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Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Phillies Playoff blog Rundown

The 700 Level

The 700 level is a great site for everything Philadelphia sports. They are funny and they love Philadelphia. They even have a Flickr Group.

Macho Row

What says Phillies more then a blog named after the core of the 93 Phillies. They do very good summaries of the games and good info before the game.

The Fightins

The Fightins is a blog that really feels like a Philadelphia sports fan. These are the kind of folks I used to hand out with in the Greater Northeast and play fantasy football in their basement.

Philly Sports Cast

I really love the Philly Sports Cast podcast. These guys are real fans. I feel like I know them without knowing them.

Phillies Nations

Good info and good writing about the Phillies

Labels: blog, list, philadelphia, Phillies, rundown

- Rich, 12:45 PM

Monday, April 13, 2009

Remembing Harry Kalas

Harry Kalas passed away today. I am usually not one to get choked up when famous people die. Maybe I feel a connection and closeness to Harry Kalas that I do not have with other famous people. I guess it has something to do with Radio and Baseball.

I would like to call Harry Kalas genius at calling a ball game. When I was in high school and start of college the Phillies were bad, 87-92. His genius came in by making the games entertaining even when the teams were bad. I listened to more loses than I care to remember, but Harry and Richie somehow made them alright. Harry Kalas is in no small part responsible for my personal love of baseball.

Labels: Harry Kalas, Obituary, philadelphia, Phillies

- Rich, 1:03 PM

Friday, October 31, 2008

The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies Won the 2008 World Series. People who know me know that I am a Phillies fan. I like all the Philadelphia sports teams, but baseball is my favorite sport and the Phillies are my favorite team.

I think one of the reasons I love the Phillies is because they are not always good. They have had some pretty bad teams. They have lost more games that any other baseball team. Yes, most of those loses were before I was born, but I have seen a couple of 90+ loss seasons. In the 80's and 90's some of those teams were very bad. Maybe

If Philadelphia did not love Chase Utley enough, he goes and says what everyone in Philadelphia wishes they could have said. Right now Chase Utley could run for any office in Philadelphia and win.

I am happy I had the chance to see the Phillies win.

Labels: championship, Phillies, World Series

- Rich, 9:10 PM

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Sports Heartbreaks

I hear about a Sports Illustrated Article about the 100 seasons without a title in Philadelphia. I know this heart break well. I was born just before the golden age of Philadelphia Sports. From 1974 to 1983 Philadelphia was a great sports town. They won 4 titles and made bunch of trips to the finals. when I was young I thought it would always be that way. Little did I know that those four titles were more than half the pro sports titles the city had in 100 years of pro sports. Now with another 25 years passing we have not added any titles. I only count the four major sports leagues. Those Indoor lacrosse, arena football, and Minor league hockey titles don't mean anything to me.

The rest of the four sport cities have one a title since we have. You can checkout The other four sport cities

The story has a list of Philadelphia Sports events that have happened in those 100 seasons.


61. This is the worst free agent signing in the history of sports.
26. Wondered what the NFL was thinking by letting this game be played.
24. Knew 2005 would not be the Eagles year
9. Knew that they were not going to win with Barkley and hoped he would get a title with the Suns
8. Gave up on the Eagles Season
6. Drank silly with my friends Eric and Darcey
5. My heart sank as I knew the Sixers were not going to win.
4. I saw for 15 minutes in a room with 30 eagles fans and no one made a sound. At that end of those 15 minutes I had to keep a man from beating up a person who made fun of us for sitting in the dark.
2. I Cried in my car as I watched in through a bay window and listened on the radio
1. I broke a deck furniture with a friend

With all these heart breaks, you might wonder why I stay loyal to my teams. You might ask why I would keep watching if they are going to break my heart. There are a lot of reasons. One of the reasons is because the good moments are so go, it makes easy to put up with the bad moments.

One of the moments that gives me home is the Willie Burton 53 point game for the Sixers. There is a great write up about the game on the Don't Ever Give Up Basketball blog, You need so scroll down to the bottom. This guy who could kindly be described as a journeyman did something that is reserved for NBA royalty. A guy who is a footnote in NBA history holds the single game scoring record for the Spectrum, a record he took from Michael Jordan. That is one of those moments that keeps me believing.

Labels: 76ers, championship, Eagles, fan, list, philadelphia, Phillies, pro sports, sports, tag overload, Willie Burton

- Rich, 3:57 PM

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Baseball Money

I was listening to Philscast and heard about Cot's Baseball Contracts. It is a site that has contract info for all the teams in Major League Baseball. It is pretty cool to see what is in the contracts. Who get paid what. It is sad that Bengie Molina, arguably the Giants best position player, makes less money than Dave Roberts who only has 17 at bats so far this year.

