The Fourth Outfielder

Brady Quinn helps Lehigh Valley promote jersey night, mediocrity

2011-06-22T15:06:00.000-04:00

If MiLB can lay claim to being the king of anything, it would most likely be outrageous promotions. And, while the Phillies' AAA affiliate in Allentown may have only been in existence for three full seasons, their promoters have not had to play catch-up with their competition.

When August 31 rolls around, though, they might have to start.

For the IronPigs' third-to-last home showdown of the season, fans will be encouraged to wear their favorite football jersey in the stands. There's nothing inherently wrong with this idea, and it's sort of a creative homage to its major-U.S.-sport brethren. The problem lies deep within the recesses of their internet home over at IronPigsBaseball.com, where that night's image on the promotional calendar looks a little something like this:

While it's not any prettier than this, you may click the above image to enlarge it.

For a club that has spent many a summer evening in the cellar of the International League, it can't be a good measure to promote a game with a photo of an NFL bust, no matter how side-splittingly hilarious it might be. When I happened upon this atrocity, I could not decide whether it was some sick joke by the web designers, a dash of irony from the PR team, or just the first photo-search result for the word "football." As I have hesitated to call anyone in the organization out on this matter, I cannot confirm that either of the first two are true, but the third one is definitely not (even with SafeSearch off).

While using a picture of Brady Quinn for a minor-league promotion isn't explicitly against the rules, it has to be considered a frowned-upon action. The folks behind this should, however, be at least given recognition for picking a photo that didn't involve him wearing 1) a Chicago Cubs shirsey or 2) whatever this is. A little acknowledgement for not completely screwing up might lead to a few more nights with the team wearing these beauties.

The high price of being high-profile

2011-03-29T10:00:00.018-04:00

When the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, everyone knew that the price of tickets in 2009 was going to increase. That's just what fans are forced to accept when their team is doing well: the demand for tickets goes up, and the price follows suit. Using data from the Team Marketing Fan Cost Index (FCI) reports from 2007 through 2010, we can get a glimpse of how their success has affected the cost of a day at the ballpark.

2007 was the season that saw the Phillies break into the postseason for the first time since their Fall Classic loss in 1993. The Phillies were ranked ninth in FCI (just 41 cents more than the 10th-place Astros) and tickets cost an average of $27.25. Though they had posted four straight winning seasons prior to 2007, hopes were merely for a Wild Card berth (something that had eluded them by just a game the year before) and few envisioned them overcoming the Mets to win the NL East. Games certainly sold out, but demand was not as high as we see it today.

In 2008, the Phils were coming off of a brilliant 2007 campaign where they in fact did win the NL East, and expectations were high concerning Jimmy Rollins' "team to beat." However, the average ticket price rose to just $28.14, and their FCI raised just 1.9%; the team actually dropped to the 12th-highest FCI ranking. Interestingly, their opponent in the 2008 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays, were dead last in FCI, with no change from 2007.

The 2009 prices jumped 10%, and the Phillies moved up to eighth in the FCI ratings. The highest price increase actually came from beer prices, which went from $5.00 in 2007 and 2008 to $6.75 in 2009. Comparitively, a beer at a Diamondbacks game will set you back just four dollars. At any rate, that climb was hardly unexpected. Neither was the one in 2010, which took them to the fifth-highest FCI in baseball. The move to fifth was actually more caused by drops in prices from other teams (the stumbling Mets and Giants) as well as the "no change" next to the Dodgers' name.

***

When looking through the PDFs, I noticed something in the 2008-2010 charts. While in 2007, TeamMarketing.com included the "average child ticket" statistic, they changed that category to "Average Premium Ticket" in 2008. I would assume that this is because few ballparks still have child prices, but that's not important. What is surprising (and I'm sure this has been pointed out elsewhere) is that the premium ticket average went up by $11.10 from 2008 to 2009, but saw no change in 2010, even with a 6.1% increase in average ticket price.

The Phillies have put the biggest increase on the cheaper tickets, as standing-room tickets are now $17 (at least) and terrace seats are now $36. Compare that to this face-value ticket from 2008, and you start to see my gripe. There were plenty of cries about this when it happened to the Eagles in 2004; their move to Lincoln Financial Field made 700-Levelers upset over the new, expensive tickets. But it's worth noting that all fans were affected by that move. The Phillies have chosen to only raise prices on the lower-cost tickets.

It's a shame that this is happening, for sure. Ticket prices continue to rise throughout the sports world, and while most people are doing their best to "get by," we're being kept away from the ballpark and seeing the teams we love by increased prices. The Phillies can blame it on the payroll all they want, but why are the cheap seats no longer cheap while the expensive seats stay exactly the same?

***

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a struggling franchise. That shouldn't equate to any shattered ground before your feet, but it's worth noting that their ticket prices are incredibly low. Same goes for the Cleveland Indians. Phillies nosebleeds: $28; Indians' nosebleeds: $8. While their premium tickets go for much more, their affordable tickets are just that: Affordable. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have GA seating for six bucks and field-level for nine. Those prices haven't increased at all since they started playing in Allentown three years ago. Sure, that's MiLB, but the point stands.

For a while, the Phillies will get away with it. But for how long? In a few days, the new FCI ratings will be released, and we'll see where the price gouging occurred this year. I don't want to damn the Phillies alone for this, as it's rampant in all major sports leagues. There just needs to be a line drawn before they continue to jerk the fans around. You shouldn't have to pay more just because the team is doing well, at least not directly to the club. If I want to overpay, I'll be a New York fan and buy all my tickets through StubHub three weeks before the game. Don't make me do that.

FCI Ratings: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

II - An idea

2011-02-09T19:06:00.000-05:00

Four years ago, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to go to school in Western Pennsylvania. My mind hasn't changed on the matter since I made that decision, but it's had an odd effect on my interest in the Phillies. When you're five hours away from home, it's weird enough. But it also meant that I was six hours away from Philadelphia and too far away to watch the Phillies on a daily basis.

Moving that far away from your favorite sports teams usually means one of two things: You either move on to another team that's closer, or you become even more die-hard about that team. As someone who took my laptop to my environmental science class during my freshman year so I could watch the Phillies play the Rockies in the NLDS, I fell into the latter group pretty quickly. In fact, I think I became more of a fan during that year than I ever did before or after that.

After they lost, I cheered on my other love in MLB, the Boston Red Sox. They went on to win the World Series against those same Rockies, which was a pretty great consolation. Still, I felt that I would rather have seen the Phillies pull it off.

The next season was when I started writing this blog. If you peruse the archives, you'll find that much of it had little to do with the Phillies until the World Series started. I even bought a Shane Victorino shirt that summer; my first Phillies shirt since I had roamed the halls of Jefferson Elementary School in my Scott Rolen garb in the late '90s. I added a Chase Utley shirt to my wardrobe for good measure, and suddenly, I was a real Phillies fan again.

To some people, that might seem like a bandwagon moment. But to me, it was a revival of what I loved when I was a kid. It made me feel at home to root for the Phillies, and it gave me a sense of pride in where I was from. There's no doubt that their winning ways impacted that decision to fall in love with the Phillies again, but I see no problem with that. I think the fact that I planned my trip back to school from fall break this year around when I'd be able to pick up the NLCS on the radio speaks for itself.

I have thought about chronicling what it's like to witness everything the Phillies accomplish from 300 miles away for some time, but I kept rejecting the idea in my own mind. I assumed I would move back home and be right back in touch with the goings-on at Citizens Bank Park. Yet here I am, in my last semester of college, expecting that I won't be moving out of this area for any extended period of time, so why not go for it?

I wish the season started tomorrow because this would make a lot more sense, and I could start writing about it right away. Alas, there are a few weeks before things start to heat up, so until then, I will leave you with a little reminder:

Cliff Lee.

I couldn't come up with a decent alternative to "Don't call it a comeback."

2011-02-09T01:47:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this is going to be a real thing for me or not. I don't even know what I just typed. My previous attempts to keep this blog running were, in a word, poor. I cared about it, but I tried too hard to make it something it wasn't. That's not what puts me here at 1:36 AM on a Wednesday, though. I just need to write.

You know that old friend from high school that you think about sometimes? He (or she) is the one that you spent a lot of time with, but eventually life just pulls you apart. It's not the fault of either person; you just went in different directions, and the paths never seemed to cross again. That's what writing is set to turn into for me.

It's not that I have stopped writing. I have probably written more recently than I have in a long time, but it's all been mandatory writing, and I'm pretty much sick of it. Every line has seemed more forced than the last, and the cathartic release that typing out my opinions once was seems, well, non-existent.

Looking back, my analogy about the lost friend from high school isn't exactly brilliant. Oh, well. I just need to put words in a box and not care who reads them. If I ever get three page hits from Hungary in a day again, I'll make note of it, but I couldn't care less right now.

Bring on Spring Training.

I - An initial thought

2011-02-09T00:48:00.001-05:00

Are we too confident? With four spectacular pitchers waiting to guide the Phillies to victory for a six-month span, it's far too easy to speculate that Philadelphia is home to the World Series favorite. Every time a team is favored (which is all the time), there's that guy who shows up and says, "Remember the so-and-so's back in whatever year? Everyone thought they were a lock, and they wound up dead last." I can be that guy if you want me to be; just ask.

Nice bailout, Jimmy.

2010-08-28T02:54:00.000-04:00

The bleeding...

2010-08-27T01:12:00.001-04:00

...Make it stop.

Analyzing post-deadline trades

2010-08-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone, look out! The Atlanta Braves just procured their secret weapon, Derrek Lee! And they only gave up three prospects for a .251 hitter, so that's pretty much a bargain. They even gave up a guy who Baseball America called "the biggest sleeper" in Atlanta's farm system. Meanwhile, as I'm sure you'll remember, the Phillies picked up some guy named Mike Sweeney for pennies on the dollar. Who are the winners and losers here? Yes, that's right, I'm pulling the classic "Winners and Losers!" journalism card.

THE CHICAGO CUBS: LOSERS! I'm kidding. Sure, they're not making it to the playoffs or anything, but they got two solid prospects out of this deal for a guy that you knew they wanted out of town. I say they won in this deal, even if Derrek Lee hits .400 with 20 home runs in the last month of play.

THE ATLANTA BRAVES: Not really sure what to think of this deal for them. Seems like they might be losers here, considering they won't be "replacing" Troy Glaus with Lee for very long. He's not batting well and will make a trip to the DL, but they gave up a lot if they're only planning to play the guy for a couple of weeks. Unless they can move him to third (unlikely) this just seems like a desperate move for a team in first place. I'll call it, at the moment, a loss for them, but I'm willing to wait it out.

THE PROSPECTS: You can really only hope to get traded out of the Cubs farm system. Even if you do make it to the bigs with them, it's like winning a fun run.

DERREK LEE: The big winner in this deal, no doubt. He could easily be one of those "He just needed a change of scenery!" guys, and he goes from a team that's dead in the water to a team in cruise control at the top of the NL East. Then again, it's only a matter of time before they're overtaken by the Phillies.

THE PHILLIES: They have Mike Sweeney, who already is hitting fairly well and has no problem platooning at first. Veteran leadership, plus he's excited to play in Philly. Win for Philadelphia.

MIKE SWEENEY: He played for the Royals for a zillion years. Of course he's happy to be in Philly. Winner.

THE MARINERS: Who cares?

SCORE RUNS. JUST SCORE RUNS.

2010-08-14T01:22:00.000-04:00

I really don't have much to add to that.

Oh, what a night!

2010-08-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

The rain cooled everything down a bit today, giving us a slice of September weather in the middle of August. The cooler weather reminded me a lot of autumn, but I don't think I realized it until around 10 o'clock. If you've watched any of last night's highlights or stuck around to see the end of the Phils' miraculous comeback, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Shades of October were seen in each player during the eighth and ninth innings in CBP. Even the fans who hung around to the end treated that game like it was game seven of the NLCS. And why not? After all, the Dodgers have played foe to the Phillies in each of the last two Championship Series.

After the argued balk call in the eighth inning, something just felt different about that game. Let me guide you to a tweet from The 700 Level: "Down 9-5 in the 8th. I say they win it." If you didn't wholeheartedly agree with that statement at the time, I don't blame you. But by the time Jonathan Broxton had loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, there wasn't a doubt in Southeastern Pennsylvania that those Phillies were going to pull it off. It was just one of those games.

The next big moment came when Casey Blake, almost simultaneous with Chris Wheeler's praises for his defense, pulled up his glove a moment too soon. What surely looked to be a double-play grounder by Ben Francisco winds up being a two-run error by Blake, and the Phillies are suddenly only down by one. Broxton has yet to record an out, and the Phils have runners on first and second with Chooch ready to do some damage. We are all aware of what happened next.

I fully understand why you have to give Carlos Ruiz the nod as player of the game, but Ben Francisco was a close second. A lot of people wondered why Shane Victorino didn't make the start after being taken off the DL, but that clearly was the right decision. Francisco, the "other guy" in last year's trade with the Indians, came up big with a beautiful RBI double in the eighth and the hopping grounder that got by Blake in the ninth. Then, he almost beat Jayson Werth to home plate with the winning run on Ruiz's walk-off double. Francisco showed the determination we are coming to expect from the Phillies' bench players this season.

