I’m confused. Downright confused. In fact, there is not an adjective that I’m familiar with that can sufficiently explain how confused I am.
So to understand just how confused I am, let’s examine what I am not confused about
Category: Philadelphia Phillies
philadelphia-phillies
By Tom Kelly
So when Major League Baseball made the decision to exclusively include umpires with World Series experience in this year’s fall classic did it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Well it probably shouldn’t have, because all it did was assure us that those making the incorrect calls would do so with decades of collective experience.
Are you undecided on whom to root for in the 2009 World Series? Well, I’m here to tell you that the Phillies should be your team — for the next week or so at least.
Around here, we don’t take kindly to bandwagon jumpers. The thinking goes that if you haven’t suffered through the misery that is being a Philly sports fan, we don’t really want you celebrating the triumph of a championship. But that was during The Drought.
After carrying around the Championship belt for a full year, we feel (and this is a one time only offer) we can be magnanimous and offer fans of all teams a seat on the bandwagon this year. Yes, even you, Mets fans.
A semi-wise man once wrote, on this website no less, that it’s always better to write joy. And so while I had every intention of writing about the bewildering circus that has become the Eagles early 2009 season, the Phillies clinching the NL East tonight in convincing fashion has me switching topics. Why ponder the season of an infuriating franchise when you can celebrate the victory of a champion?
Categories
Losing My Religion
It ain’t easy being a Philly fan these days. I’m a 5 for 5 guy (Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, FC Cheesesteaks) but lately, it’s getting harder and harder to root for all the Philadelphia pro teams.
The Flyers continue to tease but disappoint. The Sixers trot out the albatross that is Samuel Dalembert and expect us to keep paying attention. The Eagles have the most arrogant management group in the area, a maddening head coach, and a quarterback that gags harder the bigger the game.
Meanwhile, the Phillies, fresh off a World Series Championship and looking like a sure bet to meet the Red Sox or Yankees in the Fall Classic, have fans that are killing each other in parking lots.
The Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series. First pitch is in about 5 minutes and then it will be official. They are the Cinderella team, the feel good story, the team that went from worst to first, winning the AL despite one of the smallest payrolls in the majors. They have a storied franchise history that has reached double digits. They have fans that have followed the team since the first George W administration! That, folks, is dedication.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ledger, we have the Phillies, the losingest franchise in all of sports (Washington Generals aside), a team that harkens back to the 1800s, a team that has something called tradition — you know, little things like keeping the team name the same, not changing up uniforms like the new spring fashion line, not having a ridiculous manufactured theme song (“Feel the Heat! Rays!”), etc. A team with a fan base that can make more noise with towels than all of Tampa with cowbells. A fan base that would actually appreciate a World Series and understand what it means.
And since we all know that (Sports) God is dead and/or hates Philadelphia, there is no question that the Rays will win the 2008 World Series. At 2:3 odds, they are a bargain. Go ahead and bet the farm.
Categories
NLCS Phlashback – Part II
This is part two in a four part series chronicling the history of the Philadelphia Phillies and their National League Championship Series appearances, leading up to the start of the 2008 NLCS match-up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Today we review the 1978 NLCS between the same two clubs.
Categories
NLCS Phlashback – Part I
This is part one in a four part series chronicling the history of the Philadelphia Phillies and their National League Championship Series appearances, leading up to the start of the 2008 NLCS match-up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Today we review the 1977 NLCS between the same two clubs. Part two will educate you on the rematch in 1978. Part three will review the 1983 NLCS between the Phillies and Dodgers and part four will look back on perhaps the greatest playoff series of all time, the 1980 NLCS between the Phillies and the Houston Astros. The goal is to have each part up over the next four days. Game one of the 2008 NLCS is Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Categories
NLDS: Phillies vs. Brewers
Tomorrow the National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies will open up the National League Division Series against the wild card winners Milwaukee Brewers. A lot of people have not been mentioning it but I believe there is a ton of pressure on the Phillies this year.
The Phillies are having a great season, currently leading the National League East Division. People around the city of Philadelphia are starting to think that this could be the team that ends the 25 year wait for another championship in Philadelphia.