10,000: One More Go Around

Writer's Note: This will be the third post regarding the Phillies 10,000th loss. As Plumpy is a Reds fan and Snacksy is on his knees praying for some sort of miracle from the Job Gods one of these days, I cannot forsee anyone else on Stain Club posting their thoughts on this momentus occasion. Thank you, loyal reader, and stain on.


Hey you bastards! I’m still here!!
--Papillon

The above quotation is from the 1973 film, Papillon, starring Steve McQueen as the title character, a felon who continuously escapes from prison only to be re-captured every time he thinks he is completely free. He utters the above lines upon escaping from Devil’s Island as he floats in an inner tube in the middle of the ocean right before the credits start to roll.

Movie watchers who have seen this film (I highly recommend it by the way as McQueen plays his usual endearing tough guy while Dustin Hoffman plays his nervous foil) can identify with Papillon’s perseverance. His desire to escape is inspiring as he survives experiences of mental and physical anguish, including two stints of solitary confinement of two and five years, and still continues to forge ahead with his plans of escaping to freedom.

This type of perseverance is what I see in Phillies fans. The ball finally dropped on the ten-thousandth loss last week, and yet, we still come back for more. Plumpy can try to characterize this event as our annual tears event, but alas, the real waterworks are reserved for the yearly wild car collapse.

In my eyes, this “milestone” is a mere drop of water in the river of defeat. Losing has been, and obviously still is, an unfortunate, yet defining attribute of the Phillies franchise. It can be attributed to a lack of talent (especially in the pitching department more so in the past few years), injuries (Gregg Jeffries, Danny Tartabull, Andy Ashby to name a few) and terrible management (both in the dugout—i.e. Doc Prothro and Jimmie Wilson, and in the front office—Ed Wade still haunts the present team with his no-trade claise on Pat Burrell and his selection of Uncle Charlie over Jim Leyland AND giving away draft picks for over the hill veterans such as Jon Lieber, thus setting our farm system back several years, but that’s a story for another time). More often than not, it is a combination of the three aforementioned items. For a franchise that has existed since 1883, the Phillies have managed only 9 playoff appearance, 5 pennants, and a whopping one World Series championship.

What should come as no surprise, then, is that with so few post-season appearances, there have been seasons where not only have they lost, but they were essentially the embarrassment of the league. They not only have had 14 seasons of 100+ losses, BUT 22 90+ loss seasons (note: the 90 loss seasons are comprised of seasons where they lost between 90 and 99 games, but not 100 games). Then there is the flip side of 2 seasons of 100+ wins and 9 seasons of 90+ wins, the last one which was in the glorious year of 1993. I admit that winning 100 games or more is hard on a consistent basis, but the fact that there are so many more 100 loss seasons is down right disgusting. In fact, the years from 1936-1941 represent a ridiculous stretch of stain that does the very word proud.

These stats are clearly laughable, but it is also indicative that you don’t have to be Stephen Hawking to understand that with such a high rate of losing over the course of their existence, the Fightin’s would be the first to reach this nice high, round number. It was mentioned at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, and much of the media took notice of it as the Phils inched ever closer to that “magical” number. I have to attribute the coverage of it to the fact that in these dog days of summer, there are absolutely no stories regarding any other sport. And with baseball still stuck in mid-season gear, the media is grasping at straws.

Honestly, I could care less about this historic first. I didn’t have time to watch the game as I was recovering from a long weekend of Stain that was Arts Fest and had to be home in time to be ready to tackle the work week on Monday. If this 10,000th loss had occurred at a more significant time, I admit then that it would have been the proverbial salt on the wound or the double-edged sword. In an imaginary, disturbing dimension of the universe, I could certainly see the Fightin’s “milestone” loss coming on the day that if they had won the final game of the regular season and would have catapulted themselves into the playoffs, then yes, pick your cliché for that moment and I will confess I’d be a bit more hurt (While we’re on the topic of disturbing dimensions, it would be interesting to see all of the top worst moment from each Philly sports organization occur in the same day and see if any fans would throw themselves off the new SEPTA building…again, a topic for another time). I must say, however, I, and the rest of the Philly faithful, have experienced more devastating losses (SQ and D. Page are sure to remember my reaction to the Eagles third NFC championship loss in 2004).

And yet, with every such loss like that, fans begin to earn their stripes and build up thick skin, and only let the big losses get to them. Moreover, they begin to lie in wait and learn to relish in the sweet, sweet taste of victory. And we want that victory, that euphoria so much so that it pushes the fans to their rabid breaking point of booing every single, tiny mistake that any one of our teams makes in the same manner an overbearing parent pushes his child to be the best. Obviously, this is not the best manner to raise a child or root, root, root for the home team. We have run numerous players out of town because they have never measured up to our expectations (Scott Rolen), or the organization, usually the Phillies, cannot hold on to players (again, Scott Rolen) because losing was way too prevalent. Some athletes, though, have embraced this M.O. of the fan base (Chase Utley, Brian Dawkins), and realize we just hunger for one thing from one of our sports teams: a championship.


