North Star Writers Group

It’s hard to contain the excitement surrounding the Phillies right now, coming off the unlikely, jump-off-the-couch, four-game sweep of the Mets. Chase Utley’s game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday night had me cheering with glee as though I were surrounded by the Phillies faithful, despite being across the country in the gentle calm of my two bedroom East Bay apartment with my wife, who I’m slowly but methodically molding into a Philadelphia sports fan.

This is an incredibly exciting time. The Phillies are only a few games back in both the National League East and the NL Wild Card race with nearly 30 games left in the regular season. They might actually play in October this year.

A quick note in defense of the losingest franchise in sports history: The Phillies have been a good team for six years now, which includes falling three games short of the NL Wild Card in 2006 and finishing only one game out of the Wild Card spot in 2005. They’ve had winning records in five of their last six seasons, with a record of 511 wins and 460 losses. Including this year, the Phillies are 583-524 since the turn of the century. The fact that the Phillies have been competitive since 2001 has been overshadowed by two towering feats – the Atlanta Braves’ incredible 14 straight division titles, and the Phillies’ even more incredible 10,000 losses.

The question is, can they do it this year?

Another quick note, and I promise this will be my final diversion: When I use the phrase “do it,” I merely mean, “to make the playoffs.” Usually, a franchise “does it” by winning it all – the big one, the championship, the last game of the season – not just by reaching the postseason.

So why the watered-down version?

First, anyone outside of Boston or New York understands that earning a spot in baseball playoffs is actually difficult. It’s not like the other three sports, in which all that is really needed is a full roster and some semblance of talent. I really like this about baseball. Instead of rewarding eight too many teams with a shot at the championship, baseball rewards only a quarter of the teams after a grueling 162-game season. It’s more cutthroat. Merely reaching the MLB playoffs is quite an honor.

Second, the Phillies haven’t been in the playoffs since 1993, which is when the Blue Jays’ Joe Carter knocked Mitch Williams’ pitch over the left field wall to win the Series. For Phillies fans, that is the most recent memory of postseason play, and we are absolutely starved for another crack at it.

And so, while a championship is the only achievement in professional sports truly worthy of celebration, along with millions of other Phillies fans, I would be ecstatic just to see some meaningful postseason play.

Back to the primary question, why will the Phillies be around in October? What makes this season any different from the last two, which so accurately represented the last 20-odd years of Philadelphia sports?

The logical reason: The Phillies are within striking distance of three teams right now – the Diamondbacks, the Mets and the Padres. It is extremely likely that three out of the four teams will make the playoffs this year. The Phillies need to continue to play well, and just one of these three other teams needs to cool off, just a hair, which is really not all that improbable. Mathematically speaking, it is actually probable.

The not-so-logical reason that most Phillies fans, who have been blinded by desperation, will give you: Our lineup is awesome this year! The Phillies actually have four legitimate MVP contenders this year, including Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. And most of the lineup, after a season replete with injuries, is now healthy. Over the course of the season, the Phillies have scored 60 more runs than any other team in the NL. It is the best offense Phillies fans have seen since 1993.

The Karma reason: The Phillies have battled through a multitude of injuries this year, honestly a comical amount, and more importantly, fans like me might not make it through another epic disappointment without suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s just our turn! There are 30 teams in the league, and eight of them reach the playoffs every year. So every team should reach the playoffs on an average of at least once every four years, right? Well it’s been 14! Aren’t we due? Actually, we’re overdue, and are beginning to feel a lot like the monkeys that started the rage epidemic in the movie “28 Days Later”. It would be considerably safer for the Western Hemisphere if the Phillies reach the playoffs this year.

Like I said, we only need to catch one of three other teams, and the Phillies’ depleted roster is on the mend. I think I’m being completely reasonable when I say I’ve got a hunch we might be commemorating the year of the 10,000^th loss with a playoff berth.

Admit it. I’m not the only one with a fever.

Click here to talk to our writers and editors about this column and others in our discussion forum.

To e-mail feedback about this column, click here. If you enjoy this writer's work, please contact your local newspapers editors and ask them to carry it.

This is Column # NS071. Request permission to publish here.