By Jerry duPhily
We were promised a Red October. It was more like a long weekend — and more pink than Philly red.
A Phillies’ post-season that began with lofty expectations ended in abrupt disappointment.
It was like going to a Springsteen concert and having a power failure after the first song. Like purchasing a new car and getting a flat on the drive home. Like paying through the nose for a reserved table at Xfinity Live only to see your team get no hit. (I should know, I did that in 2022.)
Yes, this one stings.
Many fans feel cheated. Talk radio hosts and TV sports pundits say heads should roll. And if it were a decade ago, I’d be spewing all kinds of knee-jerk nonsense.
Instead, I’m OK.
I’m OK knowing I’ve spent almost 60 years rooting for this team and have only two World Series titles to show for it. (I could be a Mariners fan.)
I’m OK realizing that if I could somehow recoup all the money I’ve spent on the Phillies, I could be driving a Porsche.
I’m even OK after what a Mets fan said to me and my son as we were making our way into Citi Field for Game 3 of the NLDS. As we waited to cross a steady stream of traffic, I reminded him to make sure we had our timing down so “we didn’t get hit.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” the Mets fan blurted out, before realizing how awful his comment sounded. (For the record, I received no harsh treatment from the Mets faithful for the rest of the evening. Then again, they beat us 7-2.)
I’m OK because I’m older, wiser and have learned to appreciate the journey as much as the destination. If your definition of a successful season is a championship parade, you’re going to spend a lot of your life disappointed. So, I savor the journey.
Without exaggeration, each year I watch or listen to about 130 of the 162 regular-season games. From spring to fall, baseball is riding shotgun as I cruise through summer. We cover a lot of ground together, even though most games I never leave the couch.
So, while being eliminated from the playoffs by the dreaded Mets rivals the pain of a root canal, I stand undaunted. Pitchers and catchers report in less than four months.
And there are other silver linings. Like knowing the Phillies had Major League Baseball’s second best regular-season record in 2024. Or that we won the National League East — the first time since 2011.
Yes, I will enter the 2025 season brimming with confidence. After all, we still have one of the best rosters in baseball.
Besides, I’m a patient man. If not, my favorite sport wouldn’t be one with a 162-game season. And that’s not counting playoffs!
