you have been around baseball for the past two decades, you undoubtedly remember the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s, wherein they captured four World Championships in five years.  You might then remember what happened afterwards.

Every year, the Yankees went far into the playoffs—frequently to the World Series. Every year (save for 2009), they failed to win. Meanwhile, the baseball world outside of New York loathed the Yankees, and the same is happening to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now, I’m not naive. I realize that baseball is a business founded upon winning championships, not national acclaim. Philadelphia fans are not (and should not be) concerned what people outside of their city/fan base think about them. “Haters gonna hate.”

The concern, however, is that the Philadelphia Phillies could turn into a punchline should they not win championships.

2008:  The Philadelphia Phillies win ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB By Augustin Kennady