The drought is over! The Phillies win it all!

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It feels great to type this: the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 World Champions!!! For the first time in my conscious life, a Philadelphia sports team is a champion. It feels great now, but how big of a deal this is might not settle in for a while.

When I first started this blog back in January, one of the first posts I wrote was titled "The Next Philly Sports Champ". In the article I discussed which of the four major sports teams had the best chance to break the championship drought that our city has suffered through. At the top of the list was the Phillies, and I thought they had a chance to win this year.

I'm so happy I was right! Anyway, now isn't the time for any detailed analysis of the game, it's time to celebrate! Thanks to all who followed the Phillies right here on this site, what a great season it's been!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2008 WORLD CHAMPS!!!!

The wait will continue for another day

Due to more bad weather, Game Five will not resume tonight and will resume Wednesday if it ever stops raining.

This is so frustrating to have to continue to wait to see if the Phillies can end our title wait, but at least if they keep postponing games, Cole Hamels has a chance to re-take the mound.

All wet: rain puts Phillies celebration on hold

We've waited 25 years, what's another day?

Game Five was supposed to be the end of the line for the Rays, what with Cole Hamels taking the mound and Ryan Howard crushing balls left and right. Things looked good early on as the Phillies pounced on Rays starter Scott Kazmir for a pair of runs and Hamels cruised through the first few innings. Then the rains came to ruin our parade, or at least postpone it.

After the Rays tied the game at 2-2 in the 6th inning, the game was delayed and later suspended until Tuesday, weather permitting. That means that the game will resume in the bottom of the 6th with the game tied at 2 and a pinch hitter batting for Cole Hamels.

The Phillies will have to rely on their bullpen to pitch the rest of the way now that Hamels won't be available to continue the game. Luckily, the bullpen is plenty rested and Brad Lidge hasn't pitched Game 1, so the best bullpen in the game should be ready to go.

So, everything resumes again tomorrow at 8 pm. Of course, the forecast shows weather even worse than today for tomorrow, so things might not resume until Wednesday. The wait is going to be excruciating, but so have the last 25 years.

The Phillies are one win away from easing 25 years of heartache

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

We may be one day away from what we have all been waiting for for 25 years. The Phillies won Game Four against the Rays 10-2, and now have a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in the World Series. With their ace Cole Hamels, who has been absolutely dominant this postseason, taking the hill in Game Five, the Phillies appear poised to win the World Series and end all of the grief and anguish that Philly fans have had to endure for a quarter of a century.

Game Four featured a pair of heroes in Joe Blanton and Ryan Howard. Blanton was a hero on the mound and at the plate, going 6 innings and giving up only a pair of runs while helping his cause at the plate with a home run. Many criticized Pat Gillick for giving up prospects to get an "average" pitcher like Joe Blanton, but Blanton's performance makes Gillick look like a genius. Just think about the options the Phillies would have had if they never acquired Blanton: Adam Eaton, Kyle Kendrick or J.A. Happ. Um, thanks but no thanks.

Howard continues to awaken with the bat as he hit a pair of homers, one in the 4th inning, a 3-run shot that gave the Phils a big lead, and another in the 8th inning to give the Phillies a commanding lead. The Big Man is back, and the Rays don't stand a chance.

One other Phillie that is heating up is Jimmy Rollins. Rollins has come up small repeatedly in these playoffs, but on Sunday night he got on base three times with two doubles and a single. He came around to score all three times and seemed to be at the heart of every rally.

Now the Phils stand on the precipice of ending the Philadelphia title drought. For 25 years, we have all heard about how our teams can't win the big one. We've heard about the Curse of William Penn. We've anguished over Mitch Williams, Ronde Barber, Donovan McNabb puking and Joe Carter. Well, in about 20 hours in South Philadelphia all of that could end. All we need is one more good outing from King Cole. Cole, a longing city turns it's eyes to you.

