Big Dick McGee
If you don't know, now ya know
This has nothing to do with numbers in the loss column. If I was tired of following a losing team, I'd have quit the Phils back in the late 80's, when they featured a scintillating lineup that included Phil Bradley, Dickie Thon, and Jeff "hands of" Stone. Hell, the Phillies have more losses than any sports frachise in history. They're closing in on 10,000 losses. Yes, TEN THOUSAND LOSSES. The Phillies are losers, they've always been losers, and they probably always will be losers. And I'm ok with that. If baseball was simply about wins and losses, no one would watch.
I've never been truly disenchanted with the Phillies before now. No matter how cheap they are, how inept they trade for players, and how bumbling the players on the field may be, they're my losers, you know? But for the first time I'm truly embarrassed to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.
Of course, this has to do with their complete bungling of the Brett Meyers incident. For anyone else reading this, Meyers is a great pitcher who apparently beats his wife. Well, "apparently" doesn't really apply, inasmuch several witnesses saw Meyers slap his wife to the ground, then drag her by her hair. Witnesses also saw the swelling on her face begin immediately. They also report that she said something to the effect of, "I'm not taking this any more!" Meyers was charged, went to the local Police holding cell, and was freed by his wife.
The next day, Meyers' only comment was that he was "sorry it went public". Here's where the giant fuck-up occurred. The Phillied allowed Brett Meyers to pitch, that very next afternoon, in a Nationally-televised game. They didn’t even make a statement to the press.
So a week passes, and the nickname “Fightin’ Phils” takes on a scarily literal meaning. The team FINALLY takes action…but again it’s half-assed. Instead of suspending Meyers, they “allow him to take a leave of absence”. WTF? The only comment they’ve made is a ham-fisted apology and a statement that they of course don’t condone domestic violence.
Yesterday, on a day when the Phillies SHOULD have been able to breath a sign of relief at Ryan Howard deflecting everything, one of the owners goes and fucks up again.
Bill Giles, former President and now part-owner, says that he’s sorry the public is convicting Bretty Meyers, because "some bystander saw something that didn't happen." As Jill Porter says in this excellent Daily News Article:
WTF?? As Porter states, this smack of the culture of cover-up that pervades abusers. The team has a history of “if no one saw it, it didn’t happen”. Bill Conlin, another excellent, hall-of-fame writer for the Daily News discusses coverups in this article here Bill Conlin article
So now Meyers is scheduled to start in San Francisco this weekend. The team apparently doesn’t feel the need to make any other statements.
The point of this very long-winded post (that I am sure no one but Eggs will read) is that I am done with the Phillies. Finito. It pains me to say it, but I cannot support an organization that would bungle something as simple and straightforward as coming down against domestic violence. I’ll still root for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Maybe I’ll re-join the fold when the current owners sell. But at this point, I’m gonna send my ticket for an August game back to the Phillies with a nice little note.
So, can I be a Mets fan for awhile? When I move to Cali I’ll be a Dodgers fan, but for now, “LET’S GO, METS GO!!”
.
I've never been truly disenchanted with the Phillies before now. No matter how cheap they are, how inept they trade for players, and how bumbling the players on the field may be, they're my losers, you know? But for the first time I'm truly embarrassed to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.
Of course, this has to do with their complete bungling of the Brett Meyers incident. For anyone else reading this, Meyers is a great pitcher who apparently beats his wife. Well, "apparently" doesn't really apply, inasmuch several witnesses saw Meyers slap his wife to the ground, then drag her by her hair. Witnesses also saw the swelling on her face begin immediately. They also report that she said something to the effect of, "I'm not taking this any more!" Meyers was charged, went to the local Police holding cell, and was freed by his wife.
The next day, Meyers' only comment was that he was "sorry it went public". Here's where the giant fuck-up occurred. The Phillied allowed Brett Meyers to pitch, that very next afternoon, in a Nationally-televised game. They didn’t even make a statement to the press.
So a week passes, and the nickname “Fightin’ Phils” takes on a scarily literal meaning. The team FINALLY takes action…but again it’s half-assed. Instead of suspending Meyers, they “allow him to take a leave of absence”. WTF? The only comment they’ve made is a ham-fisted apology and a statement that they of course don’t condone domestic violence.
Yesterday, on a day when the Phillies SHOULD have been able to breath a sign of relief at Ryan Howard deflecting everything, one of the owners goes and fucks up again.
Bill Giles, former President and now part-owner, says that he’s sorry the public is convicting Bretty Meyers, because "some bystander saw something that didn't happen." As Jill Porter says in this excellent Daily News Article:
WTF?? As Porter states, this smack of the culture of cover-up that pervades abusers. The team has a history of “if no one saw it, it didn’t happen”. Bill Conlin, another excellent, hall-of-fame writer for the Daily News discusses coverups in this article here Bill Conlin article
So now Meyers is scheduled to start in San Francisco this weekend. The team apparently doesn’t feel the need to make any other statements.
The point of this very long-winded post (that I am sure no one but Eggs will read) is that I am done with the Phillies. Finito. It pains me to say it, but I cannot support an organization that would bungle something as simple and straightforward as coming down against domestic violence. I’ll still root for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Maybe I’ll re-join the fold when the current owners sell. But at this point, I’m gonna send my ticket for an August game back to the Phillies with a nice little note.
So, can I be a Mets fan for awhile? When I move to Cali I’ll be a Dodgers fan, but for now, “LET’S GO, METS GO!!”
.
