The moment of truth for the 2008 Phillies

With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Phillies statistically find themselves in a better position than they were last year. In addition to facing the lowly Washington Nationals to close out the regular season, the Mets are playing the Florida Marlins at home to hopefully close out their ENTIRE season. Getting a feeling of deja vu yet?

Out of the three teams vying for the final two playoff spots, one has to like the Phillies chances better than the Mets or the Brewers. In saying that, this weekend could very well be one the pivotal moments in the history of this looooooooooong suffering franchise of the Phillies. Win, and all is well. Lose, and you can just chalk up ANOTHER disappointment in the history of Philadelphia sports. Philly fans are tough and resilient, but everybody has a breaking point. And to furthermore prove that nothing is EVER easy in Philadelphia, mother nature plans of wrecking some severe havoc on the tri-state area this weekend. I won't even get into all of the possibilities that could happen with these games if inclimate weather prohibits the teams from playing because frankly, it's too damn confusing and the situation is too lengthy and complicated. So I'll make it easy.

If the Phils win out, they are division champs for the second consecutive year. If they fall to Washington and slump to the Wild Card, or even worse lose all three games and fail to make the playoffs, it may be the final straw for the fans in this town as far as baseball is concerned. Philly fans are desperate for a winner. And while we absolutely have an undying hatred for The New York Mets, even the most grandiose of haters has to admire their grit and determination.

In saying that, the possibility of losing your division to the much malingered and injury depleted Mets squad is like losing a fist fight to somebody with no arms. And with many, many Phillies headed for salary arbitration, ownership will almost surely use this excuse for not trying to improve the team this winter. The National League East is often known as the National League least, and this will furthermore reinforce these opinions of Phillies fans and the so-called experts alike if the Mets manage to pull this thing off. At this point, you HAVE to win the division. Facing the Cubs (although there are concerns about the overall health of the team) at Wrigley Field will not be fun in a first round matchup. I would much rather take my chances with Milwaukee (possibly minus Ben Sheets) or even the inconsistent Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Truth be told, the winner of this division has a legitimate shot at a World Series berth if they are lucky enough to hold off the (even more cursed than the Phillies) Cubs if both teams find themselves in the NLCS.

In addition to having the division title at stake, the two losses at home to the lowly Atlanta Braves and the second consecutive rough outing by Brett Myers has raised some cause for concern even though the Phillies are on the doorstep of the postseason. To be fair, the Phillies had won ten out of their last eleven games, and flat out pulverized the Braves in 2008, but they really picked the wrong time to fall flat. As for Myers, rumor has it that he has recently suffered from a mechanical glitch in his delivery. For the team's sake, one hopes that this is true. With Cole Hamels (whether fairly or unfairly) recently wearing the tag of the "pitcher who can't win the big game", Myers has become your ace in the hole. Major, major trouble lurks on the horizon if the Phils make the playoffs and neither Hamels or Myers can keep it together.

Every year brings new surpises to a team. The Phillies are one of the healthiest teams in the major leagues. You never know when the injury bug is just around the corner (see Atlanta-2008). That is why you have to win NOW. With the Mets payroll about to explode in 2009, who knows when this team will get another legitimate chance. You know what they say about karma, but you can't tell me the Phillies used up all of theirs last year? Can you?