It's one thing to lose a baseball game.
What happened to the Phillies - and their fans - last night was something else entirely.
The Phils got blown out by the Mets, shelled in an ugly 14-4 victory. The Mets pounded out 20 hits and seven home runs. Yoenis Cespedes hit three by himself. Reliever Adam Morgan surrendered four dingers, thus earning himself a ride to Allentown after the game.
To add insult to injury, Phils' starter Clay Buchholz left the game after just two and a third innings with a strain in his right forearm. He is not expected to make his next start. That might not be a bad thing after he got rocked for eight hits in his short stint.
None of that is what is most distressing about the Phils' loss last night however.
Adding additional insult to injury is seeing a throng of Mets jerseys sprinkled liberally throughout Citizens Bank Park, even dominating several sections. And then, of course, seeing those sections erupt in cheers every time the Mets hit another home run. They should have just had a spring on their derrieres last night - that's how often they were jumping out of their seats.
And all of this comes with another troubling backdrop.
Forbes magazine yesterday ranked Major League Baseball teams according to their finances. Guess who checks in as the most profitable team in baseball? That would be none other than your local pinstripes.
The Phillies operating income - what they bring in vs. what they pay out - checks in at a healthy $87.7 million. The closest franchise is the Cubs at $83.8 million. The Cubs won the World Series last year. The Phils, well, you know the name of that tune.
That leads to this inevitable conclusion. You don't have to win to make money in pro sports. Endorsement deals and huge TV contracts assure owners of turning a nice profit before a single ticket is sold.
In Philadelphia, we know that all too well.
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