10,000-Loss Winners

Many people give the example of the Chicago Cubs when discussing baseball franchises who have suffered over a long period of time. While the Cubs haven’t won a championship in 99 years, it is in fact the Philadelphia Phillies who are the most suffering team in baseball history. In their 125-year existence, the Phillies organization has won only one title, the 1980 World Series defeating the Kansas City Royals. Twenty-seven years have passed since the last Phillies championship and fourteen years have passed since the Phillies have made the postseason. The pain for Philadelphia had to end sometime, and what better way to do so with a dramatic come-from-behind surge to grab the National League East title from their most hated rivals, the New York Mets.

After much of the 2007 season spent hobbling along trying to stay within contention of the NL Wild Card, the Philadelphia Phillies surged in the final month of the season determined not to go down without a fight. As of August 26, the Phillies were 6 games out of the NL East and ready to face the rival New York Mets in a 4-game battle. The Phillies down 6 games to 5 to the Mets at that point in the season were determined to gain the respect of New York and they did so, sweeping the Mets and cutting the NL East lead to 2 games. With another series sweep of the Mets in mid-September, the idea of winning the NL East sounded a lot sweeter than pursuing the Wild Card. The Phillies surged ahead winning 13 of their last 17 games of the season, while the Mets collapsed, losing 12 of their last 17.

The Phillies organization can relate very well to what the Mets are feeling right now as they suffered a similar collapse in 1964. The Phillies at the time had a commanding 6.5 game lead in the National League with 12 games left on the schedule. They lost 10 straight games including a series sweep to the St. Louis Cardinals who went onto win both the NL pennant and the World Series that year. The Phillies fell one game short of the lead to what was considered then, the greatest collapse in baseball history.

Another sad realization that occurred this year was when the Phillies, in front of a national audience, endured their 10,000th loss in franchise history; the most losses a team has suffered in any major sport. Ironically, the noise coming from Citizens Bank Park stands sounded a lot more like cheers instead of boos as fans didn’t seem to be very disappointed by this fact, embracing the “honor”.

Now, the only thing that matters is what waits ahead. The Phillies are in the playoffs and they are in pursuit of their second World Series championship. Can the Phillies do it? They certainly have the right stuff. The Phillies offense is one of the most powerful offenses in the league led by Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Aaron Rowand, and Pat Burrell. As great as these players are, none will probably win the NL MVP award, which is actually a good thing. The last time someone hoisted both the MVP trophy as well as the World Series trophy was 19 years ago when Kirk Gibson did it with the Los Angeles Dodgers; call it an MVP Jinx if you will. That said, the Phillies rank second in the majors in most runs scored behind the New York Yankees and second in the majors with the most homeruns hit behind the Milwaukee Brewers. If the Phillies want to win the championship this year, they need to get it done with their bats.

That’s not to say that the Phillies’ pitching won’t be of any help; contrary to popular belief, the Phillies pitching isn’t all that bad. The Phillies will not need to use all five of their starting pitchers in the playoffs due to the spread out schedule. That means Cole Hamels (3.39 ERA), Kyle Kendrick (3.87 ERA), and Kyle Lohse (4.62 ERA) will be the starters throughout most of the playoffs with Jamie Moyer (5.15 ERA) used only when necessary. A pitching staff like that can keep the team in the game and allow their offense to win the games for them. The bullpen has been criticized worse than the starting pitching has and rightfully so. They have 21 blown saves this season which is tied for 11th worse in the majors. However, the Phillies’ new closer, Brett Myers, has only been responsible for three of those blown saves. The rest of the bullpen has to perform in the playoffs as the team has never lost in the month of September when the bullpen did not give up any runs. More importantly, five of those times, the Phillies won the game in later innings.

Jimmy Rollins stated in the beginning of the season that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East. After everyone finished laughing at him, the Phillies went onto live up to his words playing with great teamwork and heart down the stretch. With the playoffs ahead of them, the team will continue to play their best to keep their storybook finish alive and turn a year, which was supposed to be remembered for its 10,000th franchise loss, to a year remembered for their second franchise championship. The Philadelphia Phillies are comprised of great players with a bright future ahead of them. Maybe now, we won’t have to hear disrespectful “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!” chants in the stands of Citizens Bank Park but rather well-deserved “Let’s Go Phillies!” chants.

