World Series:

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees

This could quite possibly be one of the most evenly matched World Series in quite sometimes. Instead of breaking down the series like I have throughout the playoffs I thought we would spotlight each area of the teams when it comes to their pitching, hitting and defense. This is going to be on paper one of the best World Series to date; let’s hope that this transcends out on the diamond.

Pitching:

We start by looking at the ace’s of each staff when it comes to Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, both former teammates in Cleveland. These two pitchers are the last two reigning American League Cy Young winners and a Game 1 start between the two is going to be a fun game to watch. This is going to be an “old-school” game as two southpaw aces takes the hill in the fall classic.

If the Phillies don’t trade for Cliff Lee before the deadline then the Phillies don’t make the World Series. That’s how important Cliff Lee has been to this Phillies staff. The same can be said for CC Sabathia as the Yankees picked him up in the offseason and have helped take the Yankees from missing the playoffs last season to the greatest stage in all of Baseball starting Wednesday night.

When you look at the probable Game 2 starters this is when things can start to lean towards a direction of one team being better then the other. As it stands right now as of writing this, we will see AJ Burnett vs. Pedro Martinez in Game 2. There is history with Pedro, the Yankees and Yankee Stadium and should be a fun game to watch on Thursday night.

AJ Burnett has been shaky at best throughout the playoffs and has been the Yankees weak point in their starting rotation in the playoffs. Pedro Martinez on the other hand has had a great postseason pitching for the Phillies in what could be the end of a great career with this series. But what we tend to forget about Pedro is that he just started pitching in the big leagues again this past August. Both of these pitchers could be the weakness in their starting rotation because you don’t know what you’re going to get out of Pedro.

As for the potential Game 3 starters you have to look at another matchup of lefties as Andy Pettitte takes on Cole Hamels. Andy Pettitte has been masterful throughout the playoffs helping the Yankees clinch their ALDS and ALCS series victories. Cole Hamels on the other hand has been the weakness of the Phillies pitching staff, much like AJ Burnett has been for the Yankees. If Cole Hamels was the ace the Phillies thought he was then they would have never made runs at Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez.

You have to figure the Yankees & Phillies will both be going with three man rotations with Sabathia, Burnett & Pettitte and Lee, Martinez, Hamels. That puts Chamberlain & Gaudin in the bullpen for the Yankees and Blanton & Happ in the bullpen for the Phillies throughout the World Series. That’s the next area of the two League Championship teams that we would look at next.

The bullpens of these two teams have been where they have both struggled throughout the postseason. The Phillies came into this postseason with a struggling bullpen and a closer who was no longer lights out. As for the Yankees they had a bridge to Mariano Rivera with Phil Hughes in the 8th inning setup role.

Once the postseason hit these two teams flipped roles as the shut down 7th & 8th inning bridge to Mariano Rivera with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes started to crack in the ALCS. The Phillies on the other hand saw their middle relief struggle at times with the Dodgers but Brad Lidge was “lights out” again. The Phillies were thankful that they had pushed a big lead over the Dodgers to hold onto their leads while Mariano Rivera had to pitch six out saves to hold onto the Yankees lead in the late inning games.

When it comes to the starting rotation and the bullpen you have to give the pitching edge to the New York Yankees. They picked up CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett up in the offseason for a reason, while Andy Pettitte could be a #1 starter in most clubs while he will be the #3 starter on the Yankees rotation. When it comes to bullpens the Yankees have Mariano Rivera who will go down most likely as being the best postseason closer of all-time. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain should bounce back in the World Series with the pressure of winning the Championship being so close. Look for David Robertson to make a name for himself on the big stage for the Yankees.

As for the Phillies I will go back to what I said earlier that the Phillies aren’t in the World Series without Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. They struggled with Cole Hamels being their ace and had to go out to improve their rotation. While Lee will be the foundation of their starting rotation you don’t know what you’re getting with Martinez or Hamels. When it comes to bullpens and the pressure of the World Series on you have to figure the Phillies bullpen will break eventually in this series.

Pitching Edge: New York Yankees

Hitting:

Just like their pitching these two teams are blueprint of each other’s lineup. They both have great leadoff hitters, a run producing core of the lineup and decent 7, 8, & 9 hitters to round off the lineup. As we go 1-9 we will look at the projective lineup for each team in this series.

