A Decade Ago at Citizens Bank Park
I became a lifelong Phillies fan on July 11, 2009, the day I went to my first MLB game with my family. With the home team down 7-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the game had been exciting yet unmemorable. People began streaming for the exits as dark clouds formed ominously over the field. Maybe if they hurried they could make it to their cars before the downpour.
Matt Stairs' lead-off home-run brought the crowd to life but hardly altered the inevitable. Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, but Shane Victorino's flyout to center left them two outs from defeat. When Chase Utley singled there was hope: Ryan Howard came up to bat, a year removed from his triumphant 2008 postseason run and a year ahead of signing arguably the worst contract in baseball, a deal that would doom the franchise to years of futility long after their championship window closed. But 2009 Ryan Howard was still one of the most feared power hitters in the game, and the Pittsburgh pitcher looked vulnerable.
BANG. I'll always remember the crack of the bat, and the roar that followed. The score was tied at 7. Rain continued to threaten, but it looked like we could be here awhile. Unbelievably, the visiting Pirates declined to make a pitching change.
A double, walk, and two singles later, it was all over. The Phillies had won. I was hooked for life. The heavens opened and we all got drenched.
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I've now been a loyal fan for a full decade, and memories of the glory years have yet to fade. We made it back to the World Series in 2009, and kept getting better until the unforgettable run of 2011, where we won 102 games, started four of the top ten pitchers in the league, and really should've won it all. Then came the misery: six straight years without a winning season. This year looks likely to break the streak -- at 69-63 we sit only two games back of the Cubs for the second wild-card spot. We could make the postseason!The schedule looks tough down the stretch, but we should continue to improve in the coming years. I fear, however, that we may not become championship-competitive before Bryce Harper's ten year mega-deal looks even worse than Howard's contract, sending us back into the throes of mediocrity coupled with financial inflexibility... the dreaded "stagflation" of sports. But that's a worry for the off-season. For now, it's nice to care about September baseball again.
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U.S. Open tennis has me at the edge of my seat. A quarter of the men's draw has broken wide open, and all hell could break loose if Nick Kyrgios takes advantage of his opportunity to finally challenge the big boys in the later rounds of a slam. Stay tuned...
Matt Stairs' lead-off home-run brought the crowd to life but hardly altered the inevitable. Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, but Shane Victorino's flyout to center left them two outs from defeat. When Chase Utley singled there was hope: Ryan Howard came up to bat, a year removed from his triumphant 2008 postseason run and a year ahead of signing arguably the worst contract in baseball, a deal that would doom the franchise to years of futility long after their championship window closed. But 2009 Ryan Howard was still one of the most feared power hitters in the game, and the Pittsburgh pitcher looked vulnerable.
BANG. I'll always remember the crack of the bat, and the roar that followed. The score was tied at 7. Rain continued to threaten, but it looked like we could be here awhile. Unbelievably, the visiting Pirates declined to make a pitching change.
A double, walk, and two singles later, it was all over. The Phillies had won. I was hooked for life. The heavens opened and we all got drenched.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've now been a loyal fan for a full decade, and memories of the glory years have yet to fade. We made it back to the World Series in 2009, and kept getting better until the unforgettable run of 2011, where we won 102 games, started four of the top ten pitchers in the league, and really should've won it all. Then came the misery: six straight years without a winning season. This year looks likely to break the streak -- at 69-63 we sit only two games back of the Cubs for the second wild-card spot. We could make the postseason!The schedule looks tough down the stretch, but we should continue to improve in the coming years. I fear, however, that we may not become championship-competitive before Bryce Harper's ten year mega-deal looks even worse than Howard's contract, sending us back into the throes of mediocrity coupled with financial inflexibility... the dreaded "stagflation" of sports. But that's a worry for the off-season. For now, it's nice to care about September baseball again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Open tennis has me at the edge of my seat. A quarter of the men's draw has broken wide open, and all hell could break loose if Nick Kyrgios takes advantage of his opportunity to finally challenge the big boys in the later rounds of a slam. Stay tuned...
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