By Jeff
I recently moved from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. It's not that I love Philly, but my fiancee is here so I am here.
The first thing I've noticed is how excited these people out here are for Phillies games, for the most part. Everyone talks about them and loves them. It's so strange for a Pirates fan to hear.
When people in Pittsburgh talk about the Pirates it's usually about how terrible ownership is, how long it will be until the team trades Andrew McCutchen and how pretty PNC Park is. Not all fans are like that. You get guys like blog contributors Greg and Mike, who love the Pirates and follow them closely, win or lose. It's sad, but these men are rare.
Phillies fans talk about the playoffs and debate who their fourth starter in the postseason should be (They think I'm stupid for thinking it should be Vance Worley). They discuss things like which relievers do you leave off the postseason roster. And there is just genuine excitement for most games. The Pirates had that for about a month this season, and it was the first month in years.
Now there is one attitude I heard on Philly radio this week that blew my mind. The hosts of a sports talk show and some of the callers were saying they have stopped watching the Phillies this year because winning has become so routine.
Seriously?
Is that not one of the more ridiculous things you've heard in the sports world? Who says that they stop watching their team in the regular season because it's pretty clear the team will win the game? What spoiled jackasses.
I lost a lot of respect for these so-called Phillies fans. Clearly not all Phillies fans are like this. My future father-in-law always watches the Phillies and celebrates every win, no matter how routine or expected it is. I'm pretty sure blog contributor R.J. cried when the Phillies won it all in 2008. But as a Pirates fan who can only remember watching one playoff game (live) in the team's history, it's very annoying to hear other baseball fans who don't bother watching their team because they expect their team to win every night.
It's not like the Phillies have been really good for a really long time. This is the most losing team in MLB history. Prior to 2007 the Phillies hadn't won their division since 1993. Fans of this team are so lucky to have such a great team that could be among the all-time greatests because of their rotation.
If I loved this team like some of these people claim to, I wouldn't miss a game unless I absolutely couldn't find a way to get in front of a tv.
Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived
I am not ashamed to say I cried when they won it all in 2008, mainly because they have been pretty bad for most of the years I had been alive up until that point. And if they are able to do it 2011, I will be excited and happy about it just the same.
ReplyDeleteThis is potentially a very special team that is on the verge of/already has shattered various franchise records. The folks that say they have stopped watching because they are expecting to win are probably the same group of folks that did Eagles chants at games as recently as '06 and '07. Being someone who is out of area, I do not miss a chance to watch them. Granted, thanks to DirectTV I have access to most of the games, but still. The Phillies have become a hip team to root for because of how good they have been in recent times.
I recently vacationed in south Jersey, with some friends that are Phillies fans. It blew my mind how tuned-in they were to the team. A 10 year old girl knew who was scheduled to pitch that night. She corrected her mom, "No, Cole pitched on Monday" seriously. Are Phillies fan becoming like Braves fans? spoiled by the winning? Shame on them if they are, because that team is a joy to watch.
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