Phanatic Magazine celebrates one-year anniversary

By Tim McManus
The Phanatic Magazine

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Phanatic Magazine, a site started by a group of local sportswriters looking for a creative outlet.

The idea was to take the passion that we all share for Philly sports, and mix it with our experience and inside perspective to provide the reader with an honest, unabashed look at their favorite teams. The idea has evolved, as we now provide news real-time, sift through the rumor mill and tackle sports on a national level when appropriate.

The foundation has always stayed intact, though, and that seems to have resonated with our readers. We have grown faster than expected, gaining viewership that we didn't think was attainable this early.

We thank all of you, but especially those who have been reading since the early days. We know we have a small but loyal following, and have you in mind in all the decisions we make. Thanks again.

Here's some excerpts from the Phanatic Magazine over the past year, starting with the first story ever written back on March 22, 2006:

"The carnage has been historically bad -- If not for an even more incompetent fool two hours up the Jersey Turnpike, (Billy) King would be universally regarded as the NBA's Matt Millen."

-- John McMullen, King Sized Failure, 3/22/06 (The Phanatic Magazine -- and John's bitterness -- is officially out on the web for all to see).
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"Jim Johnson better find a way to keep T.O. out of the end zone when Dallas comes to the Linc this season. If not, Mayor Street might have to call in the National Guard."

-- Steve Lienert, Public Enemy No. 1, 3/26/06 (a precursor to one of the most memorable regular-season games in Eagles history)
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"The next several months, probably even the next several years, will be a day-by-day recovery period for this basketball family. Yet, if they remember the embrace in happiness they all shared due to this season's success, perhaps the embrace in sadness will be just a little easier in the long run. We celebrated the joys of human existence during the NCAA Tournament only to remember its fleeting nature in this one tragic event. That's life."

-- Jared Trexler, Dixon's Death a Reminder to Us All, 4/10/06 (Nearly a year later, a friend of Maggie's wrote a letter of gratitude to Jared, thanking him for helping in the healing process with his stirring piece.).
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"Wade never seemed to grasp the importance – both to the health of his team and the sanity of his fan base – of getting into the mix. Pat’s in it. And there’s something beyond hope that tells us that his next press conference will not be to deny rumors before telling us to collectively kiss off, but rather to introduce the missing piece of a championship puzzle."

-- Tim McManus, In Pat We Trust, 5/30 /06 (Freddy?)
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"You can bet when this is all is said and done, hundreds will be exposed. If it makes you feel better -- go right ahead and keep mocking Barry Bonds or Jose Canseco or Rafael Palmeiro for being "cheaters". Keep throwing syringes and keep thinking your team and your favorites are beyond reproach. Just understand, you are about to be disappointed very, very soon."

-- McMullen, Time To Wake Up, 6/7/06 (proving all the more prophetic)
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"Basketball experts everywhere will spend the next several days dissecting a player's body fat, vertical jump and ability to catch and square to the hoop in one fluent motion. However, most NBA failures don't fall into obscurity because of a lack of talent. Rather, the problems lie with a lack of discipline. Lack of focus. Lack of accountability. In simple terms, they are grown men living an existence without consequence."

-- Trexler, To play the game, one must understand the "game", 6/23/06 (Ron Artest, anyone?)
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"If your championship parade is a lap around your arena or stadium, your city does not deserve to have a hockey franchise..."

-- Lienert, They don't know what they got, 6/25/06 (The NHL really should have looked at these guidelines before expansion).
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"May 14 - After a 2-1 loss in Cincinnati in which Rollins goes 0-for-4 from the leadoff spot, dropping his season average to .248, Leyland announces Abreu will be moving to the top of the order, while Rollins will bat second with Utley shifting to the three hole. When asked how he got Abreu to switch to the leadoff spot, Leyland replies, "I didn't ask him."

-- Michael Rushton, Bizzaro Phillies, 7/2/06 (Rushton joins the fold, and immediately helps us to our most hits ever at the time thanks to this piece).
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"That said, as a man, I have to respect K-Fed, who may be the greatest overachiever since Ron Jeremy was lighting up the porn world during the ’70s and ’80s. I mean women who look like Britney rarely have the time of day for a dude who doesn’t own a pot to piss in. Of course, I also understand some men are ticked off at poor ole K-Fed since Spears now looks like a very worn stripper manning the afternoon shift at ‘Les Gals'. You know the type -- the kind you look at and say, “I bet she was really hot a few years ago."

-- McMullen, Get over yourself, 8/2/06 (Relation to sports? Got me, but you gotta love Johnny Mac)
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"There is one solution: Pry the play-calling from Reid's tight grip. It can still be his offense -- his plays, his input, his ingenuity -- only someone else (read: Marty Morningweg) would control which play goes where in-game."

-- McManus, Give it up, Andy, 10/27/06 (Thank you, thank you very much)
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"After six weeks, six consecutive pressure-packed weeks leading up to all but one must-win game, the Philadelphia Eagles cowered at the gates of football destiny. Instead of rolling with the team's personality metamorphosis from soft to skilled over a made-for-TV turnaround, Andy Reid went a different route. He punted."

--Trexler, Eagles never had chance to save season, 1/15/07 (Bitter end to a memorable turnaround)
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"There was one thing that stood Manning apart from the rest of the field on Sunday. He knew he had his whole career in his hands. And unlike Grossman and the Bears, he didn’t put it on the ground."

-- Rushton, Validation, 2/5/07 (Manning gets his ring, Rushton gets it right)
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"No words told us exactly how the man was feeling on a personal level. But an excerpt from his son's funeral gives us the best insight into where Dungy's mind was as he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy amidst the storm..."

-- McManus, Tony Dungy, Leader of Men, 2/5/07 (The class of the NFL gets rewarded)
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"If you had the financial means to step away from a ridiculously time-consuming and demanding job to focus on your two troubled sons would you do it? Most wouldn't even hesitate...So, I'll leave the rationalizing to others and will expect to see Andy where he wants to be -- on the sideline at the Linc. Children be damned."

-- McMullen, 2/9/07, Walk away (A strong statement on the Reid situation. Amazingly, Andy has refused John's request for a 1-on-1.)
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"Peter Forsberg is one captain that isn't going down with his rudderless ship. And it's disgusting. I thought hockey players were supposed to be the last bastion of 'team-first' guys. I thought, in hockey, it's all about the crest on the front of your sweater instead of what's stitched across the back of your shoulders. Forsberg wants out of Philly? Good riddance."

-- Lienert, Forsberg never was a Flyer, 2/13/07 (This stirred up some kind of storm, forcing readers to come up with new curse words to insult Steve)
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"But, Krzyzewski's family has never played nice with others. And that stems from his distaste for losing and his uncanny spin-like ability to blame the L's on everybody but himself."

-- Trexler, Battered and Bloodied: Coach K doesn't get it, 3/5/07 (JT stumbled on the secret to success for any web publication -- insult Duke).
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NEWCOMERS:
While we've taken most of this space to recognize the core group on the one year anniversary of the Phanatic Magazine, we need to thank the new writers who have come in and allowed this publication to become more all-encompassing and creative.

Much thanks to Greg Wiley, John Gottlieb, Eric Redner, Jeff Glauser, Drew Silverman, Bob Herpen and Sean Pollard for their contributions to the site in recent months.

Please continue to follow us as we strive to get bigger and better!

Sincerely,

The Phanatic Magazine staff