Billy Wagner was a fan favorite in Philadelphia but once he joined the New York Mets -- or maybe once he gave up that homer to Biggio in September '05 -- he became a hated enemy. He's mouthed off about the fans in Philadelphia in the past, and once again he's decided to show how sensitive he really is in a Sunday piece by Jim Salisbury.
"People there expect you to perform, and when you do perform, they're still on your ass. In Philly, you can't have a good enough year. It's different in other places. In Philly, you should never give up a run or you should hit a home run every time up.
"When you're booing Mike Schmidt - come on."
Billy, come on now, don't forget: we threw snowballs at jolly old Santa! Brett Myers throws a bit of a jab at Wagner in response.
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"I think it's a great place to play. If you screw up, the fans will put you back in line. It's like tough love.
"Billy might think it's a tough place to play. Me? When someone tells me I [stink], I try to show them I don't. It fuels me."
Yeah, Billy, stop being such a wuss. Are the fans in Philly vocal? Sure they are.
"You can't pay attention to it," Myers said. "That's why Billy couldn't make it here. He could have been a superstar in Philly. The fans loved him because he threw 100. But he chose to focus on the negative part instead of the positive: The fans are the way they are because they care."
Those some fightin' words right there. Wagner does have a point though, Philly is certainly not a place for players who need their hand held. I'm loving this rivalry picking up some steam. Both teams look like contenders on paper, let's hope the Phils can get their pen together and keep Phillies fans in a positive mood.
I'll have you know that Sony Playstation has done a complete full season simulation using MLB 07 The Show. The Phillies edged out the Mets to win the East by one game. The Phillies finished with 88 wins while the Mets took the Wild Card with 87 wins. No word on whether Tom Gordon went down in mid-June.
>>Phils' biggest foe... fans? [Inquirer]
>>Photo via Marinerds