Yes, there were bad moments in this game (see every pitcher except, shockingly, Danys Baez), but it's the drive to overcome the bad that keeps this team in the hunt. This is just another game where everything in the late innings seems to fall the Phillies way, but at the same time, it's more than that. It's a sign that this team is not about to give up. And think, this is a team that is currently without three of its starting nine.

Just wait until Howard and Utley are back.

Former Phillies

2010-08-12T16:34:00.000-04:00

As I sit here watching Randy Wolf pitch for the Brewers, I can't help but wonder a few things. First of all, why in the world is the Miller Park organ playing "Sweet Caroline"? Second, do I miss Wolfy? In recent days, Phillies fans have had the opportunity to see several former Phillies be successful elsewhere. Vicente Padilla picked up a W against the Phils on Tuesday (while raising his ERA from 3.09 to 3.32), Brett Myers is being counted among the top starters in the National League, and Marlon Byrd is, somehow, still in the majors.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are stuck with Joe Blanton and his lofty 5.65 ERA and Kyle "Who knows how he'll pitch today?" Kendrick. Should we be upset that there's an unpredictability to the back end of the Phillies rotation? In the short term, yes, that is somewhat of an issue. Thinking in the long-term, however, gives you a completely different answer. Right now, the Phillies have a fairly formidable rotation in Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt, Kendrick, and Blanton. With that rotation, they should win seven out of every 10 games. Granted, the woes that bullpen has had make that number dwindle slightly, as do injuries and shutout losses to the Mets.

What I am getting at here is that the Phillies rotation is good-to-great at this point in the season. The time that this rotation becomes great-to-elite is once the Phillies are in the playoffs. At that point, the rotation shrinks to three players. Those three players will assuredly be Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt; forcing Kendrick to the bullpen and Blanton to not appearing in the playoffs. So, what does this have to do with former Phillies Randy Wolf, Brett Myers, and Vicente Padilla? Let me tell you.

This year, Wolf isn't doing so hot - his 4.81 ERA won't be turning any heads - but his 2009 campaign was the best of his career. Brett Myers is producing similar numbers for the Astros this year with a 3.21 ERA and 1.223 WHIP. Then there's the aforementioned Padilla. The problem with wishing the Phillies still had these guys is that there is no way anyone could have predicted these numbers from them. Did anyone really think that Myers would be posting career-best figures this season? Seriously, his ERA this year is a half-run lower than his previous best. There is no way Amaro could have seen that coming.

Also important to remember is that the Phillies have no room for these guys. They don't have Cliff Lee anymore, and their payroll is still over $140 million. Myers would have been an expensive contract, and he would not have made the postseason rotation.

Oh, yeah, and about Cliff Lee: Stop talking about Cliff Lee. Yes, he was great for the Phillies for three months, and we are all thankful for his contributions. But it was only three months, and it's time to let it go. The Phillies have a great rotation right now, and there is little to complain about. Then again, that's what I get for reading what people post on the internet. All there is to read is complaints.

Addressing more complaints

Domonic Brown - Boohoo if he gets sent back down. It's better that he gets everyday play at Lehigh Valley than rides the pine for two weeks in Philadelphia. Just my opinion.

Second base - Yeah, it's a crapshoot. If I were playing for Phils, I'd probably settle for singles and carefully approach second base only when necessary.

Carlos Ruiz - I'm going to Tweet that he's gunning for the flower bed until he hits another stinking homer into that left-field landscaping.

Does Jeff Francoeur know who he is?

2010-08-08T02:40:00.000-04:00

He doesn't seem to. The .241 hitter is expected to ask for a trade after being informed of the Mets' plans to have him split time in the outfield for the remainder of the season. Granted, he's not a bad ballplayer. He has, however, had a dismal season for New York - not exactly something that general managers like to see when making August trades. As pointed out by some commenters on the linked-to story at the top, a platooning job may be the best fit for him. After all, he's hitting .317 against right handers and just .218 against southpaws. Nobody's going to think about DH'ing the guy, and he just has not put up the numbers expected of an every day player.

Oh, and because I know you're wondering, the guy they gave up to get him (Ryan Church) is hitting .182 this year.

Mets 1, Phillies 0

2010-08-07T22:36:00.001-04:00

Lessons learned from tonight's game:

Charlie Manuel likes to bunt when it isn't a good idea.
Charlie Manuel likes to not bunt when it is a good idea.
Cole Hamels is better than his 7-8 record indicates.
I still hate the New York Mets.

Other than the Polanco bunting incident, the most frustrating part of tonight's game was after Johan Santana had just walked two hitters in the second inning. Carlos Ruiz comes up with an opportunity to do some damage; after all, there are two runners on with one out, and the Phils clearly have Santana back on his heels. What does chooch elect to do? Swing on the first pitch.

He promptly grounds into a double play, ending one of several solid opportunities for the home team to get on the scoreboard. Ruiz is a guy that I have been talking highly of recently, and tonight he managed to make me look like a fool. If you have ever played a day of baseball in your life, you know that if a pitcher has just walked two batters in a row, you should probably wait it out for your pitch. Chooch, apparently, has never gotten that memo.

If the Phillies are going to win some of these one-run games, they need to start playing smarter baseball. Jayson Werth committed another atrocious base-running error, which is awfully pathetic for a guy who is normally solid when he gets on base. Don't worry, I'm not going to start writing these guys off. They have another game against the Mets with Halladay on the hill tomorrow, so these series should still result in victory for the Phils. They can't, however, continue to waste the solid outings that they are getting from the pitching staff. Heck, even Durbin got out of a jam in this game, and Danys Baez showed a relatively strong effort last night.

The bullpen is trying to come together, now we just need to see the same from the lineup.

I don't understand the Minors

2010-08-07T00:24:00.000-04:00

Thursday night, I watched a routine ground ball roll quickly past Drew Carpenter and into the outfield. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs' middle infielders carried on nonchalantly, almost as though the ball had never been hit. Friday night, while those same IronPigs were dropping yet another one-run game, I watched Jose Reyes make a solid effort for a similar ground ball against the Phillies. I must admit, neither play would have been easy. It was puzzling, however, for me to watch a guy who has already "made it" put forth the effort, while two guys who are sitting a phone call away from the Majors stood silently.

Given the Phillies current middle-infield situation, at least long-term, there's probably not much need for the "extra mile" from guys like Melvin Dorta and Ozzie Chavez. There is, on the other hand, plenty of reason for it in the short-term, especially considering the injuries the Phils have seen this season. Perhaps the reminder of them being trade bait could drive these players a little harder. Maybe a commitment to winning more than one game in a three-week span could push them to try. Who knows, really? I just find it quite confounding that you wouldn't want to give it your all on the way to the Big Leagues.

Remember this?

2010-08-06T17:11:00.001-04:00

Oh, they believe in comebacks. Just not by the Mets.

(Bonus video action)

What you need to know from last night (IN PHOTOS)

2010-08-06T01:55:00.000-04:00

Roy Oswalt pitched

Tie game into the 9th when CONTROVERSY STRIKES

Did it go over the bag or around it?

Marlins and fans only care about this look

Marlins get angry

Chooch responds!

Charlie is pleased with the effort

High fives (and possibly ice cream) for Chooch!

Surprisingly, this statement from umpire Bob Davidson did little to quell the anger of the Marlins (somewhat) faithful:

I was right on top of it and it was wide of the bag, that's all -- I had it foul. In my opinion, where it goes over the bag, you can't tell. After a bounce, it came an inch or two on the fair side, but ... it was very close. But I'm right there. I know what I saw. ... I'm very confident I got it right. What the ball did when it went past me is irrelevant. ... I understand that's the winning run, but in my opinion it was foul, and there's no replay that you can really see what the ball does over the bag -- and that's what's important. But I know what I saw.

Oh, and Brad Lidge got the save. (Quote and visuals from MLB.com)

Two weeks ago, I gave up on the Phillies

2010-08-05T10:00:00.005-04:00

Oh, stop giving me that disgusted look. Don't act like you've never given up on the Phillies. We all know you have at some point. For me, the exact moment I had given up was when, after ten innings of ten-hit baseball, the Phils still hadn't scored a run against the St. Louis Cardinals. They were on the verge of being swept in a series they should have been able to take 2-of-3 from, and they had already guaranteed that Cole Hamels' eight innings of one-hit ball would be recorded as a no-decision. Just so you know I had actually given up, let's step into the time machine that is Facebook and visit what my thoughts from that moment:

Yes, that was me, just two weeks ago. Ironically, the Phillies went on to win that game on the heels of a Polanco home run and what I believe was a Jayson Werth double. Since that game, they've won 10 of 12 and cut their deficit in the NL East from seven games to two. An astounding turnaround for a team that many people had begun to write off, especially in the wake of Chase Utley's placement on the DL.

Oddly enough, the Phillies have a history in the past several years of thriving after extra-inning victories. Just last season, they had lost eight of their last 11 games, and their division lead had slipped from seven games to four in just four days. On August 11, they beat the Cubs 4-3 in 12 innings, snapping their losing streak and keeping their division lead from slipping any more. In fact, their lead (then 3.5 games) never went below four games after that.

In 2007, the Fightin' Phils rode four extra-inning victories in two weeks to that miraculous NL East championship. One of them was against the then-division-leading Mets, and one was a 14-inning thriller against the Cardinals. Related note: Rod Barajas hit the go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 14th.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I'm looking at that 11-inning victory of the Cardinals two weeks ago as the turning point for these Phillies. Yes, it will take a lot more than just faith to get these Phillies into the playoffs. It's going to take a lot of rehab for those guys on the DL and a lot of effort from the guys on the field, but they have the momentum. I just hope they aren't as dumb as I am and haven't given up on themselves.

Oh, the Mets

2010-08-04T17:16:00.001-04:00

Let's commiserate with Mets fans for a moment. Sure, it seems like a horrible idea, and it probably is, but think about it for just a sliver in time. For most of the 1990s and a fair portion of the 2000s, the Phillies were floating around between mediocre and bad. They played in a garbage ballpark and wasted cash on aging talent. Even after building a new park, the Phillies took a little while to fix themselves up. Mets fans, does that sound familiar? In case it doesn't, let's take a look at this crudely made table:

There we see a solid comparison of the 2005 Phillies and the 2010 New York Mets. The answers that the Phillies found were as follows: Let the aging veterans run out their contracts (See Kenny Lofton, Jon Lieber) and send the general manager packing.

I would say that the Mets should try the same thing, but I like watching the Mets struggle. In fact, I take back the first sentence. Let's not commiserate, let's point and laugh.

Mike Sweeney is a Phillie

2010-08-04T16:46:00.002-04:00

From Todd Zolecki's Twitter:

Phillies acquire first baseman Mike Sweeney from the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Hopefully, the player to be named later is someone from that atrocious collective the Phillies call a bullpen.

Hilariously accurate painting of Joe Blanton

2010-08-02T18:31:00.000-04:00

Maybe I'm not the first person to post this, but I think I should at least draw your attention to it if you've never seen it. This painting was done by Robert Myers (unsure if related to Brett), and the original print can be yours for just $400! Now, you might be thinking that price is a little steep, but I must remind you that it is 1/60,000 of the cost of having the actual guy on your team for three years.

So, choose wisely: Pay $400 to see a comical depiction of him for the rest of your life, or pay $24 million to not be able to get rid of the actual guy for three years. I know exactly which course of action I would take! Funny thing is, it wasn't one of the options listed. I would buy it and take it to every game he pitches in, mocking him with it until he finally learns to retire the opposing hitters on a regular basis. Sure, it's a long shot, and I'd probably get kicked out of the ballpark, but what's the point in life if you never take risks?

Oh, and in case you're wondering how many of these have been sold, I have no idea.

TIM DIERKES IS A LIAR

2010-08-02T18:13:00.001-04:00

Straight from this post at MLBTR:

Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge are two Phillies who'd likely clear waivers. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Danys Baez and Greg Dobbs make it through. The Phillies' attempts to free up payroll might have to wait until the offseason though.

I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT A STAR AS BIG AS BRAD LIDGE WOULD EVER CLEAR WAIVERS EVER.

The one where I compare Brad Lidge to Dick Clark

2010-08-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

What is there to say about Brad Lidge that hasn't already been said? Probably nothing. After all, Lidge was, at one point on Saturday, the most-tweeted-about topic in the world. The Twitter world leaves no stone unturned, and the words I add to this tiny box will fall on blind eyes. Whatever.

I've told a few people this over the last couple of months, and I think it still holds true: This year, while it may not necessarily be good for the Phillies, will be darn good for the bandwagon fans that haven't felt the pain that was every year between 1980 and 2008. Those fans that have just tuned in over the past two seasons have no idea what the Phillies are really like, and this year is giving them a taste.

But I still don't like it.

Not because I want the Phillies to win so badly (which, believe me, I do) but because I want the guys who are working their tails off to get some freaking credit. Carlos Ruiz is (somehow) one of the best hitters on the team at the moment, and he knocked in what should have been the game-winning RBI on Saturday night against the Nats. But that Lidge fellow decided to negate the run and serve up a lollipop to Ryan Zimmerman. No big deal.

