And now for the main event...

By Tim McManus

I wonder, now that the Eagle green mist is beginning to lift, what life will be like when the Phillies fully regain the spotlight.

The Eagles run and ultimate fall in the postseason -- and the fans' hard line stance of win or go away -- disproved those who thought Philadelphians would morph into a kinder, gentler fan base now that the championship clock has been reset to zero.

The standards are still there, along with the you've-cut-me-deeply-and-I-will-get-my-revenge reaction when the standards aren't met.

But that was with the Eagles...the bridesmaid dress-wearing, time's yours spewing Eagles. Do the same harsh rules apply to the World Champs?

Only thorn-less roses have been thrown at their feet during the post-championship tour, a symbolic bronzing of a team that will only grow in legend over time. When this team dismantles and all are retired from the sport, every member will be canonized.

What of the present playing days though? What happens when the victory lap ends and 2008 stops feeling like the present? Will there be a one-year love affair? Will it last up until their first absence from the postseason, or will it subside as soon as they drop a series to the Mets?

For many, this is a great mystery, for much of the population has never experienced a post-championship season. It is tough to decipher whether a loss will sting less because there is a trophy to buffer it, or more because we'll be chasing euphoria even harder now that we know what it feels like.

It's confusing: Can we put our heart into booing Shane Victorino when he strikes out with the grand slam image rattling around? Can we come down on Cole Hamels for anything anymore? Where does the automatic applause for last season end?

For the team, the owners, and baseball flag wavers, perhaps, the important thing is not the answers to these questions, but that the questions are being asked.

Whether this is the start of a full-out love affair or a complicated love-hate relationship, it is most certainly the start of something grand in scale. Something energy-infusing; a major spike in the history chart.

The red mist is settling back in. Better run out and get an umbrella.