Phillies' Rise Mirrors Philly's Rise

It pains me to say this as a lifelong Mets fan, but the city of Philadelphia is on the rise.

Make no mistake, Philly has always been one of the best cities in America, but its cultural significance, like any major city, ebbs and flows. The cult hit "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" was just picked up for syndication by Comedy Central after it became a breakout phenomenon on the FX network. The Philadelphia Phillies were last year's baseball champions for the first time in 28 years, and are headed back to the World Series again this year.

It wasn't always this sunny in Philadelphia. The Phillies faced an epic collapse, not unlike the one the Mets did in 2007, back in 1964. They had only been in the World Series twice in over one hundred years of the team's history, and had the dubious distinction of being the first sports franchise to amass 10,000 losses. The Phillies have had 72 losing records, including 16 consecutive from 1933-1948. There have been a lot of lean years for the Phillies. Cubs fans may still be waiting for their championship, but at least they've had ten trips to the World Series to attempt it.

Center City in Philadelphia is a culinary diamond in the rough, especially along Walnut Street west of City Hall. We all know about the cheesesteaks, but look beyond Geno's and Pat's and you'll find ASO Sushi, great chinese at Susannah Foo, comfort food at Morning Glory, great southern fare at Geechie Girls, and delicious italian at Ralph's.

Philly is progressively green. They were ranked eighth among US cities by SustainLane. Mayor Michael Nutter is committed to making Philadelphia one of the most energy efficient cities in America, even creating a senior cabinet-level appointment called the Director of Sustainability.

So there you go Philly. Even this bitter Mets fan can tip his hat to you and your fine city. You've done a hell of a job reviving your brand. My own team can learn a thing or two from what you and your front office have done to turn around a long-suffering franchise. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to sticking pins in my Jimmy Rollins voodoo doll.