Interesting article about the Phillies' fans love of Jim Thome
Carl Banks
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (AP) - Philadelphia Phillies fans have a reputation
for being some of the worst fans in baseball. Phillies fans have been
known to boo anything and everything. They frequently boo their own
players, and have even booed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
"It's a difficult place to play, for sure," said former Phillies first
baseman John Kruk. "They have high expectations there. And if you
don't meet their expectations, they let you know."
Former Phillies shortstop Steve Jeltz once said, "With Philadelphia
fans, there's no loyalty or compassion, and certainly no patience.
How much they like you is completely dependent on how well you are
playing at the moment. And when you don't play well, they take it
personally."
According to Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, Phillies fans
are the worst in baseball. "They're worse than a bunch of rich
suburban parents at a little league baseball game," he said.
So, surely, one would expect fans such as these to be edgy and
skeptical when it comes to Jim Thome, the Phillies newest marquee
acquistion, who signed with the Phillies in December for $85 million.
Not so. The Phillies fans have greeted Thome with unexpected warmth.
At the Phillies home opener Friday against the Pirates, many fans
brought signs welcoming Thome to Philadelphia. Thome already has his
own fan club in Philadelpia. And Philly fans everywhere are singing
his praises.
Marla Kline, a rabid Phillies fan for the past 35 years, shared her
thoughts on why Phillies fans have been so kind to their expensive
signee: "We know Jim is an excellent player who's worth every cent we
spent on him. We are sure he's going to make an immediate impact.
And he didn't hold out like that [former Phillies first round draft
pick] J.D. Drew did."
John Holden echoed the sentiment. "Jim Thome is the best player to
play with the Phillies for a long time. Even if he never plays at the
same level he did in Cleveland, he's still a great player. And he's
not J.D. Drew. We'll cut him a lot of slack."
That sentiment completely disappeared Sunday when Thome failed to
catch an easy pop fly.
In the fifth inning of the Phillies 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Sunday, Pirates' pitcher Kris Benson hit a high pop fly that Thome
lost in the sun and dropped. Veterans' Stadium instantly erupted into
a loud chorus of foul-sounding boos.
In Thome's next at bat, Phillies fans again booed Thome, even more
loudly. One man loudly cried, "Go back to Cleveland, you dumb carcass
heap," among a dozen other vile and expletive insults.
Another large man who had drunk a lot of beer stood up and cursed
Thome and forswore the next 100 generations of his posterity. He then
dumped his beer on the man sitting in front of him, who had been
urging him to cut Thome some slack. He was ejected.
A small woman sitting several rows behind me shrieked at the top of
her lungs, "I can't belive we spent 85 million on a rotten piece of
ratflesh like you." I recognized the woman as Marla Kline, the same
woman who had nothing but praise for Thome before the game.
Asked about her sudden change in opinion, Kline could barely speak.
"Oh my God, I can't believe I was happy... about that... blind
cripple. I can't believe we're paying that sack of vomit 85 million
to drop frickin pop flies! That douchebag couldn't catch a cold in a
day care center!"
When I suggested it was just one dropped pop fly, she snapped back,
"One pop fly? A pitcher hit it, for Christ's sake! We're spending 80
[explitive] million on a blind retard. That flying dipstick is worse
than J.D. Drew." And so on, for several minutes.
Several hours after the game, there were already websites devoted to
the immediate trading of Thome. Such sites include
www.tradethome.com, www.jimthomecantcatchapopfly.com, and
www.philadelphiansagainstthome.com, all of which were registered
within a few hours of the game.
Thome had no comment about the fans' reaction, but teammate David Bell
had this to say: "He knows all about Philly fans. We filled him in
during spring training. He'll live."
--
CARL BANKS
http://www.aerojockey.com
Chris Boyd
> April 6, 2003
>
> PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (AP) - Philadelphia Phillies fans have a reputation
> for being some of the worst fans in baseball. Phillies fans have been
> known to boo anything and everything. They frequently boo their own
> players, and have even booed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
Then you get Syracuse fans last night rioting. And somewhat recently Ohio
State fans rioting after they win it all...
What is with you damn Yankees?
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Bachrach V 3.1
> Former Phillies shortstop Steve Jeltz once said, "With Philadelphia
> fans, there's no loyalty or compassion, and certainly no patience.
Someone remind me - didn't Steve Jeltz used to blow donkey nuts?
> According to Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, Phillies fans
> are the worst in baseball. "They're worse than a bunch of rich
> suburban parents at a little league baseball game," he said.
Searching several news databases and google I can't find any mention of that
quote.
now let's go through the insults. None of them look realistic. When's the
last time you heard someone get called a "carcass heap" instead of just an
"overpaid bum"?
