Phinally!

"With (Santana), I have no doubt we're going to win our division. I have no doubt about that... So, this year, tell Jimmy Rollins we are the team to beat."

Thanks, Carlos. We really appreciate it. But he's not the only one we, Phillie fans, need to send our thanks to. On behalf of all Phils fans, I'd also like to thank every baseball "expert" at ESPN. On March 30th of this year, nineteen so-called experts voted. Not one of the nineteen picked the Phils to win the World Series.

Then, the 162-game regular season ended and still we had no believers. Again, not one "expert" picked the Phillies to win it all. Then we beat the Brewers and big, bad C.C, one of the teams we had to jump coming down the stretch just to make the playoffs. Then we beat the hottest player/team in baseball. And finally... some recognition.

Still, very few had faith. This time around, ten genius baseball guys voted. Of those ten, only three picked the Phils. Jayson Stark, born and raised in Philadelphia, is a outstanding sportswriter who worked for the Inquirer prior to joining ESPN. So naturally, he picked the Phils. Then there was Peter Gammons, a long-time writer/reporter for ESPN who is well-regarded in his field. But as a dear friend just pointed out, he's a Sox fan. Of course. So, besides anyone who had a horse in this race or a bone to pick with either team, practically no one liked the Fightin' Phils.

And it wasn't just the experts/analysts, either. Every poll on ESPN, and anywhere for that matter, had the fans picking the Rays. Do they not like us here? Did they just really want a "Cinderella?" Whatever the case may be, the general public picked the Rays. Overwhelmingly.

On Monday night, we entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead before having our celebration postponed. I headed home in the rain, miserable. I hopped on the computer to do some homework. Of course, I had to check on how bad my fantasy team was losing first. ESPN.com was still on my screen from earlier and had refreshed itself. The new poll question was something about the momentum changing and who do think will win it all now? Huh? I'm thinking, 'Dude, we're up 3-1, we're about three innings away from the first sports championship in Philly in my lifetime, and these guys have the audacity to ask that?' So I voted. Who do you think got the majority? The Rays, 65%-35%. In fact, my Garden State didn't even pick our home team. Kiddin'?

But I'm okay with all that. I like being the underdog. I think it was a bit ridiculous that the Rays were favored so heavily, but I can't complain now. It sure it sweet proving someone (or like millions) wrong. It's great when the chips are stacked against you to come out and shut everyone up.

I hate to bring it up, but imagine how contagious the depression would have become in the Delaware Valley. I mean, we always lose. Always. In my lifetime, we've gone into seasons expecting to play .500 ball and still been pissed off we didn't make the playoffs. And I was only talking about the Phils. How about Stanley Cups we've lost since Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent? Or how great the Eagles have been in the Andy Reid era. Imagine the bitching and complaining we would have had to suffer through on 610 and 950 every day. Honestly, I wouldn't have handled it well.

In this city, we live and die with our teams. I read an article yesterday about how the losing gets so bad in some cities, that they begin to argue that their city is the biggest loser and that the pain they feel is worse than anywhere else. It was kind of funny to hear someone actually say that. But I think it's true. For a while, we began to settle for being the biggest loser. And that's depressing. I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I guess it was just our time. Plus, Tampa? This is the city that has the worst ballpark in baseball that, on average, held only 51.9% of its capacity. And this is for a team that was in first place all season! It's a disgrace. They shouldn't even play baseball in Tampa. I don't mean to take anything away from the Rays. At the start of the playoffs, I picked them to not only play in the World Series, but win it (I came to my senses before the start of the Series). If Joe Maddon isn't the best manager in baseball, he's among the few best. And if his team isn't one to remember for a real long time, you must have a bad memory. They Rays were awesome, but the Phils were better.

So, thanks again to all the nay-sayers. And goodbye William Penn. Goodbye, Joe Carter. It's difficult to put into words what this win means for the people of the Philadelphia area. Few of us have played professional sports, put on a pro uniform, or been part of a team that won a professional sports championship. But what we've had to do might be even more difficult. We've sat in stands, helpless, unable to do anything but cheer and hope for the best. Jamie Moyer born, raised, and educated in and around Philadelphia said it best, "They lived it."