What did I spend a chunk of my weekend doing? Celebrating the thrill of victory and playoff baseball as my Phillies clinched the NL East Title in dramatic fashion.And...
Watching the disgusting play of the Philadelphia Eagles in their loss to the Chicago Bears. As I type this post I'm still seething from the loss.
In my profile, I confess my love of sports. I'm a particularly big baseball and professional football fan. But what is not in my profile, and what is probably the most important fact I should share, is that I am a HUGE Philadelphia sports fan. For 85% of our readers who could care less about sports or the city of Philadelphia, you can stop reading now. For the rest...
As a native to the Philadelphia region, I've been a passionate Philly fan from birth. And, unfortunately, my teams have done a lot of losing in that time. At present, our city has gone over 25 years--and over 100 different professional sports seasons--without a championship. And some think our losing streak is more than just bad luck.
You see, in Philadelphia, on the top of city hall, there resides a statue of William Penn. Over a century ago, when this statute was placed atop city hall, there was a gentleman's agreement that no building in the city could ever rise above the brim of William Penn's hat.
And then, in 1984, the year after the last Philly championship (76ers-basketball), plans to build Philadelphia's first skyscraper, One Liberty Place, commenced. This skyscraper now towers over William Penn. Prior to 1984, Philadelphia's sports teams were very successful. Since 1984, the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers have been 0 for 7 in Championship finals! It has been over 100 seasons without a championship, the longest drought of any city with 4 professional sports teams.
Longest. Drought. Ever.
So I'm trying not to get too excited about my Phillies. I know how it will all end. But like a good Philly fan, I just keep hoping that this will be the year when the curse ends. I hope and I watch and I teach my children to hope and watch and wait. It is a lesson in perserverence, suffering (we all hate losing!), and loyalty (it is shameful to abandon a Philly team for some out-of-town winner). So if my blog time is limited, you know where I am.
Maybe this year things will end differently. After all, there is a new tallest building in town, with a statue of William Penn buried atop.
13 comments:
Go Phils
Phils could win the World Series if Myers and Hamels carry them. Much better hopes than last year. The Eagles were disgusting. QB sneak on 4th and goal was the right call.
Mary Alice's husband--
Mr. Red and I were screaming at them to sneak! So frustrating!!!!
I'm worried about Myers, he hasn't looked good for his last two starts.
Any other Philly phans out there?
Nope, not here Red.
My husband lives and breathes Chicago sports, so we'll just say he got his week started off on the right foot after last night's victory.
He even made a bet with a colleague over the game, so he got free breakfast at Dunkin Donuts this morning.
Oh what a beautiful day...
Juris Mater, take your Chicago-loving husband and tell him we'll see him in the playoffs...if the Bears get there!
Red -- Brett Myers will be fine. It is all going to work out bee-yoo-tee-fully.
Mr. Incredible was actually in a fairly good mood yesterday, even after the beloved Cowboys lost, because the Eagles lost, which (I am told) is almost as good as the Cowboys winning.
Mr. Incredible is right, although it works in reverse around here (a cowboys loss is almost as good as an Eagles win).
My nephew lives in Dallas and my brother is a serious Eagles fan. His wife is a Dallas fan. Aside from the fact that I don't know how their marriage works (j/k), I was very tempted to buy my nephew a t-shirt that reads:
I have two favorite teams, the Eagles and whoever kicks the Cowboys A**
I decided this was not appropriate for a small child. So I haven't completely lost it! I am not, however, above admitting that I really like the shirt.
And JM, you Chicago fans shouldn't talk to much trash, the Sox are still fighting for their lives...
Sorry Red, Mets fan here (which means disgust, sadness, and shame right now).
But I love the concept of the William Penn curse...because as we all know those Quakers are the vengeful sort :)
All I know is that whenever Notre Dame loses (or is in the process of being creamed) GG is a bummer of a guy! I get so worried watching the Irish play, hoping and praying for a win so that my husband will be fun for the rest of the day. You should have seen him last year... He went to every single home game and trudged home with his tail between his legs when they would lose. I'd have to try my best to lift his spirits. :) So far we are 3-1 this season and things are looking up! Praise God for that!!
And thank goodness we are only invested in college football. I don't think I could take the disappointment both Saturdays and Sundays!
Three cheers for the Eagles in honor of Mike, my beloved, Philly fanatic father!!
I hate Cowboys.
And the Sox win it. Red and MaryAlice's Man, after tomorrow night, the Bears will be better than the Eagles AND the Sox will be joining the Phillies in the playoffs.
(BTW, hereinafter on this blog, "Sox" officially refers to the Chicago White Sox.)
To Juris Mater:
A. The Bears are not better than the Eagles. The Eagles were clearly the better team, and they beat themselves. I guarantee that the Eagles will make the playoffs and the Bears won't.
B. I also think the Twins will win tomorrow, although I won't guarantee it, since the Sox do have OBAMA fighting for them against the Egyptians. I do concede that it would be entertaining to watch an ALCS of Red Sox vs. White Sox (not that I could watch it since it would be on TBS).
To Mr. Mary Alice and all other men of good will:
I don't trust Myers after his last two starts, so I hope that Moyer gets the ball in Game 2. Thursday would be his normal start day anyway, and Myers needs the extra time to clear his head.
Red I hate when my team loses. I get in such a funk and I feel like such an idiot for being in a bad mood about a sports team. But it makes me feel better than I am not the only one.
I do feel sorry for your nephew, because he will make either his mom or his dad sad when he picks his favorite team. And since he will probably pick the Cowboys, since that is the team all his friends will root for, I feel very sorry for your brother. But you can hold out hope that he will end up a Phillies fan, since the Texas Rangers have never, ever, been a real contender.
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