Sports Moment of the Week

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals on Sunday to complete one of the greatest upsets in baseball history, grabbing the NL East crown from the New York Mets.

Suicide Watch in Effect for City of Portland

My NFL playoff predictions article will be cancelled simply because I don't feel like writing anymore NFL preview articles. I have the Baltimore Ravens over the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. The following article is set to appear in my school's newspaper.

The 2007 NBA Draft involved two names, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The lucky winner of the lottery would have there chance to select either future superstar; that lucky team was the Portland Trailblazers. On the night of June 28th, Portland decided to select center Greg Oden over small forward Kevin Durant simply because it is so hard to come by a 7-foot big man these days. Oden’s skill has been compared to the great Shaquille O’Neal since his high school days, and his likeability has been compared to… well… Shaquille O’Neal. The city of Portland was in heaven as a trio of young stars was set to dominant the NBA for the next 10-15 years. Greg Oden would take up the center role, 2006 2nd overall pick LaMarcus Aldridge would take up the power forward spot, and 2006 6th overall pick and NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy would take up the shooting guard spot.

The citizens of Portland’s dreams quickly turned into nightmares of past when it was announced that Oden underwent microfracture surgery after cartilage damage was found in the knee on September 13th, and as a result will most likely miss the entire 2007-2008 season. Portland’s heavenly dream ended abruptly as Oden’s fragile body betrayed him once again. While attended Ohio State University, Oden missed the first seven games of the season because of a wrist injury. He returned to the court with a brace and shot left-handed. Even with the brace, Oden’s dominance was felt throughout the college basketball world as he averaged 15.7 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, and 3.3 blocks per game. Now, this all doesn’t seem to matter as Oden will sit on the bench and watch his team get thrown into the lion den that is the Western Conference.

This feeling isn’t very new to Portland. The team that is known for making the biggest draft mistake in the history of the NBA, once again made their fans suffer in 1984 when they decided to draft Sam Bowie, a center out of the University of Kentucky over a young man named Michael Jordan out of the University of North Carolina. Sam Bowie was a 7’1” center that averaged 13.4 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game in his five years at Kentucky. Why five years? Bowie missed two entire seasons due to leg injuries. Apparently this didn’t scare the Trailblazers too much into settling for Michael Jordan, and it was understood at the time. The previous year the Trailblazers selected shooting guard and hall-of-famer Clyde Drexler in the first round; the need for another shooting guard was unnecessary. The selection haunted Trailblazer fans for the next 14 years as Jordan went on to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls and Bowie managed to stay in Portland for a total of four years playing only 139 games out of a possible 328 games.

Perhaps Oden’s injury problems should have been taken into consideration more as 7-footer’s throughout history have had their fair share of run-in’s with injuries. To list a few examples, there’s Wilt Chamberlain (knee), Vlade Divac (back), Patrick Ewing (Achilles, wrist), Pau Gasol (foot), Dikembe Mutombo (wrist), Shaquille O’Neal (ankle, foot, and knee to name a few), David Robinson (back, foot, wrist), Arvydas Sabonis (Achilles, knee), Rik Smits (foot), and Yao Ming (foot). All of these guys have had injuries that have caused them to miss significant portions of a season; sometimes seasons where their team was favored to win the championship.

With Greg Oden not having played one NBA game yet, his future looks as grim as Sam Bowie’s. Portland fans are in grief as they read headlines and will go to games only to see Oden sitting on the bench sulking. Maybe this injury isn’t a big deal and Oden will comeback in the 2008-2009 season. Maybe he will dominate opposing teams with spectacular dunks and block shots with authority. Maybe he will lead his team to go on and win multiple championships the way Shaq has done. Maybe he will go down as one of the greatest centers of all time and get inducted into the hall-of-fame. But maybe, he doesn’t. Maybe his career with Portland is cut short as he is traded to another team willing to give him a second chance. Maybe Portland is haunted by another Sam Bowie. Worst of all, maybe Kevin Durant becomes the next Michael Jordan. Maybe the Portland Trailblazers’ history with bad luck never ends. Time will tell as citizens of Portland pray to see Greg Oden’s cheerful smile in front of cameras once again.

