Comments on: The 2008 Phandom 25: !

By: Dave S

Dave S — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:41:47 +0000

At least you never thought Pat Combs was the cure.

By: David

David — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:48:57 +0000

Good Night, Joe Carter

By: Chuck P

Chuck P — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:54:08 +0000

I won WS tickets via lottery (on the Phillies web site); game 5. Paid face value for a pair of tickets. I resisted the urge to pawn them on stubhub… undoubtedly missing an opportunity to pocket a couple grand. I knew that the seats would be bad, but our seats were in the last row of the Bank, 3rd base line, Section 433 on the very end of the row (the big screen immediately to our left)… basically, you couldn’t get any further away and we were likely one of the last lottery tickets handed out. There was no protection behind us our beside us and the wind was whipping; I give my wife a lot of credit for sticking it out. It was a storybook ending to a fairy tale season. You could not have written a better script; the city starved for a championship, forced to wait for that which it covets most by Mother Nature. The bank was electric. The crowd was cold and bitter at the end of day one; the delay allowed us to regroup… so that we could appropriately cheer our team towards a championship. Even more fitting, the early start time of the second part of game 5 allowed many parents/fans to share the historic moment with their sons and daughters… sons and daughters that will undoubtedly believe in their city and this team for years to come.

I don’t know if either of these will work… trying to share some video. You can’t see the tears coming down my face but you can catch some raw footage of me hugging strangers.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=1054350353595

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:21:25 +0000

Tyler Green! That brings ‘em back….him and Tony Longmire!

By: fortyb

fortyb — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:25:04 +0000

I remember just being speechless… I put my hands over my mouth and felt the chills run through me! I turned to my wife, a Yankees fan, who was with me/us every step of the way in the playoffs. It was at this moment that I knew a phenomenal week was going to take place…

By: maxhole

maxhole — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:05:05 +0000

did anyone really doubt this group would go without winning a WS? i think thats where my tears came from. “Phinally” didnt mean as much of the 25 years for me as it did that this core finally put a hurting on every team until it was the Phils holding the banner. its obvious in the growth of this website and others, and the growing team support since we arrived at the new stadium that this team had something special. there isnt a more determined and focused team in the mlb right now, our guys will continue to keep that advantage.

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:15:54 +0000

We are going to have this again people.
This time, I will go to the stadium instead of the parade…

Note, there has not been a repeating team in the WS since 2001 (Yanks made 4 straight appearences). I suppose the correct term in consecutive appearences. (Cards in 04 & 06, Red Sox in 04 & 07).

When the Phils reach the WS and win it for the second year in a row, where will that put them in history? As long as Utley, Rollins, Howard & Hamels are in the mix, there is a strong likelihood they could repeat.

By: Gavin

Gavin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:04:59 +0000

I am superstitious, so I wouldn’t move from my spot in my chair the entire game 5 (part 2). When WE WON, I jumped up, hugged my wife and ran upstairs to wake up my kids. I grabbed my 3 year old out of his bed and it scared him b/c he was asleep. I ran him downstairs to watch the celebration. He cried the whole time. Funny I did too. I went outside and let out the loudest guttaral yell ever startling most on my quiet SC neighborhood, and I broke out a ML from the fridge, popped it open and sprayed my wife and myself with beer. I missed most of the celebration talking on the phone with family and friends.

By: T Marty

T Marty — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:59:21 +0000

tonight i ran into an old friend whom i haven’t seen since March, this is the first thing we spoke of, i told him how i cry every time i watch the DVDs, and he said it’s still hard to fully sink in, The Phillies are World Champs. We spoke of how WFC defines this, how long we’ve waited, the passion, the pain. Most emotional moment in my life. As the wife says, it was bigger then our wedding!

Ordered my partial seasons tickets, (always early so i can get the free gift), hope i get seats in the lottery for the home opener, cannot wait to reel it in all season, i’m watching my team, the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies!

By: Mazinman

Mazinman — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:12:56 +0000

Back in 1986 I moved from Puerto Rico to New Jersey and was introduced into MLB. At that moment I had a choice. I could stake my loyalty to a Mets team that had just won the World Series or the Phillies. I was drawn to the Phils by the history that Michael Jack was about to make and made strong by the fact that my cousin’s husband played for them. After a couple of years I was hooked, completely. After that was a blurr of pain until 1993 relieved so much of up. Ultimately, however, it also ended in pain and made me hate Joe Carter until this year. After that more pain.

Then came this year…

I was giving class that night. Trying my best to teach about the history of Ancient Rome while keeping an eye on my cell phone. I had bought the post season cell phone package from MLB exactly for this reason. I wanted to hear Harry’s call. With 15 minutes left in class I looked at my cell phone again. Top of the 9th. Time to let the class out early. The first out was made while that was happening.

I ran as fast as I could to pay for the parking and get to the car before the inning ended since the reception in the parking lot stunk. A hit made me a little nervous but I was still confident. The second out made me run to the car.

