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“It Doesn’t Matter How You Get In… And We’re Fucking In,” Says Don Mattingly
By Nick Piccone
Published:
The Phillies avoided a historic September collapse on Sunday by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays and punching their ticket to Atlanta to face the Braves in the National League Wild Card Series. They had a somewhat tame celebration on the field before heading to the clubhouse, where the champagne has been flowing, and still is currently.
Before they popped the bottles, interim manager Don Mattingly had a message for his team-
“Hey everybody, top to bottom. Clubhouse guys, the training staff, to the front office to everybody here in this room. You all got a piece of this. It’s never easy, right? It’s just the start. Fuck that. It don’t matter how you get in, you just gotta get in. And we’re fucking in. Let’s go!”
Unfortunately, Don Mattingly is trying to get me to like him. He hasn’t been the greatest manager since taking over for Rob Thomson, but hell if he doesn’t understand what this moment means to his players. The season might only last two more games, or twenty-two. But he’s a guy that seems to get it inside that clubhouse – at the very least, for today.
If the Phillies find a way to beat the Braves in the NLWC, then Donnie Baseball can say whatever the hell he wants.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 15 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice.com and PhillyInfluencer.com. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Podcast, focused on covering the professional wrestling industry. He was a producer at Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and currently produces broadcast and social media content for the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com