A lot has happened in Philadelphia sports since my personal laptop died in its sleep before game six of the World Series. The Phillies fizzled out and lost to the Yankees team in a poorly played series by both teams.

And speaking of fizzling out, the Eagles’ rash of injuries finally caught up to them as they finished the 2009 season in the most embarrassing fashion possible—getting blown out by the hated Dallas Cowboys in two consecutive weeks (the first of which, 24-0, I witnessed in person), the second of which eliminated them from the playoffs.

The Phillies

Let’s take this look back chronologically and start with the Phillies’ inevitable failure in the World Series. I say inevitable because they just didn’t play good baseball that week. Neither did the Yankees, frankly; but in all of the little strategic decisions and details that are part of a game, the Yankees were simply better. Their brain cramps in game four, both on the field and in the dugout, are perfect examples of why the Phillies just weren’t up to snuff in that series.

Hardly resting on their laurels, a few short months later the Phillies made what is probably the largest blockbuster trade in franchise history. Remember how great it felt to have Steve Carlton take the mound every fourth day? Well, get ready to feel that sensation again, only every fifth day, when Roy Halladay takes the field for the Phillies in 2010. Ruben Amaro wound up trading away almost everyone the Blue Jays were demanding when the Phillies tried to get Halladay back in July, but this time they restocked the cupboard with prospects from the Mariners when they dealt Cliff Lee to Seattle in a separate trade.

It’s almost hard to fathom how good the Phillies would be this season with Halladay and Lee in the rotation together. Throw in a rejuvenated Cole Hamels and the rest of the National League would have been in serious trouble. That didn’t happen for three reasons: 1) Cliff Lee was owed $9 million in 2010, as is the untradable Jamie Moyer, and the Phillies were already at their budget limit; 2) Getting Halladay seriously depleted the farm system, so they had to get something in return to make sure they could compete for many years in the future, not just 2010; 3) Amaro is counting on Hamels finding his old form and essentially filling the role of Lee in the No. 2 spot in the rotation.

While having Halladay and Lee together was a wonderful, brief fantasy for both fans and the Phillies brass no doubt, it just wasn’t practical, and it’s hard to argue with their decision to think about the future. They made the current team better for the next four years (if you think Lee was good, wait until Halladay marches through the NL like Sherman marched to the sea), and they made sure they still have talent left in the system to keep them competitive when Halladay and the rest of the core players start approaching the twilight of their careers.

Don’t forget their other significant move: bringing Placido Polanco back to town to play third base, a signing not without irony since it was Polanco’s distaste for playing third which led to his trade to Detroit when Chase Utley took over as the Phillies’ everyday second baseman back in 2005. He is a significant downgrade from Pedro Feliz defensively, but an equally significant upgrade at the plate. Forget all those bad at-bats from Feliz and pencil Polanco into the 2-spot.

I’ll post a more thorough preview of the 2010 club in a few days.

The Eagles

Oh, where to begin?

As I pointed out to my many Cowboy-fan friends, the Cowboys were the healthiest team in the NFL and finished the regular season 11-5, while the Eagles were the most-injured team in the league and also finished 11-5 against basically the same schedule as the Cowboys. What does that tell you? Maybe it’s just a way for me to rationalize the beatdown they took from Dallas in those final two games, but I actually believe there is something to this.

The Eagles lost so many key starters to injury, starting in training camp with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley for the whole season and half the offensive line for various stretches, and on into the season with a secondary riddled by so many injuries Sean McDermott fielded a squad of third-stringers and guys they picked up off the street. Don’t forget Brian Westbrook’s concussions (he’s kind of an important player). When Jamal Jackson blew out his knee in game 15, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

My theory was somewhat justified when the Cowboys had their asses kicked by the Vikings the following week, proving that Dallas really wasn’t that good either.

The point is, the Eagles getting to 11-5 and a wild card berth was probably a minor miracle in football terms. In a lot of ways,  2009 may have been Andy Reid’s best job as head coach. There’s a lot of speculation about the future of certain players, most of which I feel is overblown (McNabb isn’t going anywhere, though Westbrook may have played his last game with the team). If the Eagles stay healthy next season, and Reid’s offensive line plan actually works out the way he originally planned in 2009, look out in 2010. This team has the potential to be very very good.

Look for more thoughts from me on the 2010 Eagles around NFL draft time in April. For now, with spring training underway to fill the horrible sports void between football and baseball season, expect a full slate of Phillies coverage now that I’m up and running again.

