Before the pair of renaissances that yielded the Phillies their only two World Series titles and salvaged some pride for a franchise paralyzed by humiliation, Bucks County-born author James Michener was asked how he endured the ups and downs of being a baseball fan.
"Ups?" Michener replied. "What ups? I'm from Philadelphia."
The Philadelphia Michener knew as a boy was a robust industrial hub, a city frequently referred to as "The Nation's Workshop." But by the time the prolific writer died in 1997, most of the factories that had cranked out everything from locomotives to hats were shuttered.