I can honestly say I am finally relieved that I can write a post I thought I would genuinely enjoying writing. Not entirely because I am a Phillies fan, but because I can actually write the post as each post I wrote was initially intended, from the true perspective of a fan of the team. As I surveyed each team and wrote each separate post on every team, I tried to put myself inside the shoes of a fan of the particular team, and emulate their emotion, feelings, and thoughts on their team. Now, I finally get to do it for my own team, and I’m not enjoying it as much as I thought I would.
In my opinion, the title is a more than capable description of my thoughts on the 2012 season. Mainly because I have no interest in re-hashing what I consider to be the most disappointing ending to a Phils season ever (or at least since I’ve been born). Seriously, I watched the entire season last year, and watched as they dominated the league consistently from April-September, then watched as the first week of October, the Cardinals, and a 5 game divisional playoff crushed my and every other fightins’ W.S. dreams. After that 1-0 loss in game 5, I sat back and said to myself, “If we can’t win it right now with this team, how are we going to win it next year?”
Ruben Amaro’s answer to that question: Jonathon Papelbon. What do you do after losing the NLDS because the line-up couldn’t provide any run support, a recurring theme throughout the regular season? You bolster the bullpen, and make sure the other team doesn’t score any runs. With Papelbon beefing up the bullpen and backing the best rotation in baseball, the Phils original run support problem doesn’t disappear, but their opponents’ also temporarily inherit the problem as well.
Where’s the run support going to come from in 2012 though? Particularly in October, because the strength of starting pitching should have no problem getting the fightins’ through the regular season. If Laynce Nix and Jim Thome are our solutions were in trouble, even though I love the Thome move for pinch hitting situations. Other than that, the line-up will essentially remain the same, which I am still skeptical about expecting to be W.S. caliber. Ryan Howard is still the team’s HR and RBI leader, but he’s not performing like he was in 2006 and 2007, and who knows how he is going to perform coming off his Achilles injury. They also resigned Jimmy Rollins, which in my opinion was their best option a SS for the money they were willing to spend, though again performance is still an outstanding issue. Like most other MLB teams, the Phils line-up will have to come through on the list of What-Ifs, to be the W.S. contender Philly expects them to be.
I think most Phils fans are already looking toward October and playoff revenge. Because of the way 2011 ended for the Phillies, I think the expectations of the team have only been increasingly pressured in the off-season. I’m personally excited for another entertaining year of Phillies baseball, the team’s bid for a 6th consecutive N.L. East title, 3rd consecutive league’s best record, and an opportunity to relive 2008’s W.S. glory in 2012.
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