phi-nomenal
Well, the most awkward World Series in recent memory ended last night, and while it may have been awkward for many of us, the Phillies and their fans could care less. After all, their victory over the Cinderella Rays marked only the second time they’ve ever won it all. Let’s put that into perspective for a moment. Sure franchises like the Red Sox, White Sox, and Cubs have been viewed as cursed (and some still are), but they’ve all won multiple championships. The Phillies have been around just as long as those teams (over 100 years) and had only one title to their name before last night’s triumph. That makes the Curse of the Bambino look like an inconvenient truth. So if anyone has a right to gripe about their team’s lack of production, it’s Phillies fans. Hell, it’s Philly sports fans in general. They only had to wait 25 years in between major sports titles. That seems like an eternity, considering how much success our teams have had lately. Heading into the 2008 baseball season, we knew the Phils had a good squad. But they were held under the radar due to everyone’s love of their overrated rival Mets. Well, while the Amazins were collapsing once again, Charlie Manuel’s crew quietly won the NL East for the second straight year. Led by a clutch bullpen and the best infield in baseball, they made their way into the pennant chase, but still nobody paid much attention to them. Then, Cole Hamels and Carlos Ruiz turned into a great pitcher and catcher within a three week span, Brad Lidge returned to his once-familiar role of dominant closer, Philly spanked the much-hyped Dodgers, and everyone (including myself) really took notice. And not even America’s Sweethearts from Tampa could stop this bunch of fightin’ Phils-a talented team that became a team of destiny right under our noses. So enjoy, Philly fans. They say patience is a virtue, and in a town with the 76ers and Eagles, your patience has finally been rewarded.