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It's a kind of dull cliche in certain circles to suggest that New York hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan have been pretty much in a tailspin since their magnum opus Wu-Tang Forever came out in 1997. Now, you'll have some people defending Iron Flag as a fairly decent album, but even if quality is debatable, quantity is not. Deaths, feuds, and overall decline have turned an invincible group of rap gods into a fairly enjoyable, but ultimately flawed group of solo artists. They're still there, and they're still good, they're just...different.
It's a kind of dull cliche in certain circles to suggest that noted boys of summer the Philadelphia Phillies have been pretty much in a tailspin since their magnum opus season, 2011. Now, you'll see some people defending 2012 as a general blip of injury related bad luck in an otherwise successful 6 year run, but even if the quality of the win is debatable, the quantity is not. Free agent flights, botched trades, and overall age-related decline have turned an invincible group of mashers into a fairly talented, but ultimately flawed group of veterans. They're still there, they're not terrible, they're just...different.
So declining things that are enjoyable have things in common -- big surprise, right? Well, the analogy here is that, even though both groups have their best days behind them, they can still sometimes surprise you. Perhaps it's true that this is a new, more aggravating Phillies team, and to be sure, I'm not at all convinced that they'll keep their performance from yesterday going. But hey, maybe they can secure the series win tonight? And maybe they can make this a fun late game. And maybe, just maybe, they'll get the old band's vibe back together.
Discuss how great the Wu-Tang Clan is below. Oh, right, and baseball too.