We interrupt our regularly scheduled nonsense to bring you the following rant:

After we had seen the Nissel prediction go down in flames, we went looking for Smarty stories to see what we could make fun of. We fould this next tidbit on ESPN.com. And we felt it needed a serious response. It just seemed a needlessly harsh view of the City that Shoves You Back. We didn't catch the name of the author, but that person should learn a little respect.
He or she wrote:

"Philadelphia fans -- who've booed even Santa Claus -- are notorious for their viciousness. Maybe it's because Philly has had so few champions, and none since the 76ers won it all in 1983. But the drought is over in the City of Brotherly Love, which has given its hardened heart to a magnificent horse. Suddenly, the greatest cynics in American sports are giddy."

Now was all that really necessary?
Philadelphia fans cynics? The ever-hopeful, ever-faithful, ever-honest Philly fans?
We here work with Philly fans. We live with Philly fans. We KNOW them.
And you bet Philly's excited for Smarty Jones.
Hell, all America is excited for Smarty.
So how does that mean that Philly has a hardened heart? We say, Hell no!
Philly's heart just has a thin candy shell, but it has a soft chewy center.
Philly fans are not evil. Just think of them as the Gorgeous George of fandom. They may get out of hand at times, but it's only an act for the TV audience.
And by the way, when will someone point out that that Santa deserved booing?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled stuff.

Posted at May 16, 2004 03:52 PM