Only one other series since 1998 has gone even as far as six games. That was the 2003 World Series, won by the Marlins in six over the Yankees.

This year’s participants are more likely to go short than long, and the team that is probably in more danger of being swept is Philadelphia. There are several reasons to say that. One is that the Phillies are facing more pressure.

Blame their history for that. As bad as the Rays have been before this year, the Phillies have been bad for almost forever. They have lost more games than any team in major league history, a distinction helped by the fact they’ve been playing the game since 1876. They’ve also been waiting since 1983 to get back to the World Series and since 1980 to win it again. That 1980 flag remains their lone championship banner.

In Tampa, the newspapers are congratulating the Rays. In Philly, they’re writing about the Phillies' past failures and asking the players why this year should be any different than all the others.

There are no curses in sports, or in life. But prolonged losing streaks are helped along by the pressure heaped upon the teams. Players tend to try so hard to prove they’re not losers that they make the mistakes that turn them into losers.

If Tampa loses a game or two, no one will ask them if the team history is weighing on them or if some curse is in operation. The only curse Tampa has worked against during the franchise’s lifetime is lack of talent and money. They’ve got the talent now, and they know it. They also know that they can come back because they’ve already done it.

The Phillies are a powerful team, but they don’t know what they can do. They only know that they were swept in the NLDS last year by the Rockies and they sailed past the Brewers and Dodgers this year, never facing a game that they absolutely had to win.

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Last year, The Rockies sat for a week waiting for the Series to start. Once it did, all their momentum was gone. This year, it’s the Phils who have had to sit and wait and the Rays who come in feeling on top of the world.

Had the Rays taken care of business in Game 5, I would've said the Phils had the edge. But they didn’t, and in losing they became stronger. They’re no longer strangers to winning, to post-season play or to must-win games. They’ve been there and done that.

If I were a Phillies’ fan, I’d be afraid. I’d be very, very afraid.

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