Late heroics give Phillies 2-1 World Series lead

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Hope you stayed up for this one! After blowing a 3-run lead earlier in the game, the Phillies fought back in the bottom of the 9th and, at about 1:49 AM, scored the game-winning run to come away with a 5-4 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

There was no individual hero in the 9th, although some credit has to go to Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett led off the inning, got hit by a pitch and then advanced all the way to third after a wild pitch and wild throw to second. The Rays then loaded the bases after a pair of walks, leaving Carlos Ruiz at the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. The Rays then employed a 5-man infield, but Ruiz hit a dribbler down the third base line that allowed Bruntlett to score the winning run.

The Phillies needed the late heroics after they blew a 4-1 lead. They were cruising heading into the 7th inning when the entire game turned after the first base umpire blew a call. Carl Crawford hit a squibbler down the first base line that Jamie Moyer scooped up and tossed with his glove hand to first base, clearly getting Crawford by half a step but the ump called him safe. That missed call led to the Rays scoring two runs in the 7th and getting back into the game.

Jamie Moyer still deserves credit for pitching a hell of a game. Moyer used all of his tricks to keep the Rays off-balance and held them to 5 hits in 6 and 1/3rds innings pitched. While he didn't earn the win, he earned a ton of respect for bouncing back with the performance after having a pair of shaky starts earlier in the postseason.

The Phillies also have to be happy with getting a homer from Ryan Howard. Chase Utley hit a homer in the bottom of the 6th and Howard followed him with a homer of his own. If this is a sign of things to come for the big guy, the Rays are in serious trouble.

The Phils blew their chance at earning an easy victory, but they still squeaked out a win in dramatic fashion. Hopefully the momentum will carry them into Game 4, which starts in what seems like only a few hours.

Phillies bats fall silent in Game Two

The Phillies once again left a ton of runners stranded on the base paths and this time they didn't get a dominating pitching performance as the allowed the Rays to tie up the World Series at one game apiece. Philly got on base again and again throughout the game as they managed 9 hits and 4 walks, but, they only scored 2 runs and lost 4-2.

James Shields pitched for the Rays and allowed a number of batters to reach but did well to fight out of every jam. Brett Myers pitched for the Phils and didn't have a terrible game, although he did allow his fair share of runners, too.

The Phillies also have a legitimate beef about the outcome of this game as they were on the wrong end of two bad calls by the home plate umpire. In the 2nd inning, the ump initially called a pitch by Myers strike three until he allowed the first base umpire to overrule him and say the batter didn't swing. The other bad call happened in the 9th as the Phillies tried to fight there way back in the game and Jimmy Rollins clearly got hit by a pitch. The ball grazed his jersey which is, by rule, a hit by pitch. Those two calls came in critical situations when the Rays were starting to build their lead and the Phillies were trying to make their comeback.

While losing this game does hurt the Phils, in the bigger picture they were still able to split the games in Tampa Bay. Everyone should be happy with a 1-1 series tie as we shift back to Philadelphia. If the Phils can just get their bats going when runners are on base, especially since they are now 1 for 28 with runners in scoring position, things will look even better.

The Phillies ride Hamels, Utley to Game One Victory

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

What rust? After a week off, the Phillies followed their usual postseason formula of getting a strong outing by their starting pitcher followed by a lockdown performance by their bullpen and a few timely hits as they took Game One from the Rays, 3-2.

Cole Hamels continued his playoff dominance as he went 7 innings and allowed a pair of runs and struck out 5 batters. Hamels wasn't phased by the long layoff and continues to prove that he should be mentioned amongst the best pitchers in the game. No matter the stage or the importance of the game, Hamels rises to the challenge. He had a few instances in Game One where he got into trouble but more often than not he fought out of it, like the double play he used to get out of the 3rd after he loaded the bases.

The bullpen came through with it's usual performance tonight as Ryan Madsen locked things down in the 8th and Brad Lidge saved yet another playoff game by taking care of the Rays in order in the 9th. Every lead, no matter how small, is safe with this pen.

Offensively the Phillies didn't do too much, but they still had a few big hits. Chase Utley hit a 2-run shot in the first inning to help the Phils jump out to an early lead. The other run scored by the Phillies came on a Carlos Ruiz ground out. The Phils had plenty of other opportunities to tack on more runs with runners in scoring position but you have to credit Scott Kazmir and the Rays bullpen as they fought their way out of jams.