Well, no big deal if you don't mind an inconsistent and unreliable closer. Which is really the antithesis of a closer. Closers, as some of you might recall, are supposed to shut down the opposition in the biggest pressure situation in baseball - the final at-bat. Now, what may be the problem is that Brad Lidge's definition of "shut down" is vastly different from mine. My definition: No runs, no hits, no walks, and three quick and painless outs. In the Lidge dictionary, it reads more like this: 1-2 runs, one hit (preferably extra bases!), a pair of walks, and eventually get the third out if it's not a walk-off loss.

My theory involves nothing of that sort. My theory is that Brad Lidge is a cooked goose. He gets into his own head too much and can't handle the pressure of retiring three Washington Nationals in order. Basically, it's time to find a new closer. That last part is nothing new, and it should have been addressed last season. I get it, though; Charlie wanted to cut the guy some slack. After all, he did have that perfect season, and we did forgive Hollywood Hamels for his missteps last year.

Seriously, though, Charlie Manuel is treating "Motel 6" Lidge (Get it? Instead of lights out, he's leaving them on? Yeah? You like it.) like ABC treats Dick Clark. He had a stroke, it's almost impossible to tell what he's saying, and he can only handle a few minutes of airtime on New Year's Eve. Still, they keep carting him out there to close out the old year every December 31st. Comparably, Lidge has lost his stroke, it's almost impossible to tell what he's trying to do on the mound, and he can only muster a couple of outs before things blow up.

And Charlie Manuel keeps sending him out there to close out the game every ninth inning.

Maybe Uncle Charlie can take hint from ABC and start working Ryan Seacrest into the role as a co-closer of sorts. Closer by committee doesn't sound horrible, or at least not any worse than Lidge has been. Try anyone. I mean it. So Madson hasn't worked in the past? Guess what: Neither has Lidge. Romero doesn't have the experience as a closer? Guess what: Experience doesn't seem to make a difference considering that 15 of Lidge's 42 career blown saves have come in the past two years.

The lesson: Lidge can't close, and nobody else is going to do any worse.

Because nobody reads this anymore

2010-05-13T00:38:00.003-04:00

I can write about whatever I want. Actually, I could do that before, but I don't feel as weird about it now. At any rate, let me expound upon something that I posted on Facebook (Don't look me up.) earlier today, and, apparently, Twitter yesterday (My followers get sneak peeks at my Facebook updates!*).

Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, we, as Philadelphia fans, have been jaded into believing that anything is possible. To an extent, that's okay, but there are also times when that's downright ludicrous. In order for me to completely convey this message, I will have to share some examples. Some will include the Phillies, and, quite frankly, some will have nothing to do with anything that's been posted here in the past year and a half.

TIMES WHEN IT'S OKAY:

1) Phillies are down 3-1 in the World Series against the Yankees.

This was completely fine because Cliff Lee (then the unstoppable ace for the Fightin' Phils) was pitching Game Five, and Chase Utley had already been killing baseballs. The only obvious weak link had been Ryan Howard, and as long as the Phils got a few runs, it looked like Lee could hold off the Yankee lineup. Then, looking forward, you had Pedro Martinez slated for Game Six, and he had thrown an incredible start in Game Two. Everything looked like (at least to me) that 2004 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees: Pedro, Schilling, and anything could happen in Game Seven. We had every right to believe in the Phillies at that point. After all, there was no way that Ryan Howard's bat could be asleep for that long, right? Right? Anyone?

2) Something about the Dallas Cowboys.

It's a little blurry in my memory, but I think the Eagles had lost to the 'Boys in Week 17, and they had to face them again in the first round of the NFC playoffs. The Eagles had been a big-play team all season, and they were just waiting to bust out for a big game. DeSean Jackson was going to score 61 touchdowns, and McNabb was going to ride off into the sunset with 8,100 yards passing for that game, keeping it from being his last in a Philadelphia uniform. Okay, maybe that wasn't going to happen, but there was at least enough fire somewhere in that team to believe that they would show up for the game. After all, the Eagles couldn't lose to the Cowboys in embarrassing fashion again, right? Right? Anyone?

TIMES WHEN IT'S NOT OKAY

1) Anything involving the Sixers.

If there was ever a lost cause in Philadelphia sports, it's the current Seventy-Sixers. The once-beloved franchise now has less of a chance at another championship than the Philadelphia Soul. Ten years ago, the Phillies finished dead-last in the NL East, and their best pitcher was Robert Person (9-7, 3.63 ERA). Meanwhile the Philadelphia 76ers were about to embark on a season that would lead to an NBA Finals appearance, led by their star guard, Allen Iverson. Fast-forward to now (I hope that phrase annoys you), and the Sixers are in shambles, the Phillies are back-to-back-to-back division champs, and Allen Iverson is in all kinds of trouble.

2) The 2010 Philadelphia Flyers.

This team has been through more crap than any other team in the NHL. They fired head coach John Stevens mid-season, they had seven different goalies on the team this year, and they were down three games to none against the Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins. Their defensemen are aging, they've lost one of their best players to injury, and they're down to their third-string goalie in Michael Leighton. Somehow they have overcome this heap of bullcrap to make it a 3-3 series with the Bruins. But, surely, they can't win another game in Boston. The Bruins are too good of a team to let that happen, right? Right?

Anyone?

It's Official...

2010-01-21T15:42:00.003-05:00

The Philadelphia Phillies and Joe Blanton have agreed to a 3 year/$24 million dollar contract. This deal seems strangely reminiscent of the deal they signed with Adam Eaton years ago. Blanton is a pitcher in the same mold as Eaton, although obviously with better numbers (Eaton had a league-worst 6.29 ERA as a starter in 2007, while inexplicably going 10-10). No history of injury problems like Eaton had, and hopefully a brighter future.

Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz are the only two players the Phillies have left in arbitration.

Good one, Joe.

2010-01-19T18:01:00.002-05:00

Joe Blanton wants $10 million in arbitration. The Phillies have offered $7.5 million. Good luck with that figure, Joe. Let's remember that Tim Lincecum has only asked for $13 million, and that Lincecum is definitely way more than $3 million superior to Blanton. You'll get eight, Joe, and you'll be happy.

Dream big, I guess.

In other news, I'm swamped with work this semester. Between writing for other outfits and my class schedule, this blog will be sort of a "last resort" for me. Maybe you'll all get lucky and Kevin will take a break from Assassin's Creed every once in a while to write an article, but I wouldn't count on it.

My goal is for weekly posts, probably on Sundays. If that doesn't happen, I'm sorry.

Your N.L. Cy Young Champion for 2010...

2009-12-17T16:06:00.007-05:00

...is obviously not picked yet. We're not even IN 2010 yet. But the heavy favorite has got to be Roy Halladay, the Phillies' latest trade acquisition. The best pitcher of the last decade, he came to Philadelphia to win a World Series. Seth and I are on opposite sides of this debate, because I love this deal. Sure, we gave up Drabek. We still held onto top position prospect Dominic Brown, and we got the Mariners two top pitching prospects. The people who liked this trade even more than myself? The bullpen. Over the last 5 seasons, Halladay has thrown 34 complete games. To put that into perspective, here is a little factoid: Over the last 5 seasons, the Phillies have had 8 pitchers make at least 20 starts in a season. These 8 pitchers are: Hamels, Moyer, Meyers, Lieber, Lidle, Padilla, Happ, and Blanton. These pitchers, over the last 5 season, have COMBINED to throw 32 complete games. Given the Phillies' bullpen woes over the years, I love this deal. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

...And I'm writing again.

2009-12-15T20:20:00.002-05:00

It's only December, but the 2010 season already looks like a promising one for the Phillies. It's obvious that they are the favorite in the National League after winning the pennant two years in a row. They have also swapped out their temporary ace (Cliff Lee) for one of the greatest pitchers of our time (Roy Halladay.) However, it's not all good news in Philadelphia. In the coming weeks and months, I will work on some pieces about the following question marks on the roster:

Pedro, Blanton, and the back end of the rotation
Brad Lidge
The strikeout-happy middle of the lineup
Barren farm system
That Hamels guy

That should hopefully tide me over until pitchers and catchers report. Also, thanks to Kevin for throwing up some posts in the past few weeks. I did have every intention of keeping this up once December rolled around, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Anyway, I'm back in action or something like that. Keep checking by every once in a while for some half-witted analysis on your favorite Philadelphia-area MLB franchise.

The Roy Halladay Deal

2009-12-15T15:27:00.004-05:00

Does this feel like July, or what? No, wait, it doesn't feel a thing like July. If it was July, I would be eagerly awaiting more news about Carlos Carrasco's mysterious scratched-start and then wondering why it felt like the Cliff Lee deal was the greatest move the Phillies had ever made. Also, it's cold. So, no, it doesn't feel like July.

No, it feels like another cold December, and it looks like the Roy Halladay deal does more to hurt the Phillies now than it would have in July. Remember the names tossed around at that point? The Jays wanted (at least) Jason Knapp, Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, and J.A. Happ. The Phillies said scoffed at the idea of parting ways with Drabek, and they sent Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco, Donald, and Knapp to Cleveland to get Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco. Less than six months later, and they've now sent Lee away to Seattle in return for Halladay. Oh, plus they sent the Jays Michael Taylor and Travis D'Arnaud.

Oh, yeah, and Kyle Drabek.

Wait. I thought they didn't want to give up Drabek? So, the Phillies sent away seven prospects (Marson, Carrasco, Donald, Knapp, Taylor, D'Arnaud, and Drabek) for Roy Halladay, Ben Francisco, and three prospects with way less upside than the seven they gave up? This seems brilliant, especially considering they could've saved two prospects in that deal by completing it six months ago. Sure, this is a sound financial decision that does little to affect the big-league club, but saying goodbye to Joe Blanton would be too. This deal still does not make a whole lot of sense to me, and I've been reading about it for the past two days. When is it supposed to make me feel good, Ruben?

To the people who say the Fightins should have kept Lee for this year and had a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton, and Martinez: Are you serious? You're probably the people who screamed and shouted about the Yankees buying the World Series a couple of months ago, too.

Maybe I'll calm down by April, but right now, I'm a little confused. Someone help me out, please.

BWHA?!

2009-12-14T16:58:00.002-05:00

Lee to Seattle. Halladay to Philadelphia. Prospects are involved, but we don't know who, or even where yet. The deal is said to be finalized when Halladay signs a contract extension with the Phillies. When this is all said and done, I love it. Halladay throws tons of innings, and is even better than Lee (although nobody is making light of what Lee did with this team. We still love him for it). I would've loved to have kept Lee and traded prospects, but such is life. I am now entering into this season even more excited than last year. If that's even possible.

Polanco is back

2009-12-08T10:43:00.004-05:00

Placido 'La Frente' Polanco is back with the Phillies. A high average, low strikeout hitter, which is exactly what they need. And what's this...he's a righty?! Thank you, Ruben. And moderately priced at 3 years/18 million.

('La Frente' translates to 'the front', which was the best translation I could get that would mean 'The Forehead'. Because, quite frankly, look at that picture and tell me you can't help but stare.)

You win some, you lose some

2009-11-05T01:25:00.002-05:00

Great season, Phils. We know you'll be back in 2010.

That's just vintage Vicente you've got right there

2009-11-03T22:00:00.004-05:00

Jon Weisman has a report over at the LA Times that either Vicente Padilla or his bodyguard shot Padilla in the leg at a shooting range today. I'm pretty sure that speaks for itself, so there you go.

In other news, Myers was joking around with Hamels, and it got blown out of proportion by some idiot in the clubhouse who was trying to make a story out of it. I'm pretty sure we all saw that one coming, considering there was one report from one witness that nobody seemed to agree with.

Shane Victorino is "day-to-day" according to Charlie Manuel, but Shane, being the gamer he is, says that he's fine.

Lastly, here's what Scott Lauber considered to be highlights from Pedro's press conference today:

–On his legacy as one of the greatest pitchers of all-time: “I’m pretty sure that my name will be mentioned. I don’t know in which way. But maybe after I retire, because normally when you die, people tend to actually give you props about the good things. But that’s after you die. So I’m hoping to get it before I die. I don’t want to die and then hear everybody say, ‘Oh, there goes one of the best players ever.’ If you’re going to give me props, just give them to me right now.”
–On whether it would surprise him to know Red Sox fans are pulling for him to beat the Yankees: “No, it wouldn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. I know that they don’t like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games. And knowing that I am part of Boston, I consider myself a Bostonian, as well, too, I’ve been a Montrealer, a Bostonian, and now a New Yorker, and somehow, I might become a Philadelphian now. But I’ve only been there for a short period. It’s something that’s a work in progress. I’m pretty sure that every Boston fan out there can feel proud that I’m going to try to beat the Yankees, and I’m going to give just the same effort I always did for them. They’re special fans, and they will always have my respect.”
–On his ability to improvise by changing speeds and location in the middle of an at-bat: “If I say it, honestly you might not believe it, but that’s all created in the middle of the moment. What you see is a combination of experience and instinct. It’s just instinct, surviving. Everybody that grows up in the Dominican and didn’t have a rich life, it’s a survival. That’s what we call it in the Dominican — survival. And in baseball I am a survivor. I’m someone that wasn’t meant to be, and here I am on one big stage. I really thank God for the blessings of being here, because I was supposed to just survive and that’s it. And here you are, guys; I have a lot of you paying attention to me right now. That’s a great joy.”

That's all I've got until tomorrow. Force Game Seven.

