Baseball Alignment

Fay Vincent needs to enjoy his retirement and stay off the mic like Curt Shilling.  Let me tell you why?  Mark Cuban is a good owner and so are the Steinbrenners.  What may seem like an ok comment makes me laugh.  Each team can spend money on their team, they just don't.  Let's look back at the old Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.  When they put a good team on the field the fans came to the park.  I knkow players seem to make a lot more these days but they are also under a rookie contract for a lot longer than most sports.  Ryan Howard was drafted in 2001, he got a big pay day in 2010.  Lebron has recieved two big pays in that time.  NFL rookies are getting bigger contracts and they haven't even played. 

I heard that Fay Vincent said, "Winning isn't everything".  I heard someone say one time, when I heard this before, "that's what a loser says".  Winning isn't everything, but that is what we attempt to do.  You just can't spend money and hope you win, but you can spend money for your fans for a better team on the field.  The Yankees have spent money on their teams but they also helped teams out of the red by taking over their stupid mistakes.  Take a look at Sheffield, Brown, and A-Rod.  Brown was on the Dodgers and they gave Brown the money first.  A-Rod was on the Rangers and they gave him the money first.  Sheffield was on the Padres and they gave him the money first.  Throwing money in the air does not make a winner, because teams and certain players win games.  Having Jeter and the core guys on the field won the Yankees Championships in the late 90's.  Sorry Joe, but players win Championships.  Winning is everything and that is what you want to achieve. 

Let's be honest.  I have said it many times before, "football would not be as popular without gambling". 

I would like to see re-alignment and for every team to play each other.  This would make new rivalries.  It would also make the season more fun for fans, they would get to see all the players.  The All-Star game would be a better game because fans would see players they don't normally see.

Fay Vincent and Curt Shilling should enjoy their retirement and stay off the mic.  Thank you.

Quit booing Cole Hamels

I'm sure not everybody at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night booed Cole Hamels. But enough people did boo him for Paul Hagan of the Daily News to write a story about it.  Many fans say things like, "I paid my money, I'm allowed to boo whoever I want."

That's very true...but if you did boo it just shows what an idiot you are.  I mean, what's the point in booing him because the Mets hit him around after his first start of the year?

Does it show your outrage that the Phillies now won't go 162-0?  Are you trying to maintain the image of Philly fans being so "tough"?  Or are you just plain stupid and think Cole Hamels is an over-rated pitcher?

I'm not sure what the deal is with that. 

Cole Hamels has something both Roy Halliday and Cliff Lee DO NOT have, a World Series ring. He also dominated that World Series and was named series M.V.P.

Roy Halliday is the best pitcher in basebal...period.  Of course you'll support him.  Cliff Lee is a monster competitor, and he wants to play here in front of you fans. Of course you'll support him too.  

But Cole Hamels helped bring you a championship. He already did it. How can you not support him??

Another thing about booing, you do it toward the opposing team...not your own.  Nobody gets booed and says, "Gee, the fans are upset. I should play better next time." All you do is turn the player off to the fans.

Players will always say the "right" thing like, "Those fans are tough, but they are demanding. I respect that about them." That's a blatant line of crap.  Players and coaches do not respect fans like that. In fact, they know that most of the time only the dumb fans are the ones booing and they have almost zero respect for those types of fans.

In the words of Chase Utley after fans booed his introduction at the All-Star Game,  "Boo me...?  BLEEP you!"

You tell baseball the Phillies are coming, and they’re bringing hell with them…  

The weather stinks…so what? Shut up and enjoy your team.

I’m sorry cloudy skies and a few flurries have spoiled your perfect beginning to a perfect season. I suppose Roy Halliday was going to pitch a perfect game again today in 75 degree weather in order to announce the Phillies are about to reclaim their glory.

I like that it’s a cloudy, ominous opening day. I want the clouds to follow the Phillies all year long Because the Red Storm is coming… to each and every ballpark in the National League. That’s how I go into a season like this as a Philies fan… with a huge chip on my shoulder.

We haven’t won in three years and I’m not having it. If Philadelphia fans are supposed to be have the reputation of being so demanding (which is well deserved in my opinion) then you have to push this squad to be, not just very good, but to be a champion.

 I get tired of the underdog, blue collar label that comes with being from Philadelphia. The old, “We might not win every year, but we never quit.”

