A long time coming: Phillies win the World Series

By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer 33 minutes ago

Rains smears paint on a car wi…
AP – Oct 28, 4:42 pm EDT

Water covers seats in Citizens…
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Wind blows standing water on t…
AP – Oct 28, 4:35 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—From losingest team to longest game, the Philadelphia Phillies are World Series champions.

Strange as that sounds.

Strange as it was.

Brad Lidge and the Phillies finished off the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in a three-inning sprint Wednesday night to win a suspended Game 5 nearly 50 hours after it started.

Left in limbo by a two-day rainstorm, the Phillies seesawed to their first championship since 1980. Pedro Feliz singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh and Lidge closed out his perfect season to deliver the title Philly craved for so long.

“It was a crazy way to win it with a suspended game but we did and it’s over and we’re very excited,” 45-year-old Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer said. “It has been a long wait, but it’s worth it.”

Bundled in parkas and blankets, fans returned in force to Citizens Bank Park and saw the city claim its first major sports championship in 25 years. No more references needed to those sad-sack Phillies teams in the past and their 10,000-plus losses.

Series at a Glance

vs.

Phillies win series 4-1

1. Game 1: at TAMPHI 3, TAM 2 – FinalRecap | Box Score
2. Game 2: at TAMPHI 2, TAM 4 – FinalRecap | Box Score
3. Game 3: at PHITAM 4, PHI 5 – FinalRecap | Box Score
4. Game 4: at PHITAM 2, PHI 10 – FinalRecap | Box Score
5. Game 5: at PHITAM 3, PHI 4 – FinalRecap | Box Score

“They could taste it just as much as we could,” Series MVP Cole Hamels said.

It was among the wackiest endings in baseball history, a best-of-seven series turned into a best-of-3 1/2 showdown when play resumed in the bottom of the sixth inning tied at 2.

How bizarre? Hamels was a star in Game 5—and the ace never stepped on the mound Wednesday night; Two Rays relievers warmed up to start, and there was a pinch-hitter before a single pitch; “God Bless America” was sung rather than the national anthem, and it was quickly followed by the seventh-inning stretch.

All because the game was suspended Monday night after rain made the field into a quagmire, washing out the foul lines, creating a puddle at home plate and turning every ball an adventure. Commissioner Bud Selig eventually called it— he got booed when he presented the MVP trophy to Hamels.

For Philly, it was more than a World Series win. It was a bit of redemption for all the losses, the jokes, the slights.

Finally, something to celebrate.

How much did Philly fans want a champion to call its own?

Well, the sports hero they point to with the most pride isn’t even a real person—Rocky Balboa.

Yo, Adrian … the Phillies did it!

“It’s over,” shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. “It’s over, man.”

Lidge went 48-for-48 on save chances this year, including two this week. He retired two batters with a runner on second, striking out pinch-hitter Eric Hinske to end it.

Lidge jumped in front of the mound, landing on his knees with arms outstretched. Catcher Carlos Ruiz ran out to grab him, and teammates sprinted to the mound to join them as towel-waving fans let loose.

“At first, I couldn’t believe it. And then the gravity of what happened hit me,” Lidge said.

A generation ago, it was Tug McGraw who went wild when the Phillies won their first title. A few days after country singer Tim McGraw scattered his dad’s ashes on the mound, it was Lidge’s turn to throw the final pitch.

Despite low TV ratings and minus the majors’ most glamorous teams, fans will always remember how this one wrapped up. And for the first time in a long while, kids saw a World Series champion crowned before bedtime.

“I believe this firmly, our guys are not going to be satisfied without playing in October from now on,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “And that’s a good thing. And that’s all because of this group of people this year.”

Reliever J.C. Romero got the win, his second of the Series.

Hamels went 4-0 in five postseason starts, beating the Rays in Game 1 and pitching six sharp innings in the rain during Game 5. He was set to be the first batter when the game resumed, and was immediately pulled for a pinch-hitter.

While former NL MVPs Ryan Howard and Rollins drive the Phillies, it was their less-heralded teammates who helped win it on this chilly night.

Tied at 3, Pat Burrell led off the seventh with a drive off the center-field wall against J.P. Howell. Chad Bradford relieved and one out later Feliz singled home pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett.

Rocco Baldelli’s solo home run off Ryan Madson made it 3-all in the top of the seventh. The Rays almost got more, but All-Star second baseman Chase Utley alertly bluffed a throw to first on a grounder over the bag and instead threw out Jason Bartlett at the plate.

Pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins, the first batter Wednesday night, doubled and later scored on Jayson Werth’s bloop single.

Mud covers an on deck batting …
AP – Oct 28, 5:35 pm EDT

In all, there were six new pitchers, three pinch-hitters and two pinch-runners when play restarted.

Manager Charlie Manuel, whose NL East champions clinched a playoff spot in the final week, guided the Phillies’ second overall championship in six World Series tries. The Phils helped themselves by going 7-0 at home this postseason, beating Milwaukee and the Dodgers in the NL playoffs and then defeating the Rays.

