Loading ...
Joe Stone Really Took Philadelphia By Storm
BY JOSEPH STONE
STACHE WRITER
So I have been tasked with probably the most unenviable job of all the Stache writers for our playoff coverage. I have been given the plum assignment of covering the “World F*ckin’ Champs”, the Philadelphia Phillies. I cannot express how much I loathe this squad. Wait…I think I already did, about two weeks ago. I would link to it here, but self-referencing over a phone is a pain in the ass.
If I am to write about this squad, I figured Immersion Therapy was the best way to do it, so I have spent the weekend here, in Philadelphia. The fact that the girl I am currently seeing is in this town played no small part in this decision. I obviously don’t hold her choice of residence against her. Not a word, Falkenbury, not a word.
Throughout the weekend, I have taken in everything I could surrounding the run-up to this postseason. It feels different from the past few years, not just due to the fact the Mets were never really a factor in the pennant race, but that this group of players, this fanbase, this city of Philadelphia, feels that 2009 is their year once again, just as 2008.
You can see it in their eyes. The team is on the lips of every sports junkie. They light up buildings in the team colors. Phillies love is everywhere. Even the hipster bars show the games, and those tools don’t even know what a mitt is.
Just as with any newly minted champion, the Phillies have their bandwagon, and it is over-flowing. On the street, you can’t go 20 feet without seeing someone decked out in the red, white, and blue colors that have come to bring so much angst to we blue and orange believers. It is like my own personal hell. I would go jump off the Walt Whitman, but I don’t want to get that close to Jersey.
I talk with the fans passing by, trying to take the temperature of this thing known as Philly Phanaticism. Girls wearing the stupid pink hats, guys wearing $500 dollars worth of Philly gear, I suffer them all. As it turns out, there is a great many things that we have in common. Philadelphia is a great city. It’s not New York, but then again, what city is? This is a bustling city, alive with everything you could want in the ways of dining, entertainment, and glamour, but also there is the working class mentality that captures the minds of its denizens, allowing them to identify with the heartbeat of the city.
This town can be cruel and impersonal, but when you get knocked down, you just pick yourself back up and keep going. Noone’s going to give you anything, you just have to take it. Sounds pretty familiar, huh? I have always said that Philadelphians are guilty of New York jealousy, meaning that they want to be the center of everything like the way NYC is. This statement is not as true as it once was. There is a burgeoning civic pride that comes with the fact that the city’s sports teams are part of the national discussion, and not for pelting Santa with snowballs.
I sit in a small park on top a lecture hall on one of the campuses in the city and contemplate what is the allure of rooting for the home team here is. College is where we go to learn, and this is no different. As I look around, I begin to realize that it isn’t just the team that these people are pulling for. It’s the sense that the city is out there fighting for the recognition it feels it so richly deserves.
In truth, these are fatalistic fans. They take Boston’s pessimism, and double it. Seven games up with two to go, and they still sweat every pitch. The live and die with this team. The see their flaws. They know their bullpen is in shambles right now. They look at it and fret. They believe the biggest threat to them hails from a town called St. Louis, just as I do as well. They will be in for the fight of the season in that series. But the sky has not fallen as of yet, and for the time being, they still get to watch as their heroes battle with the rest of the contenders.
They know that even one false step could wipe them out. Of course it can, anything life can destroy you, but they look forward to the challenge and living and dying with this team. I maybe taking it to the extreme in that most average fans could give a fat rat’s ass about the score of the game, but here in Philly, the diehards are always keeping track. Their average fan maybe a douchebag with a Rocky complex, but at least he can discuss the game, and all its aspects. I can respect that, even if I have to deal with Vince Papale impressions.
Am I jealous of this? A bit. I wish that the Mets were there, but you have to play it where it lies. To steal from Cub fans, “Wait til next year!” I take almost no solace in that statement, but that’s a discussion for another day. Right now, let’s give a brief overview of what to expect.
As I look over the roster, I see most of the same faces that took this team to the Series last year. I know that if everything breaks right, we could see the first repeat champion since the Yankees. The starters, if they pitch deep into the games, can be dominant. Hamels, an enigma for mist of the year, is rounding into vintage October 2008. I believe they are making a serious mistake by taking Happ out of the rotation, as well as not using Pedro as a closer. The bullpen is threadbare, and I would use a guy who used to be the best in the world for that crucial 8th or 9th inning. Just spitballing here, but if you don’t think he could get those outs, why put him on the post season roster?
The bats are even better this year, than last. Raul Ibanez, who looked like the sure fire MVP in May, has cooled signifigantly, but he still could be lethal, if he gets some pitches. Howard, Utley, Ibanez, and Werth might be the best middle of the order lineup in baseball. The table setters of Rollins and Victorino could make a short series look like a pinball machine if they get going.
How does this squad stack up against the rest of the field? I would have to look at them as a slight favorite to win the whole thing, due to fresh experience. They have one ring already, and are back to defend, no small feat in itself. They have the talent to blow the doors of Colorado’s mediocre pitching, as well as the Dodgers. Most people would give the edge to them against all teams, but I think the Cardinals, with Carpenter and Wainwright can and will take them out in the NLCS in seven. If they win the NLCS, they will win the World Series. Its an NL kind of year.
Even if their run ends in the Championship Series, they would have to look at it as a successful season. They have a perennial contender, and are young enough to stay vital for years. The trade for Cliff Lee was a masterstroke, and if they are smart, they bring back Pedro as a ‘pen/5th starter next year, also. Things look good on the horizon.
Now, with all this having been said, I have a confession to make. I look down from this roof and pray to my own Dark God that he smites all of these sons of bitches. I hope you all get chlamydia, and it rots your gonads. I want to vomit bile down on you. You are the reason I still hate this f*cking squad, and I hope they get dismantled in 3. If the Mets can’t get that ring, I don’t want to have to look down 95 and have to listen to these assholes talk smack ever again.
Categories: Bloggers , Joseph Stone , MLB , Matt Falkenbury , Mets , Phillies , Playoffs