Saying Goodbye

By Amy McCormick

I’ve been waiting to write this post, because I haven’t been ready to talk about it.  I still don’t know that I am, but now is as good a time as any, I suppose.  I will say that I’m not ready to start discussing who will start at first next season and whether or not the Phils will resign Jimmy.  I can’t handle that right now.  To say that I’m upset and disappointed would be a gross understatement. 

This season was our year.  It was not a rebuilding year or a transitional year.  This team was built for a World Series win.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. assembled a team that was Fall Classic or bust.  After our Cliff Lee Christmas gift last year, it seemed our fate was sealed.  Who could possibly contend with a Halladay-Lee-Oswalt-Hamels-and-oh-yeah-Blanton-too pitching staff?  Well, no one.  Our starting pitching was never really an issue, not even with injuries.  Our bullpen, though they had plenty of “off” nights, seemed to hold their own, too.  Our defense was fine. 

What went wrong?

It’s the same story I’ve been complaining about all season.  Outstanding pitching can only get us so far; with no run support, it’s pretty tough to compete.  Everyone thought the return of Utley would be the answer to our prayers.  For a short while, The Utley Effect did boost offense; it didn’t last.  On July 29, or RAJ Day in Philadelphia, we acquired Hunter Pence.  Pence, welcomed with open arms, was what our lineup needed: a right handed bat in the five hole.

So, what the hell happened?

It’s so hard to say, and I hate to be a Monday morning quarterback about it.  The thing is, though, we’re all left with that burning question: How does a 102-win team get eliminated by the wild card in the first round of the playoffs?  It’s hard for me to get angry, because the truth is, we were outplayed.  Period.  The better performance advanced to the NLCS.  I’ve heard lots of answers and theories; the lineup should have been switched, Charlie should have been fired last year, etc.  I can’t come up with anything more than the fact that we just couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and not even Doc could save us from that. 

So, in the past day or so, my emotions have run the gamut from shock to disappointment to heartbreak.  It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.  I hate to be a crybaby about it, and of course I wanted that parade
… it’s just baffling.  For someone who doesn’t love sports, I’m sure it seems silly, but this really is hard to handle.  If one more person says “There’s always next year” to me, s/he will get an earful.  It won’t be the same 25 guys next season, and this was our year to win.  It didn’t happen.  Let me mourn that, please.  We’re saying goodbye to the season and to this specific team.

To all my fellow Phils fans, I know that we’ll never stop loving this team.  Maybe the silver lining is that there will be fewer bandwagoners eating up all the tickets next season …. In any event, pitchers and catchers will report in four months and we’ll start this whole thing over again.  In the meantime … I’ll still be wearing my Phillies gear and sending well wishes to all the injured and surgery bound players.  Chin up, kids.  The sadness only means that you’re passionate, and that’s a damned good thing.