Welcome to the Life of a Phillies Fan

Ahhh, the life of a Phillies fan. Filled with the continuous roller coaster of hope and disappointment, continual near success and then failure, and most certainly not for the faint of heart. Chicago fans? Give me a break there was a team called the Bulls in the 90s - they were pretty good. Boston fans? Even before last year, get outta here - this Patriots "dynasty" has given you your share of parades. Oh yea and the Celtics? I hear they had a pretty good decade not too long ago. Which brings me to the City of Brotherly Love. Home to Mitch Williams and the 93 Philles - Joe Carter's home run still hasn't landed. The Eagles who with each year get closer to the Super Bowl mecca, but can't quite get it done. The 76ers, who led by AI made a championship run in 2001 before waking up to the Lakers and quitely giving way in 5 games. The Flyers, consistently one of the best teams in the East, again much like the Eagles, just cant quite get to the Holy Grail. The last time they came close in 96, Detroit made them look like an AHL squad sweeping them in 4 games. Which brings me back to the Phillies.
2001, 2003, 2004, and now 2005. Every year a ray of hope existed (Each year they're predicted to take down the Braves atop the East), and each year they do a new job of turning every Phillies fans' hope in a more painful kind of grief. 2 years ago, the Phils were neck and neck with the Marlins for the Wild Card lead. So what happens when the Marlins come to town in September? They sweep the Phillies into oblivion and continue on to win the World Series. These past few days have been no less painful - its as if the boys in the red pinstripes had to drop a friendly reminder to the Philly faithful and just how excrucitiating it can be to follow this team. Let's get a quick 5 game losing streak recap. Saturday night in Washington, the Phillies come back in dramatic fashion scoring 3 runs of Nats closer Chad Cordero - one of the best in the league - to put the game into extra innings. They proceed to leave the bases loaded in the 11th and lose in the bottom of the 12th. Then the next day the Phils leave the bases loaded two different times and lose 6-1. Enter the Houston Astros who have won the last 9 meetings between the two heading into the crucial 3 game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils get a break with Andy Pettitte leaving early in the 6th and rally to put the tying run on base in the bottom of the 9th. Charlie Manuel pinch runs Matt Kata instead of speedster Endy Chavez. Rollins crushes a double down the right field line and ties the game? Noooooo. Bill Dancy who has probably never taken a risk in his life holds Kata at 3rd and Chavez looks pathetic while striking out to end the game. Yankees fans complain that Louis Sojo sends everyone? Please we'll trade you Dancy for Sojo. You have to send him there - they need to make two perfect throws - Biggio doesn't have the strongest arm - to get Kata at home. So next night the Phils face Roy Oswalt and take a 1-1 game into the 9th. Billy Wagner comes in so it should be a sure thing that the Phils get a chance to win in the bottom half right? Wrong. A guy who has been second only to Mariano Rivera all season gives walks Lance Berkman - then a pinch runner steals second and third before being singled in for the go ahead and eventually winning run. In the bottom half the Phils get a runner on and Tomas Perez comes within 5-10 ft of hitting a walk off homer - but its not to be. Astros win 2-1. So comes Wednesday's must win against Houston.
The Phils jump out early 3-1 Ryan Howard continues to mash the ball - Pat Burrell's potential 3-run homer to put the game out of reach goes just foul - the storm clouds are brewing. Houston gets to withing 3-2 and in the 6th with Vincente Padilla clearly out of gas Manuel still doesn't pull him a double puts men on second and third with no outs. Mike Lamb BOMB to right Stros up 5-3. Not looking good but with this potential and the weakest of the 'Stros starters Brandon Backe on the mound I'm holding out hope. Bottom 8, well into the Astros bullpen Jason Michaels works a leadoff walk and Chase Utley hits a 390 ft shot - of course its to the 400 ft part of the park....I've seen this before. So Bobby Abreu comes to the plate and I'm praying for a no doubt abouter - please anything but jumping out of my seat just to see the Houston outfielders drift back to right in front of the wall and put away a meaningless fly ball. Whattya know - Abreu, one of the least clutch hitters in recent memories crushes one right into the Phils bullpen catcher's glove 415 ft away. Tie ballgame. Despite last night's letdown, I can live with this - give Billy Wagner the ball for an inning, shut them down and give the Phils a chance to win in the bottom of the 9th. But the Phils weren't done. They proceeded to load the bases and after a Michael Tucker groundout, minor league call-up Shane Victorino comes through with a base hit to knock in the go-ahead run. Ironically enough Dancy decides this is the time to send David Bell from second and he's out by 30 feet...way to go Bill. Still I can live with that, a one run lead and Wagner coming in, maybe those 11 straight losses to the Stros are about to be a memory and Houston leaves town only a 1/2 game ahead in the Wild Card. The Phils well on their way, Wagner has no trouble dispatching the first two batters, two outs no one on. Jose Vizcaino at the plate - not exactly a guy who scares you. He hits an in betweener to David Bell who stays back instead of charging and lets the ball play him - man on 2 out. Pinch runner enters but all Wagner has to do is get the hitter. With two strikes Willy Taveras hits a slow ground ball to short and the speedy outfielder just beats the throw from Jimmy Rollins. Up comes Craig Biggio - this is trouble. But Biggio is absolutely handcuffed on the first pitch - possibly a good sign. Then of course the 1-1 pitch goodbye to leftfield the Astros go up 8-6 and win by the same score. Wagner gets the loss for the second night in a row - this one of the blown save variety - and the Phils drop to 3 behind the Astros in the loss column. Barring a anything short of a miracle this will go down as just another blown opportunity for the championship and playoff starved baseball city that is Philadelphia.