Ending a 25-year championship drought, the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 Major League Baseball World Champions, beating the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one in the best of seven World Series.

Closer Brad Lidge’s last devastating slider of the season, striking out Eric Hinske, wiped away the ghosts of lost championships past.

Gone are Mitch Williams (version: mullett) and Joe Carter.

Gone are Ronde Barber and Joe Jurevicius.

Gone are Eric Lindros and Scott Stevens.

Gone are Donovan McNabb and his throw up.

Gone are Derek Fisher and Tyrone Lou.

Here are Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Lidge and Jimmy Rollins. Here are Pat Burrell (hopefully for a while longer), Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Shane Victorino. Here are Jason Werth, Geoff Jenkins, Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, and Ryan Madson.

We have all new moments to remember.

Victorino’s grandslam against CC Sabathia.

Stair’s towering shot off of Jonathan Broxton.

Burrell’s numerous clutch homeruns throughout the playoffs.

Both of Rollins’ leadoff homeruns in each of the clinching games in the first two rounds.

Howard’s two homerun game; the back-to-back shots by Utley and Howard in that game.

Joe Blanton’s smash hit in Game 4.

Moyer’s gritty performance in a delayed, rain sodden Game 3.

Hamels cementing himself as the premier big game pitcher in the majors.

Jenkins leadoff double on Wednesday.

Pedro Feliz’s game winning hit.

The most memorable hit is undoubtedly Burrell’s double to leadoff the 8th inning of the Game 5 clincher. This is a guy who was hitless in the World Series up until that point, but continued to bust his butt and work hard, as he always has during his career in Philly.

“I’m taking in the moment,” Burrell said last night, soaked from the champagne celebration in the clubhouse. “The players, the fans. We’ve been through a lot. To be able to hand this city this championship, it’s something I wouldn’t have understood five, six, seven, eight years ago.”

But the most memorable moment of all is certainly Lidge’s final devastating slider, striking out Hinske. Tugger leaped into the air after his clinching strikeout; Lidge fell to his knees, arms extended to the heavens, with a jubilant Ryan Howard running over to initiate the celebratory pile on.

For those of us watching the game, whether it was at the stadium, in a bar, or at home, the moment snuck up on you. With two strikes, there was certainly the expectation of victory, but when it happened, it took a few seconds for the jaded faithful to realize that, yes, we have finally succeeded where Lindros and McNabb and Iverson and Dykstra were unable.

It was a moment to be shared and savored, whether with family or fellow fans. It was a moment that turned two previously complete strangers into blood brothers, bound together through shared heartbreak, frustration, triumph, and euphoria.

For the first time in a long time, Philadelphia now has the right to say, we are the best. We are the champions.