way the Phillies played all year: like a team destined for glory, but realizing they better not slack off lest that glory be snatched from them. But for the other four games, the Phils played like a team that could barely be bothered to show up. They were sluggish and unexcited. Their defense was questionable (how can third base be left unmanned on a ninth inning play at the Major League level, much less in the World Series?), their pitching was unreliable (Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge, who both dominated last year's World Series, were horrible in their respective outings this time around), and their offense seemed to be stepping into the batter's box without bats. It was excruciatingly hard to watch, and almost a blessing to see it finally end.

The Phillies are still my team, and though I may be critical of how they played in this Series, I gotta say the past few years taken as a whole have been a fun ride: three straight NL East Championships, two consecutive National League Pennants and their first World Series Victory in nearly three decades (and only their second World Series win EVER) is not too shabby a run. This team has a lot to be proud of. They have surpassed the legendary late-seventies Phillies of Schmidt, Luzinski, Bowa, Boone, Carlton and McGraw. They have already been more successful than any other Phillies team in history, and the team is still young! The core players - Utley, Rollins, Howard, Werth, Victorino - all have prime years ahead of them. The veterans like Ibanez and Lee have at least one or two good seasons left in them. And Charlie Manuel may be the best manager the club has ever had; at the very least, he knows how to motivate this particular team. This run is not over yet!

So, yes, it's a tough day today, but it's not a sad one. In his post-game press conference last night, Manuel said, "I'll tell you something, we will be back. As MacArthur said, I guess, we will be back." I have no doubt they will, and I'll be cheering them along the whole way. And I hope the Yankees will be back, too, for the rematch, and so we can finally repay the debt of the 1950 Series - and maybe make up for this year's as well.

Oops - There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant!

The Phillies have won their second consecutive National League Championship by defeating the Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, winning the series 4 games to 1. This is the second year in a row the Phillies have beaten the Dodgers for that title, repaying a 30-year old debt: the Dodgers had taken two straight NLCS titles from the Phils in 1977-78.

Now, it's on to the World Series against the winner of the American League Championship Series, which the Yankees currently lead 3 games to 1. The Phillies are looking to become the first National League team to repeat as World Series winners since the Cincinnati Reds in 1975-76.

Personally, I'd like to see them play the Yankees. The Phillies and Yankees met in the World Series in 1950; the Yankees won in a 4-game sweep. That's a 59-year-old debt that just might get repaid this year as well!

Let's go Phillies!

Phillies vs. Dodgers: Once More With Feeling

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I have really needed this two-day break in the playoffs to catch my breath. The Dodgers/Cardinals, Yankees/Twins and Angels/Red Sox series were each decided in fairly bland three-game sweeps, but the Fightin' Phils really had to live up to that nickname in taking the victory in their series with the Rockies 3 games to 1. The last two games of that series left me wrung out emotionally, what with games going until 2:00 in the morning and leads changing hands right up to the ninth inning.

But the Phils prevailed, and now it's on to LA starting tonight for a best-of-seven series with the Dodgers - a team I have despised from the start of my Phillies fandom. I began following the Phillies as a ten-year-old in 1977. That year, as recounted in Mitchell Nathanson's highly recommended book The Fall of the 1977 Phillies: How a Baseball Team's Collapse Sank a City's Spirit, the Phils won the NL East pennant and went into the playoffs against the Dodgers, and were picked by many sports scribes to triumph and move on to the World Series. It didn't happen, thanks to the team's internal strife and two of the oldest players in the league, Dodgers Vic Davalillo and Manny Mota, who started a two-out ninth-inning rally in Game 3 of that series to overcome a 5-3 Phillies lead. The Dodgers won that game and the next, and the Phillies were eliminated.

A year later, the Phillies again won their division, and again found themselves face to face with the Dodgers. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers stopped the Phillies in four games and again kept them from the World Series. The 11-year-old me decided then and there that I hated the Dodgers.

Last year, when the Phillies and Dodgers met again in the NL playoffs, the roles reversed, and the Phillies finally, thirty years later, saw a measure of revenge. This time, the Phils took the series four games to one, and the 41-year-old me took great relish in seeing them defeat the Dodgers.

And now, the chance exists to fully repay the three-decade debt; to do to the Dodgers what they did to the Phillies in 1977-1978; to, for the second year in a row, stop the Dodgers from going to the World Series. Believe me, I will be rooting a little extra hard for the Phillies to do just that!

Post-Season Baseball!

Image by Brian Wilson Photography via Flickr

We're in the midst of the final weekend of 2009 regular-season baseball, and depending on how your team did, you're either gearing up for the playoffs or turning your attention to football.

For me, this is an exciting time, as my beloved Philadelphia Phillies have won their third consecutive National League Eastern Division pennant, a feat they only previously accomplished in the 1976-1977-1978 seasons. Further, they are the defending World Champions, looking to become the first National League team to win consecutive World Series since the Cincinnati Reds turned the trick in 1975-1976. Those who, like me, are lifelong Phillies fans also know that the joy we feel seeing our team winning is only magnified by the many, many dreadful losing seasons we have suffered through.

I haven't posted a great deal about baseball and the Phillies on this blog this year; my baseball conversations mainly take place on Twitter (follow me: @berutt). However, as the playoffs progress, expect to see a bit of baseball talk here as well - especially if the Phils do well!

I would, however, like to call your attention to a post I made here back in April, on Opening Day, which you can read here. Therein, I made my predictions as to who would win each division and wild card spot. Let's see how I did...

I called the National League like this:

NL East - Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals
NL West - Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Chicago Cubs

Hey - 3 out of 4! The Phils and Cards have indeed clinched their divisions, and while the Dodgers are still battling with the Colorado Rockies to determine which team takes the Western Division pennant and which gets the wild card, they have at least clinched the other playoff spots (The Dodgers are leading in the division by 1 game at this writing.) The Cubbies did finish in second place in their division, but their record was just not good enough this year to grab that wild card slot.

It figures I'd do well picking the NL teams - I'm a National League fan through and through. I can watch American League ball, but I have always despised the designated hitter rule. Pitchers should bat. Removing them from the lineup removes so much of the intricate strategy that makes the game so wonderful. That's an argument for another time, though; let's check the results of my American League predictions...

I called it like this:

AL East - Boston Red Sox
AL Central - Cleveland Indians
AL West - Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card - Minnesota Twins

Oof. I got one team for sure - although not in the right spot; the possibility is there to have a second team, also in the wrong spot. The Boston Red Sox are indeed in the playoffs, but they took the wild card slot, not the Eastern Division pennant. That was claimed by the New York Yankees. The Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, in addition to having the most pretentious team name in all of professional baseball, clinched the Western Division pennant over my pick. The Rangers did finish second, however, so I wasn't so far offbase there. Now let's look at the Central Division, which is still being decided. Cleveland?!? What in the blue hell was I thinking? They're 20 games out of first place, only half a game better than the basement-dwelling Kansas City Royals. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins are battling it out for the pennant, and unless Detroit wins tonight, the potential exists for a one-game playoff to decide the victor.

I also predicted a Phillies - Red Sox World Series with the Phils repeating (an admittedly hopeful prediction!), and that still has the possibility of occurring. The first round of playoffs begins on Wednesday...get your peanuts and popcorn - and rally towels - ready!

GO PHILLIES!