Rupp's lack of Phils knowledge excusable?

Cameron Rupp, image- Jay Floyd

Phillies backstop Cameron Rupp is having quite a month. The righty batting Texan sports a .327 average with seven home runs and 17 RBI in 16 August games.

Informed by reporters following Sunday's game that he is the first Phils rookie catcher to hit seven home runs in a calendar month since 1922, the 26-year-old responded in a noteworthy manner.

According to reports, Rupp replied, "Ah, that's pretty cool. Is that when they were the A's?"

Say what now?

Clearly, the Phillies were never the Athletics. That team, used to play in Philadelphia though, before relocating to Kansas City back in the 1950's. The Phils have been around dating back to the 1880's.
Rupp, who is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, can tend to rub some Philadelphia sports fans the wrong way when it comes to his alligience regarding football, but shouldn't he possess at least basic historical knowledge of the team he plays for?

Personally, I like Rupp. He's been a pleasure to cover through the minors and into the big leagues. But, what amount of fan reaction for a mistake like this is valid and does his hot production of late get him a pass?

Before you share your thoughts below in the comments section, consider one more thing related to Rupp's Cowboys fandom...on a December, 2013 episode of the PhoulBallz Podcast (football chat begins at 34:00, bet proposal at 43:00), he wagered with me and Reading Fightins photographer Tug Haines that if the Eagles won the NFC East division title that season that he'd wear an Eagles jersey and post a picture of it on his Twitter account. The Eagles locked down that title and Rupp welched on the bet. Additionally, he later declined to follow through on paying his debt on an episode of Phillies Nation TV in 2014, never donning the Eagles' midnight green whatsoever.

This wager is brought up in fun, as I've reminded Cameron about it multiple times. However, from a guy that's already given the six-foot-two 258-pounder some slack and laughed off this player dismissing a bet, perhaps I'm less prone to giving Rupp a complete pass from some good old fashioned ball busting.

This post originally appeared on Phillies Nation.

Comments

Jersey Shore clinches playoff berth on final day of regular season

Ottto Kemp, image- Jay Floyd With an extra-inning victory over first-half division champions Hudson Valley on Sunday, the Class A Advanced Jersey Shore BlueClaws clinched the team's first playoff appearance since 2018, winning the second-half division title. Key performers in the BlueClaws' clincher were righty hurler Jason Ruffcorn, who threw three innings of relief to earn the victory and third baseman Otto Kemp, notched three hits, a walk, two stolen bases and plated the game winning run in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly. On top of that, Kemp, who turned 24-years-old on Saturday, made an absolute game-saving defensive play to help the club hold their lead in the bottom of the 11th frame. One of Jersey Shore's most consistent performers all season long has been right-handed reliever Cam Wynne. The Phillies' 20th round draft pick in 2021 out of Nebraska. In 34 appearances, one start, the 24-year-old tallied a 1-1 record with one save, a 2.44 ERA and a .190 batti

PhoulBallz Interview: BlueClaws OF Justin Crawford

Justin Crawford w/ junior reporter Evan At the age of 19, outfielder Justin Crawford has played his way into the conversation of being considered as one of baseball's top prospects. The son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin has looked every bit as impressive as his position as the 17th overall draft selection last year would have most fans thinking he should be. He opened the season with Class A Clearwater where, in 69 games, he notched a .344/.399/.478 slash line. And since mid-August when he was promoted to Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the younger Crawford has posted a .300/.364/.440 line. He's also stolen 44 bases in 52 attempts overall. And while the BlueClaws enter the final week of the regular season 1/2 game out of first place in their division, I spoke with Justin Crawford about the team's hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2018. I also asked Justin about the similarities and differences between his skillset and his father'

RHP Pipkin headed to AFL after hot August

After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage. Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August. Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH. Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider while his curve

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog