Aaron Rowand can remember it as if it were yesterday. It was Oct. 4, 2005. Standing on the first-base foul line at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, he gazed through the crowd of 40,717 in awe.
This was his first taste of baseball in October. Butterflies found good cover inside his stomach that day.
Rowand had heard all about the hype, the excitement and the adrenaline of the postseason, but he didn't think it would be like that.
At least for those 2 1/2 minutes while the national anthem was sung.
"After that first pitch, though, it was just another game," said Rowand, who helped the White Sox win their first World Series since 1917.
That's how most of the Phillies' players will feel today when they stand next to the freshly painted National League Division Series logo in front of the dugout, since many are in the postseason for the first time in their careers.
"It's exciting," said Rowand. "I can't really even put it in words, but once you swing that bat or that first pitch is thrown, it's right back to normal and playing the same game you played 162 times already."
Of the 25 players on the Phillies' playoff roster, 10 have played in the postseason. Rowand, Rod Barajas, Abraham Nunez, and Tadahito Iguchi are the position players with postseason experience. Tom Gordon, Jamie Moyer, Antonio Alfonseca, Kyle Lohse, Jose Mesa and J.C. Romero have all pitched in the postseason.
In addition to Rowand, Alfonseca, Iguchi and Barajas have World Series rings. Iguchi won his in 2005 with Rowand in Chicago. Alfonseca won with the Marlins in 1997 and Barajas won his in 2001 with Arizona.
Romero, who was clutch out of the Phillies' bullpen during the final month of the season, said this year was similar to the 2002 season he had in Minnesota. That year, he said the Twins overcame injuries, early-season losses and a slew of public doubt.
Sound familiar?
When he joined the Phillies in June, he said the biggest thing he noticed was team camaraderie.
"The chemistry here was definitely much different than in Minnesota from Day 1," said Romero, who ended this season throwing 15 2/3 scoreless innings. "You look at this lineup, they had a high-powered offense from top to bottom.
"We did it, but the job is not done. We still got a long way to go. Step 1 is done now, on to Step 2."
And the atmosphere will change drastically, since fans have yet to feel postseason baseball inside Citizens Bank Park. As the stakes rise, so will the tension.
The experienced players agree: Just relax. While it sounds easy, try spending a decade or so with Phillies' organization - like Jimmy Rollins or Pat Burrell - and never making it to the postseason.
For a few minutes, the roles were reversed and everyone wanted to chat with Romero and the others with postseason experience.
"I just tell them to relax. The game is going to get crazy and it's going to speed up," said Romero. "Obviously there are guys that haven't been in this position, so you have to tell them, 'Hey, just be relaxed and breathe.' When you slow things down, you can visualize what you want to do and you will be able to execute."
Rowand said it was gratifying to be a part of breaking the city's 14-year postseason drought. Just as he recalls every play of the 2005 postseason, he hopes the results are just as good.
"I don't think it's always the best team that wins the World Series," said Rowand, whose team nearly blew a 15-game lead before clinching the AL Central in '05. "I think it's who's playing well at that time, and we've been playing playoff-type baseball for the last few weeks, knowing that if we don't, we're not going to make the postseason. Now we're in the postseason. Let's see what we can do." *
