Pheeling good about the Phillies

On the blogger version of my blog (if you are reading Caring Bridge, please feel free to click the link to the blogger site--its pretty cool) I was asked by a co-worker to comment on the Philadelphia Phillies World Series win. Marie knows that I'm a baseball fan and that with my extra time probably took in a fair amount of the contest between the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. I did watch the series and I do think there are lessons to be learned. Since my blog is devoted to my treatment I figured I'd slip in some of those lessons.

First of all, congrats to the Phillies. They were clearly the better team though the Rays did provide a fair amount of excitement throughout the playoffs. The Phillies won the series and perhaps their most dangerous hitter was in a slump to enter the contest. From young, exciting players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and Jimmy Rollins to the improbable, respectable pitching performance from 47-year old Jamie Moyer the team simply didn't get challenged throughout the playoffs. I suspect they'll be just as good for several years so get used to them.

Now for the lessons: Prior to the season, the Phillies shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, predicted that his team would "win at least 100 games". Of course at the time he meant that they would win at least 100 of the normal 162 game season. In the end they fell short of that mark and won 92 games. As his team entered the playoffs Rollins was reminded of his prediction by the press. He smiled and replied, "I never said it would be regular season games." He and his team won 11 more playoff games to become world champs and finished with 103 wins for the season.

Conversely, the Tampa Bay Rays followed a very common pattern. The Rays came into the playoffs the 'team of destiny'. They went from last place in the prior season to first place this season--leading the free-spending Red Sox and Yankees practically from beginning to end. As the playoffs began they looked like they would breeze to a world series win. Everything was coming together--pitching, hitting, base running, defense. Then, in a fateful turn of events in the American League pennant series against the Red Sox the Rays collapsed. In the span of 2 and 1/3 innings they blew a 7-run lead and a chance to win that series 4 games to 1. While the Rays eventually did win that series in 7 games their 'team of destiny' status was irretrievably damaged and they simply were not the same team against the Phillies.

So what is there to learn? The Phillies' approach was to remain calm and positive and to do all the things within their control to achieve their desired outcome. The Rays, it can be argued, failed to maintain control of their outcome. At some point the 'team of destiny' ceased to do all the things that they had done to win their division and to breeze through the first 1.5 series of the playoffs. Even for professional atheletes the state-of-mind needed to achieve one's goal is not a light switch to be turned on at whim. Instead it is a habit, something that must be maintained throughout and this can trump physical abilities in many circumstances.

While all seems to be going well for me in the early stages of my treatment I think it is important that I don't simply assume that things will turn out well because I'm me (the cancer patient of destiny?). Instead, I need to do all the things within my control to get better and to keep the same positive focus that Jimmy Rollins had if/when things aren't as I predicted.