May we have the envelope, please. Before the season started manager Larry Bowa and pitching coach Vern Ruhle each wrote down the number of games they thought the Phillies would win this year on a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope. Bowa gave his envelope to Ruhle, and Ruhle gave his to Bowa. On the last day of the season they opened their envelopes. Bowa had predicted 81 wins. Ruhle hit it on the nose with 86 wins in 2001 -- Philly's first winning season since 1993.

Best Pitcher: Robert Person. The hard-throwing right-hander won six consecutive decisions from Aug. 11 to Sept. 17, going 15-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 33 starts. He had 183 strikeouts in 208 1/3 innings, throwing three complete games and one shutout. His most disappointing start of the second half, however, came when the Phillies were desperate for a win. On Oct. 3 against the Braves, Person allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. In five starts against Atlanta this year, Person was 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA.

Grading the Manager: Larry Bowa surpassed all expectations. Instead of folding after falling out of first in August, the Phillies listened to Bowa's pleas to show some heart. The fiery manager got the best out of his team, falling just short of a stealing the division from the Braves. The Phillies topped their 2000 win total by 21 games (86-76) and were 27-22 in one-run games after going 25-35 last year. Grade: B+.

Marty Bernoski is an associate editor at ESPN.com