The Philadelphia Phillies will lose the 2009 World Series. That much is as certain as A-Rod making an appointment to get his tips frosted next week. But how the Phillies perform in Game 5 will tell us more about their character than any 5 game Series win over the Rays. Will they go down like the Cardinals in 1985, screaming and whining like belligerent 6 year olds? Or will they go down like Philadelphia native Benjamin Guggenheim who, when he realized that the ship he was sailing on, the HMS Titanic,was doomed, dressed in his finest tuxedo, took a seat at the bar, and uttered, “We’ve dressed in our best, and are prepared to go down like gentlemen”?

 The Phillies are not only up against the most potent lineup in baseball, but history itself; the last team to lose a 3-1 lead in the World Series was those very Cardinals, who would not have lost if not for one of the worst umpire calls in baseball history. Teams with a 3-1 lead have won 34 of 40 times. 

And so the Phillies will fall in a Series that seemed to be one strike away from being a classic. But Brad Lidge blew it, and now the Phils are resigned to their fate. But death be not proud nor pathetic. There is a 3rd way to go. 

Since Vince Lombardi uttered his famous phrase, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing”, Americans have clung to it as if it had been written into the Constitution. It has become America’s mantra, and failure has become simply unacceptable. There is no longer valor in trying, there is only glory in victory. This modern American way of looking at the world is depressingly pragmatic, and as romantic as the latest Lil’ Jon song.

It is part of the reason Philadelphia is no longer considered a “first tier city.” We don’t have the nation’s tallest building, it’s fastest growing population, or it’s most exclusive clubs. It is a city whose greatest heroes were in many ways failures. It’s greatest real life character (Ben Franklin) failed in his pursuit to eradicate slavery, and it’s most famous fictional hero, Rocky, fell in the championship bout. The boxer whose life Rocky was loosely based on, Joe Frazier, lost two of three times to the great Muhammed Ali. 

Our stud pitcher (Hamels), our stud closer (Lidge), and our stud hitter (Ryan Howard) all fell to pieces under the bright lights of the main stage, and the Phillies now stand perilously close to the abyss. And yet, all is not entirely lost. The 84 year old Benjamin Franklin knew that he would never see freedom for all people in his lifetime, and yet despite being in great pain the last few months of his life were spent feverishly working for that cause. Rocky knew that he would never defeat the great Apollo Creed, and yet still toed the line round after round. Joe Frazier had a cataract in one eye and had the other one closed in the Thrilla in Manila, yet refused to let his trainer throw in the towel despite being essentially blind. There is honor in the fight, regardless of the outcome. Remember, the Greeks eventually lost the Battle of Thermopylae.

The ship has hit an iceburg, and it is undoubtedly sinking. But don’t whine about it, and don’t sit at the bar resigned to your fate. Instead, tie a couple of those bar chairs together into a makeshift raft, and fight for your goddamn lives.