A couple of good articles in the Sunday paper are worth checking out, specifically Jim Salisbury’s write up on Matt Stairs and Scott Lauber’s sitdown with Stairs, Eric Bruntlett, Joe Blanton and and Geoff Jenkins.

Exactly how much rope do some of these guys have in the average fan’s eyes in 2009? For me, Matt Stairs could go 0 for 50 pinch hitting in 2009, and I’m cool. Geoff Jenkins? A forgettable 2008 was forgotten once he launched that Grant Balfour offering into the sky and landed on second base with a leadoff double in the bottom of the 6th in Game 5 of the World Series.

We expect clutch performance from our top players, but when a role player comes up huge in a critical spot, their contribution is placed on a different pedestal from the day in, day out heroics of the Utleys and Howards. How can you not set aside a place in your heart for Eric Bruntlett after his baserunning exploits in Game 3 of the World Series? How can you not feel good for Joe Blanton, he of the Game 4 homer and the ensuing rout? Geoff Jenkins spent so much time passionately rooting his teammates on from the bench, never bitching about his lack of playing time as the team steamrolled to glory. I was genuinely thrilled for Jenkins that he had an opportunity to contribute something meaningful in the World Series.

For these guys, the chance to shine on such a stage was the stuff of equal parts luck and perseverance. A lot has to go right for Matt Stairs to be in Dodgers Stadium in order to hit that homer. That’s why Stairs won’t ever have to worry about pulling his wallet out in a Philly bar for the rest of his life.

Even beyond the bench players, the bullpen and down the rotation guys, how will the Phillies in general be greeted if they start slowly? Ticket sales have been brisk, and expectations for a repeat run are high. Will fans spend the first few weeks celebrating their champs without getting too worried about wins and losses? Or will we be back to business as usual once the first few games of the season are in the books?

Here’s hoping that, win or lose, fans use 2009 as a year long opportunity to appreciate what the Phillies gave us in 2008.