Brett Myers continues to be Brett Myers

2009-11-03T03:01:00.005-05:00

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, Brett Myers had a few choice words for Cole Hamels after Game 5 last night:

As Myers walked past Hamels near Hamels’ locker he said, mocking, “What are you doing here? I thought you quit."
Hamels, the witness said, responded with an expletive.
Before the situation escalated, Myers was guided away by a team official.

That's all according to just one witness, and nobody seems to have corroborated the story, as Brown is the only one reporting it. If it's true, though: Awesome job, Brett. That should help bring the team together for a run at this thing. Granted, nobody on the Phillies was too happy about Hamels saying that he "can't wait for it to end" while referring to this season, but Myers should have laid off the snark a little bit. That's the kind of disunity that could kill this team's chances.

Holy. Cow.

2009-11-03T02:20:00.004-05:00

The New York Yankees learned a valuable lesson last night: Don't hit Shane Victorino. After Cliff Lee had a forgettable first inning to put the Phillies behind 1-0, the front four of the Philadelphia lineup all got on base, including Chase Utley with a three-run blast to give the Fightin Phils the lead. The short-rested AJ Burnett put Victorino on the ground just minutes before Utley's blast, and Yanks' manager Joe Girardi argued that Victorino had swatted at the ball. Utley didn't take kindly to the suggestion, and he deposited the first pitch he saw from Pettitte into the rightfield stands.

At that moment, it all seemed possible. The Phillies had Cliff Lee on the mound, and he wasn't going to blow a lead for them. They could head back to New York needing just two more wins, and there would be a real shot at successfully defending their crown. Unfortunately, they got a little ahead of themselves. Up by six runs going into the top of the eighth inning, Cliff Lee started to falter. A single by Damon and doubles by Teixiera and A-Rod cut the Phillies' lead to four and knocked Lee out of the game. Chan Ho Park did a solid job in relief, allowing just one more run to cross the plate and getting all three outs.

Then came panic time for Philadelphia fans, who wondered if Brad Lidge would be strolling out to save the game. Instead, Ryan Madson took the hill, gave up a couple of quick hits, and forced Derek Jeter to ground into a double play. Philly's lead was down to two, but Madson managed to strike Teixiera out swinging to end the game. Holy crap, the Phillies forced a game six.

Now, I'm not saying that the Phillies are the equivalent of the 2004 Boston Red Sox; they are certainly far from it. But with their backs to the wall, they have a pretty good shot at this thing. We've already seen how well AJ Burnett did on short rest (2 IP, 6 ER,) and the Yankees are going to put another short-rested pitcher on the mound in Andy Pettitte. Let's be honest here, Pettitte looked hittable in Game Three, and that was on full rest. Pedro on full rest versus Pettitte on short rest should favor the Phillies. Also, if the Phillies' bats can come alive like they finally did in Game 5, they should be in extremely good shape.

The question for Game 6 will be the bullpen: How long do you leave Pedro in? Who closes in a save situation? Park has looked very good in relief, and the Phils have Durbin and Myers as strong late-inning options. Alright, scratch my original question. What the heck do they do with Lidge? My opinion is that he can do it, but they better have a sizeable lead for him to work with. Anything the hitters can do to keep Rivera and Lidge out of the game would be huge. I am excited. Oh, so very, very excited.

FORCE GAME SEVEN.

The bats are alive!

2009-11-02T21:35:00.002-05:00

Now these Phillies deserve to win this World Series

Excuse me while I ramble about Game 4

2009-11-02T00:07:00.004-05:00

And so it culminated late on November 1, 2009. The Brad Lidge collapse was all but complete, as he suffered a loss on the biggest stage in baseball, 7-4 to the New York Yankees. Pedro Feliz had hit a solo home run just minutes before to tie the game and overcome the litany of miscues and errors the Phillies had made through the first eight innings. Lidge had even shut down the first two hitters the Yankee lineup had to offer, moving quickly toward the final out of the top of the ninth inning. But, as he had done so many times before, "Lights Out" Lidge handed the game over with little resistance.

What's gotten into Lidge? It hardly seems to matter now that the Phillies are a loss away from being MLB's second-place finisher, but it is certainly relevant when it comes to what the organization does with him during the offseason. After he had seemingly "gotten it back" during this playoff run, it hardly seems necessary to let the guy go. At the same time, the numbers are hard to ignore: 11 blown saves and eight losses during the regular season and one glaring three-run massacre in the World Series. Do his 31 regular-season saves and five-straight shutout appearances in the playoffs make up for those numbers?

The blame for tonight could be put on Lidge, but Brad's pitching doesn't change the mediocre performances we've seen out of the lineup (outside of Jayson Werth, of course) and Cole Hamels. Ryan Howard has been an automatic out during the World Series, Raul Ibanez hardly puts the bat on the ball, and outside of his three solo home runs, Chase Utley has looked weak at the plate. Utley also blew a defensive play during Game 4 tonight, ignoring the fundamentals of baseball and trying to make a spectacular play.

The Phillies are the defending World Series champions. They have the experience and know-how to win against the Yankees. However, while the Yankees should be the ones struggling with the spotlight, the Phils seem starstruck and ill-prepared to deal with the pressure. Throughout the postseason, there was a swagger associated with this Phillies team. They had their heads on straight but were extremely confident in winning. In the World Series, though, they've been lost, especially at the plate. The Phillies that we've witnessed for the last three games don't deserve to win a World Series.

Maybe with their backs against the wall, things will be put into perspective. Maybe they'll realize they can't win it all in one game and take their time. Maybe they won't try to hit home runs with every swing. It's a lot of maybes, and the way they've been playing, I should be phrasing it as "less than likely." But, you know what, it could be exactly what this team needs. All it takes is three wins in a row*, which is entirely possible with this lineup.

It starts with Game 5, it starts with Cliff Lee, and it starts TONIGHT. GO PHILS.

*- The Phillies have had 14 win streaks of at least three games this season

Before they start rambling on about home runs...

2009-10-31T18:17:00.005-04:00

We all know that we're about to hear how Yankee Stadium and CBP are launching pads for home runs, and that neither stadium really does much for pitching. However, if you do a little research (a.k.a. Google it,) you'll find that Citizens Bank Park is the most balanced park in terms of home runs. ESPN.com keeps a page that ranks MLB stadiums on their "Park Factors," which are defined as such:

Park Factor compares the rate of stats at home vs. the rate of stats on the road. A rate higher than 1.000 favors the hitter. Below 1.000 favors the pitcher. Teams with home games in multiple stadiums list aggregate Park Factors.

Basically, 1.000 is the perfect balance. Yankee Stadium has a HR Park Factor of 1.261, by far the highest in all of Major League Baseball (Angel Stadium comes in second with 1.220.) Citizens Bank Park, on the other hand, is 16th out of 30 parks this season. Its HR Park Factor? 1.005, the closest to 1.000 there is (Wrigley is 1.006.)

So, next time that someone tries to convince you that the reason the Phillies hit so many home runs is because they play in a stadium that's like playing on the moon, shove the stats in their face. Sure, they won't like you very much, but you'll be right, and that's all that really matters.

Tonight's forecast:

60 to 70 percent chance of rain showers, getting worse the later it gets. Temperatures will be in the low 60s around game time, obviously getting colder as the night goes on. Here's to hoping that Bud Selig doesn't mess this one up. A special tip for him: If you're going to call the game, call it on the end of an inning. Don't wait for the road team to tie it up and call it on a half-inning, just call it at a logical point.

Prediction:

Phillies 5, Yankees 4

The call is for Blanton, plus Game 3 preview

2009-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

Charlie Manuel has passed on having Cliff Lee pitch Game 4 in Philly, opting to go with righty Joe Blanton. Blanton seems to be getting a lot of game-four calls, seeing as he pitched game four of the NLCS and last year's Fall Classic.

Blanton will go head-to-head with New York ace C.C. Sabathia, who will be pitching on short rest. Sabathia pitched the same schedule during the ALCS. As I'm sure most fans will recall, the Brewers tried this same strategy down the stretch last season. Instead of being able to cash in on C.C.'s success, they wore him out and lost to the Phillies in the NLDS. The Yankees, much like last year's Milwaukee team, have few other options. Their rotation has been suspect throughout the season, and the way they feel, the more they can get out of Sabathia, the better.

The key against Sabathia for the Phils is the same as it has been and will be throughout this World Series: Patience at the plate. The pitches will come, but they need to let them happen on their own. The Phillies have been swinging at junk pitches, as well as not adjusting to the home plate umpire's wide strike zone. Pitches on the outside edge will get called. The sooner they figure that out, the sooner we'll see some runs on the board.

Andy Pettitte takes the hill for the Yankees against Cole Hamels for Philadelphia. Game time is 7:57 PM. It will be in Philadelphia, which means that any 320 ft. swings by Hideki Matsui will be fly-outs, not home runs. It also means it will be a real postseason atmosphere, and tickets will be half the price of what they were at the new Yankee Stadium.

Let's take this one, boys.

A little off-day conversation piece

2009-10-30T18:12:00.004-04:00

I now present to you a column printed in my college's student newspaper:

I’m in a dilemma. Even though I’m no baseball fanatic, I enjoy following
the Major League Baseball (MLB) Playoffs through all the late game
heroics, rally caps, and poor umpiring (which confirms my belief that
instant replay belongs in baseball - but that’s a different column). I
like watching because I get to be a part of each team’s journey, which
helps me render opinions on things like which team I’d like to see win it
all. This year, it’s just not that easy.

The New York Yankees advanced to the World Series by claiming the American
League Pennant over the Los Angeles Angels, while the Philadelphia
Phillies took care of the Los Angeles Dodgers to take the National League
crown. This pits the Yankees in their 41st World Series appearance
against the defending champion Phillies.

When I consider some of the other possible World Series
matchups, I can’t help wishing for something else. I would have loved to
see a Los Angeles cross-town
showdown between the Angels and the Dodgers, and I would have paid to see
Dodgers manager Joe Torre take on his former team, the Yankees. You want
drama? Torre coming back to face the team that ditched him in an epic
payback World Series pairing would have been some serious soap-style type
material.

While this matchup boasts a great “I-95” rivalry storyline and a host of
great players and past heroes, it’s been heart-wrenching to bring myself
to pick a favorite. This matchup reminds me of a schoolyard fight between
the bully and the preppy kid. It’s not hard to tell who’s who. The Yankees
have been clubbing other teams over the head with their payroll for years.
Instead of just taking lunch money, they’re enticing other teams’
All-Stars to throw their lunch money back to their old team, replacing it
with a nice big Yankee buffet. There are few team loyalties in baseball
that a few million
dollars can’t drown away.

As much as I despise the entire Yankee organization for its business
tactics, I will admit there are some bright spots. One is their fan base.
My brother and dad, even though they both grew up in Iowa, are lifelong
Yankees fans. Few other teams can say they have such loyal fans so far
away. The way that Yankee players both win and lose with class has been
instrumental to their worldwide fan base.

On the other hand, the Phillies are the new golden boys of the MLB.
Between the heavy bat of Derek Howard, the MVP play of Jimmy Rollins, and
last year’s heroics of pitcher Cole Hamels, Phillies fans have high hopes
for bringing back another title. Perhaps my exasperation with the Phillies
lies not somuch in the team itself as it does with, dare I say – their
fans. I realize that I may need to go into hiding once Phillies fans start
coming after me; if not it means that either no Phillies fans read my
column, or just that no one does.

Here’s my beef with Phillies fans – they’re fickle. Here’s why. A fair
amount of regionally local teams haven’t fared so well during my time here
at Geneva. When the Yankees were not as good, their fans
still showed their faces and were loyal. When the Boston Red Sox had a bad
season, Dr. Haas was still wearing his baseball cap representing his team.
The Pirates have been terrible for the better part of 20 years and I see
people still willing to sport their Pirates gear.

When the Phillies were bad, there was silence. I saw no hats, jerseys,
souvenir bats,pennants on dorm walls, or rowdy fans hanging out in dorm
lounges. Only when the Phillies got good did all that stuff start showing
up. It’s hard for me to be happy for or with Phillies fans whose level of
interest and enthusiasm is directly proportional to how many home runs
Howard has, how many strikeouts Hamels posts or how many postseason wins
manager Charlie Manuel chalks up.

Convince me I’m wrong. Tell me my sample of data is too small, that I just
wasn’t looking in the right places or that I’m just bitter and biased
against Phillies fans. Prove me wrong – not by rubbing it in my face if
the Phillies win, but by showing your brotherly Phillies love when your
team, heaven forbid, doesn’t make the playoffs.

Is it sadistic to hope that the bully knocks the preppy kid on his rear a
few times just so the preppy kid’s friends don’t stick their noses so high
in the air? Hopefully, the preppy kid will at least put up a good enough
fight to prove that being the bully doesn’t always give you the clear cut
advantage. Perhaps the
beauty in watching the fight is waiting to be emotionally drawn to one
team or the other. The only way to know is to watch. Happy World Series!


And now, my response:


I know that this is exactly what you were looking for when you wrote your
most recent column for The Cabinet, so I figured I might as well go ahead
and humor you by defending my fellow Philadelphia fans. I will try to do
so without directly attacking you for your beliefs, but please bear in
mind that you hardly showed the same courtesy for us. I will also attempt
to keep this from being too biased, but, again, bear in mind that this,
too, will be a difficult task (for obvious reasons.)

