MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

[Incandenza]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

To Vegas, Philly won.

Unnamed Phillies players on Selig:

“That (expletive deleted) guy,” one pitcher said as he saw commissioner Bud Selig before walking out the back door of the clubhouse. “I wouldn’t let him supervise one of my (bowel movements). He has no clue. Not one (expletive deleted) clue.”

“(Expletive deleted),” one position player said in the direction of one television pausing only for a moment before leaving. “He’s a moron. How stupid can one person be?”

[Heliotrope]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

(borrowed from another site)

Bud Selig to Phillies and fans

[Reed John]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Yet another completely asinine decision by Selig and probably rigged to help Tampa Bay. Rain helps the offense - the pitcher can't grip the ball properly, the ball sticks in the mud and the fielders can't grip it to throw it.

[anothergoal]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

At least it is better than the Phillies winning the World Series from a rain-out.

[ursus arctos]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Sorry, but no it isn't.

The game never should have been allowed to start. Once it did, it should have been called as soon as it became official. Selig has altered the sporting balance of the series.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

The Phillies winning the Series from a rainout did not need to be the alternative. Other alternatives were (a) don't start the game at all, b/c it was obvious from that morning what the weather would be, or (b) suspend the game at the end of the 5th inning, while it was already unplayable, and resume whenever the weather cleared (this would have had the benefit of not giving either team an advantage. . .letting the results of half an inning stand is unfathomable to me). . .Selig could certainly have used his magical commissioner powers to do this.

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Uh huh, yeah, all of a sudden that dome thing doesn't look so bad after all, does it now ?

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Just what we need.

A two-and-a-half-inning series-clinching game for a city full of idiots with both a win-for-me-now attitude and attention-deficit-disorder.

3-2 Phils on a double, sac bunt, and bloop single.

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

3-3. Homer Rays.

It's hilarious to hear these dopey announcers talk about the late innings of a game, such as Tim McCarver saying "they're trying to save their best right hander as the grind of the late innings wear on." Uhhh, you dopey old fartbrain, they haven't played in two days. This is actually the first few innings.

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

4-3 Blunts in the bottom of the 9th. 3 Outs away...

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

What can I say.

To coffy, Gyuri, and D-Kev, CONGRATS.

The funny thing is, 3 innings is a beautiful game. It was only an hour and 10 minutes, and everyone gets to bed at a decent hour. Or in Philly, they get killed when their car gets Molotov cocktailed and flipped over by an insanly crazed mob at a decent hour.

Those nutty Phils. Never makin' it easy.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I'm off to drink and set fire to cars. . .

[ursus arctos]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

The baseball gods are great.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Yes they are. I've spent the last 12 hours repenting and atoning for all the ways that I have slighted them.

[ursus arctos]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

A typically great Posnanski column.

Booing Selig is to be expected, but booing the Chevy Camaro that went to the MVP is the kind of thing that makes Philly fans legends.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

I was in the car speeding home after the game (which I watched at my cable-TV-less girlfriend's house) to try and catch the post-game interviews on ESPN. When they announced Selig's name on the radio, I booed loudly as well.

The "boo" in Philadelphia is like the word "shalom" in Hebrew. . .it takes on many meanings depending on the context.

There is the "Schmidt Boo" when a great player does something less than great, and the boo means something akin to "we all know you're better than that, you're held to a higher standard and we won't let you coast on what you've done before; don't get too big for your britches".

There's the "Ivan Dejesus Boo" when a terrible player plays terribly, and it means "are you fucking kidding me, why the hell is this guy out there." This is an expression of sadness, frustration and disgust. This has been the boo that I most identify with Philadelphia fans over the past 25 years.

There's the "Darryl Strawberry Boo" or the "Larry Chipper Jones Boo" (potentially renamed the "Evan Longoria Boo"), which comes after an opposing team's great player does something great, and is a bookend to the weirdly respectful but derisive chant ("Daarrrrryyylll" or "Eeeevvvvaaaa") that comes before the play. This is an expression of something like shame or powerlessness, a realization that the taunting didn't work.

There's the "JD Drew Boo" (soon to be renamed the "Bud Selig Boo"), which is an expression of anger at someone perceived to have screwed over the hometown team. This is the boo that (in the days of Veterans Stadium) led to people winding up in stadium jail. EDIT: Actually, this is probably better named the "Terrell Owens Boo", but the visceral hatred for Owens is so great, that it's probably in a class by itself.

There's the "We Have a Reputation To Uphold, Even Though We Kind of View It Ironically, Boo". This has always been my favorite one. It's the booing of Destiny's Child in the 2001 NBA Finals, it's the booing of Santa Clause and the booing of countless bad performances by regular guys missing promotional field goals at halftime of Eagles' games. It was the booing of the mention of the Rays last night.

Then there's the newest one, which I wish I had been there last night to participate in. . .the "Chevy Camaro Boo". This boo is an expression of sheer, unadulterated joy. . .using the language that a Philadelphia sports fan knows best. This is the "boo" that, together with this call and the image of Ryan Howard belly flopping on Lidge and Ruiz, will stick with me and form the core of my memory about last night.

[Dynamo Kev]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Excellent post Gyuri, I agree 100%, it should be a preface for every column on Philadelphia fans' behavior.

The parade is scheduled for tomorrow at noon- which conflicts with the kids Halloween school parade.. what to do, what to do.

[ursus arctos]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Bravo, indeed.

You should post it on Posnanski's blog; he'd appreciate it.

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Great indeed, but you forgot the Ja Rule 2002 NFC Championship boo, which sounded like the death metal song of all death metal songs. The song that the most Satanic, darkest, belchiest death metal singer says after hearing, "damn, we're not that hardcore."

Harry Kalas and Meryl Reese: You Philly bastards are certainly blessed to have two of the best.

I can't think of a hotter crowd, other than Game 6 of the 96 Series. However, of course, baseball was robbed of the BoSux wrapping it up on the road twice.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

JV,

I missed the Ja Rule boo (I was living in Frankfurt then, and watching the game on a soundless TV at a bar).

We really are lucky to have Kalas and Reese. As a kid, I never really appreciated Harry because he tended to say such inane things (and I wasn't old enough to recognize just how special his voice was). As it is now, after every important Phillies game, I search the intertubes for Harry's call of the key plays.

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

By the way, the great Roger Angell agrees that booing Bud Selig was a good thing (see his last two lines).

[jason voorhees]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

I certainly agree that it was an "astounding mini-game." After all that nonsense, I'm happy to have seen such a quirky and magnificent part of baseball history.

[Reed John]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

The current President of AdvaMed, the industry organization that lobbies for medical device companies, sounds a lot like Harry Callas. So whenever I hear him talk, I think he's going to start talking about Ryan Howard, etc.

[ursus arctos]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

That must be disconcerting. I don't think I would be able to deal with one of my clients sounding like John Facenda. For one thing, I'd always find myself humming that orchestral version of "What do you do with a Drunken Sailor" that NFL Films is so fond of.

Angell proves yet again that he is The Man.

I feel strangely responsible for Gyuri missing the Ja Rule boo (without even being completely sure who Ja Rule is).

[Gyuri]

MLB 2008: The Year of Anti-Boston

Yeah, I do blame you, Ursus. Seriously, though, I'm pretty sure you told me about where to go watch American football games, so I really have you to thank for not missing out on the more important parts of the game.