“Ya Gotta Believe.”

That was the mantra of the New York Mets during their World Series run of 1973. Ex-Mets and ex-Phillies reliever Tug McGraw coined the phrase to describe their journey, and it stuck.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column – reminiscing about the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond – I will take a look at some of the famous sayings uttered by sports figures with connections to Philadelphia.

In addition, we’ll talk about a famous mascot that was introduced 45 years ago this week; we’ll remember the player who replaced Dave Cash at second base for the Phillies; and we’ll talk about bubblegum cigars.

Tugger Believed ... Before their game on July 11, 1973, the Mets were in last place with a 36-46 record, and M. Donald Grant, the chairman of the Mets’ board of directors, decided to give his team a pep talk. The gist of it was to believe in yourselves to turn the season around.

During Grant’s talk, McGraw suddenly burst out with the saying, “Ya Gotta Believe.” It instantly became the Mets’ calling card the rest of the season, and they responded with a 46-33 record the rest of the way and won the NL East.

From there, the Mets defeated Cincinnati for the pennant, but they were defeated by Oakland in the World Series. However, McGraw’s proclamation still rings throughout the New York Metropolitan area as a link to the season.

Cash Can ... A year later in 1974, newly acquired Phillie Dave Cash created the phrase,” Yes We Can” in spring training as a response to how he and shortstop Larry Bowa did at a dog track. I had mentioned this in a previous column, but it is worth repeating.

The slogan stuck, and it was soon on bumper stickers and T-shirts – I did have one – as the team’s mantra. The team finished third in the NL East that season with an 80-82 mark, but was on its way to plenty of success in the near future.

From the Booth ... Over the years, Phillies’ announcers have been known for some of their well-known calls and sayings.

We will never forget legendary Harry Kalas’ home run call of “It’s outta here,” or his longtime partner Richie Ashburn’s deadpanned response of “hard to believe, Harry,”

The Wizard of ‘Oz’ ... Do you remember former skipper Danny Ozark (whose real name was Orzechowski) saying that “half this game is 90% mental,” and “It is beyond my apprehension,” along with “contrary to popular belief, I have always had a good repertoire with my players.” Ozark was never confused with Shakespeare.

Honest Matt ... Former Phillies’ pinch-hitter extraordinaire and home-run hitter Matt Stairs was always blunt and stated that “I’m not going to lie, I try to hit home runs and that’s it.”

Famous Philadelphia Quotes ... Probably the two most recognizable Philly-based quotes over the last 50 years came from the Sixers’ Allen Iverson and the Eagles’ Ricky Watters.

On May 7, 2002, Iverson delivered the infamous practice rant. “We talkin’ ’bout practice! Not a game!” “Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game. We talkin’ ’bout practice, man!” Iverson delivered his rant after his practice habits were questioned after the team had just been upset by Boston in the playoffs.

Watters was questioned about having “alligator arms” when he failed to stretch out and catching a pass against Tampa Bay in a September 1995 game by saying, “for who, for what.” It put a black stain on the rest of his Eagles’ career with the Philadelphia fan base.

Ironically, less than a year later, Phillies’ outfielder Aaron Rowland responded to Watters’ quote after he crashed into an outfield wall trying to catch a ball in which he broke his nose and bloodied his face. Rowland’s response was, “For who? My teammates. For what? To win.”

Readers Favorites ... There are many more lines associated with Philadelphia sports figures. Let me know your favorite.

The Phanatic and the Captain ... The Phillie Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978, at The Vet, when the Phils hosted the Chicago Cubs. He was formally introduced to the public on the Channel 6’s children’s show “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark” by former Phillie Tim McCarver, who was doing promotional work for the team at the time.

How many of us watched “Captain Noah?”

Another Classic Game ... It was first issued in 1987, and it is still around today.

Earl Weaver Baseball( EWB), named after the legendary Orioles’ skipper, was the first commercial computer sports game to not just play a single game, but to allow players to simulate an entire season of games without actually showing each game play-by-play on the screen.

With the multitude of games available today, EWB is still a viable option.

A special thanks to Scott Pagel for his reminder about this game. Pagel is a sports editor for several weekly newpapers in the Lehigh Valley that are part of the Times News family.

Snacks From the Past ... Recently, I saw a picture online of bubble gum cigars. I remember them from my youth with a variety of bright colors – blue, red, yellow, green, and bubble gum pink. We would pretend to smoke them, and then have a good time chewing the gum.

Anyone remember Nabisco Snaps cookies in the small, rectangular boxes? There was chocolate, chocolate chip, ginger, and vanilla. They were easy to eat in the small box, and did contain a healthy amount, unlike today’s cookie boxes.

How about Hi-C in a can? Growing up, we were always looking for some exotic flavor to drink, which is usually laced with heavy sugar. Hi-C reportedly contained a good amount of Vitamin C and had some classic flavors such as Orange, Grape, Pineapple-Orange, Florida Fruit Punch, and Orange-Pineapple. We didn’t care that we had to use a can opener to enjoy the drink and poke holes on both sides of the top to make the drink flow out.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I will take a look at a former player, manager, coach, or media member from our yesterday.

Do you remember Ted Sizemore? When Dave Cash left the Phillies and went to Montreal in 1976, the Phils acquired Sizemore from the Cardinals for catcher Johnny Oates. The second baseman hit a combined .256 in two seasons, and was known for his glove, having fielding percentages of .986 and .978.

Sizemore, who was traded before the 1979 season in a multi-player deal that brought Manny Trillo to the Phils, began his career with the Cardinals and played 12 seasons there, hitting a career .262. Sizemore also had two stints with the Dodgers, being dealt from LA to St. Louis after the 1970 season for Dick Allen.

Your thoughts, ideas, and comments are always welcomed. Please submit them to tnsports@tnonline.com