The Philadelphia Phillies are about to do what no other professional sports team has ever done; lose their 10,000th game! While that is quite a (depressing) achievement, it is even more maligned in the City of Brotherly Love, where every strikeout, pitching change and caught stealing is talk-radio worthy. In a town where every losing effort is enough to oust the manager, 10,000 losses should be enough to burn the whole city down. But, let’s not get drastic here; it is not all bad for the Phillies. Do not fear! Here are five reasons why Phillies fans, and all of Philadelphia, should be happy and not depressed on the impending milestone.
- Citizens Bank Park – This ballpark is one of the newest and nicest in all of MLB. The short porches allow for a very fan friendly game, with lots of homeruns hit. The food in the stadium is some of the best a fan will find anywhere; enjoy some classic Philly cheesesteaks or even better, some great BBQ made by former Phillies player Greg “The Bull” Luzinski.
- .500 This Season – The Phillies are sporting a respectable, if not outstanding record of 44-44 before the All Star break this season. That is exactly .500; as in- not a losing record! That is just one game beneath a winning record! With the Mets and Braves both struggling, the Phillies are within a very reachable 4.5 games of first place in the National League East. Pennant, here you come…
- Young Studs – The Phillies have a great cast of young ballplayers that can serve to be the core of their team for the next decade. The veteran of the group, Jimmy Rollins, is one of the best shortstops in the National League. Ryan Howard, last year’s NL MVP and homerun leader is an absolute force to be reckoned with and Chase Utley is one of the most well rounded players in the game. Pitcher Cole Hamels has the stuff that makes scouts drool and with some more experience could develop into one of the game’s best.
- World Series Win In 1980 – You might be thinking to yourself, why should we be happy that we won a World Series way back in 1980? Well, you should be happy because you’re not the Chicago Cubs! While the Red Sox and White Sox have both broken their curses, the Cubs are still mired in championship futility that the Phillies cannot even fathom. While your stretch of 27 years is modestly impressive, the Cubs are at 99 years and counting! Take that, Chicago!
- Thousands Of Wins – Sure, 10,000 losses is a lot. It’s not just a lot; it’s the most losses for a professional sports franchise, ever. But you knew all of that already. Did you know that the Phillies have won an amazing 8,808 games in their franchise history? That’s an incredible number! With the young talent the Phillies have and that fancy, new, fan friendly ball park, the Phillies can reach 10,000 wins in the next 15 years! Hooray!
Celebrate Philadelphia! It’s not all bad news, and 10,000 of anything – no matter what it is – is impressive.
