My 2011 Baseball Dilemma

I'm not sure if it's been fully established my baseball ties. So let's do it now. I grew up in Philadelphia. I found it hard to like the Phillies, because in my impressionable youth, they sucked. After 1993, they were losing nearly 100 games every year. I didn't even really like baseball at the time. Between the Phillies sucking, the 1994 strike, I had zero interest.

I'm going to say that I got into baseball in the late 90s. I don't want to say it was the Home Run Chase between McGwire and Sosa, because everyone says it saved baseball. I'm not saying it didn't, but I don't like to be a part of the crowd. However, I always like Griffey and the Holy Grail of Shortstops (A-Rod, Nomar, Jeter). Naturally, you have to pick a favorite of the three. It was Nomar. I wrote about that earlier. So naturally, by picking Nomar, I picked the Red Sox. And I've been on board ever since.

The Phillies caught my attention again around 2004, when the new ballpark was opening, there was plenty of hype about the young prospects, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, etc. I liked the way the Phillies were doing things - growing their talent through the draft and prospects. Didn't buy the team like the Yankees did.

So I flip between the teams, however I've always said the Sox are on top. And I stick to that. I believe you can like more than one team, pending you justify it and they can't be clear rivals. I can't like the Sox and the Yanks. So I root for both, but the Sox come before the Phillies. My Philly friends hate me for it, but they can't understand. In 2008, we came dangerously close to having my worst nightmare ever: Sox and Phillies in the World Series. I'm really not sure what I would of done.

(That was a longer roundabout than I was anticipating)

This year, because of the huge off-seasons both teams had, I think I need to pick one that I like to be the favorite to win. And I have NO idea what I'm going to do. The Sox got two huge position players, along with shoring up their bullpen. Their only weakness is Catcher, but I've also always been a Jared Saltalamacchia fan, how can you not be a fan of that name? I think he's got a lot of potential, and under Varitek's tutelage, he can learn from the best.

The Phillies however, landed the biggest off-season prize of them all in Cliff Lee, who was suspected to go to the Yankees (helping the Sox' chances immensely) and forming what may be the BEST rotation ever assembled from a major league team. Their offense did lose Jayson Werth, although I have faith in Domonic Brown, as they've been right with most of their prospects previously.

I'm not making my decision - yet. I will try to make it before the season. I may not make it at all. This post is more for me to remind myself I need to. I can't flip flop this year.

Man, early January and I'm thinking baseball. I'm obsessed.

RIP Philadelphia Spectrum

Today marks the day that the Spectrum will fall. After over 40 years of service to the Philadelphia area, the building that housed Dr. J, The Broad Street Bullies, and many other historical events, will be torn down in favor of "Philly Live" (which I will forever call "Philly Fail").

I can't say that I have such significant memories of the Spectrum as hardcore Philadelphians - mainly because the building was only functional for my first 8 years of life - so I'm allowed a reprieve. HOWEVER, The Spectrum is where I saw my first professional hockey game, saw several Phantoms games, saw Green Day and I really appreciated the old-school feel of the building. All the new arenas are so much more corporate don't feel like a sporting event so much as a hang out. The old arenas were so much smaller and the fans were really on top of the players - the sound in a building like that was truly deafening.

It was one of the first areans to be multipurpose for basketball and hockey, and to have a functional video screen and scoreboard overhead.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Pat Wentling post without mentioning the Bruce Springsteen connection; this was the first big stage for Bruce and the E Streeters. Being from nearby Jersey, Philly was like a second home, and Bruce never forgot that. Before the Spectrum's closing, Bruce played 6 more concerts there - rather than the larger capacity Philly Center - to honor the roots that helped him grow. And the shows were legendary - playing songs that he hasn't played in decades.

In the Wells Fargo Center (I hate that name by the way, it's only changed like 25 times in 14 years) they have a banner honoring the amount of sell-outs that Bruce has had in Philadelphia. After his most recent tour, he's up to 51 consecutive sell-outs between the two arenas - most of them at the Spectrum. It might be my favorite banner in the arena - until the Flyers win the Cup in my lifetime.

Anyways, this isn't totally about Bruce's relation to the Spectrum, it's about the building itself. Comcast Spectacor is tearing it down in favor of a hotel and a few hotels, restaurants, and shops. I don't know anyone in favor of what they are doing, it's just another opportunity for Comcast to make more money - but I do know that the Spectrum cannot stand forever. Eventually the building will deteriorate and it must come down. The reasoning behind tearing it down now is what bothers me. We'll never see an arena like it again, because the current arenas are made to maximze revenue, not about the best-possible fan experience. It's a sad day for the true sports fans in Philadelphia.

To close, I'll end with a (surprise) Springsteen song. Written specifically for the two stadiums that helped boost his career yet were being torn down within the year (Spectrum and Giants Stadium. The song is aptly called Wrecking Ball. You can watch the recording here - obviously a YouTube from his Spectrum show.

Bring on your Wrecking Ball.

This photo was taken Novemeber 22nd, the last night the Spectrum stood.