Category: The American Game

On to Atlanta

~ susie

Eleven years to the day since the Cardinals shut the Phils out of post-season play, last night in the wild-card round, the Phillies beat the Cardinals in two, much to the chagrin of Alex Rodriguez — who, after the win, still insisted the Cardinals were the better team!   (J-Lo thinks Ben Affleck is the better man, so.)

It’s been such a roller coaster of a season. Covid, shortened season, injuries galore, losing streaks that seemed to last forever, and players who couldn’t play because they refused to get a vaccine. And through it all, including times when I was fed up and announced I would never watch them again, there was a small nagging voice that kept saying, “Yeah, but it feels like 2008.” (Which was the last time we won the Series.)

So here we are. The Phillies are never better than when no one believes in them except the fans. Buckle up, baby, we’re going to Atlanta!

And yeah, that Sosa’s save ended the game made it even sweeter:

 

Bryce Harper, NL MVP

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Yeah, the Phillies broke my heart this season. (Again.) But damn, what a pleasure watching Bryce Harper play his heart out:

PHILADELPHIA, PA — After one of the greatest single offensive seasons in Philadelphia Phillies history, slugger Bryce Harper has been named the 2021 Most Valuable Player in the National League.

Harper, 28, beat out a pair of superstar youngsters for the award: 23-year-old Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals and 22-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres. It’s Harper’s second career MVP award after taking home the trophy in 2015.

In the moments before the winner was announced on MLB Network, Harper credited both his team and Philadelphia fans for keeping him strong and healthy throughout the year.

“I wanted to play every single day for my city, Philadelphia, my fanbase, my teammates,” he said.