1993 Phillies, Good But Not Great

Earlier this month I was at a Phillies game where John Kruk was inducted into the Phillies wall of fame. Kruker was a part of the famous 1993 team and during his speech I was thinking back to that team. From what I’ve heard from my family, documentaries, and various sports analysts, the 93’ Phillies were a group of beer drinking, hot dog eating guys that all Philadelphians could relate to. The 93’ Phillies had a lot of fun and in the process put together a 97-65 season. They would eventually make it all the way to the World Series where they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in blank games.



Larry Anderson, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton, Mitch Williams, and Curt Schilling were just some of the great players on that team. They meshed together in the clubhouse and on the field and Philadelphia absolutely loved them.



But as good as that team was they ultimately failed to win the World Series. In short they were very good but not great. This city loved them so much because they played hard every night and they were so easy to relate to, but overall they weren’t a success.

Which leads us to the present day 2011 Phillies. For the most part this current team is the same core team from 2008 but with Raul Ibanez, Hunter Pence, Placido Polanco, and a revamped starting rotation. After winning the World Series in 2008, the Phils lost to the Yankees in the World Series in 2009, and fell short against the Giants last year in the NLCS.



This year the Phils have their sights set on their second World Series title in four years. Although the Phils won in 2008, if they fail to win another championship, in my opinion like the 93’ team,they will forever be viewed as good but not great.



The Phils front office is clearly all in. They got Cliff Lee before the season and added Hunter Pence at the trade deadline to maximize their chances of another title. The dedication from the front office is clear and now it is up to the players to put it together on the field.



Going into the final month of the regular season, the Phils need to continue to play hard and remain focused on their ultimate goal of winning the World Series. The Phillies won in 2008, but if they are able to win again, they will be viewed as one of the greatest teams in Philadelphia sports history.