Phillies

Ryan Madson Speaks Glowingly About Philly as LA Times Writer Fishes for a Stereotype

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jan 15th, 2013 · 9:12 AM EST

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In an article in which LA Times writer Mike Digiovanna rips Philly fans with this lede… 

However Angels fans respond the first time new closer Ryan Madson blows a save opportunity, chances are it won't rattle him.

It took only a short time before he experienced the wrath of Philadelphia's sports fans, who are notorious for booing Santa Claus, pelting then-St. Louis outfielder J.D. Drew with D-batteries and cheering when Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin lay motionless on the field after suffering a neck injury.

 

… we hear from former WFC Ryan Madson, now with the Angels, about his time in Philadelphia. And although Didyouknowva was undoubtedly fishing for some jabs at us rough and tumble fans to the east (by the way, 25 people were arrested and 62 needed medical attention at the 49ers game this weekend), Madson held his ground, complimenting not only Philly fans, but also the media. Really.

Check out these quoticals from Mad Dog: [LA Times]

As a Phillies rookie in 2004, Madson reeled off 21 consecutive scoreless innings in relief, lowering his earned-run average to 1.84 in July before giving up a two-run home run to Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa in a loss at home.

"They booed me off the field," Madson said. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness. It doesn't matter. It's what have you done for me lately?' That makes it tough. You can't rest on your laurels. Every day, they demand that you be at your best regardless of how many days in a row you've pitched, how you are physically."

"There couldn't have been a better environment to become the pitcher I am now," said Madson, who signed a one-year, $3.5-million deal with the Angels. "The fans might have been critical, but that's good. You don't want to go out there not caring."

Negative media can be good, he added: "All the 'Ha-ha, yeah-yeah, this team is great' stuff, that affects the players. They get comfortable. I want to feel that sense of urgency to go above and beyond expectations."

 

Not sure if Sarah Madson feels the same way… but nice to see that Ryan appreciates us.

We can assume that last quote can be applied to teams from later in Madson’s tenure with the Phillies, squads whose style of play contrasted with that of the 2007-2009 versions. In the article, Madson talked about how the 2008 Phillies were “hungry” and eager to prove doubters wrong. We haven’t seen that since about mid-2010.

The whole article is worth a read.

H/T to (@news_junkie_esq)