Some things to enjoy
You know, there’s a lot about sports to enjoy besides winning. In BirdTown, where winning the championship (any championship) has been all too elusive, its easy to overlook this fact. In a town like this, as great as we are, sports can become one dimensional: win or lose.
But you know what. Even if the Phils don’t make the playoffs this year, I’m still enjoying it. I’m enjoying Jimmy Rollins’ 26 game hit streak. I’m enjoying Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard as he hits game winning homer, after game winning homer. Last night he corked off a game winning, extra-inning grand-slam homer. That’s what baseball is about.
Sure, the manager sucks. He just plain sucks. Pulling Lidle after 59 pitches and replacing him with Cormier the other night was foolish. But the Phillies have actually been enjoyable to watch down the stretch. These guys are coming to play. They’re putting it all on the line. These aren’t the Phils of old, and for that I’m thankful.
Sport is to be enjoyed for its nuances. The great play. The diving catch. The walk-off homer. The complete game. The wicked curve ball. The 98mph fastball. The 26 game hit streak. The rookie who came out of nowhere.
The Phils have a chance. They’re two games down for that last wildcard spot. But you know what…Houston’s gonna be tough to catch. They’ve been playing so, so well. I’m routing for the Phils to the very end, but even if they miss the playoffs, I’m not gonna get depressed. They’ve given me an enjoyable show and unless they totally bomb-out here at the end, we should soak in what they’ve given us this year.
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Posted on September 22, 2005 by Micah | Filed Under Phillies, Philadelphia
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I was born just as Philly entered its brief period of sports dominance. Unfortunately, I started following sports just after that period ended. I missed all of the titles and most of the glory. I’d really love to just see one of our teams win it all - just once at least.
With that said, I’ve had the chance to watch the Eagles in a Super Bowl (and lose to one of the best teams by only 3 points), the Sixers in the Finals (and be the only team to beat the Lakers in the playoffs that year), the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals (and Hextall win the MVP in a losing effort), and even the Phillies in the World Series (and Mitch Williams blow the whole thing - oh wait, I was supposed to write something good). At leat I get to watch them compete - and that is what really matters.
Lately I’ve really been pushing myself to just get back into the game, because that’s what really matters. As much as I want to see a title in Philly, watching good sports is worth just as much.