PHILADELPHIA IS AN EVEN MORE UNFORGIVING baseball town than Boston? I guess, take it from one who knows. Terry Francona managed the Phillies from 1997–2000, with a 285-363 record:
So he was “genuinely happy” to see [the Phillies] experience success of their own. He may not have shared that sentiment for a city that didn’t show him a lot of love. In explaining the differences between the fans in the two cities, Francona said, “I think there’s more love for their players here. They want [them] to do good so bad that when they don’t, it just kills them. In Philadelphia, it turned to hatred in a hurry. Like ball one.”