Since 1883

Around the Block: 10/28/22

Who is the losingest team in sports history? Not just baseball but any sport. With approximately 11,250 losses?

The undisputed greatest 3rd baseman of all time played for this team.

They have one minor club whose logo is literally bacon-based and another whose logo is an ostrich for some reason.

What team began playing in 1883, and won its first World Championship just under a century later in 1980? And won one more World Series in its 140-year history—in 2008?

Another clue—this team has also won eight NL Pennants: in 1915 (Red Sox won the World Series 4 games to 1), 1950 (swept by the Yankees in the Series), 1980 (beat the Royals to win the Championship 4-2), 1983 (Orioles took the Series 4 games to 1), 1993 (Blue Jays won the first ever World Series on Canadian soil in 6 games), 2008 (beat the Rays in 5), and 2009 (beaten by the Yanks again, this time 4 games to 2). And here is the biggest hint yet… 2022 (they face the Astros in the World Series).

Still don’t know 😉? They wear red pinstripes, have an extremely popular, distinguished green feathered mascot from the Galápagos Islands, and have a team name that is a made-up word based on the name of the city it plays in.

The team (and city) name is represented by this letter:

Or from when I was a kid:

Ok, perhaps you figured it out by now. Maybe?

The first Phillies game I remember attending in person was on April 10, 1976. At the Vet. It was Opening Day. The Phillies lost to Pittsburgh 5-4 in extra innings, and I was crushed. Phils Catcher Johnny Oates was injured in a collision at the plate and the Bucs scored the winning run. To this day, I remember how unfair that felt to eight-year-old Jeff. I have no doubt that my dad, who was also quite displeased with the loss, threw out one of his favorite sayings: “life’s not fair.” Ugh, that was a rough day. And I have been hooked ever since!!

The Phillies made the playoffs that year, for the first time since 1950. They went on to lose the National League Championship Series (NLCS) three years straight (’76, ’77, ’78) before finally breaking through and making the World Series in 1980. And in their 98th year as a major league baseball team, the Phillies finally won. My dad took me to Game 2 of that Series, which we won with Steve “Lefty” Carlton on the hill. Six days later, on October 21, 1980, many of us remember Tug McGraw throwing that final pitch to strike out Willie Wilson at Veterans Stadium, as the Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals 4 games to 2.

As we prepare for the 2022 World Series that begins tonight, let’s relive that incredible moment in Philadelphia sports.

A few side notes on that 1980 Championship. First, four days after we won, I became a bar mitzvah. So, in that fourth week of October 1980, a hearty Mazel Tov to the Phillies and to me! Here is a photo from around that time.

I am not looking too thrilled in that photo, but I am sporting the shirt! (Unrelated Pro Tip—if you have that wallpaper in your home in 2022, you must remove it before you sell).

Second, what team did the Phillies beat in the NLCS to make the World Series that year? Well, that would be the Houston Astros, who were in the National League at that time. That 1980 NLCS with the Astros is known to be one of the craziest and greatest baseball series of all time. You can read about that 1980 Phils-Astros series in this week’s MLB.com piece “Can this World Series match the madness of the 1980 Phillies-Astros NLCS?”

And if you want an advance look at what it might feel like to beat the Astros, here is the celebration from the last time we faced them in a playoff series. Note the legendary Howard Cosell with the color commentary. And for some classic old-school baseball (and maybe to ferment some bad blood for the upcoming series), check out Pete Rose on this classic play vs the Astros in that 1980 NLCS.

Third, how crazy that in 1980 (and for some years thereafter) fans would storm the field of a pro game after a championship clinch. Different times. Suffice to say, that definitely does not happen anymore (which is a good thing, BTW).

The Phils lost two World Series (in 1983 and 1993) and then broke through for their second World Series Championship in 2008. Most people remember this one. And perhaps you know some tweens and young teenagers named Chase. This championship also broke the 25-year “Curse of Billy Penn,” which the superstitious surmised was why Philly suffered through a lengthy professional sports championship drought. The tale goes that Philly teams were cursed to not win a championship after One Liberty Place was constructed taller than William Penn’s hat at the top of City Hall. The 76ers won in 1983. One Liberty went up in the mid-‘80s, and then no championship until… well let’s let Harry Kalas make the call!

Me and my buddy Mark posing in front of the Commissioner’s Trophy at Citizens Bank Park during the 2009 season.

Throughout my childhood and into adulthood, my dad always had a partial season ticket plan for the Phillies. Back in the 1970s, he and a group of friends had the tickets and would take me once in a while. As the years and decades went on, the group got smaller and smaller, and he and I enjoyed a lot of games together at the Vet. Richard Block was a huge Phillies fan, though he did not follow any of the other Philly teams. My dad, my girlfriend Kristen (now my wife), and Mark (same guy in the World Series trophy photo above) went to the last game ever played at Veterans Stadium on my 36th birthday in 2003. We lost to the Braves and Hall of Famer Greg Maddux 5-2.

My dad and I continued our season ticket plan together at Citizens Bank Park but did not go too often by that point. He got sick in the mid-aughts and the last game we went to together was in the 2007 National League Division Series (NLDS), where the Rockies swept the Phils in 3 straight. While the 2007 Phils did not enjoy playoff success, they did break a 14-year playoff drought, and it meant a lot to go to that last game with my dad. He passed away in March 2008, just over seven months before the Phils won their second World Series title. I am personally dedicating this incredible Phillies run to my dad. Go Phils!

Growing up, I had two dads as my mom remarried when I was four years old. My stepdad, Don Davidow, is a huge Phillies fan as well, and I got the opportunity to watch the clinching game of this year’s Division Series against Atlanta with him at his home in Longport, NJ. My mom is not a sports fan, but even she got into the rooting action. Go Phils!

Finally, I am pleased that I am carrying the rooting spirit on to my family. Kristen is from Northeastern Ohio and is not an avid sports fan, and her family back home roots for the Cleveland Guardians (née Indians). But it was her idea for us to get tickets and take our kids to Game 3 of this year’s NLDS against the Braves. What a great game that was, a 9-1 Phillies romp, and the Bank was rocking! Also Ari, Ezra, and Kristen’s first playoff game! Ari’s favorite Phillie Aaron Nola got the win. Next, I am taking him to game 4 of the World Series. We are so excited. Here is toddler Ari representing in Central Park back in 2013! Go Phils!

Hope we all have a great weekend. Go Phillies! And Happy Halloween.

Warm regards,

Jeff