May 18, 2011; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ryan Madson (46) celebrates after pitching the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Rockies 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

In an article that is both a back-handed compliment to Phillies fans and a front-handed slap in the face of everyone who has ever lustily booed a professional athlete in Philadelphia, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles’ Times interview with new Angels closer Ryan Madson is quick and direct in its loath fulness of Phillies fans.

In what might be record time for every lazy journalist in America, DiGiovanna waited all the way until the second sentence of his feature on Madson to bring up the holy trinity of Philadelphia sports “ugliness.”

That’s right, snowballs at Santa, D batteries at J.D. Drew, and cheering at a nearly-dead Michael Irvin.

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 receiverMichael Irvin lay motionless on the field after suffering a neck injury.

-Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times

Bravo, and well done sir. Bravo.

The interview was designed to show how the merciless beating Ryan Madson routinely took at the hands of the bloodthirsty and maniacal fans of Philadelphia has actually made the lanky right-hander the pitcher he is today.

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.”

Over eight seasons in Philadelphia, Madson came to a surprising realization about that harsh treatment: He loved it.

“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.”

Now, I don’t think there’s a single Phils fan that remembers what game these two guys are talking about, but here it is. And if everything went down as Madson describes it, it was probably unreasonable for Phillies fans to be as vociferous in their displeasure as they were. Still, one must remember the state of the franchise at this time.

Yes, that had just moved into a new stadium, but the culture of the team was still one of a bunch of losers trying to figure out how not to be lousy anymore. It was a tense time.

And I don’t think we’re breaking any news here when we report that Philadelphia sports fans can be downright idiotic at times, thanks mainly to a heapin’ helpin’ of the witch’s brew.

The good news is, Madson eventually flourished in Philadelphia.

And it’s great to know that he doesn’t hold a grudge, either against the city, or the team that seemingly had signed him to a contract before the 2011 season only to rip it away from his cold dead fingers.

“I don’t have any hard feelings toward Philadelphia or point the finger at anyone,” Madson said. “There’s something to be said for that saying, ‘We can make all the plans we want, and God laughs.’ Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”

So, we now have confirmation that Ryan Madson is cool. As if we needed it.

What we don’t know is who pissed in Mike DiGiovanna’s corn flakes.

Remembering Ryan Madson before his elbow destroyed itself. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The end of Ryan Madson‘s tenure with the Phillies has never been adequately explained by anybody.

You’ll remember about a year ago when Ruben Amaro was doing his dance with Madson and Jonathan Papelbon. One minute it seemed like the Phils and Madson had agreed on a contract that would have kept him in Philly to be the closer. Then, in the blink of an eye, the Phils reversed course and signed Papelbon, with both sides then offering different opinions about whether or not a contract had officially been offered and accepted.

It was a confusing time for all of us. None of us were sure what was going to happen next.

Would the Cubans launch their missiles at us? Would Khrushchev back down and remove his missiles from Cuba? Would the entire eastern seaboard of the United States be annihilated by 35 nuclear bombs dropped on our heads?

OK, maybe the uncertainty wasn’t as severe as the Cuban Missile Crisis, but we did spend a lot of time talking about it.

Fast forward to this week, when it was announced Madson turned down the $11 million option on his contract and took a $2.5 million buyout instead. It’s said Madson wants to pursue a closer’s job, and that wasn’t going to happen while Aroldis Chapman is throwing baseballs faster than any normal human being should legally be allowed to throw them at people in Cincinnati.

Clearly, one of two things is happening.

First, Ryan Madson could be a crazy person. (Wait, that’s not politically correct, is it? OK, let’s go with raging nut-bag. Yea, much more delicate.) Why else would someone coming off Tommy John surgery refuse $11 million, and not take the time to establish some value as a set-up man next year, then hit the free agent market after 2013 with the knowledge he’s fully healthy?

Madson says he wants to go to a team that will give him the opportunity to close. And while there are numerous potential landing spots out there (Florida, possibly Detroit, New York) are any of those teams going to give Madson more than a one or two-year deal worth $11 million?

It’s nuts, friends.

Of course, the Phillies would love to have him back, probably in that eighth inning role he was terrific at for so many years. But if Madson’s stated goal is to be believed, perhaps he’s willing to take less money to be a closer rather than make more as a set-up man.

And you know what? That’s actually not so crazy. How many of us wouldn’t be willing to take a small financial hit if it meant we were doing something we truly wanted to do? If Madson wants to be a closer, then he should see if that opportunity is out there.

But it’s highly doubtful the guy is going to make $11 million next year. He has to know that.

The second possibility of course is that this is all a well-staged ploy to generate interest from the team he has never stopped loving, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yes, I’m sure he still carries a torch for the Phils. After all, it’s where he blossomed into a baseball man.

And you can bet the Phils would love to bring him back. Unfortunately, they’re already paying someone else about $423 million to pitch 70 innings the next 40 years (note: numbers are rough estimates). Unless a trade of Papelbon is in the works (unlikely), or Madson was simply blowing smoke up everyone’s dresses about his desire to close, there doesn’t seem to be a fit in Philly.

Anything more than a one-year, $3 million deal for Madson would be foolish for any team to pay. While most Tommy John surgery recipients typically become their old selves again (Steven Strasburg for one), there’s always a chance the pitcher might not make it back all the way.

It’s a risk.

And Madson might hit the market and find out, like last year, that GMs not named Ruben Amaro don’t want to spend a ton of money on any closer, let alone ones that didn’t pitch a single inning the year before. If that’s the case, a return to the Phillies on a one-year deal as a set-up man would be a no-brainer for both sides, provided Madson isn’t holding a grudge against the organization.

Either way, Madson’s decision to turn down $11 million is a questionable decision, at best.

And it might be a decision that brings him back to Philly.

It’s OK, Ryan. You can say it. You want to come back.

We’ll leave the light on for ya.

Ryan Madson, feigning happiness.

Thanks to Chase Utley, there isn’t a ton of fun Phillies news right now, so let’s turn out attention.  How about the one Ryan Madson plays for?  I forget who it is, exactly.  One of the red ones.  No, not us.  The important part isn’t who it is, really, it’s that Ryan does, in fact, play for them and not the Phillies.  And that is how we enter the twisted, sinister plot that put him there, Ryan promises us.

Ryan’s been weaving a tale ever since the Ruben Amaro and company let him go.  He’s been spouting off.  Naming names.  Striking nerves.  And the truth is, we may never know what really happened.  But we’re going to know what Ryan Madson think happened.  Because he won’t stop telling us.

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