The End of the Phillies Season: Perspective the Next Day

by Michael Hochman

It's nice to see all the Phils fans sharing their thoughts and emotions on Facebook and Twitter, reflecting how we all felt, how we all feel. It helps to read others with similar emotions, and the collective sense of loss (thanks, Mike Sweeney).

Sad here too. The five stages have started. I'm still proud, and I’m already pumped for next season. It will be another long march to October, but it’s gonna end in a 5th straight division title with no doubt. (Can't wait to see a season with less injury, and can’t wait to see who'll be in the corner outfield spots and in the bullpen.)

But as for right now, I feel empty, and I'm walking around the house not knowing what to do with myself. And it's not just the watching the games that is a hole to fill; it's the day of games, and the excitement knowing that the game will be on in a few hours, what magic does Halladay have tonight, how many runs will Fat Joe give up in the first, how's Jimmy feeling, how did the Braves do, how many games up, what Phillies shirt should I wear today, getting amped up. But as for right now, I'm just lost. It’s not possible that it’s another six months until another Phils game. I'm glad I'm a Flyers fan and an Eagles fan, and college hoops are around the corner, but it's just not the Phillies. The Phillies are my team above all others, always has been, from Luis Aguayo to Pat Zachry. But as for right now, it’s five stages of grief. We should all get a drink and talk about the amazing season we’ve just experienced when we're done mourning: racing back from being seven games down, second half surge, perfect game, no hitter, Moyer's shutout, the series in Cincinnati, the loss of Robin Roberts, the comeback against Broxton, four straight division titles, not being Mets fans.


As far as I can see, no one in Philadelphia is anything but proud. Disappointed and sad, but proud. (And if you’re 'angry' at Ryan Howard right now, go down to Modell’s and turn in your Phils hat, you’re banned.) What a great season by a team that lead the league in games lost to injury. We love this team of all-stars, winners, and outstanding character (As opposed to the Mets and their rapejaculating, beating up dads-in-law, and blowing off injured veterans.) We're ready and rarin' to go for next season so we can finish what we started and make it 5 division championships in a row and 2 titles in four years. That's of course after the first place Eagles and the defending Conference Champion Flyers are finished their runs. The greatest sports city in America only gets greater. We wish congrats to the Giants, especially or even despite Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand, and it’s nice that we're guaranteed that one city will see its first ever baseball parade. Hope they enjoy it as much as we did just two seasons ago. I'd like it to be Texas, but the first time I see George Bush in the stands at the Rangers game, I'll start rooting for the Giants. I wouldn’t mind seeing overflow Cowboys fans get disappointed in an entire different sport.

The Phillies were the better team in the regular season; the Giants outplayed and the Phillies underplayed the last two weeks. The Giants are the better team right now. The Phillies suffered from the same things they suffered from a lot this year: disappearing offense, shaky relief work, pitches in bad spots, not hitting with RISP, poor timing, letting less-than-stars beat them, and collective slumping. The Giants deserve what they've earned.


Losing is easier on a team that's not used to winning. It's how we felt in '93. Joe Carter was devastating, but we got over it faster knowing we were on a run that came from nowhere and was going nowhere. It was easier to say 'wow look what we did', and that's why that team is beloved (and even Mitch Williams is now beloved). It's how it felt in '07 when the Phils lost in the DS to the Rockies too... we knew the window was opening and there was much more to come. That's the position the Giants and the Rangers are in. When you're used to winning, you lose every sense of 'at least we got this far'. You expect more, and it's harder when you lose if you know you're capable of much more. It takes longer to get back to 'we'll get 'em next year'. The over-achievement in the long run is 'easier' than the despair of unfulfillment.

Seven games back and swept by Houston to best record in baseball and one game away from the World Series. Nothing to be ashamed about. There's a reason no NL team has gone to three straight World Series since the 1940s... because it's HARD. Hey, and the Flyers won last night. Remember what they did last June?? What a time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. As far as the current Phillies, the window is still open. And I can’t wait for the parade down Broad Street in November 2011. Book it.

Until then, I still say that the pitch to Howard was low.

