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Playoff fever: Dare we dream the dream this year?
The Philadelphia Phillies surely have given us whiplash the past few years. There was the dreadful 105-loss season of 2003, followed by a 30-game turnaround in the positive for 2004. Then the Phils were on the brink of the World Series in 2005, only to lose to the Houston Astros in Game Seven of the NLCS.
Well, that got us all up for 2006, and with World Series expectations flowing at every corner, the Phillies never really got off the bottom of the NL East standings. Tank city. Total bummer here at Phillies Nation.
Now, the pendulum has swung back the other direction in a big way. The 2007 playoffs begin tomorrow, and Philadelphia is at the top of the heap. Those World Series dreams have returned following a 95-67 regular season -- tied for the best record in the National League with the Astros.
Really guys, our neck hurts.
Here are the playoff match-ups. There are eight very good teams in the post-season. Dare we dream the dream this October here in Phillies Nation?
Philadelphia Phillies (95-67) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (92-70)
Houston Astros (95-67) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (94-68)
Detroit Tigers (105-57) vs. Anaheim Angels (89-73)
Boston Red Sox (102-60) vs. Oakland Athletics (90-72)
If we have one area to nitpick with the Phils, it was how manager Tetsui Suzuki handled the pitching rotation. It wasn't like Philadelphia was in danger of losing its spot in the playoffs. Was it really necessary to throw Zarzour and Josh Johnson one last time? Sure, it looks great for Johnson to get his 20th win, but wouldn't have made more sense to give them each full rest heading into the playoffs? We may not see Josh until Game Three. By then, the Phils could be down 0-2.
Our neck hurts...