Rocky Balboa my ass… That’s not good enough! I want to win… every year.

 There is a good reason people hate franchises that win all the time.

People hate the Yankees.

People hate the Cowboys.

People hate Duke.

Because, at one time, teams like that have established themselves as teams that expect to win it all.

My philosophy has always been simple; if you hate them that much then figure out a way to beat them. That’s all it takes.

 I don’t ever want to watch another Championship Series where the Phillies get beat by the likes of that long haired “freak” pitcher Tim Lincecum, Parker Posey and Cody Ross.

Cody freaking Ross…?

That fat Kung-Fu Panda Sandoval.

That Shoe polish beard closer Wilson.

 Pat Burrell challenging Roy Halliday…? Are you kidding me?

 That was a nightmare to watch. The Phillies lost that series on a lack of swagger. They didn’t crush that punk-ass team like a champion should. Cliff Lee is back, that should help in that area. He has swagger even when he gets lit up by another team. And he wants to be here… that’s all I need to know. That’s what I want to see this year…swagger. That and a championship.

The Giants, Really

Yes, the Giants.  The Giants played the best, at the best time.  If you think the Yankees, Phillies or the Rangers deserved it more, I think you might want to see who is holding the trophy. 

I don't think the Giants are the best team on paper, but paper does not play the game.  Good for the Giants.  I look at their stats and actually laugh.  They only scored when they had runners on base.  Their average was poor, but they scored when they needed to score.  Their pitching showed up and their bats showed up when they needed to.  You might think that players would rather have better stats but the only thing that really matters is the trophy. 

Look at Pat Burrell.  He had a terrible World Series, but he helped them along the way to get there.  I have seen stats about players that have had great stats all their career and still no rings.  I think they would trade that for a longer season and a ring.  Just so you know, Pat Burrell has two rings now.  Ask Pat if he would like to be on that powerful team called the Rays right now.  Ask Ross if he would like to be on the Marlins?  I would agree that the Giants team on paper is ok, and not a World Series team.  I did see something called the World Series this week and I think it was won by the Giants, I guess paper is just paper.  Also, look at some of the players the Giants had on the bench.  It was more than other teams payroll.  It is a long season, and just remember the Giants are the ones on top.  They deserve it, Good Job. 

Instant Replay

Again we have to talk about instant replay.  Let's do this.  This year I saw the Little League World Series and I saw a good system for instant replay for baseball.  Wow, the Little League does it again.  They show us how to play the game. 

First of all, I am not a huge fan of instant replay, but I did like the way they did it.  Why am I not a fan of instant replay?  People are never happy.  Once you do one thing, fans will want more.  I think balls and strikes should not be on instant replay.  Football still has not got instant replay right.  We keep on blaming baseball for their flaws, but do you realize that there is a penalty on every play in football.  Take a real look at the game like you do in baseball.  I watch the game for what it is.  Take a look at Revis on the Jets.  How many times does he pull on a jersey of a receiver?  How many times do the refs catch that?  Don't misunderstand me, Revis is not the only one that does it.  I don't want people to think that I think Revis is the only one.  I know there will be people out there that say that I don't like the Jets. 

Secondly, Baseball is playing a great postseason and fans are missing it.  Pitching performances are amazing.  I know that people want to see the Yankees loss, but they are the better team.  I want to see them match up against the Rangers.  Can you see Lee vs. Sabathia again?  I know that is something I want to see.  Can you imagine the rotation of the Giants vs the rotation of the Phillies? 

Instant replay can be used but understand it's not going to make everyone happy.  Enjoy the games, instant replay is not here, so get over it.  If you are a player, you can only play the game.  If you let the umpires get in your head, you will lose every time.  The manager needs to tell his players, you have to play the game that makes us win. 

World Champions

The Phillies are World Champions

Where to start?  Jimmy Rollins promised a 100 wins and he and the 2008 Phillies gave us 103 wins.  I don't care if he meant the regular season or not, let's not worry about that.  The season is also the playoffs to me.  What can you say about this team?  I will tell you, I enjoyed this season and I know a lot of other people did too. 

