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The Phils have now lost four in a row. The first two were to the Braves, and that's nothing to be ashamed of, but the last two were to the Cubs. The Cubs also hurt the Mets and nobody should be taken for granted, but this little spin has the Brewers within half a game, and has some hyperbolic Phils phans invoking the 1964 collapse.
I think that's crazy, because how can you collapse from third place? It was always going to be a daily struggle.
But now that the daily struggle is here, who do you want to see win this? I'm not going to poll this because we'd get caught between arguing for the team we'd rather see get that playoff spot for the Mets' sake.
I'm kind of pulling for the Phils. Having played the Brewers twice now, I'm not sure they really feel like a real team. Going up against them feels like going up against a league-owned team managed by an algorithm. Their goofy new park name certainly underscores that. Miller was part of their brand identity like very few other stadium sponsors. Without Miller (a real, live BREWER, for Pete's sake), what are they?
No matter how the end shakes out, this season represents a reversal of fortune for the Phillies. I hope the Phils pull a Jerry Manuel, mistake this turnaround as manager-driven, hire Thomson full-time, and watch him collapse next season.
But this season, I'm pulling for the Liberty Bell team ... to get that last playoff spot, anyhow.
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