The acts that took place on September 11, 2001 rocked our nation and reshaped the way we look at our country, family, friends and more. The nation took time to pause from our every lives to reflect and pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks. The sporting world took a step back to allow the grieving and healing processes take place. Of course, sports were no small party in the eventual healing process.

How many people remember the fact that the Phillies were actually in a playoff chase at the time, with a pivotal series with the Atlanta Braves getting ready to start up in Atlanta. Of course, that series was rescheduled as Major League Baseball postponed a full week's worth of games, but baseball would come back, and the it would return in the city in which this nation's independence was born on that first night back.

Who better to offer the appropriate monologue for Philadelphia than Harry Kalas, in one of his finest moments that will forever be ethced in my memory bank.

The Phillies will pay tribute to the 1990s tonight at Citizens Bank Park, complete with the old maroon pinstripes and hats with that lovable baseball "P." For a franchise that has so many bad baseball seasons, the 1990s certainly had its fair share of forgettable seasons. But that does not mean the 1990s were completely worth forgetting. After all, there were some key moments in Phillies history to take place during the decade.

The 1990s was the decade the franchise decided to return to their traditional look after decades in maroon pinstripes. It was the decade that saw a strike nearly kill the sport. It was a decade full of losses but plenty of happy moments to ensure that a generation of new baseball fans would have something to look back on fondly.

Here are ten worth remembering for happy and sad times, in no particular order.

1. Curt Schilling strikes out 319

Before Curt Schilling went on to win a couple of World Series rings with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, he started to become an elite pitcher while in Philadelphia. He opened the eyes of the baseball world in 1993 with his performance on the mound and for his towel in the face moments in the postseason, but his 1997 season remains one of the best in franchise history. His 319 strikeouts remains a franchise record for right-handed pitchers and it was not a fluke. The following season Schilling became the fifth major league pitcher to strike out 300+ batters in consecutive seasons.

2. Richie Ashburn dies

In early September 1997 the Phillies family lost one of the true faces of the organization when Richie Ashburn passed away soon after broadcasting a game in New York. Much like his longtime partner Harry Kalas, it seemed as though he died while doing what he loved to do, which was watching and talking about the Phillies. Ashburn of course was a former Phillies, and we'll touch more on that aspect in a moment, and his broadcasting commentary had become so familiar to fans watching on television and listening on the radio. Also like Kalas, there simply was no replacing Ashburn.

3. Steve Carlton inducted to Hall of Fame

The greatest Phillies pitcher of all-time, Steve Carlton, was inducted in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the summer of 1994. The crowd was flooded with Phillies fans, but it would be more dominant the following summer...

Let's give the Phillies some credit. Despite being out of the playoff hunt, they have become a team that can be fun to watch. With a little over a month to go in the season we know that the Phillies will miss out on October baseball for the first time since 2006, which means that we will get plenty of time to watch some guys get some playing time in hopes of staying on the roster for next year. With any luck the team will develop a team chemistry that will serve as the basis for the 2013 season, which I do believe will be a big rebound season for the team.

Kevin Frandsen and Eric Kratz could be decent bench players in 2013. AP photo.

Kevin Frandsen and Eric Kratz have played well lately and are starting to make some serious cases for being strongly considered for a roster spot next season if their play continues. Frandsen is not going to be a starter at third base for the Phillies but he is showing enough grit to be considered for a backup role for a few infield positions and is capable of backing up Chase Utley or Jimmy Rollins if needed, although that could change depending on what the status of Freddy Galvis is next season. It is important not to get too carried away after 20 games. Frandsen has played just one season with more than 54 games played, and that was back in 2007. He is a decent infielder who can do a good job filling in when needed and capable of filling a hole for a 15-day disabled list stint by a regular. He likely is not going to be an every day solution for the Phillies, so finding a third baseman with a good bat in the off-season should remain one of the top priorities.

Kratz is 32 years old, so he is not exactly a young stalwart behind the plate, but could be just fine in a back-up role behind Carlos Ruiz. Brian Schneider's contract is up after this season and this figures to be his final year, at least with the Phillies, at the age of 35. As much as you ask from a backup catcher, Kratz seems to be able to handle it. Why not give the Lansdale native a chance to stay on board. Again, a small sample size at the major league level, but it would be more cost effective to keep him on the roster as a back-up in 2013 than to bring in an older veteran. The Phillies have other needs to send their money in the off-season.

