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The Phillies assembled four of the best starting pitchers in baseball, already possessed a lineup of veterans, almost all of whom had post-season experience including a World Championship. At the beginning, middle, and end of the season, they were touted, even by periodicals and sportswriters who tend to hate Philly teams as "the team to beat" due to their sheer talent. In response, the Phillies won 102 games, setting a franchise record, and clinched their division, home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and even (for a change) had World Series home field advantage due to the National League's (unusual) All Star Game victory. The table was set for success.
So, "of course", after the divisional clinching game, all the air seemed to go out of the balloon: the team 'inexplicably' went on an eight-game losing streak, interestingly allowing the Cardinals to achieve the playoffs - this would later come back to haunt them - and generally went into a funk, JUST IN TIME for the playoffs. To give you an idea of how badly they played in the playoffs, the 7 and 8 hitters hit for about .100, and these two fellows were clutch hitters just a few weeks ago, when it seemed that the team wouldn't lose another game. The 'slugger' Ryan Howard went 0 for about 50 after a very good start and had the absolutely most-ironic moment as he grounded out to end the fifth and deciding game, after he ended the season LAST YEAR by watching a third strike fly past him without taking the bat from his shoulder, and then ignominiously, damaged his Achilles tendon and was unable to even WALK to first base as the last putout was made, and the Phillies lost 1-0.
As a 53-year Phillies fan, I know that they deserved to lose. Not to annoy me or the other fans, but that the arrogance of success drowned out the drive and competitive spirit which had been the Hallmarks of the team during the regular season.
And so we have seen this before, haven't we? On January 20, 2009, many of us witnessed something we had been awaiting for our entire lives, and we were so flushed with success, that we just gave up fighting and are, by any measure, hanging on by a thread where it counts. I hate to do this, but I'm going to quote a line from Mel Brooks' film "Spaceballs": "Evil will always win out over Good, because Good is Dumb." We laughed at the Republicans who were on the ropes and sagging and let them stand up as we went to our corner for some lemonade and relaxation and they not only got back in the game, they are poised to possibly destroy the fabric of almost eighty years of Progressive victories, such as they were. Don't get me wrong: I understand where we are as a country and what threatens us from within. But the few crumbs, the bones thrown to the dogs, are no longer a "given". God help us.
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