Announcing ‘Phillies Generations’: Share your story

In my eight years writing about the Phillies, one thing I’ve seen clearly is that Phillies fans are arguably the best baseball fans on the planet. In lean years we watch, complain, celebrate and congregate. And in great years, well, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.

To this day, the most incredible live sports moment of my life was Game 2 of the 2008 National League Division Series. The fans helped knock C.C. Sabathia off his game, pushing hard through Brett Myers’ unbelievable walk, leading to the singular roar of Shane Victorino’s grand slam. Standing with the thousands inside Citizens Bank Park, under a pinkish red sky, I felt like I could soar.

A few weeks later I cheered the Phillies’ second world championship with my father, three hours away by phone. As I screamed and cried, he played it calm and reminded me to never forget the special moment.

He would know. He was just about the same age when the Phillies won the 1980 world championship.

I would party with hundreds of thousands of Phillies fans two days later at a Halloween afternoon parade. And all of us had something in common: Our parents were about the same age as us when the Phillies won in 1980.

Today I’m launching a project on Phillies Nation, tentatively titled “Phillies Generations.” Nearly 30 years passed between Phillies championships, the perfect length of time to mark generational change. Basically, our parents likely celebrated the 1980 title at the same point in life as we celebrated 2008.

I want to chronicle that relationship between generations. I want your stories – where were you in October 2008, and where were your parents in October 1980? How are your stories similar? How are they different? And what did your parents say to you in 2008? How did they celebrate?

Of course, we can add another element to this: 30 years passed from 1950 – the year the Phillies previously won the National League pennant – to 1980. If your story includes a grandparent, please include.

I’m looking for all stories that fit that line: maybe you’re a 30-year-old who was 23 in 2008. Your dad was 23 in 1980, and his dad was 23 in 1950. Maybe you were 35 in 1980, and your mom was 32 in 1950. Whatever the gap, if the story is there, I want to hear from you. Send an email to me at tsmalcolm@gmail.com with your full name, hometown, year of birth, and a line or two describing your story. I may contact you further from there.

Being a Phillies fan is an intense experience, one that usually spans generations in the family. I want to know how that story evolved. Please get in touch and become a part of “Phillies Generations.”