A note to the phans…
Dear Phans,
I was at the game last night. It was cold. It was wet. The game started late. It was kind of miserable in the beginning. The worst part? The phans. Where was the noise? Sure, it was loud from time to time. But we have to be louder. And for those of you who left early, shame on you.
Have you forgotten what this team has done for baseball in this city? How short is your memory? You do remember that we are World Fuckin’ Champions, right? And you do realize that the fact that the Phils even made it back to the the World Series this year is history in itself, right? You do remember 1994-2006, all of those sub .500 seasons, all of those years without a postseason, let alone a thought of a ring. Right? How quickly we were spoiled.
We owe it to this team to stand behind them. Win or lose, they are winners, they are champions. They ended the drought. They brought us a parade in 2008. And they’re fighting as hard as they can to bring us another one this year. The series is not over. Sure, we are down two games to one. We need to win three out of four against a very good Yankees team. But who says we can’t or won’t do it?
We need some of that magic. Some of that magic that helped them win it all in 2008. Some of that magic that helped them beat a hot Rockies team this year. Some of that magic that, a couple of weeks ago, helped Jimmy Rollins hit a walk off double against Jonathan Broxton when we really needed it. Some of that magic that has helped Brad Lidge regain his 2008 form this postseason. And some of that magic that has helped Cliff Lee completely dominate his opponents these past few weeks.
While the magic starts within the team, it ends with us. We have to be loud. We have to stay until the last out is made, no matter what. And we have to stand behind the team that has done so much for the city of Philadelphia in such a short time. We are a fan base that is known for our passion for sports and for our teams. But when the stadium is half-full just because we’re losing, we look more like the fans of those guys in blue pinstripes, not the guys in red.
I’ll be there again tonight. And if you’ll be there too (or even if you won’t), just remember how much you love this team. And how much they need us right now.
Love,
Sam
