U-S-A! Last Weekend Illustrated Patriotism Is One Thing We All Cheer For

It was the bottom of the ninth inning in a hotly contested game between two of the bigger rivals in Major League Baseball on a clear night in Philadelphia.

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were in the top of the ninth inning in a 1-1 game as the Mets Daniel Murphy batted against relief pitcher Ryan Madson. 

It was a game coming down to the wire, which was unique in its own right, given the Mets futile play in recent years.  But what occurred during this inning was one of the more electric moments in recent sports history.

Though there was plenty of drama on the field, fans started to receive text messages, emails and Facebook updates on their smart phones.  Fans of the red and white and blue and orange started to talk amongst themselves of the news that was starting to travel like the speed of light.

In a matter of moments, a 1-1 baseball game became a secondary thought for the tens of thousands at Citizens Bank Park.  Osama Bin Laden, the architect of the darkest day in American history, was dead. 

For so many around the world, there was obvious skepticism.  After nearly a decade of searching for the man that brought terrorism to our shores, most of us had given up the hope of bringing the mass murderer to justice.

Yet there it was, for everyone to see on their phones.  Bin Laden was killed in a special ops mission by our Navy Seals. 

Ten minutes earlier, Phillies and Mets fans were watching their teams go at it, with unruly fans surely at each others throats.  After all, when these two teams play, you know some tomfoolery will ensue.  These same fans, though, which hate each other, began to celebrate in unison.  For those in attendance, there was an instant transformation, and boy, was it great to see. 

No longer were there Mets or Phillies fans.  No, when they had learned of Bin Laden’s demise, it was a gathering of 46,000 Americans celebrating together.  The chant of “U-S-A!  U-S-A!” permeated the night air as both teams on the field and in the dugout did not know what was going on. 

What they did not realize is they were taking part in a moment that will be shown in inspirational commercials years from now. 

In a time where divisiveness is an escalating issue between sports fans and also opposing political parties, it was an important moment such as the one in Philadelphia to remind us that no matter who we root for on a field or in an election booth, we are all Americans.

Today we see tragedies of violence on both fronts, where Dodger fans nearly killed a rival Giants fan last month.  Additionally, the partisanship in our political landscape has led to more hostilities amongst citizens nationwide.  The last few years have been quite ugly on both fronts, and it has battered and frustrated the general American who just wants to cheer for his team and make sure that his and her political leaders are treating them fairly.

It is times like the magical moments in Philadelphia on Sunday that reminds us of what is truly important in life.  While we root for our teams, at times to a truly fanatical level, there are those fighting and at times dying to make sure we can enjoy cheering our squads on.  Sure, we all take our caps off for a moment before a sporting game to honor the flag and the nation, but lately, it’s become as much of a spectacle to see who will heckle or whistle the loudest.

There was none of that Sunday, just like there wasn’t any nearly a decade ago, when MLB and NFL teams had the unenviable task of taking the field while a nation still recovering from a senseless act of terror that killed over 3,000 Americans.  Those players who took their respective fields in the days following 9/11 were able to do something much more important though than merely play a game. 

It was a time where all of us, no matter what team we cheered for, could gather together and remember those we lost and the heroism exhibited by thousands more.  And the Mets and Phillies players gave fans that forum again on Sunday night.

The tragedies of September 11 touched all of us in some way or another, but especially for those in New York and Pennsylvania.  Over 2,500 people died at ground zero, while 37 more on United Airlines Flight 93 perished in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers gave their lives to prevent four terrorists from wreaking even more havoc on our nation.  

It seemed only fitting that on the night that the man responsible for these acts was finally brought to justice, two of the three areas most directly affected by his attacks got to enjoy the moment so publicly. 

As we move forward from the joyous celebrations of Sunday night, our society will return to normalcy.  Phillies fans will undoubtedly pile on their hated rivals for being a cellar dweller, while Democrats and Republicans will just as surely try to convince you of who can better run this country as the 2012 election draws closer.

