The Story So Phar…

Baseball!

That majestic game which encapsulates history and wonder in the form of America’s past time.  Legends, heroes, and villains all exist within its storied past, as it fills the summer air with smell of grass and the crack of a bat.

Baseball in Philadelphia!

Drunk assholes screaming at their own outfielders and openly puking in a trash can while their girlfriend stands nearby, wishing she’d spent a little more time getting to know that med student who lived across the hall from her freshman year.  But anything goes on Dollar Dog Night, and if its any consolation, she’s pretty drunk, too.

It’s September, folks, and all across the Phillies Blogosphere, the comments are ranging from “We’ll be just fine,” to “GAME OVER, MAN.  GAME OVER.”

Except, ironically, on this blog, where there are no comments whatsoever.

Today, we will take a look at the two-sided beast that is the status we Phillies fans find ourselves and our team in this morning, fresh off a four game sweep by the Astros and a series with the already-eliminated Nationals on the way.

“WE’LL BE JUST FINE” vs. “GAME OVER, MAN!”

A year ago today, we weren’t even in first place, like we have been all damn season. You know who was in first in the ML East?  The New York Mets.  Ha, ha, ha.

A game and a half back on September 8, 2008, and people were probably even more concerned than the they are today.  And that ended with this:

And this:

And this:

Despair?  Okay, yes, I can see why we are despairing right now, and not just because we live in a city responsible for the above.  A four game sweep by a non-contender at the beginning of September is not a good sign.  Neither is our all-powerful closer turning into a train wreck, or our entire lineup (save Ryan Howard) deciding to retire from offense.

Yes, Milt Thompson has somehow coached the Phillies into being the streakiest offensive team in the majors.  I mean, they all slump or get hot together…every one of them!  H…how is that…

Anyways, yeah.  I can admit all of that.  But Charlie finally said something other than “Brad Lidge is our closer,” which is good to know he’s capable of lighting a fire.   The Marlins, our closest competitor, are still six games behind us, and we’re rolling into Washington.

If anything is going to be a sign as to whether we are a sinking ship or not, losing a series to the Nationals is it.  Houston has the best winning percentage against the Phillies for the past few years (.686), but blowing it with the Nats would have zero excuses.

Besides, we’ve seen some great pitching as of late, and with 22 games left, SOMEBODY’s bat better wake up.  If not, then hey, I’ll say it first:  We don’t deserve to win, plain and simple.

So, let the rats abandon the ship.  Let’s wait and see what happens here, and THEN us TRUE fans will escape if we have to, but it will be with the bigger, more loyal rats.

Images courtesy of materialconcern.com, graneyandthepig.files.wordpress.com, and blogs.thetriangle.org.