Bring on Dem Yankees!
October 28, 2009 by walt haley
Filed under Fan News
They are going to get their chance in the World Series starting tonight.
Outside of Philadelphia this team isn’t getting much love. I am not talking about singing the Phillies’ praises for getting back to the World Series. Everyone knows that they have the best line-up in the National League (that is not saying much, the National League is a joke).
I haven’t heard one major pundit select the Phillies to win the series. Why? Because the Yankees have such a storied past? Because they have home field advantage? Because of Mariano Rivera?
I hate to point this out, but the Yankees haven’t been relevant since 2001. The Phillies are the best road team the Yankees will face and the Phillies have a better closer (I will get to that in a minute).
Everyone knows what the addition of Cliff Lee meant to this team. Once the trade was made the so-called baseball pundits picked them to re-represent the NL in the World Series. They were a lock.
Somehow, these stupid pundits forgot that once the Phillies matched up against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. They overlooked the fact that the Dodgers were essentially the same team that the Phillies killed the year before and they overlooked the one glaring point – the Dodgers suck.
I am not sure how these guys over looked that, but also how they overlooked the biggest point to make for the Phillies – their resiliency. It is unmatched in baseball.
Let’s repeat. The Phillies RE-SIL-I-EN-CY is unmatched in baseball. It is the ultimate intangible in baseball. This team just doesn’t quit.
The Yankees are pretty close in this department and they seemed pretty locked in right now but they haven’t been to this stage in quite a while. CC has never been there, neither has A-Rod. Let’s not crown these guys just yet. What the Phillies are putting together just has that feel to it.
This must have been what the New England Patriots felt, putting together their dynasty. No-one saw it coming, other then the Patriots and their fan base.
The Yankees have the second best closer in baseball – Mariano Rivera. He is pretty awesome, a lock for the Hall of Fame. Surprisingly, his October numbers crush his regular season numbers and that is pretty hard to do.
The Phillies have the best closer in baseball – Ryan Howard. That is right! I will take Howard in the ninth over Rivera, any day of the week.
I happened to see (as did all of Philadelphia) the New York Post article yesterday. The picture was hysterical and it is most definitely hanging up in Shane Victorino’s locker right now. (At least I hope it is).
Not that the Phillies need any extra motivation tonight, but that should about do it. Shane Victorino might just hit two grand salamis against CC Sabathia tonight now!
I am pumped up!
Back to that stupid New York Post article. It cracks me up how other cities dump all over the City of Philadelphia and their fans. They always bring up throwing snow balls at Santa Claus, the rowdy Veterans stadium crowd (which I miss), the fans cheering when Michael Irvin got hurt, the jail in the Vet, etc. All of that did happen –way back in Philadelphia history!
What they don’t realize is that was so freaking long ago. They love living in the past. The crowds are way more civilized now. The new ballparks are beautiful and the crowds are awesome. (They are a thousand times more tame than in the past).
We continue to get shit on because of our past, but we don’t care – go ahead, live in the past New York. While you are living in the past, thinking about how ‘awful’ our fans are and how awesome your 26 championships are; The Phillies will be living in the present, celebrating their 2nd championship in a row with those same “lousy’ fans.
Congratulations New York on finally being able to figure out a way to buy relevancy again! Too bad you are running into a new dynasty. This is 2009 not 1999, you’ll hopefully figure that out once you remove your heads from your asses.
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Harry Kalas Was Philadelphia
April 15, 2009 by walt haley
Filed under Fan News
Apr. 12 was a sad day in Philadelphia. Everyone in Philadelphia loved Harry Kalas. It was hard not to. He had the best voice in baseball, ever. He was immensely talented.
When Kalas spoke, Philadelphia and baseball fans listened. He just knew how to captivate you. He made every game seem so freaking important. You would never know that the Phillies were 22 games out of first place, as they typically were.
Kalas made you feel like part of a family. He made you care. He made you want to play baseball or wiffleball growing up. He made you want to sit on the porch and gather around a radio, sipping on a few adult beverages and getting some fresh air.
Hitting a home run in little league or wiffleball was so important, just so I could scream to myself, “That ball’s outta here!” Man, I do a terrible impression of Harry the K, but it never got old.
He will be sorely missed.
Harry and Whitey Ashburn easily made the best announcing team of all time. I used to love sitting up late at night listening to those two announce a game. Even though the Phillies stunk, my brother and I listened to them as often as we could.
The people in Heaven just got a little luckier today. They get to see them teamed up again. Maybe they are calling a game against famed Cubs announcer Harry Caray.
It just won’t be the same without Harry Kalas.
He went out on top. He got to see (and finally freaking announce) the latest Phillies World Series in 2008. It was long overdue. The prime time event of a World Series needs and deserves the best announcer. Last year the event finally got one.
He got to see the World Series pennant raised into the air on Opening Day. Harry the K got to slide his 2008 World Series ring onto his finger last Wednesday. He got to walk into the booth one last time.
I am sure he would have wanted his family to be present, so he can say his goodbyes and see them one last time, but it was not to be. The way he left this earth was a fitting and appropriate way to pass on, if there ever is one. It probably would have been his second choice.
It was much deserved.
A city will be in mourning for a long time. The voice of the city has fallen silent.
I only had this feeling one other time in my life; it was when Mel Blanc passed away. I was in eighth grade. When Blanc died, it actually hurt. He was freaking awesome. He did the voices for Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, the Woody Woodpecker laugh, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety Bird, Pepe le Pew, Sylvester the Cat, and Porky Pig, just to name a few.
I essentially grew up with Bugs Bunny episodes tattooed on my brain. I loved them.
I loved the boxing episode when Bugs brings a slingshot into the ring, and hands it to the Crusher (the big boxer guy) and he holds it. I think the slingshot had an anvil or a bolder in it.
He knocks the Crusher silly.
The Crusher speaks like the guy from of Mice and Men. “Duh, which way did he go, George, which way did he go?”
Bugs was all about smashing people in the head with anvils. I have never seen an anvil, but I bet that would really hurt. Do they still make anvils? What are they used for?
Anyway, that is the biggest compliment I could give anyone. Harry Kalas is my modern day Mel Blanc. It truly is a sad day.
Kalas got to announce all 548 of Michael Jack Schmidt’s home runs. More importantly, Phillies fans got to hear him do it.
The Waltdog is outtaaaa heeeeere!