Then, miraculously, the signal was crystal clear. I never have a cell phone signal where I had my car parked but, in that one moment, it came through. A stopped outside the car when Lidge threw one more filthy pitch and Harry said those magical words. I jumped around like I was a little boy, screaming out in joy as tears ran down my face. My mom called, we both cried as we celebrated. I called my grandfather. He celebrated as well as he prepared to go have lunch with his friends the next day and brag. Then I called my two closest, Philly Phan friends and we went nuts.

A couple of days ago I got my Sports Illustrated book and other stuff from their offer. I don’t even like SI but I felt like I needed it. After seeing other teams get it for so long I had to have it. Me getting it drove it home. We were world champions. As much as writers were lusting to give the title already to the Yanks it did not change facts. We won.

World Phu*kin Champions. Those three words say so much about this doesn’t it? That word in the middle speaks to the disbelief and raw joy that the two words that surround it create. It means that a phan that has never tasted victory in anyway was now a winner along with his team. It means that, for the first time ever, a season ended with tears of joy.

One more salute to the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Now, we can begin the tale of the 2009 team which, I truly believe, will also end with tears of joy.

By: chase mutley

chase mutley — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:25:52 +0000

I grieve every day that pat’s double didn’t clear the wall. a pat burrell HR to win it wouldve been poetic. seriously, I screamed the loudest when that looked to be out. I wanted that so bad for him.

By: Grrrumpy Miner

Grrrumpy Miner — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:54:56 +0000

Like I said that night as I paraphrased from what Met great Bud Harelson once said about winning it in 1969 “You are World Champions.Irreversable,nobody can take it away from you”.Now that 2008 is come and gone,giving thanx and to all the Christmas joy and the Auld Lang Syne has been sung,2009 is a whole new ballgame.Now with 29 other teams wanting what you have,Yes I’ll say it again the hunters have become the hunted and you’se guys better keep that in your mind.

By: clktwr14

clktwr14 — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:41:08 +0000

Soon as the Ninth inning started I broke out my bottle of Jameson and a shot glass for the Tugger, after I ran around the house and I clinked that shot glass to picture and drank it down for the Tugger. World Champions World Phu*kin Champions

By: Brett

Brett — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:32:48 +0000

I’ll never forget the night we won. When the game started, I had just gotten home from the hospital, my best friend’s mother had been coughing up blood and had to go into the emergency room, and my father had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. My best friend and I were both in foul, miserable moods. We were morose as part two of the game started, but with each pitch and each out, we were both coming to life and beginning to realize what was happening.

When Lidge struck Hinske out, my apartment exploded as two guys with almost nothing to be happy about were given a completely unforgettable experience. In the end, it’s one of the best days of my life, because even after all the crap I’d been through that day, my Phillies were there and they won it all.

Go Phils.

By: KM

KM — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:28:38 +0000

It is still impossible to believe.

By: David

David — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:17:42 +0000

I was at both parts of Game 5 and the parade. It was, as most would agree, the best week of my life. I can’t recall ever being so happy and overjoyed. I remember one of the ushers at the park remarking, “I’ve never seen so many happy people ever.” He was right. One of things I remember from the parade was that the weather was perfect–about 60 degree and clear blue sky–we had to suffer through the cold rain of game 5 for it. As someone said during the delay in game 5, “This is Philly, nothing is easy.” And he was right. We had to suffer and wait, but that made the victory so much sweeter. When I got home after game 5, as I was sitting in my bed about to go to sleep (or at least trying to) I began to cry…I realized my childhood dream of seeing the Phils win the World Series had been accomplished. I can’t want for them to do it again. Well, I can wait, I’ve waited a long time (as we all have) but sure we’ll be fun for them to do it again.

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:32:48 +0000

Justin, I could not agree more… I have been a fan of baseball since I was about 8, just about 48 years now. I have seen my favorite teams take it as I lived in Baltimore for the formative years (1966, 69,70,71), here in Philly since 70. This was the greatest ride of my life for sure since I make it a point to go to as many games as I can, and Manny, 09 is a definite repeat!
This team is built to win or compete seriously, for as long as they keep Rollins, Utley and definitely Ryan Howard.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:19:22 +0000

everyday i would wake up and feel like i had a playoff game that day. I wanted nothing to do with school and my own college baseball practices. All i wanted to do was watch my boys in red and it was the best month of my life. such an emotional ride from pitch to pitch and i fully agree that nothing can decribe how i felt when i saw hinske swing and miss at that slider. WORLD PHUCKING CHAMPS.

By: Howard

Howard — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:46:28 +0000

I was glued to the entire playoffs. Every game, every pitch. Like everyone else who is a true Phils Phan, I still can’t get enough of the celebrations, reading the posts & news articles. This WS championship means more to me than the 1980 Series, just because of the current climate that exists in the sports world today. No one will ever be able to take this away from us! Not the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Dodgers, or the Braves. I will cherish this for the rest of my days, and will always wear my Phillies colors proudly.

By: justin

justin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:17:54 +0000

the whole ride during the playoffs was the greatest couple weeks for my life. ive never experienced anything as amazing as this. 20 years of my life ive waited to see this happen and for it to happen to my favorite team. i couldnt of asked for anything better.