Where to start?

Should I start in 1957, when the Dodgers left Brooklyn?  Or a more seemingly unrelated event from 1960?  Or Father’s Day, 1964? Or just 8 April 2022?

I think I’ll choose 1960.   When I and about a dozen other young tykes were sent to a community college (then known as  SUNY Long Island Agricultural and Technical Institute at Farmingdale NY- now Farmingdale State College) for an early college experience.  We were presented a wonderful curriculum to enhance our knowledge and for experts to see how prodigal students absorbed knowledge and developed new things.

It was a great experience.  And, given our age- we were taught a theme song for ourselves.  Using the new hit that Frank Sinatra sang in “A Hole in the Head”.  The premise of the movie is that a dreamer plans to build a version of Disney in Florida (a dozen years between Walt actually does)- which is why the theme song (by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen) is included- High Hopes.

So apropos, since many of us were planning to create some world changing products and services.  (As far as I can tell, only 3 of us made world-changes; two or three others also created some pretty cool ideas.)

Over the years, I had changed my baseball allegiance from the Brooklyn Dodgers (1957) to the Detroit Tigers to the Philadelphia Phillies (1964).  And, it’s been a wild ride.  The Phillies were a great team, then an ok team, then a great team, then worse than dog’s breath.  Until this year.

Over the years, the Phils adopted High Hopes as its theme song.  Sung by Harry Kalas, our revered announcer,  when we won the 2008 World Series.   Who reminded the Phans (short for Phanatics) that we were the ones that brought the Phillies home.

When folks like me were positive 2022 was going to be a great year.  It had been 11 years since a Phillies team participated in post-season events. That’s a long drought.  (Only the Seattle Mariners exceeded this – with 21 years waiting- and still losing this year.)

We started the season out strong- only to fall to record of 23 wins and 29 longs by 3 June- under manager Joe Girardi.  Joe is a good manager- as is Gabe Kapler- but they weren’t the right managers for the Phillies.  We tend to be a home grown team (although we do have a bunch of transplants this year).  We give folks time to grow into the desired roles.  And, the team players react more to “coaching” than to being “managed”.

So, when Joe Girardi was canned and Rob Thompson was elevated to manager, folks like me got excited.  Sure, we weren’t perfect (going long periods without a win), but under Thompson our record was 66 and 46 (for an overall season of 87 wins and 75 losses).

But, we made the playoff cut. And, proceeded to become the giant killer.

The Phils swept the Cardinals in the Wild Card.  That was less of a contest, since only 2 winning games settled the series survivor.

The Atlanta Braves- the reigning World Series champions- were eliminated in 4 games.  The 3^rd  and 4 ^th games were played in Citizen’s Bank Park (the Phillies home field).  It was where Aaron Nola (our ace- and a league ace),  Bryce Harper (reigning MVP), JT Realmuto (the top catcher in the league), Kyle Schwarber (NL Home Run king), among others learned what it was like to play a championship game in CBP.  As did the Braves.

Coming from Atlanta, the Phils and Braves had 1 win apiece before game 3, in the best of 5 contest.  But, when the teams arrived in Philly, they were greeted (both days) with some 46000 rabid, screaming Philly fans in the stadium.  (To note, the last time we had that many people in Citizen’s Bank Park was in 2011, when we lost the divisional series.  And, the attendance at the 2 May 2011 game was also a sell-out, which is why it contained the largest crowd watching President Obama’s speech announcing the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.  Where chants of USA, USA resounded for more than 30 minutes.)

And, the energy of the crowd fed the Phillies.  46000 fans, standing, screaming, taunting the Braves were the juice to help the Phils capture the prize.

Which included Rhys Hoskins breaking his drought (he had been 1 for 18 in the post-season up to this point) in the post season with a 3 run home run.  Where his emotions took over and he jumped for joy, slammed the bat on the field, and sprinted around the bases.

Where JT Realmuto managed to create an inside the park home run. Running around the bases in 15.9 seconds.

But, most importantly, where most of the runs in the post-season  were scored with bases hits, contributed by almost every one of the team members.

The games began again last night.  Where we’d be, we’re only 8 wins from being the World Series Champions.

The Phils took that game with stellar pitching from Zach Wheeler, a home run from Bryce Harper (his fourth! of the post-season), and a 488 foot blast from Kyle Schwarber (who had been 1 for 20 in the post-season).

7 more wins to go. Let’s go Phillies!