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Bias and Spite: Mike F's football picks

Yes - you're right. There are a million sportswriters/sports personalities out there giving their weekly picks. So why on Earth should I pay any attention to this one - especially when it's starting in week six? Quite frankly, I can't think of a good reason. I'm quite used to writing blog entries that nobody reads, so a few more times won't kill me.

What makes my perspective different? Probably nothing. I can tell you though, that I will not hesitate to show my bias toward my favorite team - and I will not hesitate to use unrealistic and unsubstantiated personal vendetta-type language to underscore my picks. I also may decide not to talk about a particular game or games, simply because I can't be bothered to muster up the interest.

I'm guessing it won't take long to figure out what team I favor. Here's a hint - I hate the following teams: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Tennessee. Still not sure? I also hate Dallas, San Francisco, Oakland, Denver and New England. I'm pretty much indifferent to the rest of the NFL.

It's probably best to refrain from trying to figure out the logic behind most of these likes/dislikes. There are some twisted reasons in some cases, and some totally illogical thought behind others. At any rate, I think you might find it entertaining to see what nutty thing I have to say about a given team/game.

Wendy, shall we begin? And yes - I will probably be using lots of obscure quotes and references (like the one at the beginning of this paragraph) in each and every article. Extra points to you if you can figure out the source.

Seattle at Chicago

Ho hum. This one should be pretty boring - I have no real opinion about either team. I do think that Seattle is overrated (and I think this every year), and that Chicago will eventually wind up faltering at the end of the season no matter how they start. I'd expect a relatively low scoring affair, maybe 20-17 or something like that. Unless Jay Cutler decides to throw four touchdown passes or four interceptions. Either way, I'll be happy to spend my time Sunday afternoon watching/doing something else.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume Chicago, unless Seattle has another team play the game for them.

Miami at Green Bay

So Green Bay is 3-2, eh? So much for ESPN and their opinion that GB was going to be a force this year. More often than not, you can count on any team/player that ESPN gets heavily behind to not live up to expectations. Even if those inflated expectations are the property of ESPN only. Without the wildcat, Miami is about as exciting as ... reading this article?
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume Miami. GB has issues (and I can't be bothered to look them up. They have issues - leave it at that).

Kansas City at Houston

Not much to say here except that I am stunned that KC is anywhere near being the best team (according to record) in the NFL. This is a sad state of affairs. Rest of NFL, you should be embarrased. Houston is tough to root against, considering they've pretty much sucked since their inception. I suppose I'd root for Houston in this game, but, honestly, neither team will matter come December.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume Houston, as I think KC is a total fraud.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh

Now we're talking. The Mistake By The Lake against the greatest team in the history of the NFL. Should be a no-brainer, right? Ben Roethlisberger is back, and ESPN would have you believe that everybody is amazed that the Steelers went 3-1 without him. Clearly, they didn't check with any Steelers fans, because all the Steelers fans I talked to felt the Steelers would go 4-0 and can't believe they lost to pissant pretenders like Baltimore. The Browns look like they're all set to fall behind early and watch as the Steelers rack up 101 unanswered points. This is a divisional game and the Steelers tend to play down to the level of their opponent. Don't be surprised if the game is close, or if the Steelers lose. They shouldn't lose - they should kick the snot out of the Browns, but that never happens.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume the Steelers, of course! It will probably be close, but come on!

San Diego at St. Louis, Detroit at N.Y. Giants

Why even bother? Does anyone really care?
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume St. Louis and The Giants.

Baltimore at New England

Baltimore should never have beaten the Steelers. I will be rooting for New England to come out and rip the Ravens a couple new ones. This is just the kind of thing that Bill Belichick loves. A cocky team that believes the hype. Expect Baltimore's suddenly dynamic offense to become pedestrian and expect Tom Brady to prove that he's more than capable of winning without Randy Moss.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume that New England will win, and that we'll be able to hear Belichick bore us at game's end telling us that the offense and defense did some good things, they learned a lot about their team and that there's still plenty of areas in which the Patriots can improve.

Atlanta at Philadelphia

I keep hearing how great Atlanta is, but they struggled against the Roethlisberger-less Steelers. They're 4-1, but, honestly - it's a pretty weak four wins. Also suspect Arizona, winless San Francisco and hapless Cleveland? Even their 'legit' win came against a reeling New Orleans team. Eagles - hear me now, believe me later. You should win this game going away, and you should simply accept that - long term - Kevin Kolb should be your quarterback. Mike Vick is not the answer. Trade him now and get what you can for him.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume the Eagles will 'doggedly' prove they are the better team.