Now that the Yankees finally finished off the Angels, we’ll find out if beating the almighty men in navy pinstripes is the only way this Phillies ball club will get some respect as a great team. If they do, they could go down as one of the best National League teams in 50 years (and even better than that depending on how they perform in the next couple of seasons).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because the Phillies definitely won’t. The task at hand is back-to-back world championships, and their opponent this year is certainly more formidable. But could they actually match up better against the Yankees than the Rays?

As unlikely as that may seem, the answer is yes.

Catcher
The regular season stats may not show it, and he may not have his own Sportscenter commercial, but the Phillies actually have a better catcher than the Yankees. For the second straight season, Carlos Ruiz has swung a hot bat in the postseason, while his work behind the plate remains exemplary. Defensively and as a signal-caller, he’s head-and-shoulders above Jorge Posada, who won’t even start every game in the series because he can’t get along with starter A.J. Burnett. Edge: Phillies

First Base
This is easily the most evenly matched position in the series. Ryan Howard’s defense is vastly improved from a year ago, but he still isn’t fit to spit shine Mark Teixeira’s Gold Gloves. On the other hand, he has more power than Teixeira and has driven in more runs this postseason than anyone except Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira is a better overall hitter, except for the postseason, when he has absolutely wilted, even while hitting in front of A-Rod. If Teixeira’s bat wakes up, he get’s the edge; if not, Howard does because he can change the face of any game with one swing. Edge: Even

Second Base
Robinson Cano is a former batting champion who recovered from a dismal 2008 campaign to put up good numbers again this year. A better pure hitter than Chase Utley, Cano doesn’t have the raw power, defense, hustle, intangibles and all-around moxie to compete with Utley—the best second sacker in the game. Edge: Phillies

Third Base
The only area this position even comes close to competitive is defense: Pedro Feliz is really good with the glove, but even he doesn’t match up to Alex Rodriguez, who isn’t even playing the right position (see below). A-Rod will probably finish his career with more home runs than anyone who ever played. The only people who will remember Feliz are Phillies fans. Of course, A-Rod had to pick this year to break out of his playoff funk. Edge: Yankees

Shortstop
This is another fairly even match up. Derek Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a better hitter than Jimmy Rollins. J-Roll is a human vacuum cleaner at short, while Jeter should have swallowed his pride two years ago and moved to third base. Both players thrive in the clutch, though Jeter has a lot more experience in that area. Yankees fans idolize Jeter, and well they should, but he’s past his prime at shortstop; and if you offered me a straight-up trade of 2009 Jeter for 2009 Rollins—I’d pass without having to think about it. Edge: Phillies

Left Field
Raul Ibanez was one of the best free-agent signings anywhere in baseball this year, and he picked a good time to come back to life after strug-ga-ling mightily the last few months of the season. Refreshed, he’s a far more dangerous hitter than the almost-as-old Johnny Damon. Neither one of them is exactly Gold Glove material anymore, though Ibanez may have a slightly better throwing arm There’s a good chance Ibanez could DH in New York, putting the better-fielding Ben Francisco in left. Edge: Phillies

Center Field
Shane Victorino is as fast as they come, has a cannon for an arm, and his instincts on line drives and fly balls of all variety are matched by few major league centerfielders. They certainly aren’t matched by Melky Cabrera, the second of New York’s trio of left fielders. Victorino is also a much better hitter who steals bases with the best of them. Frankly, this isn’t much of a contest. Edge: Phillies

Right Field
One minute Jayson Werth looks terrible at the plate and the next he’s delivering a big two-strike hit to right. Regardless, his offensive numbers are much better than Nick Swisher, whose main claim to fame is loosening up the Yankees clubhouse. Werth also possesses a rocket arm and great speed, while Swisher shouldn’t even be playing right field. Again, not much of a contest. Edge: Phillies

Designated Hitter
The edge here depends on who is actually DH for the Phillies. If it’s Ibanez, he’s a superior hitter to Hideki Matsui, whose bad knees have robbed him of power and make him a liability on the bases. If the Phillies decide to mix and match at DH and leave Ibanez in left field, then Matsui gets the edge over whoever the Phillies bring in from the bench. Edge: Even

Starting Pitching
1) Day one is the mother of all pitching duels: CC Sabathia versus Cliff Lee. The two ex-Cleveland lefties have both been unhittable this postseason, and there’s no reason to think they won’t keep throwing zeroes. Of course, the Phillies did beat Sabathia in the playoffs last year when he was with Milwaukee. 2) Another great dual sets up for game two when Pedro Martinez returns to the big stage of Yankee stadium, where he loves the pressure and spotlight; A.J. Burnett used to be a semi-regular punching bag for the Phillies when he pitched for Florida. 3) The way Cole Hamels has pitched most of this year (without an out pitch), it’s hard not to give the edge to veteran Yankee southpaw Andy Pettite, though the Phillies could easily light up his stuff as well. 4) It’s almost a given that the Yankees will go with Sabathia on three days rest because the rest of their rotation… well, they don’t really have one. The Phillies will most likely turn to Joe Blanton, who hasn’t been real good in the playoffs. The good news is, that means Lee matches up against an inferior opponent in game five. Edge: Even

Bullpen
The Phillies bullpen has been much maligned this season, and with good reason; but they seem to have turned it around in the playoffs, with a few hiccups. The Yankees have the opposite problem. What was supposed to be a strength (middle relief) has become a crapshoot in the postseason. But whether or not Brad Lidge has hit the reset button since the playoffs started, there’s a reason Mariano Rivera is nicknamed the Hammer of God. Even the Phillies, with their propensity for late-inning heroics, cannot afford to give Rivera the ball with a lead. Edge: Yankees

Bench
Last year this would’ve been no contest in favor of the Phillies, but Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs & Co. haven’t been anywhere near as good as last season. Having Matsui on the bench in the Philadelphia games could prove advantageous to the Yankees. Edge: Yankees

Manager
Charlie Manuel has 45 years of professional baseball experience and manages by instinct. Joe Girardi has three years of managerial experience and manages with a three-ring binder that looks like it holds the New York State tax code. Edge: Phillies

Summary
I mark it 7-3-3 in favor of the Phillies. Last year I had the Phillies with a 7-4-2 advantage over the Rays, and that worked out well. Hopefully, my amateur scouting skills haven’t worn off. But it seems clear to me that the Phillies have better team speed, play better defense and their lineup can go toe-to-toe with the Bronx Bombers. Even their pitching staffs are fairly even.

The Yankees are the best team money can buy, but not as many people are ready to hand them their 27th World Series title as you might think. Though the fact that so many are just because they are the Yankees, regardless of which team is actually the defending champion, tells you something about the lack of recognition the Phillies get for being a great team. Well, there’s one way to fix that…

Last year I wrote: “I feel good about this. Much more calm than I should be, really.”

I never would have thought I’d be sitting here at the same time again the following year feeling exactly the same way.

The Phillies may or may not win this World Series. Despite my dominant scouting edge in favor of the Phightins, I don’t share J-Roll’s confidence about a five-game victory. If they do win, I think it will probably take more than that. But I absolutely, 100 percent believe they can beat the Yankees; and so do they.

Not too many seasons ago, beating the Yankees in a World Series would have been unthinkable to both Philadelphia player and fan.

My how times have changed.

I’ve been reluctant to get on Brad Lidge’s case this season, partly out of deference for his accomplishments last year, and partly from the feeling that he would get it together eventually because these things are cyclical.

Apparently the cycle is going to last the whole year.

I’ll get back to Lidge in a moment. First, the Phillies offense finally snapped to life tonight, scoring its first runs in 17 innings. They needed Roy Oswalt to leave the game in the top of seventh inning with back spasms to do it, however, because he was dealing. Oswalt struck out eight in six innings before surrendering two hits and leaving the game to his bullpen, which allowed his base runners to score before stopping the rally and holding a 3-2 lead.

Jayson Werth stares at strike three in the third inning from a laser sharp Roy Oswalt.

That didn’t last long because the Phillies picked up right where they left off in the eighth inning, capped by Ryan Howard’s blistering RBI triple to deep centerfield to tie the game 3-3 (that ball would have been a line drive home run in 95 percent of major league ballparks). Pedro Feliz singled Howard home to take the lead and the Phillies loaded the bases before Carlos Ruiz grounded into an inning-ending double play. That would come back to haunt them.

Ryan Howard smokes a pitch to deep center for an RBI triple.

We got a surprise in the bottom of the eighth inning when Charlie Manuel decided to throw Brett Myers right into the fire in his return from hip surgery. Facing the heart of the Astros order with a one-run lead, Myers seemed to have more adrenaline than ability, walking Lance Berkman on four straight pitches. After he got Carlos Lee to fly out to right, Berkman inexplicably tried to steal second and was thrown out. Miguel Tejada then lined out to left to end the inning and Myers’ debut. It was a chaotic inning for only facing three hitters, but Myers survived unscathed should be able to bring it down a notch now.