Sports Moment of the Week

The Denver Broncos had one of the greatest finishes to their game as they defeated the Buffalo Bills 15-14. Down 14-12 with no timeouts and 14 seconds left on the clock, the Broncos kicking team rushed out on the field and successfully kicked the field goal as time winded down. Normally it takes a kicking team 20 seconds to get setup for a field goal kick.

Useless NFL Predictions Surely Changing Mid-Season: AFC

After a one week hiatus due to school, my NFL predications continue with the AFC. As mentioned last time, it will be somewhat whacky or as I would like to call it, “ballsy”, so brace yourself for a make-your-face-red-from-frustration feeling.

AFC East:

New England Patriots: 14-2, 4-2
Key Wins: San Diego, Indianapolis, Baltimore
Key Losses: @New York/A, @Miami

Miami Dolphins: 10-6, 4-2
Key Wins: Dallas, New England, @Philadelphia
Key Losses: @New York/A, @Houston, New York/N

New York Jets: 8-8, 3-3
Key Wins: New England, Miami, Pittsburgh
Key Losses: @Buffalo, Kansas City

Buffalo Bills: 4-12, 1-5
Key Wins: @Pittsburgh, New York/A, Cincinnati
Key Losses: Denver, @Cleveland, New York/N

There’s no arguing that the New England Patriots are the best team in the league. They are loaded all over due to off-season acquisitions and should not lose too many games. Although they have a tough schedule, look for them to cruise through the season without too many problems.

Surprise, surprise… The Miami Dolphins are going to the playoffs! After a disappointing season despite a great defense (ranked fourth), the Dolphins are in for a great year. With the Ricky Williams and Nick Saban problems behind them, the team will look to take off this year. Another interesting statistic: the first full year the last two “washed up” veteran quarterbacks played on their new teams (Mark Brunell and Steve McNair), those teams went onto the playoffs; expect that to happen to Trent Green.

As far as the Jets are concerned, with a tough schedule ahead of them, I don’t like them that much this year. And with the Bills, I’m never sold on them, especially this year as they pulled a “Boston Celtics” and dumped a good portion of their team in the off-season.

AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens: 12-4, 4-2
Key Wins: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, @Seattle
Key Losses: @Cincinnati, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7, 4-2
Key Wins: Miami, Jacksonville, @Baltimore
Key Losses: Buffalo, San Francisco, Cleveland

Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8, 3-3
Key Wins: Baltimore, @Seattle, St. Louis
Key Losses: @Kansas City, @Buffalo, Arizona

Cleveland Browns: 3-13, 1-5
Key Wins: @Pittsburgh, @Arizona
Key Losses: @Oakland, Houston, San Francisco

The Baltimore Ravens were great last year and that was without a good running game (ranked 25th). The passing game was pretty good despite popular opinion, ranked 11th in the league. With the acquisition of Willis McGahee and the most powerful defense in the league, look for the Ravens to have an outstanding year.

Between the Steelers and the Bengals, the season is pretty much a toss up. It can go either way which will probably end up with both teams having mediocre seasons. The Steelers actually had a great second half last season winning 6 of their last 8 games. However, during this stretch, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger still didn’t play like a Super Bowl quarterback throwing 11 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions; one has to wonder whether he will return to form this season. The Bengals have one of the best offenses in the league and they will score plenty this season, but so will opposing teams. Their defense was ranked 30th in the league last season and they did little to improve it this season. I don’t think they can outscore their opponents into the playoffs.

As far as the Browns go, they’re in a rebuilding phase that will continue into upcoming seasons. They will be a threat in the future, especially with Brady Quinn as their eventual starter; they just need a few years to grab key pieces and for younger guys to mature.

