The last time we spoke, I was lamenting the fact that our beloved Phillies were vanquished in the Fall Classic by the evil New York Yankees, while simultaneously preparing for the off-season that would certainly be less than pleasant.

But as fate would have it, the hangover was not nearly as bad as I expected. As a non-resident of Philadelphia, I didn’t have the support system of fans on every corner that most would consider a necessity when dealing with this type of letdown to a season. Matter of fact, it’s the exact opposite where I live, a scant 80 mile drive up da turnpike, where the Yankees “fans” are out in force.

However, I didn’t experience nearly as many of the bandwagon jumpers as I expected. Matter of fact, I could hardly tell that the Yankees even won the damn thing. There was no outpouring of Yankee pride, no jeers from people who know me to be a Phillies fan.

So I’ve returned from my mini-sabbatical after my Ripken-like streak of recaps ended on a chilly night in November. There isn’t too much to talk about (except Adam Lambert – OMG!), as the hot stove hasn’t fully heated itself up. But I’ll do my best.

Let’s get to it.

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It’s 2:37 on Wednesday, do you know where your Phillies fans are?

If you’re anything like me, then you’ll be at work, hoping against hope that the phone will stop ringing long enough to let you catch the first few innings of game one of the National League Division Series. And with any luck, you’ll be out of the office at 5PM, with maybe just enough time to get to a local speakeasy for one round before the 27th out.

And if you’re one of the fortunate 40,000 or so that will be in attendance at 1 Citizen’s Bank Way, you’ll likely be in the vast minority of Phillies faithful who can actually enjoy the first round of October baseball.

But it’s no big deal, I suppose. After all, there are three games scheduled to be played on Wednesday, and the Phillies and their east-coasty-ness just happened to draw the short straw to be the first in line on Tuesday. No harm, no foul.

That is, until you take a look at Thursday’s schedule and find that the Phillies are once again having baseball for breakfast.

That’s right, the defending World Series Champions and owners of a third straight division title, are relegated to competing against The Price is Right and a solid two hour block of The Golden Girls.

And why? Because of money.

With Los Angeles, New York, and Boston all in the mix, the Phillies really never had a chance to reap some sweet, sweet ad revenue over the larger markets. Despite the fact that Philadelphia IS the fourth largest television market in the country, it makes little difference as the other three playoff series (LAA vs BOS, NYY vs MIN/DET, LAD vs STL) rely on markets that trump the Delaware Valley.

But then again, Major League Baseball has never been known for doing the right thing, especially when the playoffs are concerned. With millions of dollars on the line, Bud Selig and his cronies would much rather earn a few extra coins to line their silk pockets even if it means they are ostracizing their fan base. The 8:30 PM start times are a perfect example of this. I love baseball as much as anyone, but a Yankees/Red Sox game becomes tedious when four hours have passed and the nine hole hitter is stepping into the box for his first at-bat.

It’s to be expected, I suppose. Unless you reside in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, or Chicago, then it’s a safe bet that you’re going to get the short end of the playoff schedule stick.

And yes, I’m complaining.

Not only is it unfair to the fans (Hi! Remember us? We buy stuff so you can make money and pay salaries and play games. Just a reminder.), but it isn’t particularly swell for the players, either. The early afternoon games, especially on the east coast, tend to have a nasty case of “The Devil’s Shadow”. For you lay people, that is when the sun is cutting across the sky at such an angle that the pitcher’s mound and batter’s box are not lit similarly. As such, the pitcher is usually basked in shadows while the hitter is not. It makes for an unpleasant hitting situation, as they have to pick up a ball moving from the shadows into the light, adding to the already arduous task of hitting a 92 MPH piece of rawhide. Having to play one mid-afternoon game is understandable, but twice? That’s unacceptable. But Selig can’t piss of the coveted New York market, can he?

But that’s life as a Phillies fan, I suppose. We weren’t given our due before Brad Lidge threw The Unhittable Slider, so it only makes sense that we don’t get it now.

What do I know, though? I’m just a fan.

When not doing recaps for The Fightins Dot Com, I can be found over at TheAngryRant.com, where I currently reside as chief scribe over all things literary. It’s something I’ve been doing since my college days, and it’s been a hobby of mine ever since. As the name implies, it’s a place where you can find rants on just about anything: Politics, pop culture, and most of all, stupid people.  Why? Because they are everywhere, especially in the blogosphere. Especially in the sports blogosphere. And with the rumors swirling about Roy Halladay and the Phillies, there has been ample opportunity for those who think they actually know about baseball to wax idiotic on the subject, with such opinions like “The Phillies don’t need Roy Halladay” or “Roy Halladay? No thank you!”.

And after some soul searching and internal debate, I’ve decided that it’s time to put my journalistic objectivity to the side and give you all a little rant of my own on why the Phillies need Roy Halladay, and more importantly, why the ones who think it’s even up for debate need to have the Phillies Fan License revoked…

Continue on ATJ…

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