Today’s blog is dedicated to my cigar budday and faithful Phillies fan, Ronnie B.

Last night, a twenty-eight year championship drought came to an end as the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series of baseball. In 1980, the Phills beat the Kansas City Royals, which was the last time a team from the city of brotherly love won anything of major proportions. The crowd went berserk as pitcher Brad Lidge fell to his knees while the entire team joined in for a rousing game of “dog pile on the rabbit.” In the post game interview, Lidge heartily thanked Jesus Christ, but I honestly don’t remember any of the Nazareth native’s at bats.

No doubt the fans are in nirvana and I can only wonder what the over / under is on overturned burning cars in South Philly. Make no mistake, this victory is big for these people. The fans of the city’s four major sports franchises have lived with hardened hearts as failure became the norm, lo these past three decades. They’ve watched their Eagles dive, the Sixers sink, and the Flyers flop year in and year out. These icy-cold fanatics are famous for booing Santa Claus for crissakes! In 1995, Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays hit a series ending, walk-off grand slam homerun off Phillies relief ace Mitch Williams and the citizens of Pennsylvania haven’t been quite right ever since…until last night, that is.

It’s truly amazing how one big win can erase eons of brutal frustration. Just ask Boston Red Sox fans who just about went an entire century without a Series ring. And with that first big win, the fans finally forgave ol’ Billy Buckner for his game six faux pas in the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. Then there’s hockey’s New York Rangers who went a painful 54 years without a Stanley Cup until a god named Messier delivered my favorite team in sports to the promised land. And it is amazing how powerful a championship is because that game seven win for the Rangers on a warm June night some fourteen years ago seems like it was only yesterday for me.

As an ardent sports fan, I’m fortunate to have seen several memorable championships for my favorite teams during my lifetime. The Rangers as I mentioned in ’94, the Mets in ’69 and ’86, and the Giants in 86’, ‘91, and of course, last season over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Some cities have been blessed with winners like Pittsburgh’s Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins, Oakland’s, A’s and Raiders, Colorado’s Avalanche and Broncos, and the New England areas Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics. And if you’re a fan of the New York Yankees or the Montreal Canadiens, then you are friggin spoiled rotten beyond all comprehension.

On the flipside you have the city of Chicago whose NHL’s Black Hawks haven’t hoisted a Cup in forty-seven years, and the loveable Cubbies, whose 100-year title drought is the longest of any major North American professional sports teams. Let’s not forget the Detroit Lions who suck like a two-dollar hooker year in and year out. Their team motto should be: Ruining Your Thanksgiving for Over Half a Century. The city of Toronto lives and dies by the Maple Leafs as hockey is truly religion in Southern Ontario. But the Leafs haven’t seen a Cup since ’67, which is an awful long time for a storied franchise to stay silent. And Buffalo’s Bills and Sabres have only delivered heartbreak (Wide right and a Hull of a non-call) dating all the way back to the sixties.

But for the moment, God has shined his loving rays upon south-east Pennsylvania as all the kudos in the world belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies – and the likes of Richie Allen, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Mitch Williams, and yes, even Kris Kringle have been vindicated.

Later Dudes,

Tommy Z,

JR Cigars Blog With the Zman