Now, as I am sure it was merely a typo, I'm going to skip right past the
part where you called Ryan Howard "Derek." I will begin with you calling
Phillies fans "fickle." You support this with the statements about the
Yankees still receiving fan support during a bad season and Dr. Haas
wearing his Red Sox hat throughout a bad year. The fundamental difference
here is that the Yankees haven't had a losing season since 1992, and the
Red Sox haven't had one since 1997. Since 1985, the Phillies have had 15
losing seasons. That's just ten winning seasons in 25. The Red Sox? Five
losing seasons in that span. The Yankees? Four. Last time I checked, it's
a little easier to cheer on a winner than it is a loser. And when
Philadelphia as a city hadn't seen ANY sort of major sports championship
since 1983, I think they have a right to jump on the bandwagon and be
happy for the Phillies.

Your next defense was that "When the Phillies were bad, there was silence.
I saw no hats, jerseys, souvenir bats,pennants on dorm walls, or rowdy
fans hanging out in dorm lounges. Only when the Phillies got good did all
that stuff start showing up." This one is actually pretty easy to defend.
You arrived on this campus in 2006. That year, the Phillies blew a chance
at winning the NL Wild Card in late September. That gave you one month of
exposure to Phillies fans during the time their team was bad. So, yes,
your sample size was too small.

Let's also consider that most of the people on this campus today were not
there at the time. You can't fault them for the fact that you couldn't see
them support their team; they weren't here. " It’s hard for me to be happy
for or with Phillies fans whose level of interest and enthusiasm is
directly proportional to how many home runs Howard has, how many
strikeouts Hamels posts or how many postseason wins manager Charlie Manuel
chalks up." Well, if our interest was proportional to someone's strikeout
totals, it certainly wouldn't be Hamels'. Also, during a 162-game season,
it's hard to always be thrilled about the team, and I'm pretty sure ANYONE
would get more excited about their team the more postseason games it won.

I get the point of your article. You state it here:  "Prove me wrong – not
by rubbing it in my face if the Phillies win, but by showing your
brotherly Phillies love when your team, heaven forbid, doesn’t make the
playoffs." I completely agree with that point. The true fans are the ones
who stick around during the tougher years. But there are better ways of
getting that point across than lumping all the fans together and calling
them out as bandwagon jumpers.

Through many years of reading about sports, I've learned that when
sportswriters don't know what to write about, a lot of them choose to bash
Philly fans for not supporting their teams. So here's my question: Why
would you choose to bash them for actually supporting one of their teams?

Any thoughts?

Two things

2009-10-29T20:39:00.002-04:00

First of all, Go Phils!

Second of all, my apologies to anyone getting spammed from "@thefourthof.com" e-mail addresses. I have shut down all associated e-mail accounts, so anything you get "from" this site is not legitimate. I'm now looking for a new e-mail address and provider.

Time to celebrate

2009-10-22T03:00:00.004-04:00

2009 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

More tomorrow...

The advantages of staying up late

2009-10-20T21:52:00.003-04:00

I've seen my fair share of last-second shockers in sports (all on television, of course.) Fact is, I've also seen my fair share of last-second letdowns in sports. But ever since I went to sleep during the fourth quarter of the 2006 BCS National Championship game, I've never been able to walk away from a game. It paid off last week when the Phils fought back against the Rockies, and, surprise, surprise, it paid off again last night. For a fantastic video of last night's greatness, head over to The Fightins, and enjoy J-Roll's two ribbies that won the Phillies game four with our hometown announcers.

Nobody has won back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees pulled off three in a row from 1998-2000, but with an offense as potent as the Philli

es' has been, we could be seeing it again. The Phillies get Game 5 at home, and Game 6 (if needed) would put Cliff Lee back on the hill in red pinstripes. If that doesn't spell "victory" for the Phillies, they don't deserve to go back to the Fall Classic. Anyway, with all the good that came last night, let us not forget that there were problems for our FIghtin' Phils. I point to none more obvious than the one below:

During the game, I witnessed an online argument about the abilities of Ryan Howard and Manny Ramirez in postseason play. The side arguing for Manny Ramirez (in my opinion) won during the eighth inning, when Howard struck out swinging with Shane Victorino in scoring position. Hey, I understand, we've gotten used to the big guy striking out, and I also understand that he's grown up quite a bit at the plate. However, he looked extremely impatient last night against George Sherrill, a guy who he should be getting solid hits against.

Ryan Howard is a machine. He can hit home runs like nobody else in baseball. But he needs to learn that the answer isn't always the long ball, and that it is okay to get a single and tie the game. He went out there last night trying to kill every pitch thrown his way, and he got burned. Howard needs to settle down, and wait for his pitch. The Phils had a great opportunity to tie it in the eighth inning, and it got squandered away by impatience from the middle of the order. Thankfully, Rollins pulled it off in the ninth, but next time, it should be done an inning sooner.

Tomorrow night, get ready to celebrate. Let's show the Dodgers the real Vicente Padilla, and put 'em away early. Go Phils!

It's finally October

2009-10-05T14:18:00.003-04:00

All the heartache and turmoil of the season is finally over. Sure, there's new turmoil, and there will probably be new heartache, but just for a moment, none of that matters. Take a step back, soak it all in, and enjoy that the back-to-back-to-back NL East champions are in the playoffs again. Wednesday, you can complain. For now, just live it up. These are your Phillies.

I wouldn't mind a three-peat of this

2009-09-30T16:21:00.002-04:00

Tonight, the Phillies win their third NL East title in a row. Book it, done.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2009-09-11T12:55:00.002-04:00

His first hit since July 11th. It was the grandest of slams. There is a reason we're called "The Fourth Outfielder", and it is because of moments like this.

Now Introducing...

2009-09-10T16:21:00.002-04:00

The Philadelphia Phillies' leading hitter. High time.

State of the Phillies

2009-09-07T19:00:00.002-04:00

Well, coming off a series sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros, things still don’t look too bad. A series against the Nationals will cure most ailments, including slumping bats. The Phillies still enjoy a 6 game lead over The Marlins, and are 8 games over The Braves. Ryan Howard has apparently been enjoying a healthy diet at Subway, as he has been on a tear over the last few weeks. His average has climbed up to .277, and he is third in the National League in Homeruns. To help put that into perspective, the last time Howard's average was this high, it was May 12th. On the flip side, Shane Victorino is 2 for his last 21 at bats, and has an average which is under .300 for the first time since July 3rd. I don’t want to even look at Ibanez’s stats compared to what he was on pace for. All I want is a series sweep against a divisional opponent. Is that too much to ask for?

A Letter From Brett Myers

2009-08-26T00:35:00.002-04:00

Get off your knees, Brad. You're blowing the game.

Hit the Links - Cole Hamels Can't Pitch to Save His Life Edition

2009-08-22T12:59:00.002-04:00

Don't know if you noticed, but Cole Hamels is all too unlike Cole Hamels this season. After yesterday's 4-2 loss to the Mets, Phillies blogs everywhere popped out posts on what's wrong with the guy and what the heck should be done. Mostly because there is no point in me trying to say a thousand things that have already been said, here's a comprehensive list of the Hamels-talk that is going on around the internet:

He's taking gosh darn forever to throw pitches. [Balls, Sticks, & Stuff]
It's that SI cover jinx coming out to haunt him. [Phillies Nation/Swing and a Long Drive]
Fatigue, fatigue, fatigue. [Beerleaguer]
He's a young, developing, two-pitch guy. [Philled In]
This is just entertaining. [WSBGM's]
He's just not getting ahead. [The Zo Zone]
The inconsistency is bringing him down. [The Fightins]

Remember, for more sub-par insight from me, you can follow me on Twitter.

State of the Blog - 8/21/09

2009-08-21T21:56:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to promise a flurry of posts. Any time I say that I'm going to write something, it doesn't happen. But I promise you this: There will be new posts here in the coming week. A few things on my personal agenda (I can't speak for Kevin) are the following:

World Series retrospective
More "Forgotten Faces"
Some "Hit The Links" posts
Keep Jamie Moyer's mouth shut for a while
Playoff preview... Maybe?

That's what I hope to accomplish in the next week. If not, sorry, folks.

Forgotten Faces - Mike Zagurski

2009-08-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

Now, I know that you're thinking, "How could anyone ever forget that massive reliever?" Seriously, though, I did. Until this recent post for The Dugout. Well, according to Baseball Reference, "Little Kruk" is currently clocking in at 225 lbs and doing mediocre work at AA-Reading. Through 38 games for the R-Phils, he's thrown 44.1 innings and posted a 3-4 record with a 4.26 ERA. His WHIP is 1.37 and he's walked 21 batters while striking out 52. 2009 is a recovery season for Zagurski, who underwent Tommy John surgery last year. He did start out in Clearwater this year, but he was called up to Reading in late April.

Oh, and if you're wondering who the heck Mike Zagurski is to begin with, here's an all-encompassing article from the Lawrence Journal-World. It chronicles his trip to Philly, starting with his not being drafted or recruited out of high school and culminating with his appearance in the majors in 2007.

[Image from TheFightins.com]

Chase away those rain-delay blues

2009-08-18T20:44:00.003-04:00

Check out this video from the fine folks at ImprovEverywhere.com

Be sure to read the entire report here.

Cliff 'Wild Thing' Lee?

2009-08-17T23:27:00.004-04:00

Cliff ‘Wild Thing’ Lee?

No, this is not an allusion towards Mitch Williams, nor am I suggesting that Lee be moved to the closer role (although he’d certainly do a better job than Lidge). This would be a cinematic reference to Ricky Vaughn, of the Cleveland Indians and the movies ‘Major League’ and ‘Major League II’. Following, I will give an objective analysis of why or why not he is a carbon copy of a fictional character.

1. Criminal Record
Cliff Lee has no criminal record to speak of, whereas Rick Vaughn has at least stolen a car. We have no idea what else he did to land himself in the California Penal system. But, the more alarming question, is how he got out of there in the first place.

2. Pitches
We know they both throw fastballs. Lee has control, Vaughn has velocity. They both also throw curveballs, as evidenced by the line “Forget the curveball, Ricky, give ‘em the heater”. I’d say it’s a spot on match.

3. Off the field life
Beyond the criminal record, Cliff Lee is simply not the personality that Vaughn was. I doubt Lee ever slept with the 3B’s wife, made anyone’s ‘Hall of Shame’, or got in a fight during spring training.

4. Nickname
I realize that Lee has no ‘official’ nickname, but I refuse to call him anything but ‘Phifer’, which is his middle name. Therefore, that is his informal nickname. Sadly, this nickname is easily trumped by ‘Wild Thing’ Rick Vaughn. His nickname came from his lack of control in spring training, which is later to be revealed as a vision problem.

Vaughn had a rough road to the playoffs, but we really don’t know anything else that happens after one season. Cliff Lee, however, is a Cy Young award winner, and is doing quite well with the Phillies. He’s let up as many earned runs as he has gathered hits for his new team. And despite the lack of a true nickname, I'm glad to say that Phifer is definitely a better pitcher than Rick Vaughn. And he does not use a Veg-o-matic to cut his hair.

State of the Pitching Staff - Rotation

2009-08-17T21:12:00.004-04:00

Seeing as how there are far too many problems facing the Phillies' pitchers recently, and the fact that the rotation has seen a complete revamping, I figure it is now an appropriate time to take a look at each pitcher's individual statistics and whether they are helping or hurting the team. Let's start with the rotation...

LHP Cole Hamels: 7-7, 4.69 ERA
Where would I put Hollywood Hamels at right now? I would put him down as "keeping the status quo." He's not necessarily hurting the team, but we know how he can pitch, and this is definitely not it. Hopefully he hits a good stride here and can help the Phils on this playoff run. If not, we'll be watching him fill the role of "back-end starter."

LHP Cliff Lee: 3-0, 1.12 ERA
I'd be willing to bet that the folks who were upset about not getting Halladay are no longer feeling that way.

RHP Joe Blanton: 7-6, 3.88 ERA
This guy hasn't given up more than three runs in an outing since June 18. He's 0-2 in his last three starts, but the two losses came with scores of 2-0 and 3-2. He's also eating up a lot of innings; Blanton has gone at least six innings in 16 of his 22 starts, including each of his last seven. This guy is playing out of his head and definitely helping the team.

LHP J.A. Happ: 9-2, 2.66 ERA
If it weren't for Cliff Lee, this guy would be the current ace-of-staff in Philadelphia. He's 7-2 with a 2.69 ERA since entering the rotation, and he averages nearly 7 innings per start. Certainly a helper on this pitching staff.

RHP Pedro Martinez: 1-0, 5.40 ERA
Not ready to say he's helping, but he certainly didn't hurt the team by picking up a win against the Cubbies last week. Let's give him a "wait and see."

Overall, this rotation looks pretty special. Not counting Pedro due to his limited sample size, the worst ERA on this staff belongs to Cole Hamels. That is a good sign. None of these guys are hurting the team at this point, and that's exactly what they need. Unfortunately, they have had to toss up their games to the bullpen, which has been far less reliable than the rotation. More on that later today.

At any rate, this is the best rotation that we as Phillies fans have looked at all season. Forget the "they're all lefties" talk. It hasn't been a problem yet, and I doubt it will be in the future.

