Wish I Didn't Have To Write This

As I watched the Phillies 2010 season come to an end last night, I couldn't help but think of Opening Day and how it felt like much longer than six months ago. You might remember that a certain quarterback was traded the night before. And you of course remember that Doc Halladay kicked off another memorable season for the Phillies that afternoon in Washington D.C., going 7 innings, allowing 1 run, and striking out 9. That was on April 5. On October 21, there was Halladay doing it again, this time in the NLCS, extending the Phils season just a little bit longer.

From start to finish, Doc was a sure bet. Not much else was for the Phillies this season.

They struggled through injuries and offensive slumps that had everyone wondering if it was time to call it a season by late July. On July 21, they were seven games behind Atlanta for first place in the NL East. Fans were jumping ship. A Jayson Werth trade seemed very possible. Then a funny thing happened. They won eight straight. Then another funny thing happened. They acquired Little Roy at the deadline. All of the sudden, no one wanted to mess with this team and its trio of aces.

You know the rest. The offense remained inconsistent. H20 carried the team to a fourth straight division title, the best record in baseball and two wins shy of a third consecutive pennant.

It's hard to continue winning. I wrote this in my mid-season rant as some "fans" were mistakenly throwing in the towel. The Phillies, though, have managed to win alot over the last four years. Although they fell short, the 2010 season was a wild ride complete with an amazing mid-season turnaround. I don't know what 2011 holds for the Phillies but alot of fans will be ready to support them through another long season of ups and downs.

The stress-filled playoffs really do take years off of our lives but I'd give anything to have a Game 7 to watch tonight.

If you've ever wondered about the character of the guys on this team, check out Mike Sweeney's post-game comments about his team and Philadelphia. Dude is awesome.