At the top of the lineup you have the team’s two shortstops, Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter. Not only are they their shortstop’s but their team’s leaders in the clubhouse. Derek Jeter has been named Mr. November while Jimmy Rollins has won an NL MVP award. They have both been postseason heroes for their franchises since they came up to the big leagues. When it comes to both of these players there is no way you can say one is better then the other. When it comes to the leadoff hitters they are both even.

The #2 hitters are Johnny Damon and Shane Victorino. Victorino could be compared to a younger version of what Johnny Damon once was while Damon has evolved into one of the better veteran hitters in the postseason in the last decade. But when it comes to these two hitters you have to give the edge to Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees. He’s a veteran, a veteran in the postseason and has the potential to being clutch on the big stage.

Now onto the core of the lineup with the #3 hole on the team where the run production begins to develop off these players bats. For Philly its Chase Utley and for New York it’s Mark Teixeira. Both of these players have been hot and cold throughout the postseason. But when you matchup them up you have to look at giving it to Mark Teixeira. Teix is a potential AL MVP winner this year and has been criticized with his lack of play in the postseason thus far, look for Mark to show his critiques what he can do on the big stage.

The #4 hitter, the cleanup spot, the player who is supposed to put up the big numbers and when it comes to these two teams they may have the two best #4 hitters in all of Baseball. Ryan Howard of the Phillies and Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees, two former league MVP’s. Both of these players have put up huge numbers in the regular season and postseason and do their job when needed. When you match them up against one another you can not give the edge to either team, it is even. When it comes to these two it all comes down to who will produce more in the fall classic.

The #5 hitter in the lineups is where you give the edge to the Phillies. Jayson Werth of the Phillies and Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees will most likely be in the five hole for the World Series. Jayson Werth has had a heck of season for Philadelphia producing 36 homers and 90+ RBI’s. Not bad for a player who had signed a six digit deal when he first came to Philly after bouncing around with a bunch of teams. Matsui on the other hand is player with a bad knee still and is most likely appearing in pinstripes for the last time. The Phillies get the edge in this spot with the way Jayson Werth has played throughout the postseason.

Now there is something that most people aren’t talking about when it comes to a weakness in the Phillies lineup and that is in the probable #6 spot for Philadelphia. Raul Ibanez is battling an abdominal tear that will require surgery at the end of the season which can explain his lack of production in the postseason thus far. As for the Yankees they have veteran catcher Jorge Posada who will more then likely get the nod as the starting catcher throughout the entire World Series. When it comes to this spot in the order you have to give it to the Yankees with the potential lack of production of Raul Ibanez due to his injury.

Robinson Cano and Pedro Feliz will probably make up the seventh spot in the order for each team’s lineup. While Pedro Feliz has developed into a great third baseman for the National League Champions, he does not compare to Robinson Cano who could be that “quiet” player on the big stage that makes a name for him self. I believe Robinson Cano could be the World Series MVP at the end of the series if the Yankees win it all. He fits the role player who comes up big perfectly giving the Yankees the edge in this spot in the order.

The eighth spot is where the Yankees have struggled in the postseason with many in New York calling for a change in right field, the position where Nick Swisher patrols this season. While Nick Swisher may be a great defensive right fielder as shown throughout the postseason, when it comes to hitting he has struggled with the New York media calling for a switch with Brett Gardner during the ALCS. As for the Phillies you have catcher Carlos Ruiz who has hit well throughout the entire postseason batting .300 in the NLDS and NLCS. With the struggles Swisher has been having you have to give the edge to the Phillies in the eight spot of their lineup.

Now to round out lineup I am placing the Yankees centerfielder Melky Cabrera up against who I would assume would be the Phillies designated hitter in the AL games. Then match the pitchers who will be more then likely hitting in the NL games. As for the AL side of the series you have to figure Matt Stairs will go up against the right AJ Burnett in Game 2 and Ben Francisco will go up against his former teammate and lefty CC Sabathia in Game 1.

