By Rick Grantham
The Phillies probably faced the most struggles in the history of baseball. It took a while before they were finally given the distinction that a major-league team deserved. Several factors contributed to their struggles. Part of the challenges to excel in Philadelphia was another major league team that started in the early 1900s, the Philadelphia Athletics.
The team was formed in 1883. Originally, they were the Quakers. However, people commonly call them the Phillies. The nickname became popular, until such time that it took over the name of the team.
The pennant was out of the Phillies grasps for a long time. They only won the National League pennant in 1915 after its foundation in 1883. However, this is only one of the very few glorious moments in the early life of the team.
The popularity among the Philadelphia baseball team shifted to the Phillies though. The Athletics slowly lose their flare, the Philadelphia Phillies rose to stardom. They became the new favorite of baseball fans. This occurred when the ownership and management changed. William B. Cox purchased the team. After that, the team started winning.
However, Cox was banned from baseball after the National League found out that he has been betting. Bob Carpenter Jr. took over. Although it was slow, the success of the team came. Their efforts of scouting new talents paid off when they welcome Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn aboard. The two made a major contribution in winning the NL pennant in 1950. Finally, they made their first appearance to the World Series since 1915.
The Phillies will not appear in the World Series for a long while after that, although at some point, the team showed promise of making it. They even experienced one of the most heartbreaking losses to a pennant race in 1964.
Their struggles continued. This does not mean that their players are slacking off. In fact, they have one of the hardest working lineups. However, it was not enough and they faced low points in the mid seventies.
The Phillies will not allow staying down throughout the seventies though. They earned three successive Division titles from 1976 to 1978. Their glorious years would continue until 1980 where they won their very first and only World Series. They had some pleasant years after winning the World Series. They again won the NL pennant in 1983 but they lost the World Series to the Orioles.
After their success in the early eighties, they would again go back to the bottom of the major league standings. The Philadelphia Phillies experienced other low points in the ensuing years. Up until 1992, the team would be at the end of the team rankings.
Again, the Phillies managed to make a comeback in 1993. They started out great. Deservingly, they earned the National League pennant and raced for the World Series, which they lost to Toronto Blue Jays.
The team had some difficult times after that. They were only to regain their winning rhythm in 2001. Although they did not make it to the World Series recently, they have managed to be among the potential contenders to Division and NL pennants.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Philadelphia Phillies Merchandise for more information on Major League Merchandise, visit BooYah Village.
Source:www.isnare.com |
