August is here and the 2009 baseball season is speeding towards its conclusion. Unlike recent years, the Phillies are frontrunning in the NL East and look like they will easily defend their divisional crown. But in this season, coming off of a World Championship and good feelings, is the passion lost? The die-hard Phillies fans will tell you no. There is as much a desire to win now than ever. And fortunately, the ability to win now is here too.
But even before the season started, I had to stop and ask myself how this year would play out. I had just experienced my first World Series. And quite frankly, I was exhausted by the thought of another long season. I lamented that I wanted to fast-forward through the ups and downs of the season and cut right to the playoff chase.
In doing so, I forget a lesson that Phillies fans have learned painfully well over the past several decades. Without the sour, the sweet just ain't as sweet. In 2007 and 2008, winning wasn't just winning; it was coming from behind to beat the Mets. And now that the division rivals to the north are dead in the water, there seems to be an apparent lack of an antagonist.
I'm sure that winning another championship will be just as sweet. And I'm sure that defending the crown with relative ease will bring a smile to my face. But, as the team reaches the playoffs, I only hope that this Phillies team will capture the same magical flare for the dramatic that won Phillies fans' hearts last season.
But even before the season started, I had to stop and ask myself how this year would play out. I had just experienced my first World Series. And quite frankly, I was exhausted by the thought of another long season. I lamented that I wanted to fast-forward through the ups and downs of the season and cut right to the playoff chase.
In doing so, I forget a lesson that Phillies fans have learned painfully well over the past several decades. Without the sour, the sweet just ain't as sweet. In 2007 and 2008, winning wasn't just winning; it was coming from behind to beat the Mets. And now that the division rivals to the north are dead in the water, there seems to be an apparent lack of an antagonist.
I'm sure that winning another championship will be just as sweet. And I'm sure that defending the crown with relative ease will bring a smile to my face. But, as the team reaches the playoffs, I only hope that this Phillies team will capture the same magical flare for the dramatic that won Phillies fans' hearts last season.
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