There was a lot that happened inside the season for this team, and things will be different next year.  Do you remember Shane throwing out a Braves player at home?  Do you remember Jimmy and Chase turning a double play to clinch the division?  Do you remember Werth hitting a homerun against the Brewers?  Do you remember Stairs hitting the homerun against the Dodgers?  How big was Pat, Pedro, and Jenkins this series?  Hamels, Utley, Howard, Myers, Moyer, Kenrick, Blanton, Ruiz, Coste, and the rest of the team has given us a season to remember.  Lidge was lights out for the season.  This team can be known as the World Series team of 2008 and it was a great run.  Pat the bat, what will happen to Pat next year? 

I don't like to think about next year, because this is the team that brought so much happiness to the area.  No, it was not the Eagles, Sixers or the Flyers, it was the Phillies.  The 2008 Phillies have made this town change it's colors to red.  Do you know what just happened?  Can you believe it happened?  Talking to people around town, they know it happened, but they still can not believe it happened.  The Phillies are the Champions, just had to say it again.  Last year, they lose to the Rockies, and the two years before that they lose at the end of the year to not make the playoffs.  It is not easy to play this game, and this season was anything but easy on the team and the fans.  I know I am hearing that Mitch Williams is off the hook, but do you remember how much he did for that team.  He was never really the problem and people did him wrong for years.  There is no curse on any team, you just have to win when needed.  The only stat that matters is being the World Champs.  Runners in scoring position is a stat that makes me laugh.  You have to hit to have runners in scoring position.  This team should change the mentality of the town.  Charlie Manuel:  Do you like him now?  You can say what you want, but he is the coach of the World Champions and no one can take that away from him.  I heard people talk about him all the time, but I don't want to hear anything anymore.  Every coach makes a bad call every once in awhile.  He hit Jenkins instead of Dobbs and I heard alot of noise about that, but Jenkins hit a double.  If it did not work, I would have heard it from fans.  I like Charlie because he makes his players believe in themselves.  The Phillies are the World Champions, WOW.  If the players got any sleep last night and they are waking up today, they should feel a little different today.  Hey Jimmy, you are the team to beat next year.  You and the team deserve this, and we as fans appreciate what you have done.  You guys say you did it for the fans, but you guys did it for yourselves.  You guys had an amazing season and you need to know that from a fan..... 

THANK YOU FOR 2008

The Negative Talk Stops HERE!!!!

Runners left on base, not good, I know. The Phillies took 1 out of 2 in Tampa, that is good. Hits will come and come at the right time, just wait and see. I am starting to understand that people are too negative and Philly Does Need Intervention. The negative talk stops here. The Phillies are coming home and they will take 2 of 3 in Philly and they will take 1 out of 2 in Tampa and they will be World Series champs. I usually do not say things these things but I feel it. They took 1 out of 2 and they really did not click as a team. The fans of Philly need to show the Phillies that they are behind the Fightin Phils. Yes, the fans need to know the players want to hear you and hear you loud. I am tired of hearing cow bells. The fans of Philly do not need cow bells to generate noise. They will make their own noise and it will be cheers louder than any other sports team has ever heard in their lives. Citizens Bank will be louder than they can be when the Phils come to town. The negative talk stops here! The Phils are coming and the fans need to be behind them 100%.

I heard people last night at the bar I work at talking negative and saying here we go again. This is a different ball club than years past, stop with the negative talk. Rollins is slumping I know, and that is going to change. I have the confidence that Rollins will do the job. I know that FOX is talking up the Rays like they are a new stud team, but they are not a team that can not be beat. The fans there have to generate noise with cow bells, they can not make their own noise. If the Phils don't come out strong, I don't want to hear boo's, I want to hear the fans behind their team. Yes, this is your team. This is the Philadelphia Phillies of 2008 and they are a team that needs your support. This is the World Series! Did you not hear me? This is the World Series. I don't care how old your are, I want you to make more noise than you ever have. I wish I could afford a ticket to one of these games. I would start making noise at the first pitch and I would not stop until Lidge gets the last guy out. This is your team... Stop the negative talk, they need your support. This is now a 5 game series and the Phils have home field advantage.

.......GO PHILS........

.....DID YOU HEAR ME.....

...LETS GO PHILLIES...

....Where ever you are say it loud....

The Phils and Rays

They are both up 3-1 in their series, wow!  Did you think you would ever see this happen?  The way these games are going it's a shock.  The Phillies are coming back and winning it in later innings and the Rays are blowing away the Red Sox.  It does not matter how you win, as long as you win. 

