We’ve been here before.

The rally towels being waved by sell out crowds.

The buzz around the city.

The feeling that this is the year we break the playoff drought.

Yes, we’ve been here before. We’ve been in this exact spot the past.

2003: 86-76 - missed the wild card by 5 games to Florida (who won the World Series)

2004: 86-76 - missed the wild card by 6 games to Houston

2005: 88-74 - missed NL east by 2 games to Atlanta, missed wild card by 1 game to Houston (who went to the World Series)

2006: 85-77 - missed the wild card by 3 games to Los Angeles

But, as Phillies fans, and Philadelphia fans in general, despite the failure to reach the playoffs year after year by mere games, we put 100% of our hopes and dreams into this years’ team. And why not? The 2007 Phillies looked great before the season even started. We had the reigning NL MVP in Ryan Howard, signed former All-Star pitcher Freddy Garcia, picked up solid starter Adam Eaton from Houston, and had emerging huge stars in Chase Utley and Cole Hamels. Jimmy Rollins (now famously) said that the Phils were “the team to beat” in the division. And oh you better believe the excitement was there in April. And oh man you better believe how fast that excitement turned to anger and disbelief with a 4-11 start including getting swept at home by the hated Braves. The importance of April is monumental in baseball, and another slow start was not what this team needed.

The struggles continued. Pat Burrell entertained the thought of dipping his average below the Mendoza line. Ryan Howard was struggling, big time. The bullpen was awful.

It’s thought of as unfair to blame losses on injuries, but look at what Charlie Manuel had to deal with:

Ryan Howard was injured 4 times, including a stint on the 15-day DL…Tom Gordon was injured for over 3 months…Chase Utley broke a bone in his hand and was out 5 weeks…Jon Lieber had season ending surgery…Freddy Garcia had season ending surgery…Brett Myers was on the DL…Ryan Madson was placed on IR…Cole Hamels was placed on the 15-day DL…players like Aaron Rowand, Kyle Kendrick, and Jayson Werth were all injured at least twice at some points.

Let’s also not forget the miserable failures of this team:

Tom Gordon - 5.15 ERA with 5 blown saves…Freddy Garcia - 1-5 record with a 5.90 ERA…Adam Eaton - a deceptive 10-9 record and a 6.33 ERA…even Jamie Moyer - 13-12 with a 5.15 ERA…Rod Barajas - hitting .230 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs…Wes Helms - hitting .249 with 5 HRs and 39 RBIs.

It would have been real easy for this team to have packed it in at the all-star break and begin thinking about next year. The pitching was awful, the bullpen was beyond abysmal, and the hitters weren’t hitting. People looked for a scapegoat, but you can’t blame Charlie Manuel for hitters not hitting and pitchers not pitching. But what happened next was typical, yes, but still exciting of this Phils team.

They started winning. Winning can really make fans and a team forget about the failures of the recent past. Ryan Howard turned it on big time and showed why he’s the reigning MVP. Although his average has significantly dipped from last year, he hit big home runs and up to date has 42 homers and 126 RBIs. Pat Burrell, who was just awful, turned it on as well, bringing his average up from .215 to .265 and leads the team in walks. Rollins hit doubles, triples, homers, and has been the consistent force on this team. It was the end of August that sparked a true belief in this team though. A series to remember at Citizens Bank Park verse the hated New York Mets, an unbelievable challenge against the team that has lead the division all year, turned out to be a thrilling 4-game sweep for the Phils. A Ryan Howard walk off home run, to a Chase Utley walk off single, the Phils played some wild games, and queitly creeped closer and closer to the front running Mets. They continued to win in September, now playing in 2 races: the NL East, and the wild card.

So, here we are. Entering the night 1 game out of the wild card and 2 games out of the division with just 5 games to go. It bares an eery resemblance to 2 years ago when Phils fans traveled in masses to RFK stadium to see the team play the Nationals. They went down this year again, as the Phils took 3 out 4. And we’re also again, right there looking up at the top. Just a game or 2 out in each of the races we’re in, we need wins in these 5 games. We need strong starting pitching, we can’t afford for our bullpen to be called into action in the 4th inning and go the playoffs. We need strong performances from our bullpen when they are needed, they’ve been bad all season, but can make everyone forget that with 5 games to remember. We need to hit, especially with runners out, when it really matters.

Nobody knows what’s going to happen with 5 games left. One thing you can say about this team is that they never gave up. But that wont cut it for the players and the fans if they miss out on the postseason again. So get out the rally towels, start praying to whatever you believe in, and maybe…just maybe, our beloved Phillies will finally make the jump to the playoffs.