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“Diamonds are forever and so are the Four Horsemen.”

The Four Horsemen remain the most dominating force the wrestling industry has ever seen. From the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, no one in the NWA could touch the stable of champions. The Four Horsemen epitomized excellence. Although Vince McMahon and the WWF in New York were spending the most money in sports entertainment, not even they could put a stable together to rival the dominance and longevity of the Four Horsemen. Wrestling stables have come and gone, but none have been able to duplicate the legitimacy of the Four Horsemen: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham and Tully Blanchard. Ric Flair was the stylin' and profilin' NWA champion. Arn Anderson would become the “enforcer” and was the hard hat wearer of the group. Barry Windham was the utility guy, the go to guy in any tight situation, the ace up their sleeve. Tully Blanchard was the small, yet smug and cocky guy with Babydoll "The Perfect 10" at his side.

And although in wrestling, the Horsemen will never be duplicated, it looks like Phillies fans may be witnessing the culmination of their own Four Horsemen: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.

Briefly glancing at their statistics, achievements and awards leads me to believe that these four may end up being the most dominant “stable” of players the Phillies have ever had together on one team for a significant amount of time. The four of them have been playing together for three full seasons now and will be together for at least another three (as long as the Phillies pick up the club option in 2011 for Rollins). They have already won one World Championship together, have won numerous individual awards and with all four of them in the prime of their careers, there is no limit to the legacy that they may leave behind. Because we are living through it, I don’t think we totally grasp the greatness that we are witnessing. Much like those old crowds at the Omni who cheered and booed the Four Horsemen, I don’t think we are fully grasping the history that is unfolding before our eyes. I want to run down the achievements of these four stars, because when you summarize it all and put it all together right in front of you, it is truly astonishing.

When the Four Horsemen were tearing up the NWA they were the best around. They held the titles, won the big matches and got the job done night in and night out. Sure they would talk some trash and weren’t afraid to speak their minds, but they weren’t the best because they said so, they were the best because they could back up their words.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Phillies version of Four Horsemen stacks up to the originals.

Jimmy Rollins will naturally step into the leadership role and will be the Phillies incarnation of The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Not afraid to speak his mind, no single comment grabbed headlines as quickly as Jimmy’s “team to beat” statement before the 2007 season. Jimmy didn’t just talk the talk though; he backed it up by leading the Phillies to their first playoff appearance in 14 years. In addition, he became only the seventh player to collect at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, in one season (and only the fourth player to also have 20 stolen bases in that same year). Jimmy completed his dream season by being voted the 2007 NL MVP. Following his stellar 2007 season, Jimmy picked up right where he left off when he began trading “promos” with Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran over whose team was the team to beat in ’08. After cutting a great interview shredding up Beltran (a promo that Ric Flair would have been proud of), Jimmy once again stepped up and played a huge role in leading the Phillies to the World Series in 2008. In addition to winning the World Championship, just like the Nature Boy, Jimmy has grabbed his share of awards as well. Rollins has been voted to the All Star team on three occasions, has the longest hitting streak in Phillies history and became the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to collect at least 200 hits, 15 triples, 25 homers and 25 stolen bases in one season. As Ric Flair put it so many times, “to be the man you have to beat the man” and from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t get much better than Jimmy Rollins.

But let’s move on and tackle the next man in the Four Horsemen, The Enforcer Arn Anderson. Arn was the power behind the Horsemen. The muscle behind the swagger. He was a beast in the ring and simply wanted to pound you until you couldn’t take any more. No one can better fill that role than Ryan Howard. Arn Anderson stands 6’1”, 241lbs; Ryan Howard stands 6’4”, 260 lbs. Both are ridiculously strong and both will back up their squad without question. Ryan has caused more sleepless nights for opposing pitchers than any other batter in MLB over the past four seasons. Howard entered the scene and received his first significant playing time with the Phils in 2005. Ryan won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2005 and as quickly as Arn Anderson could drop an opponent with a spinebuster, the Jim Thome era in Philadelphia was over. In 2006, Howard was voted to his first All Star game and won the Home Run Derby with a total of 23 Home runs. His power display in the Home Run Derby was a sign of things to follow. Howard quickly became the Phillies single-season home run leader and became the 8th player in MLB history to whack 58 home runs in a season. Ryan was named the NL MVP following the 2006 season. The following season Howard became the fastest player to reach 100 home runs in MLB history. Despite his strike outs becoming an issue in 2007, Ryan managed to bat .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 runs batted in, helping the Phillies make it to the playoffs. Howard again struggled at times throughout the 2008 season with strike outs, but when it mattered he got hot and was able to hit 48 home runs, drove in 146 RBIs and provided the spark that the Phillies needed to make it into the playoffs and eventually win the World Series. Ryan provided 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in Game 4 of the World Series. In 2008 Howard became the fastest player to reach 150 home runs. Despite not being the most polished of players, much like Double A, Ryan Howard still commands respect at the plate and can strike fear into any opposing pitcher that is staring down from the mound at him. The true “enforcer” on the Phils, but let’s continue.

