Now, all we can do is wait as the hours count down to Wednesday evening when the first pitch is thrown.
Who would we rather face? Tampa or Boston? That's the biggest question facing us right now. It's a good position to be in.
My question is, will this 6-day layoff hurt the Phillies' momentum? Now that the Red Sox defeated the Rays last night they have a lot of momentum heading into tonight's game 6 match-up and it wouldn't shock me at all to see them take them in seven games.
Just yesterday I was ready to write off that series and had Cole Hamels slated to go up against Scott Kazmir in game one.
Even at that I was still nervous about the prospects of a Philly-Tampa World Series. And, the main reason is the stigma of the Tampa teams. That loss to the Bucs in January 2003 still hurts. And, the Flyers' defeat in game 7 to the Lightning in 2004 stings.
No matter who we face we know it's not going to be easy. It never is for us when it comes down to the nitty gritty. But, finally we have a team that we can embrace once again as they make it to the biggest stage. Look at this timeline here since our last championship in 1983 of the teams that have had a chance to play for it all.
1983 Phillies-lost to the Orioles in the World Series
1985 Flyers-lost to Oilers in Stanley Cup Finals
1987 Flyers-lost to Oilers in Stanley Cup Finals
1993 Phillies-lost to Blue Jays in World Series
1997 Flyers-lost to Red Wings in Stanley Cup Finals
2001 Sixers-lost to Lakers in NBA Finals
2005 Eagles-lost to Patriots in Super Bowl
Notice the pattern? Since the 6-year layoff of championship appearances for all of our teams, otherwise known as The Dark Ages, each team made a trip every 4 years to the final round or game.
The Phillies technically are still holding to that pattern since the 2004 Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2005.
Could the 8th time be a charm? Some point to this being the reverse of '80 and that's why it's our year.
And, the last team in this town to nearly win it all lost to a Boston team. And, the Tampa teams broke our hearts twice this decade. Now, the Phillies will play either a Boston or Tampa team.
No matter what though, we're holding our breath in hopes that Mayor Nutter doesn't put that damn jersey on Billy Penn.
We've become a superstitious lot as sports fans. It happened to the Red Sox fans and the Cubs fans. It's what happens when you go through horrific periods and in this case the worst drought in sports history for any 4-sport town.
A friend of mine told me there's no chance the Phillies win this on the basis of how the NL teams fared against AL teams during the regular season.
As we all know the postseason is a completely different season making the regular season all but irrelevant. For instance, the Angels and Cubs were the best teams in baseball throughout the regular season and look where they're at.
As a Phillies fan I'm fearing the worst and at the same time expecting this team to bring their all.
The crushing last-minute defeats burn inside our minds like traumatic memories. And, the winning moments (i.e. Wednesday night) which are few and far between are what make this journey worth it.
That's what binds us together as Philadelphia fans.
4 years ago the Eagles were our Dream Team. Now, it's the Phillies' turn.
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