This is all prospective and they may go with Stairs for both games due to the short porch in right or even go with Greg Dobbs. I’m not 100% sure and these are just clearly a prediction of what could be filling the DH hole for the National League Champions. Either way I’m going to give the edge to the Yankees, like Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera could become a household name after this series. He reminds me of a young Bernie Williams, coming through the Yankees farm system and developing into one of the league’s best Centerfielders. I have also always felt that unless you have a great bench player at DH (like the Dodgers had Jim Thome) you could be in trouble. Matt Stairs could be that guy for the Phillies.

As for the pitchers that will be hitting you have to give it to the Phillies. They have been hitting all season long and Cliff Lee has become a great hitter since coming to the National League. As for the Yankees, CC Sabathia is a great hitting pitcher and AJ Burnett spent time in the NL earlier in his career so he should be able to swing the bat as well. Either way this gives the edge to the Phillies when it comes to the NL ballpark. But since the All-Star game gave the edge to the American League, overall give the #9 spot to the Yankees.

Hitting Edge: New York Yankees

Defense:

Defense kind of goes unnoticed in Baseball. Like in Football, defense also wins Championships. Look at what poor defense did to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALCS. It gave the Yankees breathing room in almost every game they won in the ALCS, including a Game 2 victory that came off an error. The Yankees will not see the same poor Defense that they saw from the Angels.

The Philadelphia Phillies may be one of the best defensive teams in Baseball. They are a sound ballclub that has no holes in their defensive side of the ball. From Victorino to Ruiz they are a great defensive ballclub. Even a big guy like Ryan Howard can play defensive baseball like a shortstop. The Phillies will not be making the same errors that the Angels did against the Yankees in the ALCS.

As for the Yankees they do not get the credit they deserve when it comes to the way they play defensive baseball. Mark Teixeira has developed into a gold glove first baseman in the Postseason alone. His play at first has helped keep the teams the Yankees were playing at bay while Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera provide great arms in the outfield. Where the Yankees have flaws is with Johnny Damon who does not have a good arm and Robinson Cano who at times can become a lazy second baseman.

When it comes to giving the edge you have to give it to the Philadelphia Phillies who have been defensively sound throughout the entire postseason while the New York Yankees have had some struggles. Even New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter has had a tough time defensively in the postseason and he tends to be the most automatic defensive player on the Yankees. It’s going to be an interesting series from a defensive standpoint with little to no errors throughout the entire series.

Defensive Edge: Philadelphia Phillies

Overall:

After breaking down the pitching, hitting and defense of these two teams it’s safe to say that this could quite possibly be the most even World Series we have seen in sometimes. It’s going to take a mistake here or a double down the line there to determine who the World Champion is when it’s all said and done. This is what I consider in my opinion the best matchup we have seen in the World Series in the last decade and hopefully will come off that when we they start the series Wednesday night.

Both of these teams are evenly matched with slight edges in various categories. They truly are the two best teams in each league and we as Baseball fans will get everything they have in every game that is played. But when the dust settles there will be one team left standing atop the Baseball world.

That team that will be hoisting the World Championship above their heads at the end of the series will be the New York Yankees. This series can be compared to the 1996 World Series when the Yankees came into the series against the Atlanta Braves where the Braves were the defending champions, an even matchup and a good percentage felt would repeat as World Champions.

But just like in that series the New York Yankees prevailed and will do so in the 2009 World Series. There will be no blowout games and it should be close for the most part. These two teams are the most deserving franchises to be there and should give Baseball fans across the United States a show.

I see the New York Yankees raising the banner of their 27th World Championship at the end of this series. It is going to be fun to watch and could quite possibly be the best World Series we have seen in quite sometime. Let the games begin.

Prediction: New York Yankees win series 4-2

World Series MVP: Mariano Rivera

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

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Check out the video of one of the greatest post-season moments in Philadelphia Phillies history. The Phillies trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-4 at home in Game 4 of the NLCS. It is the bottom of the ninth inning and Jimmy Rollins is up to bat. Rollins is batting with two outs and two men on base. Rollins then nails a fastball to the right-center, two guys score, game over, and the Phillies take a 3-1 lead in the series. This is truly playoff clutch hitting at its best.

