From my loft just north of Center City I can hear the crickets chirping at Citizen’s Bank Park. The celebrations have ended, the confetti’s been cleaned up, and now Phillies fans have to wait another 14 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater. That’s when the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies (doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?), will begin their defense of their World Series title.

If you’re a baseball fan like I am, you understand that baseball really is a 12 month sport. Although players are only active from March-October, the offseason is a season of its own. Fans look for up to the minute news and rumors about who might be added to their favorite club in hopes to improve the team for the next season.

Well it’s going to be a long 14 weeks for Phillies fans, as not much is expected to happen. Sure the rumors …

After starting the game in a way that most NFL coaches only dream of, the Philadelphia Eagles yet again came up short against a NFC East opponent, putting them 0-3 against the division this year.

On the third play of the game, the Eagles’ Mike Patterson deflected a pass at the line from Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning, intercepting it and running it back to the New York nine yard line.

After an incomplete pass by quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Eagles completed a direct snap to widereceiver DeSean Jackson for a nine yard run for the touchdown. Eagles up 7-0.

That would be the end of good fortune for the Birds. Manning and the Giants came right back to tie the game on a 17-yard pass to Plaxico Burress to cap off a 10-play 80-yard drive.

The Giants would score 17 unanswered points until McNabb connected on a 10-yard pass to Jason Avant. Giants 17 eagles 14.

Both teams would trade field goals before the end of the first half, taking the score to 20-17. Despite the …

The Phillies re-signed lefty reliever Scott Erye Monday to a one-year deal worth two million dollars with performance incentives.

The Phillies acquired Eyre on August 7 from the Chicago Cubs. In 19 appearances, he went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

On the season, he held lefthanded hitters to a .220 average with one home run allowed in 50 at-bats.

In addition to re-signing Eyre, Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro announced that pitching coach Rich Dubee, first-base coach Davey Lopes, and hitting coach Milt Thompson would all be returning for the 2009 season.

Bench coach Jimmy Williams, who was invited to return next season, has decided not to. Third-base coach Steve Smith will also not be returning, as it was announced last week that the Phillies decided not to renew his contract. Bullpen coach Ramon Henderson is also not likely to return, as he missed the second half of last season due to personal reasons.

Two Philadelphia Phillies players will have 2008 Gold Glove Awards to go along with their World Series championships.

Centerfielder Shane Victorino and shortstop Jimmy Rollins were each awarded the top defensive commendation at their position.

“I can’t believe it,” Victorino said during a telephone interview with Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Todd Zolecki. “It’s definitely an accomplishment. To win an individual award after winning a team award definitely is an honor. To be recognized as one of the best defensive players in the game. . . . I’ve always taken pride in my defense. You can always find a way to help on defense. You can be 0 for 20 and still find a way to help your team win defensively.”

With the departure of Aaron Rowand last offseason, many in Philly wondered if Victorino would be up to the task of playing the tough defensive position day in and day out. No one is wondering that anymore. Victorino had just two errors in 337 chances this …

The Phillies are World Champions of baseball!!!!

Oh, but wait, there are other sports being played still.

One team still playing is the Eagles, who triumphed against the Seahawks Sunday after a rough first quarter.

Seattle went up 6-0 on their first play from scrimmage, a 90-yard pass play to Koren Robinson, the longest play in Seahawks’ history. The offense had serious trouble getting things started in the first quarter, with quarterback Donovan McNabb completing just three of 13 passes for 57 yards.

Then the Eagles shook off the cobwebs. Perhaps they were suffering from the city wide championship hangover. Whatever the reason, the Eagles came out in the second quarter a different team, and never looked back.

The Eagles got on the board when McNabb connected with Reggie Brown on a 22-yard touchdown pass that capped off an 80-yard drive. The offense would strike again just under six minutes later on a 1-yard pass to right guard Todd Herremans. After setting a block, Herremans ran past the line of …

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 Phillies moved one game closer to a World Series championship in a 10-2 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday behind one of the best games of starter Joe Blanton’s career, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Blanton pitched six strong innings, allowing just two runs on four hits. He allowed just two walks while striking out seven. When he was traded to the Phillies by the Oakland Athletics in July, it left many in Philly scratching their heads. But as Sam Donnellon says in his postgame column,

CC SABATHIA is watching the World Series - or maybe not.

