Saturday, November 1, 2008

An Open Letter to the Phillies

Dear Phillies,

You guys ROCK! I must admit, I didn’t think you could do it. After the first game of the World Series, I finally let myself believe that you could, in fact, win the whole thing. But honestly, I never really cared if you won. (Although I enjoy the bragging rights.) Lew says I’m about the only person who can enjoy watching a game in which you lose. Not that I enjoy watching you lose, but I enjoy watching you play – win or lose. At the end of Game 5, when we were 3 strikes away from clinching & the whole city was on edge, I thought that it wouldn’t be the WORST thing if you lost because then I’d get to watch you play another game. Of course, I’m glad that you won! Watching Carlos Ruiz man-hug Brad Lidge and watching Ryan Howard tackle them both was so touching.

I’ve got to thank you for playing so well all year. Not only did you play well, but you played well with others. You showed kindness to each other & respect to other teams. I nearly cried when Shane Victorino told the Dodgers’ Furcal to “keep his head up” after Furcal made two errors in their postseason match-up. That’s the epitome of good sportsmanship. Also, each of the players supported one another, through the good and the bad. Ryan Howard, who had an amazing year, had a difficult first half of the postseason…couldn’t hit a ball to save his life. He could have sulked & felt bad for himself. Instead, he reveled in the success of his teammates.

Each of the team members had a shining moment during the postseason. It wasn’t just one person that carried the team. It was the team that carried the team. Pitchers Brett Meyers and Joe Blanton made unexpected (and unbelievably exciting) game-changing hits. Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz really stepped up and took leadership roles when the rest of the team was struggling in the early rounds of the postseason. I couldn’t help but get that mushy feeling in the cockles of my heart when veterans Matt Stairs (pinch hitter) and Jaime Moyer (pitcher) gave once-in-a-lifetime performances. And I was just so happy for Ryan Howard when he got his groove back in the World Series.

The city has been on fire for the last few weeks. Occasionally, I have a twinge of regret that I no longer live in the city & have missed some of the revelry. But I have enjoyed watching it all go down in my quiet suburban home. Actually it’s not that quiet. My darling Lew gets really pumped up when you play. He could be a professional commentator. He thinks the worst is going to happen with every single play, and then is pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t. It’s like the old saying goes – if you keep your expectations low, you’ll never be disappointed. Lew was on top of the world when you won on Wednesday night. He kept saying “Did that really just happen?” Thanks for making this guy so happy.

As I’m writing this – I’m watching the parade on TV. We wanted to come celebrate with you in person, but the train thwarted our efforts. There were so many people traveling from the suburbs into the city, that the trains couldn’t hold everyone. After waiting for an hour to catch the train this morning, watching 3 trains zoom by, and watching the crowd at the Villanova train station swell to over a hundred - we finally gave up & headed home. Here’s a look at the madness at the station this morning…

Although I’m kind of bummed I didn’t make it to the parade in person. I’m glad I avoided the crowds (there’ve got to be 2 million people there) and the cold weather. Plus, I’ve got an even better view of things on my TV (and I get to wear my pajama pants, which I can rarely get away with in public).

Phillies, as I sign off I would like to say - thank you for this awesome ride, thank you for reenergizing this city, thank you for reminding us all what teamwork means, thank you for turning my husband into a loveable maniac, and thank you for the memories.

Forever Yours,
Sarah

1 comment:

Sarah said...

How cute are you? I wish my teams would win, instead of just choking it up in the playoffs (Cubs, Brewers, I'm talking to you!)