This is a great baseball site. Put it up there with Baseball Reference for how useful it is. There is even a list of the expected free agents in future years. This one is a great find.

Labels: baseball, Baseball Reference, contract, Cot's Contract, MLB, Phillies, Philscast, SF Giants, tag overload, web site

- Rich, 4:11 PM

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Phillies 10,000 Losses on ESPN

Phillies 10,000 Losses on ESPN
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

The Phillies did it. They lost their 10,000 game all time. It only took a 124 years to get here. That is 124 in one city. The Giants have over 10,000 wins, but that is split between San Francisco and New York. The Phillies have all their losses as a Philadelphia team.

What does 10,000 loses mean. It means the Phillies have been around for a long time. It means there have been a lot of broken dreams. It means that the city has stuck by the team all that time. It means good years and bad, fans have found a reason to believe. Fans keep on finding a reason to come back to the Phillies

The Phillies only have 8811 wins all time. For they Phillies to get back to .500 all time they would have to go on a winning streak until September 2014. If the team has 100 win seasons, 100 wins being the gold standard for good baseball times, until the team reached .500 it would take almost 30 years. It will be a few years before any other team gets 10,000.

The number 10,000 is a number the fans can be proud about. The only people I know who have a link to all 10,000 loses are people who have grandsons of fans.

Ed Deal, a Phillies game-day employee, said it best: “The Phillies are my grandfather’s team, my father’s team, my team, my sons’ team and my grandchildren’s team.”

That, my friends, is Phillies baseball.

I think that Phillies fans should celebrate 10,000. If I was in Philadelphia I would have tried to be at the game.

I left Philadelphia. I left the area I grew up in. Part of my heart are still back there. It would be easy for some to latch onto another team. Not me, the Phillies are my team, 10,000 losses or not.

Labels: baseball, flickrpost, MLB, philadelphia, Phillies

- Rich, 11:48 PM

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Long Road

There is a current race in Major League Baseball Records. Will the Barry Bonds get to 756 home runs to break Hank Aaron's career mark before the Phillies get to 10000 losses. Right now Barry Bonds has 748 home runs and the Phillies have 9990 losses. This is the most in the history of professional team sports.

I am hoping that the Phillies get to 10000 losses first. I have been asked by some people how could I celebrate this? How can I celebrate being a fan of a team with so many losses? Sports are about winning. How can I be happy about how many time the Phillies have loss?

In the end, this is a very Philadelphia thing. Bad things don't happen because sports teams lose games. The crime rate in Philadelphia would not be any lower if the Phillies only had 8300 loses. The city would not be any nicer if the Phillies was 28 World Series. The schools would not be better if the Phillies had won 13 divisions in a row. In the end baseball is still a game. I love baseball, but it is not curing cancer.

The A's, who are currently in Oakland and still better than the Phillies, where the good Philadelphia team for the first half of the 20th century. They were the team that won 9 Pennants and 5 world series while the Phillies where dwelling the the cellar and racking up more 100 loss seasons (13) that willing seasons (11). Yet is was still the A's that pulled out of Philadelphia for a city of their own.

I do wonder if I and Philadelphia would have been different if the Phillies left and the A's would have stayed in Philadelphia. I wonder if I would have been an American league fan. I wonder what it would have been like for the Philadelphia team to be beaten by the Yankees all the time. I know this is an impossible question, but I think things would have been different.

I know some Phillies fans who are proud of 10,000 losses. It is not that we are proud that our team are losers. We are proud that the Phillies are still our team. We did not have to seal them from another city and they never left us. They have always been a Philadelphia team. Bad season after bad season we have been willing to come out and see them play. We cheer for the good times and boo for the bad times.

As a Phillies fan the team has broken my heart more times than I can count. In 1993 I sat in my car and cried when Mitch Williams gave up that home run to Joe Carter. But that 1993 season was the most fun I ever had as a baseball fan. If the Phillies won all the time, that season would not have been as fun. Every coach in the world will say that you learn more from losing that from winning. I think that is the reason that some people what to celebrate 10,000 losses.

In the end the Phillies are Philadelphia. We love the team 10,000 losses and much fewer wins, the same way we love the city. Philadelphia is not New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, but it would not want to be any of those places. There is something about the Phillies and their 10,000 losses that fits well into the history of the city they call home.

