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« Wednesday Barn Blogging | Main | Influence » April 6, 2005Philadelphia RealismGrowing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I cheered for all four of the city's major-league sports teams. The Flyers, the Sixers, the Phillies and the And then there are the Phillies, a perennial break-your-heart team that hasn't quite been able to pull it together since winning a World Series back in 1980. They lost the World Series to the Orioles in '83 and didn't make it back until 1993, when a bunch of cast-offs and wackos like Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk and Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams made it fun to be a Phillies fan, until the Blue Jay's Joe Carter hit a series-ending homer. I knew Carter was going to hit a homer when I saw him in the on-deck circle. I left the room, and to this day have not seen the video. The audio memory is horrifying enough. Ah, but as of this morning, the Phils, with their flashy $95 million payroll and their shiny almost new (one-year-old) stadium, Citizens Bank Park, are 1-0, having defeated the Washington Nationals in their season and home opener yesterday. Sure, they defeated the Nationals, the former Montreal Expos, who are, well, pathetic. But they won, 8-4, in front of more than 47,000 fans. The Phillies are undefeated, with just 161 games to go before the playoffs. And the hated Atlanta Braves, winners of 13 straight division titles, got thumped by the Marlins and are 0-1. The Phils have a one game lead! The Phils have a one game lead! The Phils have a one game lead! Okay, it's not "The Giants win the pennant!" - but hope springs eternal. The Phillies have a one-game lead over the Braves. Hope springs eternal, but when it comes to being a Phillies fan, it doesn't do well in the summer heat. They are the Phillies, after all, so I fully expect hope to be crushed by mid-May, briefly revived in July when they'll close to within 4-6 games of the division leader, and then die permanently by the end of August. When it comes to the Phillies, patience is definitely required. Posted in Sports
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"They are the Phillies, after all, so I fully expect hope to be crushed by mid-May, briefly revived in July when they'll close to within 4-6 games of the division leader, and then die permanently by the end of August." Well said, Bill. Go Braves. Posted by: The Groundskeeper at April 6, 2005 10:00 PMA transplanted braves fan, living just 40 minutes from Citizens bank park, I in no way empathize with you Bill. My Braves keep winning, and you guys keep whining about not winning. The only fun thing about the beautiful park is the times I go and watch the Braves thump the phlat Phils. The vet was way better, I could walk up the day of the game and get seats 6 rows behind home plate for under face value. When it was too hot, you could go up to the very top and take a nap under the overhang, as my wife has so aptly proven. The fans have a new stadium and no new team. There is some excitement to the Phils team though; when Billy Wagner comes out and pitches one over 100, the place erupts. It was great seeing bowa getting ejected, that guy couldn't manage for nothing. One of my friends, a die hard phillies fan pushing her 70's, declared Bowa as the worst manager ever. Maybe Manuel can keep J Rol from swinging at the eye level cheese, but I doubt it. You have the best relievers in the game but can't give them a lead. Offense, my friend, is what keeps the Phils off the top of the mountain. This includes Burell's great offensive performance the past two years :) As a Phillies phan living in Braves/Nats territory, it does get hard, but I have a good feeling this might just be the year...(crosses fingers)... My Nats are "pathetic"? You mean we spent all that taxpayer money to acquire a bunch of losers? Darn! Well, look at it this way: The presence of the Nationals just down the road is giving Peter Angelos heartburn. What a lovely, uplifting thought! Posted by: Roderick Reilly at April 11, 2005 11:55 AMPost a comment
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