10,000 Losses… Who Cares?
Posted by basebal5 on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 1:05 am
On Sunday, the Phillies recorded their – get this – 10,000 loss in franchise history. Amazing.
AP PHOTO
Yes, there's kind of been a big deal about this milestone, but I'm unimpressed. All 10,000 losses tells us is the Phillies are one of the original franchises in the National League and they have been around for a long time. Although I'm surprised ESPN was able to alert us to this dubious achievement considering they're currently trying to decide important issues of the day, such as “Who's Now.” Lose 10,000 games and you are so very clearly, not now.
The Phillies hit the ground running in their quest for baseball immortality. In their first season of existence in 1883, the Philadelphia Quakers lost 81 of their 98 games they played, a .173 winning percentage. Managers Bob Ferguson and Blondie Purcell (the Quakers 2B and 3B, respectively) insisted on starting John Coleman practically every game. The problem was, Coleman wasn't that good – he started 65 games that year, completing 59, yet his record was 12-48 and he had a 4.87 ERA. No wonder neither Ferguson or Purcell were back at the helm the following year.
To their credit, it was good to see the fans in Philadelphia wrap their arms around this milestone. Not much has gone right for this franchise (their lone championship in 1980, notwithstanding) but this time, finally, they are first in something. The fact that it's losses shouldn't matter, right?
So here's to you Phillies and Phillie fans. The countdown to 20,000 losses begins tomorrow. Congratulations for being in existence since 1883.
