A Very Phillies Thanksgiving – Part Two

Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s column where I compared items on the Thanksgiving table to members of the Phillies. Before I get into part two, I just wanted to share what I was thankful for about the Phillies.

I am thankful that I have gotten to experience the recent era of Phillies success.  Yes, the past two years have been disappointing, and 2014 might not be all that much better, but at least I can go in with a little bit of optimism.

Throughout most of my tenure as a Phillies fan, I had very little hope.  A deadly combination of cheap ownership and bad decision making left the Phillies unable to even sniff the playoffs.  Sure, a lot of things would need to break right in 2014, but I’ll go into the season thinking that they at least have a chance.  That wasn’t always the case.

With that said, here are some more Phillies and their Thanksgiving food equivalents!

Turkey – Cole Hamels

At some point in American history, somebody made the decision that turkey was going to be the focus of Thanksgiving dinner.  I’m not sure when or how it happened, but since then, we’ve come to expect the turkey to be top quality.  Because of that, we tend to be very quick to voice our disapproval if it doesn’t live up to those standards.

I think that’s mostly because the quality of Thanksgiving dinner pretty much revolves around the turkey.  If the turkey is too dry or has some problems with wildness (Although a little Wild Turkey could help enhance just about any meal), then the dinner is probably going to be disappointing.

Turkey (Dark meat) – Cliff Lee

I’ve always preferred the dark meat over the white meat.  One year, my family inexplicably didn’t serve any dark meat.  While the meal still went okay, it definitely left me feeling a bit empty.  To avoid that empty feeling, I made a point to get dark meat back on the table the following year.  The result was one of the greatest meals I’ve ever had.

In the years since, the meal quality might have wavered a bit, but the dark meat almost always lives up to expectations.

Green beans – John Mayberry, Jr.

Some people dislike green beans and feel that other vegetables would be much better to eat on Thanksgiving.  But I can see the value in having green beans on the table.  Sure, you might not want it as the main part of the meal, and if you eat too many of them, you’ll probably end up feeling a little sick.  But as a relatively cheap, complimentary part of the meal, you could do a lot worse than green beans.

Dinner rolls – Jimmy Rollins

The rolls used to be one of my favorite parts of the meal.  Back in the day, I might have even ranked them as my second favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner.  But lately, the rolls haven’t quite packed the same punch.  These days, it often seems like they’re nothing but empty calories.

Sweet potatoes – Dom Brown

I was never a big fan of sweet potatoes.  Every year, I would put some on my plate, but I never gave them much of a chance.  After a few bites, I’d abruptly check if there were any other better options.

Last year, I decided to give them another chance.  This time around, they were much better than I remembered, although they seemed to lose some of their luster by the end of the meal.  I’m going to eat them again this year, and I hope they can match that initial burst of excellence from last year, but I’m skeptical that they’ll ever get back to that level.

Ice cream sandwich – Ruben Amaro, Jr.

Some years ago, I created an “ice cream sandwich” where I put some ice cream between two pieces of bread.  Most people think I’m nuts for liking them.  These sandwiches continue to draw derision from the rest of my family.  And yet, I continue to insist that they’re not nearly as bad as people think.

I am starting to wonder about them though.  Are the sandwiches just a little too much at times?  It’s possible that by eating them, I’m only fattening myself up.  And at some point, when I want to slim back down, will I still be able to do so?

No matter what kind of food you prefer at your table, please try to have a happy Thanksgiving!