Okay, that's enough for now - seriously, I have other things that I should be doing. Really! The only other game worth mentioning at this point is the Dallas at Minnesota game. Both teams are a snoozy 1-3 (nyahh nyahh), both teams are looking for that elusive winning formula to push them in the right direction. No matter which team wins, not much will change. They will both still stink.
What? You want to know who I think will win? Let's assume Minnesota will win, unless Randy Moss retires before game time.

All right, that wraps it up. Thanks for not reading this article. It's been great fun sharing my vast football expertise with nobody. Tune in next week for another edition (maybe - we'll see).

This weekend, I'll also be rooting for the Phillies to win and for the Yankees to lose. Nothing personal - I just hate the Yankees with a passion.

Craig's List Post: WANTED: Runs. Philadelphia. Style points not a consideration.

As I write this, the Phillies are down 9-0 after three innings to the Red Sox. You'd think that this would prompt a commentary about the Phillies pitching. Not a chance. It's all about the hitting.

The sports radio commentators are full of advice for Phillies faithful. No need to panic. They've done this before. It's just a slump. They'll come out of it. And they use many words to describe how they see things. Concerned. Upset. Disappointed. Surprised.

I am none of these things. In fact, I think that my word is the one word that I believe that the Phillies would not want to hear. I feel that no organization that is involved in entertainment of any sort would want to hear.

Bored.

That's right. I'm bored by the Phillies. They're boring. This is my third season of not being able to watch Phillies games because I don't have Comcast. I've been listening to the Phillies on the radio and had developed an appreciation for taking in baseball games in this manner.

Last night, I went to Citizen's Bank Park for the first time this season. I saw Roy Halladay pitch for the first time this season. He was great - a little rocky in the first inning, but otherwise, great. No problem there.

The problem was that the hitters were on vacation or something. As I walked though the concourse, hunting down french fries for my son (remember the Bugs Bunny Easter cartoon? "I want an Easter Egg. I want an Easter Egg. I want an Easter Egg."), I was listening to the broadcast. They actually referred to this game as a pitcher's duel.

If the Phillies had previously - within, say the last three weeks or so - displayed any grit or pizzazz, then I'd agree with this assessment. Instead, I laughed. This was no pitcher's duel. This was Josh Johnson mowing down a lineup that should be capable of knocking him out by the 5th inning.

Instead, it was quick at-bats. Inning after inning. At-bats so quick that I missed a few of them due to turning my head away to talk to my son or my father. The Phillies halves of the innings might as well not have been played.

This much maligned pitching staff has performed well above expectations. Far better than this "study in moppishness" that is the current Phillies lineup. Three consecutive shutouts against the hated (and, frankly, pretty lame) Mets? Of all teams, the Mets? Come on guys!!

It's sad to say. I love my Phillies. And I'll be there at the end of the season to see how things turn out. But they bore the crap out of me right now. I can't even be bothered to pay attention. It's the same old, same old with them. If they right the ship, and manage to make me care again, that would be great.

But right now - I'm too bored to pay any attention. Wake me when the offense makes its way back to Philly.
 

All Flyered Up! Sort of...

Call this "confessions of a non-hockey fan who happens to live in a hockey mad region." A region that had the pure sports bliss of witnessing their local team valiantly battle for the NHL championship. Lord Stanley, are you listening?

During the NHL playoffs, I have found myself in an odd position. I never watched a minute, but as a result of friends who were fans and updates on ESPN radio (I still listen despite Mike Greenberg's increasinlgy fawning and annoying delivery), I managed to keep in tune with what was happening.

I am not a hockey fan, but I am a sports fan. So I get the significance of what the Flyers did. To me, regardless of how many other teams had done it, coming back to win after being down 3 games to none in a playoff series (against the Boston Bruins) is remarkable and worthy of some hype. I actually enjoyed the Flyers' story a lot more because I wasn't immersed in it.