But for those special moments during the ninth inning in Philadelphia, we were reminded of facts that far too often we take for granted.  We live in the United States of America, land of the free and home of the brave. 

It’s a great nation that is protected by those such as the Navy Seals that dispatched a man of pure evil. Those brave men are reasons why we enjoy squabbling over immaterial things like which baseball team is better.

The men and women in uniform are the real heroes.  They are the ones that should be cheered for every day.  For one night, though, they at least received the praise and gratitude that is so richly deserved. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Sign Cliff Lee and Fix Mistakes of the 2009 Offseason

Nearly one year ago, the Philadelphia Phillies ownership and general manager Ruben Amaro were making tough decisions regarding the future of their team and superstar pitcher Cliff Lee, whom they had acquired from the Cleveland Indians.  

Despite some unbelievable performances against the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series, the Phillies decided to turn the page by trading Lee to the Seattle Mariners and acquiring superstar ace Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Facing the anger of their fans, Phillies management seemed to immediately regret their decision, going so far as to trade for another star pitcher, Roy Oswalt. Like Lee, Oswalt succeeded with the Phillies, and certainly was not the cause for their disappointing defeat to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.

Their defeat was blamed on their hitting, which could not come through in the clutch. 

Entering the offseason, it could be argued the major concern for the Phillies was improving their offense, especially when outfielder Jayson Werth signed a lucrative deal with the Washington Nationals. 

Meanwhile, the entire baseball world watched as the Texas Rangers and Yankees fought for Lee’s services offering contracts of upwards of $160 million dollars.

What people were not watching however, was that the Phillies were preparing to pull one of the bigger swerves in recent sports memory. As the news continues to leak, it appears the Phillies brass was lurking in the shadows, plotting a surprise attack on both the Rangers and Yankees.

And boy did they succeed!

With the world believing it was a two team race, the Phillies shocked everyone and signed Lee to a five year, $120 million contract. 

What’s interesting is the contract is for only five years when many baseball analysts believed that Lee wanted seven. It’s a bit of a gamble for Lee if he struggles; however, if he keeps the form he’s shown the past several years, he’ll still be young enough where he could land one more major deal in 2016. 

The signing will create shock waves in the American League not only for 2011, but potentially for years to come. It’s been an awful past few months for the Yankees, who lost to the Rangers in the ALCS and now failed to sign not only Lee, but also Carl Crawford, who signed with their bitter rival the Red Sox.

It would seem that a major shift of power has occurred in the AL East as the Yankees were seemingly beaten at their own game. 

But this story isn’t about the Yankees. It’s about the fact that the Phillies have made good on fixing the mammoth mistake they made last year, by trading away Lee in the first place.

It’s really amazing to think how last season could have played out if Lee had never left Philadelphia. The Phillies would have had possibly the two best pitchers in baseball, but Roy Oswalt would be on another team and the Rangers almost certainly would not have played in the World Series. 

While Philly fans may be upset they lost to the Giants in the NLCS, they now can salivate at the prospects of 2011.

The Phillies have possibly the best pitching rotation this league has seen in decades with Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP. Add to the fact they did acquire three prospects when they traded Lee to Seattle last year and $six million in cash from Toronto, the Phillies have to be enjoying life.

With the signing of Lee, the Phillies have made the 2011 season perhaps very boring in the national league. 

No team has a pitching staff that comes remotely close to the new arsenal the Phillies will be deploying. Of course, it’s pretty hard to find any team that has literally an entire All-Star team in their starting rotation.

There will be some fans who will be worried that the team may want to deal Oswalt and save some money, as they will have over $60 million tied up to just three pitchers. Not even the Yankees can claim that.

Some others will talk about the fact that they have not addressed the absence of Werth, considering their offense was the reason they did not go to the World Series for a third straight year.

But for the vast majority of fans, while they might wake up to 20 degree windy weather and flurries this morning, they may very well believe that the title of a popular FX television show is true. 

It indeed is always sunny in Philadelphia. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com