Jimmy Rollins says the Phillies are taking the World Series in 5 games (or 6 if they’re nice).
Whatever you think about the wisdom of making such a prediction, the real question is—could he be right? Even more, is he likely to be right?
At first glance, these two teams look destined to lock up in at least a 6-game battle, if not a full 7-game series. I don’t think anyone would call you crazy if you were to go that route with a prediction.
In fact, it’s probably the safest bet to make. But for Rollins to boldly pick the Phils to win in 5 over the likes of A-Rod, Jeter, Sabathia & Rivera may seem unrealistic.
That said, while it’s impossible to know how any Series will go, from what I have seen in the clubhouse over the past several seasons, it would not surprise me in the least if Jimmy’s prediction comes true.
While many Philadelphia fans have feared the worst over the years (often, with good reason), the mentality of the current Phillies club is just not one to worry, panic, get discouraged or distracted.
They’ve proven this numerous times over the past few seasons, including down the homestretch of the regular season when fans were worried the team would cough up their first-place lead to the Marlins or Braves even when the Phillies were up by 5 full games with 2-3 weeks to go (apparently, the collapse of 1964 may never fully be erased).
Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and company are extremely even keel and truly do not seem to get ahead of themselves. If there’s one team that can truly take each Series game at a time, as an individual unit—regardless of if the previous game was a big win or a tough loss—it’s the Phillies. That’s why I’m going to concur with J-Roll and pick the Phillies in 5.
From Yankee Stadium, Tim DeMoss for gcobb.com
