My prediction on the Phillies 2010 roster and off-season moves. This roster includes 12 pitchers and 13 position players. Charlie likes to keep a lot of pitchers around.
We know Lee, Cole, Happ, and Blanton. The fifth starter position comes down to Antonio Bastardo, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Drabek, Andrew Carpenter, Kyle Kendrick, or a free agent. I think Bastardo is the most ready now and with upside and ML experience. I love Jamie, but maybe it's time for him to take a position in the organization. Carp and Kendrick are right in Lehigh Valley when needed, and Drabek will be a starter, this season or next, depending on injuries and how the staff pitches. I would also like to see Rubén trade Blanton for someone serviceable, and then give Drabek a shot in the rotation or keep Jamie (28 wins in the last two seasons people) starting. And Cole needs a battery of sessions with a sports psychologist, and an early trip to spring training to work on his curveball.
Starting Pitchers
• Cliff Lee
• Cole Hamels
• J.A. Happ
• Joe Blanton
• Antonio Bastardo
Lidge and Madson still anchor the bullpen. My hope for Lidge is that after his surgery, he will have an excuse for 2009. If he can point to his elbow and say ‘oh, ok, that’s why I sucked’, he can psychologically move past 2009, so he doesn’t have to blame his actual pitching. I still think a visit to a sports psychologist is a good idea. Park and Eyre are free agents that I think the Phils should resign. Both of them, and Romero, need to get healthy, and I’m satisfied with a bullpen that mirrors last season, and looks a lot like the one that was stellar in 2008. God bless Scott Eyre who said "I promise you, I'll either wear a P on my hat next year or (pitch) nowhere else”.
Relief Pitchers
• Brad Lidge - R
• Ryan Madson – R
• J.C. Romero - L
• Scott Eyre – L
• Chad Durbin - R
• Chan Ho Park - R
• Clay Condrey – R
We love Ruíz, and so do Dubee and the pitching staff. Paul Bako is a free agent, and I’m not really sure why he was here in the first place. He certainly wasn’t any better than Coste. We need to get Carlos more rest though. Rod Barajas was not the answer, and neither was Sal Fasano. I think that Jason LaRue of the Cardinals is a gettable free agent and a righty bat off the bench.
Catchers
• Carlos Ruíz
• Jason LaRue – R
Pedro Feliz, and his glove (excellent despite the most errors for him since 2006 for him), is gone, at least for now, and there are quality third basemen to be had. Chone Figgins is an all-star and a free agent that can be had for a reasonable price because at 31, he’s not a youngster anymore. Figgins becomes your lead-off hitter and Jimmy moves down to 7th with a great bat to protect Raúl, with speed at both ends of the lineup. The Phils keep Dobbs as their primary left-handed bat off the bench, mainly because Charlie loves him. I don’t see any way Charlie let’s Rubén dump Dobbs. And if he can find what he had in 2008, he’s a link again. And even more importantly, Utley and Rollins need someone on the bench to spell them because if it was up to them, they’d play 200 games a season. Mark DeRosa, a free agent from the Cardinals, is an excellent righty bat off the bench that can play all the infield positions, and a serious upgrade from Eric Bruntlett. Toronto free agent Marco Scutaro can fill that void too. They were both starters last season, but I think the time has come for both to find a home as key bench players.
Infielders
• Ryan Howard
• Chase Utley
• Jimmy Rollins
• Chone Figgins
• Greg Dobbs - L
• Mark DeRosa - R
The starting outfield can stick around for another four years as far as I’m concerned. It’s the best in the NL. Hopefully surgery and rest will put Ibáñez back to where he started the season. And Shane is only going to get better. Remember how people thought that he’d never be able to replace Aaron Rowand, much less Bobby Abreu? Ben Francisco will stick and is a decent fifth outfielder, both offensively and defensively. I love Matt Stairs, and so does Charlie, but I don’t see him being resigned. And I think that John Mayberry Jr. has a lot of upside, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him traded in a good deal for another need (maybe in a package with Blanton?). Michael Taylor and Domonic Brown are both quality prospects that deserve a shot at the majors, depending on who has a better spring. I think that player will be Dom Brown, especially considering that I think the Phils would prefer to have Taylor play every day in the minors and learn rather than sit on the bench.
Outfielders
• Raúl Ibáñez
• Shane Victorino
• Jayson Werth
• Ben Francisco - R
• Domonic Brown – L
So who’s gone? Both Pedros, Feliz and Martinez. Brett Myers, and thank god. Probably Moyer. The Kyles, Kendrick and Drabek, go to Lehigh Valley for future use, as do Sergio Escalona, Drew Carpenter, and Drew Naylor. You’ll be definitely hearing from Scott Mathieson again, and possibly Mike Zagurski. And if Tyler Walker wants to stick around and take an assignment to Triple-A, I’d love to have him available, same with Jack Taschner.
Shed no tears for Eric Bruntlett. If I remember correctly, he had two errors replacing Rollins in his first game as a Phillie. I will miss the beard though. I will be sad to see Matt Stairs depart, but seriously, he’s a 42 year old bench DH. He’s a folk hero here, but last season was poor. Thanks for the homer against the Dodgers, Matt. Go retire back to the Maritimes. No more Pedro Feliz, and Miguel Cairo, although Cairo was a good pick-up and did what he needed to do. Andy Tracy, John Ennis, and Paul Hoover were roster-fillers. And I think we finally get Antonio Alfonseca, Adam Eaton, Jose Mesa, Geoff Jenkins, and Jim Thome off the books this season to free up free agent money.
And despite giving up a lot to get Cliff Lee (and worth every penny and every Marson), there is still a ton of talent in the minors, and even in the high minors. This is how I see it as of a week after the Series.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Phillies World Series 2009: A Year Later, and They Still Don't Want Us
So now that the Yankees and the Phillies are both up 3-1 in their respective League Championship series, the buzz about these two teams meeting in the Fall Classic is really starting to heat up. And so is the deliberate ignorance of the media types.
Mike Greenberg, of the Mike & Mike in the Morning 'sports' talk radio show, was prattling on about the potential for violence, arrests, etc. should the Yankee fans and the Phillies fans be in the same stadium at the same time. Nothing like reporting the news as opposed to generating it.
Why not pull out your long-dormant journalistic chops and wait until there's an incident before starting this conversation? Then Mike Golic chimes in with speculation about Philly fans who would attend both the Eagles/Giants game and World Series game 4, both scheduled for November 1st.
The theory goes that they'll tailgate, go to the Eagles game, come back to the parking lot, change jerseys, tailgate, and then go to the Phillies game as boorish drunks ready to fight with Yankee fans, cause mayhem and headaches for the cops and create lasting images for Fox to show endlessly for the duration of their - sure to be spectacularly captivating - World Series coverage.
All 60,000 fans. I think it's safe to say that Phillies fans and Eagles fans are a different sort of person. There is some mixing of the two, but, by and large, the fans that attend Phils games are not the same as the ones that attend Eagles games. I'm guessing that there will be a lot more peace in Philly on November 1st than the national media would like.
LA Times Recycles
Last year, TJ Simers of the LA Times made some stupid comments about Philadelphia and it's fine fan base. Before I get into his journalistically challenged 'writings' of 2009 regarding these same people, I'd like to mention his humorous foray into MannyWorld.
From the October 19th LA Times:
"The crowd starts chanting, "You took steroids," and just to prove to everyone he's no longer on the juice, Manny Ramirez whiffs.
Later I ask Manny, "Where did they get this crazy idea you took steroids?" "Next," he says, whiffing again."
Now that's funny. I almost believed that Simers might be able to avoid ticking me off.
Then, this gem from the October 20th LA Times:
"As you know, Fox will be broadcasting the World Series and it likes to put the camera on the face of every single fan sitting in the stands, these fans as ugly as any in the country.
Nowhere in America are people more angry than those living here."
And "...the only bright spot if they draw the Yankees now, getting a look in the mirror at fans who might remind them of themselves."
And so it goes. I guess the LA Times doesn't want to let nuisances like facts or objectivity get in the way of a potentially entertaining story.
The Enemy Within
Sadly, the Philadelphia media also got into the act. This traitorious exceprt is from the October 20th Philadelphia Daily News:
"It's all fun and games until someone starts a fire. Then trash cans get tossed, windows get shattered and a city's reputation gets sullied once again. At least, that's how it played out last October when some fans turned the Broad Street celebration of the Phillies' World Series victory into an ugly, unruly mess."
Very disappointing to see this in a paper where they should know better. Where the writer (David Gambacorta) should be keenly aware of the twisted national perception of Phillies fans. A few isolated incidents does not a fan base damn. And these paragraphs also happily leave out the fact that this sort of fan activity is not unique to Philadelphia. It just seems that way, as some media outlets just seem to love to focus on these isolated incidents (in Philly), rather than doing some work and getting a new and, perhaps different (and more representative) story.
Reluctantly, Back to TJ For the Close
Believe me, TJ, I get it. If my team sucked and choked as badly as the Dodgers have these past two years, I'd be bitter too. We Phillies fans have a lot of experience with teams that suck. How do you think we got so "ugly" ?
We may be ugly, but we're more than likely going to the World Series. Again. Past the wreckage of a Dodger team that chose to believe it was better than it was. A team that chose - like the national media - to disrespect the Phillies.
Keep on disrespecting the Phillies and their fans. We kinda like it. It makes looking at that 2008 World Series trophy all the more enjoyable.
Mike Greenberg, of the Mike & Mike in the Morning 'sports' talk radio show, was prattling on about the potential for violence, arrests, etc. should the Yankee fans and the Phillies fans be in the same stadium at the same time. Nothing like reporting the news as opposed to generating it.
Why not pull out your long-dormant journalistic chops and wait until there's an incident before starting this conversation? Then Mike Golic chimes in with speculation about Philly fans who would attend both the Eagles/Giants game and World Series game 4, both scheduled for November 1st.
The theory goes that they'll tailgate, go to the Eagles game, come back to the parking lot, change jerseys, tailgate, and then go to the Phillies game as boorish drunks ready to fight with Yankee fans, cause mayhem and headaches for the cops and create lasting images for Fox to show endlessly for the duration of their - sure to be spectacularly captivating - World Series coverage.
All 60,000 fans. I think it's safe to say that Phillies fans and Eagles fans are a different sort of person. There is some mixing of the two, but, by and large, the fans that attend Phils games are not the same as the ones that attend Eagles games. I'm guessing that there will be a lot more peace in Philly on November 1st than the national media would like.
LA Times Recycles
Last year, TJ Simers of the LA Times made some stupid comments about Philadelphia and it's fine fan base. Before I get into his journalistically challenged 'writings' of 2009 regarding these same people, I'd like to mention his humorous foray into MannyWorld.
From the October 19th LA Times:
"The crowd starts chanting, "You took steroids," and just to prove to everyone he's no longer on the juice, Manny Ramirez whiffs.
Later I ask Manny, "Where did they get this crazy idea you took steroids?" "Next," he says, whiffing again."
Now that's funny. I almost believed that Simers might be able to avoid ticking me off.
Then, this gem from the October 20th LA Times:
"As you know, Fox will be broadcasting the World Series and it likes to put the camera on the face of every single fan sitting in the stands, these fans as ugly as any in the country.
Nowhere in America are people more angry than those living here."
And "...the only bright spot if they draw the Yankees now, getting a look in the mirror at fans who might remind them of themselves."
And so it goes. I guess the LA Times doesn't want to let nuisances like facts or objectivity get in the way of a potentially entertaining story.
The Enemy Within
Sadly, the Philadelphia media also got into the act. This traitorious exceprt is from the October 20th Philadelphia Daily News:
"It's all fun and games until someone starts a fire. Then trash cans get tossed, windows get shattered and a city's reputation gets sullied once again. At least, that's how it played out last October when some fans turned the Broad Street celebration of the Phillies' World Series victory into an ugly, unruly mess."
Very disappointing to see this in a paper where they should know better. Where the writer (David Gambacorta) should be keenly aware of the twisted national perception of Phillies fans. A few isolated incidents does not a fan base damn. And these paragraphs also happily leave out the fact that this sort of fan activity is not unique to Philadelphia. It just seems that way, as some media outlets just seem to love to focus on these isolated incidents (in Philly), rather than doing some work and getting a new and, perhaps different (and more representative) story.
Reluctantly, Back to TJ For the Close
Believe me, TJ, I get it. If my team sucked and choked as badly as the Dodgers have these past two years, I'd be bitter too. We Phillies fans have a lot of experience with teams that suck. How do you think we got so "ugly" ?
We may be ugly, but we're more than likely going to the World Series. Again. Past the wreckage of a Dodger team that chose to believe it was better than it was. A team that chose - like the national media - to disrespect the Phillies.
Keep on disrespecting the Phillies and their fans. We kinda like it. It makes looking at that 2008 World Series trophy all the more enjoyable.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Random Thoughts
In lieu of a new article, here's a compilation of my sports-related thoughts from this past weekend...
Saturday at 7:07pm
Wanted: Closer. Location: Philadelphia. Job Description: Get people out. Must be willing to travel.
Sunday at 12:01pm
I'm ready for some football!
Sunday at 2:45pm
Can't ask for a much better first half. Stupid penalties at the beginning, but they more than overcame that. The defense was awesome!
Sunday sometime after 3pm
It's so nice to see McNabb running again . . . oh no!!!
Sunday at 4:22pm
Today's game ball goes to Sean McDermott. He answered any questions about the defense without Jim Johnson in a HUGE way.
Sunday at 4:38pm
Fractured ribs! How quickly euphoria can turn to despair. Anybody who watched the offense today with Kolb at the helm better hope that McNabb can return sooner rather than later . . . and I don't even want to think about having to root for a Vick-led football team. With all apologies to Westbrook (who I love), McNabb is the most irreplaceable player on this team.
Sunday at 5:11pm
It sure looked like an unflagged late hit that caused the injury. McNabb was clearly on the ground and the TD was already called, but the #92 a-hole kept coming and pounced on him. Freakin' Carolina. They did the same thing to him in the championship game a few years back: pounced on him with a late hit and knocked him out of the game. I hope this one gets fined at least. So much for protecting the quarterbacks.
Sunday at 8:26pm
I'm glad the Phillies won today, but nearly another blown save! What's Mitch Williams doing these days?
Sunday at 11:10pm
A month ago Pedro was pretty much an afterthought . . . not anymore.
Monday at 8:15pm
I like the Garcia signing. He's a veteran and knows the offense. If McNabb is going to be out for the next two games, which is highly probable, I'd much rather have Garcia in there than Kolb or Vick, though unfortunately Kolb will still be starting this week. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.
Tuesday at 9:30am
Good first week for my fantasy team, The Untouchables: 162.5 points, thanks mostly to Brees and the Eagles defense/special teams, who combined for about 90 of those points. Good first week for me in the pick'em pool as well: I went 13-3; could have been even better if I had gone with the Jets as I had been tempted to do.
Tuesday at 2:56pm
So Andrews is done for the season. It doesn't look like this guy is ever going to live up to his talent. Apparently, at least one medical doctor thinks he may never play again. Justice played well this week, but it's time to bring back Runyan.
Saturday at 7:07pm
Wanted: Closer. Location: Philadelphia. Job Description: Get people out. Must be willing to travel.
Sunday at 12:01pm
I'm ready for some football!
Sunday at 2:45pm
Can't ask for a much better first half. Stupid penalties at the beginning, but they more than overcame that. The defense was awesome!
Sunday sometime after 3pm
It's so nice to see McNabb running again . . . oh no!!!
Sunday at 4:22pm
Today's game ball goes to Sean McDermott. He answered any questions about the defense without Jim Johnson in a HUGE way.
Sunday at 4:38pm
Fractured ribs! How quickly euphoria can turn to despair. Anybody who watched the offense today with Kolb at the helm better hope that McNabb can return sooner rather than later . . . and I don't even want to think about having to root for a Vick-led football team. With all apologies to Westbrook (who I love), McNabb is the most irreplaceable player on this team.
Sunday at 5:11pm
It sure looked like an unflagged late hit that caused the injury. McNabb was clearly on the ground and the TD was already called, but the #92 a-hole kept coming and pounced on him. Freakin' Carolina. They did the same thing to him in the championship game a few years back: pounced on him with a late hit and knocked him out of the game. I hope this one gets fined at least. So much for protecting the quarterbacks.
Sunday at 8:26pm
I'm glad the Phillies won today, but nearly another blown save! What's Mitch Williams doing these days?
Sunday at 11:10pm
A month ago Pedro was pretty much an afterthought . . . not anymore.
Monday at 8:15pm
I like the Garcia signing. He's a veteran and knows the offense. If McNabb is going to be out for the next two games, which is highly probable, I'd much rather have Garcia in there than Kolb or Vick, though unfortunately Kolb will still be starting this week. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.
Tuesday at 9:30am
Good first week for my fantasy team, The Untouchables: 162.5 points, thanks mostly to Brees and the Eagles defense/special teams, who combined for about 90 of those points. Good first week for me in the pick'em pool as well: I went 13-3; could have been even better if I had gone with the Jets as I had been tempted to do.