If you are a Phillies fan, you might be a little worried and happy at the same time.  You are happy to see the Phillies win but you are worried because how the Rays are winning.  Should you be worried?  Can the Rays keep it up all the way through the World Series?  The past will say no!  The past will say teams have games like these and than can not find it the next couple of games.  Whatever happened to good pitching beats good hitting.  That is one comment in baseball that I have never really cared for.  I was a pitcher and I never liked that comment.  There were days that I thought I was ready to pitch and I thought my stuff was good, and I lost.  I don't think it's the other way around, either.   I think whoever wins that day just won.  If the bats meet the ball that day, you win.  If the bats avoid the ball, you lose.  Pitching a good game is only determined if you win.  I know people will tell me that a starter can pitch a good game and lose, but that is the bullpen.  As a starter, I always wanted to pitch until the game was won.  You need your teammates to play good in the field, also.  Baseball is a funny game.  A inch can determine if you hit a homerun or a ground out.  Right now the Rays are hitting the ball better than anyone can but you never know what can happen.  The Phillies are just hitting at the right time.  Will they both finish their series in 5 games, I don't know, but I know I will be watching.  The media will say that baseball would rather see the Red Sox and the Dodgers, but I know two states that might say different.  I might even say three states.  I know New Yorkers would like to see the Rays win it.  I know I would like to see the Rays and the Phillies, too.  These are two teams with different backgrounds but a lot of stories.  The Phillies have not been there since 93, and the Rays are a young team that has never been there.  Will fans watch it?  If they don't, too bad for them.  I think this will be a great series to watch if the Rays and the Phillies play.  They both have a lot of young stars that are hungry to win a Championship.  Who will win?  That is an answer that will be determined by the players on the field.   

Sluggish Start

The Phillies are off to the same sluggish start. Yes, it's only been two series, but the pattern is familiar.  Bullpen blows a game...hitters don't come through...Ace of the staff is still searching for his best stuff.  Well relax.... here's what the Phillies need to do:

In the first twenty-five games, please be at least be .500.  This is especially true this year because nobody in the division has started off 8-0 or something like that.  That's key. 

Speaking of the first twenty-five games, the Phillies play two series against the Mets in that time. Try to at least split those games against them. That's the measuring stick in that division.  Nothing really happens until June anyway.  Win in June and see what happens.  We talk more then........ Just stay healthy.

What type of Phillies fan are you?

Every time opening day rolls around I think to myself, "Man, is it baseball season already?"  If you've ever been to an opening day game, it usually not baseball weather. It reminds you of little league or  Legion baseball, when you start practice in mid-March and you are wearing two sweat shirts under another shirt and your hands sting with pain every time you catch a fastball or make contact with your aluminum bat.  You go home and your hands are throbbing, swollen and red and you think, "Geez, I hope it's warmer than 40 degrees tomorrow."

It's tough to think about baseball when the final four is this weekend, the NHL playoffs are next week and the NBA is going down the stretch run.   But the hard core Phillies fan is ready for the season. 

How about a die-hard Phillies fan... are you one of those?   The type of fan who still thinks they have a chance to win the division even when they are down by 15 games in June.  "If they can just hold-on until (insert starting pitcher) comes back..they'll be ready to make their run."  Or..the (insert more talented team) are going to choke, it's only a matter of time...then the NL East will be ours!"  These fans won't concede until the actual math says, "Yo, the fightin Phils are out."

Then there is the front runner fan. The one who wakes up one day in July and reads the paper and says, " Hey, the Phillies have won six in a row and are only two games out the wildcard. I think I'll go to the game Friday night.  Is it Dollar Dog night??" (Besides, The Eagles don't report to Lehigh for two more weeks.)

Finally, there is the fan who finds out at the water cooler that the Phillies made the playoffs and wants to join in the excitement. They go to Modells or Lids and buy their Phillies gear and wear it to work or the mall that week, just to show everyone, "Yeah, I get it, the Phillies are happening."  They couldn't name the starting line-up, but who cares, they support the team and they are having fun.    That's what fans do........

Phillies Baseball... it's not FUNdamental

All things considered, the Phillies are about where they should be, hovering around the .500 mark.   Their starting pitching is pretty good. Moyer and Eaton are doing ok. Hamels is one of the best young pitchers in the game. Lieber is what he is, a decent Major League pitcher and their best starter (Myers) isn't even a starter anymore. Freddy Garcia ??? He's still not a bad guy to have around later in the year. So, all in all, they are still in ok shape.

