Well, that was a pleasant surprise, the Phillies getting bounced from the NLCS. By the way they had handled business against the Barves and the whole spiel I made about how the culture the Phillies had created would undoubtedly carry them into, and win the World Series, I guess I must have jinxed them because if there’s one thing the world loves to do to me is to make all of my sports predictions come crashing to earth whenever I make them honestly and earnestly.
Despite having no real horse in the race, there was a part of me that would’ve felt a modicum of satisfaction if the Phillies had won the NLCS, because it would have proven me correct about how they were the team of destiny. All the same, I am never not disappointed to see when the Phillies eat defeat, because misery loves company and if the Barves can’t be World Series champions, it’s nice to know that the Phillies won either.
Anyway, prior to, during and after game 7 of the NLCS was lots of delicious subplots and side quests that were occurring, all of which ended up with lots of Phillies supporters and fans, getting owned and taking L’s alongside the team that they followed.
First, let’s start off with “Mad Dog” Mike Russo, an obnoxious radio talking head who thinks he knows two shits about sports, who boldly proclaimed with all the conviction of an emperor wanting to go to war, that if the Phillies lost in game 7 of the NLCS, that he would retire, on the spot.
Naturally after the Phillies did in fact lose, everyone and their mother knew that he wasn’t going to follow through with his promise, so it was up to Howard Stern of all people, to negotiate his penance, which honestly, as satisfying as it would be to see a squid like Mad Dog on the streets of New York in a bikini and wearing a sign that said “I am a douche” still pales in comparison to the relief and satisfaction of knowing that the guy would close the book on his loud and obnoxious career.
But of course, he’ll still be working a week from now, and in about as much time, people will have forgotten he made such a stupid wager in the first place.
Next, we have the rumblings about how the Phillies organization “felt disrespected” because the Diamondbacks planted a flag of their team being National League champions onto their field at Citizens Bank Park. Which brings us back to the title of this post, if you don’t want to get disrespected, you shouldn’t have gotten owned in the first place.
The Diamondbacks earned the right to plant their flag wherever they feel like it, because they came into an extremely hostile environment and didn’t blink once, holding the explosive Phillies offense to just three runs in games 6 and 7. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber went 1 for 19 in those two games, and about as invisible as the Braves offense was against them. If anything should feel disrespectful, it should be the guys that make up for 40% of their team’s payroll being completely absent when the team, the city, needed them most.
And finally we have some misguided Phillies fans who decided to be sore losers and decide to try and have some e-words with actual Diamondbacks players, namely Zac Gallen. The thing about the world of social media is that it makes it really easy for people to pick and choose when they decide to engage and coming off of an impressive NLCS victory over the Phillies, Zac Gallen decided to not sit idly and let Phillies fans take shots at him and his team, and responded with the harshest of realities for Phillies fans: a reminder of when their next actual game is going to be – in Spring Training.
All the same, despite the fact that I had picked the Phillies to win the World Series after the drubbing they gave to the Barves, this is definitely a situation where I most definitely do not mind being wrong about something. The city of Philadelphia taking L’s in any way shape or form is always a welcome sight to me.
