Porter: Phillies Fans Forced To Boo '08 Heroes, Thanks To Front-Office Failure
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- It shouldn't end like this. Not for Carlos Ruiz, not for Cole Hamels, not for Chase Utley, and not for Ryan Howard. But thanks to the recent ineptitude of the franchise, we have no choice.
Those four guys, like the entire city of Philadelphia, have endured the agonizing collapse of the Phillies. From the 2008 World Series Championship, to Monday's 8-0 Opening Day loss almost seven years later---Ruiz, Hamels, Utley, and Howard have been through it all.
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Carlos Ruiz is no longer the fun-loving, underrated catcher called "Chooch." The nine-year Phillie, who is responsible for the biggest-little hit in Phillies history, is now just the 36-year-old, injury-prone catcher we hope can hit .250 and play 100 games.
An eight-hole hitter with a defensive mindset in 2008, Ruiz is now forced to be a power-hitter in the Phillies' current abysmal lineup, while catching for one of the worst rotations in baseball.
Cole Hamels, or "Hollywood Hamels," is no longer that World Series MVP---so cool and raw he somehow annoyed us. Today, he's the team's most valuable trade piece, carrying a six-year, $144 million contract he must live up to.
Hamels, often criticized back then for his west-coast attitude, is now over-analyzed for his wording on mindless trade-rumor questions, something he continues to deal with on a daily basis.
"Chase Utley, you are the man." Well, he was the man.
Now, rather than fully appreciate his incredibly rare 12-year (and counting) career in one city, some find the need to question the franchise's unquestioned greatest second basemen. Whether it be for his uncontrollable cartilage damage in his knees, his public shyness that is all of the sudden bothersome, or his failure to be that jaw-dropping player who hit an MLB record five home runs in the 2009 World Series.
"The man" who often did things on the diamond only seen in movies (like score from second on an infield single, tag up from first-base, or fool a runner in the clinching game of the World Series by faking a throw), is now the 36-year-old leader who, conveniently "isn't the same player."
Ryan Howard captivated Philadelphia for for half a decade with his bat, quickly becoming, "The Big Piece."
45 home runs and 130 RBI's was expected, and delivered, year after year. Ten full seasons in red pin-stripes, five all-star games, three NL RBI crowns, two NL home-run titles, an NL MVP, an NLCS MVP, and a 2008 World Series ring.
Now, fans want him cut, and rightfully so. That's how quickly the 35-year-old first baseman has declined. He is now the whipping boy for the Phillies, representing the franchise's unwillingness to start over.
The old Howard would change the game with one swing of the bat, consistently illuminating everyone's summer from Wildwood to Rhawnhurst, and every where in between. Now, he's known for his $125 million contract, his 190 strikeout 2014 season, his immobility, and his declining production.
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On Monday, Hamels allowed four home runs in five innings. Utley, Howard, and Ruiz---in the three, four, and five-holes---combined to go 2-10 with three strikeouts. They were booed, almost by accident, because we didn't know what else to do.
Conversely, Shane Victorino---the Phillies 2008 World Series Champion electric center-fielder---played his first game in Philly since being traded in 2012. The "Flying Hawaiian" received a standing ovation before his first at-bat.
"It means a lot," Victorino said. "Obviously that ovation today was very heartwarming, definitely emotional. Obviously getting the opportunity, [to soak it in] thanks to Cole. We texted each other prior to it, wishing each other the best of luck. He said he's going to give me my time. That was very nice.
"I didn't think about it, I dug in the box, I looked up and he was still standing off the rubber. That's when the crowd starting getting louder and louder. Me stepping back out and tipping my helmet, showing the appreciation, and like I said, this is a city I'll never forget."
In sports---and in this case in baseball---fans react game-by-game, pitch-by-pitch. Because of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s incapability to rebuild the franchise, we're forced to watch our aging heroes disseminate. And with that, fair or unfair, comes the boos.
And with that, fair or unfair, comes the unwanted Philadelphia sports stereotype of a fan base which is too hard on its players.
"Well, it's unfortunate, but it's the way of the world here---particularly in Philadelphia," Amaro said Tuesday on the 94WIP Morning Show, of the '08 stars being booed. "When there's an expectation that the players will continue to play and play at a high-level. It's unfortunate, but that's part of the world today."
Ruiz, Hamels, Utley, and Howard are universally loved in Philly. They will always be. We want to boo Amaro. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for him, he's not out there playing.