Game One is in the books and the Phillies are one step closer to a title. Game Two is in Tampa Bay tomorrow night with Brett Myers taking the hill against James Shields. The Phillies have already accomplished a lot by earning at least a split in Tampa against a team that is great at home, but it's not like they will let up because of that. You never know what can happen later in the series, so they need to earn wins wherever they can get them.

Three more to go, GO PHILS!

Phillies vs. Rays: World Series Breakdown

It's been well-documented how long-suffering us Philadelphia sports fans are. 25 years since a major title (the Soul don't count) has done a lot to make us all pretty jaded when it comes to our sports teams, but even the most jaded Philly fan has jumped on board with this Phillies team. Granted, we've had teams in the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Finals and even the World Series in the last 15 years, but there is something about this Phillies team that has sucked us right back into being believers. They are a group of likable guys who play hard and don't accept losing, qualities that this city embraces. On the eve of the World Series that might change all of our lives, especially for someone my age who was too young to remember the Phillies and Sixers titles in the 80's, it's time to break down the two teams position-by-position and see how the Phillies stack up.

Starting Pitching:
Phillies: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton
Rays: Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine

Both teams will feature 4-man rotations. The Phillies have a slight edge in the first two games with Cole Hamels being the best pitcher in the series and Brett Myers and James Shields basically being a wash. From there, ALCS MVP Matt Garza appears to have a huge advantage over Jamie Moyer who has looked shaky at best this postseason. Moyer will be facing the type of team he loves to dominate, however, as the Rays are a young team that might not have the patience to wait on his pitches. Joe Blanton has been great this postseason and he could be the key to the Phillies chances. If the Phils manage to win the first two games and then drop the third, just like they did against the Dodgers, the series could hinge on how well Blanton holds things down. If he does anywhere near as well as he did against L.A., the Phils will be in command of the series. Game 7, if there is one, favors the Rays if it's Garza against Moyer again, so the Phillies can't let the series get to that point. Edge: Phillies, Hamels' dominance puts them over the top

Bullpen:
Phillies: Phillies: Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin
Rays: David Price, J.P. Howell, Dan Wheeler, Chad Bradfors, Grant Balfour

The Rays appear to be using a closer-by-comittee approach, and it has worked for them so far. Except for the Game 5 meltdown against the Red Sox, Joe Maddon has done a good job of utilizing his bullpen and putting the right pitcher in the right situation. Having the 23 year-old Price on the mound to close out the Red Sox was a gutsy call that really paid off for the Rays. The Phillies, on the other hand, have shown time and again that they have the best bullpen in baseball. People keep worrying that Brad Lidge has to blow a save sometime, but I don't see any signs of him melting down yet. Edge: Phillies

Catcher:
Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
Rays: Dioner Navarro

Navarro hasn't exactly been on fire with the bat in the postseason but he clearly has an edge over Ruiz at the plate, although Ruiz has shown a knack for getting a big hit now and then. Both are about the same defensively and really know how to handle their pitchers. Edge: Rays

Infield:
Phillies: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz
Rays: Carlos Pena, Akinori Iwamura, Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria

The Phillies have the best infield in baseball. Even with Howard struggling with his power, all four of these guys make big contributions at the plate and in the field. Well, maybe not so much in the field for Howard. The Rays have two All-Star caliber players at the corners but their middle infielders, while good in the field, aren't scary at the plate. If I compared them position-by-position in the infield, the Phillies would win every position except third base, but the gap isn't as great as that makes it sound. Edge: Phillies

Outfield:
Phillies: Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth
Rays: Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Gabe Gross/Rocco Baldelli

You could have made a very strong case for Victorino as the NLCS MVP and he's been the Phillies best position player by far this postseason. He makes nearly every big hit and has made a number of great catches in the field. Burrell and Werth have also both contributed but they may need to do more for the Phils to win. The Rays have a better defensive outfield than the Phils, but they can't match up offensively. The right field tandem of Gross and Baldelli isn't great, but Maddon puts them in positions to succeed. Edge: Phillies

DH:
Phillies: Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins
Rays: Cliff Floyd

