Memo to me: Was I ever wrong about the NL East and the Mets and the Phighting Phils.
In August I wrapped up the NL East in a nice little package for the Mets and said the race was unofficially over. I wrote these words:
Memo to Jimmy Rollins: The Best Team Won.
Here we are three days to go in the regular season and the race is just beginning.
The Phillies have overcome numerous injuries and no matter what happens these final three days, they have shown the hearts of champions and for that they should be congratulated.
The Mets have collapsed – perhaps the greaTest collapse in baseball history considering the teams that they’ve lost to down the stretch, and if you are going to be wrong, I can live with the fact that it took a colossal collapse to be wrong – while the Phillies have shown incredible heart and fortitude, led by Jimmy Rollins.
It was Rollins who said the Phils were the team to beat in the NL East over the winter. He was right. I was wrong. I’ve always loved Rollins approach to the game – he is Philadelphia’s Derek Jeter – and he is putting up MVP numbers.
To me, Rollins is the NL MVP. His defense is remarkable and his hitting is Captain Clutch. And his words fired up his teammates. He led by example in so many ways.
The Phillies have once again shown why baseball is the greatest game. It’s not over til it’s over. Once again that lesson was driven home – to me and everyone else in New York and especially to those in the Mets clubhouse.
Over the winter, it turns out, the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East.
And with three days left in the season, they are still the team to beat in the NL East. Rollins was right. I was wrong. The Phillies are what being a winning team is all about.