Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 10:18 PM | 26 comments |
 

The Drought is over
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An hour beforehand, it was still hard to know. The seats at Citizens Bank Park, dark blue and mostly empty, sat unopened in the cold. You could imagine the ticketholders huddling elsewhere, in the concourse, around their cars and their coolers, trying to stay warm, stamping their feet, pondering their fate, waiting.

They had arrived here early Monday night filled with hope and departed a few hours later, wet and exhausted, sentenced to 2 more days. “Only in Philly,” came the simple message from a buddy, and it was echoed a million-fold throughout the region. This is a place that has found comfort in misery over the last quarter-century. So, rain? Of course.

They came to see 3 1/2 innings, the resumption of a suspended World Series game, the final, labored sprint at the end of a 25-year marathon. And you wondered — what it would feel like when a Philadelphia team finally won, what it would sound like, what of the roar that was so many years in the making?

The answer came at 9:58 p.m. It ended with Phillies pitcher Brad Lidge, the perfect closer, on his knees in front of the mound. He struck out Tampa Bay Rays pinch-hitter Eric Hinske, and the joyful noise erupted. It might not yet have stopped.

And Lidge said, summing up in a television interview, “It’s very honestly hard to control my emotions right now ... These fans are amazing.”

And Jimmy Rollins said, asked about the drought, “It’s over. It’s over, man.”
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 10:18 PM  Permalink | 26 comments
26
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:38 PM, 10/29/2008
    its over..... thank god the curse is over
    — jamarder
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:55 PM, 10/29/2008
    This team can get better, and may be back.
    — Andrewsgvl
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:07 PM, 10/29/2008
    God bless these guys. They never gave up and beat the Rays on brilliant pitching and pure guts. They're the best.
    — Carmine
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:11 PM, 10/29/2008
    I got a phever...and the prescription is...NO MORE COWBELL! Nice to see "The Bat" get that big hit. Great TEAM effort guys. All right Iggles, your turn.
    — OldNavySteamer
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:15 PM, 10/29/2008
    I have seen every game this year out here in Idaho... the only Phillies fan in the state. Born and raised in Glenside I wouldn't move back but I would love to see the parade. I've earned it... have been rooting for them since 1954 when the A's left town and love to city our passionate fans get what they deserve. GREAT JOB...now I can't wait for Directv MLB in 2009.
    — stoky
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:31 PM, 10/29/2008
    who cares about being better and back??! THEY'RE WORLD CHAMPS!!!!! GO PHILS AND GO CELEBRATE!!!!!
    — vinni
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:35 PM, 10/29/2008
    A true Philly fan living a block from Times Square with my brother in Harlem. You can take the boys out of Philly (actually Langhorne) but you can't take the Philly out of these boys. When the 76ers won I was in the bush in Zimbabwe prospecting for emeralds and didn't even know we had taken the Lakers. This is SO SO NICE you can't even imagine. And this team is a team with heart and good citizens who make you proud by how they play, how they fight and how they behave on and off the field. I am so glad that Billy Wagner left because the team seemed to come together after that. Finally a big save from the Met winer. GO PHILLIES!!!! Ya made us all proud!!!!
    — Barton
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:36 PM, 10/29/2008
    The good guys finished first. Take that Durocher. Great for Charlie, the players and Philly fans. I've said it before: This team is Class, like prior Philly legends, Dr. J, Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, McNabb, et al.
    — tjkellyjr
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:51 PM, 10/29/2008
    PHINALLY!!!!!!
    — Shawn384
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:02 AM, 10/30/2008
    I never ever bought the "curse" rant. This city has won a championship before, Penn or no Penn. That "curse" thing is just a bunch of hogwash that went on to take a life of it's own. I do know all about the hate that this city has received over the years. The out of town haters who said that we'd never ever win again. Well look at who had the last laugh LOL! The Philadelphia (wish I could underline that city name LOL! )Phillies!!!!! Take that Fox news and the rest of you! All hail to the red and white! GO PHILLIES! The streets are 'Phandemonium' right now LOL! It's so great!
    — PhillyGold
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:06 AM, 10/30/2008
    I was only 5 years old when they won in 80 and my first real memory of them is losing in 83. I now live in Chicago and wish I was there tonight. I have been waiting 25 years for this. You can take the boy our of Philly but never take the Philly out of the boy. It is great to be a Phillies fan tonight! Go Phillies - thanks for the memories. It has been a great season.
    — jdklein1975
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:07 AM, 10/30/2008
    I was one year out of college living on Lombard St. when the Phils won their last World Championship. Now I am 51, living in SF, CA and I am proud of the resilience and determination that this Phillies displayed. All Philadelphians should be proud of the team's effort and skill. Perhaps a few Philadelphians will finallly give credit to the current ownership group and front office for building a great team. They have been ridculed as cheap and clueless, but they had vision and deserve credit. It should also be noted that none of this would have been possible unless the City and State government leaders also had the vision to help build a great stadium that could make it possible to afford the talent on the field that was so evident tonight.
    — dave94062
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:08 AM, 10/30/2008
    I was one year out of college living on Lombard St. when the Phils won their last World Championship. Now I am 51, living in SF, CA and I am proud of the resilience and determination that this Phillies team displayed. All Philadelphians should be proud of the team's effort and skill. Perhaps a few Philadelphians will finallly give credit to the current ownership group and front office for building a great team. They have been ridculed as cheap and clueless, but they had vision and deserve credit. It should also be noted that none of this would have been possible unless the City and State government leaders also had the vision to help build a great stadium that could make it possible to afford the talent on the field that was so evident tonight.
    — dave94062


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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