Tuesday at 2:56pm
So Andrews is done for the season. It doesn't look like this guy is ever going to live up to his talent. Apparently, at least one medical doctor thinks he may never play again. Justice played well this week, but it's time to bring back Runyan.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
On Vick and the Eagles
Damn you, Andy Reid. Damn you, Jeff Lurie. Damn you both for putting me in the position of rooting for a team with a dog murderer on it. Let me make this clear: I don't want Vick on my team. As a dog owner, I abhor him and the horrific things he did. Anyone who gets off on torturing helpless animals has something wrong upstairs. What Vick did was the behavior of a sociopath, plain and simple.
I would be all for second chances, even for a thug like Vick, if I truly believed he was remorseful. However, I don't think he regrets what he did; I think he just regrets getting caught. I don't see how the Eagles can justify signing Vick after firing T.O. because of his character. Reid always talks about having character guys but I guess his standards have significantly lowered. As much of an a-hole as T.O. is, he has never been a criminal like Vick. And as others have pointed out, if they're so big on second chances, why not rehire Dan Leone, the handicapped employee who had the audacity to criticize the Eagles on facebook for not resigning Brian Dawkins?
And I won't even get into why I thought this signing made no football sense, that's for another article.
That being said, I am going to watch and root for the Eagles this Sunday. A lot of people have said they will never watch another game, and a lot of people from other towns have said that if their team had signed Vick, they would have stopped rooting for them. Well, that's easy to say when you're not actually faced with the situation, and even easier to say if you live in a city with multiple teams to switch your allegiance to. It's also easy to say if you were only a casual fan of the team to begin with. But for those of us who have bled Eagle green our entire lives, it's not such an easy thing to abandon the team you love and grew up with. And Eagles fans are not alone in this: nobody in New York stopped rooting for the Knicks when they signed Latrell Sprewell after he tried to strangle his previous coach to death, and nobody in Philly stopped rooting for the Phillies when Brett Myers beat his wife.
Why? Because the team is bigger than any single person. You can hate certain members of the organization all you want, but in the end, when it comes down to game day, they're still your team. You're not going to suddenly start rooting for the Cowboys. The Eagles are bigger than Vick or Reid or Lurie. This football team was around long before those guys got here, and it will be around long after they're gone. For me, the Eagles are Jaworski, Montgomery, and Bergey. They are Cunningham, Quick, and White. They are McNabb, Westbrook, and Dawkins. These are the players I have rooted for my whole life. I have never rooted for the coach or the owner, so there's no reason I can't continue to follow my football team in spite of my disgust with Eagles management.
Does that mean that all is forgiven? Hell no. I don't think I will be approaching this season with the same gung-ho enthusiasm that I have in the past. Maybe the disgust will wear off at some point, but it will take time. I definitely will NOT cheer when Vick takes the field. Does that mean I will boo if he makes a big play? I can't honestly say, but if I had my wish, he would never set foot on the football field in the regular season. When Vick is on the field, do you hope he gets sacked even if it means the Eagles lose? Once again, damn you Reid and Lurie for putting me in this position.
I won't go to the games this season and I won't buy merchandise, but I will watch on TV. Some of you may say that still puts money in Vick's pocket, and while the Eagles do get revenue from television broadcasts, it is a deal in which all NFL teams share equally, so anyone who watches ANY football game on television is technically putting money into Vick's pocket. But I'm not here to argue about the nuances of NFL finances. I'm just here to declare that the Eagles are still my football team, and I intend to continue rooting for them to win on Sunday afternoons. I'm going to root for McNabb and Westbrook and Cole and Jackson and everyone else on the team who deserves my loyalty.
If you are among those who will never watch a game again, I respect your feelings. I just ask that you respect mine as well.
I would be all for second chances, even for a thug like Vick, if I truly believed he was remorseful. However, I don't think he regrets what he did; I think he just regrets getting caught. I don't see how the Eagles can justify signing Vick after firing T.O. because of his character. Reid always talks about having character guys but I guess his standards have significantly lowered. As much of an a-hole as T.O. is, he has never been a criminal like Vick. And as others have pointed out, if they're so big on second chances, why not rehire Dan Leone, the handicapped employee who had the audacity to criticize the Eagles on facebook for not resigning Brian Dawkins?
And I won't even get into why I thought this signing made no football sense, that's for another article.
That being said, I am going to watch and root for the Eagles this Sunday. A lot of people have said they will never watch another game, and a lot of people from other towns have said that if their team had signed Vick, they would have stopped rooting for them. Well, that's easy to say when you're not actually faced with the situation, and even easier to say if you live in a city with multiple teams to switch your allegiance to. It's also easy to say if you were only a casual fan of the team to begin with. But for those of us who have bled Eagle green our entire lives, it's not such an easy thing to abandon the team you love and grew up with. And Eagles fans are not alone in this: nobody in New York stopped rooting for the Knicks when they signed Latrell Sprewell after he tried to strangle his previous coach to death, and nobody in Philly stopped rooting for the Phillies when Brett Myers beat his wife.
Why? Because the team is bigger than any single person. You can hate certain members of the organization all you want, but in the end, when it comes down to game day, they're still your team. You're not going to suddenly start rooting for the Cowboys. The Eagles are bigger than Vick or Reid or Lurie. This football team was around long before those guys got here, and it will be around long after they're gone. For me, the Eagles are Jaworski, Montgomery, and Bergey. They are Cunningham, Quick, and White. They are McNabb, Westbrook, and Dawkins. These are the players I have rooted for my whole life. I have never rooted for the coach or the owner, so there's no reason I can't continue to follow my football team in spite of my disgust with Eagles management.
Does that mean that all is forgiven? Hell no. I don't think I will be approaching this season with the same gung-ho enthusiasm that I have in the past. Maybe the disgust will wear off at some point, but it will take time. I definitely will NOT cheer when Vick takes the field. Does that mean I will boo if he makes a big play? I can't honestly say, but if I had my wish, he would never set foot on the football field in the regular season. When Vick is on the field, do you hope he gets sacked even if it means the Eagles lose? Once again, damn you Reid and Lurie for putting me in this position.
I won't go to the games this season and I won't buy merchandise, but I will watch on TV. Some of you may say that still puts money in Vick's pocket, and while the Eagles do get revenue from television broadcasts, it is a deal in which all NFL teams share equally, so anyone who watches ANY football game on television is technically putting money into Vick's pocket. But I'm not here to argue about the nuances of NFL finances. I'm just here to declare that the Eagles are still my football team, and I intend to continue rooting for them to win on Sunday afternoons. I'm going to root for McNabb and Westbrook and Cole and Jackson and everyone else on the team who deserves my loyalty.
If you are among those who will never watch a game again, I respect your feelings. I just ask that you respect mine as well.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Banner Must Go
Let me begin this by saying, I absolutely HATE the Philadelphia Eagles. In the interest of full disclosure, it hasn't always been this way. Being born and raised in Philadelphia, I had always been a fan of all of our teams. That has since changed. I remain a die hard fan of both the Phillies and Flyers. I used to be just as big of a Sixers fan, but in recent years the NBA has come to more closely resemble the WWE, it is all a show except that the ending is not scripted otherwise last year's Finals would have been LeBron vs Kobe.
Which brings us to the Eagles. Again, used to be a big fan, that is until Joe Banner wandered into town. This guy's arrogance is only exceeded by his ineptitude. If you were to listen to this guy talk, not knowing a darn thing about the NFL, you would think the Eagles have won more Super Bowls than the Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers combined. The reality is that the Eagles have won a grand total of ZERO Super Bowls. In fact, they have not won a championship since 1960. The Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers have won a combined total of six in that time.
Just last week, Joe Banner was on with Mike Missanelli on 950 ESPN for an interview. During this interview Mr. Peabody...er, Banner said that the media does "a poor job in covering the Eagles and their popularity". I was in my car and darn near drove off the road. Has this babbling idiot lost his mind. Let me provide just a few examples of the "poor coverage" the Eagles get from the media:
- When reading the Daily News, I have to get through 10 pages of Eagles news before I get to any other sports coverage, and that's in the offseason.
- That same paper publishes a 30 page guide for every game, and a guide for training camp and the regular season.
- Every sports cast (approx. 5 minutes per news cast) has at least 60% dedicated to the Eagles.
- Darn near every member of the Eagles organization short of the pissboy has their own TV / Radio show every week.
- And lastly, this is the topper, they have their own radio station in 610 WIP. That station is so full of Eagles lackeys and lap dogs it's disgusting. And as a special added bonus they have several former Eagles on the air staff. In fact, one former 610 personality has even said publicly that practically nothing goes out over the air on that station unless it is approved by the Eagles. One of their current personalities even said that Eagles management calls the station to complain if there is not enough Eagles talk going on.
The one incident that totally threw me over the edge with this team was this. When the Phillies won the NLE in 2007, there was an article in the playoff guide in the Daily News that said an "Eagles Official was calling the paper to complain that the Phillies were getting too much coverage". That person was Joe Banner. Another media member sold him out.
Listen up Banner, because I am going to set you straight. First of all it is not the media's place to be your team's cheerleader. These people have jobs to do, and if that means that they have to rip your sorry ass team then so be it. Second of all, if another team is getting more coverage than you it is because they are doing better than your team - deal with it. Why don't you try this instead of crying about being ignored by the media - why don't you put a team on the field that is capable of winning a couple of Super Bowls? Until then, and until you and your "Gold Standard" parade a couple of Lombardis down Broad Street, shut the hell up.
Which brings us to the Eagles. Again, used to be a big fan, that is until Joe Banner wandered into town. This guy's arrogance is only exceeded by his ineptitude. If you were to listen to this guy talk, not knowing a darn thing about the NFL, you would think the Eagles have won more Super Bowls than the Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers combined. The reality is that the Eagles have won a grand total of ZERO Super Bowls. In fact, they have not won a championship since 1960. The Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers have won a combined total of six in that time.
Just last week, Joe Banner was on with Mike Missanelli on 950 ESPN for an interview. During this interview Mr. Peabody...er, Banner said that the media does "a poor job in covering the Eagles and their popularity". I was in my car and darn near drove off the road. Has this babbling idiot lost his mind. Let me provide just a few examples of the "poor coverage" the Eagles get from the media:
- When reading the Daily News, I have to get through 10 pages of Eagles news before I get to any other sports coverage, and that's in the offseason.
- That same paper publishes a 30 page guide for every game, and a guide for training camp and the regular season.
- Every sports cast (approx. 5 minutes per news cast) has at least 60% dedicated to the Eagles.
- Darn near every member of the Eagles organization short of the pissboy has their own TV / Radio show every week.
- And lastly, this is the topper, they have their own radio station in 610 WIP. That station is so full of Eagles lackeys and lap dogs it's disgusting. And as a special added bonus they have several former Eagles on the air staff. In fact, one former 610 personality has even said publicly that practically nothing goes out over the air on that station unless it is approved by the Eagles. One of their current personalities even said that Eagles management calls the station to complain if there is not enough Eagles talk going on.
The one incident that totally threw me over the edge with this team was this. When the Phillies won the NLE in 2007, there was an article in the playoff guide in the Daily News that said an "Eagles Official was calling the paper to complain that the Phillies were getting too much coverage". That person was Joe Banner. Another media member sold him out.
Listen up Banner, because I am going to set you straight. First of all it is not the media's place to be your team's cheerleader. These people have jobs to do, and if that means that they have to rip your sorry ass team then so be it. Second of all, if another team is getting more coverage than you it is because they are doing better than your team - deal with it. Why don't you try this instead of crying about being ignored by the media - why don't you put a team on the field that is capable of winning a couple of Super Bowls? Until then, and until you and your "Gold Standard" parade a couple of Lombardis down Broad Street, shut the hell up.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Phillies And Their "Problem"
So the Phillies have a problem on their hands. They're eight games up in the NL East, outpacing the Marlins and Braves. The Marlins have been cooperative enough to not be able to beat bad teams like the Padres. Add in a two losses to the Braves and a loss to the rueful Mets, and the Phillies are lucky enough to benefit from what they themselves were unable to do.
Yes, it wasn't that long ago that the Phillies had a chance to bury the Marlins in the NL East standings. All they had to do was win two of three games. In Philly. Instead, they lost all three games, cuminating with a wretched 12-3 loss that inspired a closed door team meeting with Charlie Manuel.
Then they seemed to right the ship. Three wins over the Cubs. Two of three from the Braves. A three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. Three of four from the hated Mets. And then, the easiest mark of all - the Pirates. Surely, a three-game sweep was in order, right? Yeah. That should have been a gimme.
So the Phils lose two of three to the Pirates, wasting three excellent pitching efforts in the process. The Phillies starters against Pittsburgh - Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels and JA Happ gave up a total of 6 runs. And all three either lost or "earned" a no decision.
So what's the "problem" the Phillies face?
Most Phillies fans would tell you it's Brad Lidge's problems with nailing down saves. Yes, this is a problem, but it doesn't seem to really be the main issue with the Phillies. Long term, it could be a big problem, but it's not something that I am worried about at this time. I can assume that Lidge will come around or that Manuel will stop trotting Lidge out there in situations that he's proven unreliable thus far this season. There are other pitchers to take on the closer role.
I think that the problem is that the Phillies leave too many freaking runners on base. They get baserunners - that isn't the problem. Despite Chase Utley's cavalier "the hits will come" attitude, this is a problem. If the hits will come, where have the hits been for the past, oh, five or so years???
The Phillies are leaving too many runs on the field. Period. That's as simple as I can state it. And there is no shortage of Philiies fans that are okay with this. The excuses are easy to come up with. Even I am guilty of the excuse game - I give Lidge a lot of space, based on his dominance of last year.
But the hitting has ticked me off for a while now, and something needs to change. I suggested that the Phillies might try bunting. "You can't have them bunt. They're not built for that" is what the Phillies fan will tell me. Why can't you bunt? I agree it might not sound like the best option, but when you are a team that is so crappy with runners in scoring position, why CAN'T you bunt? If your players (who are major leaguers, right?) are not skilled enough to lay down a decent bunt, then that is a different problem entirely.
Moving the runner along? Hitting to the right side of the infield? No thanks. We'd rather strike out or hit into a double play. We'd rather load the bases, leave everybody on base and score no runs. This is a team built for hitting - they live and die by the longball. And lately, they've died an awful lot.
It's cool, though. Why should Cliff Lee, Blanton, Hamels or Happ expect to win a game in which they've given up only three runs? This is a team that hits the longball. They score runs. Except when they don't.
Last night's game was 4-2. The Phillies scored four, four and two runs against the last place Pirates.
The starting pitching was considered a weakness for this team. Lately, it's been more than up to the task. The same can't be said for what should be a potent offense. The potent offense has left a lot to be desired, quite frankly.
What would be desired? How about scoring some of those runs? How about not leaving so many damn men on base? Eight men left on base in the 6-4 loss to the Pirates. Nine men left on base in the 4-1 (extra inning) win. Eight men left on base in the 3-2 loss to the Pirates.
It's nice that Ryan Howard has suddenly started hitting home runs at a fantastic clip. Some of the homers have even provided the margin for victory for the Phils. But do you want to count on that continuing? I sure as hell don't. I'd rather see some strike outs, gound outs and fly outs become baserunners. And then I'd like to see some clutch hitting turn that into runs. Think about it. If the Phils had left six, seven and six men on base, that Pirates series has a totally different outcome.
Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. It's great that the Phillies can get runners on base. But there's another part of getting runners on that they seem to be missing. I am getting so so tired of the Phillies half of innings ending with the bases loaded. It seems like it happens twice a game.
If Phillies pitchers give up three runs in a game, they should expect to win. And if the offense would get it's crap together and perform as they are capable of performing...the Brad Lidge situation would have plenty of time (and a lot less pressure) to work itself out.
So I am not excusing Lidge - he's been pretty bad. Instead, I will call out the hitters. How about some more timely hits? How about some smarter at-bats? Let's get those runs across the plate - however it needs to be done - and give those pitchers the runs and the wins they deserve?
Yes, it wasn't that long ago that the Phillies had a chance to bury the Marlins in the NL East standings. All they had to do was win two of three games. In Philly. Instead, they lost all three games, cuminating with a wretched 12-3 loss that inspired a closed door team meeting with Charlie Manuel.
Then they seemed to right the ship. Three wins over the Cubs. Two of three from the Braves. A three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. Three of four from the hated Mets. And then, the easiest mark of all - the Pirates. Surely, a three-game sweep was in order, right? Yeah. That should have been a gimme.
So the Phils lose two of three to the Pirates, wasting three excellent pitching efforts in the process. The Phillies starters against Pittsburgh - Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels and JA Happ gave up a total of 6 runs. And all three either lost or "earned" a no decision.
So what's the "problem" the Phillies face?
Most Phillies fans would tell you it's Brad Lidge's problems with nailing down saves. Yes, this is a problem, but it doesn't seem to really be the main issue with the Phillies. Long term, it could be a big problem, but it's not something that I am worried about at this time. I can assume that Lidge will come around or that Manuel will stop trotting Lidge out there in situations that he's proven unreliable thus far this season. There are other pitchers to take on the closer role.
