Zac Gallen dares to doubt the power of Wawa before NLCS Game 1

Nothing ever really tastes as good as it did when you were a kid, right? Even delicacies we love in adulthood -- hoagies and coffee, perhaps -- can lose their touch depending on the vendor.

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen will return close-ish to home as he takes on the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS. Gallen is excited to start in front of familiar faces, but he's also concerned with what's become of a south NJ staple -- Wawa.

Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen demands a better product from Wawa

Gallen is a fan of Wawa and Pat's cheesesteaks, and often gets one when he comes back home, as Andy McCullough wrote in his article of Gallen's return for The Athletic.

"Gallen said. “My mom picks me up at the airport, we’re going right to Pat’s,” the Passyunk Avenue landmark. (Like many expats, he harbors concerns about the quality control at another local institution. “I’m still going to live and die with Wawa,” Gallen said. “I’ll take Wawa over Sheetz any day. But I don’t stand on it as tall as I did.”)"

Am I exaggerating some? Absolutely. Is Wawa really a deteriorating product? I would surely hope not.

As a Central NJ native (yes, it exists), I can safely tell you Wawa hoagies are delicious. My girlfriend, who lives squarely in Sheetz territory, prefers Wawa coffee. It's no contest.

So, perhaps more than anything, I'm confused. Why fire such a shot without some sort of case study? Wawa has surely had its fair share of failed experiments. The flavored coffees sometimes leaves much to be desires. No, no one asked for Wawa pizza. Sadly, it's probably here to stay.

But don't make a statement that hits at the core of the NJ/Philly bond like Wawa hoagies without some sort of evidence. I refuse to believe it. I won't.