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| Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. |
Most of the people reading this are people who grew up in the 80s and 90s, so I hope this comparison isn't lost on deaf ears.
Back in the early 90s (I'm taking a little license here of a couple years either way), there was some really good music coming out. It was raw, it was kind of renegade, and it was intriguing. Nirvana was dropping "Bleach," and then "Nevermind." Green Day had "Kerplunk." Even Red Hot Chili Peppers has "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" at that time. Whether your music was rock or rap, music was raw in the early 90s, the "hair" scene of the 80s replaced by grunge, and the "feel good" hip hop scene replaced by the gangsta' scene. It was raw, and it was real, and while it wasn't the best product you ever saw, it was intriguing, and it was exciting. Your "Throwing Copper" and "August and Everything After" was making you a fan of not just a song, but an album. Not everyone was listening yet, but you were enjoying watching the legend be born.
The rawness had to be refined though, and well, along came the heights of successful music. Smashing Pumpkins moved from "Siamese Dream" to "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness." Nirvana had "In Utero," and Green Day moved on to "Dookie." Stone Temple Pilots moved from "Core" and "Purple" to "Tiny Music." Yes, even the Chili Peppers put out "One Hot Minute," and eventually "Californication." Even Pearl Jam was done with "Ten" and "Vs." This music was refined, but refined in the sense of taking the talent and capabilities of the former grunge scene, and making it into a mainstream hit. The success was even greater than the earlier days, even if things were a little less intriguing than this. Early Eazy-E and Snoop were being replaced by the refined, yet raw mix of Tupac and Biggie in the mid-90s, and rap was reaching new heights. The sales were great, even if the lyrics were less eye-popping than the earlier stuff. Suddenly this was cool.
Those heights came to an end though. Sure, the same bands were around, but the stuff wasn't just not as compelling as the early days, but it wasn't as good as the second stage of 90s music. By the year 2000, you weren't getting "In Utero" or "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness." You were moving into good music, but just not the kind of great, memorable music as before. Obviously you bought the music, and so did lots of other people, so it was successful. It just wasn't as fun. The energy wasn't there. You didn't have the memorable moments anymore. You did get overall good results though. Everyone was into the bands you had grown up with, but they just weren't what they had been.
Then something happened though- Nickelback became the new norm, and you found yourself wondering why you were listening to it. Now you were at some really crappy shows- but hey, you could still get laid after a night at the show. So, in light of the last fact, you still went, you endured the garbage, and you realized that you could see worse, somehow.
Now, why do I describe the musical life that I've lived? Well, why not, first off? Second off, it matches the core of this Phillies group. That first "raw"stage is very similar to the 2005-2007 Phillies. It was raw, it was fun, they could hit, and the games were exciting. By the end of that period, they even had a division title to show for it. It was awesome, and you were just so happy to see it "make it." You finally could laugh at that Mets' fan you knew, and feel validated. You were now cool.
That leads to better things though, right? Well along came the 2008 to early 2010 era. The Phillies weren't just a fun team, but a great team. A World Series win and loss ensued, and frankly we had a badass team. They could hit. The pitching no longer featured the Jon Lieber's of the world. The team was awesome. It was the height of being mainstream. We were what everyone else wanted to be. It wasn't quite as raw, fun, and care-free as the early days, but dammit, this was awesome.
Then, something happened. Sometime in like May of 2010, the team stopped scoring runs by the bushel. Yes, they still won, and the results were good, and there were fans, but yeah, it wasn't quite as cool. The seats were full, but the team finally fell from first in the league in runs scored to second, and in 2011, that trend continued. The team won 199 games in two years, but no more titles like the previous years, and they weren't nearly as fun as the early games, when the players were young, dumb, and trying like hell to make it. It was real good, but it wasn't great anymore.
Then along came 2012, and quite frankly, 2013 so far. You aren't getting Nirvana, Biggie, Pearl Jam, Tupac, or the old Soundgarden, you're getting Nickleback, and that's if your girlfriend and you can get off from work the next day. You're getting Drake, not Snoop. You're getting a team that scores three runs or less most nights, and might not score at all if they face a starter they never saw before, or a bunch of relievers who get lefties out. You get Valdes, Horst, and Durbin out of the bullpen. You get 2013 Halladay, and not the 2010 one. For that matter, Jayson Werth's stupid act is now replaced with John Mayberry Jr., who could only hope to do the things Werth did as a stupid guy.
Simply put, the music you grew up on got worse and worse, and so did the Phillies team you're watching now. Oh, you want Jay-Z's "Blueprint 2?" No, you're getting the latest mixtape from some rapper who's gone in six months. You thought you were watching Jimmy Rollins the 30/30 player? Yeah, no. Not only are the Mets not there to chase down at the end of the season, but this team ain't hanging around to chase them down. No, you're getting 81-81.
Let me be clear with you, as bad as 12-16 is to watch, this is not the old Terry Francona Phillies. You're not watching Nick Leyva's team either. Sure, this is the Nickleback version of the Phillies, but you're not listening to "It's So Cold in the D." What can I say, at least your girlfriend will still go to the game with you. If not, hey, your uncle will go, right?
Now that I've made you feel horrible about the 2013 Phillies, let me remind you that I predicted a Wild Card. I'm not feeling good about things, but I'm not abandoning my pick. I'm holding out hope that hotter temperatures will bring better baseball. I'm hoping that something is in the tank, even as I rip into the line-up cards, the team on the field, and the roster the GM gives us. I'm holding out some small hope that this team will get it together. Some of these guys have to have something left, I hope.
If not, well, at least it's not this (The Marlins):
