The Fall of 1993

By the time I was 11 in 1992 my love of the Phillies had already begun.  They may have had the ugliest uniforms and one of the worst records in baseball, but they were my team.  My dad would take me to the Vet to see them growing up and sometimes my grandparents would take me to Wrigley to see them play the cubs.  Mike Schmidt was my favorite player growing up, he was the first player that I remember liking.  They also have the best mascot in all of sports the Phillie Phanatic, what kid wouldn't be a fan.  But in 1993 I fell in love with a team.  They got new uniforms that year too.  To this day it's one of only 3 teams I can name all the players from.  The other 2 are the current roster and the 08 Phillies.  

The 93 Phillies are why, even years after leaving the Philly area, I'll never be a fan of another team.  Sure I enjoy going to Nats games, but I still get the urge to boo Werth, even when they are not playing the Phillies.  Plus you can't replace all of those memories.  My favorite player on that team was Kevin Stocker the SS.   After a few years in the league we never heard from him again.  Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams was my favorite pitcher.  He was run out of town after surrender ing the series winning homerun to Joe effing Carter.  He was traded to Houston and last I saw was working at the MLB network.  Just a couple weeks ago I was talking to a guy on my softball team about these guys and their stories.  They were his favorite team too.  Their were bigger names on the team. John Kruk, during spring training he caught a ball in his privates so as most 6th graders would we nicknamed him one nut Kruk.  He is now one of the announcers for the Phillies.  There was Lenny Dykstra,  our All Star.   The called him Nails cause he was tough as nails.  Curt Schilling was on that team, it was with the Phillies that his post season dominance began.  Long before the bloody sock.  He ended up winning the 3 rings after leaving the team.  There were other role players as well, Mickey Morandini, Dave Hollins, Jim Eisenreich, and Pete Incaviglia.  Fun fact about Pete, he is still the only professional baseball players autograph I have ever been able to get.   Lastly there was the leader, the man behind the mask, Darren "Dutch" Daulton.  He was there for every pitch that season.  I was so happy when he finally got his ring with the Marlins in 97.  

These were the men that shaped my manhood of the Phillies.  They were also the first team I watched as the got traded away, left in free agency, or retired.  That summer I fell in love with a team.  That fall was the beginning of what is now a diehard love of the Phillies. 

1993 was the last season before the introduction of the wild card, when the playoffs last two ish weeks.  The Phillies won the NL East and the Braves won the West.  This was before realignment too.  This was the series where I learned to hate the Braves.  This was before they were the team of the 90s, but they did win the NL the year before and would go on to be one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball, even if they only won 1 World Series title.  I remember laying on the bed in our playroom each night watching the games on tv.  But the only real memory was in the final game when Mitch Williams was coming up in the 9th to face the heart of Braves lineup.  After each out I would scream in my pillow until the final out when I couldn't hold it in anymore and probably woke up the house.  It wouldn't have mattered much people were outside beating on pots and pans cheering the improbability of the Phillies being NL Champions ANF going to the World Series.

In the World Series they faced the defending champions Toronto Blue Jays.  In the series Schilling would throw a complete game shutout.  The only pitching outing better than that in a world series game was Don Drysdale's perfect game.  Since then the only better playoff performance was Roy Halladay's No-hitter against the Reds in 2010.  But the series came down to 1 at bat, in the 9th inning of Game 6.  I was on a Boy Scouts camping trip.  I don't remember the name but there were multiple troops from around the area and we spent the day learning to shoot and earning related merit badges.  But that night almost every tent had snuck a battery powered radio on the trip.  Even the leaders were up listening to the game.  But like I said 9th inning 2 outs Joe effing Carter comes to the plate.  If Mitch strikes him out we go to game 7.  But that doesn't happen, Carter hits a homerun and the Blue Jays win the series and an entire camp of Boy Scouts all groan in disappointment.  

After that game it wasn't until 2007 until I saw another Phillies team make the playoffs, so Nats fans I wouldn't complain too much about having a playoff contender year after year.  In 2008 the Phillies finally ascended to the mountain top and won it all.  I had never been so happy.  But I may never had cared if not for this 93 Phillies and that's why they are still my favorite team and many are still my favorite players.  

