Philadelphia Phillies

I could have sworn everyone was expecting Cliff Lee to go to the team that offered him the most money.  He was supposed to become the second highest-paid Yankee and the third most-overpaid Yankee.

Zack Greinke was supposed to be the consolation prize for the team that lost out on Cliff Lee. He was supposed to mesh well and find comfort with the young base in Texas.

The Yankees and Rangers were not longshots to meet again in October 2011.

But the road to October just got a bit rocky for these two teams.

Consider this piece more of a memoir than anything else.  My childhood with the Phillies was always adventurous but often ugly.  The Phillies were constantly a losing team and never broke the bank to go out and sign any big-name free agents.  At the time, we knew they weren't the New York Yankees, nor were we asking them to be.  We just wanted to know that they had a desire to someday win.

In today's age of professional sports, it's not too often that you find superstar-caliber players that truly value winning championships over the biggest, most lucrative contract one can get his hands on when testing the free agent waters.

Every pro athlete in every sport claims that their No. 1 goal is to win a championship. They claim that it's what they come to the ball park every day for, why they practice, why they play the game, however in most cases, it's not really why they're in the game.

There sure has been a lot of banter about the Philadelphia Phillies over the past week, and why not?

In a surprise twist worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan film, Cliff Lee passed on both the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, the two teams thought to be the finalists for his services, to pitch once again for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Hard throwing Cliff Lee surprised the baseball and sports world Tuesday by arriving in Philadelphia to finalize a deal worth $120 million dollars guaranteed for five years with a player option 6^th year. This comes after most players, fans, and GM’s, especially Brian Cashman and Joe Daniels, expected him to sign with either the Yankees or Rangers.

December 15th is a historical date.  In 1794, the United States Bill of Rights became law.  In 1933, the 21st Amendment went into effect, legalizing alcohol.  Russians landed on Venus in 1970. And now, in the year 2010, Cliff Lee re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The signing will obviously not impact our society in such way as the Bill of Rights or the 21st Amendment once did.  And it is doubtful that December 15th will be named a national holiday.  However, this is still a historic occasion for the City of Philadelphia.

I’ll be honest. I don’t watch postseason trades. I find them as futile as foreplay after forty or light beer chasers. But when I read that the phenomenal uniform philler-outer, Jayson Werth, had been signed by a division rival, I burned my bra in defiance.

Then I just had to buy a new one. That’s when I made an important discovery:

Not everything expands when it’s cold.

In this era of disclaimers, stipulations, and legal litigation, let me make one thing vividly clear:

At one point in history, the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates had a steaming hot rivalry not all that unlike the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rivalry that has spanned baseball history.

Philadelphia Phillies fans were devastated when they heard the news, especially the fact that it was so sudden.

It can also be said that it was shocking to see our everyday right fielder, Jayson Werth, be traded to a team within our own division.

Well, like normal, Philadelphia fans panicked immediately, just like every time when something like this happens.

It's hard to admit, but as a Phillies fan myself, it's true.

But let me be the first to tell you that there isn't too much to worry about.