Somebody actually dedicated a website to the fan aftermath following the Phillies winning the World Series.

The city of Philadelphia is probably praying the Phillies go at least another 28 years before winning anything ever again.

– Phil Sheridan writes that 28 years later, the Phillies are again baseball’s best. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

– J Posnanki says that even as winners, Philadelphians stay in character (and that’s not a compliment). (Kansas City Star)

– Kevin Blackistone writes that baseball needs a shorter season. (AOL Sports)

– Jim Caple calls for more suspended Series games. (ESPN)

– John Romano writes that in just one year, the Rays changed everything. (St. Petersburg Times)

– Marc Lancaster notes that just two days later, the Phillies finished the job. (Tampa Tribune)

– Tim Brown says that the Rays just can’t grasp losing. (Yahoo! Sports)

The 2008 World Series had a little of everything. It had a team that hadn’t played in the Fall Classic in over a decade, another that was making its first ever appearance and two starving sports cities dying for something to finally cheer about. Throw in not one, but three separate weather delays and baseball fans were treated to one of the more bizarre Series in some time. And thanks to their 4-3 Game 5 victory, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one to win the 2008 World Series.

Below are five observations from the 2008 World Series.

1. The team with more momentum didn’t win. After beating the Boston Red Sox in a thrilling seven game ALDS, the Tampa Bay Rays steamrolled into the Fall Classic with all of the momentum. But maybe the ALDS took too much out of them, because the big “mo” didn’t play a factor in this Fall Classic. The Phillies disposed of the Dodgers rather easily in the NLDS and obviously had no issues getting back up for the Rays.

2. The AL didn’t dominate in the end. Baseball pundits liked to wax poetically throughout the season about how the American League has more dominant pitchers, better lineups and more complete teams. But the Rays, who arguably had the better pitching, the better lineup and more complete team, couldn’t measure up. While Philadelphia might not have had the better club according to all the so-called experts, they proved it all comes down to execution.

3. The Phillies had to deal with the weather too. Obviously the weather had an effect on the Rays’ performance. They weren’t used to playing that late in October and especially not in cold climates like the ones they faced in Philly. But it’s not like the Phillies played in that kind of weather year round. The rain and cold could have had an affect on both teams, but only one was in the end.

4. Cole Hamels is unbelievable. Hamels played the role of Josh Beckett in this year’s postseason in that he was absolutely un-hittable. He rebounded from a shaky 2007 postseason and shined like a true ace when the Phillies needed one the most.

5. Phillies-Rays killed the causal fan. The Phillies and Rays deserved to play in the Fall Classic because they earned it. They were the best teams in their respective leagues and nobody can take away their accomplishments. That said, this was a boring Series for the causal fan. While it was fun to root for the underdog Rays and a Phillies team that was going after their first title in 28 years, there wasn’t much to tune into. There was no team to root against like the Yankees or Red Sox. There was no crazy character to follow like Manny Ramirez. This Series flat out lacked some luster, but then again – too bad. The Red Sox didn’t deserve to be there; nor did the Yankees. The Phillies and Rays did and in the end, that’s all that matters.

Game 5 of the World Series is supposed to continue tonight…maybe.

“While obviously we want to finish Game 5 as soon as possible, the forecast for today does not allow for us to continue the game this evening,” he said. “We are closely monitoring tomorrow’s forecast and will continue to monitor the weather on an hourly basis. We will advise fans as soon as we are able to make any final decisions with respect to tomorrow’s schedule.”

The forecast for today calls for clearing skies by the early afternoon, with temperatures in the upper 30s by (partial) game time.

“We get to bat four times, they get to bat three. We get 12 outs, they get nine,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We are definitely coming with the mind-set that we are going to win that game.”

This situation has to benefit the Rays slightly. The Phillies had all of the momentum when they went up 3-1, but the longer the series draws out, the more Tampa probably settles in and relaxes. This is one of the craziest situations facing a Series in some time.

Despite what MLB says, the Philadelphia Phillies won Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night, at least according to Las Vegas.

The game was suspended because of rain in the middle of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. The Rays had tied it in the top of the sixth when Carlos Pena’s two-out single scored B.J. Upton.

However, even though the suspended game is scheduled to be completed today, the betting result is final.

According to Nevada gaming rules — often referred to as “house rules” — the final score of an official game is determined by reverting to the last completed inning. The Phillies led 2-1 after the fifth.

Las Vegas sports books are paying off Game 5 side bets on Philadelphia, which was about a minus-170 favorite. Wagers on totals and run-line bets are being refunded because rules stipulate that at least 81/2 innings must be played.

“We’re just following the regular baseball rules. This is a very common rule,” Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. “We can’t make exceptions.

That sucks for people who bet on the Rays, but one has to assume that most of the public was on the Phillies anyway.