By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 
As the Phillies begin their Spring Training down in lovely Clearwater, Fla., they get set to embark on an era that's about as bright as the Florida sun. It's a chance to see how young guns like Odubal Herrera, Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Tommy Joseph can fare with another year of big-league experience, all while prospects like J.P. Crawford, Mickey Moniak, Jorge Alfaro, Cornelius Randolph and Rhys Hoskins move up the pipeline.
It's a new era of Phillies baseball that can finally get off the ground, now that the franchise's glory days are essentially over. Much has been made of the team's decision — a decision that had been inevitable for years — in November to decline the option on Ryan Howard's contract, sending the last-remaining player from the beloved 2008 World Series team off into the sunset. There's no doubt it's the franchise's greatest stretch of success, and it all began 10 years ago.
Jan. 23 marked the 10-year anniversary of the bold utterance in an interview with the Associated Press that could arguably be considered the defining moment of Jimmy Rollins' career. At 13 words, it was a succinct phrase, but it spoke heavy volumes.
"I think we are the team to beat in the NL East — finally."
While the phrase gave Philly fans something positive to talk about in the midst of an otherwise-unspectacular year — the Sixers had parted with cornerstone Allen Iverson the month before, the Flyers were in the midst of the worst season in franchise history and the Eagles were reeling from a 27-24 playoff loss to New Orleans — it made its greatest impact 117 miles away, among the New York fanbase.
In the '06 season, the Mets brought an end to Atlanta's 11-year reign atop the NL East, for their first division title since 1988, and fell to St. Louis in a grueling seven-game NLCS. Though their core was getting old, they were widely expected to repeat as division champions, and a team that hadn't made the playoffs since 1993 calling themselves the team to beat was just baffling.
Early on in that 2007 season, the Phillies were the exact opposite of a team to beat. The season started with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves, before dropping two of three against Florida. They then headed to Flushing for the Mets' Opening Day celebration, giving Rollins his first chance to back up his words.
It did not work out. Not only did he end the fourth inning by grounding into a double play with the bases loaded, he booted a ground ball from Jose Reyes with one out that helped lead to a seven-run inning. The Mets had entered the inning down 5-4, and blew the game wide-open with an 11-5 lead. Were the Shea Stadium faithful delighted? They absolutely were, and sarcastically cheered Rollins' name the rest of the night. The loss cemented the Phillies at 1-6 to start the season, and they looked to be in a completely lesser class than the Mets were. Just over a week later, the Mets topped the Phillies 8-1, saddling the Phightins at 3-9.
While their season series with the Mets got off to an inauspicious start, and the Mets assumed easy command of the division, the scrappy Phillies dominated them over the rest of the season. Despite dropping three of four to close out the month of June, the Phils swept the Mets in a three-game series earlier in the month, and went 11-3 against them over the rest of the season.
As both teams met at Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series to wrap up the month of August, the Phillies still had a chance to prove how scrappy they were. What ensued was arguably the most memorable Phils-Mets game of all-time. The fourth game of the series saw the Phightins jump out to a 5-0 lead after the third inning, but after the Mets rallied to tie, the Phils claimed an 8-5 lead after the fifth. The Mets jumped out to a five-run inning in their half of the eighth, while the Phillies put through one run to trail 10-9.
As infamous ex-Phillies closer Billy Wagner took the mound, Jayson Werth led off. Werth singled, and stole second base with relative ease, with Tadahito Iguchi at the dish. Werth stole third, and scored on Iguchi's shot to left field. Rollins then came up to bat, and was intentionally walked after Iguchi stole second. That brought up Chase Utley, who worked his way to a full count before delivering a liner to right that scored Iguchi for the walk-off. It was an inning that showcased the Phillies' never-say-die attitude, and their willingness to pull away with the win at all costs.
The Mets recovered, though, and won eight of their 10 games to open September. On Sept. 12, they held a seven-game lead in the NL East, with 17 games left to play. It looked all but inevitable that October baseball would continue for the Big Apple's National League club. But the Phils returned to Shea to sweep a three-game series, laying the groundwork for the Mets to lose 12 of their last 17 games.
Over that same 17-game stretch, the Phightins went 13-4. The Mets fell 8-1 to the Marlins on the season's final day, while the Phillies topped Washington, 6-1, to clinch their first division title since 1993. Rollins' prophecy from eight months prior had come true — the Phillies were, in fact, the team to beat. Though they fell to the eventual NL-champion Colorado Rockies in a three-game sweep in the NLDS, it was valuable postseason experience that would go a long way.
Rollins didn't just prove the Phillies to be the team to beat that season; he proved himself as one of the top shortstops in the majors, too. He slashed .296/.344/.531, while hitting 38 doubles, 20 triples and 30 home runs. This was more than enough to earn him the NL MVP honors — a well-earned distinction.
The next season, the Phillies topped Tampa Bay in five games to win their first World Series since 1980. They made another World Series in 2009, though they lost to the New York Yankees in six. They were the best team in the majors in 2010 and 2011, while setting a franchise record with 102 wins in the 2011 season. It was the best stretch of baseball Phillies fans had ever experienced, and it all started when Rollins spoke with the AP 10 years ago.
Philly's teams have their quotes that come to define their era, and resonate with fans for a long time. The Flyers have Fred Shero's "Win together today and we walk together forever" from 1975. The Sixers had Moses Malone's "Fo', fo', fo'" in 1983, as well as Iverson's "Practice" rant. Not only do the Phillies have Tug McGraw's "Ya gotta believe," they have Rollins' famous quote as well.
While the Phillies traded Rollins in 2014 as part of their need to rebuild, he's still hanging around in the San Francisco organization, thanks to his relentless competitiveness. There's no doubt he's in the twilight of his career, though. He's been one of the more accomplished Phillies of all-time, and that quote from 2007 is just one of the many memories that he created during his time in the red pinstripes.
