Phillie Phanatic Begins Daily Affirmations Practice, Calls It 'Losers Not-So-Anonymous'
The Phillies have lost eight straight and are tied for last in the NL East. Their mascot is dealing with this through a daily self-help ritual.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Philadelphia Phillies have lost eight consecutive games. They are tied with the New York Mets for last place in the NL East. This is happening in front of everyone.
The Phillie Phanatic is aware.
Six mornings into the skid, the Phanatic began attending what he has been calling Losers Not-So-Anonymous — a daily self-affirmation practice conducted alone in the visitors’ bathroom at Citizens Bank Park, before the mirror, at 7 a.m., door open.
“Anonymous felt like the wrong word,” he said, without elaborating. He did not need to. He is a seven-foot green furry creature with a protruding snout and a motorized belly. The Phillies are 8-16. Neither of these things can be hidden.
The practice, he says, is grounded in the conviction of Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations, who has said repeatedly that this team is better than this. The Phanatic believes him.
Each session ends the same way. He looks himself in the eye.
“I’m good enough,” he says. “I’m smart enough. And doggone it, everyone but Alex Trebek likes me.”
Then he goes to work.
Correction: A previous version of this article listed the Phillies’ record as 8-15. Their record is 8-16. The Phanatic’s affirmations remain unchanged.
Photo: Jon Gudorf Photography / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