Throw in the continuing review of outfielders Domonic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. and perhaps some other relievers and you can try to get a sense of what the future will be for this team. Games like last night can be exciting regardless of a lack of postseason implications. You want to see the team compete, especially when the younger players play a vital role. Domonic Brown came through with a big hit Monday night and on Tuesday he raced around the bases to score the tying run in the eighth inning off of a Frandsen triple. I know the team is out of the race, but I admit that play actually had me up in my living room clapping and cheering. I want to see this team play well. I want to see these upcoming players have an impact. It is still baseball and it is moments like that which will enjoying the rest of the season.

But for as much growth that can happen between now and the end of the season, the veteran players still need to do their job that they are expected to be able to handle. Last night was not that case.

It is always bound to happen to some team every year or so. A player you thought was going to be a fixture on your roster winds up being traded at the trade deadline as the season continues to spiral out of control. But what do you do with the 40,000+ mass-produced bobble heads you are on the hook for in honor of that particular player?

For the Phillies the answer was simple. Give them away.

Tonight the Phillies are continuing to give away their Hunter Pence bobble heads, despite the fact that the team traded Pence to the San Francisco Giants on the final day Major League Baseball allowed teams to trade players. The bobble head games are always well attended because fans like these souvenirs. Tonight fans will get a chance to add one more unique item to their collections and although Pence is not around to see them in person, he made sure to reach out to the fans who will be taking his bobble likeness home with him.

Ryan Lawrence, now of the Philadelphia Daily News, shared a photo of Pence's message to the fans that will come with his bobble head.

Phillippe Aumont, one of the prospects received in the 2009 trade of Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, has been called up by the Philadelphia Phillies to replace Jeremy Horst. Horst has been placed on the paternity leave list. As irony would have it, Aumont will be activated for tonight' game, which will be started by Lee.

I am not sure how many times this has happened in the course of Major League Baseball history but I would be willing to bet that it has not happened often. A starting pitcher who was traded to obtain a minor league pitcher will start a game that could end up being that minor leaguer's major league debut, and they will pitch for the same team. Obviously this means Lee would have to be pulled from the game at some point, but given the way Lee's season has gone that is not exactly a stretch to imagine. So with history to root for, here's hoping Aumont can make an appearance tonight against the Cincinnati Reds.

Somebody call Jayson Stark and have him dig up the historical background on this type of event.

As for Aumont, he has been pitching well for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. As Phillies.com notes, Aumont is 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 41 games for Lehigh Valley but his command has been dependable with 59 strikeouts, despite having walked 34 batters. Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com points out Aumont has a 2.08 ERA in 15 appearances since his trip to the triple A all-star game.

In 41 games for the IronPigs this season, Aumont was 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA. Likely the biggest reason he was in Triple-A was a lack of consistency with his command, as he's recorded 59 strikeouts, but also 34 walks.

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I do not know that I totally get what Jabbawockeez is all about, but I cannot deny their entertainment value. The champions of the inaugural season of reality dance show America's Best Dance Crew (yes, I just typed that phrase out in full) have become somewhat known in recent years. You might remember when they appeared at the NBA All-Star Game and Shaquille O'Neal joined the group and held his own during player introductions. They may look like mannequins dressed in dance gear, but they certainly do not stand still like the dummies in department stores.

I also can not speak highly enough of the entertainment value of the Phillie Phanatic. So when these two forces combined last night as the Phillies were enjoying hittin' season against the Cincinnati Reds, winning 12-5 against the NL Central leaders (you're welcome Pittsburgh), you can imagine just how fun this might have been.

The folks responsible for MLB.com video clips made sure to share the in-game dance and you can view it after the jump.

Mike Lieberthal to the Phillies Wall of Fame? To borrow a quote from the former catcher, "Whatever."

I bought tickets to the Phillies Wall of Fame Game this season, as I have a few times the past couple of years, because I have found it to be a neat experience to see some of the franchise's great players come back for a celebration as a new player is added to the mix. As this season has panned out I figured that the Phillies would find a way to play their way back in to the playoff hunt by now, making Friday night's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals a rather important game. Well, we now know that that is not true, but at least we get to honor one of our favorite Phillies of all time tonight, right?

Oh, what's that? Mike Lieberthal is being honored and added to the Wall of Fame tonight? Uhh, no thanks.

Inclement weather and floundering baseball team aside, you probably would have a tough time getting me to get to the ballpark early tonight to watch the Phillies pretend as though I should give a darn about Lieberthal.

What exactly did Lieberthal achieve in Philadelphia? Other than being the professional athlete with the longest stint with one team without making a playoff appearance? No, I am not blaming him for that alone of course, but to me that is what he represents to the Phillies. A perennial loser. So what is it that makes Lieberthal worthy of being placed on the same wall alongside players like Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts and more? Heck, I would not even include Lieberthal along side more recent names such as John Kruk or Darren Daulton. To me, Kruk and Daulton may not have been deserving of the honor to join those older names, but they carried the spirit of Philadelphia and thus the passion of the fans in a way Lieberthal never could.