Charlie Manuel has been very quiet as to who his DH is going to be in Games 1 and 2. My guess is that Greg Dobbs will get the call, although Charlie might be tempted to save him for key at-bats later in the game. I seriously doubt that Burrell will play any DH, although it would make a lot of sense. The Rays have the advantage here simply because they actually have guys on the roster who are used to being designated hitters. Edge: Rays

Bench:
Phillies: Dobbs, Stairs, Jenkins, So Taguchi, Eric Bruntlett
Rays: Fernando Perez, Willy Aybar

The Phillies bench will be stripped of some of its effectiveness with Dobbs being the DH. Jenkins would then step into the primary pinch hitter role leaving not too many other options. The Rays have some speed and versatility coming off their bench so they have the advantage here. Edge: Rays

Manager:
Phillies: Charlie Manuel
Rays: Joe Maddon

As much as myself and the rest of Philadelphia have fallen in love with Charlie Manuel, Maddon is the better tactical manager who knows how and when to use his guys. Maddon likes to think with his head while Charlie thinks with his gut. His gut has been right an awful lot but I don't want to see what happens if it's wrong. Edge: Rays

My prediction:
By my highly unscientific breakdown, the Rays and Phillies are completely even with each team having the edge at 4 positions. The Phillies have the more important advantages on the mound and at the plate, so they appear to be the better team on paper. It's going to be interesting to see how this series starts off with the Rays coming off no rest and the Phillies being so rested they are probably rusty. All the Phils will need is a typical Cole Hamels outing and they will quickly shake off all that rust, however. Call me a homer if you will, but I think the Phillies will win in 6 games. The time has finally come for us to have our parade. The Rays are a solid team but the Phillies are playing like a team on a mission that refuses to lose. It's just too bad that they won't likely win the series in Philly because the celebration at the Bank would be incredible.

After 25 years of suffering, we are 4 wins away from a Philadelphia sports championship! Do we even know how to celebrate a championship if they win one?

Phillies vs. Rays World Series pitching matchups set

The Phillies and Rays have announced their starters for the first four games of the World Series:

Game One: Phillies (Hamels) @ Rays (Kazmir)
Game Two: Phillies (Myers) @ Rays (Shields)
Game Three: Rays (Garza) @ Phillies (Moyer)
Game Four: Rays (Sonnanstine) @ Phillies (Blanton)

The Phillies figure to pitch Hamels, Myers and Moyer again in games 5, 6 and 7, if necessary.

The pitching matchups in the first four games seem to slightly favor the Phillies. Cole Hamels is the best pitcher on either team, so he figures to have an edge over Scott Kazmir. Myers and Shields are pretty even but Matt Garza has an edge over Jamie Moyer, who hasn't looked good yet this postseason. Of course, a young team like Tampa Bay is just the type of team that Moyer gets to swing out of their shoes at his junk pitches. Joe Blanton figures to have the advantage in Game Four if he keeps pitching the way he has been.

Look for my complete breakdown of the series later today.

Rays vs. Phillies for the title!

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Look back on any preseason baseball predictions and I guarantee no one predicted this. The Phillies were an unlikely choice to make the World Series while the Rays were a downright impossibility to make it.

The Rays managed to outlast the defending champion Red Sox in Sunday's 7th game through an amazing pitching performance by starting pitcher Matt Garza and their bullpen, which gave up a grand total of 3 hits. The Rays won 3-1 and advance to the World Series to take on the Phillies.

The Phillies finally know their opponent for the World Series that will begin on Wednesday. The Phils will travel to Tampa Bay where hopefully the Rays find a way to sell all of their seats!

Here is the tentative World Series schedule:

Game One: Wednesday, October 22nd: Phillies @ Rays, 8 pm
Game Two: Thursday, October 23rd: Phillies @ Rays, 8 pm
Game Three: Saturday, October 25th: Rays @ Phillies, 8 pm
Game Four: Sunday, October 26th: Rays @ Phillies, 8 pm
Game Five: Monday, October 27th: Rays @ Phillies, 8 pm
Game Six: Wednesday, October 29th: Phillies @ Rays, 8 pm
Game Seven: Thursday, October 30th: Phillies @ Rays, 8 pm

I'll have more on the World Series later. For now, congratulations Rays! You've had an unlikely run and hopefully the Phillies will be the ones to end it!