EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by a friend of mine who has a similar passion for both sports and caps, Zach Baer.

Yup. You guessed it. I’m a Phillies fan. I’m the guy you can find sitting in the (not so cheap) cheap seats at citizens bank park on a balmy spring Monday evening eating (many) Hatfield dollar dogs as the Phillies take on an out of league team with a losing record.

I know you’ve heard the sappy love comparison a million times, so I’ll get this over quick. I love the Phillies. I love the red pinstripes. I love the sound of Larry Anderson and Scott Franzke. I love the ballpark. I love the liberty bell that sways happily after a home run. I love the ivy in center field. To me, Phillies games are something of a mix between Christmas morning and a first kiss. It’s an existential feeling that anyone who has ever loved anything will understand.

“But Zach!” You yell to me, “The Phillies are a mess! How could you love them?”

I have many issues with this team. Like most Phillies fan, I want to go in front of Ruben Amaro Jr’s house, throw eggs at his car and yell inappropriate things at him as he sticks his ugly mug out of his window asking me to leave. But as much as I would love to rant on my distaste for RAJ’s decisions, that’s not what this article is about. No, I am not going there.

I swear.

This article will highlight happier times. A time when WE were the team to beat. A time when Cole Hamels was consistently making hitters look silly with his change-up. A time when Shane Victorino was hitting grand slams off CC Sabathia. A time when the 9^th inning didn’t cause mid to severe heart palpitations.  A time when Jimmy Rollins actually ran all the way to first base on a pop up. In my young life, it is the most exciting season of Major League Baseball I have ever witnessed: the 2008 Phillies World Series team.

As you can very well see, the Phillies cap above is a crisp, never worn World Series Cap with Shane Victorino’s autograph. I will always cherish this hat. Especially since our future seems to be going into the WM dumpsters outside of Citizens Bank Park. But the 2008 Phillies season was the perfect storm. Just when you were about to jump off the Ben Franklin Bridge because you couldn’t bear another disappointing Phillies season, the player you least expected changes the game (MATT STAIRS HITS ONE WAAAAY OUT OF HERE OFF DODGERS PITCHER JONATHAN BROXTON!!).  Moments like this swept Phillies fans off their feet and put them into a rally towel swinging frenzy. Several heart attacks later, we were in the World Series facing the AL East’s Tampa Bay Rays.

You know what happened. I’m sure you were watching it, probably biting your nails the whole time. But we beat the Rays to win the World Series. I repeat, WE WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!! When I heard (God Bless His Soul) Harry Kalas say we were World Champions, I felt (along with all of Phillies nation) like I was on top of the world. It’s a feeling that I hope I will never forget. It’s a feeling I hope I experience sometime soon. Fortunately, I have my World Series hat, which will forever remind me of the glorious days in October when the Phillies were World Champions.

Until then, I will continue to Miss you 2008 Phillies team