The All-Star break has arrived, and again the Phillies are on the fringes of contention, championing mediocrity again at an even 44-44, a record that equally balances out the fact that they are both first in the NL in runs scored and last in ERA. They currently sit in 3rd place, 4 ½ games behind the 1st place Mets, and 4th the in the Wild Card "race". If this looks eerily similar to recent seasons, that’s because it is.
As a Phillies fan, I’m starting to feel like Clark Griswold’s kids in the movie European Vacation. In one scene Clark cannot get over to the right lane, and their car continues to circle Big Ben in London. The more times they pass it, the less excited they are to see it. Clark however, acts excited every single time they pass it.
Clark represents Dave Montgomery and company, continuing to sell tickets with the illusion of contention, and the faint promise of a trip to the postseason. I get the feeling, however, that we Phillies fans will have to ride around the circle for at least one more year.
Groundskeepers?
As the Phillies valiantly came to the rescue of the Colorado ground crew yesterday, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Phillies would be better off if some of their players decided to become full-time grounds-keepers.
Other thoughts......
Roger Federer is good.
So Kobe Bryant is now apologizing to the Lakers for throwing them under the bus and demanding a trade. How noble of him! Could it be because nobody wants to trade for him? Maybe? I think his motivation for apologizing is so that his paychecks next season don’t come in envelopes full of anthrax.
With all of the money being thrown at free agents in the NHL, it makes it even more absurd that just 2 years ago they cancelled an entire season.
So let me get this straight: MLB miraculously finds 400,000 lost All-Star votes to make Barry Bonds a starter. And now Bonds shows his appreciation to his hometown fans (sheep) by skipping tonight’s home run derby. I’d be outraged if it wasn’t so predictable. Nobody has given less and taken more from a game the Bonds has taken from his baseball career, so what’s one more raised middle finger to the people most responsible for his fame and fortune? All the records and all the money don’t mask the fact that Bonds is one miserable excuse for a human being. Every breath that is used to cheer for Bonds has been wasted, because he has nothing but disdain for all of us. When he breaks Hank Aarons HR record in the next month, I’m sure it will be televised, but instead of being glued to my TV, I’ll be pulling hair balls out of my bathtub drain. Perhaps I’ll find baseball’s reputation while I’m down there.