10,000... and So What?

I came to the conclusion a couple weeks ago that constantly asking players like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels or Ryan Howard about the approaching specter of 10,000 franchise losses was a bit like asking a newborn about the structural integrity of a house built by his great grandfather. It was really a pointless question, apparently posed by sports journalists with little imagination or creativity.

Yet, as our boys faced off against a much more mediocre Cardinals team last night, they did so under an ESPN spotlight - just as they'd played a Fox Game of the Week a day earlier. At least ESPN seems to have gotten their money's worth. But was this really the best draw a network could think of for featuring a ballgame? And does anyone in Philadelphia really think the 124 year history of this club, no matter how futile, should continue to be part of the thought process of players who were born in an era where the franchise was, if anything, slightly less futile than its historic average?

Or is that just the sort of thing that makes us Philly fans?

Other local voices in the wake of the five-digit milestone include:

• Balls, Sticks & Stuff: 10,000
• I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake: 10,000: A Meaningless Number
• Phillyist: 10,000
• The 700 Level: Phillies Get That Pesky 10,000th Loss Out of The Way