Phillies fans get cake and eat it too

Phillies' fans were treated to a double dose of awesome this weekend as their beloved Fightins won their second National League East division title in as many years and the hated rival New York Mets completed their second straight end of season collapse, missing the playoffs yet again. The Phillies were three games back of the Mets as of September 10, and things were looking bleak. But the Phillies put things together and got wins when they needed to, including a four game sweep of their first round opponents, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Phils won 10 of their last 11 games and gained six games in the standings in just 12 days. The Amazin Mets, on the other hand, lost six of their final nine games in yet another September collapse. The collapse was fueled, in large part, to one of the worst bullpens in the majors. This entire season, particularly, it seemed, the final quarter of it, no lead was safe from the likes of Aaron Heilman or Pedro Feliciano. The Phillies, on the other hand, were seemingly carried on the back of Ryan Howard, making him one of the leading candidates for this year's National Leave MVP award. Howard had 11 homeruns and 32 RBIs during the month of September, with a batting average of .365. After spending much of the season with an average that hovered between .220 and .230, Howard ended the season with a batting average of .251. After having to spend much of the season listening to the constant droning of garbage spewed forth by Mets fans, it is sweet justice to hear their quiet, mournful moans of defeat. Tough break Mets, maybe next year.