I think that the problem is that the Phillies leave too many freaking runners on base. They get baserunners - that isn't the problem. Despite Chase Utley's cavalier "the hits will come" attitude, this is a problem. If the hits will come, where have the hits been for the past, oh, five or so years???
The Phillies are leaving too many runs on the field. Period. That's as simple as I can state it. And there is no shortage of Philiies fans that are okay with this. The excuses are easy to come up with. Even I am guilty of the excuse game - I give Lidge a lot of space, based on his dominance of last year.
But the hitting has ticked me off for a while now, and something needs to change. I suggested that the Phillies might try bunting. "You can't have them bunt. They're not built for that" is what the Phillies fan will tell me. Why can't you bunt? I agree it might not sound like the best option, but when you are a team that is so crappy with runners in scoring position, why CAN'T you bunt? If your players (who are major leaguers, right?) are not skilled enough to lay down a decent bunt, then that is a different problem entirely.
Moving the runner along? Hitting to the right side of the infield? No thanks. We'd rather strike out or hit into a double play. We'd rather load the bases, leave everybody on base and score no runs. This is a team built for hitting - they live and die by the longball. And lately, they've died an awful lot.
It's cool, though. Why should Cliff Lee, Blanton, Hamels or Happ expect to win a game in which they've given up only three runs? This is a team that hits the longball. They score runs. Except when they don't.
Last night's game was 4-2. The Phillies scored four, four and two runs against the last place Pirates.
The starting pitching was considered a weakness for this team. Lately, it's been more than up to the task. The same can't be said for what should be a potent offense. The potent offense has left a lot to be desired, quite frankly.
What would be desired? How about scoring some of those runs? How about not leaving so many damn men on base? Eight men left on base in the 6-4 loss to the Pirates. Nine men left on base in the 4-1 (extra inning) win. Eight men left on base in the 3-2 loss to the Pirates.
It's nice that Ryan Howard has suddenly started hitting home runs at a fantastic clip. Some of the homers have even provided the margin for victory for the Phils. But do you want to count on that continuing? I sure as hell don't. I'd rather see some strike outs, gound outs and fly outs become baserunners. And then I'd like to see some clutch hitting turn that into runs. Think about it. If the Phils had left six, seven and six men on base, that Pirates series has a totally different outcome.
Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. It's great that the Phillies can get runners on base. But there's another part of getting runners on that they seem to be missing. I am getting so so tired of the Phillies half of innings ending with the bases loaded. It seems like it happens twice a game.
If Phillies pitchers give up three runs in a game, they should expect to win. And if the offense would get it's crap together and perform as they are capable of performing...the Brad Lidge situation would have plenty of time (and a lot less pressure) to work itself out.
So I am not excusing Lidge - he's been pretty bad. Instead, I will call out the hitters. How about some more timely hits? How about some smarter at-bats? Let's get those runs across the plate - however it needs to be done - and give those pitchers the runs and the wins they deserve?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Goodbye BLAHseball. Hello College Football!
Keeping the Philadelphia atmosphere alive...despite all the parity these days, nothing beats the pageantry, the lore, the colors, the patriotism, the emotions of the Army/Navy game in Philadelphia every December. It's a rivalry that will always be important because of history, tradition and what the men and women do after their is no more college and no more football....that is something to remember.
I know for some baseball is a great sport and it gets more exciting since the Fall Classic is upon us but come on...all that matters now with baseball is the World Series. Before you know it, the NFL and the illustrious college football seasons will begin and it all starts with the 2009 College Football season, the greatest sporting spectacle sport in the world.
There will be some intriguing games to kickoff the season and here is how I see them......
Boise State over Oregon, 40-31
Baylor over Wake Forest, 31-28
Illinois over Missouri, 45-38
California over Maryland, 27-23
Oklahoma over Brigham Young, 41-24
Oklahoma State over Georgia, 38-28
Virginia Tech over Alabama, 24-20
LSU over Washington, 31-13
Miami over Florida State, 28-27
Expect there to be a lot of drama again, especially in the SEC now that Lane Kiffin will be coaching and we shall see how the coaches and programs react to his already shaky entrance. It is quite possible for Florida to make a run for a 3rd national title in 4 years and we shall see if Ole Miss is worthy of their top 10 preseason ranking.
The Big XII South alone will experience a lot of dramatic excitement between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas and if the same thing happens again this year like last year....Texas will be on the outside looking in because of their weak, pathetic out of conference scheduling.
There will be a lot to talk about before and after each week throughout the season and I will keep my smart banter up and going. For right now.... my major bowl predictions are:
ROSE- Southern Cal vs. Ohio State
FIESTA- Utah vs Texas
SUGAR- Tennessee vs Penn State
ORANGE- Oklahoma vs Pittsburgh
NC GAME- Virginia Tech vs Florida
Regular season game of the year.... no doubt it's the Red River Rivalry (two top 5 teams)
I know for some baseball is a great sport and it gets more exciting since the Fall Classic is upon us but come on...all that matters now with baseball is the World Series. Before you know it, the NFL and the illustrious college football seasons will begin and it all starts with the 2009 College Football season, the greatest sporting spectacle sport in the world.
There will be some intriguing games to kickoff the season and here is how I see them......
Boise State over Oregon, 40-31
Baylor over Wake Forest, 31-28
Illinois over Missouri, 45-38
California over Maryland, 27-23
Oklahoma over Brigham Young, 41-24
Oklahoma State over Georgia, 38-28
Virginia Tech over Alabama, 24-20
LSU over Washington, 31-13
Miami over Florida State, 28-27
Expect there to be a lot of drama again, especially in the SEC now that Lane Kiffin will be coaching and we shall see how the coaches and programs react to his already shaky entrance. It is quite possible for Florida to make a run for a 3rd national title in 4 years and we shall see if Ole Miss is worthy of their top 10 preseason ranking.
The Big XII South alone will experience a lot of dramatic excitement between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas and if the same thing happens again this year like last year....Texas will be on the outside looking in because of their weak, pathetic out of conference scheduling.
There will be a lot to talk about before and after each week throughout the season and I will keep my smart banter up and going. For right now.... my major bowl predictions are:
ROSE- Southern Cal vs. Ohio State
FIESTA- Utah vs Texas
SUGAR- Tennessee vs Penn State
ORANGE- Oklahoma vs Pittsburgh
NC GAME- Virginia Tech vs Florida
Regular season game of the year.... no doubt it's the Red River Rivalry (two top 5 teams)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hide Your Dogs: One fan's disgust with the Eagles and Michael Vick
Dear Philadelphia:
My opinions on Michael Vick are my opinions. I know there are people that disagree. But this Eagles fan has lost all respect for my team and has cashed in my green jersey and will not be supporting the team further. If the Eagles feel it is good business and good football sense and good community relations to decide not to pay an upstanding citizen like Brian Dawkins or Jon Runyan or Tra Thomas and give it to a reprehensible thug like Michael Vick, I will no longer be donating to the coffers. For crying out loud, they wouldn’t even give the city the money they owed and help keep public pools in poor neighborhoods open. Michael Vick over poor kids. Good decision.
I represent no one but me, but judging by comments on social networking, online, on the television and radio, and among my friends, the large majority empathizes with my opinion. Maybe if this was the Lions or Raiders something, I'd feel different. But it's not. And how the Eagles have always preached about taking the moral high-ground and how that they're not like other teams, how character matters? Out the window. Gone. I'm joining PETA.
Change that. I wouldn't feel different if it was the Lions or the Browns or the Saints. I just wouldn't care or take it to heart. I'd just throw my hands up and say those teams only care about money and not their morals or fans and wait for them to sign the repeat-offender child-molesting priest that runs a 4.0. This is not a troubled franchise. Other teams can sign Michael Vick, but this is my team. The one I root for. The one I schedule into my week. The one I give my hard-earned money to. I'll be keeping my money now, Mr. Banner and Mr. Reid.
Someone said that I haven’t provided one ounce of evidence as to why this is a bad football decision. Exactly right. I have not provided any evidence to why this is a bad football move because to me, as a human being and animal lover and citizen of the planet, it doesn't matter because I cannot forgive Vick. At this moment, I don't care about football. I care about the Eagles signing a morally-reprehensible human being (I use the term lightly).
I'll take 9-7 without Vick than 12-4 with him. It's not about football, it's about being a member of the human community. Would the Vick defenders have felt the same way if the Phils had signed juice-headed Barry Bonds even if he could have still hit 50 homers? Would you have signed Rafael Septien after he was convicted of producing child porn if he could still boot a 55-yarder? Would you have signed OJ Simpson if he still had a 1000-yard season in his cleats? And stop with this second chance crap. What he did was no accident nor lapse in judgment. Don’t forget, they found the dogs on Vick’s property because the cops were searching for drugs after he was caught trying to sneak pot on to an airplane. It was a long-term, controlled decision to participate in brutality, he knew exactly what he was doing. And, as Brian Startate pointed out, if the Eagles are all about second chances, why then not re-hire Dan Leone? Hypocrites. All hypocrites.
Defenders point at the Eagles taking on Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens is no Michael Vick. Not even close. TO is a jackass. Vick promoted the torture and killing of dogs. Thanks Michael Vick for turning me in to a Terrell Owens defender.
Defenders also want to point fingers at Phillies fans about Brett Myers in light of the Michael Vick signing, claiming hypocracy. Yes, I'm still pissed at Myers for what he was accused of doing, but his wife, the victim herself said the situation was overblown and completely forgave him. When the dogs that were beaten, tortured, electrocuted, shot, and drowned forgive Vick, maybe I will too.
What about football? A) He hasn't played since 2006, there's no saying he's any good. B) He wasn't that good in his last season he did play. C) He's not even eligible to be allowed to play until possibly after Week 6. Oh, and D) He advocated and promoted the killing of animals. Almost forgot about that one. The Eagles have. Andy Reid said that Kolb and Feeley aren't going anywhere. Vick is not your backup quarterback. He's Kordell Stewart with a rap sheet and blood on his shoes while Neil O'Donnell was leading them to the Super Bowl.
Maybe the Eagles should re-sign Donté Stallworth now for 2010. He’s apparently an advocate for stopping overpopulation. When's Ray Lewis available? Can Plexico Burris bring his gun to training camp? What's Mike Tyson up to? Are there any baby-seal clubbers available for special teams?
Time and time and time again the Eagles have talked about taking the moral high-ground and talked about leading by example and about how being upstanding members of the community was as important as playing football. Reid's uses the exact phrase 'character players'. ‘Character’ Michael Vick bankrolled the beating, shooting, electrocuting, drowning, torture, and murder of animals. Defend that. Michael Vick is not remorseful about doing that. He’s remorseful about being caught. In my opinion, he's more concerned about having hurt his career than hurting innocent dogs.
I hope that Tony Dungy is right about Vick. Society will be better if he is. Will I eventually soften up on this? Maybe. Will I still root for the Eagles come opening day? Probably. Will I still be excited when the Eagles score with Vick on the field? Fly Eagles Fly. Have the Eagles irreparably damaged my feelings for them in my mind? Absolutely. Will I root for Michael Vick? Never. To quote James Brown in his interview with Vick, “What about the dogs? What about the dogs?”
Michael from Monto
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Happy To Be Proven Wrong By The Phillies Pitchers
It's amazing to me that I'd be writing so much about the Phillies pitchers. With hitters like Shane Victorino, All-World Chase Utley, Ryan "the K" Howard, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth, you'd think it would be all about the hitters. But not so. Maybe it's true that great pitching beats great hitting.
After all, the Phils had a starter (Joe Blanton) give up 2 runs in a game against the Giants only to lose to Tim Lincecum. The Phils got great pitching. But the Giants pitched better, and the Phillies potent offense was a non-factor for most of that series. I am still puzzled at how they could have lost to Barry Zito.
Back in April, I was among the Phillies fans moaning about the sorry state of the pitching staff. The ERAs at that time were appallingly high and homers were leaving Citizen's Bank Park at an alarming rate. Brett Myers: 4.91 ERA. Jamie Moyer: 5.09 ERA. Prima Donna Cole Hamels: 7.27 ERA.
And my assessment of Blanton? "He's been pretty....awful thus far, but he did have some great moments last year. Time to get going, dude. Sooner the better." Well, you can't be right all of the time.
I was kind of ahead of the curve in some of my ramblings: "Chan Ho Park. Why? All I have to say. I got nothin' else. I'm ready to see what JA Happ can do in the starting rotation. Or Pedro Martinez. Anyone." Partially right - Happ's been great as a starter - easily one of the most consistent pitchers.
Park has proven to be a pretty good relief pitcher. I feel a lot more confident in him than I have in Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson. And don't even get me started on Chad Durbin. As for Pedro - I am looking forward to his first pitch as a Phil. I hope it's against the Mets. And look at that...the Phillies visit the Mets for a 4-game series starting Friday, Aug 21. Maybe that's longer than they will wait to find a spot in the rotation for Pedro, but that would be fun to see.
A lot has changed since then. The Phillies have righted the ship, benefitted greatly from much better quality pitching and the somewhat surprising collapse of the Mets. As I write this, the Phillies have a 7-game lead over the Marlins in the NL East, a Cy Young winner on their pitching staff and the 'problem' of having more quality pitching options than they could have expected.
Sending Happ to the bullpen to make room for Martinez would be pretty lame. Then again, sending Moyer to the 'Pen would be pretty lame. He may be Methuselah and somewhat ineffective, but he's a classy veteran who leads the team with 10 wins and he deserves the respect of remaining in the starting rotation. I'd rather see the Phils go with a six-man rotation than send Happ to the bullpen. What the hell? It'll give the pitchers plenty of rest between starts until the end of the season.
Amazingly, Blanton has put together a pretty solid season. I didn't expect much more than we got last year from him, but he has exceeded my expectations. In his past five starts, he's gone 4-1 (with a tough, not-his-fault 2-0 loss to the Giants and the aforementioned Lincecum), given up six runs, gone at least seven innings in each game and dropped his ERA from 4.69 to 4.02. Especially impressive given that his ERA was 5.08 at the end of June.
And Cliff Lee? What else is there to say? Two starts, and he's 2-0, racking up Ks and giving the Phils that much needed ace presence. When this season started, I figured Hamels would be the ace, and that Brett Myers, Moyer, Blanton and Park/Happ would round out the staff. Didn't even sound all that good on paper.
However, a rotation that boasts Lee, Happ (8-2, 2.74 ERA), Blanton, Hamels (7-6, but his ERA is DOWN to 4.68 since April), Moyer and Martinez is a lot more potent and sounds good however you state it. It's amazing that Hamels would be the number four pitcher on this staff, but at this time, it's simply stating reality. He's not pitching very effectively.
I'm thinking he'll snap out of it and be the machine he was in the postseason last year - but he ain't got it right now. Someone needs to tell him that he did NOT pitch too many innings last year and that sports commentators should stop trying to supply excuses for him. Come on, Cole. Let's see some of that magic you showed us last year!
Kudos to Ruben Amaro Jr.!
After all, the Phils had a starter (Joe Blanton) give up 2 runs in a game against the Giants only to lose to Tim Lincecum. The Phils got great pitching. But the Giants pitched better, and the Phillies potent offense was a non-factor for most of that series. I am still puzzled at how they could have lost to Barry Zito.
Back in April, I was among the Phillies fans moaning about the sorry state of the pitching staff. The ERAs at that time were appallingly high and homers were leaving Citizen's Bank Park at an alarming rate. Brett Myers: 4.91 ERA. Jamie Moyer: 5.09 ERA. Prima Donna Cole Hamels: 7.27 ERA.
And my assessment of Blanton? "He's been pretty....awful thus far, but he did have some great moments last year. Time to get going, dude. Sooner the better." Well, you can't be right all of the time.
I was kind of ahead of the curve in some of my ramblings: "Chan Ho Park. Why? All I have to say. I got nothin' else. I'm ready to see what JA Happ can do in the starting rotation. Or Pedro Martinez. Anyone." Partially right - Happ's been great as a starter - easily one of the most consistent pitchers.
Park has proven to be a pretty good relief pitcher. I feel a lot more confident in him than I have in Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson. And don't even get me started on Chad Durbin. As for Pedro - I am looking forward to his first pitch as a Phil. I hope it's against the Mets. And look at that...the Phillies visit the Mets for a 4-game series starting Friday, Aug 21. Maybe that's longer than they will wait to find a spot in the rotation for Pedro, but that would be fun to see.
A lot has changed since then. The Phillies have righted the ship, benefitted greatly from much better quality pitching and the somewhat surprising collapse of the Mets. As I write this, the Phillies have a 7-game lead over the Marlins in the NL East, a Cy Young winner on their pitching staff and the 'problem' of having more quality pitching options than they could have expected.
Sending Happ to the bullpen to make room for Martinez would be pretty lame. Then again, sending Moyer to the 'Pen would be pretty lame. He may be Methuselah and somewhat ineffective, but he's a classy veteran who leads the team with 10 wins and he deserves the respect of remaining in the starting rotation. I'd rather see the Phils go with a six-man rotation than send Happ to the bullpen. What the hell? It'll give the pitchers plenty of rest between starts until the end of the season.
