"Dancin' In The Streets"

Not only is the title of this entry a catchy Van Halen song, but it is also a literal description of the joy taking place up and down Broad Street immediately following today's National League East clinching 6-1 victory over last year's post-season spoiling Washington Nationals. That's right. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the 2007 NL East pennant. Aided by the New York Mets' monumental collapse, the Phills overcame a 4-11 start, injuries that landed 19 of their 25 opening day starters on the DL, 199 Ryan Howard strike-outs, an obviously blind third-base coach, a bullpen seemigly pieced together with toothpicks and bubble-gum, Pat Burrell's mendoza line first half, Adam Eaton's league worst 6.29 ERA, and the heart-breaking memories of "close but no cigar" seasons past, and now wait for Wednesday when either the San Diego Padres or Colorado Rockies will come into Philadelphia for game one of the first playoff baseball series in which the Phillies have been involved since Joe Carter sent a Mitch Williams fastball into Toronto's left field seats to end Philly's World Series hopes 14 years ago.
Anticipation ran throughout Citizens Bank Park, today. The Marlins lead the Mets by a mile before the Phillies even took the field, and for the first time all season, sole possession of the division lead was in sight. Jimmy Rollins electrified the sell-out crowd by leading off the bottom of the first with a single, then proceeding to steal both second and third base and eventually scoring on a Chase Utley sacrifice fly. The Phills never looked back, and now they can look forward to post-season action. The core of this team has never been through the playoffs. Home-grown talents Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Carlos Ruiz and every player who started their careers in Philly have never seen October baseball. Greg Dobbs has never been there. Wes Helms was active for one playoff game with Atlanta, and had no at-bats. Inexperience, however, shouldn't be an issue. Must-win games during the regular season have prepared this team for its playoff run, the same way August and September games aganst the Phillies prepared the Florida Marlins for their 2001 World Series run. Kyle Lohse and Jamie Moyer have both pitched in big spots, as has Tom Gordon, who served as Mariano Rivera's set-up man for years. Aaron Rowand and Tadahito Iguchi won the Wolrd Series with Chicago in 2005. These will be the veterans who guide the young players through this opportunity of a lifetime. Playoff baseball is where legends are made, and now Rollins, Utley, Howard & Co. get a chance to build their legend.
This will be an exciting month. It has been 14 years since playoff baseball was last seen in this city. The players proved over the last month that they are ready for the next step. The fans proved they are ready by providing an undescribable ballpark atmosphere down the stretch, and linng the sides of Broad Street, in parade/festival-like fashion, from Pattison to City Hall on the day of the playoff berth. The playoffs are finally here. Let's savor this, it may not happen every season (or every decade), and let's prove why we are the greatest fans in the country.