By the end of the 94 season the Phillies were back at the bottom of the division and I had moves to Virginia.  At the time it was Braves territory.  Luckily Inter-league play was introduced not long after I moved, I'll never forget going to Camden Yards with my buddy Jake to see the Phillies play.  By then Schilling and Dykstra were the only notable guys left.  Kruk had left for the White Sox and Daulton was with the Marlins.  But I remembered being excited to see this new Catcher, Mike Lieberthal play.  In that game he hit a home run.

I started writing this because I heard on the news this morning that Darren Daulton passed away. He had been battling brain cancer for a few years.  Unlike many of the other Phillies I've kept tabs on since 93, Dutch had stayed pretty quiet.  He won the World Series and rode off in the sunset.  Today o. Twitter former teammates wrote about his leadership and his infectious smile.   As I thought about the images in my head I remembered of him he was always smiling, he looked like he truly loved the game he was so fortunate to play.  As I thought more, I think that is why fans connected with that 93 team so much, they were always smiling.  They were having fun, just like my friends and I were when we played.  Daulton was there leader.  Rest In Peace and thank you for the memories.

10 Things I Loved About Sports in 2016

10. Stewart Wins in Final Season

The last few years have been tough as a Tony Stewart fan.  With injuries and other things keeping him off the track for long periods of time and winning being absent it was difficult to watch at times.  His team was winning, but not the 14.  Seeing him fend off Hamlin at Sonoma for what seemed like too many laps was the most excitement I’ve experienced while watching a NASCAR race since Tony won his last championship and was fending off eventual runner up Carl Edwards.  Those final laps reminded me of everything I loved about Tony’s career.  The way he masterfully worked that car through the turns and even as he dove under Hamlin at the end to get the win.  NASCAR has lost another great driver this year with Tony’s retirement.  WAR TONY STEWART!

9.  Michigan back in the National Conversation

Jim Harbaugh has made it fun to watch Michigan Football again.  The games I was able to watch this year I saw a team that has returned as one of the NCAA’s elite teams.  There is so much hope for the future.  Highlights from this season were the Wisconsin game for sure.  The way the defense showed up and kept the team in the game until the Offense found their moment to shine.  I don’t know if I liked Darboh’s touchdown to take the lead or Lewis’ one handed interception to seal the game.  I cannot wait to watch them play on Friday night against Florida State.  Go Blue! 

8)  Hope in Philly

I do not know what it was about the 2016 Phillies but I loved watching them play this season.  The young squad was just fun to watch.  I am very excited about the coming season.  The same can be said after watching the Eagles this year.  Wentz looks like the real deal.  If only they had Lane Johnson all season how different the season might have been, but next year looks bright.

7)  The Rio Olympics

Do I need to say more, it was the Olympics?  I also go into more specifics further down.  U-S-A.  U-S-A.

6)  Army beats Navy.

I don’t have a rooting interest in this game like many of the fans on each side.  I’ve always cheered on Army because my Grandfather was in the Army during WWII.  The game itself is something I look forward to each year.  I even had the chance to go this year, but my wife turned down the tickets thinking we were busy.  One day.  It was great to see Army finally win this game for the first time in over a decade.

5)  USA wins Little League World Series (LLWS).

This year my wife and I cut the cord and have gone almost full streaming.  Our provider provides free local channels with our internet plan.  All that means is we sometimes just watch what is on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and TBS.  Not sure how the last one made it in there.  But one Sunday we got sucked into the LLWS championship game.  The USA rarely beats whatever team wins the international bracket.  This season it was so cool watching these young men play their hearts out.  It was great seeing these kids celebrate their victory. 

4)  USA Wins Ryder Cup.

Starting to notice a trend?  Again no cable and each round was on local channels.  I was glued to the TV anytime Patrick Reed was on.  He was crushing it.  This year’s team was so energized in a way that made them fun to watch.  My wife still doesn’t get how I can watch golf on TV and I don’t have an answer that makes sense.  One an unrelated side note, seeing Tiger come back a few weeks ago was awesome, I can’t wait to watch golf next year.  Jordan Spieth has also been a joy to watch.  Then to watch him go all Tin Cup at the Masters this season.  It makes me feel better about my game, only 4 months till Myrtle Beach.

