Why not root for the Phillies?
Posted: Monday, October 27, 2008 8:56 PM by Cathy Finkler
by Chris Matthews
Newsweek had a down arrow in its Periscope column this week at the very prospect of the Phillies playing Tampa Bay in the World Series. It's followed by an "Ugh" - you know, "ugh" at the chances of it being an exciting Series.
Classic. If the Yankees or the Mets had made it to the Series - or the Red Sox - it would have been a dynamite Series. Why?
Because the Yankees or the Mets or the Red Sox made it. That's why.
Look, in all the years the Phillies didn't make it to the play-offs, much less to the Series, I rooted for the Red Sox as my East Coast team. That emotional time right after 9/11, I yelled like mad for the Yanks against the Diamondbacks. I've even rooted for the Mets when they made it to the World Series. You know: "love they neighbor." "If you're not with the one you love, love the one you're with."
So why is it that I haven't gotten so much as a phone call this October from my Boston and New York buddies rooting for my hometown team? Where's the reciprocity here? Where's the East Coast solidarity when our turn comes around? What do we get for our fabulous pitching, explosive hitting and a different hero every night?
Here's what: We get a downward arrow from Newsweek, followed by an "Ugh," followed by a series of cheering-on phone calls that never get made.
The next time you catch someone dumping on the over-the-top Philly fans, ask the guy "When was the last time you rooted for us?"