Which brings me to the number that is more important than 10,000: 24—as in 24 years since one of our four major sports teams lifted any sort of championship hardware in glorious victory; 24 years since a championship parade marched down Broad Street; 24 years since a fan base has stuck with its teams, but have yet to be rewarded for their undying and supremely loyal support. You can call us rowdy, classless, idiotic, but we want it just as much as any other fan because it hasn’t happened in so long. I dare anyone out there to live in a city where there are four major sports teams as a passionate sports fan and not have any championships to show for it (I believe Minnesota is behind us by 3 years or so). Trust me: you too would go crazy like the die-hard fans here in the City of Brotherly Love.

But we're still here, you bastards! And we're not gonna be satisfied until we see one of our teams marching some hardware down Broad Street. Trust me...it will be a sight to behold.

P.S. As my birthday is tomorrow, I would like to share with you a story that shows some good can come from a Phillies loss. When the Phils were in the World Series against the Orioles back in 1983, they dropped Game 2 and every game thereafter. But on the night of Game 2, October 12, my Dad told me that Phils pitcher Charles Hudson had such a shaky game that, well, he played his own version of baseball with my Mom that night. Thus, I was conceived (I shit you not) unto this world because of Phillies loss (ironically this loss does not count in the 10,000+ as it was a post-season game) and stand as living and stainy-oh-so-stainy proof that there is a silver lining in the storm cloud.

10,000

It's almost obligatory to comment on this milestone, although a friend of mine pointed out that no one would even know about it if ESPN and the Inquirer sports page didn't need something to talk about. That said, I will now fulfill my obligation by rambling about what it means to this one fan.

A girl once asked me why I didn't have a girlfriend, and I responded (only slightly sarcastically) that my emotional reserves were so drained, my heart so worn out, from being a Philadelphia sports fan that I no longer retained the ability to invest myself emotionally in a relationship with any girl. This may sound sad, but there's a glimmer of pride at the bottom.

10,000 is a ridiculously huge number. If I was less lazy I would go look up how many of those loses have occurred since my birth, but the answer would be, "too many," and I would have wasted my precious time. It doesn't truly matter anyway, since there's no number of losses that could make me quit on them. I'll be a fan for life, and there's really nothing I could do to change that, even if I wanted to. I know a great number of people for whom this is also the case, and while it sometimes makes us feel like battered wives who keep thinking "maybe he would change if I just loved him enough," the truth is (for me at least) that our perseverance as fans is a great source of strength and even comfort.

Call me crazy, but it's a lot easier trying to find my way in the big bad world knowing that I will always have our teams to elate, devastate, distract, infuriate, and entertain me, no matter what happens in the future with war and politics, or my career and marriage.

All that 10,000 means is that our team happened to surpass a highly dubious milestone during our lifetimes. It's a little upsetting to have it all over ESPN and everything, but only because of the universal principle that you can constantly ridicule your friends viciously but still want to fight anyone who dares to slightly disrespect them. It gets maddening when it seems like the front office is trying their best to win the race to 20,000, but it's also a testament to our history, our tradition, our city, and our commitment as fans.

Any girl who broke your heart 10,000 times, or even just once a year as far back as you can remember, would have obviously been quit upon long ago. When it comes to these red striped stains, however, we're stuck with them for life, so we may as well say, "Fuck it, Go Phils."

Quick Stains: Phillies Phodder for June 6th

For two nights in a row, the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East. J-Roll, our fearless leader, had his BPAS in full swing with a tremendous three-run shot to right field. For his heroic effort, which also included a 6-3 inning ending double play in the bottom of the seventh with the bases juiced, Jimmy receives the unsloppiest performance of the night.

Additionally, our three-headed Doc Brown dimension transcending bullpen of Geoff Geary, Ryan Madson, and the octopus-fingered Antonio Alfonseca, showed up yet again (they receive an honorable mention for un-sloppiest performance), and despite Geary doing his darnedest to make the game so much harder to watch by booting a ball that a tee-ball player could have fielded with his eyes blind-folded, they were victorious. That little pebble of an error could have turned into a multiple-run avalanche, but Geary pulled himself together and I applaud that effort, and that of the bullpen, as from that point forward as they preserved (wait for it…) a one run lead! prior to Rowand’s RBI single in the top of the eighth. Geary, however, receives the game’s sloppiest play award for his dinky error (I can’t give him sloppiest performance as he made up for it with the double play).

