Hey, we moved into our third first place tie in a week Wednesday night. That means we are, every bit as much as Philadelphia, in first place, co-leading the pack, co-kinging the hill, sharing the whole schmear fifty-fifty-like.
Hard to believe after Tuesday night, but we're no worse than anyone in our division and statistically better than three-quarters of our competitors. One afternoon win today is all that separates us from claiming sole possession of Eastern supremacy.
I have a hard time believing it, and I'm one of those folks who learned young and never forgot that you gotta believe.
It's not pinch-me disbelief, just…geez, a team with Endy Chavez batting second, Marlon Anderson batting sixth, Carlos Beltran bunting in front of Robinson Cancel, everybody leaving thirteen runners on, John Maine struggling early and Billy Wagner representing our last best hope vis-à-vis life, death and Shane Victorino…this is a first place team? Even a co-first place team?
Sure is. We weren't believing it in Field Level (cap tip to Matt Silverman and the mysterious corporation that occasionally favors him with its swell box) until it was all over. After the monkeyshines of the night before, would you have trusted this team to carry a three-run lead across the finish line? Into fifty percent of first place? Past the hungry eyes of Jimmy Rollins? The Duaner Sanchez Follies — featuring the interpretative arm waves of Luis Aguayo — left us a tad cynical, far more than you'd figure fans of a team that had just beaten its archrival for a share of the big lead would be. Honestly, we were kind of giving up when we didn't enhance our three-run bulge in the seventh, eighth or ninth.
But that's our problem. Some people don't overthink these things. Our party was trudging out in “we won?” triumph when we found one of those guys who congratulates everybody else when his team comes out on top. “TIED FOR FIRST PLACE! TIED FOR FIRST PLACE!” he exclaimed as he leaned over a railing dispensing high-five after high-five. “And we can be in first by ourselves if we win tomorrow!”
Yeah, I guess we can. Who'da thunk it one night after the world came to an end?
Much better.
What bothers me is, where are all these people that say “The Phillies offense is awesome. The Phillies show fight, the Phillies play hard” after games like this? They played sloppy, flat baseball today..so, they played like the Phillies.
Endy batting second, Anderson batting sixth, Beltran bunting, and we're in first? It's kind of like Bobby V is back!
Except, well, we're tied for first instead of looking up at it. Sorry Bobby.
Greg, did you (or anyone else out there) catch Jimmy Rollins' eighth inning antics?
Bottom of the eighth, some lunkheads a couple of sections further toward the OF on the 3B side were giving Rollins a hard time – bons mot such as “You suck, Rollins!” and “Hey Rollins! Fuck You!!”. I couldn't believe my eyes when J-Ro turned toward them and subtly moved his glove hand towards his crotch in the universal “Jerk me off” gesture for about a second, and then laughed. The whole side of field level sort of gasped, and then most of us cracked up. There was a little outrage (such as from the Missus) but the rest of us found it hilarious. Well, the lunkheads, having zero sense of humor, didn't – only making bigger, drunker asses of themselves. But I'll tell you what, I thought it was kinda cool. Why not have some fun with the fans? J-Ro is OK in my book.
Kill the question mark — FIRST PLACE METS!!!
This was a wonderful, wonderful series. Who cares if it should have been a sweep?
We're Number One!
This made me laugh. The MOFO started moaning about how nice it would have been to be 3 up instead of 1 and someone put it best:
“Only this team can legitimately summon misery and regret amidst euphoria.”