Phillies Show Great Respect For The Past
By Seth Everett
Despite the rainout on Sunday, the Phillies enjoyed a great weekend when they showcased their alumni.
A franchise that has been around for more than a century, the Phillies make sure that fans can relive past glories with great ceremonies honoring the past.
Friday, the Phillies honored John Kruk, putting his plaque upon the Phillies Wall of Fame. I have no argument, but it should be noted that Kruk made 3 All-Star Teams during his 5 year Phillies career. I'm not denigrating those numbers, but I hope we all agree that Kruk made it because of his personality on the team, and his relationship with the fans as much as any statistic.
Along those lines, I can ask what fans think of Curt Schilling, who had better numbers over a longer period of time. Then there's the case for Scott Rolen, who is still playing, but had far superior numbers to Kruk. One problem – both couldn't wait to get OUT of Philadelphia, so I can see the hesitation for either.
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Saturday, fans saw over 70 former Phillies come back for the Alumni ceremony. Great to see players from different eras. I have found that fans feel as much for players from non-championship teams, as they do the teams that won. That's my argument for the return of Old Timer's Day. All teams, including ones that lose, should honor the fan favorites.
This current team will have many players honored from this era. I wonder where Jayson Werth, Brad Lidge, & others will look like on that wall. And the core? Rollins, Utley, Howard should all have their number retired.
It seems like years after this run is over, they can be talking about this golden team quite a bit.