One can only hope, because it looks like the Phillies are going to need him in the ninth inning sometime very soon.

Brett Myers makes his debut after a surprisingly speedy recovery from hip surgery.

There appears to be nothing wrong with Lidge physically. His slider has lots of bite and his fastball is still in the mid-90s. But now that I’ve finally seen him in person, his 7.15 ERA and 10 blown saves are clearly not an anomaly stemming from his perfect 2008 season. When Hunter Pence struck out on nothing but sliders, it was the worst thing that could have happened to Lidge, because he clearly would’ve liked to pitch a whole inning of sliders if he could have. But Geoff Blum wasn’t biting, which meant the fastball had to come out, and Lidge simply could not find the strike zone with it. He fell behind every hitter from there on out, eventually loading the bases. When he fell behind Kaz Matsui with two outs, it practically forced him to lob a fastball over the plate, thus the game-winning single.

Brad Lidge’s erratic fastball gets him in trouble.

Lidge is now a seriously liability, and the Phillies cannot afford this kind of inconsistency in the playoffs. Comparisons to Mitch Williams in 1993 will abound, but they aren’t quite accurate. Williams couldn’t close games in the playoffs that year because he was simply out of gas, topping out in the mid-80s at times. But Jim Fregosi kept running him out there out of habit and the lack of a better option.

Manuel has a better option. He pitched in the eighth inning tonight. With the division well in hand right now, Myers should be given a chance over the final month of the season to prove he can hold a lead in the ninth inning.

Charlie Manuel after the game, probably requesting a coaches meeting to discuss what to do about Brad Lidge.

Last year’s hero has become this year’s goat—time to sacrifice him to the baseball gods and put him and us out of our misery. Ultimately, Myers may not prove to be the solution either; but Lidge definitely isn’t anymore.

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?

It’s over.

It’s finally over.

Our long Philadelphia nightmare is finally over.

The Phillies are champions of the baseball world.

It feels so good to type those words after so many years of wondering and hoping if it would ever come true.

It wasn’t easy, winning what amounted to the longest game ever played in the history of baseball, but they did it. Timely hitting, solid pitching and shut down defense—all as a team.

If there’s anything to be taken away from this World Series, the playoffs and the entire 2008 season for that matter, it’s this: The Phillies can honestly lay claim as the best team in Major League Baseball in 2008. Other clubs have merely gotten hot at the right time and lucked their way into championships; but the Phillies won theirs with 25 guys who came to work all 176 games with a job to do, through thick and thin, and were repaid with the ultimate reward in baseball.

What struck me most during all the post-game interviews was how every Phillie to a man credited his teammates, his coaches and his manager (and wisely, the fans) as the reason they are world champions tonight. No matter how many men they left on base or in scoring position, these guys believed that this was their time and never wavered in that belief, even though the rest of us certainly had our doubts at different points in the season.

It starts at the top, with Charlie Manuel imposing his two simple rules on a mostly veteran ball club: 1) Be on time; 2) Have fun. He made it clear what their business was about, and then got out of the way.

You can get out of the way when players like Jamie Moyer, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are in your clubhouse. Even when they weren’t producing on the mound or at the plate, guys like that produced in other roles. Behind the scenes as a mentor (Moyer’s professorial role with World Series MVP Cole Hamels and the rest of the staff), laying down their egos for the betterment of the team (J-Roll sacrificing Jenkins to third base in the bottom of the sixth) or heads up base running and defense (How about Utley’s play to nail Jason Bartlett at the plate in the seventh inning?).

You can get out of the way when you have faith that the most unlikely of players will contribute in whatever way necessary to help your team win. Think of all the big hits and defensive plays from the likes of Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Shane Victorino and about a half dozen other guys which all played a crucial role in that 2008 World Championship banner being hoisted above Citizen’s Bank Park tonight.

You can pile up all the clichès in the world about teamwork and lay them at the feet of the Philadelphia Phillies, and they’ll just tip their hats and walk on by, because they know all of that already.

They knew it before they were champions, and they are champions because they knew it.

And now the citizens of Philadelphia can finally feel like champions, too.

Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised if before the Phillies all part ways for the off-season—maybe even at the parade on Friday—one of the professionals on this club suggests to the rest of his teammates something along the lines of the following:

“That was great. Now let’s go do it again next year.”

You know what? For once in my life, I actually believe they could.