A long overdue tribute to the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

And it happened. As my newly purchased t-shirt says, "Phinally."

After that disastrous night on Monday, October 27th, I had two whole days to sweat out whether or not the Phillies would win the World Series at home, or blow it and find a way to lose the series in Tampa. With the history of Philadelphia sports, it certainly felt like the whole thing was slipping away. It made me sick to think about it.

Then Wednesday finally came and game 5 resumed. The Phils quickly went up 3-2 but managed to give it back, and the knots returned with a vengeance. They re-took the lead and were hanging onto a 4-3 lead going into the 9th inning. Brad Lidge shut 'em down, and when the final strikeout was complete, the city of Philadelphia erupted. The weight of the world was off our shoulders and the wait was Phinally over.

As with the NLCS, I jumped on my bike and headed for the celebration in Center City. I saw friends along the way. When I stopped and hugged Jonny Rashid (my roommate) he said "this is justice!" as calmly as possible about 3 or 4 times in my ear. I almost teared up. I ended up in Center City and it was mobbed with people. It was not pleasant in the least (except for the guy doing pull-ups from the light post 15 feet above Broad Street) until I met up with the one and only John Kopp. He, Drew, and I shared an excellent embrace that I've been dying to have for some time. We just sort of smiled, hugged, and enjoyed the moment. It was wonderful. 

(I'm not too internet-savvy, so here's the link instead of the posted pics...)

For me, that's what it's about. Watching and cheering with my friends. Back in college we all had different favorite teams in different favorite sports. But the Phillies were the team we all followed and love. We watched each others teams together and rooted together. When the Phillies won, it was a top-notch moment for all of us. John Kopp was/is the top Phillies fan, and everyone's favorite, so that added to the equation.

Then there was the parade on Friday. I work right on south Broad Street, so it passed right by. I ended up, with several friends, on the roof of the building, waving at all the players and of course the Phillie Phanatic. It was wonderful. Then there was Chase Utley's speech at the stadium. Only in Philly. I love it.

Greetings from Philadelphia, home of the World Series Champion Phillies.