3) Usain Bolt:  Another Triple.

While not American, Bolt is the type of athlete that draws people to the Olympics.  He may not have as many medals as Phelps, but he is equally as successful if not more having won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay for 3 consecutive Olympics.  If there were more sprinting events he would have more golds I am sure.  I love watching him run.  He just looks like he is running on another plane than the rest of the runners in the field. 

2) Michael Phelps:  Just keeps winning.

Nothing new can be said about Phelps.  He is the most decorated swimmer in the history of the sport and the most decorated Olympian of all time.  To compete at the level he did and for as long as he did is incredible.  I’ve loved watching him swim.  London was tough to watch.  This year in Rio was refreshing, he seemed to be enjoying himself for once and at times it felt like he was the underdog.  But he just kept making the podium.  He will be missed at the next Summer Olympics.

1)  Cubs Win!

The Cubs winning the World Series was my favorite sports memory of 2016.  Growing up my Grandma Lamb would take me to Wrigley with my cousin Jeff.  She loved Chicago sports.  Her love for sports was one of the bonds we shared.  I remember one year we were at my Uncle’s house and the Bulls were playing and she was sitting there on the edge of her seat.  She closed her eyes and said I can’t watch it’s too much.  I am the same way at times when I watch a game.  I can only imagine her watching Games 6 and 7 thinking the same thing as the Cubs came back.  I was in Baltimore watching the game in my hotel room.  I was texting with friends who were watching it.  I was thinking about my cousins who are all Cubs fans to this day and how they must feel watching what was happening.  I thought about my dad who grew up watching Ernie Banks and cheering the Cubs on.  But most of all I thought about my Grandmother who passed away last year.  I thought about how much she would have enjoyed this, I went to bed with a smile knowing she was up in Heaven watching all of us watch the game and celebrating that her Cubbies had finally won the World Series again.

2017 will bring a new slate and I can’t wait to see the memorable moments that come with it.

 

The Heart of The Phillies

 

 

I’ve been a Phillies fan as long as I can remember.  I remember going to the Vet with my father as a kid to see guys like Mike Schmidt, Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Curt Schilling, and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams.  Most of those guys all played on the same team.  Mike Schmidt is still one of my favorite Phillies of all time, but the rest of that list is the first team I fell in love with as a kid.  Schmidt retired a Phillie, he spent his whole career in Philadelphia.  Dykstra retired with the Phillies, but started with the Mets.  Kruk only spent a short time in Philadelphia, he came up with the Padres and played for the White Sox for a year or two after leaving Philly.  His time with the White Sox was not memorable.  Dutch left a few years after the World Series run in 94 to go to the Marlins.  Schilling was probably the best player on the team in 93.  He started with the Orioles.  He left Philly after some bad seasons for the team.  He was still the only bright spot during those years.  Other than him Mike Lieberthal was our best player.  Schilling left to go to the Diamondbacks.  He won a World Series with them in 01.  After that he went on to the Red Sox and played for a few more years where he was part of two World Series teams.  I always cheered for him and was happy for his success.  Wild Thing left right after the World Series.  He was run out of town by the fans after giving up that (this still hurts to think about) home run to Joe effing Carter.

Around the year 2000 some new players were playing for the Phillies.  Scott Rolen was at 3^rd and he was supposed to be the new Mike Schmidt and Jimmy Rollins was at short stop.  We had guys like Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome playing in the field as well.  It should have been a great time to be a Phillies fan but we sucked still.  Rolen left, we traded Thome, and eventually traded Abreu.  The one that stuck around was J-Roll.  In 2007 Rollins won the MVP.  The first MVP won by a Phillies player since Mike Schmidt.  2007 was also the first year the Phillies made the playoffs and won their division since 1993.  At the beginning of that season Jimmy said the Phillies would win the division.  All of a sudden all the years of being a Phillies fan were about to pay off.  The team in 2007 came from 9 games back in September to pass the Mets for the division lead.   We had guys coming into their zone.  A new era of Phillies greats, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrel, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz, and Jayson Werth.  The Phillies were swept that year in the first round by the Colorado Rockies.  It was hard to watch, but it was the first time I could remember having hope for the next season.

