Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Seeking just retribution

On October 4, 1950, the Philadelphia Phillies took the field at Shibe Park, hosting the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series.  It was the first postseason appearance for the Phils in 35 years, and only the second time they’d won the National League pennant in their 68 years of existence as a franchise in the City of Brotherly Love.

On that day, I was nine days old and lying in a bassinet in Woodbury NJ, about 15 miles away from 21st & Lehigh.

A third of my lifetime (to that point) later, the Yankees were back in the Bronx and celebrating their thirteenth World Championship after sweeping the Series.

Now, 59 years later, the Phils and Yanks are meeting again to determine the World Series victor.  I’ve been waiting my whole life—literally—for the opportunity to get back at the loathesome Yankees for their dismissal of the Whiz Kids.  As I write this, the Phils lead Game 1 of the 2009 Series in the top of the 6th inning, 2-0 on a pair of solo homers by Chase Utley.  In a sense, then, my guys are already ahead of their 1950 pace ... they were shut out 1-0 in the 1950 Series opener.

Scoring in Game 1 is the first milestone in this quest for retribution.  The next one—not yet accomplished at this writing—would be winning a game against them.  The ultimate, of course, would be repeating as World Champions by defeating the Yankees.

I don’t want to make too big a deal of this.  I’m not seeking closure in the sense of loss/win, birth/death.  It’s just that winning the World Series by beating the embodiment of pure evil that is the New York Yankees would be so absolutely sweeeeeeeeeeet!