“I always thought we’d win the World Series. I knew we could beat anyone in the league,” Manuel said.

Once known as a city of champions, Philadelphia sports fell on hard times after Julius Erving and Moses Malone led the Sixers to that 1983 title.

Since then, the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers made it to the championship game or round—seven times, in total—and lost all of them.

The city became so starved for a crown that it was ready to throw a parade down Broad Street for a horse. But local colt Smarty Jones lost, too, in his bid for the Triple Crown.

A tarp covers the infield in C…
AP – Oct 28, 4:46 pm EDT

“People enjoy being associated with winning and a world championship is the ultimate,” Mike Schmidt, MVP of the Phillies’ other championship, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press this week. “It unites a town behind one team.”

Cheesesteaks, on the house.

Tampa Bay did itself proud, too, until this final week. Baseball’s best success story this season, the worst-to-first Rays played like the downtrodden Devil Rays from the past decade.

Even so, the gap between the Phils and Rays wasn’t enormous. Had Evan Longoria’s late, long drive off Jamie Moyer in Game 3 not been blown back by the wind, the teams might still be playing.

Notes

The World Series failed to make it to a Game 6 for the fifth straight year, the first time that’s happened. … Burrell went 1-for-14 in the five games. … Howell put down the first sacrifice bunt of his career.

TONSALITIS.

 Alas I am a victim of Murphy’s Law.  Everything and anything will go wrong at the worst possible time.

 I think the part that bothers me the most is that the school might be blaming me for getting sick.  They had told me to go to the hostpial a few times and I’m thinking the hospital for a stupid cold?  That’s ridiculous.  Apparently out here hostpial and doctor are one in the same.  They should educate themselves on the difference. 

Honestly they have been really nice and kept telling me how all the teachers were worried about me.  I love my job a lot so it’s just really bad timing for all of this. 

I’ve been having little sniffles and a teeny cough for the past few weeks but just your little common cold.  So does everyone at work.  Kids coughing all over the place and being absent. 

Andrea had advised me that as someone in a new school and espeically in a new country with a whole set of new germs I should really go to the pharmacy and get something.  On Monday I left school early with the intention of doing that but fell asleep.  Tuesday I battled through the day (had a slight fever ) and went home as soon as I finished classes.  I then went directly to the pharmacy and got something to take.  I wanted to see how much better I got with the medicine before I went to the dr.   Before this week it was just little sniffles, sniffles that everyone has!!

 My conscience was in a knot when I finally decided not to go to school yesterday (I had wanted to pull and high school record of no absenses but then I thought if you don’t rest you’re gonna keep being sick).  I figured I’d see what the medicine did for me before going into the dr. 

Last night Andrea advised me that if I were going to school to I should have someone take me to the dr. first and so I went to the dr. around 10 am.  It turns out it’s right down the street from my apt.  It was there I was told that I had tonsalitis and that I was to rest in bed for the next two days.  Oh this sooo doesn’t fit in with my schedule! 

They wanted to do a chest x-ray but they never did ask how deep my cough was.  It actually isn’t very deep at all so the dr. said I could wait and see what the medicine did by Saturday.  Last time I had x-rays and whatnot  I wracked up 3 grand.  (Of course I had quit my job at the very same hopspital ironcially and was out of insurance at the time.  Def. my bad!)  Here they pay half of my health insurance.   

Kudos to Korean doctors though.  I’m not sure if we even made an appt.  They were so efficient with like 4 lines of paperwork so in a sense no paperwork and the dr. actually explained things to me… like you have white stuff on your tonsils from a virus.  If only we could be like that in America!

They (school) still want me to come into work tomorrow to decorate my classroom despite the dr. telling me to stay home.  I’m sure I’ll be ok and I TOTALLY HAVE TO DECORATE IT!  This major Halloween shin-dig is tomorrow and my classroom is screwed if I don’t get it done!  How disappiointed with the kids and parents be. 

Luckily I’ve been bringing home crafts with me to work on, not that I have touched any of it but I think I will today.  I HAVE TO. 

I’m sorry to have to vent but I was just a bit offended about the thought that I brought this upon myself.  I wouldn’t even have considered a doctor if not two days before so it’s not like I put it off till I was hacking up a lung.  I’ve had many coughs in my time and no tonsalitis.  Ok i’m gonna “let sleeping dogs lie” – whichever teacher taught me that phrase back in the day… I just used it!

Mom and everyone who worries, I’m frickin fine.  Just pray I don’t trash Halloween.  Sucks to be sick for one of my favorite holidays on top of it all. 

I do feel a little less guilty bc when I stayed home I was actually sick. I don’t like staying home if I can tough it out.  Kind of like my dad. 

Ok so off to craft hell I go!  Some OJ, ramen noodle soup and plenty of water. 

Aimee

PS I must say it can be kind of annoying to be sick in another country and to communicate your symptoms and whatnot.  I could have sworn Ellie sounded a bit annoyed.  She’s like are you listening?  I’m thinking lady I’m frickin listening.  haha.  I just can’t exactly shout back at you with my crappy voice right now. 

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