Staff Blog
Matt Stairs: Canadian Hero
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| Matt Stairs, seen here playing for a team that no longer exists |
Spring training and the postseason don’t have terribly much in common. Beyond the obvious difference that the games really matter in one and veterans have been known to drink beers once their innings are up in the other, the players are still getting to know each other and their roles, the weather has turned from the Florida spring to the Boson autumn, and crowds have changed from a couple hundred to almost 50,000.
One way in which the two are similar is, oddly, media attention. In the Spring training small papers will come out of the woodwork to write puff pieces on their local heroes attempts to make their towns proud, the national scribes, in lieu of matters of importance, focus on obscure position battles and the drawn out statistical projections. During the playoffs, with most teams eliminated and their writers left without work, something similar happens – places will check back in with their local boys and national scribes, now desperate to find an unexplored angle, will once again focus on obscure match ups and odd ins and outs of the teams still playing.
I was reminded of that when I saw this article from the Canadian National Post, looking at Matt Stairs, who just got more ink back home than he has in Philly since his arrival. The piece looks at Stairs’ impact on the Phillies, but is clearly a bit forced, this is the basic crux:
Phillies players say they also like having the Canadian around.
It’s one of those pieces that probably wasn’t meant for anyone outside of Stairs’ hometown, but is fun to have come across, and one that reminds you just how many eyes are on this team as they move forward.
Did we find this article at the exact same time, James? Weird. Word.
Hah, we did post this literally within 15 minutes of each other. A sign that we are both may be reading a bit too much about this team?
Every night before chuck norris goes to bed he gets down on his knees and prays to his God, Matt Stairs
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