Hitting-wise, this is a team that can score runs. (Especially in that ballpark) The two biggest problems are that Ryan Howard isn't playing like an MVP. That's a problem because the Phillies were counting on him to be MVP-like every season.  Nobody is MVP-like every year.... but when you are trying to sell tickets, you market what you have to market.  The other problem (way more troubling in my opinion) is where did Pat Burrell's power go????  Jimmy Rollins has more home runs than Pat The Bat.  Burrell is on a pace to hit, maybe,  20 homeruns.  That's not good enough, especially because he'll never be called "Pat the Glove."

Which brings us to defense and fundamentals.   This is not a good team defensively. Even the good defensive players (Utley, Victorino etc.) aren't playing great in the field.  And it's a well accepted fact that you can't hide bad defensive players for a 162 games.  It's about execution and making good decisions. (Don't even get me started on baserunning...please)Above all else, this will be the Phillies doom..

oops, they did it again...

Yes, the Phillies blew another game last night.  Two outs in the bottom of the ninth and they couldn't hold them.  Hey, it's a bad start, no doubt about it.  However,.....  it's APRIL!!!!  As bad as they have played (actually, they aren't awful...yet) they are still within 6 games of the Mets.  All they need to do is stay within 5 to 6 games of the division leader (Notice I said division leader, not the Mets) until June.  That's when teams really show what they have. Don't get fooled by great starts or bad starts to a season. Of all sports, baseball has the most mercy. Especially now that there is a wildcard format.   Say what you will, but the Phillies are built to play  the WHOLE season. Myers, Hamels, Garcia, Eaton/Lieber and Moyer are  BY FAR the deepest staff in the National League.  The bullpen has huge issues right now.  Their bench is suspect at best. And defensively... they aren't going to win many games by "flashing the leather "at teams.  But overall the Phillies will be fine come mid summer.  

Basically, this town is hyper-negative.  That is a big reason why this town never wins anything.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, this town would rather lose and bitch" than win and celebrate.   It's the classic loser and victim mentality.  (It 's a lot like how Red Sox fans used to be before they actually won something) Trust me things aren't that bad here.  Just give it more time and it will be fine.

OH YEAH, ABOUT  theTHE PHILLIES...

Wow, this is the first thing I've written about the Phillies since last season....  What does that tell you?   It tells me that they are losing me as a follower.  They have had a bad year, no doubt about it.   Injuries have hurt them but so has their defense and lack of clutch hitting.  On paper, Lieber, Myers, Wolf, Liddle and Hamels looks like a decent rotation.  But Leiber got hurt, and Myers has all types of issues now. Wolf was ready, then got hit by a line drive and still hasn't pitched yet. Liddle is Liddle and Hamels is young and wild but has really good stuff.  So it's hard to bash a team that's been through all that in half a year.

However, what I will bash is the following: Jimmy Rollins is killing them at leadoff. He has been a disspointment.  Abreau is a great offensive player. Defensively, he could care less.  He's a selfish player with value. To me, that means trade him.  Pat Burrell is always going to be this type of player. 35-40 homeruns, many strikeouts and absolutely no mobility in leftfield. But we know this already, so deal with it. David Bell is an aging journeyman.  We know this already as well. Catcher???  The Phillies have been playing their 3rd and 4th string cathcer the last two weeks. Not good enough.

Bright spots... Tom Gordon was solid for the most part. Utley, Howard and Rowand are now the core of this team.  Delucci is a great bench player. The middle bullpen hasn't been stellar but it has trade value. Teams will take a chance on Cormier, Fultz or even Madson.  I say get something for them.

Charlie Manuel...?  Nice guy, but this will be his last year. They shouldn't fire him before the season ends though.    Who knows, maybe they catch fire in the second half. Stranger things have happened.

It was a good year...

If you finish your last game of the season and still have a chance to make the playoffs, chances are you've had a good year.  That's what the Phillies did this year.True, about 20 minutes after Wagner threw the last pitch the Astros eliminated the Phillies, but still, it felt great to watch them be in it until the end.  I enjoyed the season, enough said.

FREE  BILLY......

