Who expected this to happen? Not the 0-2 start. That’s par for the course with this bunch. No, I mean joining the 1915 Boston Braves and 1943 St. Louis Cardinals for the worst offensive start to a season as defending World Series champions. One run in two games?!

While the Phillies usurped the Braves for the National League pennant in 1915, the Cardinals won 105 games and went back to the World Series in 1943 (losing to the Yankees), so try not to lose hope after two games.

They got another middling performance from their starting pitcher (Jamie Moyer), but that hardly mattered again thanks to jumpy hitters who failed to work counts and kept hitting the ball up into a stiff north wind. The only positive to take from last night was four walks and just three strikeouts from the lineup. Maybe today some of those balls they put in play will find a hole or drop in for hits here and there.

There are early signs of concern, of course. While, the Phillies managed to win the World Series with an awful RISP average, they aren’t going get back there if they keep driving I-77 with runners in scoring position. On the other hand, I actually think the pitching staff has done its job for the most part, and we haven’t even seen Cole Hamels yet. Moyer and Brett Myers each gave up four runs in their starts, and the bullpen has given up nothing. More often than not this season, four runs will be easy to overcome for this lineup.

So put the pitchforks back in the shed and the cyanide pills back in their cases. The Philadelphia Phillies get to pick up their World Series rings this afternoon. Remember that?

Am I glad we went to see Bruce Springsteen last night instead of watching that embarrassing season opener.

It took Brett Myers three innings to find his curve ball and his cajones, but that didn’t really matter since his teammates couldn’t hit the ball out of infield for eight innings. It was an ugly affair all around, but hardly alarming since the Phils usually fail to show up opening day anyway.

It’s more of a shame in this case, though, because it obliterated the good vibes created during the pre-game pomp and circumstance of raising the championship flag and welcoming back the city’s baseball heroes of last October.

Nevertheless, baseball is back, and I’m excited at the prospect of a very good Philadelphia ball club defending their title. Just think of their season as being 161 games. The Phillies apparently do.

Tonight, the Philadelphia Phillies embark on their quest to become the first repeat champions of baseball from the National League since the 1975-76 Big Red Machine. Can they do it?

The short answer is: Why not? They’re basically the same team they were last year, and the competition in their league isn’t significantly better.

The long answer is a bit more complicated. It involves a long list of intangibles that have kept most teams outside of the Bronx from holding onto the World Series trophy for more than one year.

We’ll come back to those points momentarily, but in the meantime, meet your 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.

Catcher

Never would any of us have guessed that a guy who couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat most of last season would play such an instrumental part in the Phillies playoff run. Most importantly, the pitchers like Carlos Ruiz and the game he calls. If he can actually revert to a .250 hitter and bring life back to the 8-hole, all the better. Chris Coste remains backup catcher.

First Base

It seems obvious by now that Ryan Howard’s .313 batting average in 2006 was more an anomaly that the norm. He’s going to hit 40+ home runs, drive in 130+, strikeout close to 200 times and be an occasional liability on defense. Live with it. He’s only the best offensive first baseman in team history. Geez.

Second Base

It looks like Chase Utley’s hip seems back to normal, and that means another shot at an MVP trophy is back within reach. He’s not just the best second baseman in baseball or the best second sacker in team history, he’s a force of unmitigated professionalism and the most popular athlete in the Philadelphia (now that Brian Dawkins is gone). He’s the envy of every other team in baseball, and we’ve got him.

Third Base

Unlike his counterparts in the Phillies infield, Pedro Feliz is certainly not the greatest to ever play his position for the team. But he is about as good with the glove as anybody who plays the hot corner today, and there is significant value to preventing runs, even if it doesn’t show up on a stat sheet the way you’d like a third baseman to appear.