I don’t know what more I can say about this hit. As a Phils fan, I have to honestly tell you that I didn’t have much faith. It just felt like one of those games that no matter what the Phillies would do, it just would never be enough. Rollins was 3-18 in the series, so I just assumed that it was over. Man, I will never doubt J-Roll or this team ever again. The game was the total antithesis of what most Philly fans had to suffer through Sunday afternoon with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The bullpen is a huge worry, but what Phillies fan isn’t worried about the bullpen. As someone who was a big Phils fan during the 1993 World Series, the Brad Lidge-Mitch Williams dynamic is downright scary. I feel almost exactly as I did in 1993 when Williams would come in to close games. Charlie pulling Pedro Martinez the other night reminded me a lot of the Roger Mason moment in the World Series. However, in the end this is a much more talented team that has proven once again that they are never out of a game. It is a great day to be a Phillies fan.

You know, this Jimmy Rollins kid is pretty good!

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NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Philadelphia Phillies and The Los Angeles Dodgers meet again in the National League Championship Series. One season ago it was the Philadelphia Phillies defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in 5 games on their way to the World Series trophy. The magical run the Los Angeles Dodgers had was over, Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez were sent home a round earlier then expected by most.

Last season many people including myself had the Los Angeles Dodgers listed as the favorites in the 2008 NLCS series, now one year later and a World Series trophy in the case of the Phillies; it appears that Philadelphia is going into this year’s NLCS as the favorites. They have the pitching of Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Pedro Martinez and Joe Blanton to take on the combination of a young/journeyman rotation that the Dodgers have put together of Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla and Jonathon Broxton.

It would be natural to select the Philadelphia Phillies to win the NLCS. They do have the “Big 3″ in Major League Baseball with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. Add Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino to the lineup and you have six solid hitters that can easily beat you with one swing of the bat whether by homerun or by a liner down the line. The Phillies lineup is scary, 2nd only to the New York Yankees lineup in the American League.

But the Dodgers are coming off of a three game sweep of probably the most impressive sweep in the entire playoffs by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. The St. Louis Cardinals were a team in my opinion that could have won the entire postseason and celebrated in Missouri with the World Series trophy. The Dodgers sweep of the Cardinals is by far the biggest shock of the entire playoffs.

This Dodgers team is coming into the playoffs with a new attitude and they are determined to win the National League Championship and head to the World Series. Don’t think Matt Kemp, Andre Either and Manny Ramirez have forgotten about last season’s quick exit in the NLCS by the Phillies last year. The Dodgers were supposed to be the team last year, Mannyland was taking off in California, Joe Torre brought this team to the top! But that wasn’t meant to be because the Phillies were the team of destiny.

One year later and the shoes are on the other side of the foot. The Phillies are the “it” team in the National League while the Dodgers are the team that doesn’t belong there, in the way of the Phillies chance to repeat. This Dodgers team is trying to play spoiler and spoiler they will play.

This series is going to be one of the most exciting series in the entire postseason in my opinion. Low scoring games with great pitching from the rotation and bullpen setting up late inning heroics to carry their teams to victory and the NLCS crown. One team is filled with a squad of veteran players that have tasted victory once before and want it again, while the other team is filled with young players with veteran guidance on & off the field.
This series screams 7 games to crown a National League Champion. Leaving every fan Philadelphia to Los Angeles and everywhere in between in a near heart attack state. The band-aid pitching rotation that the Los Angeles are piecing together to take on the Phillies will go toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye, pitch-for-pitch with the amazing Philadelphia Phillies rotation.

But when the dust settles and one team is left standing it will be the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the year for redemption in the Postseason for many franchises. Whether it is the Angels getting the Red Sox monkey off their back, the Yankees getting past the ALDS or the Dodgers beating the Phillies on their way to the World Series; this is the Postseason for redemption and storylines that Fox will be eating up. Setting up the final chapter of redemption between the Joe Torre led Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series.

I’m sure Fox television network executives are praying for that World Series.

It will be a back forth series but the heart and determination the Dodgers have right now is unmatched and dangerous for any team that gets in their way in the playoffs. Torre is the most successful manager in Baseball history by doing what he has done with two completely different franchises and turning them into elite sports franchises. Add Matt Kemp and Andre Either, the two players that will become national stars in this series and you have the ingredients for a World Series run.

The Phillies have too many issues in their bullpen and in their starting rotation to combat this confident Dodgers ballclub. Cliff Lee is the glue holding the Phillies pitching together while Cole Hamels is losing confidence (and at the wrong time to do it) and Pedro Martinez is getting old. Pedro did not play entire season but he is also not the Pedro Martinez for the 90s and early 2000s. Joe Blanton has the best chance to be the dark horse in the Phillies rotation in the NLCS.

