ENJOY THE RIDE

      There is no need to dive into the consecutive losing seasons the Phillies franchise has endured, the playoff drought after the magical 1993 season, or the 10,000 plus losses. Times have changed and this is all behind us. Your Phillies have changed. Led by the trio of Gillick, Amaro and Manuel the turnaround has happened, yet it is continuing. (Some credit has to be given to the Ed Wade regime) As fans, its time to put the negativity behind us.

      The first step was winning the National League East in 2007. Winning the division on the last day of the season was the perfect way to end a great season. J- Roll won the MVP, but losing to the Rockies in three games was a bad way to go out.  Key off-season additions such as Brad Lidge, Pedro Feliz, and Geoff Jenkins were all important pieces of the puzzle to the 2008 World Champions. The 2008 Phils changed the city of Philadelphia for the better. The Championship drought was over; people were celebrating as millions came out for the World Series Parade. Chase made a statement that will never be forgotten, some criticized him for it, but I think it showed the same kind of emotion that this team still plays with today.

  2009 marked the first year for Ruben Amaro as the Phils GM. It was tough to imagine how he could make the defending champs better, but Amaro made a blockbuster move at the trade deadline. Cliff Lee was coming to Philadelphia to bolster the rotation. This move sent the 2009 squad over the top and once again favorites to compete of the World Series crown. Again the Fightin’s steamrolled through the National League playoffs and managed to win a few classic games along the way. Unfortunately the Yankees took the World Series in six games. The boys in red played hard, but let a couple of games get away.

      I feel it is important to be very optimistic about our Fightin’s. The front office is committed to winning and is trying to put the best possible product on the field. The days of being a team with a small market budget are over. Going into the season with a payroll of nearly 140 million is proof. Ryan, Chase and Jimmy know how it feels to win, know what it takes to win, and they want more. So as fans it is our job to enjoy this run. There will be times this season where the ball doesn’t bounce the way it should and this team loses five in a row. This team has the talent to win 10 straight games and go on tears where they are unstoppable. The Halladay -Cy Young talk will probably start in June and carry through October. The potential of Cole rebounding to his old ways is exciting. 1-2 punch of Roy and Cole. Not bad. Placido Polanco bringing his patient approach to the plate is going to complete this line up. The 2010 version of your Philadelphia Phillies is reason for optimism. It is time to just enjoy this run.My Father, a Phillies fan of 50 plus years, sums it up perfectly “We are witnessing the golden age of Phillies baseball”. So fans sit back and “Enjoy the Ride”.

-Walt