> "Go back to Cleveland, you dumb carcass heap,"
> "I can't belive we spent 85 million on a rotten piece of
> ratflesh like you."
> "Oh my God, I can't believe I was happy... about that... blind
> cripple. I can't believe we're paying that sack of vomit 85 million
> to drop frickin pop flies! That douchebag couldn't catch a cold in a
> day care center!"
Has the good old "you suck" gone out of style?
> Several hours after the game, there were already websites devoted to
> the immediate trading of Thome. Such sites include
> www.tradethome.com, www.jimthomecantcatchapopfly.com, and
> www.philadelphiansagainstthome.com, all of which were registered
> within a few hours of the game.
This is the kicker. You can't get a website running in a matter of hours.
The gloabl root DNS servers don't update till midnight (eastern of course)
each night. As anyone who has ever treid to register a new domain will tell
you, when you register a new domain it won't solve into any DNS servers
until then, so you can't actually have anything up and running. If you check
the netwroksolutions database, you'll also see that all of the above 3
domains are currently available. (4/7, 12:50Am EST). In other words, this
"article" appears to have as much truth in it as "The Wizard of Oz".
eaglesfan22
"Bachrach V 3.1" <Bachr...@xsxbxcxgxlxoxbxaxlx.nxext> wrote in message
news:fu7ka.2406$z25.71...@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
> You gonna provide a link for this one, cause it doesn't appear to be true.
>
> > Former Phillies shortstop Steve Jeltz once said, "With Philadelphia
> > fans, there's no loyalty or compassion, and certainly no patience.
>
> Someone remind me - didn't Steve Jeltz used to blow donkey nuts?
>
That's an insult to donkey nuts.
Dennis
Rob D
10496...@aerojockey.com>'s a warm hearted person who'll love you 'til the
end.
We need fans like this for the Detroit Tigers, it would at least be
entertaining to go to a game and listen to something other than "The
opera singing hotdog guy". It would almost make me forget about the 6 runs
in 6 games....well, maybe not but it'd still be more entertaining.
Tom O'Brien
> > Thome had no comment about the fans' reaction, but teammate David Bell
> > had this to say: "He knows all about Philly fans. We filled him in
> > during spring training. He'll live."
> >
> >
> >
>
> We need fans like this for the Detroit Tigers, it would at least be
> entertaining to go to a game and listen to something other than "The
> opera singing hotdog guy". It would almost make me forget about the 6 runs
> in 6 games....well, maybe not but it'd still be more entertaining.
That would be the opera singing weiner boy, but otherwise, IAWTP.
TO
Ike
Fsck 'im. Slick's *CAT* could have caught that fly ball.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
--
Yrs.,
Ike
********************************************************
" All I want them to do is pull up their pants, look
the other guy in the eye and say, 'Let's go. Let's
find out which of us is the better man.' "
-Joe Paterno
********************************************************
Eaglesfan22
"Ike" <sp...@epix.net> wrote in message news:3E91847E...@epix.net...
> >
> > Several hours after the game, there were already websites devoted to
> > the immediate trading of Thome. Such sites include
> > www.tradethome.com, www.jimthomecantcatchapopfly.com, and
> > www.philadelphiansagainstthome.com, all of which were registered
> > within a few hours of the game.
> >
> > Thome had no comment about the fans' reaction, but teammate David Bell
> > had this to say: "He knows all about Philly fans. We filled him in
> > during spring training. He'll live."
>
> Fsck 'im. Slick's *CAT* could have caught that fly ball.
>
>
> BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
>
Let's not forget that if the pitcher had covered, which *is* his sole
responsibility on that play, he still would have been out. That whole
article was manufactured, probably by Mikkkey.
--
Dennis
Peter King on being at an Eagles home game:
"I feel a way I feel in very few places standing down on
that field. I feel like it's not safe to be there, the earth is
moving. The fans make it a seismic event."
ng_reader
<snip>
Robert Harrison
imbosol-1...@aerojockey.com wrote on 04/06/03 11:15 PM:
>snip<
lol
Richard R. Hershberger
> That whole
> article was manufactured, probably by Mikkkey.
Do you suppose that "Carl Banks" could be Mikkke's real name, and he
accidently posted without using a remailer?
Bachrach V 3.1
> accidently posted without using a remailer?
nah - his real name is Randy
Victor Hastings
> > accidently posted without using a remailer?
>
> nah - his real name is Randy
And anyway, Carl Banks used to play linebacker for the Giants.
Rose
Richard R. Hershberger
> > Do you suppose that "Carl Banks" could be Mikkke's real name, and he
> > accidently posted without using a remailer?
>
> nah - his real name is Randy
Somebody knows who he really is? How did that come about?
Bachrach V3.1
He posted one too many pieces of personal information on his website, and
I'm fairly good at this sort of stuff.