R.W. Emerson and the Phillies
Sunday night, July 15 2007, the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies to hand the Phillies their 10,000th loss.
I know Emerson said a "foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," but I think people don't give this franchise sufficient credit. They have one World Series title (a bit flukish, to my mind) in 1980, beating a better but very inexperienced Kansas City Royals team. Tug McGraw doesn't thrown one under Brett's chin, which apparently got into his head? Willie Wilson doesn't set the World Series strikeout record? Maybe it goes otherwise.
Other than than, they've had Carlton (bad trade from the Cardinals), Richie Ashburn, Grover Cleveland Alexander (whose greatest moment came in the 1926 Series, for the Cardinals); Mike Schmidt, that guy who bet on baseball and was banned for life, John Kruk and various other mullets, Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams (best known for giving up the Series-winning walk-off homerun to ex-Cub Joe Carter), and a couple of other guys (who remembers Billy Hamilton?) They also seemed to have their fair share of jerks: the betting guy, Darren Daulton, Larry Bowa, and, of course, their fans.
Other than that, they've sucked for a really long time, and for much of that time, they really sucked. I think one should admire consistency when one sees it, and with the Phillies, they've really sucked for a really long time. How bad do you have to be to need a 1,900+ game winning streak to get to .500? To lead the Cubs by 400+ losses?
I like to think 10,000 losses is 100 seasons with 100 losses each season. Admittedly, the Philllies started sucking before 1907, so there is that. But for a good part of that time, they only had a chance to lose 154, not 162, games.
The Phillies website notes
No one could have realized it at the time, but when the Phillies were formed in 1883, history was in the making. Now, as the 21st century begins, the Phillies are the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports.
That is one of the finest statements that the glass is half-full of water I have ever seen.
I know Emerson said a "foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," but I think people don't give this franchise sufficient credit. They have one World Series title (a bit flukish, to my mind) in 1980, beating a better but very inexperienced Kansas City Royals team. Tug McGraw doesn't thrown one under Brett's chin, which apparently got into his head? Willie Wilson doesn't set the World Series strikeout record? Maybe it goes otherwise.
Other than than, they've had Carlton (bad trade from the Cardinals), Richie Ashburn, Grover Cleveland Alexander (whose greatest moment came in the 1926 Series, for the Cardinals); Mike Schmidt, that guy who bet on baseball and was banned for life, John Kruk and various other mullets, Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams (best known for giving up the Series-winning walk-off homerun to ex-Cub Joe Carter), and a couple of other guys (who remembers Billy Hamilton?) They also seemed to have their fair share of jerks: the betting guy, Darren Daulton, Larry Bowa, and, of course, their fans.
Other than that, they've sucked for a really long time, and for much of that time, they really sucked. I think one should admire consistency when one sees it, and with the Phillies, they've really sucked for a really long time. How bad do you have to be to need a 1,900+ game winning streak to get to .500? To lead the Cubs by 400+ losses?
I like to think 10,000 losses is 100 seasons with 100 losses each season. Admittedly, the Philllies started sucking before 1907, so there is that. But for a good part of that time, they only had a chance to lose 154, not 162, games.
The Phillies website notes
No one could have realized it at the time, but when the Phillies were formed in 1883, history was in the making. Now, as the 21st century begins, the Phillies are the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports.
That is one of the finest statements that the glass is half-full of water I have ever seen.
posted by kmosser | 4:58 PM
6 Comments:
The phillies claim to be "the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports" isn't even accurate. It ignores dozens of professional franchises in other countries that pre-date them. For example, England's Bath Rugby Club was founded in 1865, followed soon thereafter by several more. Some of Ireland's Hurling clubs (admittedly not necessarily a sport in the way we understand the concept) are also older.
Fair enough. Maybe W.C. Fields was right about Philadelphia, in general.
Thank God for baseball. It is a great game and a fine diversion from bad spots on the news.
http://icasualties.org/oif/
I'm sorry. I've been told that the only reason things look bad in Iraq is because the media only reports bad things.
Hmmmm.
three words dude, WORLD FUCKING CHAMPIONS
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