Countdown to 10,000 Revisited

So a few distant months ago, we Philly fans were excited about the Phillies' "Countdown to 10,000." It was a landmark event that "honored" the Phils and their 125 years and 10,000 games of futility. It was an ironic, self-deprecating (from a fan's point of view), almost funny event that came and went. The players didn't want to talk about it, and the team seemed to bitterly prevent it from being publicized.

Fast forward to today. Finishing the year as one of the hottest teams in the National League, in conjunction with the Mets' generous contribution to crash and burn, we now have a Phillies' team that is officially playoff bound. And the coverage is all over their web site and commercials.

But here's the thing... if the Phillies are going to embrace their exciting playoff berth, why not recognize the 10,000th loss as well? It's part of the game, it's part of the team's history, it's an undeniable fact. Celebrate it, laugh about it, and move on.

Now I'm going to move on and say, let's go Phils! I want a championship! 10,000 championships!

Phillies Quote of the Day

The quote of the day comes from an excellent article in the Philly Inquirer about the extraordinary feat of the Phillies' upcoming 10,000th loss. Summarizing the Phils' futility, here's the sad status of the team over the past 124 years:

In fact, the franchise's win-loss mark (8,805-9,995) has slipped so far below the break-even point that in order to get back to .500, the Phils would need to win 1,190 games in a row, a winning streak of seven-plus seasons.

If that doesn't sum up this team, I don't know what does. I highly encourage you to read the entire article for an enlightening history of our beloved, beleaguered Phightins'.

On a side note, Steve Jeltz and Sil Campusano were chosen as the team's Runner Up Worst Shortsop and Centerfielder, respectively. Ouch.

The Countdown to 10,000

Many props to my man Kramer who found this site on the Phillies' quest to reach 10,000 losses. Yes, we our Phightin Phils are the losingest team in the history of professional sports, and we will undoubtedly hit the magic 10,000-loss mark by the end of this season, possibly by the end of June if all goes poorly!

Of course no Phils phan roots against the boys, but at the same time, it absolutely takes a great amount of appreciation and dedication to support a team that has let us down so frequently and so torturously over the years.

So if we're doomed to not celebrate a World Series championship, we might as well relish our record of futlity in the meantime.

21 games and counting...