All things considered, the Phillies are keeping it interesting going into the last series of the year versus The Nationals.   However... it is so annoying to lose two out of three at home against The Mets when it really mattered a lot. If you had to point to one thing (and I know it never is just one thing) I would point to the use of the Phillies bullpen as public enemy  #1.   At first I was ready to bash the bullpen itself. Then I was "schooled" by a baseball person who pointed out that the bullpen had done a decent job the last month or so.  So I agreed that maybe I was being too harsh on the bullpen. However.... Last Monday night just made me sick to watch the Phillies.  I understand taking out Myers after 7 innings and throwing 109 pitches. That's fine. So now we automatically HAVE to bring in Urbina to get to Wagner??  "The set-up man + closer = save"  equation doesn't have to be used everytime.        Why can't  Wagner, for once, pitch more than just the ninth inning?     It's the last week of the season. The best players should play.  Are the Phillies saving Wagner's arm for next week?  (They do know the season ends Sunday, correct?)  Of course, Urbina gets lit-up,  Fultz comes-in and is the victim of Abreau missjudging ANOTHER ball in rightfield, then Madson comes-in, battles, but still gives-up a deep fly RBI to left field.  So the Phillies lose a three run lead, use three pitchers in one inning and you, me and Billy Wagner can't do anything about it.  It's just a bad thing to watch.

Fighting Phils go down the stretch...

The Phillies have played well this month, and they needed to do just that. September is a brutal month for them. They play the Braves twice, Astros. Marlins, Mets and Nationals among others.  They are on the road more than they are at home and still won't have Thome as their big gun.  As a fan you should feel good about what this team has done this year. What I worry about is Charlie Manuel and his mis-use of the bullpen.   That has been my biggest complaint all season.  They should use Madson, Fultz, Urbina and Wagner and that is it. Cormier is unreliable coming out of the bullpen. STOP USING HIM IN GAMES UNLESS ALL HOPE IS LOST!   He alone has cost them about half a dozen games this year. Enough is enough.  Just remember, if you are playing to win...don't put Cormier in.

Score some runs please...

Once again the Phillies don't support a starting pitcher. Today, Vicente Padilla pitched well again but got ZERO runs behind him. That's about three starts in a row that Padilla should have got the win. Brett Myers is another one who gets shafted all the time. Same with Liddle at times too. In a hitters park this should never happen.  I mean, you the heck is Tomo Ohka anyway...?  It's not like Pedro or The Rocket are pitching against them every night.  Honestly, I know he's not really popular right now, but if Jim Thome was playing this year he would, most likely, have 60 or so rbi's right now.  Tell me that wouldn't make a difference this year.  Who's making-up for all those lost runs??  Ryan Howard?,  Bobby "Mr. my batting has dropped 25 points since June" Abreau ?  Even Pat Burrell is starting to hit the wall now too. They're lucky Chase Utley is still playing well.  Jim Thome is the biggest difference, begining, middle and end of story. 

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

I'm also glad the Phillies didn't do anything foolish at the trading deadline. Actually, did you know that the Flyers did more trading than the Phillies did this weekend?  (See you Fridge, good luck in Anahiem.)   I heard Billy Wagner say that he does want to stay here. I know the media didn't make it sound like that, but then again I'm not a big fan of the media either. Look around the league. There was practically no trading at all. The Braves improved a little bit. The Padres basically admitted they were pretenders to begin with and made a couple of deals. Soriano is still a Ranger, Ramirez is still a Red Sox, (By the way Red Sox fans, are you annoyed at Curt Schilling yet?? Now that he almost ran one of your best players out of town with his big mouth.)  and Wagner is still a Phillie. The Phillies are good enough to make the playoffs. They just have to play like it, that's all. If they don't, it's their fault, not Ed Wade's. 

