Gonzo: Greed and great expectations

The most famous quote from Wall Street is delivered by Gordon Gekko. It's a line that's been recited countless times since Oliver Stone's malfunctioning morality tale was released in 1987.

"The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good," Gekko says.

Days after the Phillies unexpectedly were bounced from the postseason, it's the rest of Gekko's monologue, the forgotten and overlooked parts, that makes the most sense: "Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms - greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge - has marked the upward surge of mankind."

When the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 and then reached it again in 2009, the organization did something remarkable and even more difficult than simply reaching the championship in two consecutive seasons. The real feat was how the team changed the way Philly fans think and what we expect.

For a while there, some of us lied to ourselves. We said one championship would be enough. It wasn't. We want more. We've become greedy. There's no use denying it.

"I think this year for us in general was a successful year," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, "but it was a disappointing finish because our expectations were that we were going to be the World Series champions."

How can it be a successful season when, by the GM's own admission, the finish was disappointing because the team failed to meet its own expectations and win a championship? Maybe the year wasn't a complete flop or failure, but it wasn't a success, either.

The Phils are an elite team now, and must be judged accordingly. Watching the Fightin's win 97 games during the regular season and secure a fourth consecutive National League East title was grand. So was following a team that acquired Placido Polanco and traded for the Roys. But, in the end, none of that really matters. Not when the Fightin's have one of the biggest payrolls in baseball. Not when Vegas installed them as an even-money favorite to win it all. Not when they openly said they expected to be World Series champions.

"That will be our expectation next year, as well," Amaro said. "We did not perform as well as we would have liked when it was time to perform in the playoffs."

There's no shame in setting lofty goals or in admitting that they failed to achieve them. When you reach a certain level - when you strive to be compared with the Yankees and Red Sox, when you measure yourself against the haves instead of the have-nots - that's what happens. The Phils are at a point now where success is nothing but a synonym for championship. Any other definition feels cheap and unfulfilling.

"I think this one stung pretty good," Amaro said. "I think the players really believed they were going to be World Series champions."

So did the rest of Philly.

Two years ago, with the sun just a few hours from peeking over the eastern horizon, I went with some friends to grab one more celebratory drink. It seemed like the thing to do. The Phillies had just won the first title the town had seen in 25 years. The people in our party were all Philly natives in their early 30s. It was the first championship any of us were old enough to remember or enjoy.

When we finally stumbled out of the place - an after-hours joint that kept us well-supplied while most people headed home - Broad Street was mostly abandoned and quiet. The hush was eerie. We paused for a moment and appreciated the scene. As we stood there, the consensus was that our euphoria would last for at least five years. Probably more.

It didn't. Time's up. The Phils have work to do.

A few things got lost after Game 6: Kane Kalas performed "God Bless America" that night. Harry's son can sing. He also can play poker - well. This year alone, he's won $99,388 in various tournaments. . . . During the series, a reporter from ESPN Deportes showed me something curious: ESPN.com lists Giants shortstop Juan Uribe's birthdate as March 22, 1979. The Dominican League website says Uribe was born July 22, 1979. The chance Uribe is actually 31? Same as the title of the 1987 movie starring Robert Downey Jr. - Less Than Zero. . . . Fantasy chat returns to Philly.com on Thursday at 1 p.m. Now is the time to position yourself for the playoffs. As English author A.A. Milne once said: "Time is swift. . . . Opportunities are born and die." Heavy. Of course, old A.A. is also the guy who created Winnie the Pooh. So there's that.