Champions' Glass Half-Full

Heading into the 2007 season, the Phils were predicted by most sports journalists to end up 4th-- in their division. They famously won the division, but most sports fans attributed that to the Mets now legendary collapse. That year the Phils were swept out of the playoffs, flicked off like fleas by the red-hot Rockies.

In the 2008 preseason the Phils were supposed to wind up 3rd or 4th in the NL East, depending on which expert you relied upon. However, they won it all, as we all know-- or do we? Some Philly fans have never crossed over from the naysaying days of loserville. And it's understandable. Some of those fans endured a large portion of losing amidst 10,000 record losses posted by the Phils, the most for any professional sports team, ever.

Some lived through 1964, like my father, who would regularly recount it throughout my childhood like a vivid war story: At the end of play on September 20, 1964, the Phillies led both the Cardinals and Reds, who were tied for 2nd place, by 6 ½ games. At the end of play on September 27th, the Reds led the 2nd place Phillies by a full game. In seven days, the Phillies lost a 6-½ game lead and were never again in 1st place.

The motto might be, "Always Doubt the Phillies." After all, it seems both safer and natural with this team. We've been hurt too many times before. My all-time favorite headline about our beloved team is, "Latest Slide Ghastly, Even for Phils." However, that age-old familiar question rings true here: "Is the glass half-empty or half-full?" The year the Phils lost their 10,000 game, they won their division and made the playoffs for the 1st time in 14 years. The next year, they won the World Series. This current version of our team is comprised of winners. You don't have to look too far into the past to see, through the mirror, a Phillies team like them.

The Phils finished in last place for 3 straight years before Mike Schmidt sparked them to division crowns in 1976, 1977 and 1978. They won 101 games in both 1976 and 1977, a team record that hasn't been eclipsed since. However, they remained the team that couldn't shake that loser robe. When the playoffs hit, they hit rock bottom, losing in the 1st round each year by an accumulative record of 2-9 (best of 5 each year). The glasses fans toasted all across Philly were 1/2 empty yet again.

Then came 1980, the year that changed everything. That Phillies team did something the 1st 97 could not: they won it all! A meager 28 years later, with the final 2 numbers in the year reversed ('80 to '08), the mirror parallel pinnacle was reached. In addition to being the reigning Champs, today's Phillies just don't resemble losers in any way. Their glass is half full, every day.

In 2007, Jimmy Rollins defied all sports journalists and almost all, even the most optimistic of Phils' fans, when he declared: "This year, we're the team to beat." And he was right. It was precisely because he lacked the 'loser mentality' that Rollins was able to be so bold. He won the MVP that year when he posted record numbers, even eclipsing some of baseball's sacred combination of statistics. He has continued, through dry spells and controversial antics, to lead the club, especially on the field where he remains baseball's premiere fielding shortstop.

Chase Utley, who scored the winning run in the 11th against the Yankees on 5.24.09 (photo.), repeatedly verbalizes his confidence in the team. In one quote, he stated: "Winning this way, after [Tuesday's] tough loss shows the character of this team. We're not giving up. We're not going to quit.” He has backed it with his glove and bat over the past couple seasons and last year's postseason run, homering in game 1 against Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, despite an injury that required surgery during the off-season.

Ryan Howard, Mr. September, knows about winning attitude down the stretch. It's what has made him a perennial MVP candidate and winner in 2006. And even the newest Phils understand the current crop's bravado:

“This team really surprised me,” said Pedro Martinez. “As competitive as they are on the field doesn't reflect the kind of calm they have in the clubhouse. How relaxed everybody is, how simple they do it as far as going about their business. When they go out there it seems like they know they’re going to win.”

Philly fans take solace in the fact that this current team has a winning mentality and, even better, the results to back it up. The front office has won big on trades with an almost unmatched winning streak in MLB management. This team is the defending world champions. They played best when the pressure was on, going on a 27-12 streak and winning 13 of their final 16 games to finish the 2008 regular season. Next, they stomped through the postseason, losing only 1 time to mighty Milwaukee, blasting Sabathia, storming through supposedly unbeatable Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers 4 games to 1 and crushing American League victors Tampa Bay in 5 games. In 2009, they have a good chance of catching the 1993 Phils record, which was a whopping 97-65.

On October 29th, 2008, when the Phils raised the trophy, manager Charlie Manuel said: "In baseball, you'll see people if they've got a ring on, everybody always wants to see the ring. Once you win a World Series you become a winner. In baseball, when someone asks me what I want to be known as, I want to be known as a winner. That kind of tells the whole story." No matter what your history with the Phils storied legacy, don't count this Phillies team out. Their history may be losing, but their way is a winning one.

Charlie Manuel declares Philadelphia winners