30 October 2008 by Published in: General musings 8 comments

The drought is over!

World Series Champs!In their 126th season, the Philadelphia Phillies have won only the second title in the franchise’s history. Ending the weirdest, most bizarre World Series game ever, Brad Lidge threw three hellacious, unhittable sliders and struck out Eric Hinske, ending the World Series and Philadelphia’s 25 year championship drought. I’m thrilled for Charlie Manuel and for 45-year-old Jamie Moyer, who grew up in the Philly suburbs and who played hookey from high school to attend the 1980 victory parade. But most of all, I am thrilled for the long-suffering fans of Philadelphia and for Harry Kalas, who finally got to call another world championship, 28 years later.

There was a certain symmetry to it: 08 is the analog of 80. Lidge ended this World Series just as Tug McGraw ended the 1980 Series–with a strikeout and then bedlam. Lidge wears number 54, while Tug McGraw wore number 45. And Lidge did it with just a little bit of Tug there with him. The night of the first game in Philadelphia, Tug’s son, singer Tim McGraw, brought out the first ball and surreptitiously sprinkled some of his father’s ashes on the pitching mound. Somewhere, Tugger’s Irish eyes are twinkling today. And Richie Ashburn is smiling down on his adopted city. And so is John Vukovich, the long-time third base coach and Phillies fixture, who died of brain cancer in March 2007.

The 100 season (4 sports, 25 seasons) drought is finally over!

Congratulations to my Phillies and congratulations to Philadelphia. Savor every moment.

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Comments

  1. Ken Noe
    Thu 30th Oct 2008 at 11:32 am

    Congratulations, Eric. Another ring for Davey Lopes! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Christ Liebegott
    Thu 30th Oct 2008 at 3:07 pm

    Congratulations Eric for the Phillies. Now if there was just some way to bring that magic west over the Alleghenies to the Pittsburgh area……..

  3. Jack Dempsey
    Thu 30th Oct 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Congrats! Eric on winning the November classic! Glad to see BrotherlyLoveTown enjoying a champ.

    From the City of Champions and Best Sports State,
    Michigan Jack

  4. Phil LeDuc
    Thu 30th Oct 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Congratulations too from the abysmal pit that is Seattle Mariners baseball. Jamie Moyer put in some great years here, before he was traded to Philadelphia several years ago because he was obviously too old to continue effective pitching. Ha! How the Mariners could have used him!
    He’s a great guy who still lives here in Seattle, where he and his wife started the Moyer Foundation in 2000; it does terrific things for kids in distress.
    Congratulations Jamie, Philadelphia, and Eric!

  5. Thu 30th Oct 2008 at 11:39 pm

    Hmmm. Two championships in how many years ???

    And your hated Yankees have 26 …

    Seriously, Eric, the Phillies are my favorite NL team, so congratulations to them and their fans like you !!!

  6. Fri 31st Oct 2008 at 10:23 am

    Thanks, guys. It’s taken all of my will power not to just head to Philly today for the parade. If I wasn’t moving my office tomorrow, there’s a very good chance I would have done just that.

    Eric

  7. Jack Kelly
    Sat 01st Nov 2008 at 8:25 am

    Congratulations, Eric. The Phillies have waited a while for a Series win (not like , of course, the Cubs or my Red Sox ). Enjoy it while you can, because the Red Sox will be back next year. The Sox try to give others a shot once in a while ๐Ÿ™‚
    In the meanwhile, we still have the Celtics (NBA champs) and the Brady-less Patriots still fighting for the playoffs.
    Hope to see you in June for the GDG Muster.

  8. Mark Snell
    Sat 01st Nov 2008 at 6:29 pm

    OK, if the Philies can do it, so can the Orioles! After all, their last WS championship came at the expense of the Phils. One of my former students, whose father was a member of the 1983 championship team (he was Cal Ripken’s roomate), brought her dad’s WS ring to my office so I could touch it. What a rush! I even got an autographed baseball card from him. Sure hope I don’t have to wait another 25 years . . . .

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