Amazingly, Blanton has put together a pretty solid season. I didn't expect much more than we got last year from him, but he has exceeded my expectations. In his past five starts, he's gone 4-1 (with a tough, not-his-fault 2-0 loss to the Giants and the aforementioned Lincecum), given up six runs, gone at least seven innings in each game and dropped his ERA from 4.69 to 4.02. Especially impressive given that his ERA was 5.08 at the end of June.
And Cliff Lee? What else is there to say? Two starts, and he's 2-0, racking up Ks and giving the Phils that much needed ace presence. When this season started, I figured Hamels would be the ace, and that Brett Myers, Moyer, Blanton and Park/Happ would round out the staff. Didn't even sound all that good on paper.
However, a rotation that boasts Lee, Happ (8-2, 2.74 ERA), Blanton, Hamels (7-6, but his ERA is DOWN to 4.68 since April), Moyer and Martinez is a lot more potent and sounds good however you state it. It's amazing that Hamels would be the number four pitcher on this staff, but at this time, it's simply stating reality. He's not pitching very effectively.
I'm thinking he'll snap out of it and be the machine he was in the postseason last year - but he ain't got it right now. Someone needs to tell him that he did NOT pitch too many innings last year and that sports commentators should stop trying to supply excuses for him. Come on, Cole. Let's see some of that magic you showed us last year!
Kudos to Ruben Amaro Jr.!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Phillies Pitchers Acquit Themselves In Wins Over Padres, Cubs & Cards; Halladay Still On The Offing
Good news for the Phillies this past week, as they took two games apiece from the two best teams the NL Central has to offer - the Cardinals and the Cubs. This, after starting July by ripping the reeling Mets, taking three of four from Cincinnati, pummeling the triple A Pirates and throwing the Marlins back to sea. Oh, and they also scored a win against the hapless and Jake Peavy-full (how ya likin' Philadelphia now?) Padres.
Prior to the Cubs and St. Louis wins, Philadelphia sports radio and my fellow fans were quick to tell me that the Phils weren't beating anybody and haven't really been tested yet. So they go out and clobber the Cubs 10-1 behind a strong 6-inning outing from Rodrigo Lopez, who is 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA, but more importantly than that, is enjoying a ridiculous amount of run support. Including the 14-6 pasting of the not-as-impressive-as-I-was-told-they-were Cardinals, Lopez has enjoyed a 31-9 edge in runs scored in his three wins.
The guy who is quickly becoming my favorite Phils pitcher, Joe Blanton, pitched 7 innings of 1-run baseball against the Cubs in a game the Phils eventually won in 13 innings on a Jayson Werth 3-run walk-off homer. He then followed this up with an 8-inning gem against the Cardinals (limiting the 3-4-5 hitters to 2-for-10 in the game), scattering seven hits and surrendering only two earned runs. Blanton's last four outings have all been at least seven innings, and have resulted in three wins, four earned runs and much-needed relief for a well used Phillies bullpen.
Unfortunately, Jamie Moyer has not fared as well. His last four starts have been uneven to say the least. He's 3-1 over that span, but he surrendered 1, 6, 0 and 4 earned runs and 22 hits in those games. His ERA is well north of five and he is routinely only getting five or six innings into games. He pitches tomorrow against the Diamondbacks, so we'll see where he is after that. If the every other game thing holds, he should throw a good game.
Cole Hamels is the most disconcerting pitcher on the Phils staff. He, Like Moyer, has been up and down and all over the place. He's 2-1 over the past five games, but he's been so inconsistent, it's hard to imagine he's the Phillies ace pitcher. His ERA has been dropping lately, and he's on the good side of a Moyer-like every other game rhythm, so I am hoping to see something more like 2008 Hamels and less like the 2009 edition.
And finally, no discussion of Phillies pitching would be complete without a mention of J.A. Happ. Here's a guy who is 7-1 and gets no respect from the Philly radio stations. Would-be sports talk show host Mike Missanelli has dismissed Happ, saying that he hasn't beaten anybody. Whatever - Happ has pitched well in July, Earning two wins and having pitched well enough in two other games to have earned two more wins (3 and 2 earned runs, both in seven innings of work).
Why All The Talk About Phillies Pitching?
Roy Halladay, of course. It's plain to even the most ardent Phillies fan that they could surely use a legit #1 starting pitcher like Halladay. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays have rejected a 4-for-1 offer from the Phils that included Happ and prospects Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald. Even though I would prefer that the Phillies not let Happ go, it would be foolish to not make an offer. I'm also leery of an offer that would include both Kyle Drabek and Happ, so I am glad that the Phils also seem unwilling to part with both.
Like a lot of Phillies fans, the aforementioned Missanelli dismisses any and all talk that does not result in Halladay coming to Philadelphia. It seems that he'd be fine with giving Toronto Happ, Drabek, Taylor, Carrasco and Donald. I am not so comfortable with that. But maybe I shouldn't be so worried. The Phils have a deep farm system now, and they've drafted fairly well in recent times. Perhaps they could make this trade, go for that 2nd consecutive World Series win and everybody would love them for making such a bold move. Halladay in Philly. Sounds great - but is it too high a cost? I'm glad I don't have to make this call.
The Sad Truth In Philadelphia
Mike Missanelli is the #1 sports radio show host for the evening drive time in Philly. To fully appreciate how sad this truly is, you'd need to understand how bad his competition, Howard Eskin, is. Eskin's had it pretty good in Philly for quite some time, being the default sports personality in this town. It's pretty sad, because he's as lame, if not lamer, than Missanelli. Anyone who wonders why Philly fans can sometimes be so aggressive, moody and somewhat belligerent need look no further than the state of Philly sports radio to know why that is. And don't even get me started about Angelo Cataldi and how sad and annoying his mind-numbing morning show is. Take my word for it...it's bad.
Why Bother Doing A Proper Representation?
Really - why bother with facts when you can just generalize and make up crap? This, apparently, is the approach that Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky took for his July 23rd 'column'. It includes such 'factual' and 'professional' content as " I DON'T have a blog. If I did blog, this is what it would be like. (To make it seem like a real blog, I'll include typos and factual errors.) " I guess I shouldn't be surprised that unwarranted attacks on blogs would continue as newspapers shut down and readership drops. Seriously, why would I think that a guy who's been a columnist for 22 years would bother with professionalism? Stupid generalizations are so much easier to write. IMHO.
Resources: ESPN and philly.com
Prior to the Cubs and St. Louis wins, Philadelphia sports radio and my fellow fans were quick to tell me that the Phils weren't beating anybody and haven't really been tested yet. So they go out and clobber the Cubs 10-1 behind a strong 6-inning outing from Rodrigo Lopez, who is 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA, but more importantly than that, is enjoying a ridiculous amount of run support. Including the 14-6 pasting of the not-as-impressive-as-I-was-told-they-were Cardinals, Lopez has enjoyed a 31-9 edge in runs scored in his three wins.
The guy who is quickly becoming my favorite Phils pitcher, Joe Blanton, pitched 7 innings of 1-run baseball against the Cubs in a game the Phils eventually won in 13 innings on a Jayson Werth 3-run walk-off homer. He then followed this up with an 8-inning gem against the Cardinals (limiting the 3-4-5 hitters to 2-for-10 in the game), scattering seven hits and surrendering only two earned runs. Blanton's last four outings have all been at least seven innings, and have resulted in three wins, four earned runs and much-needed relief for a well used Phillies bullpen.
Unfortunately, Jamie Moyer has not fared as well. His last four starts have been uneven to say the least. He's 3-1 over that span, but he surrendered 1, 6, 0 and 4 earned runs and 22 hits in those games. His ERA is well north of five and he is routinely only getting five or six innings into games. He pitches tomorrow against the Diamondbacks, so we'll see where he is after that. If the every other game thing holds, he should throw a good game.
Cole Hamels is the most disconcerting pitcher on the Phils staff. He, Like Moyer, has been up and down and all over the place. He's 2-1 over the past five games, but he's been so inconsistent, it's hard to imagine he's the Phillies ace pitcher. His ERA has been dropping lately, and he's on the good side of a Moyer-like every other game rhythm, so I am hoping to see something more like 2008 Hamels and less like the 2009 edition.
And finally, no discussion of Phillies pitching would be complete without a mention of J.A. Happ. Here's a guy who is 7-1 and gets no respect from the Philly radio stations. Would-be sports talk show host Mike Missanelli has dismissed Happ, saying that he hasn't beaten anybody. Whatever - Happ has pitched well in July, Earning two wins and having pitched well enough in two other games to have earned two more wins (3 and 2 earned runs, both in seven innings of work).
Why All The Talk About Phillies Pitching?
Roy Halladay, of course. It's plain to even the most ardent Phillies fan that they could surely use a legit #1 starting pitcher like Halladay. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays have rejected a 4-for-1 offer from the Phils that included Happ and prospects Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald. Even though I would prefer that the Phillies not let Happ go, it would be foolish to not make an offer. I'm also leery of an offer that would include both Kyle Drabek and Happ, so I am glad that the Phils also seem unwilling to part with both.
Like a lot of Phillies fans, the aforementioned Missanelli dismisses any and all talk that does not result in Halladay coming to Philadelphia. It seems that he'd be fine with giving Toronto Happ, Drabek, Taylor, Carrasco and Donald. I am not so comfortable with that. But maybe I shouldn't be so worried. The Phils have a deep farm system now, and they've drafted fairly well in recent times. Perhaps they could make this trade, go for that 2nd consecutive World Series win and everybody would love them for making such a bold move. Halladay in Philly. Sounds great - but is it too high a cost? I'm glad I don't have to make this call.
The Sad Truth In Philadelphia
Mike Missanelli is the #1 sports radio show host for the evening drive time in Philly. To fully appreciate how sad this truly is, you'd need to understand how bad his competition, Howard Eskin, is. Eskin's had it pretty good in Philly for quite some time, being the default sports personality in this town. It's pretty sad, because he's as lame, if not lamer, than Missanelli. Anyone who wonders why Philly fans can sometimes be so aggressive, moody and somewhat belligerent need look no further than the state of Philly sports radio to know why that is. And don't even get me started about Angelo Cataldi and how sad and annoying his mind-numbing morning show is. Take my word for it...it's bad.
Why Bother Doing A Proper Representation?
Really - why bother with facts when you can just generalize and make up crap? This, apparently, is the approach that Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky took for his July 23rd 'column'. It includes such 'factual' and 'professional' content as " I DON'T have a blog. If I did blog, this is what it would be like. (To make it seem like a real blog, I'll include typos and factual errors.) " I guess I shouldn't be surprised that unwarranted attacks on blogs would continue as newspapers shut down and readership drops. Seriously, why would I think that a guy who's been a columnist for 22 years would bother with professionalism? Stupid generalizations are so much easier to write. IMHO.
Resources: ESPN and philly.com
Friday, July 24, 2009
Manny's Grand Slam - Greatest Moment In Dodger History?
Maybe I should just stop listening to Mike & Mike In The Morning. I often find myself talking to my radio at some of the dumb things that Mike Greenberg says. And I've been talking to my radio a lot lately.
Yesterday, he went on a rant because of something a reporter (they said his name, but I am sorry to have to report that I do not remember what it was. I was in my car, and, really, it's immaterial for this article) said when talking to Manny Ramirez.
As you may have heard, Manny hit a pinch hit grand slam on Wednesday night.
Regarding Greenie's take though, please bear with me while I set the table. He was all tsk tsk before he told this story. He made it out to be this big, big deal. About how broadcasters have to be very careful with what they say, and how sometimes things will be said near an open mic that maybe would not have been said had said person known that mic was open. Regrettable things.
Then he told the story. And any of you who also listen to Mike & Mike can probably understand what I mean when I add that Greenie often blows things up to ridiculously extraordinary levels - like his station breaks. "Something happened in baseball yesterday that had never happened before. And I'll tell you about it after this..." Cut to commercial.
Then he'll come back and tell you that Yankees hat wearing Jack Nicholson was in the crowd in Chicago. Really riveting stuff comes after these station breaks, believe you me.
So back to the story. If you didn't hear it - and now I'm dragging it out - perhaps you're wondering what was said that shouldn't have been said? Like me, you probably think it's some insult or some snide remark about a colleague.
Ready? The interviewer proclaimed Manny's homer to be "one of the greatest moments in Dodgers history" or something very much along those lines.
Yes, that's it. I sure was expecting something else. But that's what it was. Hardly regrettable in a "job threatening" or "take out to the woodshed" way. Overstating things, perhaps, but hardly regrettable.
Then Greenberg and Mike Golic went into a mocking discussion of where this really ranks in Dodger lore, snidely putting it at number 600.
I agree that it wasn't one of the great moments in Dodger history. My objection here is the length of time Greenie dedicated to this non-story and the intensity he dispatched to poo poo the reporter.
As if Greenie himself is devoid of needless hyperbole. As if many many other reporters/interviewers are not given to the occasional hyperbolic nonsense.
And to top things off, I found a Bill Plaschke column from the LA Times that ranks this homer 3rd in Dodger history.
Behind Steve Finley's game-winning grand slam in 2004 that vauted the Dodgers to the postseason. It was a 9th inning blast, so that drama and the importance of the homer can't be missed.
Behind Kirk Gibson's overdone blast off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. And before anyone flips out about this characterization, I say it's overdone, not overrated. Although I think it's overrated as well. I'm just tired of hearing about it. It gets so much press and I've heard the call so many times I think it's burned into my brain cells. I can believe that I saw it, why can't the guy who called the game??
So if Bill Plaschke, who is frequently cited (and fawned upon) by Mike Greenberg on his show, says that the homer is that important, who am I to question it?
I am far from innocent of blathering on with hyperbole dripping down my proverbial chin.
Who is Greenberg to question what an interviewer says on the field, in the moment, with fans screaming, after a game in which a fan favorite player hit a bomb in a noteworthy situation?
Does Greenberg know what he sounds like after he speaks with Peter Gammons, Buster Olney, Jayson Stark and Bill Curry? You'd think a proposal was forthcoming. Greenie fawns and deposits hyperbole about these men being "the best at what you do" with the best of them. It's pretty revolting most times.
Let he who is bereft of hyperbole cast the first critical stone.
Yesterday, he went on a rant because of something a reporter (they said his name, but I am sorry to have to report that I do not remember what it was. I was in my car, and, really, it's immaterial for this article) said when talking to Manny Ramirez.
As you may have heard, Manny hit a pinch hit grand slam on Wednesday night.
Regarding Greenie's take though, please bear with me while I set the table. He was all tsk tsk before he told this story. He made it out to be this big, big deal. About how broadcasters have to be very careful with what they say, and how sometimes things will be said near an open mic that maybe would not have been said had said person known that mic was open. Regrettable things.
Then he told the story. And any of you who also listen to Mike & Mike can probably understand what I mean when I add that Greenie often blows things up to ridiculously extraordinary levels - like his station breaks. "Something happened in baseball yesterday that had never happened before. And I'll tell you about it after this..." Cut to commercial.
Then he'll come back and tell you that Yankees hat wearing Jack Nicholson was in the crowd in Chicago. Really riveting stuff comes after these station breaks, believe you me.
So back to the story. If you didn't hear it - and now I'm dragging it out - perhaps you're wondering what was said that shouldn't have been said? Like me, you probably think it's some insult or some snide remark about a colleague.
Ready? The interviewer proclaimed Manny's homer to be "one of the greatest moments in Dodgers history" or something very much along those lines.
Yes, that's it. I sure was expecting something else. But that's what it was. Hardly regrettable in a "job threatening" or "take out to the woodshed" way. Overstating things, perhaps, but hardly regrettable.
Then Greenberg and Mike Golic went into a mocking discussion of where this really ranks in Dodger lore, snidely putting it at number 600.
I agree that it wasn't one of the great moments in Dodger history. My objection here is the length of time Greenie dedicated to this non-story and the intensity he dispatched to poo poo the reporter.
As if Greenie himself is devoid of needless hyperbole. As if many many other reporters/interviewers are not given to the occasional hyperbolic nonsense.
And to top things off, I found a Bill Plaschke column from the LA Times that ranks this homer 3rd in Dodger history.
Behind Steve Finley's game-winning grand slam in 2004 that vauted the Dodgers to the postseason. It was a 9th inning blast, so that drama and the importance of the homer can't be missed.
Behind Kirk Gibson's overdone blast off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. And before anyone flips out about this characterization, I say it's overdone, not overrated. Although I think it's overrated as well. I'm just tired of hearing about it. It gets so much press and I've heard the call so many times I think it's burned into my brain cells. I can believe that I saw it, why can't the guy who called the game??
So if Bill Plaschke, who is frequently cited (and fawned upon) by Mike Greenberg on his show, says that the homer is that important, who am I to question it?
I am far from innocent of blathering on with hyperbole dripping down my proverbial chin.
Who is Greenberg to question what an interviewer says on the field, in the moment, with fans screaming, after a game in which a fan favorite player hit a bomb in a noteworthy situation?
Does Greenberg know what he sounds like after he speaks with Peter Gammons, Buster Olney, Jayson Stark and Bill Curry? You'd think a proposal was forthcoming. Greenie fawns and deposits hyperbole about these men being "the best at what you do" with the best of them. It's pretty revolting most times.
Let he who is bereft of hyperbole cast the first critical stone.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Roger Goodell And Michael Vick: Together Again?
