Tony DeMarco

From Santa Claus to Sarah Palin, it’s been going on for at least 40 years. Philadelphia may be known as the City of Brotherly Love, but its sports fans aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the words ‘Tampa Bay Rays’ and ‘fans’ weren’t often connected. And when they were, it usually was for the wrong reasons. But all of a sudden, there is a different dynamic working beneath the catwalks and slanted dome of Tropicana Field.

And now these two disparate groups are matched in a World Series that could be quite compelling on the field — even if the rest of the nation would have preferred the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox or Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But in the stands, what we have is a study in contrasts. A mismatch of histories and the emotions attached to them. Both crowds will be very, very loud, but that’s where the similarities likely will end.

Taking booing to an art form
Maybe there were an inordinate number of liberal Democrats in the Wachovia Center one night recently, when Palin — self-professed hockey mom, and vice presidential candidate — was booed before she dropped a ceremonial first puck.

Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images Philadelphia Phillies cheer during Game 1 of the NLCS on Oct. 9.

But there is no defense for the booing Santa Claus story — maybe some extenuating circumstances, but no defense. Late in another Philadelphia Eagles losing season in 1968, a halftime holiday pageant was canceled due to bad weather.

But there was a Santa Claus on the field. And what Philly-fan apologists say was a showing of discontent for Eagles’ management more than anything else … you know the rest.

They pelted then-Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson with snowballs. They cheered when then-Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin lay on the ground after sustaining a serious injury.

They boo their own, too. They really boo their own. Just ask Pat Burrell. Or Scott Rolen. Even Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

“We pick our villains, and we let them know it,’’ is how Tom Dunkerley puts it — and not with a lot of contrition.

Dunkerley, a 46-year-old land surveyor from suburban Morrisville, is a self-described Phillies fanatic. He was there for the 1980 parade sparked by the one and only Phillies’ World Series title.

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He and a couple of buddies were watching Game 6 of the 1993 World Series on a tiny black-and-white TV while at work, and he still feels the heart-wrenching pain of watching Mitch Williams serve up the series-deciding homer to Joe Carter.

“Back in 1980, you thought they were supposed to win all the time,’’ Dunkerley said. “When it doesn’t work out that way, you get frustrated. The frustration just builds and builds. I’m an Eagles fan, too. We’re a frustrated bunch here.’’

And that’s the root of the matter — how a reputation as the nation’s most-brutal fans builds: A passionate, blue-collar fan base increasingly exasperated by a quarter century with no championships for any of its major sports teams. And this isn’t Milwaukee; this is the fourth-largest market in the country.

The Phillies have won only five pennants in their 126-year history, and no team in professional sports has lost more games — 10,000-plus and counting. In other words, they are the Cubs without the silly goat story. So no wonder their fans are, ahem, short on patience.

Slideshow Fall classics NBCSports.com takes a photographic look at the 2008 MLB playoffs.

“Everyone is picking us (the Phillies) to lose because that’s what we do,’’ Dunkerley said. “We’re tough fans, but fair, you know? I’ve been to St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Shea (Stadium) — and some of the fans act the same way in those places.’’

The good news is, Dunkerley says things have mellowed over the years. He believes the move from Veterans Stadium to Citizens Bank Park has brought out a kinder, gentler crowd. More kids and families, less hostility.

“It’s changed a lot,’’ Dunkerley said. “The Vet was more hardcore. I used to have season tickets for the Eagles, up in the 700 section. They really were animals up there. You’d be afraid to go up there.

“The fans aren’t as brutal as they used to be. We still have some fans like that. But the nicer stadium has brought out nicer people, I guess.’’

That said, here’s a telling tidbit. While many parks feature a ‘kiss cam’ on their video display boards — where couples in the crowd are put on camera and then prodded to smooch — at Citizens Bank Park there is a ‘flex cam’ for the more muscle-bound denizens to show off. And we’re not kidding.

“I think (the tough-fan reputation) is fair to a point,’’ Dunkerley said. “We got that rep, and some people revel in it. We embrace that tough-guy perception. We’ll take it.’’

In other words, it’s better than being, say … a Rays fan.

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