The trading of Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence this week signaled that Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro came to grips with reality that the team needed an overhaul. But is he perhaps showing a little more fear than we'd like to see in today's decision to place starting pitcher Cliff Lee on waivers?

Source: Phillies have placed Cliff Lee on waivers. Executives expect him to clear Friday afternoon, be eligible for trade.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2012

Cliff Lee, heading out again?

By placing Lee on waivers Amaro is providing an option to work some more reconstruction on the roster for the 2013 season. Lee is expected to clear waivers on Friday and despite being out there for a team to claim, the likelihood of Lee leaving Philadelphia appears to be practically non-existent. Why? The Phillies are not going to pay a huge chunk of change in order for Lee to pitch for somebody else, and they have the ability to back out of any proposed deal unless they are completely floored by the offer. If a team is willing to take on Lee's entire paycheck, then we have a different scenario to explore, but at the price tag Amaro placed on Lee prior to the 2011 season, does anyone think that may happen?

All Amaro is doing here is giving himself options and room for improvement. The Phillies will clear some payroll by moving Victorino and Pence, and likely allowing Joe Blanton and Placido Polanco to walk at the end of the year. If a team offers to pick up the tab for Lee then even more room for some high quality free agent signings will be created, and for those who would be OK with a starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Vance Worley leading the way maybe that is good news. The Phillies need bats in the outfield and at third base in 2013. Maybe Domonic Brown comes on and finishes 2012 on a high note, relieving the need for one of the outfield position, but it seems more logical to expect the Phillies to try and make some solid signings in the off-season and hope for even a slight push at the plate that way.

Relax. Cliff Lee is not likely going anywhere. Of course, I also said there was no way Amaro would trade Cliff Lee after the 2009 season. Let's see what he has in mind here.

Shane Victorino was a player to move, but will not be kicked out in shame.

The Phillies traded Shane Victorino yesterday to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handed reliever Josh Lindblom and Double A catcher Ethan Martin as well as a player to be named or cash. The deadline day deal seems like a pretty decent move for the Phillies, who I did not expect to re-sign Victorino after the year the way the 2012 season was playing out (the Hunter Pence trade I have a slightly different take on, but we'll explore that another time).

Victorino had been struggling this season on offense, on defense and running the bases. It may not have been pretty but Victorino may not have been quite as bad as some would have you believe. That said, the Phillies will be bringing in a relief pitcher (a clear area of need) and a prospect who could fit in to the picture in a few years. Yes, the Phillies were rightly labeled as "Sellers" this trade deadline, but stuck in the bottom of the division with such a huge hole to fill, Ruben Amaro had to make a move to get something for Victorino while he still could. Overall, this seems like a decent enough move.

As Victorino now finds himself in a playoff hunt in Los Angeles, perhaps he can provide some sort of spark and get back in to the mix the way he was during the Phillies' playoff runs in recent seasons. The change of scenery may be enough to relieve some pressure on Victorino, and hopefully that becomes the case.

Was Victorino the kind of player that should never be traded away? Of course not. Victorino was a nice find by Pat Gillick, developed nicely to become a stable player and dependable starter in the outfield. This season has been unkind to him, or it may be that he is on the decline. But Victorino's time as a Phillies player will not be forgotten, as he did provide many fond memories for Phillies fans, and his dedication to the community should never be overlooked.

Victorino may wear a different uniform, but there should be no reason to serenade him with a chorus of boos next season when he returns to Philadelphia with the Dodgers (assuming Los Angeles resigns him - I think that will be the case). Here is a look back at some of the top highlights from Victorino's time with the Phillies.

First, some quick honorable mentions:

Hawaii Five-O - Victorino's Hollywood debut came in the opening sequence to an episode of the re-launched Hawaii Five-O.

The Shane Victorino hula bobble figurine - Playing off his Hawaiian influence, of course.

Getting ejected from center field - You may never see this again, but Victorino managed to get thrown out from home plate umpire while standing in center field. Surely this did not sit well with radio analyst Larry Andersen.

5. Beer shower in Wrigley

File this under the "Didn't happen in Philly" category. Victronio, setting up to catch a fly ball to the ivy-covered outfield wall in Chicago's Wrigley Field, ended up getting soaked as a fan tossed a plastic cup of beer in his direction at the same time the ball was coming in. Fortunately the Gold Glove center fielder did not let it distract him as he recoreded the out in a 2009 regular season game.