Philadelphia – There’s wide-spread disagreement among scholars as to exactly when the Liberty Bell first cracked. But there is no disagreement that on the same night the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series the crack in the Liberty Bell disappeared.

How, or why, this happened is a mystery. 

 

Minutes after Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay to win the 2008 World Series, devoted fan William Claude Dukenfield decided to pay a celebratory visit to the city’s iconic Liberty Bell Center.

 

“What better place to revel than on the spot where the Declaration of Independence was first read in public?” says Mr. Dukenfield. When he arrived, Dukenfield’s heart started “pounding so hard I had to sit down.”

 

Why the pounding? Mr. Dukenfield saw something no else has ever seen: The Liberty Bell without its iconic crack.

 

There was more to see. Atop the Liberty Bell was a Philadelphia Phillies cap, accompanied by a parchment on which were penned the words:

 

“We Are The Champions.”

 

“I call it The World Series miracle,” said Mr. Dukenfield.

 

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter made another call, asking scientists from the Smithsonian Institute to examine the bell’s mechanics and structure. “Our dream is that the Liberty Bell will ring in Friday’s parade celebrating the Phillies World Series triumph,” said Nutter. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

 

The Liberty Bell was last rung on February 22, 1846 in honor of George Washington’s birthday.

 

“It’s a damn sign of something,” commented Phillies manager Charlie Manual.

 

Mr. Dukenfield believes he knows exactly what the healed Liberty Bell signifies.

 

“Ya gotta believe!” shouted Dukenfield, quoting former Phillies World Series hero Tug McGraw. “We’ll see you next year!!”