As I sat and soaked in all of the post-game glory on Comcast Sportsnet and Fox last night, I suddenly had a sobering thought: this series isn’t over yet! Now, I don’t want to be the wet blanket thrown on everyone’s celebratory mood, but there will be plenty of time for rejoicing and celebrating after the final out of the series is recorded, hopefully some time around 11:45 tonight.
The TV commentators and newsmen out at the bars refused to acknowledge that the Phillies could still lose. With a 10-2 Game 3 rout, a 3-1 series lead, and Cole Hamels taking the mound at home in Game 5, it’s not hard to understand some pre-mature celebrating. I was doing it too, but the fact of the matter is that crazier things have happened. Yes, Hamels has been unbeatable in the post-season, and there’s no reason to think that will stop now. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins have come out of their slumps in a big way. But, if the Rays can manage to pull out a win tonight, they’ll be heading home knowing that they won’t have to deal with Hamels again in the series. They’ll need two wins at home (where they had the best home record in baseball this season), and they’ll be going against a pitcher they beat in Game 2 and a 45-year-old that blew up in his only two road starts of this post-season.
The Phillie players will have to forget about all those questions they got after the game last night, asking them to sum up what it feels like to be on the brink of a championship. It has to be all about Game 5 now. They can’t rest on their laurels assuming that Hamels will be unhittable. This is a time for team leaders to step up and get everyone focused on doing it just one more time. One more time, one more win, then, as Charlie said, “we’re going to make a grand parade”.
I gotta agree. I’m surprised at the “it’s over” mentality of most of the press I’ve seen today. Obviously they’re in a commanding position, but even when you think you’ve got it won, it ain’t over till it’s over. Philly fans should know this from their last playoff trip. I was at Game 6 of the NLCS in ’93 when the thinking was that even though the Braves were down 3-1 they were sending the invincible Greg Maddux to the mound in Game 6 and had the almost-as-invincible Tom Glavine lined up for game 7. Then Mickey Morandini hit a rocket off of Maddux’s leg in the first inning of Game 6 and he wasn’t the same. Eight innings later the series was over.