The Phillies bullpen is just to “hot and cold.” While Brad Lidge looked good in the NLDS and is starting to regain that shut down confidence that Phillies fans are hoping returns, it will only take one shot from a Matt Kemp, Andre Either or even James Loney to shake that confidence out of the once dominate closer in Philadelphia.

This series will go the distance but in the end it will come down to who is the team that is better managed and in this situation I have to go with Joe Torre. He can turn nothing into something and make it a success. This team does not appear as dominate as they were projected to be a year ago in October and I’m sure Joe Torre likes it that way.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will win the National League Championship Series in the allotted seven games needed. Both teams will push each other to the maximum point and put on a hell of a Baseball classic in October. Sorry Philadelphia, the chances of winning back-to-back Championships in this Baseball climate is hard to do. The Dodgers are on a collision course to the World Series and to the Bronx.

Prediction: Dodgers win series 4-3

NLCS MVP: Andre Ethier

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

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“With (Santana), now, I have no doubt that we’re going to win in our division. So this year, to Jimmy Rollins, we are the team to beat.”

In February of 2008, that statement emanated from the mouth of Carlos Beltran, better known to Phillies fans as “that idiot on the Mets”. Actually, that’s a bit of a misnomer, since the moniker applies to everyone who suits up in white, blue, and orange. But Beltran is one of the more well known “idiots” to us. After he hits eight home runs in the 2004 postseason, he soon after flew the coup in Houston for a rather lucrative contract in Queens, NY. As a Phillies fan, you can’t help but sneer when your most intensely hated competition lands a premium talent like Beltran. But given that from 1994 to 2001 that we really had nothing to cheer for except the rise of Scott Rolen and Jimmy Rollins, sometimes we took our pleasure in watching the Mets collapse under the weight of high expectations.

We’re petty like that.

The opening statement, for those of you too far ingrained in your daily lives to follow the pissing match between the Phillies and Mets, was a knock on a statement made by Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins one year earlier. Rollins had promised, before the 2007 season, that the Phillies would be “selling some tickets in October”, implying a playoff run, possibly at the expense of the Mets. The Mets took exception and, through mid-September, seemed they would have the last laugh. With a seven game lead over the Phillies and seventeen games remaining, they’d have to be idiots to screw this up. Of course, since the Philly Phaithful perceives the Mets to be idiots anyway, maybe you shouldn’t be surprised that, in the end, the Phillies leapfrogged the Mets and made the post-season on the final day of the season, while the Mets had to watch from the outside. The Phillies were bounced from round one by the very hot and very dangerous Colorado Rockies, but the small measure of victory was clear: we did better than you. And, at least for a year, we could hold that over the Mets fans.

So when Beltran made his comments, he had reason to crow: his team had just signed Johan Santana, a pitcher who had been a blossoming flower in a little-viewed garden in Minnesota. He was now planted into the media-frenzied spotlight in New York, where he would get plenty of face time. And most importantly, he could shut down any batter put in front of him. In other words, Beltran said in so many words to Phillies’ fans what a nice big middle finger would have indicated.

Except what happened was this: the Phillies won the division on the final weekend (again!), the Mets missed a chance at the playoffs despite high expectations from all (again!), and the Phillies added a twist for this go-around: they won the 2008 World Series. That’s right, while the Mets were still as speechless as Taylor Swift having her moment hi-jacked, the Phillies conquered the baseball world and claimed its top prize.

The fallout was expected. Changes would be made in the off-season. There would have to be. They would be drastic and swift. Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and Jerry Manuel were not about to rest when their arch-nemesis was parading around with the World Series trophy. Every time Chase Utley’s expletive laden speech at the Phillies’ championship parade was referenced, it had to be a spike into the spine of the Mets kingdom.

Changes? Oh, they were made. First up, the reigning American League saves-champion Frankie Rodriguez was poached from the Angels with an inflated contract. JJ Putz was brought in to set up for Rodriguez, a man who could be a closer on 75% of the teams in the league himself. Disappointments like Aaron Heilman and Endy Chavez were shipped away. Alex Cora was signed to add field generalship. And to further sweeten the pot, veteran home run collector Gary Sheffield was signed just ten days before opening day. When added to the likes of Beltran, Santana, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Luis Castillo, this was clearly a team that was ready to contend, if not challenge for the World Series trophy, if not win it.

