The Phillies Don't Really Expect To Win The World Series, Do They?

Shane Victorino in a cheerleader skirt graced the front page of Tuesday's New York Post with the headline, "Gotham Trembles."

The paper called the Phillies "The Frillies."

The town's other publication (save the New York Times), even picked on the Philly Phanatic, shown above.

New York Daily News writer Joanna Malloy called the Phillies top mascot a “green, pig-nosed monster” in a column today that trashed all things Philadelphia.

“Believe it or not, people down here in Silly-delphia actually think the Phillies will beat the Yankees in the World Series, which starts tomorrow,” Malloy writes.  “Mass delusion may be a better term for the phenomenon.”

The casual Yankees fan thinks it is a mere formality that the Yankees claim their 27th World Series title.  Wikianswers said that the Yankees have played in 39 World Series and have won 26.  That means they have lost 13 times in the World Series.

In baseball, it is not even close.  The St. Louis Cardinals, with 10 World Series victories, have the second most World Series victories.

"Who'se your daddy?" a catchy Yankee chant for future Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez chanted in 2003 may catch on in the new Yankee Stadium.  Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn't mind: Martinez is slated to pitch Game Two in New York.

Martinez pitched seven shutout innings in his no-decision start against the Dodgers in Game Two of the NLCS.

Martinez is 11-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 career starts against the Yankees in the regular season and was 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 career starts at the old Yankee Stadium.

Martinez is 1-2 with a 4.72 ERA in six postseason appearances against the Yankees and is 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in his past five.

New Yorkers, to a man I imagine, expect fully to be knee deep in cheesesteaks (the official government bet) well before Game Seven, slated for Nov. 5.

But the Phillies led the National League with 43 come-from-behind wins.  The Yankees led the American League and the Major Leagues with 51 winning rallies.

The Phillies led the National League with 224 home runs.  The Yankees have 244, again tops in the majors.

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels is married to former Playmate and "Survivor" Heidi Strobel.  Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez currently goes out with actress Kate Hudson.

Whew! I guess I should give up.  I should be happy with the Phillies' two World Championships.

"Christ, they all stick in a lick," said Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts on Monday at a Philadelphia Press conference when asked about the Phillies offense.

What does he know?  As a member of the 1950 Whiz Kids, his team lost four straight to the Yankees.  Roberts pitched Game Two and gave up the winning run on a Joe DiMaggio home run in the 10th inning for a 2-1 Yankees victory.

Philadelphia was the birth place of America, home of the Liberty Bell and where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

According to the web site, the Straight Dope: In 1626 Peter Minuit bought Manhattan island from the local Indians for a load of cloth, beads, hatchets, and other odds and ends then worth 60 Dutch guilders.  Otherwise $24 in trinkets.

Ouch.

I guess I will settle to my couch and watch my Phillies take a beating by the Yankees.

What was I thinking when I said I wanted to play the Yankees in the World Series?

I must have been delusional.

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