The Homestretch, Day 19: Bully on the Loose

It's scary how good the Phillies are right now. Just ask the Atlanta Braves, who dropped another game in the NL East standings tonight and are falling in that division faster than a sack of potatoes. Is it the fault of the Braves that this is true? They haven't been playing particularly well of late, but all the responsibility can't fall on them in this scenario. It isn't the Braves fault the Phillies have won eight straight, or that they've won 43 games since the All-Star break. It isn't the Braves fault that Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt are back to form. Oh yeah, and Roy Halladay is in that rotation too.

In the National League, the Phillies are the equivalent of the bully in your second grade class who was bigger, stronger, and more intimidating than anyone else you knew. Fear coursed through your body upon any confrontation with him; it rendered you speechless, awestruck, and made you look downright silly. You would make all efforts to avoid him, but somehow he would always find you. And when he did find you, he was all business. So go the Phillies. Posing as the menacing, unforgiving, unavoidable NL bully, the Phillies are having their way with kids like the Braves, and the baseball diamond, their school yard, is their arena. Other NL opponents have been powerless to stop them in the second half, quietly cowering in awe at the brute force and strength displayed by the power bats of the Philly lineup and the power arms of their rotation. Hard to believe that just two months ago, this team was seven games out of first place and looking at a very disappointing 2010 campaign. Now, they rule the school, and what they say goes. Bring on the filthy Giants or any other NL Pest team in Round 1. It might be the fastest knockout we've ever seen.

I love talking about the Phillies, because they're good and they play like it. They know they're better than you when they're at their best, and they're at their best a lot of the time. That's why they're the best team in the National League. They bully you, but they earn your respect. They knock you down, and they make sure you stay down. This is the way of the Phillies, their manifesto if you will, and it's gotten them two World Series berths in three seasons. I expect a third in 2010, and you should too, because bullies only respond to strength, and there's no team in the National League that boasts the strength of the Phillies.