"Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world." Babe Ruth
Babe, bubela, you and me both. And, Oh. My. God. My Phillies are in the World Series. Again.
The trash talk is everywhere, but that's okay. It's uniquely baseball. Uniquely East Coast urban too. New Yawk. Phluffya. Tough cities both (no matter relative size or economics).
Broad Street vs Broadway? NFW. This is the Sharks and the Jets, baby. Interstate 95 from here to there. Concrete. Speed. Police. Hard core.
from FB, "Wall Photos" by Karen Schaeffer
It's different for laid back cities in the Midwest (yes, even Chicago), far West and the West Coast. Are there big cities with problems there too? Oh course! But. Not like the Sharks and the Jets.
Both New York and Philadelphia can claim fans from the richest poobahs to the bluest collars. Yet both cities are equally in extremis. Both are in crisis. Both need help. Desperately.
Crime, unemployment, bankruptcy, crumbling schools, skyrocketing cost of living, drooping expansion. Corrupt politics. Dirty streets. Homeless. Helpless. Hopeless.
And yet, unbelievably, intense civic pride. Especially this year. On both sides.
New Yorkers claim their Yankees will win because they are a baseball dynasty. The dynasty part is true. But it's one that's been bought and paid for, year after year after year. With dirty corporate checks and hard-earned tax payer dollars.
No other team in baseball has a payroll like the Yankees. Souped-up super stars. Limos and movie stars and the best stadium money could buy (or is it?) For the players. What about for the fans? $28 hot dogs? Sheesh.
On paper, the Yankees should be the best. But. Not. So. Fast.
Philly Phans
I don't know exactly what it is about Philly and our sports teams, but together they form a palpable, living entity. We eat, sleep and breathe sports in this town. It's in our blood.
Scoff all you want, but believe me, this is one serious sports town. And don’t you forget it, bud. We have a new stadium too. Everybody can afford to get in.
Yeah, we boo. So what? That’s baseball. And we cheer like nobody else. We pay, they play. No other team in baseball consistently fills its stadium to capacity virtually every game. Winning season, losing season. Pre season. Post season.
Philly fans show up. And we come to win. So does our team.
Frankly, we couldn't believe our eyes when we played the LA Dodgers for the NLCS. There were empty seats in their stadium! Every game! What, Dodger fans were too busy taking meetings and getting spray tans? Puh-leeze.
In Philly, personal pride, self-image, sometimes even friendships and relationships rise and fall with our teams. Especially the Eagles and the Phillies.
They keep us on the edge. Our fists clench. Our pulses pound. We hold our breath, then let it out in howls. In 2004 I watched the Eagles play in the Super Bowl with my son and his friends. Even furious at the loss, the experience was extreme. Electric.
Until 2008, today's generation of Philadelphians couldn't begin to imagine the Phillies in a World Series -- much less winning one. It was a weird, truncated win last year in the rain, but it felt amazingly good.
2008 World Champs
How long has it been since your team went to the World Series? Took home that trophy? One of the benefits of being a Philly Baby Boomer is the thrill of remembering: I saw the Phillies make it to the World Series twice. And win once -- 28 years ago.
My husband (who was just my bf then) was at The Vet for Game 6 to see Tug McGraw throw that final strike to win the 1980 World Series. I watched on TV with friends.
It's entirely possible some of us have permanent throat damage from screaming for Our Team. Nothing was like that day. Nothing. Until last year.
We watched a heartbreaking loss in 1993 on TV in stunned disbelief as "Wild Thing" Mitch Williams' seemingly perfect strike became Joe Carter's series-winning 2-run homer for Toronto.
Though it was hard to lose, we loved our 93 Phillies the same way we loved the boys of 1980. And the way we've come to love our winning Fightins now.
Dynasty Shmynasty
If you think about it, the Phillies don't have to bow our heads to the Yankees when it comes to all-time all star baseball legends. Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose (gambling, feh, Charlie Hustle could play), Garry Maddox, Robin Roberts, Lonnie Smith, Steve Carlton, the Tugger. Casey Stengyl even. And yes, Larry Bowa too.
We have always been a team of veterans and rookies working together to make it happen. Scrappy. Determined. Resilient. Most of them likeable. Some heroic. All of them hungry. And, like the Philly fans, not willing to give up.
We’re hungry too. For the American Way. We want Mom, Baseball and Apple Pie. No matter our field of dreams is surrounded by concrete. No matter New York makes fun of our honest, loyal melting pot fans.
No matter what happens, we've had the most fun since 1980 with our 2008 and 2009 Phillies teams. Finally.
They've brought us back to that 1980 slogan --and more important-- the feeling: You Gotta Believe.
*Dedicated, as are all Philly games, (and uniforms) to our beloved late announcer Harry Kalas. Harry the K, we’re looking forward to hearing, over and over, your unique yell, “THAT BALL’S OUTTA HERE!”
UPDATE: Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard are already up above. Meet Game 1's hitting machine:
View Video: Utley sets record, then homers twice | MLB.com: News
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Comments
I'm hoping for Philly to win it, but I really don't have a dog in the hunt. Ow, wait..........any team that isn't a Yankee is my dog in the hunt. Almost forgot. Silly me. I just hate a team that tries to buy their way into the series. that's just bullshirt. Salary caps would level the playing field, but super stars would cry poor mouth like a Wall Street Broker. It's too much like rigging the game.......Like a Wall Street Broker. Do I see a pattern forming here? Hmmmm.....
Cliff Lee cleaned the Yankee's biggest hitters' clocks and made a couple of way cool plays himself. By the 7th inning when we were still up by 2-0, many of those billion dollar stadium seats were empty. You would never, ever, ever, see that in Philly.
John, anything to say NOOOWWW??
Lee looked completely unstoppable (well, UNHITTABLE). To pitch a complete game against a roster of hitters like the Yankees have and shut them out until a blunder by the second baseman on a throw to first - quite an achievement.
Good luck with Pedro tonight - you're gonna need it. Personally, I think Pedro should be looking at reliever duty myself but hey - what do I know?
mamoore, welcome to the club of baseball love. It's contagious, in a good way.
Pilgrim, we're on the same page on different pages.
Bill, our second baseman is Chase Utley, the one who hit the two homers off CC S. ::ahem:: It was our ace shortstop Jimmy Rollins, aka J-Ro, who (VERY uncharacteristically) bobbled that one throw. Still, we're happy to join Boston fans in solidarity against the Yanks.
Roger (and Michael), even though we don't understand the country's lack of enthusiasm for the Phillies (jeez, I just gave you a whole post here on why to love us), we'll take "NOT the Yankees."
and Congrats!
I think you'll have them in Six.
ConnieMackwiththeperfectname, from your lips...
Like their cheese, the Yankess C-R-E-A-M-E-D the Phillies, and now lead the series 3 -1.
Have a great week.
Rated
Outside, jump on the bandwagon and welcome aboard!
GO PHILLIES!
Not this Empire.
Back @ cha! Sorry about yer loss, but you lost.