Searching through my tee-shirt drawer yesterday, I realized that my prized Ryan Howard Phillies shirt had settled toward the bottom of the stack. This is the same shirt that had to be literally ripped off my body for periodic laundering during the oh-so-satisfying 2011 regular season or, for that matter, the preceding five glory years. I just couldn't bear to wear it again after the disappointment of this year's playoff failure.
Coughlin's Law states, "Everything must end badly. Otherwise, it would never end." So it is with the recent success of my beloved Phillies. Ryan Howard ruptured his achilles tendon. Cole Hamels is having surgery on his pitching elbow. Rumor has it that Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madsen, and Raul Ibanez will depart as free agents. Placido Polanco and Chase Utley had injury-plagued seasons and aren't getting any younger. The latest Golden Age of Phillies Baseball appears to be ending very badly, indeed.
But all is not lost. They will come back. The World Champion 1980 Phillies settled into 28 years of mediocrity until they won another title, but they did come back. Unfortunately, if it takes another 28 years for the Phils to win the World Series, it is highly unlikely that I will be alive to see it. I must cherish this moment. I will wear my Ryan Howard shirt until it falls from my body in tatters. I will proudly display Ryan's #6 past throngs of jeering Mets fans. If the 2011 season was my last shot, I will go out with my head held high.
Another World Series win would have been great, though. Damn you, Coughlin.
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