Rich Harden is, too. Paul Byrd is at home, as is Greg Maddux.

Blanton has been just as big an addition as those pitchers, if not more so. The Phillies are 3-0 in three games Blanton has started this postseason. They were 10-4 in 14 starts during the regular season. He lost just one game in September and October. Blanton was the starting pitcher in the NLDS clincher …

Welcome back Jamie Moyer!

After two horrible outings in his previous two playoff starts this postseason, Moyer pitched 6 1/3 strong innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing just three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Despite a rain delay of nearly an hour and a half, it was a game that was definitely worth the wait.

Chase Utley got the scoring going early with a ground out RBI to first, scoring Jimmy Rollins. One of the best things to come out of last night was the ability of the top of the order to get things going and get on base. Rollins and Jayson Werth went a combined three for six with a run and two walks. Three different innings, either Rollins or Werth led off by getting on base, including the all important ninth.

The Rays got the run back, however, in the top of the second, after Carl Crawford doubled to left, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center. The Phillies …

The Phillies’ inability to hit with runners in scoring position, something that has plagged this team for the better part of Charlie Manuel’s tenure as manager, finally caught up with them on Thursday, as the Fightins fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 in Game 2 of the World Series.

The Phillies are 1-28 with runners in scoring position through two games of the World Series. The Rays, on the other hand, managed to score most of their runs last night without even getting a hit. With runners on second and third and nobody out in the bottom of the first, Carlos Pena grounded out to second, scoring Akirnori Iwamura and moving BJ Upton to third. Evan Longoria followed by grounding out to the shortstop, scoring Upton. That put the Rays up 2-0. They would later score on a safety squeeze by shortstop Jason Bartlett.

The Rays play a small ball type of baseball largely unseen outside of the National League and the AL Los Angeles Angels. Rays’ manager Joe Maddon spent some time under Angels’ manager …

Cole Hamels continues to solidify himself as the new Mr. October, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. James Shields’ nickname may be Big Game James, but that title clearly belongs to Hamels. Coming into Wednesday night’s game, Hamels was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in some of the biggest games in Phillies history.

“Maybe he doesn’t even realize where he is right now,” pitcher Jamie Moyer said of Hamels. “But at some point he will.”

Hamels allowed one run in two separate innings against the Rays. The first was a solo shot to Carl Crawford in the bottom of the fourth. The next inning, Akinori Iwamura doubled home Jason Bartlett, and that would be it. Hamels would go seven innings and then the Phillies’ bullpen came in and did what they have done all year, shut down the opposition. Ryan Madson and closer Brad Lidge faced just six total batters with three combined strikeouts.

“You’re seeing why a closer is so important in …

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The time has come. After 15 years, the Philadelphia Phillies are finally back in the World Series. Their opponents: The Tampa Bay Rays.

The two unlikely league champions face off in St. Petersburg, Florida, Wednesday night.

Game 1

Charlie Manuel is sticking with the same pitching rotation that has gotten the Phillies through the postseason. Game 1 will kick off with the great equalizer on the mound, Cole Hamels.

Hamels, the NLCS MVP, has been brilliant this postseason, going 3-0 in three starts with a 1.23 ERA. In 22 innings, Hamels held opponents to just 13 hits with 22 strikeouts. He held the Dodgers to just three runs in 14 innings in the NLCS.

Hamels will face off with Scott Kazmir, the Rays young left hander. Kazmir has been considered the ace of this pitching rotation for the past couple years and for the better part of this season. However, due to injuries, and the emergence of James Shields, his status as the Rays top starter has been challenged.

Nevertheless, Kazmir, …

The Phillies are returning to the World Series for the first time in 15 years, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to one.

That’s right folks, the Philadelphia Phillies have won National League Pennant. Move over John Kruk; move over Lenny Dykstra; move over Curt Schilling; move over Mitch Williams. Make way for Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge.

As Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer said in his postgame article,

The Phillies are going to the World Series for the first time since the mullets-and-beer 1993 team lost to Joe Carter and the Toronto Blue Jays.

For better or worse, the infamous Joe Carter shot will finally be put to rest, closure put on a still open wound.

As has been said all season, as goes Jimmy Rollins so go the Phillies and that was true yet again Wednesday night. Despite struggling all series, Rollins ripped a lead off homerun in the top …