The next season happened and Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win 100 games.  At the end of the season the Phillies once again won the division.  However the only way they would win 100 games would be to make to the World Series.  The record at the end of the season was 92-70.  Heading into the World Series that season they had 99 wins.  4 wins later and they had lifted the trophy and were World Champions for the first time in my life.  Jimmy did more to get the team to the playoffs than predict wins.  He had key hits along the way to lift the team when they needed it most.  In game 5 of the NLCS he led off the game with a home run.  The Phillies never looked back. 

The Phillies never reached the peak again after 2008.  In 2009 they lost to the Yankees in the World Series.  In 2010 they lost to the Giants in the NLCS.  In 2011 they lost to the Cardinals in the NLDS.  It was all disappointing.  The core never changed during those 5 years of playoff appearances.  Victorino, Hamels, Howard, Utley, Werth, Chooch, and most of all Rollins were keys to our success.  Sure the Phillies added pieces.  We brought in Cliff Lee, Doc Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Jonathan Papelbon, Hunter Pence, and Raul Ibanez to help get the team back.  In 2011 the Phillies won 102 games.  None of that mattered.  Life as a Phillies fan changed.  We went from the fans of a team that lost 10,000 games as an organization to a team that has won the World Series and competed with the top teams in the league.  Our expectations changed.  We were no longer happy with winning a few games a year.  Now we expected playoff runs.  Then making the playoffs wasn’t enough we needed deep October runs in the playoffs. 

 Now in 2014 I would be happy to make the playoffs, but I’m just happy winning a few games here and there too.  As long as we win against the Nationals, Braves, and Mets, I am usually a happy person.  But in 2012 Werth left the Phillies.  That stung a lot.  He was a key guy in our 2008 run through the playoffs.   He was one of my favorite players.  Now I have to watch him do the things he did for Philly for the Nationals in the playoffs.   Maybe after he retires I’ll be able to be happy for his accomplishments since he left Philly, but now it hurts too much.  Then Victorino left a couple of years ago.  He won a World Series with the Red Sox.  Cliff Lee left and came back.  Doc lost his speed and shut it down.  Oswalt was dealt away.  Papelbon seems to be willing to tear this team apart from inside the clubhouse.  Pence was traded to the Giants and has won two World Series.  Burrel went to the Giants and won the World Series in 10.  Ibanez left and had a good year or two with the Yankees.  Meanwhile we have kept the core together or Hamels, Chooch, Howard, Utley, and Rollins.  Even after the last 3 years of losing we could still look forward to seeing these guys put on the Red Pinstripes and play ball.

After yesterday the one player that was there through the bad and then the good and then the bad again was traded.  Jimmy Rollins not wearing a Phillies uniform in 2015 might be the hardest thing I will have ever been asked to do as a fan.  Regardless of all the locker room drama that you may hear about Jimmy Rollins he is a Philly guy.  This has been his team and he gave all for them for 14 seasons.  I wanted him to go out the way guys like Jeter, Ripken, and Schmidt did, with the teams that gave them a chance.  I knew and was willing to accept that Howard, Hamels, Chooch, and even Utley were on the trading block this season.  I know the Phillies need to rebuild if they want to compete again in the near future.  I guess deep down I knew it was a possibility that Rollins would be traded too.  I really just didn’t want to believe it.

If the others are sent away in the off season it will certainly be the beginning of a new era in Philly.  I hope that we might find the next Jimmy Rollins or the next Mike Schmidt in that group of youngsters.  Maybe they don’t even play in the Phillies system yet.  Maybe they will be acquired through one of these trades.  Win or Lose I will always be a Phillies fan.  There are just too many memories to walk away from for me.  Too many visits to the Vet with my dad.  Too many trips to Wrigley with my grandparents to see the Cubs play the Phillies.  Too many trips to Citizens Bank park with my wife.  I don’t know who we will cheer on in 2015 but it will be the guys wearing Phillies uniforms.  At least I know they will never trade the Philly Phanatic.  Man I love that guy.