As a Phillies die-hard, I watch what the Mets do in the same sense that the Reagan administration observed the Soviet Union’s activities. While remaining confident in my team (they ARE the champions, after all), I had to admit that the Mets were doing everything conceivable to spoil the chances of a repeat title run. And I HATE giving the Mets credit.

So with their new stadium, Citi Field, opening, the Mets were poised to christen it and their 2009 season with a magnum opus performance. After a 9-12 April, they rebounded in May to bring their record to 28-21, ending the month only a half a game out of first place, held by the Phillies. All of this had the makings for an intense summer of one-upsmanship and jockeying for position. Surely there’d be the same level of intensity as in previous seasons, with fans of both teams spewing venom and disdain toward one another, right?

Yeah, right.

Both teams had their issues in June, and the month ended with the Mets still in striking distance (2 ½ games) of the Phillies’ lead. But what that doesn’t indicate is that the Mets went 9-18 over the month, winning just a third of their games. They lost their last five games of the month, three to the Yankees and two to the Brewers. Injuries plagued the club like some demented swine flu outbreak. With two weeks to go in the regular season, David Wright is the only player on the entire team that has played more than 100 games (103 as of this writing). Johan Santana, their surefire ace, lost three starts in the month. They were swept by those pesky Phillies, including now-shaky closer Brad Lidge scoring two saves on the enemy. The Mets limped into the All-Star break resembling the victim of a minesweeping expedition. They then lost six of their next eight games coming out of the excursion while Tony Bernazard, the team’s VP of player personnel, was fired in the midst of reportedly challenging several Mets’ minor leaguers to a fight. Yes, an honest-to-goodness fistfight. Meanwhile, the Phillies had gone 20-7 over the month of July, and were watching the Mets fade away in their rear-view mirror.

Do we really have to discuss August? Or can I just write here that the Mets went 10-19 over the month, that injuries further albatrossed the team, and not pontificate further as to let this poor team have some dignity?

September? Forget about it. It took until September 6 for Frankie Rodriguez to get his 30th save of the season. The Florida Marlins swept them. The Phillies took three out of four from them. Joke pitchers like Nelson Figueroa, Bobby Parnell and Tim Redding are losing games instead of star players like Santana winning them. Johan can just watch from the disabled list while this team that he was named the ace for, this polarizing franchise where you either love them or hate them, has self-destructed in a cloud of injuries, costly losses, and failure to meet their highest expectations.

My Phillies? It’s September 21. They have fourteen games to play, with an eight-game chokehold over the NL East. They win six games, they win their third straight division title. The Mets aren’t even close enough to look in to see how the Phillies fare when (if?) they make the postseason. They’re 23 games out as of September 21, with a 65-85 record stamped on their foreheads like a scarlet letter.

Ever since Carlos Beltran opened his mouth some nineteen months ago, the Mets have had nothing but disappointment and bitter feelings. Many fans and teams experience this, but not with the expectations they had for themselves. On paper, it was a roster that could win 100 games without anyone being surprised. But the games, as we know, are not played on paper.

Me? I’m a little disappointed. Yeah, it’s a year’s worth of Mets fans being unable to talk trash, but what’s the point. My friends who root for the ‘Kings of Queens’ are so much more fun to mock when the Mets fall juuuuust short. They’re better at conversation when their reaction is “GAAAHHH. I CAN’T *BLEEP*ING BELIEVE IT!”. But ever since August, they’ve had to resign themselves to calling 2009 a wash. They’ve been mute, hoping their Giants or Jets pick things up for them in the NFL. No crying. No whining. Just quiet bitterness.

And if the Phillies win it all again, the only thing tainting the victory is knowing that dangling it in the Mets fans’ faces won’t have that same glorious effect.

Pity.

When he isn’t watching WWE, TNA, or his beloved Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies, Justin Henry can be found writing. It is his passion as well as his goal in life to become a well-regarded (as well as well-paid) columnist or author. He tweets at twitter.com/notoriousjrh and facebooks himself at http://www.facebook.com/notoriousjrh.

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