Labels: 10000 Losses, A's, baseball, philadelphia, Phillies, Yankees

- Rich, 4:44 PM

Monday, June 04, 2007

Pitching

Phillies V. Padres in San Diego: Pitching
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

There is nothing like watching a little baseball as the days get longer. even if I am just watching on TV. There is something about baseball that usually puts me in a better mood. That is as long as the Phillies are not finding a dumb way to lose.

Speaking of the Phillies losing, They are only 15 losses away from 10,000. That will give them the most losses in the history of pro sports. It has only taken the Phillies 124 years to reach that mark. There are older teams and worse teams, but no older worse teams.

Even a good baseball teams lose 60-70 games. That is more than the below average basketball or hockey team loses. The Phillies had 50 years of being the worst team in baseball. Think about how long they were bad. I think that has something to do with why I am a fan.

Labels: 10000 Losses, bad, baseball, history, Phillies, pro sports

- Rich, 11:43 PM

Monday, February 12, 2007

Bloggin Baseball

Phillies v. Giants: Pitching
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

Baseball is only a few weeks away. I always look forward to baseball. Baseball is my favorite sport. I enjoy being able to check the scores everyday to see what is happening. I enjoy watching baseball tonight and sports center. I enjoy those games where it feels like nothing is happening, but you cannot turn away.

I was surprised how much of a baseball town San Francisco is. Most people would expect it to be a Football town with the 49ers and the Raiders. Sports fans seem to get more excited about the Giants and the A's. It might be because the 49ers will never be as great as they were in the 80s ever again. It is not their fault, no team will be that great again.

Maybe it is the transport nature of the area. Baseball fans from all over seem to get along better than football fans from all over the place. I will go to a Giants or A's game to see anyone play. For football I would rather stay home and watch the Eagles than go to a 49ers game.

Baseball season will be here before I know it. That is a good feeling about time flying.

Labels: 49ers, A, baseball, Bay Area, Giants, Phillies, Raiders, San Francisco, sports

- Rich, 7:44 PM

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Vacation Day 1: Giants v. Phillies

Meeting On The Mound
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

I started my vacation before I was planning to leave town. When I originally set up my vacation I was going to use friday to surprise my girlfriend with dinner before I left town. Since I do not have to worry about having a girlfriend currently, I was on my own for the first day of my vacation.

My team is in town. The Phillies are here to play the Giants. I was worried that I was going to miss them because they were coming to town at the same time as my vacation. I ended up being in town even after my vacation started.

I was going to go into San Francisco early and take some pictures. I had the day off, I might as well get some use out of it. Because of a late start and poorly used time my day of photography turned into just a trip to Amoeba records and a little drive around the city. I am great at wasting time.

I got to the game early, but I could not get into the stadium. There was a mix up and the ticket I had was no good. I had to wait for Antwon and Ealasaid to get there. The mixup come out in my favor because I got a seat 10 rows behind home plate. I did not get my usual pre-game photos. I got to my set right before the first pitch.

The game was pretty good, except for the Phillies melting down for one inning. That is all it took for them to lose. The Phillies have lost most of the games I have seen them play in San Francisco.

After the game I went to the Valley Schwag party. It was an okay party. It was too hot, too crowded, and too many guys. The women were cute, but the odds were 4:1. Those are not good odds for me.

That is a pretty good first day of vacation.

Labels: ATT Park, baseball, flickrpost, Phillies, SF Giants, vacation, Valley Schwag

- Rich, 1:36 PM

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Losingist Team Ever

Talking about how bad the Phillies have been, I found the website Countdown to 10000. We are counting down to the Phillies 10000 lost. The Phillies have lost more games than any other team in the history of Pro-sports. Not just the US history but the world history. There is a little part of me that is proud of this. My team truly is the worst at something. That is not an easy thing. I am not sure any team will be able to catch them in my life time.

The Washington Generals might have more, but it is hard to count the team playing the Globetrotters since they are not playing in a league. I would count all those games as exhibitions. If we counted them we would have to count all the spring training loses the Phillies would already be there.

Labels: baseball, history, losing, Phillies, Washington Generals

- Rich, 11:55 PM

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Worst of all Time

I found this list of the Worst Baseball Teams of All time. I am happy to see that there are no Phillies teams on this list. I am unhappy to see that all of the Honorable Mention teams are Phillies teams.

Thinking about it for a few minutes, this might be worse. These Phillies teams were bad enough to stink, but not bad enough to be the worst. I always think that third place is the worst place for a baseball team. Good enough to tease you all season long, not good enough to really be in the pennant race.

This makes me think I need to dust off my old "My Least Favorite Phillies of All-Time" team. I have worked on it before, but I have never posted it on my blog.

