Philadelphia Baseball

I attended the Phillies game last night and had the misfortune of sitting next to a Red Sox fan named Phil for 9 innings. I was there confident that this will be the season to cure our 100+ season Championship drought (since the Sixers 1983 Championship, the four major professional sports teams have played over 100 seasons). Phil was visiting friends in Philly and wanted to check out our ballpark.

Now, I appreciate his coming to town and supporting our local economy and I am even willing to give him a hearty handshake. However, I was not going to listen to Phil complain about the plight of scorn Red Sox fans .Who the heck does Phil think he is? I respect Red Sox fans as some of the most passionate in baseball, however, may I remind PHIL that he and the rest of Red Sox Nation had the Celtics, Bruins and Patriots dominating decades in their respective sports. Poor little Red Sox fans had to play second fiddle to the Yankees. Here’s a news flash…ALL BASEBALL FRANCHISES play second fiddle to the Yankees! Get over it! And while you are at it, get over Babe Ruth and Bill Buckner too!

Here is a Top 10 List for fans outside of Philadelphia to consider before coming to the City of Brotherly Love and complaining about their team’s ineptitude…

10.The Philadelphia Eagles draft with their first pick, wide receiver Freddie Mitchell. Freddie has more fur coats than professional football touchdowns!

9.Most teams draft one player with their draft pick, yet somehow we drafted Eric, Carl and worst of all Bonnie Lindros! Have there ever been parents that have hampered the growth of their kid more than the Lindros family?

8.TOoooh…TOoooh…TOoooh…TOoooh….TOoooh…TOooh! Yeah, I was singing the stupid TO song in 2004 too. Just when I thought nothing would ever top the Lindros family saga, there it was unfolding on my TV like a bad infomercial. Every channel featured TO doing sit ups and playing basketball in his driveway instead of catching touchdown passes!

7.The Philadelphia Phillies have lost more games than any other professional sports franchise in history.

6.Oh yeah, while I am on the Phillies…we had two baseball teams in town at one time…the last place Phillies and the Championship winning A’s…which team would you have kept?

5.Is it just me or do concussions seem to hamper the Flyers STARS more than any other hockey team?

4.Best second baseman of ALL TIME…Ryne Sandberg…a throw in???

3.The Sixers 1971 season is often the benchmark of ineptitude in sports.

2.The year after winning the World Championship, the Sixers played the Boston Celtics in the Semi-Finals and lost the game at home without Wilt Chamberlain taking a shot in the 2nd half. I’m no basketball coach but I would have designed a play for Wilt!

1.How does a baseball team loose a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games left? I wasn’t alive in 1964, but I still feel the pain.

These are the first 10 things that came to my mind without doing any real soul searching. I’m sure there are hundreds of others that would challenge for a spot as well. Keep your chin up Philly Fans…this is our year!