NL East

Well, it’s over. The New York Yankees are world champions for the 27th time, in their history. The Phillies walk away from the World Series losers for the first time since 1993.

But there sure is a hell of a lot to be thankful for, if you are a Phillies fan.

This team is truly one of the greatest in the history of this franchise. We’ve been lucky enough to witness the golden era of one of America’s oldest ball clubs.

They may not have been victorious, but they sure gave it their all.

I was talking about the Phillies' chances in the World Series last week at work. I told a co-worker, “I think we have a good chance of sweeping the Yankees.” (Obviously, that was wrong, but that isn’t the point here.)

His reply was, “We? What position do you play?”

“I play fan,” I said.

I used to think the same way. People who say “we” when talking about their sports teams are a little too attached. It is not “we.” We are not a part of the team.

Or are we?

I know it’s been a rough couple of weeks for the New York Mets fans with the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, so let’s give them some good news.

 

Mets rightfielder Jeff Francoeur had surgery on Monday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. Francoeur had the surgery in Atlanta.

How is having surgery good news?

Well, this is good news for a couple of reasons. First, and most important, Francoeur will be ready for spring training.

Like George Costanza, the Philadelphia Phillies did the opposite last night.

Instead of having tuna on toast, with coleslaw, and a cup of coffee and trying to wait out AJ Burnett, the Phillies had chicken salad, on rye, untoasted, and a cup of tea and jumped all over Burnett.

The Phillies were aggressive and ambushed Burnett in the first inning thanks to a Chase Utley three-run homerun and eventually held on for an 8-6 victory to force a Game Six back in the Bronx.

The Yankees now lead the best-of-seven World Series 3-2.

New York Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, their $82 million man, shut down the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Two of the World Series.

His fastball was lively, and his off-speed pitches had their bite, sharpness, and were perfectly located. He tossed seven stellar innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking one while striking out nine.

Manager Joe Girardi hoped for a repeat performance in Game 6, choosing him in the potential World Series-winning game on only three-days rest.

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, the Philadelphia Phillies rode Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge to a World Series title. In this year’s World Series, Hamels and Lidge have imploded in back to back games and now the Phillies are on the brink of elimination.

In a crucial Game Four, Alex Rodriguez broke a 4-4 tie with a double in the ninth inning off Lidge and Jorge Posada singled home two more runs to give the Yankees a 7-4 victory over the Phillies.