Chase Utley is the Barry Windham of the Philadelphia Phillies without question. Maybe not the strongest or the fastest, he is the most consistent and will put his body on the line to get the job done. Barry was the utility guy; he could be used in any situation. Much the same, Chase is the guy that can get it done, in any situation. As Harry Kalas put it, “Chase Utley, you are the man!” Chase Utley was first called up in 2003 but would not become the Phillies everyday second baseman until the 2005 season. The minute he was given his opportunity, he never looked back. Chase quickly established himself as a premier second baseman and was elected to the All Star game in 2006. During that same season, Utley maintained a 35-game hitting streak, which is tied for first in MLB history for longest hitting streak by a second baseman and is also the second longest hitting streak in Phillies history, behind “Nature Boy” Jimmy Rollins. In addition, he and Rollins began to cement their status as the best middle infield duo in MLB, by being the first middle infield pair to hit at least 25 home runs each in a single season. In 2007 Chase picked up right where he left off and was selected to his second All Star game and won his second consecutive Silver Slugger award, all in an effort that helped propel the Phillies to the NL East title in 2007. In 2008, Chase tied another Phillies record, when he hit home runs in five consecutive games and was voted to his third consecutive All Star game. Utley quickly cut his own memorable promo when, after being booed by the New York crowd said, “Boo? F*ck you,” a statement that was clearly heard on the broadcast. Utley’s performance throughout the 2008 season was a key component in helping the Phillies get back into the playoffs and eventually win their first World Series in 28 years. At the World Series parade, Utley once again ignited the home crowd by dropping another memorable line in Phillies history: “World Champions…World F*cking Champions!” I think for a moment you could actually see Chase and the rest of the Phillies Four Horsemen raise the four fingers on their right hands up, just like the original four used to, letting all of their opponents know that you were looking at the best in the business.

The final member of the Four Horseman was just as important as all the others. Tully Blanchard was the glue that brought all of the talent together into one cohesive unit. Tully was the cool and confident member of the Horsemen. He never needed to scream to get his point across; he let his performance do the talking. After Tully left the Horsemen, the incarnations that followed never quite matched the success of the first squad. In much the same way, Cole Hamels, the laid back lefty who is entering his fourth season with the Phillies, served as the final piece to the puzzle when he stepped into the ‘ace’ role in the 2008 playoffs. Let’s start at the beginning though. In his first MLB game in 2006, Hamels pitched five scoreless innings in which he allowed only one hit, striking out seven batters. This would become the norm as his young career progressed. In 2007, Cole Hamels won his first career complete game and was named to his first All Star game. In 2008, Cole recorded his first career complete game shut out but the best was yet to come, as Cole would step into the national spotlight by dominating the 2008 playoffs. Hamels was named the MVP of both the NLCS and World Series in 2008. Overall, Hamels made five postseason starts in 2008, going 4–0 with a 1.80 ERA. Cole became only the fifth player to win two post-season MVP awards in the same year. If Cole can carry the swagger that he possessed in the 2008 playoffs through the next few years, we have one helluva show waiting for us.

Has their ever been a more dominant collection of young players assembled at one time, on one team? The feat becomes much more impressive when you realize that all four players were developed through the Phillies farm system and were not purchased through free agency. The Phillies Four Horsemen have done it all: they’ve won the individual awards, they’ve won a world championship and they are are still in the prime of their careers. How many more championships and awards are still yet to come? It’s human nature to look at tomorrow instead of enjoying today. But hopefully all of us realize just how good we have it right now and realize how special this team really is.

As Ric Flair once put it, “Whether or like it or not, learn to love it, because it’s the best thing going. Woooo!”