Phillies: Striking karma gold in 2020 for 1981’s pain

Phillies fans could refer to a successful 2020 as fate, destiny or payback for a strike denying the good guys from properly defending their 1980 World Series crown.

Destiny’s darlings:   

During these uncertain times, the Philadelphia Phillies faithful aren’t expecting the baseball gods to pay them back for the cruel event of 39 seasons ago when the strike stopped the first-place Fightins in their tracks for two months. And they never recovered the momentum. Karma gold 2.0?

"IN OTHER WORDS:    “Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don’t even notice it.” – Sakyong Mipham"

Reading this, you might doubt anything positive coming to the Phils, unless it occurred before your birth. However, you could be wrong on at least the equation’s second part (the sweet) if you aren’t a teenager yet. But seniors do remember the sour from their youth.

In 1964, the Fightins picked the worse time for a 10-game losing streak with a 6.5-game lead, while the faithful died a little more after each defeat. But the ending is comparable to 2018’s finish with nine consecutive losses followed by two victories. Fortunately, this similarity reveals only a slight resemblance.

What goes around comes around: The 2007 Phils captured the NL East pennant against our hated rivals from Queens, who are arguably atop the list of loathsome foes. But the team to beat struck karma gold despite trailing the New York Mets by seven games with 17 to play.

Following their first Fall Classic triumph, the ’81 squad had set their sights on winning their second World Series in franchise history. But the strike from June 12 through Aug. 9 foiled those plans and evaporated the magic of the aging hometown nine.

For the upcoming campaign, contests will begin closer to the second half than the present. And this wrinkle could change some things like a temporary 29-man roster and/or an extended playoff schedule. But although basic strategy like pitch counts may not be different, skippers will make some unorthodox moves.

For fearful fans, doubting Thomases, detractors, and critics, negative assumptions can ruin potential enjoyment. In fact, the evidence to the contrary is so overwhelming I don’t need additional research to cover the next page. And some of it already involves the abbreviated ’20 schedule.