When Man Crushes Go Bad

I’m sure more than a few Phillies fans circled yesterday’s date on their trusty pocket schedule. Probably even before they circled W.B. Mason collectable truck day. I guess for this all to make sense, I need to let you know something. I don’t have a favorite all-time Phillie. Hard to believe, but true. If I was a bit older, I’m sure it would be Schmidt or Carlton. But when I really started to become a baseball junkie, the Phillies relied on guys like Dave Hollins, Tyler Green and Paul Byrd to be their All-Star game representatives.

Sure, there was and is always a player I cheered a little louder for. Someone I’d wait until their turn in the line-up passes before I go grab another cold one. Usually, it’s a player who you don’t expect much from but before you know it they are putting up some decent numbers or a scrappy guy who played balls to the wall every pitch of every out or maybe they just had a cool name. Guys like Sixto Lezcano, Randy Ready, or Marlon Anderson. More recently, it’s been Marlon Byrd and Wilson Valdez and, oh yeah, some guy the Phillies took a chance on in 2007 named Jayson Werth.

Werth missed the entire 2006 season with a wrist injury which some thought might end his career. I used the phrase “low risk/high reward” when talking about his signing. He didn’t disappoint. Well, that is until he left town for the lowly Nationals and a boat load of cash. I won’t bash him for that. I completely understand. I think back on the summer of 1994. I was home from college and working in a kitchen. I only call it work because every Friday I got a paycheck. Mostly, we laughed, busted balls and played pranks. After we closed shop, we’d take the party to the dive bar across the street. As far as working is concerned, I don’t think I ever had a better time. But when it comes down to it, if someone offered me more money I’d have left in a second. I don’t work to make friends.  I work to make money to pay bills and be able to afford the things I want to buy.  Let’s face it. I don’t understand it but not everyone likes baseball. Some of those people even include professional ballplayers. They play because they are good at it and can make a lot of money.

Everyone seems to have differing opinions on Werth’s departure. They might be glad he got paid, hate him for turning his back on the Phillies, understand why he went elsewhere but bash him because he signed with a non-contender and so on. Maybe he went to Washington because he realized he would always be a supporting character here in Philadelphia. Utley, Hamels and Howard won the World Series. He was a supporting character. So Washington gives him the chance to be “The Guy” along with Ryan Zimmerman that they will build around. I don’t fault him. No one but Werth knows exactly why he left, but I can’t condemn the guy. I’d have probably done the same.

See ya at the ball…….Oh wait, I only covered the signing there’s more.

Werth's mug shot for Philly's Most Hated

Then we get to spring training, and Werth starts running his mouth. Saying things like the Phillies were dumb because they could have had him AND Lee. That in a few season Phillies fans won’t be traveling down to Nationals Park and the coup de grâce… “I hate the Phillies.”

He joined another one of my old favorites, Lenny Dykstra, as someone I’d like to kick square in the nuts. (If you remember, Dykstra said during a Fox broadcast “I will always consider myself a Met.”) Or better yet, I’d like to take that oversized drinking glove that he wore during the parade which made him such a fan favorite and shove it up his ass.  Both Werth and Dykstra are dead to me. Dead!

Sure, he may have won the first battle, but this is a war. The Phillies sent in the guy with a broomstick (I know its fucked up I’m comparing Fat Joe to the Ethiopian army, oh well) but the heavy artillery and the medic AKA Doc is on the way.

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com