Labels: baseball, Phillies, sports, worst of all time

- Rich, 4:01 PM

Monday, November 21, 2005

Travel-blogue Day 5

Overheard Suburbs

“What? You're looking for a barging at 7-11. Are you stupid? Stop joking and pay up."

Coast v. Coast

When I was talking to aunt about living in San Jose she asked me how I liked it. I told her that I love my job, the weather is never too cold or too hot, and that I have a good circle of friends. Then she asked me if I liked it more then here, the Philadelphia area. Of course she asked me this question while other people were around. I answered her by telling her that both areas have good and bad points.

My answer was a bit of a dodge, but it is true. There are things big and small that like about California. It is everything from Dreamgirl and my job to how many good coffee shops there are and my real life Flickr community. It has taken me awhile, but I have really built a life in San Jose. Even if I do not like it as much as Philadelphia, it is not something I can just walk away.

There are a lot of things that I miss about the Philadelphia area. It would be nice to love close enough to my family that I do not have to take vacation to get home for Thanksgiving. I am jealous of my sisters being able to see each other so often. I might not want to shovel snow, but I miss that the snow.

The suburbs have chanced a lot in just the last seven years since I left. There is still something here that I remember. It means something to be here and live here. It is hard to describe, but I see it whenever I come back. It has something to do with the way people interact. It is not the same in San Jose. I miss that undesirable thing.

Whenever I go to any city I wonder if I could live there. It is just the way I look at the world when I travel. I feel that I could live here again. There are a lot of things here that still appeal to me. I feel that I could put a good life together for myself. I am just not in a rush to leave San Jose.

Do I like San Jose more than I like Philadelphia? When it comes purely to the conflict of place, I think that Philadelphia has an edge. There are lots of things here I miss. The difference is that I like the life I have in San Jose. That will keep in San Jose for a good while yet.

Labels: Phillies, tag overload, travel, travelogue, vacation

- Rich, 8:17 PM

Sunday, July 06, 2003

Talking baseball

I have already taken my baseball roadtrip for this year. Back in May I saw games in San Diego and Phoenix. I got to see the Phillies in both cities. At least the Phillies won one of those games. It was one of the highlights of my trip.

Many people know that baseball is my favorite sport. I love taking these little trips every year. There is almost a pilgrimage factor to baseball. I cannot think of any other sport were people talk about how many stadiums they have been to. They do not talk about the stadiums they want to see. I think there is something about baseball parks.

I have to think about what parks I want to see next year. By then the new park in Philadelphia will be done. That would be a trip worth taking. I wonder if I will get a chance to get back home next season.

Baseball Stadiums

Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia)
Comiskey Park II (Chicago)
Skydome (Toronto)
Tiger Stadium (Detroit)
Fenway Park (Boston)
Camden Yards (Baltimore)
Kingdome (Seattle)
Oakland Coliseum
Pacific Bell Park (San Francisco)
Edison International (Anaheim)
Quacom Stadium (Old Jack Murphy San Diego)
Bank One Ballpark (Arizona)



Baseball Teams Seen

Phillies
Pirates
Cubs
Braves
Mets
Cardinals
Expos
Giants
Dodgers
Padres
Reds
Astros
Brewers
Rockies
Diamond Backs
White Sox
Tigers
Blue Jays
Yankees
Red Sox
A's
Mariners
Rangers
Indians
Angels
Twins

Labels: baseball, Phillies, road trip, stadium, tag overload, travel

- Rich, 4:26 PM

Sunday, December 09, 2001

More On Pitching

Steve Carlton is one of my favorite pitchers of all times. I know that he has the reputation of being a disagreeable human being. As a player he hated the media. After his playing days he said some dumb things to the media. He has tried to rehabilitate himself in the mean time. That has been almost painful. He has no edge at all anymore. I have to give him a little leeway. Pitchers are a strange breed, left handers more so. A sportswriter once penned "hell is an island where everyone else is a goalie, a place kicker, or a left handed pitcher."

I just seen Carlton as a pitchers on the mound. He was the kind of pitcher that did not care who the hitter was, he was going to blow it by him. I watched him pitch some great games. I was between 6 and 12 when I watched him pitch on the Phillies. He was a great pitchers to watch when the game was all that mattered.

Carlton explains how he threw his slider. There used to be a joke about Carlton's Slider. Larry Christenson, another Phillies pitcher at the time asked Carlton how he got so much movement on his slider. Carlton said, "Put your finger along the seam and throw the shit out of the ball." Christenson sighed and commented that if he had Carlton's arm strength he would not worry at all about where to grip it.

Labels: baseball, Larry Christenson, Phillies, Steve Carlton

- Rich, 11:54 PM

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