There’s no sense denying it any more. We can’t celebrate the Phillies forever. And the winter sports scene in these parts is less than appealing.

The Eagles continue to lose close games. The Flyers are looking like they’re going nowhere fast, and the Sixers are in the process of throwing cold water all over everyone’s high hopes for them with a horrendous start.

So let’s talk some more about the Phillies instead.

They announced the winner of the National League Cy Young Award yesterday. It went to Tim Lincecum, the ace of the San Francisco Giants.

Guess you could argue that, but Lincecum did have a great year.

So where do you think Lidge came in? After all, all he did was achieve perfection, going 48-for-48 in save opportunities through the regular season and playoffs in leading the Phils to their first World Series championship in 28 years.

Incredibly, Lidge finished a distant fourth in the voting. Maybe even more astounding, he did not receive a single first-place vote.

What else does the guy have to do? How many big games did Lincecum appear in for a lousy Giants team.

One thing to remember is that baseball’s post-season awards, including the Cy Young, are voted on solely on the regular season performance. The votes are cast and tabulated before the playoffs.

Doesn’t seem quite right.

Maybe things will get better today, when the National League Manager of the Year is named.

We’re pulling for Charlie Manuel. If he doesn’t get any first-place votes, they need to hold an investigation.