Raining on my parade

I went to game five of the World Series hoping to see history, and now I have, just not the type of history I was hoping to see. With a “suspended” game, my chance to see the first championship in Philadelphia in 25 years—a full year longer than I have been alive—has been washed away, or at least put on hold.

So what am I feeling just hours after my girlfriend and I made our drenched exits from Citizens Bank Park? At this point, I am more frustrated than anything. I went to the ballpark ready to have my dreams come true, but also prepared to have them dashed, whether temporarily with a loss in game five, or completely with a three-game collapse. I certainly never expected to see them put on hold by rain.

Forgetting about the rain, I’m frustrated that Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig allowed the Tampa Bay Rays to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning. I know that he didn’t allow the tying run, but after Jimmy Rollins misplayed that popup in the fifth inning, due to the wind, rain, and puddles on the infield, Selig should have suspended the game.

He told the coaches and general managers that the game would be played in its entirety no matter what, so there was no reason to risk the players and the integrity of the game while waiting for an “easy” moment to suspend the game.

From the 400 level, I could see just as well as Selig could that the groundskeepers’ Diamond Dry wasn’t helping the situation.Why didn’t he just suspend the game after the fifth inning? The Phillies were up 2-1, and he knew that the rain wasn’t going to let up, so why risk it? Or at least let the Phillies bat in the bottom of the sixth inning before suspending the game so that each team had to deal with the elements equally.

Now, whenever the game resumes, the Rays’ pitcher will have a pristine mound, and their fielders won’t be treading water while going after ground balls. Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins had to deal with that slop for six innings, and so should the Rays.

Now that my rant is over, I will admit that under the thick, cold, rain-soaked layer of frustration is 24 years worth of hope and excitement, as my ticket to game five was still good for the next day, or the next, or even Thanksgiving, as Selig suggested.

Looking ahead, in four of the five games so far this series, the Phillies have started pretty quickly, or at least faster than the Rays did, so I’m expecting the Phillies’ hitters to reclaim the lead whenever the bottom of the sixth inning gets underway. And when it turns to the top of the seventh inning, Charlie Manuel gets to hand the ball to his bullpen, which has allowed just two hits all series, while the Rays’ manager, Joe Maddon, has to turn the ball over to a bullpen that looked very hittable in game four, and has allowed 20 baserunners in 13 1/3 innings.

In the end, I wouldn’t want to end this championship drought by winning the first World Series game that was cut short. However, I certainly hope that Commissioner Selig’s indecision didn’t cost us our chance at history, but we’ll have to wait and see. You know, Tom Petty is right, the waiting really is the hardest part. I have waited 24 years for this moment, and the next day is going to feel like 24 more.

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Like the “On the Edge” Blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show, where, this week, we will talk more our Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, and have a preview of the Eagles/Seahawks upcoming battle.