New Phillies Fan Club: Kendrick’s Hendrix

A brief non-researched history of Phillies fan clubs: The first big fan club was the Wolf Pack, in support of rookie pitcher Randy Wolf, in 1999. He began his career 5-0 and the Wolf Pack was at literally every game and so they got some attention. They also had dances and rules and, of course, wolf masks.

The Phillies were almost always out of the race by June. Fans needed something to do to make the losses more entertaining. The Vet was always nearly empty in the outfield upper deck; there was plenty of room for banners. Sal’s Pals is a CBP equivalent. The Wolf Pack begat (in no particular order) the Padilla Flotilla, Myers’ Squires, J-Roll’s Bakery, Person’s People, The Adams Family, Giambi’s Zombies, Abreu’s Amigos. (More here.)

One of my favorites was the Pratt Pack, for catcher Todd Pratt. When Brandon Duckworth debuted, there were tons of fan clubs at the Vet: Duck Pond, Quack Pack, etc.

Last night the TV showed the (possibly) new fan club Kendrick’s Hendrix. Give ‘em points for trying. It is clear, though, they have no actual clue who Jimi Hendrix is. Observe:

As you can see, these kids have confused Jimi Hendrix with Mr. Kotter.

Kyle Kendrick Gets Punk’d By Teammates

So here’s the prank the Phillies pulled on Kyle Kendrick, with an intro from a pair of way too perky ESPNEWS anchors. Charlie Manuel told him he was traded to Japan for Kobayashi, the hot dog eating champ. What’s amazing about this prank is how much effort and planning went into it. I’m impressed, frankly.