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Savoring the Series
Sports writers are calling it the Sad Sack Series.
Writers are having a field day with references to which town has the sorriest history in baseball. Philadelphia lays claim to the losingest team in pro sports history, while Tampa Bay was in the running for the worst expansion franchise ever.
Suffice it to say both cities harbor a lot of disappointment among baseball fans.
Either way, the result of the 2008 World Series is going to catapult one of them out of the cellar and to the top of the world.
One of these two towns that has suffered long and hard is going to have a big party. Let’s hope it’s a parade down Broad Street.
Already, the Phillies’ National League pennant win and first appearance in the World Series since 1993 has the town hoppin’.
A whole generation of baseball fans is thrilled to be witnessing their first local World Series. Others are comparing the current crew of fiery players to the greats of the ’80s and the ’90s.
For those who want a reason to be fired up against Tampa Bay, the city of brotherly love has some serious resentment going back to the 2003 NFC championship game. The Eagles were favored to win in the final game at Veterans Stadium, but Tampa Bay took the game 27-10 and went on to beat Oakland and win the Super Bowl.
Fifteen months later, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Flyers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tampa Bay then won a seven-game series against the Calgary Flames to celebrate with the Stanley Cup.
So, we’re owed a few.
In this region, it’s not just a World Series win we’re anxious for -- it’s a sports team championship any way we can get it to reward this gritty city’s sports fans for patience and perseverance. (Truth be told, Philly fans are more often impatient and not-so-persevering.)
But, patience and yes, a sense of believing, prevailed in the National League Championship Series. The city is poised for a championship, but not frantic. Ready, but not desperate.
We can savor the Phillies’ success that brought the fans along into the October sun and watch them fight for us against another young and hungry team; we can relish the excitement of the World Series and enjoy the ride.
That’s what happens in a town with this kind of sports history -- it lives for the moment that has been a long time coming.
Writers are having a field day with references to which town has the sorriest history in baseball. Philadelphia lays claim to the losingest team in pro sports history, while Tampa Bay was in the running for the worst expansion franchise ever.
Suffice it to say both cities harbor a lot of disappointment among baseball fans.
Either way, the result of the 2008 World Series is going to catapult one of them out of the cellar and to the top of the world.
One of these two towns that has suffered long and hard is going to have a big party. Let’s hope it’s a parade down Broad Street.
Already, the Phillies’ National League pennant win and first appearance in the World Series since 1993 has the town hoppin’.
A whole generation of baseball fans is thrilled to be witnessing their first local World Series. Others are comparing the current crew of fiery players to the greats of the ’80s and the ’90s.
For those who want a reason to be fired up against Tampa Bay, the city of brotherly love has some serious resentment going back to the 2003 NFC championship game. The Eagles were favored to win in the final game at Veterans Stadium, but Tampa Bay took the game 27-10 and went on to beat Oakland and win the Super Bowl.
Fifteen months later, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Flyers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tampa Bay then won a seven-game series against the Calgary Flames to celebrate with the Stanley Cup.
So, we’re owed a few.
In this region, it’s not just a World Series win we’re anxious for -- it’s a sports team championship any way we can get it to reward this gritty city’s sports fans for patience and perseverance. (Truth be told, Philly fans are more often impatient and not-so-persevering.)
But, patience and yes, a sense of believing, prevailed in the National League Championship Series. The city is poised for a championship, but not frantic. Ready, but not desperate.
We can savor the Phillies’ success that brought the fans along into the October sun and watch them fight for us against another young and hungry team; we can relish the excitement of the World Series and enjoy the ride.
That’s what happens in a town with this kind of sports history -- it lives for the moment that has been a long time coming.
posted by Nancy March at
2:25 PM
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