Vic’s slam sealed the deal, and we knew right then and there we had a chance to go all the way.

I would still put Stairs home run above it but thats only because I got to listen to that one live. I was working during this game so I missed it.

The bar was called “Miami Mike’s.” It was one of the saddest establishments that I had been to in a long time. Located in the lobby of a misplaced Ramada Inn, its decor was intended to emulate a South Beach hangout; fake palm trees, Dolphins’ gear, projection flatscreens from the 90′s, wicker everything. This is Rt. 10 in East Hanover, New Jersey in the middle of fall though, it didn’t look festive, it just looked sad. There were a few middle manager office types sitting at the bar but it was otherwise empty and we walked into Brett Myers loading the bases with one out in the first. We pulled up a table, the only people in the place actually watching the game, and I settled in for what I figured would be a bumpy ride, another Myers’ unhinging.

He gets out of the inning. I order a beer. Frustrated with my surroundings, frustrated with what I thought was going to be another playoff exit, I spent the start of the home half of the second inning texting my wife. Then “the at bat” happened.

I couldn’t believe what I was watching. I think back to that game against the Mets, that I STILL haven’t seen, where Myers’ pinch hit antics were discussed as legend. Did he just walk Brett Myers?! Did he just walk Jimmy Rollins?!?! Then Victorino washed away years of disappointment with one swing of the bat.

I lost my mind. The only Phillies fan in the place, heck the only person watching the game, I was on my feet, screaming. An old man, in an XL Phillies t-shirt overlapping typical old man gear, comes in seconds later and asks what just happened. He looked as if he was going to tear up. Miami Mike’s became the happiest place on earth for me at that moment. I might has well have been back at McMeniman’s on Germantown Ave. watching the game.

Whenever I’m having a bad day, I can just replay in my mind Larry Andersen’s “C’mon, c’mon” and ensuring scream during the radio broadcast of at bat and I instantly have a smile on my face.

I told my dad after like 3 pitches of the Myers at-bat that it was GREAT just to be making CC throw pitches, we had NO idea how many pitches he would end up throwing or how that at-bat would become something of Phillies legend.. something i’ll tell my kids about. He works the walk, Rollins follows, and when Victorino hit that Grand Slam, I didn’t even yell or cheer at first… I just watched in disbelief..

I’m pretty sure that we are ALL ready to chalk up that win to the Brewers with Sabathia on the mound, and realizing that we just took him down thanks in part to the 9-1-2 hitters… ANYTHING was possible at that moment, THAT was when I realized this team was definitely good enough to win it all.

So it took my a good few seconds of getting hugged by strangers, and high-fives all over the place before I joined in the screaming… I was too busy soaking that moment in.. it was “different” then leaving WS Game #4, fairly certain that we would win the WS the following night… The feeling I had after the Victorino Grand Slam was even better than what I described before, of that great feeling you get when Pitchers & Cathers… praying that any year could be the year, and last year…. was just amazing..

Literally, I can die a happy man because I saw the Phillies win the World Series, someting I was never quite sure I would see in my lifetime.

Including post season games in 93, 07 and 08 and The Myers/Victorino/CC game has gotta be top 5 maybe top 3.

Some games just have everything and they are worth it — thats why we suffer through all the crummy games hoping for the great ones.