All right, so Michael Vick has served his time and paid his debt to society. So now it's just a matter of time before he signs with an NFL club, right?
Not so fast. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that now that the legal part of Vick's woes have reached an end, it's the NFL's turn to pronounce a judgment.
Mike & Mike In The Morning had former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent on this morning. Vincent said something along the lines of why should the NFL punish Vick any further than the law already has? The judge handed down a sentence, Vick served it, and in the eyes of the law, he's served his time.
I will freely admit that I have wavered on Vick quite a bit, unable to decide if I felt that Vick should be allowed to play or not. I think I am now leaning toward the idea that he should be allowed to - if he can.
There are a bunch of NFL teams that could use a quarterback, even one as raw as Michael Vick. He was an exciting and talented player, no doubt, but I don't think he would be mistaken for a traditional, pocket passing, ball control quarterback.
And that's fine. His style of play was good enough to land the Falcons in the playoffs and to score impressive wins in 2002 (27-7 over the Packers) and 2004 (47-17 over the Rams). I may be going out on a limb here, but I suspect that the Falcons could not have won those games, let alone been there to even play them, without Michael Vick.
So give him a shot. Training camps start soon, he'd be able to get himself in there and try out for a team. He'd have to deal with whatever controversy follows him, but I feel he should be given a shot.
Do I condone his actions? Of course not. Neither did the judge who presided over his trial. But that judge assigned a punishment, and now that punishment is finished. It seems that this action might not be good enough for Goodell.
And I can see his point. The NFL is a business after all, and it's in Goodell's (and the team owners) best interest to eliminate any potential PR problems, be they past, current or potential. There's no getting around the fact that Vick is now a 'controversial' figure.
Goodell wants him to demonstrate that he has reformed himself and that he can and will be a productive member of society. In the interest of protecting the multi-billion dollar entity that is the NFL, Goodell's thinking here makes lots of sense.
But if Vick has been punished by the law, while he is hardly innocent, he is, theoretically, available to rejoin the workforce. And his profession happens to be football player. Despite my personal feelings about what he did, I think the NFL should back off and see what happens.
This isn't like other situations that Goodell has had to preside over. This case actually has an ending. Vick was convicted, sent to prison and released. If Vick does something dumb and gets himself in trouble in the ensuing weeks, then Goodell can pounce, and he'd be in the right. He is correct that the NFL brand is a very valuable one, and one that cannot afford to be tarnished by the players that are the most visible face of that brand.
Personally, I think Vick should seek out other options. The CFL or the UFL would certainly be interested in having an exciting, talented player like Vick in their midst. The CFL offers distance. The UFL offers newness, a lack of the bright spotlight that is constantly on the NFL, and most importantly, the need for a splash.
I think that Vick and the UFL would be a good fit. They have some good, experienced former NFL coaches there (Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett and Ted Cottrell), any of which would surely be able to deal with Vick's notoriety.
The other great thing the UFL would offer is a chance at redemption. Vick could ply his trade, earn money to pay off debts and possibly work out any issues that might be plaguing him. If all goes well, he could spend two or three years there, and then look to the NFL again.
It's a shame that ESPN has reported that Vick has little interest in either of these two leagues. If Vick did go to either league and was a model citizen and demonstrated "genuine remorse" (I find this notion of Goodell's distasteful), I think Goodell would be more than willing to listen.
After all, if Vick does well, and becomes the crowd pleaser he once was, the dollars will follow. And I can't imagine that there is any dollar that Goodell would allow to escape the NFL's coffers.
Resources: Mike & Mike In The Morning, Pro Football Reference and the article "For Vick, Freedom Rekindles Debate; Return to the NFL Remains a Question" from the July 21 Washington Post.
Not so fast. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that now that the legal part of Vick's woes have reached an end, it's the NFL's turn to pronounce a judgment.
Mike & Mike In The Morning had former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent on this morning. Vincent said something along the lines of why should the NFL punish Vick any further than the law already has? The judge handed down a sentence, Vick served it, and in the eyes of the law, he's served his time.
I will freely admit that I have wavered on Vick quite a bit, unable to decide if I felt that Vick should be allowed to play or not. I think I am now leaning toward the idea that he should be allowed to - if he can.
There are a bunch of NFL teams that could use a quarterback, even one as raw as Michael Vick. He was an exciting and talented player, no doubt, but I don't think he would be mistaken for a traditional, pocket passing, ball control quarterback.
And that's fine. His style of play was good enough to land the Falcons in the playoffs and to score impressive wins in 2002 (27-7 over the Packers) and 2004 (47-17 over the Rams). I may be going out on a limb here, but I suspect that the Falcons could not have won those games, let alone been there to even play them, without Michael Vick.
So give him a shot. Training camps start soon, he'd be able to get himself in there and try out for a team. He'd have to deal with whatever controversy follows him, but I feel he should be given a shot.
Do I condone his actions? Of course not. Neither did the judge who presided over his trial. But that judge assigned a punishment, and now that punishment is finished. It seems that this action might not be good enough for Goodell.
And I can see his point. The NFL is a business after all, and it's in Goodell's (and the team owners) best interest to eliminate any potential PR problems, be they past, current or potential. There's no getting around the fact that Vick is now a 'controversial' figure.
Goodell wants him to demonstrate that he has reformed himself and that he can and will be a productive member of society. In the interest of protecting the multi-billion dollar entity that is the NFL, Goodell's thinking here makes lots of sense.
But if Vick has been punished by the law, while he is hardly innocent, he is, theoretically, available to rejoin the workforce. And his profession happens to be football player. Despite my personal feelings about what he did, I think the NFL should back off and see what happens.
This isn't like other situations that Goodell has had to preside over. This case actually has an ending. Vick was convicted, sent to prison and released. If Vick does something dumb and gets himself in trouble in the ensuing weeks, then Goodell can pounce, and he'd be in the right. He is correct that the NFL brand is a very valuable one, and one that cannot afford to be tarnished by the players that are the most visible face of that brand.
Personally, I think Vick should seek out other options. The CFL or the UFL would certainly be interested in having an exciting, talented player like Vick in their midst. The CFL offers distance. The UFL offers newness, a lack of the bright spotlight that is constantly on the NFL, and most importantly, the need for a splash.
I think that Vick and the UFL would be a good fit. They have some good, experienced former NFL coaches there (Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett and Ted Cottrell), any of which would surely be able to deal with Vick's notoriety.
The other great thing the UFL would offer is a chance at redemption. Vick could ply his trade, earn money to pay off debts and possibly work out any issues that might be plaguing him. If all goes well, he could spend two or three years there, and then look to the NFL again.
It's a shame that ESPN has reported that Vick has little interest in either of these two leagues. If Vick did go to either league and was a model citizen and demonstrated "genuine remorse" (I find this notion of Goodell's distasteful), I think Goodell would be more than willing to listen.
After all, if Vick does well, and becomes the crowd pleaser he once was, the dollars will follow. And I can't imagine that there is any dollar that Goodell would allow to escape the NFL's coffers.
Resources: Mike & Mike In The Morning, Pro Football Reference and the article "For Vick, Freedom Rekindles Debate; Return to the NFL Remains a Question" from the July 21 Washington Post.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Some Old School Reflections on Joe Mauer's .400 Chase
What do Rod Carew, George Brett, Tony Gwynn and Joe Mauer Have in Common?
Doesn't seem like anything, does it? All four have five letters in their last names. Three of four are American Leaguers. And four out of five dentists would recommend them as your team's leadoff hitter.
No, up until Mauer went 0-for-9 in his last at-bats before the All-Star break, lowering his average from .388 to .373, they all had the real possibility of being the first player since the great Ted Williams to hit .400.
I think this is one of those baseball achievements that will never happen again, and I have had lots of thoughts on this over the years, some of them rational, some of them lucid.
Rod Carew
Left: Rod Carew's 1977 Topps Baseball Card
I'm a little too young to really remember Rod Carew's attempt to hit .400. I mostly remember it from reading about it on baseball cards and in the Scholastic Baseball All-Star books I would get in school.
I wonder if others remember doing this? In school, they'd give you this form to fill out that offered all sorts of books. I'd always go for the Dynamite Magazines, any maze or puzzle book and any baseball or football book. Between these books and Baseball Digest I thought knew Carew's 1977 season inside and out.
Here's some stuff I didn't know - It's amazing. Carew started 'slow', finishing April at .356 and May at .365. Not that these are not great batting averages, but they don't really hint that someone was flirting with .400.
Left: All-Pro Baseball Stars 1978 - An excellent baseball reference in the pre-internet era
In fact, he didn't even reach .400 until June 26th, when he went 4-for-5 against the White Sox to push his average from .396 to .403. Then he moved up to his highest average of .411 on June 29th, maintained that for one more day, then staying on the plus side of .400 until gradually fading back below, to .398 on July 11th.
He wouldn't see .400 again that season, and in fact, dipped to .374 on August 25th. But then he rallied, raising his average steadily until he settled on .388 with a 3-for-4 performance on the final day of the season.
George Brett
As a kid, I always took it away from Brett, because in my mind, he didn't have as 'complete' a season as Carew. To me, Brett's .390 wasn't as legitimate as Carew's .388. I mean - 239 hits to 175 hits? 616 At bats to 449 at bats? Does 449 at bats even qualify you for a batting title? I believe that 500 plate appearances does...
The image to the left is George Brett's page inside the 1981 All-Pro Baseball Stars book.
But I came to realize that Brett's .390 was a lot more legitimate than I'd given him credit for. For one thing, he triumphed over 'roids (hemorrhoids, of course. Yes, I am totally juvenile) to have this great achievement, and also, I saw the numbers of Williams' incredible 1941 season:
But what I didn't notice until now is the amazing number of walks Williams had. I zeroed in on the hits - 185 to 175 - clearly, I had it wrong about the legitimacy of Brett's .390. Now that I see the walks, I think maybe I was right... :-)
George Brett's 1980 Topps Baseball Card
Like Carew, George Brett's 1980 season didn't start particularly well. He didn't hit .300 until achieving a .301 batting average on May 31st. Then he played in only 9 games in June, but was able to raise his average to a more George Brett like .337 before missing time from June 10th to July 10th.
During July, he steadily increased his average (with some dips as well), ending the month strong with a fantastic 8-for-10 hitting show against the Red Sox that pushed his average up to .390, 59 points higher than the .341 he was hitting after going 2-for-2 upon his July 10 return to the lineup.
After dipping a bit in early August, Brett again started to increase his average, until he hit .394 after goin 3-for-4 against Toronto on August 16th. The next day, a 4-for-4 performance pushed him above .400 for the first time that season, as his average settled in at .401.
He topped out at .406 four days later, then saw a decline, and his average slipped to .399. But not for long, as four days later, on August 26th, he'd reach his season high, .407. This time he managed to stay above .400 for nine more games, and then re-entered the sub-.400 realm. He'd hit .400 one more time on September 19th, and then that was it for the .400 chase. But not a bad run at all - having a .400 average as late as September 19 (with 13 games remaining in the season) is awesome.
Tony Gwynn
Then along comes Tony Gwynn, who, along with Wade Boggs, had pretty much set the standard for batting titles in the 1980s, winning four titles in the 80s and four more (four consecutive) in the 90s.
If my pre-teen self had seen this, it would have been 'not legit' all over again, baseball strike be damned.
Unlike Carew and Brett, Gwynn started strong, fashoning a .395 average by the end of April. It's hard to say whether or not Gwynn's foray into .400 was legitimate. It happened so early in the season - .402 on May 2nd, which was 33 hits in 82 at-bats. I'm thinking this is not enough of a season to say that a batter truly flirted with .400.
His last dip into the .400 waters came on May 15th, when he was batting .408 - 49-for-120. I am also noticing the wild fluctuation in his average at this time - .419 the day before, .398 the day after - based on this, I think this is more indicative of the kind of ups and downs seen in the early parts of a season.
That said, I am hardly downplaying Gwynn's spectacular batting prowess. He dodged, dipped, ducked, dived and dodged between .376 and .394 for the remainder of the season. It's amazing to have that type of consistency from a .294 hitter, let alone someone who is on the verge of .400.
Unfortunately, the big question when it comes to Tony Gwynn will remain unanswered forever: could he have hit .400 if the 1994 strike hadn't ended the season two months early? While I think that Gwynn was, perhaps, the best pure hitter of the 90s, I don't think he would have hit .400 for the season. No reason here, just what I think.
And then again, perhaps he could have. If I consider that Brett didn't top .400 until mid-August and Carew didn't get to .400 until June and had his last .400 day in mid-July, maybe. Sadly, it's all left to speculation now. I will say that if I thought anyone could have hit .400 at that time, Tony Gwynn would have been the guy on whom I'd have put my money.
Joe Mauer
Like Brett, Mauer has missed a significant amount of time in the season in which he chased/is chasing .400. He missed all of April (22 games), and a few other games here and there. He did finish May strongly, attaining a .414 batting average on the strength of a 41-for-99 performance.
He stayed above .400 for a good part of June, holding on with a .407 average as of June 21st. But then his average saw a steady decline until he ended June with a .383 average. Not bad at all, but he's going the wrong way where .400 is concerned. As for July, he pushed his average back into the .390s, only to see that average dip, before bottoming out at .373 after an 0-for-9 drought in his last two games before the All-Star game.
Mauer still has 73 games to ply his trade, and I, for one, will be interested to see how he does coming away from the All-Star game. Even if he doesn't hit .400 this year, the fact that he was as close as he was, and the fact that he was hitting over .400 well into June is an endorsement of his belonging in the conversation with the four other great hitters mentioned earlier.
Again - as with Gwynn - the question: Can he hit .400? And again - as with Gwynn - I don't feel that he can. I'd love to see someone hit for that lofty an average again. And Mauer has already spent some quality time north of the Williams line this season. But I'll be watching the box scores to see how he does. And I'll be rooting for him.
A Comparison of the seasons
Resources: Baseball Reference, of course.
Doesn't seem like anything, does it? All four have five letters in their last names. Three of four are American Leaguers. And four out of five dentists would recommend them as your team's leadoff hitter.
No, up until Mauer went 0-for-9 in his last at-bats before the All-Star break, lowering his average from .388 to .373, they all had the real possibility of being the first player since the great Ted Williams to hit .400.
I think this is one of those baseball achievements that will never happen again, and I have had lots of thoughts on this over the years, some of them rational, some of them lucid.
Rod Carew
Left: Rod Carew's 1977 Topps Baseball Card
I'm a little too young to really remember Rod Carew's attempt to hit .400. I mostly remember it from reading about it on baseball cards and in the Scholastic Baseball All-Star books I would get in school.
I wonder if others remember doing this? In school, they'd give you this form to fill out that offered all sorts of books. I'd always go for the Dynamite Magazines, any maze or puzzle book and any baseball or football book. Between these books and Baseball Digest I thought knew Carew's 1977 season inside and out.
Here's some stuff I didn't know - It's amazing. Carew started 'slow', finishing April at .356 and May at .365. Not that these are not great batting averages, but they don't really hint that someone was flirting with .400.
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Carew 1977 155 694 616 128 239 38 16 14 100 23 13 69 55 .388
Left: All-Pro Baseball Stars 1978 - An excellent baseball reference in the pre-internet era
In fact, he didn't even reach .400 until June 26th, when he went 4-for-5 against the White Sox to push his average from .396 to .403. Then he moved up to his highest average of .411 on June 29th, maintained that for one more day, then staying on the plus side of .400 until gradually fading back below, to .398 on July 11th.
He wouldn't see .400 again that season, and in fact, dipped to .374 on August 25th. But then he rallied, raising his average steadily until he settled on .388 with a 3-for-4 performance on the final day of the season.
George Brett
As a kid, I always took it away from Brett, because in my mind, he didn't have as 'complete' a season as Carew. To me, Brett's .390 wasn't as legitimate as Carew's .388. I mean - 239 hits to 175 hits? 616 At bats to 449 at bats? Does 449 at bats even qualify you for a batting title? I believe that 500 plate appearances does...
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Brett 1980 117 515 449 87 175 33 9 24 118 15 6 58 22 .390
The image to the left is George Brett's page inside the 1981 All-Pro Baseball Stars book.
But I came to realize that Brett's .390 was a lot more legitimate than I'd given him credit for. For one thing, he triumphed over 'roids (hemorrhoids, of course. Yes, I am totally juvenile) to have this great achievement, and also, I saw the numbers of Williams' incredible 1941 season:
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Williams 1941 143 606 456 135 185 33 3 37 120 2 4 147 27 .406
But what I didn't notice until now is the amazing number of walks Williams had. I zeroed in on the hits - 185 to 175 - clearly, I had it wrong about the legitimacy of Brett's .390. Now that I see the walks, I think maybe I was right... :-)
George Brett's 1980 Topps Baseball Card
Like Carew, George Brett's 1980 season didn't start particularly well. He didn't hit .300 until achieving a .301 batting average on May 31st. Then he played in only 9 games in June, but was able to raise his average to a more George Brett like .337 before missing time from June 10th to July 10th.
