2 November 08. WFC: World Series Champions
and photos from the parade & ballpark celebration

This is it, the final Phillies feature of the year. There's nowhere else to go -- we're already at the top. I started playing baseball at the age of 8, a first baseman and pitcher for the now-defunct United Paperworkers International Union, local 1388. In 1987, we won the Tyrone Minor League championship. The following year, I was promoted to Little League, and our Irvin's Trucking team won the 1988 championship. Three years later, our Golden Trucking team blew through Tyrone Teener League (what most places call Babe Ruth League, ages 13-15) on our way to an undefeated championship season. My baseball playing days kinda fizzled in high school (calisthenics? weightlifting???), but I still followed Major League Baseball religiously. Though the Pittsburgh Pirates were the home market, I had no real allegiances as Tyrone cable also carried the independent stations TBS (Braves), WOR (Mets), WGN (Cubs) and even WPIX (Yankees). I just loved baseball -- watching those teams, going to Three Rivers Stadium a couple times a summer, watching the NBC game of the week with Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola, reading the stats in the Sunday Altoona Mirror, collecting baseball cards. I remember where I was for the Bill Buckner error (as a 10 year old at home with my mom the Keith Hernandez fan), Joe Carter's homerun (as a high school senior, long before I was a Phillies fan or the thought of moving here ever entered my mind), the Marlins' extra inning Game 7 (as a 21 year old watching my first World Series at a bar), Big Mac and Sammy (in '98, before the juiced ball myth became the juiced player reality), Johnny Damon's grand slam to cap the Red Sox' comeback from 3-0 to win the 2004 ALCS and break the Curse of the Bambino. But none of that stuff was as memorable as the past week has been here in Philadelphia. More than any other sport, baseball fandom is a full time commitment, and its greatest award, the World Series title, is sports' greatest reward too. Like Charlie said, that parade down Broad Street is something I'll never, ever forget. After attending 21 games in the regular season (13-8 record), I tasted the victory of five postseason games including two in the World Series. We dreamed it and we did it. The parade was the ultimate cap to an incredible 2008 season. Tom Gordon's disaster against the Nationals on opening day to start yet another season with a loss. Pat Burrell's strong start and Ryan Howard's weak start. The win against the Mets in the final opener at Shea Stadium. Scoring 20 runs -- twice. Kelly Johnson's 9th inning dropped fly ball in Atlanta to let the Phils back in, with Shane Victorino hitting in the winning run then throwing out the tying run to end the game. Pat's walkoff homerun against the Giants, spoiling Aaron Rowand's return. The 8-7 extra-inning win against the Mets after spotting them a 7-0 lead. (Clay Condrey's double!) Grand Pappy's 16 win season at age 45. Brett Myers' demise, demotion and redemption. Jimmy getting benched in New York. The continued awful interleague play (0-3 vs the Angels, 1-2 vs the Red Sox, Blue Jays, A's and Rangers alike). Greg Dobbs' pinch-hitting prowess. Kyle Kendrick running out of gas and JA Happ picking him up. The frustrating August and the invigorating September, led by RyHo's third straight fiery last-month-of-the-season. Being swept in LA and turning around to sweep LA here. Sweeping the Brewers to pull even in the Wild Card we didn't need. The Mets' second consecutive collapse. Surprisingly cool alternate uniforms for day games. RyHo's league leading homeruns and RBIs. Cole Hamels' domination. Brad Lidge's perfection -- a loss in the All-Star Game as a minor footnote, in part actually contributing to the Phillies being at home for Game 5 of the World Series -- that perfection capped by his flare for drama with a bases-loaded double-play -- Rollins to Utley to Howard -- on the Nats' best player Ryan Zimmerman to clinch the division. And all of that's just the regular season. The playoffs . . . Why Can't Us? Chase Utley's double off of Mike Cameron's glove. Cole Hamels, ace. Brett Myers working a walk from CC Sabathia, followed by Vic's grand slam off of him. J-Roll's leadoff homerun and Pat's two homeruns in Milwaukee. The Manny Ramirez circus. Brett Myers' 3-for-3. Vic's catch. Vic's homerun. Matt Stairs' homerun. J-Roll's leadoff homerun and Rafael Furcal's three errors in LA. Ryan Madson's 97mph fastball. Harry Kalas' call on the foul-out to Chooch. Cole Hamels, MVP. The worst-to-first Rays and their Rawhawks and black-rim glasses and oh-my-god-those-cowbells. RyHo's postseason struggles and then World Series breakout. The Phillies' batting average with runners in scoring position. Tim McGraw and Tug McGraw. Carlos Ruiz's game-winning squibber and rock-solid postseason. Mighty Joe Blanton. Fox's awful, awful, awful telecasts. Game 5, part one. The cold rain and the suspension. Bud Selig. The bad vibes in Center City after the suspension. Game 5, part two. Geoff Jenkins. Jayson Werth. Rocco Baldelli. Pat Burrell and Eric Bruntlett and Pedro Feliz. JC Romero. Eric Hinske. Brad Lidge's postseason perfection. The 0-2 pitch. SWING AND A MISS, STRUCK 'IM OUT! THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ARE 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL! (Chris Wheeler dances in background.) Cole Hamels, MVP. Dancing in the streets -- an all-night party at Frankford & Cottman, on Germantown Ave, on Passyunk Ave, and all down Broad Street, of hugs and high-fives and honkin' and hootin' and hollerin' and that dude on the traffic light getting nailed in the noggin by that 40 bottle. The four-inch William Penn looking down on the 37-foot William Penn. The Phillies did it. We got our parade. It took some people forever to get there, and Septa didn't get some people there at all. But there we were, a million strong and more, being joyous, not jackasses. More hugs and high-fives and honkin' and hootin' and hollerin' on Broad Street -- strangers were friends, crowded in like a thousand Mummers parades, at the Bellevue and in parking garages and on buildings at South Street and Washington Ave, in rowhomes at Broad & Tasker, with me and my friends at Marconi Plaza. After a full, dramatic and exciting 2008 baseball year, this past week has been the greatest in my sports watching 32-year life. My wife said "my face hurts from smiling so much." My Phillies -- our Phillies -- won the World Series. As a final celebration, I've put together a "season in photos" which begins HERE. My photos of the parade, from both Marconi Plaza and at the Steve Carlton gate of Citizens Bank Park, are on page 10 HERE, with the final farewell at the ballpark on the following page HERE. * * * GO TO PHOTOS * * * Pat Gillick will ride off into the sunset a champion. Pat Burrell will ride off on his clydesdales bittersweetly to somewhere new a champion. Ruben Amaro, sigh, will take over and be charged with building a team to defend its World Series title. Beerleaguer, The 700 Level, The Fightins, We Should Be GMs and Balls, Sticks & Stuff will be there to dissect, analyze, lament and celebrate. So will yr Skyline. That's all in the future . . . for now, let's have another sip of that champagne. The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies: WORLD FUCKING CHAMPIONS. –B Love