Friday, February 1, 2008

The City of Brotherly Hate

(The Dark Ranger) I kid you not. After the Philadelphia Flyers took a 'hockey shagging' last night against our New York Rangers, this article actually appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer -- one of the more respected newspapers in the entire Philly/NJ area:

Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 1, 2008
Morning Report:
By Don McKee
There may be a debate about the city Philadelphians hate the most, but there is none about the locale Flyers fans fear, resent and loathe above all others.

The area where the Statue of Liberty is your landmark. The Flyers lost only three games in regulation last month: to the hated New Jersey Devils on Jan. 4 and 22, and to the despised New York Rangers last night.

The Flyers and Rangers are as chummy as Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama these days, and it's easy to see why. The upstart Rain-jiz came into the Wachovia Center last night with the lowest goals total in the NHL and promptly waffled the first-place Flyers, 4-0, chasing poor Antero Niittymaki. Just to rub it in, the Rangers used backup goalie Stephen Valiquette, who had lost, 3-0, in his last appearance and had never recorded an NHL shutout.

In their January losses to the Devils and Rangers, the Flyers scored three goals and their opponents scored 14. That will allow the arrogant (and you know who you are!) New York fans to puff out their chests and taunt the crestfallen Flyers fans. Again.

Which brings up my theory on why cities are hated by sports fans. It isn't really the city or the team. Manhattan is a perfectly marvelous place and the New England Patriots are perfection personified. It's the other fans. Mets fans, Giants fans, Red Sox fans, Cowboys fans and (truth be told) Eagles fans grate on outsiders because they're just so obnoxious about every little success. Know anybody who hates Memphis Grizzlies fans? Didn't think so.

5 comments:

  1. Dark, what's your point? Well written article if you ask me. You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with the Flyers these days...

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  2. Just surprised a mainstream paper and fdarangers would think "Rain-jiz" is well written. No point. Just surprised.

    Just don"t like them. That's it.

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  3. Dark Ranger I don't blame you, I don't like them either. I still see Schultz beating up helpless Dale Rolfe and not a Ranger stepping in to help.

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  4. Hey FDA, I heard that The Dark Ranger was a Flyers fan but switched allegiances when Lindros was traded to the Rangers. Would explain his Flyers obsession/guilt...

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  5. A Philly contingency in the house...
    Six home Philly losses in a row to the Rangers has got to hurt.

    Keep up the hate, Philadelphia. I still don't like you and neither does the Pundit.

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