I can contrast this to the endless and meaningless hyperbole associated with Stephen Strasburg's impressive debut. Yes, Strasburg had a fantastic performance. If you based your opinion of that outing solely on ESPN's (and in my case, the Mike & Mike in the Morning's perspective) coverage, you'd assume that no pitcher had ever had a pitching performance as great as that one was. The fact is that there have been a few other great performances, and Greenberg, Tim Kurkjian et. al. seem to conveniently forget all that when it suits them. As for Strasburg - it was an amazing pitching line - 14 strikeouts (Ks) out of 94 pitches. Amazing. But let's see how he's doing after his 7th or 8th start. He may still be pitching fantastically, but I doubt it will be as spectacular as his debut outing. I don't think we'll be seeing 14 Ks out of 94 pitches again anytime soon. I do think he has all the makings of a very good pitcher, though.

Get back to the ice!

Right. Okay, coming back to win the last 4 games of a playoff series is an incredible feat. I remember 2004, when the Red Sox did this to the Yankees, and how against-all-odds that seemed. To see it happen again so soon after that - and to a team that is regionally significant to me is really cool. One could argue that the comeback against the Bruins was the most significant happening of the 2009-2010 NHL season. If one chooses to argue this point - please take it easy on me. I'm a hockey novice...

Something like an incredible and a historic comeback can really make the most hardened, post-season disappointment-expecting Philadelphia fan (and we expect disappointment for good reason) take note and start to believe that, "Yes! a Philly team can win a championship!" Much national and local ink was wasted - before and after the Phillies scintillating run to their awesome 2008 World Series win - about the 25 years of dormancy in Philadelphia championships. (Actually, for me it was 28 years, as I am, in addition to not being a hockey fan, I am also not a basketball (NBA in particular) fan, so the 1982-1983 Sixers title holds little true value for me.)

But I digress...again!

Next up for the Flyers were the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that I later learned was even more snakebit than the Flyers, having last won the Stanley Cup in 1961. Add this to 100+ years of Chicago Cub baseball championship futility, and you can see that Philly and Chicago fans have some common ground.

Of course, with news of tasering, fans premeditated throwing up on fans and kids with beer bottles fresh on the media circuit, it wasn't long before the alleged loutish behavior of the Philly fan started to surface. But I blocked all that out and waited with an unexpected anticipation for the second-hand updates of the Flyers games.

Keep in mind that I didn't watch any of the games, so all I can tell is how I experienced these games. It didn't start out well, as the Flyers dropped the first two games by one goal in each, in what look like close matches when I see them in the box scores.

Then the Flyers got their mojo and won the next two games, including an overtime win in Game 4 that I actually listened to on the radio - the closest I had come to actually personally witnessing any of this series. Looking good, right? Well, it was good while it lasted.

Consigned to the ranks of history is the knowledge that the Flyers lost the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals and then they and their fans had to endure the Blackhawks celebrating their win on Flyer ice. I have heard over the years (mostly in baseball stories) that when this has happenned to other teams, that they forced themselves to stay and watch every moment of the celebration. To burn that moment into their minds and remember forever how it felt to be that close to their dream and then have to watch someone else walk away with their trophy. In short, to use that experience as motivation for the next year. The idea here being that if they ever get back to the championship round, they'll rememeber last year and things will be different. After all, who'd want to relive such an unpleasant experience?

So what does all this mean? This Flyers playoff run has been really interesting to me, as one who is not a hockey fan. I was not following it day-to-day as I do with football or baseball, so I feel I had a refreshing view of the whole thing. I was still able to feel the excitement of the Flyer wins and the disappointment of the Flyer losses. I was able to hold conversations with die hard hockey fans - as long as the discussion didn't get too involved - and I enjoyed hearing and feeling their passion. Some of my best friends are hockey fans!

Postscript: Again, I am talking strictly from second-hand information here, but I'd have to think that the NHL must be thrilled with this Stanley Cup playoff. It went six games (as opposed to a quick four-game sweep), and held a high position on ESPN's radar in terms of coverage. After decades of pretty much (perhaps this is only in my eyes) being a second-tier sport - this series was just what they needed. And the Flyers and their dedicated and spirited fans were an integral part of that.

So give yourselves a pat on the back, Flyers fans! And who knows? Maybe next year, the Flyers will have earned themselves another crazed fan. If this makes me a bandwagonner, then I can accept that. I only hope that my fellow bloggers MPH and Michael Rappa (rabid hockey/Flyer fans both) can forgive me this indiscretion.