Calling Brett Myers

2009-08-16T22:40:00.002-04:00

There was a time when I loved Brad Lidge. That time has ended. Now, if Brett Myers can stop falling out of cars, he can take over that closer role. Make that happen, Brett. Please. Just do whatever you can, and get someone to carry you out of the car.

More tomorrow...

Phillies 7, Rockies 0

2009-08-05T21:54:00.003-04:00

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Happ (W, 8-2)	9.0	4	0	0	2	10	0	2.74

Now that is a stat line. [Box]

Quit standing there, and hit the ball!

2009-08-03T21:48:00.003-04:00

It would be nice and easy to blame the Phillies' starting rotation for their recent skid on the West Coast. After all, they gave up 20 runs in the four losses during that span, so why shouldn't they be blamed? However, during those four losses, the Phillies posted a grand total of five runs, getting shut out twice. And, I don't know how much you people know about baseball, but confidence in your lineup can really be helpful as a pitcher. If you caught Cliff Lee's gem on Friday night, you should know exactly what I mean.

Cliff Lee had the eighth-worst run support on his side while he was in Cleveland. Friday night, he knew he had the backing of one of the best lineups in baseball to get him through nine innings against the Giants. Wouldn't you know it, he threw a complete game. The bats gave him five runs that night, and the Phillies cruised to a victory over San Francisco. So what the heck happened during the rest of that series against the Giants? Let's take it day by day...

Wednesday - Somehow, the Phillies made a guy with a seven-run ERA (Yusmeiro Petit) look like Satchel Paige for six innings, and then they continued to hack at pitches for three more, amassing 12 strikeouts in the game. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez both went 2-for-4, but the rest of the lineup managed little else. What should've been an easy win for the Phils was a nightmare at the plate, and they lost 4-0, spoiling a good start by J.A. Happ.

Thursday - A chance at redemption looked good for the Phils as they scored in the first inning off an RBI double by Ryan Howard. Unfortunately, they didn't score again until Chase Utley's solo home run in the sixth inning. Another mediocre pitcher made the Phils look like little-leaguers, as Jonathan Sanchez totaled 7 K's against the Fightins. Two nights against middle-of-the-road talent, and the Phillies had struck out 15 times against starting pitchers.

Friday - A win... Thanks, Cliff.

Saturday - Tim Lincecum. Eight total strikeouts for the Phillies in this one.

Sunday - This is not the 2002 Cy Young award winner. This is the Barry Zito whose ERA was 5.15 last season. However, the Phillies put him in 2003 form (14-12, 3.30 ERA,) striking out five times in six innings and managing just six hits off the recently vulnerable pitcher.

The moral of the story here? Stop striking out. The Phillies struck out 35 times in those four losses. They got fantastic starts from Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ that were wasted, and they managed little by way of power or even contact. The real problem for the Phillies right now is that they need to get the bats off of their shoulders and start making contact. A little patience could go a long way for the Phils. Maybe they could take a little lesson from this memorable at-bat:

Giants 7, Phillies 3

2009-08-02T19:22:00.003-04:00

Cole Hamels struggled through five innings of work against San Francisco as the Phils dropped the finale of their four-game series against the Giants. Hollywood Hamels dropped his first game in four starts, giving up six earned runs in the process. If it weren't for the acquisition of Cliff Lee, the Phillies could be coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Gigantes. The pitching hasn't been the only problem, though, as the bats have hardly gotten hot for the Fightins. Perhaps it's a tall order against a guy like Tim Lincecum, but the rest of the Giants' rotation is hardly Cy Young-worthy (see Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez, anyone else with an ERA over 4.)

Anyway... Moving onto a series that is actually winnable, the Phillies will face off with the Rockies at CBP starting Tuesday. Ten-game winner Jamie Moyer (10-7, 5.32 ERA) will take the hill against Jason Hammel (5-6, 4.66 ERA) on Tuesday night. Look for more preview action as the week goes on. Meanwhile, check out this brilliant clip of Sarge Matthews exemplifying "what not to say during a baseball broadcast. EVER." Courtesy The Fightins. Oh, and the box score from today's loss to San Fran.

Cliff Lee "anxious and excited" to be in Philly

2009-07-30T19:34:00.003-04:00

Well, wouldn't you be? After all, he's coming from Cleveland.
[philly.com]

WHEELER!

2009-07-30T14:53:00.002-04:00

Here, my dear friends, are all the links you'll ever need to get your Chris Wheeler fix:

The Chris Wheeler Glossary - You know his best phrases, now keep track of 'em using the unofficial Wheels online glossary!
The Chris Wheeler for Hall of Fame Action Blog - Your go-to source for all you need to get Wheels into the HOF before he dies.
The Wheeler Wiki - The Chris Wheeler Wikipedia page.
OPEN LETTER TO CHRIS WHEELER - One man shares his opinion of Chris using an internet forum.
1980 Phillies - A nice little bio of Wheels as posted at a GeoCities site. It's gotta be true, it's on GeoCities.

So you tested positive for steroids?

2009-07-30T14:25:00.007-04:00

While I commended Alex Rodriguez for admitting his fault when he was accused of steroid use, I ripped him for dancing around it and pointing fingers. Now, a few months later, the New York Times breaks the story that David Ortiz was on the list of names for positive PED testing in 2003. Being a Red Sox fan, I am mildly disturbed by that report. I am not, however, surprised in any way. Who cares? It was prior to the banning of PEDs, and I just am not bothered by his use of them. So what am I on about? Why am I mildly disturbed?

I am disturbed for the exact same reason I was disturbed by A-Rod's aforementioned press conference: He's dancing around it. When Ortiz was asked by reporters about his positive test, he said he wasn't going to talk about it. I buy his stories about the stuff he used to use in the Dominican Republic. I am even thankful for his support of mandatory testing in Major League Baseball. But I just can't get past the fact that these guys (Palmeiro, McGwire, Rodriguez, Ortiz, etc.) refuse to come completely clean about what they have done.

So here's my message to these guys. I don't mean a few of them, I mean all of them. I'm talking about Miguel Tejada, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and all the other guys. All I want, as a fan, is an admission of guilt. You did it, admit it, let's move on. Clean the game up, whatever, just admit you did it. All this lying and beating around the bush has to stop. You're disrespecting your fans, your organization, and everyone who has ever played the game of baseball in any form. Be a man, be a professional, and tell the freaking truth.

And do it now.

Attention Phillies Fans: Introducing Your New Starter, Cliff Lee

2009-07-29T14:05:00.005-04:00

Yeah, he'll look good in red pinstripes.

You want links for proof? I've got 'em. But first, here's the word from Ken Rosenthal:

The Phillies have reached agreement with the Indians on a trade that would bring them left-hander Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco for Class A right-hander Jason Knapp, Class AAA right-hander Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson, according to major-league sources.

Alright, have at 'em: The Good Phight, The Fightins, The Zo Zone, Philled In, Phillies.com, MLBTR, FOXSports.com, All Things Philly Sports, Phillies Flow, Swing and a Long Drive, Balls Sticks & Stuff. Yes, that is a pretty comprehensive list. PhilliesNation.com, by the way, is down.

The biggest part of this deal? No loss of Happ, Drabek, Brown, or Taylor. J.P. Ricciardo heard to be scrambling to make a move now that his biggest player for Roy Halladay has booked the reigning AL Cy Young winner.

Potential Pitching for Phillies

2009-07-28T21:40:00.007-04:00

The trade deadline is looming, and the Phillies are in talks to acquire another pitcher. The question remains: Who will it be? Will we find our Cindarella at the Ball, or end up with a pumpkin after midnight? No one really knows, but here’s an in-depth look at what appear to be the top three targets for the Fightins.

Roy Halladay:

Pros: Halladay is a true workhorse. Lots of innings, complete games, as well as being a dominant force. Has a great selection of pitches, and keeps the ball low, inducing many groundouts. Doesn’t walk many people, and could possibly stay on to re-sign with the Phillies.

Cons: Asking price from the Blue Jays seems very high. The front office might possibly be mortgaging the future of the club if they give up too much to get Halladay. Winning is nice, but not if it’s at the cost of handcuffing us years down the road

Bonus: Halladay is nicknamed ‘Doc’, after Doc Holliday in ‘Tombstone’. Holliday was the fastest gun in the west, constantly drunk, and suffered from consumption (that’s Tuberculosis).

Cliff Lee:

Pros: Basically a cheaper version of Roy Halladay. A tad younger, and possibly cheaper in both salary and prospects needed to trade (talks of a deal without involving Drabek is in the works)

Cons: Quite simply, he’s not Roy Halladay. He’s another lefty in a rotation filled with them, and has the highest ERA of the three targets (although lower than most Phillies starters)

Bonus: Lee’s middle name is ‘Phifer’

Jarrod Washburn

Pros: An even cheaper alternative, but not in value. Washburn sports an ERA of 2.71, despite his career ERA of 4.03. Also issues very few walks (only 30 BB in 126 IP).

Cons: Another pitcher in the same mold as Lee and Halladay, but not as good. Could possibly just be having a career year. We wouldn’t want to sign him and see him unfold like Pat Burrell in Tampa, now would we?

Bonus: Went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (I know it's a stretch, but there is NOTHING interesting about Washburn)

RIP Jim Johnson

2009-07-28T17:58:00.002-04:00

Several sources, including Brian Seltzer of ESPN Radio 950, have confirmed that former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has lost his battle with melanoma. Rest in peace, Jim, and thanks for all the great years in Philly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all his friends and family.

Phillies 6, D-Backs 2

2009-07-28T17:11:00.004-04:00

Jamie Moyer has beaten Father Time. Now he's beating the entire National League.
[Box]

A Look at the Rotation, Part V

2009-07-27T23:10:00.003-04:00

COLE HAMELS – Tabbed as the staff ‘Ace’, which obviously has a different meaning this season. Inconsistency has plagued Hollywood Hamels throughout this year. He gives up too many homeruns, and relies too heavily on two pitches: fastball and change-up. He needs to work on throwing his curveball more often to keep hitters from sitting on the change piece on an 0-2 count. Many similarities to Zito, but with a better change-up and fastball and a worse curveball. Here's hoping he doesn't follow the same career path.

How much for Halladay?

2009-07-27T16:04:00.003-04:00

The Blue Jays made their offer, the Phillies made their counter-offer, and at the end of the day, the sides are no closer to an agreement than they were before. Tomorrow is J.P. Ricciardi's self-imposed deadline for trading Roy Halladay, but it looks like things will continue to escalate up until Friday's trade deadline. A week ago, I was telling people that there was no way the Blue Jays would move Halladay until the off-season. Now, I firmly believe that Toronto will send the ace for a price less than that of their opening offer to the Phils.

In essence, there's no reason for the Jays to not move Halladay. He said he's not going to sign back with Toronto after next year, and the Blue Jays have no realistic shot at winning anything. His trade value is higher now than it will be come December, and Ricciardi would be foolish to not take a deal before Friday. The Phillies are the only club that has enough bait and enough interest to land the star pitcher; they will most likely outduel the Red Sox (who have little desire to move Clay Buchholz and don't necessarily need Halladay to help win a title) and Angels (low on prospects, but have plenty of cash to send across the border) in any bidding war for Halladay.

The question is, who will the Phillies move to get this deal done? They seem a lot less reluctant to move Drabek than they once did, but Amaro insists on not sending him along with J.A. Happ. Dominic Brown will most likely not get sent anywhere, but Michael Taylor (above) could easily go. Jason Donald was thrown into the Phils' counter-offer, so he's obviously available, and Carlos Carrasco will more than likely find his way out in a trade. The Jays should be more desparate to move Halladay than the Phillies should be to take him; so far, that hasn't been the case.

Unfortunately, this is just my opinion about what should happen in the next few days. What will be the outcome is that the Phillies and Jays will both stand strong with their demands, and no move will be made. The Phillies will look to Jarrod Washburn or Cliff Lee while the Jays wait until winter meetings to get a much smaller package of prospects for Halladay. And if I'm the Phillies, that's fine with me.

A Look at the Rotation, Part IV

2009-07-21T23:15:00.005-04:00

JOE BLANTON – A solid, if unspectacular pitcher. When he’s on, he’ll throw for strikes and get outs. When he’s really on, he’ll throw 11 K’s on the Marlins. Nothing dazzling, more like a Kyle Kendrick upgrade. ERA expected usually in the high 3’s or low 4’s. Averages right around a quality start per game (6 IP, 3 or less ER). He will never be spectacular, and he well never put you in a hole so deep you might as well bury the game. Ideally, the perfect middle of the rotation pitcher.

(I wanted a different picture than in-game all the time. Here Blanton is drinking a Coors Light and partying with former teammate Eric Chavez -Ed)

Phillies, Halladay, Myers, etc.

2009-07-21T21:21:00.002-04:00

This is just a quick rundown of the events currently transpiring for the Phillies. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to elaborate more on this information.

- Toronto seems to be asking for too much from the Phillies; indications point to Halladay staying put until the off-season.

- Phillies shopping around for relievers, but Brett Myers could be back to fill that role as soon as next month.

- J.A. Happ is a freaking beast on the mound right now. He's sitting at 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA. Rookie of the Year, anyone?

