I've been thinking a bit about what exactly the upcoming 10,000th loss means to the Phillies. Obviously, its due in large part to being one of the oldest franchises. But several teams began about the same time (1883) and are not even close to the 10,000 mark, so there is a need for long term futility. A decade like the 1920s when the Phillies went 566-962 (0.370) probably didn't help either. And that wasn't even their worst 10 year stretch. From 1936 - 1945 they went 511 - 1016 (0.335), averaging OVER 100 LOSES! For comparison, the Devil Rays who are by no means known for their winning have averaged 97 loses through their first 9 years and thats with playing 8 more games a season. In the Devil Ray's worst season, they had a winning percentage of 0.342. The 1936-45 Phillies averaged worse than that.
So while this clearly indicates a franchise that has been bad for a while, I don't think its bad for Phillies fans to take note of this. In recent years, they have been a better team (>80 wins since 2001 I think), and maybe it will make them appreciate that the team no longer averages 100 losses a season and competes for the playoffs (at least the wild card). In reality, most fans will use it as an excuse to complain about the team and their futility (only 1 world series win).
Also, the Philly Inquirer had a interesting spread on the issue in Sunday's
paper.
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