Shortstop

Rounding out the trio of greatest Phillie infielders is Jimmy Rollins, the spark plug and emotional leader of the team. In this age of great shortstops, Rollins may not be the absolute best of the bunch, but the overall package of talent and leadership make him unmatched among his peers in my eyes, and I wouldn’t trade him for any of them.

Left Field

This is the only position significantly different from last year’s team, and some (myself included) would call it an upgrade. Raul Ibanez is every bit the run producer Pat Burrell was without any of the defensive liability. Already it seems his new teammates like him quite a bit, and I’m not as concerned about the bunching of left-handed hitters in the middle of the order. This signing is going to work out quite well.

Center Field

Thanks to his postseason performance last year, Shane Victorino is no longer the best kept secret in center field. Bouncing between second and sixth in the lineup, the Flyin’ Hawaiian is always a base stealing threat and plays defense on par with the best center fielders in the league thanks to his fantastic speed and cannon of arm.

Right Field

We’ll get to see if Jayson Werth can find the consistency needed from an everyday player. Defensively, there’s nothing to worry about, but his streaky offensive nature could cause fits in that lineup, especially when Charlie Manuel decides to hit him fifth against lefties. Then again, that’s when Werth is at his best.

Starting Pitching

1. Cole Hamels: The Phillies first bona fide ace since Curt Schilling had a bit of arm trouble this spring, but he seems to have worked past it (fingers crossed). It doesn’t take Bill James to know the success of the 2009 Phillies rides on his left arm and the superlative changeup that floats off it.
2. Brett Myers: Thirty pounds lighter and entering a contract year, Myers gets the opening day start tonight (for what that’s worth) and hopes to earn a big multi-year deal from his 2009 season.
3. Jamie Moyer: The ageless one is coming off a 16-win season and still can’t garner any respect. Still, the Phillies will have to keep an eye on the oldest starter in the majors by far. Sending J.A. Happ to the bullpen provides some left-handed insurance should Moyer’s age finally catch up with him.
4. Joe Blanton: Blanton has pitched like a man possessed this spring, and his durability is exactly what you want from a No. 4 starter. Being able to count on 200 innings from that spot benefits everyone, especially the bullpen over the long course of a season. If he turns out to be more than the sum of those durable parts—all the better.
5. Chan Ho Park: The biggest waste of $60 million ever spent by the Texas Rangers resuscitated his career in the Dodgers’ bullpen and earned the fifth spot in the Phillies rotation with an outstanding spring and the fact that he’s right handed. If he fails to deliver, Happ will be in the bullpen chomping at the bit.

Bullpen

One of the strongest elements of the Phillies pitching staff starts the year a little weaker with the absence of J.C. Romero because of his absurd 50-game suspension. But that means it could end the year stronger with the freshest left-handed setup man in the majors. And let’s not forget the guy he’s setting up hasn’t blown a save since 2007. Will Brad Lidge finally let one get away this year? Probably. With a World Series championship under his belt, is anyone actually worried it will affect him when it happens? Definitely not I. Chad Durbin was clearly out of gas in the postseason, so hopefully Rich Dubee will keep an eye on his workload. Ryan Madson has turned into as good an eighth-inning setup guy as there is in the game.

Bench

This has been one of Manuel’s best weapons for a couple of years now. He has the league’s best pinch hitter in Greg Dobbs and a guy he can plug in just about anywhere in Eric Bruntlett. The only thing he doesn’t have is some right-handed power, but that hasn’t hurt him so far, and I frankly find the obsession over this point unnecessary. If you’re looking for power from your bench, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Manager

I believe Charlie Manuel’s in-game decisions benefited greatly from the presence of a man no longer on the bench: Jimy Williams. But his management of the players under his care has been exceptional. He treats them like adults and expects them to behave as such, but never lets them forget they play a game for a living and should stay loose and have fun. Larry Bowa deserves a lot of credit for helping remove the stink of losing surrounding this franchise, but Manuel is the one who made professional ball players and eventual champions out of this once ragtag bunch of guys. Basically he delivered a championship to Philadelphia and shut us all up.