During July, he steadily increased his average (with some dips as well), ending the month strong with a fantastic 8-for-10 hitting show against the Red Sox that pushed his average up to .390, 59 points higher than the .341 he was hitting after going 2-for-2 upon his July 10 return to the lineup.
After dipping a bit in early August, Brett again started to increase his average, until he hit .394 after goin 3-for-4 against Toronto on August 16th. The next day, a 4-for-4 performance pushed him above .400 for the first time that season, as his average settled in at .401.
He topped out at .406 four days later, then saw a decline, and his average slipped to .399. But not for long, as four days later, on August 26th, he'd reach his season high, .407. This time he managed to stay above .400 for nine more games, and then re-entered the sub-.400 realm. He'd hit .400 one more time on September 19th, and then that was it for the .400 chase. But not a bad run at all - having a .400 average as late as September 19 (with 13 games remaining in the season) is awesome.
Tony Gwynn
Then along comes Tony Gwynn, who, along with Wade Boggs, had pretty much set the standard for batting titles in the 1980s, winning four titles in the 80s and four more (four consecutive) in the 90s.
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Gwynn 1994 110 475 419 79 165 35 1 12 64 5 0 48 19 .394
If my pre-teen self had seen this, it would have been 'not legit' all over again, baseball strike be damned.
Unlike Carew and Brett, Gwynn started strong, fashoning a .395 average by the end of April. It's hard to say whether or not Gwynn's foray into .400 was legitimate. It happened so early in the season - .402 on May 2nd, which was 33 hits in 82 at-bats. I'm thinking this is not enough of a season to say that a batter truly flirted with .400.
His last dip into the .400 waters came on May 15th, when he was batting .408 - 49-for-120. I am also noticing the wild fluctuation in his average at this time - .419 the day before, .398 the day after - based on this, I think this is more indicative of the kind of ups and downs seen in the early parts of a season.
That said, I am hardly downplaying Gwynn's spectacular batting prowess. He dodged, dipped, ducked, dived and dodged between .376 and .394 for the remainder of the season. It's amazing to have that type of consistency from a .294 hitter, let alone someone who is on the verge of .400.
Unfortunately, the big question when it comes to Tony Gwynn will remain unanswered forever: could he have hit .400 if the 1994 strike hadn't ended the season two months early? While I think that Gwynn was, perhaps, the best pure hitter of the 90s, I don't think he would have hit .400 for the season. No reason here, just what I think.
And then again, perhaps he could have. If I consider that Brett didn't top .400 until mid-August and Carew didn't get to .400 until June and had his last .400 day in mid-July, maybe. Sadly, it's all left to speculation now. I will say that if I thought anyone could have hit .400 at that time, Tony Gwynn would have been the guy on whom I'd have put my money.
Joe Mauer
Like Brett, Mauer has missed a significant amount of time in the season in which he chased/is chasing .400. He missed all of April (22 games), and a few other games here and there. He did finish May strongly, attaining a .414 batting average on the strength of a 41-for-99 performance.
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Mauer 2009 64 282 241 49 90 13 1 15 49 1 1 35 35 .373
He stayed above .400 for a good part of June, holding on with a .407 average as of June 21st. But then his average saw a steady decline until he ended June with a .383 average. Not bad at all, but he's going the wrong way where .400 is concerned. As for July, he pushed his average back into the .390s, only to see that average dip, before bottoming out at .373 after an 0-for-9 drought in his last two games before the All-Star game.
Mauer still has 73 games to ply his trade, and I, for one, will be interested to see how he does coming away from the All-Star game. Even if he doesn't hit .400 this year, the fact that he was as close as he was, and the fact that he was hitting over .400 well into June is an endorsement of his belonging in the conversation with the four other great hitters mentioned earlier.
Again - as with Gwynn - the question: Can he hit .400? And again - as with Gwynn - I don't feel that he can. I'd love to see someone hit for that lofty an average again. And Mauer has already spent some quality time north of the Williams line this season. But I'll be watching the box scores to see how he does. And I'll be rooting for him.
A Comparison of the seasons
Player Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
Williams 1941 143 606 456 135 185 33 3 37 120 2 4 147 27 .406
Carew 1977 155 694 616 128 239 38 16 14 100 23 13 69 55 .388
Brett 1980 117 515 449 87 175 33 9 24 118 15 6 58 22 .390
Gwynn 1994 110 475 419 79 165 35 1 12 64 5 0 48 19 .394
Mauer 2009 64 282 241 49 90 13 1 15 49 1 1 35 35 .373
Resources: Baseball Reference, of course.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Diamondbacks Are A Phils Best Friend
So we close the book on the first half of the season, and the Phillies sit atop the NL East by four games. The weekend started with the Phils leading the pesky Florida Marlins by two games, but the Arizona Diamondbacks had the decency to split a four game series with the upstart Marlins - starting with a 14-7 win on Thursday - and give the Phils a chance to help themselves.
When the Phils entered this weekend series against the Pirates, I was cautiously optomistic. The Pirates are pretty poor, but they have good young pitching, and this sort of thing can sometimes derail an otherwise finely tuned Phillies machine. They seem to thrive against established pitchers (ask Johan Santana or Josh Beckett), and struggle against lesser known quantities.
Phillies 3, Pirates 2
D'Backs 8, Marlins 0
Against the Buccos though, the Phils came out and did what they needed to do. After surrendering a first inning run, Joe Blanton settled down and held the Pirates close, while the offense gave him three runs in the 3rd inning with the main blow delivered by newly minted All-Star Jayson Werth.
Blanton held the Pirates scoreless for the next 6 1/3 innings before turning it over to the 'pen. JC Romero turned in a scoreless, 13-pitch performance and then it was up to Brad Lidge to slam the door. He gave up a run to enable the Buccos to draw within a run, but then managed to get it done and earn his 18th save.
And getting back to an old stick of mine: the Phillies left four men on base. Not bad. I can live with 4 LOB.
Oh, and the Marlins were shut out that same night, falling 8-0 to the Diamondbacks. Happy to have a three-game edge in the division standings.
Phillies 8, Pirates 7
D'Backs 5, Marlins 1
Game two featured another rocky pitching performance by the Phillies ace, Cole Hamels. Yikes - five earned runs in six innings is not a pretty scene. Lucky for him that the Pirates bullpen, that had held the Phillies scoreless for 2 1/3 innings was unable to hold the lead.
Matt Stairs homered to start the 9th inning scoring (his ability to hit homers cold is amazing), and the oft-maligned hacker Ryan Howard (3-for-3 on the night) belted a 3-run homer to tie the game. It was almost inevitable when Paul Bako drove in the winning run.
It may not have been pretty, but it was a win. And the 11 LOB was a trend I was not happy to see. But...they won. And, for the second time in two days...so did the Diamondbacks, taking the second game against Florida 5-1. Oooh - that's a real humdinger! Now we're talking - Phillies are now four games up.
Phillies 5, Pirates 2
Marlins 8, D'Backs 1
The final game was pretty much owned by two guys - JA Happ and Pedro Feliz. Happ is such a wonderful surprise at 6-0. It pretty much offsets Hamels' struggles, but wouldn't it be great to have them both pitching well? Who knew the pitching staff would prove the be the saving grace of the Phillies? They've pitched pretty well these past few weeks.
Pirates pitcher Virgil Vasquez took it on the chin, lasting just 1 1/3 innings, surrendering five first inning runs with the coup-de-grace coming in the form of a Feliz grand slam. And beseiged Jimmy Rollins has raised his average to .229 - not bad, considering he was teetering on the verge of dropping below .200 (he was batting .205 on July 1).
Now - the All-Star game takes center stage and the Phillies can bask in the glow of a 4-game lead in the NL East. And then things get interesting.
The Phillies head off to Florida to duke it out in a four-game set with those Pesky Marlins. It's a golden opportunity to bury their foe. They need to take at least three games to stake their claim as the class of this underwhelming division. And if they manage to take all four...well, an 8-game deficit gets harder and harder to erase as July and August wear on.
Meanwhile, The Mets head off to face the tough Atlanta Braves. After wiping the floor with the Phillies just last week, I think the Braves owe it to the Phils to at least split the series with the Mets. Assuming the Phillies win all four games, that would leave the Braves 6 games out, the Mets 6 1/2 games out and the Marlins 8 games out.
Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Get some rest, boys - you're gonna need it. Enjoy the All-Star break, and come back refreshed and ready to roll. It's time to create some separation.
Go Phils!
When the Phils entered this weekend series against the Pirates, I was cautiously optomistic. The Pirates are pretty poor, but they have good young pitching, and this sort of thing can sometimes derail an otherwise finely tuned Phillies machine. They seem to thrive against established pitchers (ask Johan Santana or Josh Beckett), and struggle against lesser known quantities.
Phillies 3, Pirates 2
D'Backs 8, Marlins 0
Against the Buccos though, the Phils came out and did what they needed to do. After surrendering a first inning run, Joe Blanton settled down and held the Pirates close, while the offense gave him three runs in the 3rd inning with the main blow delivered by newly minted All-Star Jayson Werth.
Blanton held the Pirates scoreless for the next 6 1/3 innings before turning it over to the 'pen. JC Romero turned in a scoreless, 13-pitch performance and then it was up to Brad Lidge to slam the door. He gave up a run to enable the Buccos to draw within a run, but then managed to get it done and earn his 18th save.
And getting back to an old stick of mine: the Phillies left four men on base. Not bad. I can live with 4 LOB.
Oh, and the Marlins were shut out that same night, falling 8-0 to the Diamondbacks. Happy to have a three-game edge in the division standings.
Phillies 8, Pirates 7
D'Backs 5, Marlins 1
Game two featured another rocky pitching performance by the Phillies ace, Cole Hamels. Yikes - five earned runs in six innings is not a pretty scene. Lucky for him that the Pirates bullpen, that had held the Phillies scoreless for 2 1/3 innings was unable to hold the lead.
Matt Stairs homered to start the 9th inning scoring (his ability to hit homers cold is amazing), and the oft-maligned hacker Ryan Howard (3-for-3 on the night) belted a 3-run homer to tie the game. It was almost inevitable when Paul Bako drove in the winning run.
It may not have been pretty, but it was a win. And the 11 LOB was a trend I was not happy to see. But...they won. And, for the second time in two days...so did the Diamondbacks, taking the second game against Florida 5-1. Oooh - that's a real humdinger! Now we're talking - Phillies are now four games up.
Phillies 5, Pirates 2
Marlins 8, D'Backs 1
The final game was pretty much owned by two guys - JA Happ and Pedro Feliz. Happ is such a wonderful surprise at 6-0. It pretty much offsets Hamels' struggles, but wouldn't it be great to have them both pitching well? Who knew the pitching staff would prove the be the saving grace of the Phillies? They've pitched pretty well these past few weeks.
Pirates pitcher Virgil Vasquez took it on the chin, lasting just 1 1/3 innings, surrendering five first inning runs with the coup-de-grace coming in the form of a Feliz grand slam. And beseiged Jimmy Rollins has raised his average to .229 - not bad, considering he was teetering on the verge of dropping below .200 (he was batting .205 on July 1).
Now - the All-Star game takes center stage and the Phillies can bask in the glow of a 4-game lead in the NL East. And then things get interesting.
The Phillies head off to Florida to duke it out in a four-game set with those Pesky Marlins. It's a golden opportunity to bury their foe. They need to take at least three games to stake their claim as the class of this underwhelming division. And if they manage to take all four...well, an 8-game deficit gets harder and harder to erase as July and August wear on.
Meanwhile, The Mets head off to face the tough Atlanta Braves. After wiping the floor with the Phillies just last week, I think the Braves owe it to the Phils to at least split the series with the Mets. Assuming the Phillies win all four games, that would leave the Braves 6 games out, the Mets 6 1/2 games out and the Marlins 8 games out.
Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Get some rest, boys - you're gonna need it. Enjoy the All-Star break, and come back refreshed and ready to roll. It's time to create some separation.
Go Phils!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Phillies - Can We Believe?
Last year, on July 8th, 2008, the Phillies lost to the Mets 10-9, capping off a missed opportunity to bury the Mets by sweeping a 4-game series. Instead, they lost the last three games, and enabled the Mets to draw within 2 1/2 games.
Of course, the 2008 season turned out just fine for the Philadelphia phaithful, and now that we look at 2009, the nemesis is the Florida Marlins, who currently sit 2 games out, after scoring a win in the last of three games against the resurgent Giants. Thank you, San Francisco, for taking two of three. We'll pay you back next call...
After some shaky baseball that included three humbling losses to the Braves, one loss in three games to Toronto and two more losses to Tampa Bay - a 3-6 stretch, things weren't looking so good for the Phils. Like their jaded fans, I'd wager that Charlie Manuel's team was probably all too glad to be done with the American League.
But we'll take our chances against the AL in November, won't we, boys? :-)
Of course, as mentioned earlier, the return to NL competition didn't start off all that well, as Atlanta kicked the snot out of the Phils' bullpen, savaged ace Cole Hamels and survived a gutsy 7-inning gem by J.A. Happ. In the midst of Sherman's march through Philadelphia, something good did come.
Continuing a surreal batting slump that inspired a wretched reworking of a classic song and included an 0-8 log in the first two games, Jimmy Rollins made like Lazarus and went 2-for-4 in the third game. It's true that a .209 average was nothing to write home about, but the performance was a welcome respite as they headed into the maelstrom of a three-game weekend series against the hated rival Mets.
This time, it would be different. No more would the Phillies lose in spectacularly bad fashion to their rivals. Nay, an unknown Rodrigo Lopez pitched a terrific 6 1/3 innings and enjoyed a scoreless performance by the bullpen to take game one by a 7-2 count. And... Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-5 and raised his average to .212.
Yes, it's true that the Mets have been decimated by injuries. But that aside, the Phillies need to start winning games that they should win. They've lost too many winnable games already, and now they had the Mets by the throat. Could they send them packing again on Saturday?
The elder and wise statesman Jamie Moyer came, saw and conquered the Mets, scattering five hits and surrendering one earned run in 6 1/3 innings. Moyer also enjoyed a scoreless relief effort from the uneven bullpen, including a 13-pitch, 8 strike pitching outing from the once invincible, now merely very good, Brad Lidge.
Now the stage was set for that most delicious of things: a three-game sweep of a hated rival. What could possibly be more demoralizing than that? And what could possibly take the wind out of the Phillies sails more than the Mets salvaging a win?
But it was not to be, as Joe Blanton came storming out and silenced the Met bats, limiting them to four hits over 7 1/3 innings, and protecting a slim 2-0 margin - fueled by solo homers courtesy of Rollins and All-World Chase Utley. What made this one all the more impressive was that the Phillies felled arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana.
So the sweep was complete. And now Phillies fans had something to cheer. Will it last? Considering they are in a very similar position as they were last year at this time, it certainly seems possible. I'd like to believe in the Phillies... and a series like the one they had against the Mets goes a long way toward restoring one's faith.
Go Phils!!
Of course, the 2008 season turned out just fine for the Philadelphia phaithful, and now that we look at 2009, the nemesis is the Florida Marlins, who currently sit 2 games out, after scoring a win in the last of three games against the resurgent Giants. Thank you, San Francisco, for taking two of three. We'll pay you back next call...
After some shaky baseball that included three humbling losses to the Braves, one loss in three games to Toronto and two more losses to Tampa Bay - a 3-6 stretch, things weren't looking so good for the Phils. Like their jaded fans, I'd wager that Charlie Manuel's team was probably all too glad to be done with the American League.
But we'll take our chances against the AL in November, won't we, boys? :-)
Of course, as mentioned earlier, the return to NL competition didn't start off all that well, as Atlanta kicked the snot out of the Phils' bullpen, savaged ace Cole Hamels and survived a gutsy 7-inning gem by J.A. Happ. In the midst of Sherman's march through Philadelphia, something good did come.
Continuing a surreal batting slump that inspired a wretched reworking of a classic song and included an 0-8 log in the first two games, Jimmy Rollins made like Lazarus and went 2-for-4 in the third game. It's true that a .209 average was nothing to write home about, but the performance was a welcome respite as they headed into the maelstrom of a three-game weekend series against the hated rival Mets.
This time, it would be different. No more would the Phillies lose in spectacularly bad fashion to their rivals. Nay, an unknown Rodrigo Lopez pitched a terrific 6 1/3 innings and enjoyed a scoreless performance by the bullpen to take game one by a 7-2 count. And... Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-5 and raised his average to .212.
Yes, it's true that the Mets have been decimated by injuries. But that aside, the Phillies need to start winning games that they should win. They've lost too many winnable games already, and now they had the Mets by the throat. Could they send them packing again on Saturday?
The elder and wise statesman Jamie Moyer came, saw and conquered the Mets, scattering five hits and surrendering one earned run in 6 1/3 innings. Moyer also enjoyed a scoreless relief effort from the uneven bullpen, including a 13-pitch, 8 strike pitching outing from the once invincible, now merely very good, Brad Lidge.
Now the stage was set for that most delicious of things: a three-game sweep of a hated rival. What could possibly be more demoralizing than that? And what could possibly take the wind out of the Phillies sails more than the Mets salvaging a win?
