PHILADELPHIA _ As you may have noticed, the Phillies are good again.
This was not an unforeseen development, given all the additions and improvements they made over the offseason, but it is a relatively unfamiliar one. They haven't had a winning season since 2011, and with the exception of a monthlong torrent of Rhys Hoskins home runs in 2017 and Gabe Kapler's mixing and matching last year, there hasn't been all that much interesting about them since, say, 2012.
Plus, during these last seven years, the Eagles have won a Super Bowl, the 76ers have transformed from a tanking bottom-feeder to an Eastern Conference contender, Villanova has won two national championships, and the Flyers have cycled through four head coaches, three general managers, 210 goaltenders, and one giant, demented mascot. There's been other stuff to occupy people's attention.
We at The Inquirer are here to serve, though. So we've provided a few reminders for fans about what it's like to follow and root for a competitive Major League Baseball team in Philadelphia. You don't have to thank us for this refresher course now. Feel free to wait until October.