Eagles Draft Analysis 2007: Day 1

Depth and youth are important attributes to the Philadelphia Eagles organization. I knew coming into the 2007 NFL Draft that the Eagles would not have a pick that would be a stand-out. This team essentially is set with its starters and from what I could tell, management would be gunning for players who would provide depth on the roster rather than any sort of immediate starters. That would be the main reason why the team traded down out of the first round. Many of the draft pundits had the Eagles taking a defensive back, either safety (due to an aging Brian Dawkins and the loss of Michael Lewis to the 49ers in free agency) or cornerback (as Roderick Hood departed for Arizona).

From my standpoint, it would have been a safe pick to pick any of the defensive backs on the board when the Eagles’ first pick came at number 36 in Round 2. I liked Eric Weddle out of Utah who was a two time defensive player of the year. I also kept hoping that Paul Posluszny would fall into our hands, and he did, but management would not take him because of all the “depth” at linebacker right now.

I call it “depth” because our linebacking corps is not too stellar. Trotter is starting too age and Takeo Spikes could still be a liability coming off his injury. Dhani Jones played the star guitar and danced drunkenly in the streets of Miami a lot better than he tackled, which is why the Eagles just released him. I am not sold on Chris Gocong yet as he spent last year on Injury Reserve and he is a still a ‘tweener at this point and not a true SAM.

As for our first pick in the draft, I was as shocked as anyone else. Kevin Kolb, which is pronounced like corn on the “cob,” is a quarterback that I ironically drafted in a current franchise for Madden 2007. He was the backup to D-Mac for quite some time, but with the Training Camp drills, he slowly came into his own and became the MVP of the NFL and won the Super Bowl in the same year.

I can’t say that this will happen to the real Kolb as Madden is generally wrong about a lot of things. Case in point, Michael Lewis develops into a 99 within two seasons. Clearly his pass coverage ability did not matter as time went on. Despite the shock of the pick (I feel they could have snagged him in the third round perhaps, but after the Eagles drafted Kolb there was a run on QBs), I think it could potentially pay dividends in the end. I am not saying this kid is going to be the next Montana, but he is going to have a couple years to develop in the Eagles offensive system, which is generally hard for rookies coming out of the draft to understand.

McNabb is not going to be traded any time soon and his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule as we know. I realize that this injury was different from the sports hernia, but Donovan came out firing last season by putting up potential MVP numbers. The ACL injury is much more serious and we all know what happened to Culpepper when he tried to rush his comeback. I see the drafting of Kolb as an insurance policy mainly. The quarterback depth right now is great for the Eagles, but it’s starting to age much like the linebacking corps. McNabb, Feeley, and Holcomb are all over the age of 30. I feel like its never too early to add youth to a position, and because Kolb is going to be riding the bench for the a few years, he’s going hopefully going to know the offense much like Feeley did when he stepped in for McNabb in 2002.

The second pick in the second round was at least a pick that I expected to happen at some point during the draft. Notre Dame defensive end Victor Abiamiri brings a young pair of legs to the D-line. It wasn’t hard to notice that the signing of Darren Howard was a bust as he barely provided a pass-rush last year. He will bring something to the table because he had 10 1/2 sacks and 15 TFL on a Notre Dame defense that is anything but stellar. Additionally, Victor is large for a defensive end, at 6-5 and 271 pounds, and while he is not going to be a starter right now, he will most likely provide some bulk to the run-stuffing game, which has been an irritating problem for the defense the past few seasons.

Sticking with the idea of big (we here at Stain Club obviously enjoy going big with our huge units and BPAS, so it should come as know surprise that I fully endorse the Eagles actions when it came to getting “bigger” in this draft), the two third round picks certainly epitomized this trend. First, there was Stewart Bradley, a hulk of a linebacker who outweighs most of our players at this position, weighing in at 256 (that’s almost equal to Trotter!). He played both MLB and SAM, but he could potentially push for playing time behind Gocong in addition to special teams. I liked this pick even more when I heard that the Patriots actually desired him. As if they need any more help with the signings of Adalius Thomas and Donte Stallworth, in addition to the steal of the century by acquiring Randy Moss for a measly fourth rounder. Disregarding that previous rant, Bradley also could potentially be the future MLB due to his experience at the position. It would also move Omar Gaither back to the WILL, but that’s all speculation at this point. He also has a pretty sweet 'do, but I think he trimmed it for the post-draft mini-camp.

If you want more hugeness, you got it as the Eagles’ second third round pick was the best of the draft in my opinion as I have gone to Penn State these past four years and watched as Tony Hunt became a larger and larger bull-dozer each season he started. The “Thunder and Lightning” comments will be flying out of everyone’s mouth once the season rolls around if Hunt surpasses Buckhalter on the depth chart. The best part about Hunt is he provides this team with the bruising back that they have needed for years to get the tough, short yards that could make or break a game. Offense coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will not be reluctant to throw in Hunt if the Eagles face a third and short with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter as he has the potential to carry defenders past the first down marker. Great, great pick to end the first day.

