A Spiritual World Series
There’s a feeling about town, about this team. A real belief in them. That someway, somehow, they’re going to find a way to win. When it’s needed most, somebody’s going to get a big out and somebody else is going to get a big hit.
BELIEF IN THE BATS
This kind of faith is reminiscent of the ‘08 Phils and the ‘17 Eagles. When Rhys catches fire like that, Stott waits on his pitch and grabs himself a stash of big hits, Schwarber’s smashin’ hoagies into outer space, Wheeler deals, the bullpen pulls through, and Harper continues his campaign for Governor, it feels like we can beat anybody, anywhere.
Opponent be damned.
Still, it’s a nervous confidence.
The only true kind of confidence we Philly folk know in conference and league championship games. Righteous & respectful, we have an appreciation for the game, for even being IN THE GAME this late in October (and November), especially after a decade-plus wait for playoff baseball.
It’s why the Baseball Gods are smiling down on us.
THE DEVIL AT WORK
Houston on the other hand... let’s just say the Devil’s been busy.
They’ve seen nothing but success since their asterisk of a World Series win. The trashiest trip to the series since the Black Sox throwaway. The Astros have been back to the Series twice since their 2017 win* and have fielded strong teams and division champions in the other seasons. Four World Series births in six years.
That’s a run baseball hasn’t seen since the Yankees in the late 90s.
Typically, teams are punished by the Sports Gods before finding success, or for their actions after reaching the pinnacle.
The Sixers are the prime example. Being punished for throwing away entire seasons for high draft picks they’ve floundered in the second round (which might icontinue this year), lost many of those high draft picks for entire seasons to the injury bug, and failed to properly develop every single one of them besides Embiid. (Simmons, Fultz, Noel, Okafor)
Another example being the Eagles injury plagued campaigns of 2018 and 2019, leading up to the disaster of 2020.
This, of course, was punishment for allowing Bud Light to whore out our football fandom a mere five seconds after we raised our first Lombardi by erecting a statue of two guys who are still in the league and now on different teams.
But the Astros are a different kind of sports evil. They cheated and defeated the Baseball Gods in ‘17.
They pounded those dirty cans all the way to a World Series win and then continued to see success. Even if it didn’t result in another championship, they are most certainly due for heartbreak.
And now, 5 years after an underdog, injury-plagued Philadelphia team rallied their city, and frankly, the rest of America, to take down a heavy favorite that’s been stricken with cheating scandals, another Philadelphia team has been tasked with the same purpose.
HEAVEN SENT
The Philadelphia Phillies have been sent by the Baseball Gods to, once and for all, take down the juggernaut Astros and send them plummeting into mediocrity.
It’s likely 39-year-old Justin Verlander pitches his last game against the Phils in the World Series, especially after seeing Tom Brady’s marriage to a supermodel end, in part, due to his refusal to give up the game in his 40s. I’d be shocked if Dusty Baker has the passion to return after a third World Series defeat, and it’s likely the young guns start looking elsewhere for their big contract. From that point on, it’s .500 baseball and a decade-long playoff drought.
All thanks to the Fightin’ Phils and a massive parade down Broad Street.
Said.
