Not to toot my own horn, but a month ago I predicted a 28-20 record through the end of May. I didn't think the Phils would need to sweep the Nats to make it happen, but whatever.

I took a look at the schedule for June and I think 13-13 is about all that should be expected. That would put the Defendin's at 41-33 ... .554 and on pace for 90 wins instead of the 94-95 wins they are on pace for as of tonight.

Obviously the season is made up of many stretches and as some have observed the many games with the Nats in April and May are mostly responsible for the Phils being 8 games over .500, and those Nats are off the schedule until September.

Here's hoping the Phillies can do a little better than my prediction, but I will take 41-33 on 7/1 if anyone is offering.

I just signed up for TGP yesterday, and I've been enjoying the posts and comments so far. Here's a brief post to introduce myself to the community, and in doing do I thought I would describe some of my fandom principles as they relate to the defending champion Phillies.

Long Time Phan - I grew up in the Delaware Valley, have rooted for the Phillies from an early age, and logged more than a few hours in the 700 level as a teenager - $4 general admission tickets, you can't go wrong there. Despite having moved out of the area many years ago I remain loyal to the Phillies and have seen them in "away" ballparks and on TV as frequently as possible. I remember 1980 despite being just a kid, I was at Game 4 in 1983, and I watched along with my college roomates as Joe Carter took Wild Thing deep in 1993. And in 2008, my own kids joined me in rooting the Phillies on to victory. Thanks to the wonders of technology I'm now able to see as many games as I want on my computer and it is fun to be able to follow the team so closely from so far away. I'm also glad to see a vibrant community exists online - it makes it easier to be a fan despite living in an unfriendly national league rival city.

The 5-Year Grace Period - I support the notion put forth by some sports pundits that if your team wins a championship, there is a period of time that follows where you can't get too upset at a lack of success. When tempted to complain about how this or that is going with the Phillies, I will try to remember the good feelings inspired by the WS victory and hopefully that will cover any frustrating moments.

The Window is Wide Open - Having said that, I think the Phillies are built to win today and peaking. If anything, the WS victory came a year or so earlier than people may have been expecting. So despite contradicting point 2 a little bit I think this team could, should, and will win another championship and yes, I will be disappointed if it doesn't happen. I do think a lot of people outside the Philly area look at last year as a bit of a fluke - whether because of the Rays, the rain, or something else - and while I appreciate the heck out of this team and these players, I think a vigorous defense of the championship would do a lot to validate this team's excellence at a national level.

Beat the Mets - I respect the Braves, am in awe of the Marlins win:payroll ratio, feel sorry for the Expos/Nats, and hate the Mets. I hate the baseball team from New York called the Mets.

Passionately Objective - I see a lot of strengths on this team, and a few weaknesses as well. I think it is possible to be a fan and still be critical. I respect stats but also believe they sometimes are less important than what I can discern for myself by watching the action on the field.

Other Interests - I also like music: The Decemberists, The Shins, The New Pornographers, Hold Steady, Rilo Kiley, Death Cab, The Black Keys, Sigur Ros, Okkervil River, Ra Ra Riot, Aimee Mann, Feist, Neko Case, Rogue Wave, Iron & Wine, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Band of Horses, Arcade Fire are all good with me.

So again, I'm glad to have found this community and glad to be a part of it. And I can't believe y'all were so down on the Ibanez signing!