Here Comes The Turnpike Series

Whether you call it the Broadway versus Broad Street, the Turnpike Tossup
or Cheese Steaks versus Pizza it seems like the 105th World Series matchup is one that was brewing throughout much of the season. While often you get a team in the Fall Classic that’s really not the best in their league the 2009
showdown between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies pits baseball’s best two teams against one another.

The Yankees of course are rich in history and tradition even if they have moved into a new Bronx ballpark in which the simple name remains the same….Yankee Stadium. Gone to some extent might be the ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle but the monuments still exist as do their signature pinstripe uniforms. This is the 40th World Series appearance for them, having won their 26th and last title in 2000 followed by disappointing losses in 2001 and 2003. They are a mixture of old Yanks in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and new players like Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia.
Then there is Alex Rodriguez who has gone from goat to hero and is poised to win his first championship.

The Phillies have reached baseball’s Promised Land for the second straight October and 7th time overall. They dispatched Tampa Bay in five games last year to win the World Series championship for just the second time in franchise history and first since 1980. Much of their tradition centers on failure and disappointment with the exception of stretches in the late 70’s and early 80’s but that was before this current group was assembled. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have fueled a renaissance and turned around the image on an entire city. The Phillies never-say-die attitude has won over old and new fans and made the color red very popular in the city and region.

So who will prevail in this showdown of teams whose ballparks are just over 100 miles apart and two hours away? Well I think it comes down to the fact that the Yankees are probably just a bit better in most areas so I think they’ll prevail in 7 tough games. Should be a lot of fun, especially for those who dislike both teams because somebody will be disappointed at the end.