Many people said that the Phillies had the advantage in the World Series because they had extra time off to prepare for the upcoming series.

Many people also said that the Rays had the advantage in the World Series because they are superior in more positions than the Phillies, even though the two squads are arguably the most evenly matched teams that have played in the World Series.

The World Series started at Tampa Bay and the Rays didn’t take care of home field.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said prior to game one that, “It’s just another game in October.”

Game 1 featured a duo of 24 year olds who were also left handed. Scott Kazmir pitched for the Rays and Cole Hamels pitched for the Phillies.

The Phillies last played in the World Series in 1993 and actually won it back in 1980. That year, the Phillies (an 11 year old expansion franchise) beat Kansas City.

“You’ve got a point there,” said Dave Montgomery, who was with the Phils in 1980 and is the team’s President and general partner today. “I hope things turn out the same way as they did in 1980.”

The Rays didn’t even exist the only time the Phillies won it all.

This is the first ever trip to the World Series for the Rays. Isn’t it a coincidence that the Rays are an expansion franchise in their eleventh season?

There are now only three teams that have never played in the World Series: Seattle, Washington/Texas and Montreal/Washington as 3 of MLB only teams never to have played on baseball’s biggest stage.

The Rays have a lot to be proud of. This is their first winning season. They have finished at or near the bottom every year. This year, they beat and kept the Yankees from making the playoffs. That is big because the Yankees have made the playoffs every year that I can remember. They beat out the second-seeded Boston Red Sox to claim the division crown of the tough American League East. They then beat Boston in a rematch that saw all seven games being played.

“We’ve got a lot of fight,” said right-handed starter Matt Garza, who defeated the Red Sox twice in the ALCS and was named MVP of that series. “We don’t quit. We don’t back down. We’re resilient. We don’t take no for an answer.”

The Phillies are only one game away from having won their second championship in their 126 year history.

The Phillies, on the other hand, beat the Brewers and the Dodgers rather easily. Many thought they were at a big disadvantage because they blew through their opponents so easily and also because they had to play on the road to start the World Series off.

Both teams had to have a designated hitter in their lineups while at the Rays. The Phillies are not used to this because they are a National League team and they are used to the pitcher hitting in the ninth spot.

The Phillies manager used left-handed hitters Geoff Jenkins, Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs as his designated hitters while playing their six road Interleague games at Oakland and Texas.

Last year, the infamous Rockies were off eight days between the NLCS and the World Series. That time off didn’t help as they got swept in embarrassing fashion by the Red Sox.

The Phillies are hoping to avoid a similar situation.