Phillies must write the ending to their fairy tale

02.10.2007 06:00 Sport and Travel - Source: USA Today

Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the rest. They've been written off and KO'd more often than Mike Tyson, but each time have picked themselves up and rebuilt their amazing season.

Now they take the next step. Winning the National League East Division title is hugely important, but in reality it's just a small step.

TEAM PAGE: Phillies' news and notes

"Once you're in anything can happen," says Utley.

What this team is made of will be revealed starting Wednesday when the Phillies begin their toughest journey of the year, facing either San Diego or Colorado in the best-of-five Division Series.

I say the Phillies are legitimate — not pretenders masquerading as champions only because the New York Mets coughed up a seemingly insurmountable lead in one of baseball's greatest collapses ever.

The Phillies had to win when it counted. They have one of the best offensive teams in the majors. Their starting pitching has been shaky, but in a short series, youngsters Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick should be more than adequate.

They had to overcome a 4-11 start and a string of devastating injuries that depleted their starting pitching. They had to bounce back after falling seven games behind the Mets on Sept. 12, when they were shellacked by Colorado 12-0. That was the lowest moment of their stretch drive.

There has not been much to celebrate in Philadelphia since that night in 1993 when Toronto's Joe Carter blasted his walk-off home run to win the World Series. That set off one of the worst hangovers the franchise has endured.

No one has had to fight adversity more than outfielder Pat Burrell. He was in trade talks during the offseason, but no deal could be made. After games of July 1, the left fielder was batting .201 with just eight homers and 32 RBI.

Manger Charlie Manuel, despite criticism, never lost faith in Burrell, who became an integral part of the second-half surge. Since July 1, he batted .302 with 22 homers and 65 RBI.

Burrell, longest-tenured of the current Phillies, stood in the clubhouse during Sunday's champagne celebration and fought off tears.

"I thought about John Vukovich today," said Burrell, referring to the longtime coach who died in March. "We've been wearing his patch (VUK) on our sleeves all year. He's up there right now watching all this, wishing he could be here with us. That's all I can say."

Jamie Moyer, whose gutsy 5⅓ innings led to Sunday's 6-1 clincher over Washington, was attending a Philadelphia-area high school when the Phillies won the 1980 World Series. He played hooky from school to attend the mammoth parade down Broad Street.

Last year, at a team meeting during a failed stretch run for the wild card, Moyer, who's 44, told his teammates about watching that parade.

"I told them about skipping school and that I'd like to be going down Broad Street again and on one of those floats instead of watching them go by," he says. "I've been talking to (23-year-old) Kyle Kendrick a lot lately. I told him you're a young player and hopefully you'll have a long career. Enjoy this because there are players who never get to the playoffs or the World Series. I told him to learn something from this — about yourself, about the game, about the environment and become a better person and better player from it."

If Rollins, who ignites the team, doesn't become the NL MVP it will be a shame. During the winter and again in spring training he proclaimed the Phillies the team to beat in NL East.

As champagne flowed down his face, I asked if there was ever a time during the year when he wished he hadn't made that remark.

"Yes, there were two innings of a game back in May when we were getting beat 7-2 in the fifth or sixth inning," he said. "We're making a pitching change and I said to Abraham Nunez, 'Nunie, this really might be a rebuilding year. You have to know which battles to fight.' Well, we came back to win and when I got to the clubhouse, I told myself that's the last time I'll ever think like that."

Pausing, he added: "Yes, we were the team to beat."

That was true for the regular season. Now, Rollins & Co. have to prove it for the postseason.

  Add comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Comment:
Enter code: