Was the Phillies-Tampa Bay 2008 World Series an interesting one?

If you’re a diehard Phillies’ fan, there isn’t any question it was. Winning that second World Series certainly was a priceless moment.

But was the 2008 Series a profitable one for the networks, being a rating grabber? Was it among the “worst” World Series in the past 50 years?

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - reminiscing about sports and pop culture in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond - I’ll look at some of the “worst” World Series matchups, mainly those judged by TV ratings and fan reactions. Also, I’ll review some of pop culture’s “worst” offers.

It will be interesting to see what the Arizona-Texas series draws in terms of viewers. To the baseball purest, there is plenty to watch with two teams on the rise. But to the average fan, the lack of a big market team could make it a quick flip on the tube.

Was Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo ever a Phillie? And did you dance to “Disco Duck?”

No Madden Magic ... It was hard to believe that the Phillies went 28 years without winning their second championship since 1980.

In 2008, Tampa Bay stood in their way, and the Rays featured high-profile manager Joe Madden, who was known for his “out of the box” style - and standouts Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, and James Shields.

However, outside the upbeat Philly market and the struggling Tampa one, Game Three of the series drew less than 10 million viewers - an all-time single-game low.

Overall, the series had a 8.4 share of the viewers, which was the second-lowest watched series.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll ... I remember watching the 1989 series between the A’s and the Giants in 1989, and watching the screen turn to a checkered pattern and then a black screen when the earthquake struck.

The quake also shook down the ratings. It produced less than 25 million for each game, and it was part of a decline over the previous three years.

Even with Will Clark and Mark McGwire, baseball fans weren’t intrigued with this matchup that the A’s swept in four games.

Do you remember that ex-Phillies Charlis Hayes, Terry Mulholland, Mike Krukow, and Steve “Bedrock” Bedrosian were on the Giants’ roster? Ex-Phillie Dave Stewart was a mainstay on the mound for the A’s, and Oakland also featured future executive Billy Beane, and manager Walt Weiss. Do you remember ex-Pirate Dave Parker playing for the A’s in the series?

The Best of the Worst ... Some other World Series that weren’t appealing were 2002 (Angels-Giants), 2005 (White Sox-Astros), 2007 (Red Sox-Rockies), 2012 (Giants-Tigers) and 2014 (Giants-Royals).

Some polls list two of the Yankees’ series appearances, but they still are a national sell. You could consider the 1998 Yankees-Padres or even the 2000 “Subway Series” with the Mets that didn’t draw the national attention it anticipated.

One of the duds that developed into a memorable one was the 1997 title between the Marlins and Indians in which Florida won in seven. Ex-Phil Darren Daulton claimed his only WS ring in that one, fittingly in his final season.

Turn the Radio Dial ... In 1976, Rick Dees - a fabled national DJ - released “Disco Duck,” which certainly has to go down as one of the “worst” songs of the decade. Trolling though some polls, other songs from the 70s that were near the bottom were “Feelings (1975),” by Morris Albert (good trivia question), and “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero,” by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods in 1976.

In the 1960s, Tiny Tim may have had the all-time worst song in his 1968 release, “Tip Toe Through the Tulips,” mainly due to his high-pitched voice. But Tim rose to stardom with the song and his appearance. He made more news a year later when he married his 17-year-old girlfriend, “Miss Vickie” on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.”

What were other songs that could go to the curb in the 1960s? Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey” recalled the apparent loss of his loved one, and “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy,” by the Ohio Express in 1968.

The 80s brought up Taco’s “Puttin On The Ritz” in 1983, and Tony Basil’s “Mickey,” which was a MTV favorite in 1982. What do you think of Bobby Ferrin’s hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” which swept the country for a period.

A Bad Bunch and a Bad Detective ... We all remember the magic “The Brady Bunch” brought to our lives, especially if you grew up in the early 70s. However, the “Brady Bunch Hour” flopped as a variety show and lasted only nine episodes in 1977.

There was and will only be one Columbo. Unfortunately, “Mrs. Columbo” never had the same impact as the famed detective and had only 10 episodes from 1979-80.

Philly-NY Connection ... In this year’s series matchup, there are some Philly and New York Connections to both the Diamondbacks and the Rangers.

Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo was a fan favorite with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons - the Phils’ former Triple-A affiliate in Moosic - and finished his eight-year career with the Phils in 1999. He hit .211 in 17 games.

Arizona pitching coach Brent Strom was the Mets’ top pick in the 1970 draft, and made the big club in 1972, posting an 0-3 record with a 6.82 ERA in 11 games.

Rangers’ pithing coach Mike Maddux was the Phillies’ fifth-round pick in the 1982 draft. He broke into the majors with the Phils in 1986 and spent four years there recording a 10-13 record with a 4.51 ERA in 64 games.

Texas Tumbles and A Good Guy ... In both of the Rangers’ previous two trips to the World Series, the general public didn’t respond well.

In their first appearance against San Francisco - in which the Giants won in five games - the series only drew an 8.4 share of the audience, which tied the Phillies-Rays series as the second lowest.

A year later, the Rangers had one of the more entertaining series in recent years, as they eventually lost to the Cardinals in seven games. That series drew a 10.0 share of the audience, certainly again on the low side.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy will be going for his fourth World Series ring, winning all three previous ones with the Giants (2010 against Texas, 2012 against Detroit, and 2014 against the Royals). Bochy should be an American League Manager of the Year candidate for taking his current club from worst in the division to the Big Dance.

If you ever had the chance to meet Bochy, he is one of the most humble and frank managers and people you will ever meet. He is one of the game’s truly nice guys.

A Schilling and A Unit ... Arizona has one World Series title under its belt in its lone appearance during a magical series against the Yankees in 2001. The Diamondbacks won all four of their home games, and it was just as memorable for the Yankees, playing again in their city after our greatest national tragedy a month earlier.

Former Phil Curt Schilling and Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson were co-MVPS with their dominant pitching performances. Schilling had one win and a 1.69 ERA, and Johnson picked up three wins with a 1.04 ERA.

Readers Write – When Astros Were Colts ... Regular contributor Richard Ochs cited the history of the Houston Astros in a response to last weeks’ column about the Astros or Rangers meeting the Phillies in the World Series.

“Do you remember the original name for the Houston Astros? For the first three years of their existence (1962, 1963 & 1964), they were called the Houston Colt .45s. Their top hitter was Roman Mejias. He hit .286 with 24 HRs and 76 RBIs. The top pitcher was reliever turned starter Richard “Turk” Farrell. His record was 10-20 with a 3.02 ERA. He represented them in the All-Star games (they played two during some seasons.) He also pitched for the Phillies as a reliever.

The Phillies were 17-1 against them in 1962, enabling the Phillies to finish above .500 at 81-80.”

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager, or media personality from our yesterday. Do you remember broadcaster Joe Garagiola? He originally broke in with the Yankees from 1965-67, and then became a regular on NBC’s “Game of the Week” as well as playoff and World Series broadcasts. Garagiola ended his career on the Diamondbacks’ broadcast team in 2013, and spent nine years in the majors as a catcher with the New York Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs. In his nine seasons, he had a .257 career average.

Feedback ... Your comments, thoughts, and ideas are welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com