Philadelphia sports activities followers have a little bit of a fame for not all the time being essentially the most upstanding of residents.
If you happen to’re questioning why, simply ask the child who had a home run ball snatched from his glove and given to the lady not-so-affectionately often known as “Phillies Karen.”
You might additionally ask former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.
Or some Pennsylvania State Police horses.
Or Santa Claus.
All that stated, although, it’s onerous to not really feel a teensy bit dangerous for Philly followers after what they endured Thursday night time.
The Phillies suffered a season-ending playoff loss (pausing right here for L.A. followers to respectfully compose themselves — you’ve had loads of time to have fun after the Dodgers won 2-1 in 11 innings on a stunning throwing error by Philadelphia aid pitcher Orion Kerkering).
Then over within the NFL, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles had been dominated by NFC West rival New York Giants 34-17 on “Thursday Night time Soccer.” And within the NHL, the Flyers misplaced their season opener 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.
For another metropolis’s fan base, that may be thought-about the worst day ever. However consider it or not, Philly followers needed to endure a equally disheartening day almost 42 years in the past, in response to sports activities statistician Greg Harvey.
Harvey identified on X that Oct. 16, 1983, was the one different time in historical past that one metropolis’s MLB staff staff suffered a season-ending loss within the postseason whereas its NFL and NHL groups misplaced as properly. And that unfortunate metropolis was Philadelphia.
That was the day that the Phillies, nicknamed the “Wheeze Youngsters” that season for all of the veteran gamers on the roster, fell 5-0 to the Baltimore Orioles to lose the World Collection 4 video games to at least one.
In the meantime, the Eagles had been off to a 4-2 begin to their season earlier than dropping that day to the Dallas Cowboys 37-7. It was the beginning of a seven-game dropping streak for the Eagles, who wound up ending the season 5-11.
The Flyers suffered their first lack of that season — 5-4 to the New York Rangers — after beginning the 12 months with 5 straight wins. Months later, they ended up ending third within the Patrick Division earlier than being swept out of the primary spherical of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Washington Capitals.
So perhaps, simply perhaps, you may need to take it simple on the Philadelphia sports activities followers in your life — no less than till the following time a number of them does one thing that makes the remainder of us cringe.
And hopefully these followers lengthen the identical courtesy to Kerkering. Perhaps he’ll find yourself being the one one who can inform Santa Claus and the others that Philly followers aren’t all that dangerous in any case.