But it was not to be, as Joe Blanton came storming out and silenced the Met bats, limiting them to four hits over 7 1/3 innings, and protecting a slim 2-0 margin - fueled by solo homers courtesy of Rollins and All-World Chase Utley. What made this one all the more impressive was that the Phillies felled arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana.
So the sweep was complete. And now Phillies fans had something to cheer. Will it last? Considering they are in a very similar position as they were last year at this time, it certainly seems possible. I'd like to believe in the Phillies... and a series like the one they had against the Mets goes a long way toward restoring one's faith.
Go Phils!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
How do you solve a problem like J-Roll?
♪♪♪♪
Sing it to the tune of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Maria" from the great movie The Sound of Music.
I apologize heartily to Mssrs. Rodgers and Hammerstein for what I've done to their fine creation.
How do you solve a problem like J-Roll?
He climbs the order and gets an ofer
His uniform has got a tear
He whiffs on his way to .207
And pitch selection ain't there
And underneath his Oakleys
He has bravado in his heart
I even heard him singing in the dugout
He's always loathe to take
But his lack of patience is unreal
He's always loathe for walking
Only 16 times this year
I hate to have to say it
But I very firmly feel
Right now, he's not an asset to the Phillies
I'd like to say a word in his behalf
J-Roll is a fan favorite!
How do you solve a problem like J-Roll?
How do you stanch a proud man of renown?
How do you find a word that means J-Roll?
A fielding whiz! A baserunning threat! An MVP!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell him
Many a thing he ought to understand
But how do you make him stay
And listen to all you say
How do you get Charlie on board?
Oh, how do you solve a problem like J-Roll?
How do you hold a talented mofo in your hand?
When I'm watching him I'm confused
Out of focus and contused
And I never know exactly why he's there
In the leadoff spot - despair!
He's swinging like a tether
He's a player! He's a leader! He's a fan fave!
He strikes out with some zest
Drive a manager to his rest
He could throw a whirling dervish out at first
He is talented! He is wild!
He's a riddle! He's a child!
He's a headache! He's a problem!
He leads off?!?
How do you solve a problem like J-Roll?
How do you stanch a proud man of renown?
How do you find a word that means J-Roll?
A fielding whiz! A baserunning threat! An MVP!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell him
Many a thing he ought to understand
But how do you make him stay
And listen to all you say
How do you get Charlie on board?
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Charlie?
Please, Charlie move Jimmy down in the order!
Sing it to the tune of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Maria" from the great movie The Sound of Music.
I apologize heartily to Mssrs. Rodgers and Hammerstein for what I've done to their fine creation.
Philadelphia Phillies SWOT Analysis
Overview
The Philadelphia Phillies are among the oldest baseball teams in the United States. The company is also one of the least sucessful franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, having won only two World Series championships in 126 years of existence. The company actively markets baseball, captive audience and nigh on prohibitively costly parking, overly expensive and watered down beer and reprehensibly pricey food; as well as owning and operating several minor league baseball teams.
The company's strength lies in its strong and growing young hitters, which (a good amount of the time) give it a significant competitive advantage. However, the Phillies face the threat of the expected slowdown of their pitching staff and the increasing Met and Brave burden and the volatility in Florida and the rest of the National League (NL), which could affect the company's level of production and lead to decline in overall top of the divison standings.
Strengths
The company's compounded annual playoff rate (CAPR) for seasons was 40% during 2004-2008. This was below the National League East sector average of 60%, but equal to or above any individual team average, which was 40% for rival company the Atlanta Braves and 20% for bitter, hated arch rival firm the New York Mets.
A higher than sector average CAPR may indicate that the company has outperformed the average sector growth and gained league share over the last four years. The company achieved this growth as a result of better competitive position players due to getting their heads out of their butts, bucking conventional wisdom and hiring the unconventional Charlie Manuel as manager, building a kick-ass new stadium and catering to the fan - with the clear knowledge that catering to the fan is always the most important component to any successful team.
Strong Win Margin
Put simply, the Phillies won more games than the Mets did in both 2007 and 2008, and this led them to the postseason. That's all you really need to know.
Strong Growth Prospects
After winning the World Series, the Phillies allowed wily veteran Pat Burrell to walk, replacing him with the far more mobile Raul Ibanez, who is a fielding improvement, a speed upgrade and is far less prone to streaky batting performances. Even though he was a fixture in Philly, and we kinda miss Pat - but we're likin' this Ibanez guy.
Away Games Operational Performance
Who the hell can figure this out? The Phillies are freakin' 13-22 at home and 26-12 on the road. Discussions are ongoing to change the appearance of Citizens Bank Park to look more like whatever stadium it is that the Washington Nationals play in. It's also been discussed to bus in rude New York Met fans to provide the proper level of booing to ensure the Phillies do not feel at home when playing in Philadelphia. Of course, the likelihood of Arlen Specter meddling in these efforts and effing it all up is strong, so the discussions are being held in a secret location unknown to the author. Pity.
Weaknesses
Dropdown in Run Support
Like any smart operation, you try to strike a balance. Anyone who looked at this team from last year to this could see that the pitching was a bit suspect. But did they take any major steps to upgrade the staff? Nooooo. I mean, Cole Hamels is great and all, but what's behind him? Ahem. As I was saying, the Phillies have suffered from an inability to push runs across the plate. As is well known in baseball, you can't win if you don't score more than your opponent. You could look it up.
Rise in Home Runs Surrendered
For whatver reason, balls are flying out of the park faster than you can say "Not again!" Needless to say, this increase in home runs by opposing teams (which leads NL pitching staffs), has contributed mightily to more than a few freaking Phillies losses. It would be nice to see fewer homers surrendered, guys. Just sayin'
Geographic Consternation
No. Can't say it again. It aggravates me. Please see the "Away Games Operational Performance" section under "Strengths" - you get the idea.
Opportunities
Expansion into American League Markets
This could have been a positive area for the Phillies, but noooo....they lose two of three to Boston, three to Toronto, three to Baltimore (!), two of three to Tampa Bay and then, by some too late miracle, take two of three from Toronto. Maybe this section should have been under the "Weaknesses" heading.
Positive Outlook for Second Half of Season
Holy crap! Could it get much worse? If not for the Mets injuries and their overall ability to match the Phillies crappy loss to teams they should be beating, the season would be shaping up quite differently. With any luck, the Phillies will get to the All-Star break and get things together. Then a nice 10 of 12 win streak would go nicely to help increase the division lead.
There is also talk in Pennsylvania of having the Phillies play the Nationals for the remainder of the season. Hey, it sounds good to me. The Phillies own them, after all. Oh right - like you wouldn't want that for your team. Fine - so there's no discussion like that going on. But there should be.
Leading In All-Star Voting
Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez are leading at their positions. Nice job, voters. For once, you got it right. Not that the All-Star game means anything, but go ahead and win it anyway, NL. Just in case. Nice rule, Selig, you...
Threats
Look, this has gone on long enough. Suffice it to say that they don't play well against the Mets; they suck ass against the American League; the Pitching Staff gives up too many homers, too many runs and needs to have more quality starts; the offense is often guilty of leaving too many frigging men on base; and they stink on ice at home. What more do you want? If you read any of this, you'd know all this already!
Note : The author should have used a wide range of research methods to gather and verify his information. These would have included sports related web sites, team websites, written reports on the teams and press releases. The author lazily contented himself with cursory checks of data on ESPN's web site.
The Philadelphia Phillies are among the oldest baseball teams in the United States. The company is also one of the least sucessful franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, having won only two World Series championships in 126 years of existence. The company actively markets baseball, captive audience and nigh on prohibitively costly parking, overly expensive and watered down beer and reprehensibly pricey food; as well as owning and operating several minor league baseball teams.
The company's strength lies in its strong and growing young hitters, which (a good amount of the time) give it a significant competitive advantage. However, the Phillies face the threat of the expected slowdown of their pitching staff and the increasing Met and Brave burden and the volatility in Florida and the rest of the National League (NL), which could affect the company's level of production and lead to decline in overall top of the divison standings.
Strengths
* Expanding Market Share in Division
* Strong Win Margin
* Strong Growth Prospects
* Away Games Operational Performance
* Expanding Market Share in Divison
The company's compounded annual playoff rate (CAPR) for seasons was 40% during 2004-2008. This was below the National League East sector average of 60%, but equal to or above any individual team average, which was 40% for rival company the Atlanta Braves and 20% for bitter, hated arch rival firm the New York Mets.
A higher than sector average CAPR may indicate that the company has outperformed the average sector growth and gained league share over the last four years. The company achieved this growth as a result of better competitive position players due to getting their heads out of their butts, bucking conventional wisdom and hiring the unconventional Charlie Manuel as manager, building a kick-ass new stadium and catering to the fan - with the clear knowledge that catering to the fan is always the most important component to any successful team.
Totally objective chart of 2004-2008 NL East division leaders
Year Ranking Wins Divison Winner
2008 FIRST! 92 PHILLIES *
2007 First! 89 PHILLIES
2006 second 85 Mets **
2005 second 88 Braves
2004 second 86 Braves
* Won World Series and proved they were the best team
** ##!@!##!#@!!!!
Strong Win Margin
Put simply, the Phillies won more games than the Mets did in both 2007 and 2008, and this led them to the postseason. That's all you really need to know.
Strong Growth Prospects
After winning the World Series, the Phillies allowed wily veteran Pat Burrell to walk, replacing him with the far more mobile Raul Ibanez, who is a fielding improvement, a speed upgrade and is far less prone to streaky batting performances. Even though he was a fixture in Philly, and we kinda miss Pat - but we're likin' this Ibanez guy.
Away Games Operational Performance
Who the hell can figure this out? The Phillies are freakin' 13-22 at home and 26-12 on the road. Discussions are ongoing to change the appearance of Citizens Bank Park to look more like whatever stadium it is that the Washington Nationals play in. It's also been discussed to bus in rude New York Met fans to provide the proper level of booing to ensure the Phillies do not feel at home when playing in Philadelphia. Of course, the likelihood of Arlen Specter meddling in these efforts and effing it all up is strong, so the discussions are being held in a secret location unknown to the author. Pity.
Weaknesses
* Dropdown in Run Support
* Rise in Home Runs Surrendered
* Geographic Consternation
Dropdown in Run Support
Like any smart operation, you try to strike a balance. Anyone who looked at this team from last year to this could see that the pitching was a bit suspect. But did they take any major steps to upgrade the staff? Nooooo. I mean, Cole Hamels is great and all, but what's behind him? Ahem. As I was saying, the Phillies have suffered from an inability to push runs across the plate. As is well known in baseball, you can't win if you don't score more than your opponent. You could look it up.
Rise in Home Runs Surrendered
For whatver reason, balls are flying out of the park faster than you can say "Not again!" Needless to say, this increase in home runs by opposing teams (which leads NL pitching staffs), has contributed mightily to more than a few freaking Phillies losses. It would be nice to see fewer homers surrendered, guys. Just sayin'
Geographic Consternation
No. Can't say it again. It aggravates me. Please see the "Away Games Operational Performance" section under "Strengths" - you get the idea.
Opportunities
* Expansion into American League Markets
* Positive Outlook for Second Half of Season
* Leading In All-Star Voting
Expansion into American League Markets
This could have been a positive area for the Phillies, but noooo....they lose two of three to Boston, three to Toronto, three to Baltimore (!), two of three to Tampa Bay and then, by some too late miracle, take two of three from Toronto. Maybe this section should have been under the "Weaknesses" heading.
Positive Outlook for Second Half of Season
Holy crap! Could it get much worse? If not for the Mets injuries and their overall ability to match the Phillies crappy loss to teams they should be beating, the season would be shaping up quite differently. With any luck, the Phillies will get to the All-Star break and get things together. Then a nice 10 of 12 win streak would go nicely to help increase the division lead.
There is also talk in Pennsylvania of having the Phillies play the Nationals for the remainder of the season. Hey, it sounds good to me. The Phillies own them, after all. Oh right - like you wouldn't want that for your team. Fine - so there's no discussion like that going on. But there should be.
Leading In All-Star Voting
Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez are leading at their positions. Nice job, voters. For once, you got it right. Not that the All-Star game means anything, but go ahead and win it anyway, NL. Just in case. Nice rule, Selig, you...
Threats
* Playing the Mets
* Playing the American League
* The Pitching Staff
* Not Scoring Enough Runs
* Playing Home Games
Look, this has gone on long enough. Suffice it to say that they don't play well against the Mets; they suck ass against the American League; the Pitching Staff gives up too many homers, too many runs and needs to have more quality starts; the offense is often guilty of leaving too many frigging men on base; and they stink on ice at home. What more do you want? If you read any of this, you'd know all this already!
Note : The author should have used a wide range of research methods to gather and verify his information. These would have included sports related web sites, team websites, written reports on the teams and press releases. The author lazily contented himself with cursory checks of data on ESPN's web site.
Monday, June 29, 2009
2008 World (you know) Champions: The Sequel
Yes, it's the summer movie season, and like most summers, there are plenty of movies to see, including a few sequels.
Unfortunately, also just like most summers, there are some really tired and unappealing offerings in the theaters.
I was high on the new release 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. It looked like a sure thing... and then the movie season started. But before we get into that, let's have a look at some of the other contenders in this summer's movie mix.
* 2009 Tampa Bay Rays - currently ranked 4th in the AL East box office. Has a chance to put on a summer surge and move up a few spots, though.
* 2009 Boston Red Sox - This franchise is on it's 5th sequel, and has hit the top of the money list twice. It came close to the top spot last year, but fell to a somewhat disappointing 3rd on the list.
* 2009 New York Yankees - Almost not worthy of making mention, but since this franchise always stirs the pot, I'll dash off a few words about it. Since finishing 2nd in the AL East box office in 2007, and falling off the list following the release of that year's surprise hit the Cleveland Indians last year's Yankees opus floundered to a not-really-even-that-close 3rd place in 2008.
You can always count on silly and unwanted drama when talking about the Yankees. Studio heads made the questionable - and in hindsight BAD (although many critics, including yours truly questioned this decision the second it was made) - decision to replace Oscar (R)-winning director Joe Torre with the unproven and volatile Joe Girardi.
Let's just say that the jury is still out, but it looks like the 2009 Yankees will be a make-or-break outing for Mr. Girardi. My money is on the Yankees making yet another directorial change in 2010. Unless Girardi is replaced before the 2009 sequel's run is even completed - a very likely possibility. He's over budget, and behind schedule. And the money men are not known for their patience... or judgment.
* 2009 Phillies - Where to begin? Some sequels just suck. This one looks to be the most disappointing of all. They stink on ice in home theaters and can eke out a good performance the further they are away from tinseltown. Sure, the original had all the right elements - timely performances, career making effort and just the right amount of luck.
But this film has been out for over two months now, and except for a strong showing the week of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets releases about two weeks ago, this sad sequel has been on autopilot... and all the instruments are dead.
There are plot holes you could drive a truck through, there are few compelling characters besides Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez and they can't seem to draw at the box office with any consistency. Add in the .217 lead off weekend that started in Rollinsville and the 86 strikeout fiasco in Howard County and you've got a flop in the making.
Is there hope for the 2009 Phillies sequel? Many experts (not yours truly) didn't think this film would even compete for 2nd place in the NL East box office. But this plucky film has managed to hang in there, holding on to a slim lead over the aforementioned Mets, who have put together an equally inept film.
Like the Phillies, The Mets flick consistently fails to capitalize on opportunities. For three weekends, the Phillies couldn't buy a win. They lost money and moviegoers to the Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn't even close.
But the Mets, looking like they are headed for a third consecutive poor showing (how did the first sequel get a green light, let alone this one?), were only able to scratch out modest wins while the Phillies floundered in pathetically spectacular fashion.
Back to the Phillies now. It would be refreshing to see some fundamental changes made to the marketing efforts of the Phillies. PR Manager Charlie Manuel has stuck with the same tired formula through thick and thin. Even tonight, leaving the plan intact, to the tune of 0-5, in effect dropping the weekly take to .214. It almost seems like they are TRYING to lose money.
Going with the guy who brung ya is noble, and justifiable when that guy wins an Oscar (R) and gives you great returns like .296, 30 and 94 in the start of the lineup. But when it dips to .277, 11 and 59, and then plummets to the putrid levels that have been on display thus far... it's time to seriously consider a change. Maybe shake up the lineup a bit. Move some folks around.
As badly as the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies have played, it's still tops in the NL East box office. But it's way past time to stop remembering how great the 2008 film was and focus on the 2009 edition.
It's not too late. All of these films are still competing for the moviegoers dollars and the coveted Oscar (R). It's anyone's game. If the Phillies can get their crap together, they have a very good chance of making a run at the type of earnings they had last year. Imagine that, a sequel worth seeing. Two thumbs up.
Originally posted on armchairgm on June 24, 2009.
Unfortunately, also just like most summers, there are some really tired and unappealing offerings in the theaters.
I was high on the new release 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. It looked like a sure thing... and then the movie season started. But before we get into that, let's have a look at some of the other contenders in this summer's movie mix.
* 2009 Tampa Bay Rays - currently ranked 4th in the AL East box office. Has a chance to put on a summer surge and move up a few spots, though.