AFC South:

Jacksonville Jaguars: 11-5, 4-2
Key Wins: @New Orleans, San Diego, @Indianapolis
Key Losses: Carolina, @Houston

Indianapolis Colts: 10-6, 3-3
Key Wins: New Orleans, Denver, @Jacksonville
Key Losses: @Tennessee, @Houston, New England

Houston Texans: 6-10, 3-3
Key Wins: Indianapolis, Miami, Jacksonville
Key Losses: @Atlanta, @Oakland, @Tennessee

Tennessee Titans: 4-12, 2-4
Key Wins: Indianapolis, Houston
Key Losses: @Jacksonville, @Tampa Bay, @Houston

Another surprise here as the Indianapolis Colts fall off the AFC South throne. Their Super Bowl journey wasn’t very convincing besides a great victory against New England; the last time that happened was two years ago and the Steelers went onto miss the playoffs. I’m not prepared to count the Colts out of the playoffs, but they will certainly take a step back as they lost many key pieces on defense in the off-season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars look better than ever this season propelling them to win the AFC South. With the second best defense in the league and a great young running-back in Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars are a real threat this season. The weak piece: the passing (ranked 24th last season); and with Byron Leftwich gone and head coach Jack Del Rio’s full confidence in David Garrard, look for him to have a career year. Garrard’s problems in the past were throwing into double coverage’s; with experience and a great group of mature wide receivers, look for Garrard to keep this problem minimal. Also, the threat of Jones-Drew will keep safeties off of receivers and in the box.

The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans will not have great years despite promising quarterbacks. The Titans’ defense is horrible and they have no receiving core. That coupled with Vince Young’s inevitable injury due to the Madden Jinx will have them finish last in the division. The Texans made good acquisitions in the off-season, but they neglected to solve their main problem, the offensive line and running game; and no, Ahman Green and Ron Dayne do not count as solutions.

AFC West:

San Diego Chargers: 12-4, 5-1
Key Wins: Chicago, Indianapolis, Baltimore
Key Losses: Detroit, Denver

Denver Broncos: 9-7, 3-3
Key Wins: Jacksonville, @Chicago, @San Diego
Key Losses: @Detroit, @Kansas City, Kansas City, Minnesota

Kansas City Chiefs: 8-8, 3-3
Key Wins: Cincinnati, Denver, @Denver
Key Losses: @Oakland, Green Bay, @Detroit

Oakland Raiders: 4-12, 1-5
Key Wins: Kansas City, Houston
Key Losses: Detroit, @Kansas City, @Green Bay

A lot of people are critical of San Diego’s new head coach, Norv Turner. If you look at his history, you really can’t complain too much. Turner has never made a team worse than they were before he got the job. In fact, with the Washington Redskins, he actually made them better for a short while. In 1993, the year before Turner arrived, the Redskins were 4-12. Three years into the job, the Redskins were 9-7; six years into the job, the Redskins were 10-6 and playoff bound. With Oakland, he again didn’t make the team any worse than they were prior to his arrival; he just failed to make them better. So what exactly makes everyone think he’s going to cause the crash of the San Diego franchise? San Diego will be fine with Turner, finishing the season as one of the strongest teams in the league.

The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs are another Steelers/Bengals situation. Although both teams look promising with new key additions, the season could sway either way for both teams. Denver’s running game is the thing to watch this season with the acquisition of Travis Henry. It will be interesting if Denver’s running strategy will falter due to the offensive line under close watch for illegal blocking this season; something that was made the Denver running game unlike anything else in the league. The Chiefs have a great but old quarterback in Damon Huard leading the way. Larry Johnson’s productivity this year is a huge question mark for me as he had 416 rushing attempts last season. You really have to think long and hard whether he will be able to carry that load for two consecutive seasons. I’m more pessimistic about this than others.

The Oakland Raiders are another team that played terrible last year, went into the off-season looking to improve, and then failed to upgrade at their weakest area: their offensive line. Daunte Culpepper is a perfect fit in Oakland as he will tutor Oakland’s future quarterback, JaMarcus Russell. However, this won’t translate into wins for the team this season.

Stayed tuned for my playoff predictions next week. Yes, I know they will be ready after the season starts, but I already have my teams selected as far as who makes the postseason. One weekend of football doesn’t change Super Bowl predictions.

Sports Moment of the Week

Division I-AA Appalachian State upset #5 ranked Michigan on Saturday 34-32. The game came down to one last play when all Michigan had to do was kick a game-ending 37-yard field goal. Corey Lynch of App. St. blocked the field goal securing the victory.