Philadelphia Phillies Dropped from Harrisburg, PA Radio Station
By Tim Boyle
Sep 7, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop
Ian Desmond(20) shows the ball after tagging out Philadelphia Phillies center fielder
Ben Revere(2) attempting to steal second base during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a really bad start in 2015. The rebuild is taking longer than expected to fully take shape and now Pennsylvania’s capital has turned on them. The first shots have been fired, and they’re coming from a Harrisburg radio station.
Harrisburg-based WHGB-96.5 FM has had enough of the Phillies and their lack of wins. They’re more excited with what the Washington Nationals are doing.
While the Phillies are trying desperately to trade Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, the Nationals are signing the best pitchers they can.
The Nats added to their already talented rotation by tossing a hefty seven-year $210 million contract to free agent pitcher Max Scherzer. Perhaps this was enough to convince the Harrisburg station to switch their allegiance from the Phillies to the last year’s NL East champs.
More from Philadelphia Phillies
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Stock Up, Stock Down: Mariners, Padres, Giants, Phillies
- Disconnect between Philadelphia and national media is embarrassing
- Stock Up, Stock Down: Two teams rising, two falling post-trade deadline
Geographically, Harrisburg could sway toward the Phillies or even the Pittsburgh Pirates for coverage. School children don’t have very many reasons to root for the Nationals unless they’re just going with whoever is atop of the division. The decision, though, does make a little more sense when you consider the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate is based out of Harrisburg. Many residents may remember Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper playing for the hometown Senators before making their debut with the big league club.
Big moves and successful drafts have finally helped the Nationals win and build a credible fan base. The team is already competing with the Baltimore Orioles for Maryland bragging rights, so dropping the Phillies by seizing control over parts of Pennsylvania is a wise move.
Other than their inaugural season in Washington back in 2005, the 2013 and 2014 seasons were the best attendance-wise for the Nationals. The average attendance per game in 2014 did dip by about 1,000 from the year previous, but the excitement this offseason appears higher than ever. The team has three straight winning seasons and won the division in two of them. If everything the organization is doing doesn’t fill the stadium more, flashbacks to the franchise’s days in Montreal may keep management awake at night.
There won’t be too much competing on the field between the Phillies and Nationals in 2015. Rather, the biggest war will be fought in the Nielsen ratings. Will listeners of WHGB 96.5 ultimately embrace the change, or show devotion to the Phillies?