Has anyone taken a second

to look back at all we've been through as fans and a team, and think about how absolutely great we've got it?

I grew up in the Dome, seemingly losing out to the Reds every year in the late 70s and early 80s. We had guys. We had a team. Cedeno, Cruz, Puhl, Watson, Garner… just guys everywhere… but the goddamned "Big Red Machine" was unstoppable.

It only made it worse that Pastorini, White Shoes Johnson, Bethea, Campbell, and all those badasses couldn't get past Pittsburgh.

Then we got absolutely shafted by Mike effing Schmidt.

Worse, I feel we'd have crushed Boston had we not gotten jobbed on that ridiculous call at first against the Mets on the double play that wasn't.

My Dad bought us Super Bowl tickets for Christmas, only to see us get give a sure win away to an aging Joe Montana.

Other than a brief shining light period for the Rockets, we just couldn't buy a break in this town.

Then Bud "Satan" Adams took our football team to Tennessee. What a dark day.

We just suffered for so long.

Even when we finally brought in big-money free agents and made it in '05 we got swept. I honestly thought I'd go my entire life (I'm 55) without seeing us win a World Series.

Then, oh God we were so bad that I finally gave up my season tickets (right at first base, 21 rows up) when management said "we are not going to be in the market for free agents for the next several years". I now live 4 hours away. I wasn't driving into town every weekend to see us get pummeled. I couldn't give away the tickets when I didn't think I had it in me to go.

Every time we got someone who looked like they'd be something, we let them go. I had such high hopes for J.D. Martinez. Thought he'd save us… then poof gone.

Anyway, I was watching the Yordan homer video someone posted, on a loop this morning, and it just struck me that this is really it. All these playoff wins. All these ALCS appearances. The title… TWICE.

This was just rambling bullshit but I wanted to say that before Spring Training opens I hope everyone takes a second to realize "we've made it". This is what all the Killer Bs, Dickie Thon, Joe Niekro, Luis Gonzales fans and Lenny Dykstra and Albert Pujols haters wanted for decades and decades.

We did it folks. Enjoy.