Special thanks to my lovely wife for suggesting the topic of this article.
 

An Open Letter to Pessimistic Flyers Fans the Day after Losing the Cup

Dear Flyers ‘fans’ jumping off the bandwagon after last night’s loss:

All you negative bandwagon people are ridiculous, and you might not expect this position from me, but you’re looking at the Flyers run – and devastating end – through hangover glasses. Wake up this morning and realize that you were witness to history, and take a real look at what this team has done over the last eight weeks. They gave us a playoff run for Philadelphia to cherish for generations.

No, they didn't win. And it sucks. And losing is not comparable to winning, and losing makes the Flyers no more of a Stanley Cup champion this year than the last-place Oilers in that neither won it all. No one is saying much less hinting that this is as good as winning, nor are 'satisfied' with it. We'd rather be celebrating a parade down Broad Street on Monday. Did the Flyers fail in a quest for the ultimate prize? Yes, and they’re no more "winners" than the Rangers, Devils, Pens, and Caps. But that's the argument of the bandwagon jumper, not the true fan that knows that the game is more than wins, losses, standings, and OT goals.

What this team did, a team that was in complete disarray after the Olympics, a team with a big new goaltender that flamed out due to injury, a team who fired their coach mid-season, a team who was 2-7-1 after the coaching change, was legendary.

This was a team, that through eight starting goaltender changes, fell and fell in the standings until it took a last-game miracle to make the playoffs in a shootout with the team's biggest rival.

This was a team that dominated the favored (even for the Cup) Devils in 5 games, highlighted by Dan Carcillo's memorable OT goal.

This was a team, and I won't belabor the point, that without injured stars Carter and Gagne and later Boucher, became the 3rd team EVER to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win a series, and the first team EVER to go down 3-0 in a Game 7 in the road and win the game.

This was a team that then faced a Canadiens team that already knocked off the President's Trophy winner and the reigning Stanley Cup champions where the Flyers THIRD STRING goalie had three shutouts in 5 games, and capped the series with Richard's highlight short-handed goal.

This was a team that was now in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years, facing a team that finished 24 points ahead of them in the standings who just swept the number one seed, where they get dominated in Games 1 and 2 yet only lose by a goal each game. The team-that-never-dies comes back from 'oh they're finished' to capture both games at home to tie the series, highlighted by Giroux's OT thriller. Once again dominated by the Hawks in Game 5, they come back again to stay in the series with a Daignault-like goal by Sideshow Scottie Hartnell with under 4 to play to force another OT, one of the great moments in Flyers history. Sadly, no miracle occurs in OT, and yes, the Flyers fail the ultimate goal when a Calder Trophy winner, All-Star, and Olympian scores on our - did I mention - third-string goalie.

Did it end in victory? No. Did it end in disappointment? Yes. No one is celebrating second place, we're celebrating honor, faith, determination, grit, pride, teamwork, resilience, overcoming obstacles, and heart. No one wants to lose, but in absence of that, we'll take what this team did, the special gift they gave us this spring. They gave us a two-month roller-coaster run that no one expected. They gave this city all they had, and much more. This was a seven-seed that squeaked in to the playoffs on the last day of the season and found a way to ride momentum and miracle all the way to overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This was more than a nice story, this was history.

I hate losing as much as anyone. We're disappointed, even heart-broken. The '93 Phils hurt, Joe Carter was crushing, but damn do we love that team in hindsight. Overachievers, defying expectations, capturing hearts with determined, gritty play. Sound familiar? We're not Cubs fans, we're not lovable losers; we're not fans of snake-bit teams the nation feels sorry for like the pre-2004 Red Sox. We're the proud, allegiant fans of the Orange and Black. And you can take your antagonism and your 'standards' and jump on someone else's bandwagon. The real Flyers fans, the real Philadelphia fans, don't need you. And I, for one, would welcome a parade (well, at least a rally at City Hall) for this team and what they accomplished, and a place among Philly sport's greatest seasons.

And I can't wait for October to get this all going again, because next year, I'm still not satisfied with second place as great a story as it may be. I'm ready to go all the way.

Love, Philadelphia