CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Philadelphia closer story has had some happy endings and some sad ones, too. Mostly, the Phillies have had some fascinating men hold down the position charged with recording the final out.
Freshly painted on the walls that lead into the Phillies spring-training clubhouse at Spectrum Field this season is an image of Tug McGraw, arms raised victoriously in the air after he recorded the final out of the 1980 World Series. It is accompanied by his favorite expression - "Ya Gotta Believe" - which he introduced with the 1973 New York Mets and recycled years later in Philadelphia.