It’s their first World Series appearance in 15 years, and this team will be looking to notch its second championship banner. Unless you happen to be a Dodgers fan who just witnessed (unless you Tivo’d the game and watched the Presidential debate – in which case you need to get your priorities in the right order ASAP) what may be Manny Ramirez’s last game in Dodger blue, you have to be happy for this organization to make their 6th World Series appearance. While the Phillies wait to see who they’ll play, one thing is certain – history is going to be made this World Series.

Baseball fans have to be happy for the Phillies. Coming into the league in 1883, they have only won 5 Pennants and 1 World Series before tonight’s NLCS victory. The only teams that have been around as long, or longer, than the Phillies are the Braves (17 Pennants – 3 World Series); Cubs (16 Pennants – 2 World Series); Reds (10 Pennants – 5 World Series); Pirates (9 Pennants – 5 World Series); Cardinals (21 Pennants – 10 World Series); and the Giants (20 Pennants – 5 World Series) which have all enjoyed somewhat more postseason success than the Phillies. If the Phillies win it all, they will not only have their second Championship (their first since 1980) but will be the first organization with a total of 10,000 plus losses to win a Championship. For a fan base that has seen many years of hard times and disappointing ends to a season, a Championship would be very much deserved and appreciated. Losing the Series, that would be another painful end to a season and something Phillies fans would not be unaccustomed to (as a Boston fan, I can sympathize) but would also be historic as well.

If the Tampa Bay Rays win their first World Series title ever, the Phillies will have the distinction of being the only team to lose to all 5 of the current AL East teams in the World Series (Boston, New York, Toronto, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay).  

If the Boston Red Sox win their 8th World Series, the Phillies will have lost both the first and second years of a Back-to-Back Red Sox championship (1915; 2008), and also to a former manager of their organization.

The Phillies, like the rest of us, will just have to wait and see.

The view from the Green Monster was altered again this morning when the fabled Citgo sign caught on fire this morning. Unlike the idiotic Boston media, I doubt this is an omen as much as a coincience. If it is an omen, I hope it’s one that lights a fire under the Red Sox to play better for the rest of the postseason. I say the view has been altered again because the view changed earlier this year when the Red Sox traded Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and got back Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sorry Dodger’s fans, there is always next year. Unfortunately, I sincerely doubt Manny will be a part of next year. As much as Manny hustled and bustled since being traded, he sulked and dragged and complained, and assaulted (punching Youkilis in the dugout during a game, and pushing Jack McCormick in the clubhouse in Houston), and “hurt” (amazing how that California Sunshine caused his knees and hamstrings to magically heal) while he was in Boston.

The only reason Manny didn’t play in Boston like he did in LA was because of those options, and the only way Manny agreed to be dealt was if the Dodgers agreed not to pick up those one-year options. So Manny is a free agent, and you just have to know that Manny is going to be Manny in New York because of the revenues from those new stadiums – either working for Mr. Steinbrenner and Mr. Cashman, or for Mr. Minaya. We all know Steinbrenner saw the damage Manny can inflict on good pitching while he was doing it to the Yankees, and we all know how Minaya pines after Latino players (no matter how old or feeble they may be) and I’m sure old pals Pedro Martinez and Trot Nixon would love to have Manny as a teammate again. 

But that’s a topic for after the season is over, We still have some baseball left to play, and we and the Phillies and their fans will be watching to see who they will play.

But for now, we have ~ 19 hours until Kazmir and Matsuzaka face off in Game 5 of the ALCS.