If you believe the Phillies toughest competition in their division and the whole National League for that matter to be the New York Mets, I believe the situation to be the same as it was last year. With the exception of third base and center field, there isn’t a single position where I would rather have one of their players. I’m not even sure I would swap Johan Santana for Hamels anymore. Most importantly, the Mets have choked like Henry VIII on a ham bone the last two seasons; and I’m convinced they’re carrying a bit of the same loser aura that surrounds teams like the Cubs, another franchise some consider to be the NL favorites.

The Phillies, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence and no doubt will return to work with the same level of focus and tenacity that made them champions last year. Does that mean they’re a lock to repeat? Hardly. Injuries, other calamities or a surprise contender that simply outplays them could quickly derail that dream. But when it comes to winning another pennant, I’m inclined to lean toward my short answer: Why not?

I feel like I’ve already written this before, probably because I have. Last June, when Curt Schilling’s shoulder unofficially fell apart, I wrote a farewell piece to the best pitcher the Phillies had since Steve Carlton. Now that he and his shoulder are officially done, I’ll just send you over to that post rather than rewrite essentially the same thing. I will add this: Upon further reflection, I think Schilling could be one of the five best pitchers of the last 20 years, along with Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez. Am I leaving anyone out?

Just when I thought February couldn’t get any worse (I spent the whole month battling bronchitis while traveling somewhere almost every weekend), Brian Dawkins’ gut-punch departure for Denver was followed up by me dislocating my left knee last night on our staircase.

When it rains it pours.

My first reaction to the news that Weapon-X was no longer in the Eagles’ arsenal was one of shock, dismay and anger at management for allowing this to happen. But as more details of the contract and negotiations unfolded yesterday, my crossness toward Andy Reid, Joe Banner and Jeffrey Lurie abated somewhat. While I’m saddened at the thought of one of the most popular athletes in Philadelphia history in another uniform, I feel it was as much his decision to leave as it was management’s decision to let him go.

Let’s forget about the 5-year, $17 million face value of the contract and focus on the guaranteed money. On paper, it seems like $7-9 million (depending on which report you read) is more than manageable for a team as far under the cap as the Eagles, but that’s not really the point. If Dawk has only one more good year in him as a starter, that amount effectively makes him one the highest paid safeties in the NFL. Even as big a supporter as myself has trouble justifying that kind of money. Like it or not, Dawkins isn’t the player he used to be, and probably not the player the Broncos want him to be.

There is another factor at play here. Dawkins wasn’t just a great safety—a Hall of Fame safety someday—he was a team leader. Not just a team leader—the team leader. How much is that worth? Would the Eagles even have made the playoffs, much less advanced all the way to the NFC championship game, without Dawkins in the locker room to help keep the team focused and resolved during a mind-bogglingly frustrating season? And what impact will his departure have on Donovan McNabb’s approach to his contract situation?

It’s those kind of intangibles you can’t put a price on. Dawkins was already morphing into a situational player in Jim Johnson’s system, unable to keep up with the elite tight ends in the NFC East or cover center field with any consistency. If he thinks he can still play free safety every down, and he found a team that thinks so also and offered him an exceptional contract to do so, who are we to suggest he shouldn’t take it?

No question the Eagles will miss his unifying presence off the field as much as his disruptive force on it. But the latter of those just doesn’t measure up to the former anymore, and that makes $7-9 million hard to swallow. One day a year or two from now, Brian Dawkins will return to Philadelphia, sign one of those ceremonial one-day contracts, and retire as an Eagle. Of that I have no doubt. In the meantime, I can’t begrudge the man for taking several million dollars and a starting job; and I can’t begrudge the Eagles for not offering it to him either.

I suppose all good things must come to an end. Even though he’s not on team anymore, I’ll still wear my #20 replica jersey proudly. Goodbye, Dawk. We’ll miss you.