Philly fans accustomed to having rain on their parade

Baseball Insider

PHILADELPHIA - Curses are made for cities like Chicago and Boston.

Not for a rough-and-tumble, fatalistic haven such as Philadelphia.

It wasn't a curse that caused the World Series to be postponed by inclement weather for at least two days.

It wasn't just industry indecision that suspended Game 5 only after the Tampa Bay Rays scored in the top of the sixth to tie it at 2, wiping out a Phillies lead, and technically speaking, a potential title-clinching victory.

It wasn't bad luck that sheets of rain and swirling wind would converge on a night when ace Cole Hamels was cruising.

Around here, those things have nothing to do with curses.

They are an accepted way of sporting life.

To paraphrase Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins' message to many of his teammates over the years: Nothing comes easy for the Phillies.

The same can be said for the city's other sports teams.

Print the T-shirts: Philadelphia - The City That Gets Screwed Over.

It wouldn't surprise Philly fans if, now that Game 5 had to be pushed back and Hamels has to be shelved, their team loses and is forced to go to Florida for games 6 and 7. It wouldn't surprise Philly fans if they lose it all now, after fate - or Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig - intervened.

And here's the crazy part: It wouldn't surprise anyone inside the sport either.

Because, baseball-wise, this postponement helps the Rays.

Most important, the rain chased Hamels, who had won all four of his previous postseason games this year but now could be saddled with a no-decision.

He had thrown 75 pitches in six innings and, according to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, likely could have pitched into the eighth. Instead, Manuel will lift him for a pinch hitter when the game resumes.

"That's a pretty good feeling, obviously," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said about not having to face Hamels for the rest of Game 5. "He has been so good, and to scratch out the runs that we've had has been very difficult. Of course, their bullpen has been magnificent, also. So it's not going to be an easy task by any means. But we have a lot of our bullpen fresh now, too. So getting him out is important."

Then there is momentum. The Phillies scored twice in the first inning. They had the Rays on the ropes, and their hungry fans were sniffing a championship.