- Pedro Martinez pitched a simulated game today; no word on whether it was on an XBox 360 or a PlayStation 3. Pedro will get a minor-league start on Sunday.

- Cliff Lee may be a better option for the Phillies than Halladay right now, and he could come at a lower price.

Again, I hope to expound on things tomorrow.

A Look at the Rotation, Part III

2009-07-17T12:35:00.003-04:00

JAMIE MOYER – Reminds me of my Uncle who, despite his advanced age, still participates in sports on vacation and ends up getting himself hurt. Except, Moyer just screws up games instead of dislocating a shoulder diving for a fly ball in softball. Moyer can still give you quality starts, but people with hypertension don’t watch, for fear of needing to be medicated. He can pitch so poorly as to give the Phillies’ prolific offense problems coming back to win. But, like any athlete, he has his moments. He won’t get much worse for another 4 years or so, because he’s not losing any more velocity. All he does is hit his spots. If he doesn’t, then he gets hit.

(Moyer looks like he's going to give himself a heart attack -Ed)

A Look at the Rotation, Part II

2009-07-15T20:37:00.004-04:00

J.A. HAPP – A solid pitcher. Someone who doesn’t have great velocity, and knows it. In 10 starts this season, has pitched at least into the 6th inning in all of them. Should be a solid 3rd starter, and only ranked behind Moyer in this mock rotation because of the experience of the one and the lack thereof in Happ. Should expect Happ to throw strikes, and keep the ball down. If he throws high fastballs, expect him to get hit like he did against Boston this season (5.2 IP, 5 ER, four of those ER in the 2nd inning). Luckily, he doesn’t have bad stretches like that for many games. And still undefeated, although he has a myriad of No Decisions, mostly thanks to bullpen issues.

(Don't you just get lost in those eyes? -Ed)

A Look at the Rotation, Part I

2009-07-14T22:33:00.008-04:00

Now that we’ve got Pedro Martinez (hopefully sans that creepy midget he had with Boston), it’s about time we take a look at the Phillies new and (hopefully) improved starting line-up, bottom to top. We’ve got an in-depth look at every pitcher they’ve got, plus commentary from yours truly.

PEDRO MARTINEZ – This is the ultimate guessing game. Has been reportedly throwing in the high 80s with his fastball. This isn’t really a problem, considering the lack of velocity and advanced age in some other Philadelphia pitchers. The only concern is that Pedro stays healthy, and gives them a chance in every game. We don’t need him to dominate one game, only to last 3 innings over his next 4 starts. 5 or 6 innings, 3 or 4 ER in each should suffice for a fifth starter. Pedro only needs to be better than spot starter Rodrigo Lopez, which shouldn’t be too difficult…hopefully. Let’s hope Pedro realizes he’s pitching in Philadelphia, and not in New York (5-6, 5.61 ERA last year).

(This is also the most homosexual picture I've ever seen of Pedro Martinez -Ed)

Next Best Thing to Roy Halladay

2009-07-14T10:15:00.004-04:00

Raise your hand if you actually think this is a good idea.

...Anyone? Anyone at all? I rest my case.

Something about Roy Halladay

2009-07-07T15:19:00.004-04:00

And now, the collective thoughts of Philadelphia:
OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

[The Zo Zone]

Think about it, man!

2009-07-06T22:04:00.001-04:00

Vote Victorino '09

Phillies 22, Reds 1

2009-07-06T22:02:00.002-04:00

That's gonna hurt your ERA, there, Johnny.

[Box Score]

Weekend Recap - Phillies sweep Mets

2009-07-06T20:00:00.004-04:00

My name is Joe Blanton, and Johan Santana ain't got nothin' on me.

[Inquirer Recap]

Hit the Ball Hard

2009-07-04T09:49:00.004-04:00

I heard this phrase to describe Rollins’ at-bats about fifteen times during last night’s 7-2 victory over the Metropolitans. The over-use of this phrase got me thinking about what it really means (along with a few other phrases, but I quickly forgot about those).

I know baseball is full of buzz words, and phrases that are so mind-numbingly stupid it makes me question the existence of a higher power. But since the Phillies won the World Series last year, I know there’s someone up there who loves me. But that still leaves the topic of ‘hit the ball hard’ to discuss. This is what gamblers and hustlers call a ‘no lose situation’.

You are Jimmy Rollins. You step up to the plate, see a few pitches, and ‘hit the ball hard’. Instead of getting a hit, you fly out to left field. Everyone still seems encouraged, mostly due to your recent track record of screwing up. “Maybe this is a sign of things to come”, you tell yourself while watching the game alone, on a Friday night (not that this has ever happened to me. –Ed). He could go 0-4 (again) and people would still be encouraged that he ‘hit the ball hard’. Instead, he went 2-5 with two doubles, recording two hits in two straight games. If this were Rollins while he was performing well, no one would even mention this. But because this is a potential All-Star (I still refuse to believe that) who is hitting .212 (I can easily believe that), it is worth writing about. Next game, Rollins could go 0-5. Or he could get four hits. It doesn’t matter much to me…as long as he hits the ball hard. (But mostly because he doesn’t pitch, and that’s what I’m really worried about).

Braves 5, Phillies 2

2009-07-02T22:34:00.003-04:00

I need an All-Star break.
[Box Score]

J.A. Happ and the Philadelphia Nightmare

2009-07-02T16:47:00.002-04:00

As the Phillies have been skidding their way back into a race for first place in the NL East, one pitcher has continued to shine. J.A. Happ has yet to record a loss for the Phils (5-0, 3-0 as a starter) and possesses a 3.25 ERA in seven starts. Last saturday, Happ threw a complete-game shutout at Toronto, giving up just five hits and no walks.

Tonight, the Phillies enter the third and final game of a series with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have been playing just about as well as the Phillies have, yet the Phils are on the verge of giving up a three-game sweep. Unfortunately for Happ, who is in charge of trying to stop the bleeding tonight, he can't expect much run support. As we've found out since his return, Jimmy Rollins still can't hit a baseball. The Phillies' best hitter, Raul Ibanez, has yet to start his rehab stint at Double-A Reading. Greg Dobbs (hitting all of .228) will be starting in left field tonight. Sadly, it's not just the lineup that seems to be struggling; the rotation and bullpen are having their fair share of problems, as well.

Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino (all hitting over .290) can't carry this team by themselves. Ryan Madson can't carry his own weight. I have all the faith in the world in Happ tonight. He delivered last week with the best outing of his career and, well, the best outing of any Phillies starter this season. He goes up against Javier Vazquez, whose numbers are similar to Happ's when it comes to ERA. Vazquez, though, has suffered similarly to Happ in that he doesn't get much run support. Essentially, tonight has the potential to be a pitcher's duel. For the Phillies' sake, I hope it's not.

Bottom line: Happ needs to go deep into this one. And by "deep," I mean far enough so that Madson can keep his butt on the bench. The Phils need to wear out Vazquez with long at-bats because they won't put a whole lot of runs on the board early. The key will be to get to the bullpen early and capitalize on mistakes. C'mon, Phillies, it's time to put an end to this crap.

Braves 11, Phillies 1

2009-07-01T22:23:00.003-04:00

I only watched the highlights on Baseball Tonight. It's really all I can handle with this team anymore. Even Cole Hamels can't dig the boys in red pinstripes out of this rut. Last season, Jimmy Rollins went on a 5-for-50 slide in August. That's a relatively forgotten stat, especially considering there was that world championship thing at the end of the year to drown it out. That's what the Phillies need right now: Something to drown it all out. What could that something be?

The answer is fairly clear, and it should be coming in the next few weeks. As Dan Levy posted on Twitter today, "All these hockey signings today make me wish for a deal that will really resonate in Philly. Get a freaking starting pitcher already!" That's the sentiment in Philly today. Ruben needs to make a deal here that can set the franchise back on fire. The number of players slumping and/or getting hurt has risen dramatically over the last few weeks. The number of games being lost has continued on its uphill slope.

On the bright side, this one only took nine innings. [Box Score]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TFOF can now be accessed via www.thefourthof.com - If your page includes a link to this site, an update would be greatly appreciated. [TheFourthOF.com]

Braves 5, Phillies 4 - F/10

2009-06-30T23:42:00.002-04:00

And to believe I ever had any faith in you, Ryan Madson...

[Box Score]

A Breakdown of the Pitching Rumors

2009-06-29T16:41:00.003-04:00

Here's a report from David Murphy at the Daily News (via MLBTR):

Former Phillies assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, now a special adviser with the Royals, was at Lehigh Valley Friday when a pair of top prospects - Carrasco and catcher Lou Marson - were in action. The Royals have a couple of pitchers, Gil Meche and Brian Bannister, and several hitters who could be available via trade . . .

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks. A lot of names are being thrown around by teams. As far as this specific report: Meche? Not a bad idea, but I'm still against the idea of trading Carrasco. Marson seems expendable, but not a likely ticket if the Phils are trying to get a pitcher.

To get to the other names floating around, the Phillies seem to be strongly interested in Brad Penny of the Red Sox. However, I'm not following that one. The Sox aren't going to move a solid starter right now, especially with their injury problems. Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees? Oh, boy, would he be nice to have in Philly. Again, the Yankees are unlikely to send him anywhere. The Cliff Lee rumors will rage on, and right now, I think that he's the most likely to move. The Indians seem to be poised to clean house soon, but the Phils probably don't have a package they're willing to send that would land Lee.

Jarrod Washburn's name has been thrown around, as has Jason Marquis'. They would be more of quick-fix solutions to the pitching problem, and they would not stick around Philly past next year. Considering the Phils would have to move young talent to snag them, it does not seem like the right move to make. The Phillies are not a team that is purely trying to win a championship this year (see the Flyers' trade for Chris Pronger) but a team that is trying to set a winning tradition.

The Wheeler Award - June 21-28

2009-06-29T16:02:00.004-04:00

The Wheeler Award is a weekly award given to a sports figure or team that accomplishes or says something that seems important but is, in fact, completely worthless. Basically, you could've just let it go, but you thought it would be better to annoy everyone.

By now, most everyone knows that the Chicago White Sox are not contending for much. Ozzie Guillen has now introduced t o the fact that he knows this as well. The first part of his most recent controversial statement is not what has won him this week's Wheeler Award. If you haven't read it yet, Guillen told reporters that the reason attendance was so low recently at U.S. Cellular Field was "because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They know we're [expletive]." Another run-of-the-mill "Ozzie moment" for White Sox fans, right? Of course. But the statement that followed was the one that should be turning fewer heads: Wrigley Field is just a bar.

Now, there's no proof that it happened (and the video has long since been removed) but here's a post from last year at Home Run Derby showing a kid at Wrigley taking on a beer. Then there's the time Bobby Howry was almost attacked by a drunk fan during a game. Forget that one? Here's a video. Then again, that stuff happens everywhere. Equating a ballpark to a bar? Good one, Ozzie. Don't get into comedy, please.

Original article from The Chicago Tribune

Sorry, J-Roll

2009-06-29T15:52:00.003-04:00

I don't vote for .211 hitters.

J.C. Romero is a Blue Jay?

2009-06-29T10:28:00.002-04:00

From the ESPN Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse page.

Action Stars: Chase Utley

2009-06-28T20:27:00.003-04:00

Welcome to part two of the Phillies as action stars profiles. For this installment, we’re going to look at Chase ‘World F***ing Champions’ Utley. He seems to be able to do it all…a hard nosed player who hates to lose, who will sacrifice anything to win. The action star here should hardly surprise anyone: Bruce ‘yippe kai yay motherf***er’ Willis.

Utley, as we all know, suffered from hip problems last year. He played through, and although his average dropped, he still played exceedingly well. Two years ago, he was hit by a pitch in the hand by the Washington Nationals. He had a broken hand, and was still one of the top offensive second basemen, despite missing more than a month. He’s always in the lead for HBP, and seems to be the next Craig Biggio (career leader of HBP, for those of you who didn’t know). The comparisons, of course, are easy.

Bruce Willis is the everyman, just a cop (or security guard, or post apocalyptic explorer, or oil rig worker) who seems to have responsibility piled on him because he is the best. He may not be flashy, but he gets the job done, no matter what. In the original ‘Die Hard’, his character John McClane dispatches many of the terrorists without shoes. Even while walking over broken glass. He is somewhat unhinged, talks to himself, and ruins people’s days. I’m pretty sure if we dropped Utley into a terrorist controlled building, he’d start spouting one liners (which are startlingly similar) and would drop more fireworks than a 4th of July celebration.

This is really a no-brainer, and if anyone disagrees with this decision, well…you’re wrong.

Phillies Players: Action Stars?

2009-06-23T21:17:00.007-04:00

If the Philadelphia Phillies were action stars, who would they be? Maybe you’ve thought about this before, but I KNOW that I have. And, throughout the lengthy research process, I’ve come up with what I feel are the best nine comparisons.

First of all, we will take the Fightin’s first half MVP, Raul Ibanez. He came over as a free agent, no one really knowing what will come of him. Probably the same average numbers….maybe hit around .275, with about 30 HRs and probably around 100 RBIs. Instead, he’s pounded out 22 HRs already, along with 59 RBIs and a .312 average. He doesn’t play spectacular defense, but he’s a solid outfielder. The action star likeness? Sylvester Stallone.

