World Series Thoughts

Well for the sixth time in their illustrious though mostly comical history the Phillies have made the World Series. The Rays will be tough no doubt about it, but I think it should be a wonderful series. I've often wondered if I rooted for a team like the Yankees and more recently the Red Sox, who make the fall classic an almost annual occurance, if I would become jaded about playing in October. Just to give you some perspective, in my lifetime this is only the third time in 33 years the Phillies are in the World Series. By contrast the Yankees are working on their 8th or 9th appearance who can keep track. And that is exactly my point. Fans of teams who are rarely here can tell you what happened in the sixth inning of Game 3 of any particular year their team made it to the World Series. Can many Yankees fans tell me how Game 3 ended in the 1981 World Series. Is that too far back? Okay, how about Game two of the 1998 World Series or Game 5 of the 2001 World Series.

My far flung point is that it is indeed sweeter when you root for a team that isn't still playing at this time of year very often. However this series goes, both Rays and Phillies fans will be able to tell you 15 or 25 years down the road what happened and that is how moments at this time of year become special.