I'm not sure this is a funny ha ha post but if anyone in the Phillies organization reads this perhaps it will promote some awareness and encourage the team to win the rest of their games outright, from wire to wire, as they navigate the long and winding road to being repeat World Series Champions.

On the heels of a ridiculously intense game 3 which ended at 2:15 am on Sunday night, the Phillies knocked off  the Colorado Rockies last night. Eliminating the Rockies was not only a nice piece of revenge for the Rockies sweep of the Phillies in the 2007 NLDS, but also ensured that I will not have to hear the term “Rocktober” for at least another 12 months. The win however, was not an easy one and it may have come at heavy price. Since the bottom of the 8^th inning was nearly coronary inducing for a relatively healthy man in his early thirties, I can only imagine what it must have been like for the scores of elderly Phillies faithful out there. I am convinced their ranks are a little thinner today and I have some evidence to support this idea.

The Rockies put up 3 runs in the 8^th behind hits from Jason “I Love Penis Shrinking Steroids” Giambi and Yorvit Torrealba making the score 4 – 2 Rockies, going into the 9^th . A game 5 in Philadelphia seemed certain and the pressure was unbearable. It became worse in the top of the 9^th as the Phillies, down to their last out, had a 3 run rally of their own making it 5 – 4 Phillies, in the bottom of the 9^th . I can only assume that decent Nursing Homes around the region had the sense to turn off the TV at some point recognizing that it is not only the lows that cause aneurisms and heart attacks but the highs as well, especially when they come so quickly on top of each other. There is a reason certain people aren't allowed on roller-coasters.

My wife may have left me at some point during those two frames – all I know is she yelled at me about something and then went somewhere and I have not seen her since. The car is also gone.

The bottom of the 9^th was no respite from the blood pounding through millions of cheez whiz/steak and roasted pork/sharp provolone clogged arteries as the Rockies nearly mounted another two out rally, only to be stopped by the much loved, but somewhat erratic or inconsistent (this season at least) Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge. He so crazy, but he's our crazy.

After the Phillies incredible win I went outside to calm my nerves with a refreshing cigarette bummed from my 60 year old neighbor who can always be found outside our twin smoking in his car. We recapped the game - he told me he had fallen asleep during the bottom of the 8^th -  I took that to mean passed out – he had a zipper job last year during the Eagles post-season and the meds he's taking make him nod out from time to time. Luckily he regained consciousness in time to see Lidge's final out - he was very pleased, if a little confused. We smoked and talked as we do after most big games, and when I was done I thanked him for the cigarette, and went back inside to watch the post-game.

The last thing I heard him say as I walked in the house was “Let's go Phillies!”

Someone was setting off fire works in my neighborhood.

When I found him this morning he was still in his car with a cigarette butt sandwiched between his two yellow tipped fingers. He was breathing but his pulse was weak, and as hard as I was willing to shake a sixty year old man with terrible back problems and a bad ticker he was equally unwilling to wake up.

20 minutes later as the EMT's loaded him into the ambulance his sweatshirt fell open and his 2008 World Champions Philadelphia Phillies Shirt was visible for all the assembled neighbors to see.

At this writing his wife has informed me that he has been coming in and out of consciousness and the doctors are keeping him to figure out what exactly went wrong but that he is not in any immediate danger. His Phillies cap, a hat so old that some might call it vintage, is resting comfortably on the dashboard of his car, a car which I did not realize until today has a driver side door that won't close completely.

I have older neighbors who claim to be hanging on just to see an Eagles Super Bowl win. My neighborhood eats sleeps and apparently lives and dies by Philadelphia sports teams. In a city that needs every drop of enthusiasm and civic pride, in a neighborhood where people see the world by visiting Colorado or LA with their favorite team, here's hoping for another trip into late October, here's hoping for an extended visit to LA or a two leg escape to LA and New York, here's hoping for a monster parade, here's hoping my wife comes home.

LET'S GO PHILLIES.

Let's just try not kill my neighbor in the process.