Thanks, Big Guy!

Well, here's something that's never happened to me before.


I was in the middle of writing a blog about how much I love a guy and how much joy he brings me on a nightly basis... when he got traded. (And yes, that’s how long I’ve been trying to get this one out the door.)


Oh Jim Thome. I miss you already!


Now, I know this trade is good for everyone involved. This little experiment just didn't work out. The Phillies need bodies on the bench who can play the field, and Thome has a bad back that no amount of yoga can fix. So, the Phillies traded him to a place where all he has to do is hit dingers and sit back down on the bench.


It just wasn't supposed to go this way.


My heart – still broken from the whole losing to the Cardinals thing – grew three sizes that day Jim came back to us in December. It may not have made a whole bunch of "on the field" sense, but I hoped adding a guy like Thome could help a team that seemed to forget that playing baseball was supposed to be fun. I had visions of him lifting a very large trophy and retiring to Cooperstown in red pinstripes, not being part of a season gone terribly, terribly awry. He couldn’t keep the Phils from scuffling, but, even when things were at their worst during the first half, there was one of the best homerun hitters of all time belly laughing in the dugout, smiling that Jim Thome smile. 


I'll never forget the way I felt when Thome signed here before the 2003 season. It was just a few months removed from when my future husband, Scott Rolen, was traded – and made his less than fuzzy feelings for the organization and the city very public. At the time, I just couldn't believe that one of the best homerun hitters in the game would choose to come to Philly. (I was also in complete shock that Ed Wade could pull of such a signing.) I don't think anyone realized it then, but things changed big time that day. Thome was the catalyst for Philly becoming a destination, not a baseball death sentence. Thome ended the string of awful signings, like the Andy Ashbys, David Bells and Adam Eatons of the world and brought on the Placido Polancos, Roy Halladays and Cliff Lees. It was a major swing in the history of the organization, and Thome deserves a lot of credit for seeing beyond the losing seasons to the potential of the team. Combined with the new ballpark, he helped put butts in the seats and more money in the front office's pocket. That money enabled them to keep the up-and-coming stars in the organization and eventually win the 2008 World Series. Thome certainly isn’t the only reason the organization is where it is today, but you can’t deny the parallels and his role in its rise to success.


I think that following Thome's career – all 609 homeruns of it – is and always will be one my favorite parts of following this amazing game. He is a man who knows how lucky he is to play baseball for a living, and does it with the joy of a really big toddler in a candy store. He brings fun and passion to the field every day, and has showed an entire generation how to be a good teammate and leader – just ask Chase Utley (here, 1:50 mark). 


No, things aren't great with the Fightins at the moment, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate what we've gotten the opportunity to witness during Thome’s time here. A player like this just doesn't come along very often...

The Law of Ex-Phillydom and the LA Kings

I have this theory about former Philadelphia athletes: Most of them get better once they are out of the City of Brotherly Love.

The Law of Ex-Phillydom applies to three types of players:

1. Players that show signs of promise but infuriatingly never blossom to their full potential, until they leave. Think Michael Bourn and Joffrey Lupul.
2. Players who have solid stints in Philly but put up career numbers once they leave. Think Placido Polanco.*
3. Players who the front office deem too old to be productive and contribute regularly but go on to their new teams to do just that. Think Rod Brind'Amour, Brian Dawkins and Mike Knuble.

Qualifying players aren't usually superstar busts, but players you hope can consistently perform for a long time, and help lead to team success. (If Matt Carle leaves the Flyers via free agency, he is a prime candidate to reap the benefits of the Law of Ex-Phillydom.) You get the idea.

Players are bound to have varying career paths, but what’s happening now is unprecedented: The Law of Ex-Phillydom is affecting an entire organization!

The LA Kings were referred to as Flyers West before Mike Richards and Jeff Carter got there, and now it's just silly. Former Flyers have completely infiltrated all aspects of the Kings organization. It’s the Law of Ex-Phillydom escalating from individual players to an entire team. Shall we run down the list?

On the ice: Richards, Carter, Simon Gagne**, Justin Williams

Behind the bench: Assistant Coach John Stevens (Terry Murray was the Head Coach until mid-season)

In the front office: VP and Assistant GM Ron Hextall

Sometimes the law of Ex-Phillydom doesn’t really matter. Players leave and go on to have solid careers very far away and out of the division/conference, and we’re happy for them. But a lot of times, like with Richards and Carter, it feels like a swift kick to the stomach.

Before the Flyers/Pens series, I wrote that if the Flyers could beat Pittsburgh, it would justify every radical move that the front office made last summer.

I made that statement without the thought that the Kings could or would ever advance out of the first round, let alone make it to the Cup finals.

Yet, here we are, and it makes evaluating the moves slightly more interesting.

It seems like forever ago that Philadelphia practically exploded with joy when the Flyers made their unexpected run to the Cup Finals in 2010. The series against the Bruins was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. The loss to Chicago, although disappointing, hinted that the team, led by Richards, would be back to the Cup finals before long.

But then last season happened: Dry Island, absurd pictures of boozing with less than reputable (or sober) girls, and crashing frat parties. It all seemed like innocent fun by a bunch of young guys, until it exploded onto the ice. The team choked. After an amazing first half of the season, the locker room strife took a toll on the team’s performance. An embarrassing second round exit (I'm still not sure how they even made it that far), led to the drastic decisions that Paul Holmgren made.

Sometimes, for whatever reason things just don't click in the locker room, and that was clearly the case with Richards and Carter in Philly. The Flyers organization trusted Richards and Carter to lead them to a parade, and they didn’t. So, for them to end up back together (in a place that serves up even more distractions and beach time than Philadelphia and Sea Isle combined) and make it to the Cup finals the very next year, after everyone decided it couldn’t happen again with them in Philly? It’s like an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend meeting their future spouse right after they broke up with you. It stinks.

You know that old joke about the Phillies sending championship rings to Houston as a thank you? Well, if the Kings win the Cup, the Flyers organization might just deserve a ring, and the Law of Ex-Phillydom will have reared its ugly head again.

Let’s Go Devils? Ugh.

*Note: Polanco’s first stint with the Phillies was in no way shape or form unimpressive, but his numbers with the Tigers after the Phils foolishly traded him are out of this world. Oddly enough, Polanco hasn’t come close to his Detroit numbers since he’s been back in Philly – point proven.

**Simon Gagne winning a Cup would be the only plus side to this whole situation