Thank You Phillies

After the Phillies throttled the Mets in a 4 game sweep two weeks ago, I threw myself into a self imposed detox program. What did that mean? Simply put, I attempted to distance myself a little bit from my addiction by staying away from it, by becoming a casual observer. My plan was to not watch much of the series against the Braves; just check a score here and there. The key to the detox program was to learn to accept defeat easier. We all knew the Mets would get buried and their first place lead would evaporate. Why watch the inevitable? My plan was working beautifully until the 4th inning of the first game when I took a peek at the score on the internet and saw the Mets had 2 men on and Delgado at the plate. I turned on the TV just in time to see Delgado cross home plate and the Mets were rejuvenated. And I was officially off the wagon.

I knew the flogging that the Mets endured at the hands (and bats) of the Phillies was the turning point of the season. What I didn’t know at the time was that it would be a positive one. Getting humiliated like that was probably the best thing that happened to this team. True champions are defined not by how they win, but rather how they respond to a tough defeat. The Mets not only picked themselves off the mat and answered the bell; they have come back with a vengeance ripping off 8 of their last 9 games and stretched what appeared to be a shaky 2 game lead in to a formidable 6 game cushion.

I’d like to thank the Philadelphia Phillies for lighting a fire under this team. I’d like to thank the Mets for finally playing the way we all knew they should. Now go out and deliver the knockout blow to the Braves and exact some payback on the Phils this week. No mercy.