Can I Just Say...

...that multi HR games are a lot better than called third strikes. Pat My Man.

Can I Just Say...

...That the Eagles got Tony Hunt. I would've loved Poz, but Tony "The Ball Carrier" Hunt is pretty great.

Who Would You Rather Have?

Maybe the general management sees something that I don't, but why would you sign second-tier wide receiver Kevin Curtis for essentially the same amount of money that Donte Stallworth is getting from New England? Stallworth, who has a track record of hamstring problems, aptly showed that he is a legit and speedy weapon when fully healthy. He is also two years younger than Curtis. He also would have preferred to return to the Eagles but apparently nothing ever happened.

It just baffles me sometimes how this management works, but in the end, they somehow breed a contender. I'll trust their decision because of their track record, but it doesn't mean I'm not frustrated by it.

Hope Springs Eternal

It is a terrible time in sports currently, with the Super Bowl being over and March Madness still a few long weeks away. It is even worse if you root for Philadelphia teams because there are only two that you can root for and both of them are currently looking for the light switch that will get them out of the cellar of their conferences. That’s right: the Sixers and Flyers are the only salvation for Philadelphia sports fans, and it is no fun to watch your teams lose each and every game. If you want proof, check out the standings for both the Sixers and the Flyers. Even if you combined the win columns for both teams by somehow creating an amalgam of a team, they would still be 10 wins short of first place in the NBA and 7 wins short in the NHL with 30 victories.

Despite the shortage of wins that these two teams have put up, I for one am optimistic about the future of these two teams. Let me explain, and not in that angry, generic Philadelphian griping sort of way.

I am an avid fan of the NCAA Football series for PS2. I have become a pretty good gamer over the years, and I particularly enjoy the Dynasty Mode. This mode permits you to take control of any of the 119 NCAA Div 1-A teams and attempt to build them into a national title contender. Because my skills at this game have improved over the course of time, I ultimately choose to become the head coach of a team that has moderate talent and attempt to build them up by winning games and recruiting talented players.

Why do I choose to do this? Because it is no fun to be hand-fed national titles and #1 recruiting classes by being the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Texas Longhorns. Where’s the fun, let alone the challenge in that? It essentially is a waste of time (and no, this is not to say video games such as this one is a waste of time—va fa Pittsburgh with you if you think so).

The reason for this optimism for the Sixers and Flyers is due to the fact that they now have a chance to build up their respective franchises through their drafts in the coming months. The Sixers currently have three first round picks (thanks to the trade of Allen Iverson) and the Flyers are most likely on the clock as the number one pick in the first round.

I realize Billy King still is in control of the Sixers and can still ruin this franchise with his stupidity, but it is hard to screw up a chance at a top five pick. The Sixers may not be the worst team in the league right now, but the NBA has a lottery system that selects the number one draft pick. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are still within grasp at this point.

Another thing you have to realize about the Sixers right now is that they are young and have been prone to showing that they do have the potential (just not on a consistent basis) to play and win against some of the talented teams in the league. Remember, they did beat Denver and Cleveland a few weeks back.

I also am enjoying how Andre Iguodala (AI 2) has developed. Some experts thought he was a bust, but you have to realize with a system that was centered around Allen Iverson (AI 1), who is prone to shoot more than pass, it is hard to develop young talent into capable scorers. With AI 1 out of the picture, there is a more promise for a balanced attack with players like Kyle Korver and Samuel Dalembert stepping up their game.

As for the Flyers, the NHL draft isn’t quite the spectacle as the NFL or NBA draft. But over the past few years, it is clear that there are talented players out there would can develop within a few years. Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, and Alex Ovechkin are cases in point. No one really cares about hockey, but I still enjoy keeping an eye on the type of players that the Flyers will be drafting over the next few years to catch up with the new rules of the NHL. Puck-handling defensemen as well as speedy forwards who can play defense are a must now.

It is actually ironic that our ex-GM, Bob Clarke, pushed for the new rules while he actually kept on trading for slow, thuggish defenders who couldn’t score for shit. Now that he is finally out of the picture, the team can try and figure out how to pick up the pieces and start anew. They do have solid young talent in Michael Richards, Jeff Carter, and Joni Pitkanen, but they do not have enough.

It is obviously hard as a Philadelphia sports fan to deal with the fact that a perennial playoff team such as the Flyers has fallen off the face of the earth and the Sixers just haven’t been able to put together a legit playoff run since 2001. I urge those fans to have patience and to wait and what happens in these drafts, even though they are still months away and we have to suffer through these losing seasons before reaping the rewards of both drafts.

And just keep repeating to yourself in the meantime: only 7 more days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training.