I am trying to avoid too many previews about the World Series leading up to Game 1. I don’t need to read which team 30 different idiots at ESPN think is going to win and in how many games. Most of the analysis is generally homerism by each team’s metro papers, who don’t want to piss off the locals. The national media are for the most part johnny-come-latelys who just rehash tired storylines and tell us things about our team we know better than they do, since we live and die with them every day.

So I am resorting to daydreaming about back to back to back Word Series trophies. About another perfect fall afternoon on Broad Street, watching flatbeds roll down the street carrying our heroes to the coliseum. About timely hits. About resurgent aces. About those inevitable butterflies that invade your stomach 15 minutes before the first pitch and leave only after the game’s winner is decided.

I really don’t care that we’re playing the Yankees. Winning against the Tampa Bay Rays doesn’t dampen the 2008 World Series one iota for me. We could have beaten any team in the World Series and I would have been just as delirious. This year is no different. I am not thinking about avenging 60 year old World Series sweeps, and I am not thinking about being a roadblock to a 27th World Series crown. I won’t feel any better should we lose to the Yankees than I would if we lost to the Cleveland Indians. There won’t be any moral victory in losing to the Bronx Bombers, regardless of their obscene payroll.

This World Series is about the Phillies. About going back-to-back. About cementing this team’s legacy as the greatest team to ever represent this city in any sport in any era. This is about these players going from the guys who will never pay for another drink to the guys who became legends.

The Phillies, at least publicly, are looking forward to going up against the Yankees given the bright lights and iconic nature of the Yankee franchise. But they will be best served by putting blinders on, grabbing their bats and gloves and just playing their brand of baseball. They shouldn’t spend a split second considering disparities in the franchises’ histories. They should be reminding themselves that they’ve rattled CC Sabathia before. That this cast of Yankees are not as World series battle tested as they are. That our ballpark is far more intimidating that the Yankees new corporate catering facility.

The good news is this group of Phillies loves this stuff. They couldn’t care less about 10,000 losses or 26 flags. Jon Heyman had a great article about what the Phillies had that the Dodgers still don’t:

About the Phillies, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said, “They’re a tough club, not just wins and losses but how they approach the game. They play it hard, and they play it that way all the time. They play with a relentlessness, and they absolutely refuse to be beat.” Using the Phillies as a measuring stick, the young Dodgers still have a little work to do. One young Dodgers star made it a point before every game to seek out Peter Gammons with the intention of high-fiving him. The Phillies players don’t suck up to anyone.

If the national media and the haters are expecting the Phillies to kick the ball all over the infield or get caught doing something incredibly stupid on the basepaths, they might leave this Fall Classic disappointed. The Phils may make the occasional gaffe from being too aggressive, but with a 2 year postseason record of 18-5, this team knows a little something about winning on the road in the postseason.

Teams get put together over time. The recipe for a team includes homegrown talent, free agent pickups, trade deadline pickups, diamonds in the rough and more. Teams grow together, experience ups and downs and learn from them. Teams remember what it was like not to win. Teams have a real connection to their fans. Teams collect their trophies in front of the fans when they win at home.

Only one team is playing in this World Series. The other guys aren’t a team. Hitting guys you just started playing with 2 months earlier with shaving cream pies after a walkoff doesn’t make you a team.

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If you are looking for some reading material instead of 98 out of 100 sportswriters picking the Yankees, here goes:

Metsblog determines that the Yankees are easier to root for than the Phils in the Series, but not all of his readers concur.

Mark Herrmann of Newsday delves into the Mets’ fans conundrum as well, and determines that the Phillies are most certainly the lesser of the evils.

CBSsports.com columnist Mike Freeman minces no words when speaking ill of the Bombers.

Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com has 15 reasons to root for the Phillies.