End of Phillies 2011

Last night was pretty sad. The crowd was great. I hate it when people only get loud when the scoreboard and music urge them to do so. Last night, it got louder after that nonsense stopped.

The game itself was an absolute masterpiece. I don't think I've ever seen two pitchers pitch so well against each other. Take out the first two batters of the game and you have 17 consecutive scoreless innings by the starters. It's impossible to know which pitcher was better. Even though the Cardinals scored and the Phillies didn't, they're a better hitting team to begin with.

It was sad to think it might have been the last time I cheered for Rollins and Madson. It was sad to think I'll probably never yell "Rauuul!" again. It was sad to see Howard go down in a heap. It's sad to see Charlie Manuel's faith in his players go unrewarded.

I could give you my in-depth analysis of how and why this series ended the way it did, but there's so much baseball writing out there that it seems pointless. From the third inning of the second game on, the Cardinals played better, by whatever measure you might care to use.

But what's saddest for me is that I don't get to go to any more games this year. I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching baseball more than I did this spring and summer, miserable weather and all. I'll miss the energy and the fun and the way it made me feel to be there and part of it. It was a fantastic season and I loved every minute. I just could have used a few more hours of it.

Now my raft of crimson t-shirts and my ballpark rain kit are put away,  the year's souvenirs locked up in a zipper bag, and it's time to watch some good baseball without really caring who wins. And to hope that the time until pitchers and catchers report to camp soon feels shorter than it does right now.