Sly has been shocking doubters the last few years, not unlike Ibanez. With ‘Rocky Balboa’ and ‘Rambo’ coming out recently, he still proves he has drawing power, even if he’s lost a few steps. He looks older, but he can still bring it. Not unlike Ibanez, although Stallone had a more spectacular career early on. Ibanez was stuck with the unfortunate situation of playing in places like Seattle and Kansas City, which explains his lack of national exposure. His career .287 average is not entirely telling, either. In the seasons where he has played in at least 100 games, his lowest average is .280 in those 8+ seasons.

Stallone, however, was busted with HGH during the filming of ‘Rocky Balboa’. This is not surprising, as he looked like a Mark McGuire clone if it used Barry Bonds’ ‘flaxseed oil’. Although he actually found to be using the hormone, Ibanez’s name has been thrown around in steroid talks recently. His power numbers have increased, although not exponentially. He has never tested positive, and is simply having a career year in a hitter’s park. Both of these individuals have a huge following, especially in Philadelphia. They’re both up there in age, and the perennial underdog, and a fan favorite. Need I say more?

If you have any arguments/insights, feel free to post them in the comments section.

The Wheeler Award - June 14-20

2009-06-22T15:53:00.002-04:00

The Wheeler Award is a weekly award given to a sports figure or team that accomplishes or says something that seems important but is, in fact, completely worthless. Basically, you could've just let it go, but you thought it would be better to annoy everyone.

This week's Wheeler goes to the all-knowing (and apparently omnipresent) broadcaster Joe Morgan. Joe took this one on day one of this week by telling quite the lie to a national television audience during ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Last night he made a statement admitting his fault for the folling "true story:"

I guess I can tell this story now, one of my great experiences when I was a young player. Don Wilson was pitching a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves. They had Orlando Cepeda, Rico Carty, Felipe Alou and Hank Aaron, of course. And they got to the ninth inning, he got two outs, no one on base, and Hank Aaron was the hitter. And in my infinite wisdom, I ran in to the mound. I said, "You know, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Hank Aaron walked right here. He said, "Get back to second base." I proceeded to go back to second base. He threw three fastballs right by Hank Aaron. No-hitter.

Well, as Deadspin has reported, that story is not true, and it isn't the first time he's made such an error. At any rate, it wins him this week's Wheeler Award.

Madson Does Lidge Impersonation; Phillies Lose Again

2009-06-21T13:07:00.006-04:00

Brad Lidge was pitching like it was the 2005 playoffs. Madson was waiting in the wings. We were all ready to believe in the change…until the last week. In the past 7 days, Madson has 4 IP, blown 2 saves, and gotten saddled with 2 losses. He’s missing his spots, and in crucial situations. In the 9th, he’s falling apart faster than a Dodge Neon with 300,000 miles. The bullpen is already overworked, and they’re not getting any results for their efforts. Although, we obviously cannot look at just Madson. The ‘pen is suffering with the starters not going deep into games, and with Eyre being out in addition to Lidge. Perhaps, this is Madson’s chance to get tempered with defeats, and come back stronger the next opportunity he has to close a game. Brad Lidge’s health, both mental and physical, seems to be in question. The Phillies need good pitching, whether it comes from within the team (starters going deep into games) or outside (a top tier starter, another reliever). Otherwise, we’re starting to look like The Mets. And no one wants that.

Hit the Links - 6/18/09

2009-06-18T13:38:00.004-04:00

- Rod Barajas is an embarrassment to MLB players everywhere. Twice. [Courtesy Long Drive and The Fightins]

- The Fightins also have some quality footage of Lou Piniella claiming to not know the difference between "a steroid and a reefer."

- Tim Malcolm at Phillies Nation has a comprehensive look at pitchers that the Phillies could be making moves for before the trade deadline rolls around.

- Phillies Flow is strongly acknowledging that the Phillies are not good at home.

- Todd Zolecki gets a two-fer on today's HtL segment: J-Roll's struggles and Raul Ibanez hitting the DL.

- Chasing Eaton? Yes, that's how We Should Be GM's is looking at Jamie Moyer's stats these days.

I would live-blog today's game against the Blue Jays, but in the third inning, it's already too painful to write about. Can someone other than Jayson Werth play against Toronto? And Marco Scutaro just stole second off of a walk. Could they be worse at home?

State of the Blog - 6/15/09

2009-06-15T19:57:00.003-04:00

I haven't done one of these in over two months, so a few things have changed/will change:

Moved the Harry Kalas tribute to the sidebar from the banner
Twitterfeed tweaked slightly to increase post speed
Regular update of "The Wheeler Award"
Anonymous comment posting (please take advantage)
Look for color changes soon

Other than that, not much is going on. I am still looking to add contributors, so throw me a line on Twitter (@Seth_Kuhns) or e-mail me at seth.kuhns@gmail.com. You don't have to commit to much of anything, really. If you just want to write a rant or something quick, let me know. It's hard to keep people interested in this page without consistent posting.

Maybe Charlie Manuel should listen to this guy more often

2009-06-14T18:00:00.003-04:00

And of course by "this guy," I mean "me."

Relief pitching: As pointed out by some guy named Todd Zolecki, in Chan Ho Park's last four relief appearances, he's been freaking ridiculous. That's right, eight innings, seven hits, one run (zero "earnies" [a la Chris Wheeler]), and eight strikeouts to boot. I don't remember ever actually saying Park should be in the bullpen, but those links don't lie. I may have alluded to the idea of the Phillies putting Lidge on the DL and making Ryan Madson the closer, as well. Suddenly, I feel like a genius.

Seriously, though, the moves that we all knew needed to be made as far as the bullpen is concerned are now being made, and they are paying huge dividends. The Phils 'pen just out-pitched arguably the best bullpen in the American League. That, my friends, is darn impressive.

-----------

Starting pitching: It's been okay at best, but can we seriously get a pitcher with more than four wins? And can someone other than Joe Blanton lead the team in K's? I'm looking at you, Cole Hamels.

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Batting: Jimmy Rollins can start hitting now, please. Raul is day-to-day, so there is no need to fret. Speaking of Raul, the Killer Z's are playing pretty darn well. Ibanez and Feliz are both hitting over .300 and Carlos Ruiz is up to .284. Keep those alive. If that isn't good enough for you, let's take a look at Chase Utley, who is hitting .301. This guy wasn't even supposed to be starting his season until now, and he's got 15 homers midway through June. Count your blessings, Phillies fans.

The Wheeler Award - June 7-13

2009-06-14T16:41:00.003-04:00

The Wheeler Award will be a weekly award given to a player or team in sports that accomplishes or says something that seems important but is, in fact, completely worthless. Basically, you could've just let it go, but you thought it would be better to annoy everyone.

Congratulations to this week's winner of the Wheeler Award, the Pittsburgh Penguins! While everyone else has forgotten that hockey even exists, you've gone right ahead and won its championship. You even defeated the team that represents a dying city that is home to a dying industry, crushing the hopes and dreams of many newly unemployed men and women in and around the city of Detroit. A soul-crushing blow that will keep you sleeping soundly tonight, yeah? Sure, nobody outside of Allegheny County will even remember by next week. In fact, the NHL will most likely fold before you even have a parade. But, at least you gave it all you had, and now Sidney Crosby can shove that Stanley Cup into every doubter's face! Just to keep you humble, though, here's a picture of what you named your team after:

Might Morphin' Baseball Players

2009-06-13T21:45:00.005-04:00

During a recent Phillies/Mets game, they showed Jose Reyes on the sideline. And in that moment, realization hit me like a slap in the face: Reyes looks EXACTLY like the Black Ranger from the show ‘Power Rangers’. In this vein, I have traversed the sidelines of other National League East teams to find the other four rangers. And, lo and behold, I have found them.

BLACK RANGER: Jose Reyes. The obvious choice…he does a few things well, very well in fact, but doesn’t exactly stand out. Not a true leader, but can make a difference when he chooses to. He just, usually, doesn’t make that choice. A player who leaves everyone wondering when he’s going to reach his true potential, only he just keeps on going at the same rate.

PINK RANGER: Yes, someone has to be Kimberly, the girl ranger. And that is, of course, Billy Wagner. Philly fans remember Wagner for his small stature, blazing fastball, and crying during a press conference. Another member of the Power Rangers team, the Pink Ranger is known for being vocal, a team player, and not much else. A specialist, with a limited selection of moves defines the Pink Ranger, just like Wagner. With a limited selection of pitches (featuring four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, and slider), it’s a perfect match.

BLUE RANGER: The Blue Ranger is the thinker of the group. Nerdy, cautious, and generally a buzz-kill, this was a great person to have to keep a group of college students from having fun or doing jail time. Someone who makes you feel bad about having fun, but always seems to do well in their endeavors. This, of course, is David Wright. An exceptional hitter, with no personality, and never one to take an unnecessary risk. Wright has a .313 career batting average, and has only been caught stealing 30 times in his career. He plays great defense as well, to go along with other stats that no one cares about.

YELLOW RANGER: The second female ranger, but more of one of the boys. Tries really hard, and always ends up getting hurt or captured for her troubles. This would have to be an oft-injured player who still puts up decent numbers…but only when they’re playing. Inconsistency is the name of the game with the Yellow Ranger. Enter: Brett Myers. Injuries have slowed him this year, and 2 years ago when he was a converted reliever. He spent part of last year in AAA ball, only to come up and pitch phenomenally well. He says the wrong things, and occasionally does the wrong things, but has flashes of brilliance. These flashes are what keep him going.

RED RANGER: The natural leader. The man on his team. The one who keeps people in check, and pushes the rest of them. Ryan Zimmerman. I know, I know…you wouldn’t expect it. But he is the only decent bat on a team that is last in the division. A never give up attitude, he keeps hitting on a team that doesn’t. He will stay on, with hopes of one day competing against the rest of the division. A sound defensive player, as well as a great all around hitter and a third baseman. Not a traditional position to find a good hitter, yet Zimmerman manages. Also worthy of note, his 30 game hit streak.

GREEN RANGER: This is a special ranger. One of those truly unique ones that got his own fighting dinosaur. Doesn’t do any one thing, but does everything exceedingly well. A player with seemingly no limits, who can only be slowed by himself. This position goes to Hanley Ramirez. In a division full of top tier short stops, Ramirez stands out amongst them all. In only his fourth season with the Florida Marlins, he plays exceptional defense. A career .310 hitter, with 145 career steals and has scored 100 or more runs in each of his four full seasons. Although, with the Marlins’ track record, he will probably be traded for prospects in 3 or 4 years

Sticking With Lidge: No Longer Sticking With Lidge

2009-06-09T20:32:00.002-04:00

Day 16 - We find out that Lidge is going to the DL. It's about time. Welcome to Ryan Madson: We've been waiting for you.

Sticking With Lidge: Day 13

2009-06-06T20:35:00.001-04:00

Ryan Madson for Closer. That is all.

News: Apparently someone still has faith in Adam Eaton

2009-06-06T19:29:00.003-04:00

MLBTradeRumors.com's Eddie Schmid reports that the Colorado Rockies have signed trainwreck Adam Eaton to a minor-league deal. Don't worry, Rox fans. He'll give you this kind of excitement once, and then you'll be sick of him. Enjoy.

A Great Week for the Phillies

2009-06-05T12:02:00.004-04:00

A week ago, I was about to pound away at the keyboard and share my multitude of frustrations with the Phillies' pitching staff. We had just found out that Brett Myers was going to have season-ending surgery, Phils had just dropped a three-game series against the Marlins, and Brad Lidge was still struggling through every outing. Then, I looked at the schedule: A weekend series against the Nationals. Well, if anything could save the Phillies from falling into an awful slump, there it was. And what happened? A three-game sweep, completing each game with a save from Lidge.

Lidge got his fourth-straight save on Monday against the Padres, and they haven't even needed him the past three nights because of fine starting pitching. J.A. Happ pitched a gem to beat the Padres 5-1, and then suddenly Hamels was looking like Hamels (albeit minus the strikeouts), pitching a complete-game shutout against the best team in baseball last night. It only took Cole 97 pitches to get through all nine innings last night. He claimed to have been working on his efficiency, and I'm pretty sure that he wasn't lying.

Obviously, there are two more games to go in this series. Tonight, Father Time (Jamie Moyer) takes on former-Phillie Eric Milton. Tomorrow, Joe Blanton (winner of his last three starts) will face Hiroki Kuroda (two starts all season due to stint on the DL). However, the last week should tell us something about this team and its perseverance. Losing Myers, having Lidge continue to struggle, and all the other pitching problems they've faced should have knocked this team out. The thing is, this isn't 2005. These Phillies are deep in the farm system and each one of them can step up at any given moment.

Joe Blanton pitched the game of his life against the Marlins last week, and Cole Hamels finally broke through last night to prove he's the ace of that staff. Happ and Antonio Bastardo stepped up and had quality starts for the Phils, as well. Perhaps we no longer need to worry when a player goes down. Sure, a trade for a #2 starter would probably pay huge dividends for this club, but to know that they can keep the dam from breaking until that point is a wonderful sense of security.

Welcome to the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.

Sticking with Lidge - Day 8

2009-06-01T21:48:00.001-04:00

If it is a confidence problem, having that Utley guy behind him to help him convert saves is going to bring Lidge back to 100%. More tomorrow.