The Drubbing

Let me first state the obvious. In the past 25 years there has not been a single major professional sports championship celebrated in the city of brotherly love. However, if you believe the Philadelphia Soul – winner of ArenaBowl XXII – broke that streak this past July I ask you to stop reading now. Jump on the same train that Bon Jovi and Ron Jaworski are riding. Take that train and ride it as far as it’ll take you. Ride it away from Philly and away from me, because if that victory quenches your thirst for a real championship I don’t want you rooting for my team in this most recent edition of the fall classic.

Let me ask you this. Who did the Soul defeat to win ArenaBowl XXII? Think about it, and don’t pull up a search tool on your browser. That’s right. You don’t know. I didn’t know until I googled it. The San Jose SaberCats. Never heard of them? Either have I. Therefore, the ArenaBowl championship means squat. But Philly hasn’t won squat in the past quarter century either, which is my point.

Since 2000, Philly has gotten close. They’ve gotten so close that when a pro team in one of the four major sports reached the championship, the fans (myself included) were blinded by the obvious. The excitement and possibility of winning blinded us all from the reality we soon faced. Each time a team from Philadelphia has made the finals since 2000 (the Sixers in 2001, the Eagles in 2004) they have been overmatched by a far superior team. Shaq at the peak of his career was not going to be denied in LA and unfortunately Andy Reid and the Eagles found themselves paired against the Patriots and Belichick.

Forget all the “what ifs” of the past 25 years. Forget which WR the Eagles should have signed or what goalie the Flyers should’ve acquired. It’s time to think about what’s going on now. The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be playing in the World Series. That’s awesome. A team that deep down inside, not too many people believed would contend. Let alone they made the playoffs and claimed two division titles in back to back years. This seasons Phils edged out the Mets, defeated the previously unstoppable CC, and knocked out the mild-mannered Manny. I like this version of the Phils. I like the fight in them. The small ball they are willing to play and the long ball they are built to play. The starting arms are probably my biggest concern, but not a big concern. Cole Hamels is lights out. Brett Myers is determined. And Jamie Moyer is good.

The AL representative is not yet determined, but I am personally pulling for Boston. If the Phils knock Boston off its thrown and claim the crown it would make the championship that much sweeter. It may even validate it a bit.

If Philadelphia defeats a team with history, payroll, and recent success there is no room for an asterisk. Five, ten, even twenty-five years from now my buddies won’t be able to tell me, “Well, yes the Phillies won, but you played Tampa Bay.” Not to discredit what the Rays have done this year (although I guess I just did with that last sentence), they are not Boston. Boston had to endure overcoming the Yankees and the curse. They’ve been a solid team for years and are still a good team. If the Phillies beat Boston to claim the title this season, I know I can hang my hat on the fact that we beat a team that was legit. We didn’t beat the SaberCats, we beat the Red Sox.

The Phillies represent the third pro team from Philadelphia in a major sports league to make it to the finals since 2000. The first two attempts fell short of the prize. Here’s to hoping the third time’s a charm – and that I am not blinded by my own crazed passion.