* 2009 Boston Red Sox - This franchise is on it's 5th sequel, and has hit the top of the money list twice. It came close to the top spot last year, but fell to a somewhat disappointing 3rd on the list.
* 2009 New York Yankees - Almost not worthy of making mention, but since this franchise always stirs the pot, I'll dash off a few words about it. Since finishing 2nd in the AL East box office in 2007, and falling off the list following the release of that year's surprise hit the Cleveland Indians last year's Yankees opus floundered to a not-really-even-that-close 3rd place in 2008.
You can always count on silly and unwanted drama when talking about the Yankees. Studio heads made the questionable - and in hindsight BAD (although many critics, including yours truly questioned this decision the second it was made) - decision to replace Oscar (R)-winning director Joe Torre with the unproven and volatile Joe Girardi.
Let's just say that the jury is still out, but it looks like the 2009 Yankees will be a make-or-break outing for Mr. Girardi. My money is on the Yankees making yet another directorial change in 2010. Unless Girardi is replaced before the 2009 sequel's run is even completed - a very likely possibility. He's over budget, and behind schedule. And the money men are not known for their patience... or judgment.
* 2009 Phillies - Where to begin? Some sequels just suck. This one looks to be the most disappointing of all. They stink on ice in home theaters and can eke out a good performance the further they are away from tinseltown. Sure, the original had all the right elements - timely performances, career making effort and just the right amount of luck.
But this film has been out for over two months now, and except for a strong showing the week of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets releases about two weeks ago, this sad sequel has been on autopilot... and all the instruments are dead.
There are plot holes you could drive a truck through, there are few compelling characters besides Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez and they can't seem to draw at the box office with any consistency. Add in the .217 lead off weekend that started in Rollinsville and the 86 strikeout fiasco in Howard County and you've got a flop in the making.
Is there hope for the 2009 Phillies sequel? Many experts (not yours truly) didn't think this film would even compete for 2nd place in the NL East box office. But this plucky film has managed to hang in there, holding on to a slim lead over the aforementioned Mets, who have put together an equally inept film.
Like the Phillies, The Mets flick consistently fails to capitalize on opportunities. For three weekends, the Phillies couldn't buy a win. They lost money and moviegoers to the Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn't even close.
But the Mets, looking like they are headed for a third consecutive poor showing (how did the first sequel get a green light, let alone this one?), were only able to scratch out modest wins while the Phillies floundered in pathetically spectacular fashion.
Back to the Phillies now. It would be refreshing to see some fundamental changes made to the marketing efforts of the Phillies. PR Manager Charlie Manuel has stuck with the same tired formula through thick and thin. Even tonight, leaving the plan intact, to the tune of 0-5, in effect dropping the weekly take to .214. It almost seems like they are TRYING to lose money.
Going with the guy who brung ya is noble, and justifiable when that guy wins an Oscar (R) and gives you great returns like .296, 30 and 94 in the start of the lineup. But when it dips to .277, 11 and 59, and then plummets to the putrid levels that have been on display thus far... it's time to seriously consider a change. Maybe shake up the lineup a bit. Move some folks around.
As badly as the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies have played, it's still tops in the NL East box office. But it's way past time to stop remembering how great the 2008 film was and focus on the 2009 edition.
It's not too late. All of these films are still competing for the moviegoers dollars and the coveted Oscar (R). It's anyone's game. If the Phillies can get their crap together, they have a very good chance of making a run at the type of earnings they had last year. Imagine that, a sequel worth seeing. Two thumbs up.
Originally posted on armchairgm on June 24, 2009.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Phillies Pitching Settles In; And Some Offense Never Hurts...
Well, let's see...earlier, I complained about the Phillies and their lack of solid pitching. Now that they've rattled off four consecutive wins with some decent pitching outings, I might have to change my tune a bit.
Last week hit a lot of bad notes, starting with Brett Myers' thoroughly wretched line against the Marlins:
Ugh. Enough to make you want to freakin' hurl. Five earned runs on seven hits and two homers surrendered. Then add the lackluster offensive performanace: eight hits and two solo homers accounting for whatver signs of life the Phils had (and there were not many) in a 6-2 loss. To a pitcher (Burke Badenhop) who has a grand total of five wins (and five losses) in his career. Emetic.
And then the news that we will be losing Myers for the season? Not exactly like losing Steve Carlton, I admit, but the Phillies losing any pitcher with an ERA less than 8 can't be a good thing.
Cue Sj-rantocycloid....
But wait, what's this? Here come the Nationals. But not so fast, my friend. The Phils have proven that they are quite capable of losing to teams they should be beating. Remember a two game sweep against the Padres earlier this season?
But what happens? JA Happ throws a gem and the Phils get a tight 5-4 win over Washington.
Well, it's not a 2-hit shutout with 9 Ks, but for a Phillies pitcher, it's pretty damned good. And - look at that - offense! Thanks, All-Star Raul Ibanez and your two RBI. Hey Phils - see what can happen when you score some runs?
Next up - a bit of a slugfest, but the Phils come out on top, registering a 9-6 win punctuated by two Ryan Howard homers (one a grand slam) and an RBI courtesy of pitcher Cole Hamels.
His line was a bit rough, but it was good enough for the win. And he's the only pitcher I'm not concerned about, so we'll move on to the next game now.
And the sixth time is the charm, as the Ancient Mariner Jamie Moyer nails down that elusive 250th win. Moyer surrendered one run, but other than that, a very good outing:
And this game was just what the doctor ordered. Chase Utley drove in a run in the bottom of the 1st, and Chris Coste added a homer in the 2nd to give Moyer the early lead. It's a formula that works. I am hoping to see more of this concoction as the season goes on.
Finally, we get to Joe Blanton, who has struggled a bit this year. And lo and behold, here's his stellar line from a 5-3 win over the Padres:
I could have done without the two homers (I'm sure Blanton would say the same thing), but if you give up 3 runs in the MLB, you should still reasonably expect to have a fighting chance to win. Utley and Howard provided just the right kind of offense: the home run kind. Utley drove in two runs, and joined Howard in a back-to-back extravaganza.
All this coupled with some Mets losses, and all is right in the NL East again. Thank you, Pirates!
Now that the pitching and hitting seem to be working hand-in-hand, I seem to have run out of things to moan about. Not to worry - this is the Phillies we're talking about. They never seem to go too long without giving me something to bitch about.
And tonight - A debut outing for Antonio Bastardo against the crafty veteran Jake Peavy. Sounds like good fun to me. Go Pirates! And more importantly - go Phils! Don't change a thing.
Last week hit a lot of bad notes, starting with Brett Myers' thoroughly wretched line against the Marlins:
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
5.2 7 5 5 1 3 2 94-57 4.66
Ugh. Enough to make you want to freakin' hurl. Five earned runs on seven hits and two homers surrendered. Then add the lackluster offensive performanace: eight hits and two solo homers accounting for whatver signs of life the Phils had (and there were not many) in a 6-2 loss. To a pitcher (Burke Badenhop) who has a grand total of five wins (and five losses) in his career. Emetic.
And then the news that we will be losing Myers for the season? Not exactly like losing Steve Carlton, I admit, but the Phillies losing any pitcher with an ERA less than 8 can't be a good thing.
Cue Sj-rantocycloid....
But wait, what's this? Here come the Nationals. But not so fast, my friend. The Phils have proven that they are quite capable of losing to teams they should be beating. Remember a two game sweep against the Padres earlier this season?
But what happens? JA Happ throws a gem and the Phils get a tight 5-4 win over Washington.
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
5.1 3 3 3 3 5 1 96-62 3.00
Well, it's not a 2-hit shutout with 9 Ks, but for a Phillies pitcher, it's pretty damned good. And - look at that - offense! Thanks, All-Star Raul Ibanez and your two RBI. Hey Phils - see what can happen when you score some runs?
Next up - a bit of a slugfest, but the Phils come out on top, registering a 9-6 win punctuated by two Ryan Howard homers (one a grand slam) and an RBI courtesy of pitcher Cole Hamels.
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
6.0 8 6 6 1 7 1 104-67 5.21
His line was a bit rough, but it was good enough for the win. And he's the only pitcher I'm not concerned about, so we'll move on to the next game now.
And the sixth time is the charm, as the Ancient Mariner Jamie Moyer nails down that elusive 250th win. Moyer surrendered one run, but other than that, a very good outing:
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
6.0 3 1 1 0 4 1 102-62 6.75
And this game was just what the doctor ordered. Chase Utley drove in a run in the bottom of the 1st, and Chris Coste added a homer in the 2nd to give Moyer the early lead. It's a formula that works. I am hoping to see more of this concoction as the season goes on.
Finally, we get to Joe Blanton, who has struggled a bit this year. And lo and behold, here's his stellar line from a 5-3 win over the Padres:
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
7.0 6 3 3 1 5 2 95-62 5.86
I could have done without the two homers (I'm sure Blanton would say the same thing), but if you give up 3 runs in the MLB, you should still reasonably expect to have a fighting chance to win. Utley and Howard provided just the right kind of offense: the home run kind. Utley drove in two runs, and joined Howard in a back-to-back extravaganza.
All this coupled with some Mets losses, and all is right in the NL East again. Thank you, Pirates!
Now that the pitching and hitting seem to be working hand-in-hand, I seem to have run out of things to moan about. Not to worry - this is the Phillies we're talking about. They never seem to go too long without giving me something to bitch about.
And tonight - A debut outing for Antonio Bastardo against the crafty veteran Jake Peavy. Sounds like good fun to me. Go Pirates! And more importantly - go Phils! Don't change a thing.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
ESPN Scooped! News Related To Brett Favre "Retirement" That You Will Only Read About Here
Madden out of retirement!
That's right folks. Now that Brett Favre (TM) has indicated that he may be returning to the NFL, John Madden has indicated he will return to broadcasting. However, he has stated that he will only be available to broadcast Minnesota Vikings games...or "whatever freaking team Favre winds up on this time," the great broadcaster was quoted as saying. "There's no better quarterback than Brett Favre (TM)."
Madden 2010 - Discontinued If No Favre
Spokespeople for John Madden have indicated that Mr. Madden is prepared to sit out the 2010 gaming season if Brett Favre (TM) remains retired. "We just can't see the point of even having the game available if the greatest living football ambassador will not even be available to shill the game," the gaming genius said in a statement. No word from the Favre camp on rumors that Brett Favre (TM) was insisting that the game - and certain key elements of the game - would have to be modified if Favre were to be expected to continue to lend his likeness to the game. No details were available at press time.
All-Madden Team Now Will Be All-Favre Team
Brett Favre (TM) is taking over! CBS has announced that even if Madden comes out of retirement, the All-Madden team will cease to be. But fear not, sports fans! It will be replaced with the newer, hipper All-Favre (TM) team! CBS spokesman Al Michaels told us that "it was time for a change. I mean really - the All-Madden team? Everyone knows if it weren't for Brett Favre (TM), there would be no All-Madden team."
Steve Madden to market new footwear, called the Favre
A Google search reveals this about Steve Madden's product lines: "With enough attitude for even the sassiest fashion diva and the most discriminating and stylish men..." and he means it. What you won't find in your search, however is that Madden (Steve) and Brett Favre (TM) are in talks to release a new shoe called "The Favre."
It will be available in stylish green and white (no, it's not Yellow! bellows the high quality catalog (printed on recyclable paper, of course)), with shoelaces that have every NFL teams colors on them (just in case). The shoes will cost $44 each and will come with a cool sticker that has a Calvin & Hobbes-like drawing of #4 peeing on a Green Bay Packer helmet.
But you must act quickly, as the shoe will be retired at the end of this NFL season. Or...will it? ;-) Mr. Madden (Steve) was not available for comment.
Wrangler vs. Lee
Brett Favre (TM) has released a statement saying he will be retiring from the business of advertising jeans. It was reported last fall that Favre felt that "that ship had sailed." Relations between Favre and Wrangler were strained when it was reported in "Retire?" magazine that a highly placed Wrangler executive was photographed wearing a #4 Packer replica jersey at a golf outing. Favre was reportedly so upset that he couldn't even focus on retiring during his tenure with the Jets and accidently played the whole 16-game schedule.
What you didn't hear in "Retire?" magazine was that the Favre camp have been in talks with the Lee Jeans Company since August 2008, trying to convince the devil-may-care Favre to jump ship and schill Lee Jeans. Word outta Kiln is that the two sides are very close to announcing a deal! Watch this space...
There's Something about Mary - Favre Wants Famous Scene To Be Removed
Astonishing, isn't it? The hilarious scene that proved once and for all that nobody really knew how to pronounce the name Brett Favre (TM) is to be excised from the film "There's Something About Mary" and will be used in the next Judd Apatow film. Mr. Apatow had no comment. Favre did, but it was nothing you haven't heard before. He just used a comment he'd made after a 2003 Packers/Bears game, and simply changed a few nouns and verbs to describe this bombshell.
When we hear more, you can be sure you'll hear it here first!
Brett Favre (TM) Reportedly Wants "revenge" on Green Bay
Yes, Yahoo reported that Brett Favre (TM) is seeking re-entry to the NFL to gain revenge on the team that made his career possible in the first place. His plan is simple - he will tire out the Green Bay secondary by throwing six "pick six" interceptions in first half of each Viking/Packer game, thereby enabling All-Pro running back Adrian Petersen more room to run. Head Coach Brad Childress bristled when a reporter asked him if even Petersen could overcome a 42-0 first half defecit by himself.
That's right folks. Now that Brett Favre (TM) has indicated that he may be returning to the NFL, John Madden has indicated he will return to broadcasting. However, he has stated that he will only be available to broadcast Minnesota Vikings games...or "whatever freaking team Favre winds up on this time," the great broadcaster was quoted as saying. "There's no better quarterback than Brett Favre (TM)."
Madden 2010 - Discontinued If No Favre
Spokespeople for John Madden have indicated that Mr. Madden is prepared to sit out the 2010 gaming season if Brett Favre (TM) remains retired. "We just can't see the point of even having the game available if the greatest living football ambassador will not even be available to shill the game," the gaming genius said in a statement. No word from the Favre camp on rumors that Brett Favre (TM) was insisting that the game - and certain key elements of the game - would have to be modified if Favre were to be expected to continue to lend his likeness to the game. No details were available at press time.
All-Madden Team Now Will Be All-Favre Team
Brett Favre (TM) is taking over! CBS has announced that even if Madden comes out of retirement, the All-Madden team will cease to be. But fear not, sports fans! It will be replaced with the newer, hipper All-Favre (TM) team! CBS spokesman Al Michaels told us that "it was time for a change. I mean really - the All-Madden team? Everyone knows if it weren't for Brett Favre (TM), there would be no All-Madden team."
Steve Madden to market new footwear, called the Favre
A Google search reveals this about Steve Madden's product lines: "With enough attitude for even the sassiest fashion diva and the most discriminating and stylish men..." and he means it. What you won't find in your search, however is that Madden (Steve) and Brett Favre (TM) are in talks to release a new shoe called "The Favre."
It will be available in stylish green and white (no, it's not Yellow! bellows the high quality catalog (printed on recyclable paper, of course)), with shoelaces that have every NFL teams colors on them (just in case). The shoes will cost $44 each and will come with a cool sticker that has a Calvin & Hobbes-like drawing of #4 peeing on a Green Bay Packer helmet.
But you must act quickly, as the shoe will be retired at the end of this NFL season. Or...will it? ;-) Mr. Madden (Steve) was not available for comment.
Wrangler vs. Lee
Brett Favre (TM) has released a statement saying he will be retiring from the business of advertising jeans. It was reported last fall that Favre felt that "that ship had sailed." Relations between Favre and Wrangler were strained when it was reported in "Retire?" magazine that a highly placed Wrangler executive was photographed wearing a #4 Packer replica jersey at a golf outing. Favre was reportedly so upset that he couldn't even focus on retiring during his tenure with the Jets and accidently played the whole 16-game schedule.
What you didn't hear in "Retire?" magazine was that the Favre camp have been in talks with the Lee Jeans Company since August 2008, trying to convince the devil-may-care Favre to jump ship and schill Lee Jeans. Word outta Kiln is that the two sides are very close to announcing a deal! Watch this space...
There's Something about Mary - Favre Wants Famous Scene To Be Removed
Astonishing, isn't it? The hilarious scene that proved once and for all that nobody really knew how to pronounce the name Brett Favre (TM) is to be excised from the film "There's Something About Mary" and will be used in the next Judd Apatow film. Mr. Apatow had no comment. Favre did, but it was nothing you haven't heard before. He just used a comment he'd made after a 2003 Packers/Bears game, and simply changed a few nouns and verbs to describe this bombshell.
When we hear more, you can be sure you'll hear it here first!
Brett Favre (TM) Reportedly Wants "revenge" on Green Bay
Yes, Yahoo reported that Brett Favre (TM) is seeking re-entry to the NFL to gain revenge on the team that made his career possible in the first place. His plan is simple - he will tire out the Green Bay secondary by throwing six "pick six" interceptions in first half of each Viking/Packer game, thereby enabling All-Pro running back Adrian Petersen more room to run. Head Coach Brad Childress bristled when a reporter asked him if even Petersen could overcome a 42-0 first half defecit by himself.
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