The question in the post title seems appropriate.Philadelphia fans are having a bad time of it.
It's been a while since Philadelphia has seen a title.
Not counting Balboa/Drago, Philadelphia hasn't seen a title since the 1983 Sixers.
I argued last year that the Phillies should rebuild the dirty, unfriendly Veterans Stadium to bring back the glory times.
And the fans seem to be getting angry...
Bob Uecker once said about Philadelphia fans "I honestly liked Philadelphia. The fans there were smart and mean and you could count on them."
They booed
Mike Schmidt.The greatest player in Phillies history, the MVP of the only World Series the Phillies ever won and they booed him!
The same fans who booed Santa Claus are now celebrating the silver anniversary of a parade... and have seen Barkley, Schilling, Iverson and Lindross come and go ringless...
They've seen the Mitch Williams home run, McNabb getting sick in the Super Bowl, the Sixers being overwhelmed by Shaq and company, the Flyers getting swept by the Red Wings and the Phillies bounced in 3 last year.
I'll say it... Philadelphia has replaced Boston as the tortured traditional Northeastern metropolis near New York sports fan base.
Boston has had the Patriots as a powerhouse, the return to glory of the Celtics, a logic defying two World Series wins for the Red Sox, an Oscar winner for Martin Scorsese and thanks to the McCullough book and miniseries, Boston's John Adams is starting to steal some of Benjamin Franklin's thunder (but not lightning.)
All the while, the Philadelphia teams fail to deliver and even Philadelphia's favorite son, Bill Cosby, now primarily resides in Western Massachusetts.
Boston has become the Smurf Village while Philadelphia has devolved into the prison in Midnight Express.
The 2008 Phillies were not able to pull away from an over achieving Marlins and an in fighting Mets squad and now find themselves entering the stretch run in a 3 team heat with only 2 games between them in the loss column.
You know it isn't going to end well... Jimmy Rollins is already slacking off, Ryan Howard is becoming Dave Kingman and it's looking more and more like the Wild Card will be coming from the Central so it will be first or nothing for the Phils.
Which brings me to the question... where is the hate directed?
As a Red Sox fan I knew the anger was directed at the Bronx... until 2004 liberated us and now we can moon the Bronx.
Giant fans hate the Dodgers.
A's fans seem to hate the Giants.
Cub fans hate the guy who decided to stop selling beer after the 7th inning.
But there is a lot of anger in Philadelphia and I'm not sure where it is pointed.
So I ask you, Philadelphia fans... who do you hate?
Hey Justin at Phanatic Phollow Up, is it the Mets who get your goat? Before you get too mad, they seem pretty luckless themselves.
How about you Phillies Nation, do you just grind your teeth at the sight of Joe Carter?
Or does the name Mitch Williams make the Phillies Phollowers shudder with anger?
Do the folks at the Good Phight hate the Yankees? Is there THAT much bitterness over the 1950 World Series?
Let me ask you, Phillies Blog Net... Is it just general anger? Are you mad at everyone up to and including the Phillie Phanatic.
By the way, if you want a Philadelphia guy to win... let me recommend you buy Numbelievable co written by Philly fan and friend of Sully Baseball Michael X. Ferraro.
This is an 80 mph fastball down the middle. The arch-enemy is the Mets. Do you forget Jimmy Rollins stealing their thunder last year by proclaiming that the Phillies are the team to beat. The Mets took great issue with that, but the prophesy came true.
ReplyDeleteDid I fail to mention Billy Wagner? Not shy of a microphone and easily the most booed major leaguer who comes to Philly. [J.D. Drew is second, he was here earlier this year and no one has forgotten. For good measure, Philly fans even boo Steven Drew]. Must be some South Philly thing-- "watch out, we'll boo your relatives.
It is true that the Mets have had some internal issues that distract from the rivalry, and trading LoDuca didn't help it either, but all you have to do is attend a Phils-Mets game to know that the hate is still alive and well. Mets fans seem to come out of the woodwork, all wearing blue or orange jerseys, and periodically a chant of "Let's go Mets" pops up, to be drowned out immediately by boos and "Let's go Phillies." This is not highbrow hate, either, like the Yankees/Red Sox. It is not about clever lines thrown at an opposing teams players or fans. Most conversations begin with "_______ sucks." Philly's Mets-hate will brew down the stretch for sure. [My nephew Jack will be excluded from it].
By the way, Mitch Williams now does the post-game studio show for Comcast after the Phillies games. He is great and tells it like it is. Proving that there is redemption in Philly, if you care to earn it. There's a heart in there somewhere among all the boos.
Phillies World F*cking Champions!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe hate the Mets in the worst possible way. Their fans come down the Jersey Turnpike and invade our stadium like a group of unwelcome cockroaches. It's going to be even worse this year considering how much more expensive it will be for Mutt fans to see a game at Citi field. Too bad we're not playing those idiots on the day of the flag raising ceremony. That would be sweet.
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