MID-TERM GRADES

Jim Thome-   Incomplete  ( Needs to be healthy before he can be graded.)
Chase Utley-  A  (Solid everyday player, which is what he should have been from day one.)
Jimmy Rollins- B  (I expect a lot from J Roll. He needs to get on base more and stop swinging at every first pitch that he sees)
David Bell- C  ( Schmidt and Rollen are gone...get over it.  He is what he is.)
Pat Burrell- A (Playing as hard as he can,  I can't complain. Although, his intro music is pretty bad, so actually I guess I can complain.)
Kenny Lofton-B
Jason Michaels-C   (This team still needs a better centerfielder. This is especially true when you have to make up for playing in between Burrel and Abreau)
Bobby Abreau- A  ( Having another great offensive year.)
Mike Lieberthall- D ( It's a shame, he was a solid catcher at one time. Now it looks like he doesn't want to be here anymore.)
Jon Lieber- C+ ( Still a solid pitcher, just a bit streaky at times.)
Brett Myers- A- ( Pitching better this year but still gets too annoyed with the umpires and little things that shouldn't even matter)
Corey Liddle-B ( Almost always gives them a quality start)
Randy Wolf- Incomplete ( His injury is the main reason why they are where they are at now and not in first place.)
Robinson Tejada- C (Wonder if they'll ever let him pitch more than five innings)
Vicente Padilla- D ( If he gives you another quality start in a row then maybe things will start to get more interesting in a hurry)
Rheal Cormier- F ( Two years ago he a had a good year. Now everytime he comes-in it's an invitation for the other team to get immediately back into the game.)
Ryan Madson- C+ ( Has great stuff, he'll get better and better)
Ugeath Urbina- C+ ( Still not sure if he fits in with this staff.)
Billy Wagner- A-  ( Still a premier closer, but there have been games this year where you start to wonder if his best games are behind him)
The Bench- C- (Losing Polanco gives you less options. Overall, the bench needs to play better if they want to compete for a playoff spot)
Charlie Manuel- C+  ( He hasn't had an easy ride. I mean, they booed him from opening day. Still, they are hanging around heading into August even without Thome and Wolf. Also, everyone in their division is over 500 %. If you think about it, he's not doing a bad job.)
Ed Wade- C (I'm not a "Wade-Hater"... Since being a G.M. he hasn't had a team in the playoffs. That will eventually get you fired. But I've always thought the real problems with the Phillies during his regime have been more about on-field issues, NOT front office issues. Still, he needs to make the playoffs to keep his job. That's pretty obvious.) 
The Fans- C-  ( I had the misfortune of going to a Mets Business Person Special and the Redsox night game back to back. The Phillie fans were invisible at both games. I hate when loud-moth New York Met fans and suddenly born-again Redsox fans invade Philadelphia. As much as they annoy me, Eagle fans would never let that happen to their team. Guess they're not so bad afterall.)
7/4/05
                                     CLOSING TIME...

It is not easy to watch the Phillies lately.  The bullpen is kiling them.  I am not a pitcher, so I defer to my website partner on all matters related to pitching. But I do have a question.  Who came-up with the idea that certain starting pichers can only pitch a certain amount of inings and the MUST be taken out, regardless of how well they are pitching? Poor Robinson Tejadea, he has pitched well and he has little to show for it.   The funny thing about watching the game on ESPN last night was how they showed the Phillies dugout and it was "personality row"   "Stone-face" David Bell, "chuckles" Pat Burrell, and "Mr. sunshine" Mike Lieberthal all sitting there and looking like they are at a funeral. (or worse, watching the movie Amelie) They are having no fun at all.  Guess what guys?  The fans aren't having fun either.   At least Jason Michales knows how to have a good time. Trouble is it's at 3:00 am and usually involves a police report.  See, if that bar had a "It's 2:30 am everybody out" policy like another establishment I know, there wouldn't be a problem.     I hate people that don't know when to go home.....

 6/28/05

                          "GET RHEAL..."

So I'm reading the Philadelphia Inquirer the other day and I see that Brett Myers and Rheal Cormier are upset.  Brett is upset because the umpires are "dictating" the way the game is played.  Mike Lieberthal says that "Myers is not getting the calls he has been getting in the past and it's effecting his poise and concentration."  Brett may want to get over that.  But Rheal Cormier is really getting on my last nerve. After he was shelled, again, on Sunday he made the comment that fans don't understand that he and the other Phillie pitchers are handicapped by playing at Citizens Bank Park. That some of those homeruns are actually pop-ups that go over the fence because the stadium is a hitterspark.  Really.....?    Does the fence at Citizens Bank Park magically grow deeper when the Phillies are batting?  Is that why Jim Thome's , Pat Burrell's and Chase Utley's pop-ups get caught and not sneak over the fence for a homerun?  Maybe, Rheal, the pitchers pitching against the Phillies are just out-pitching you guys.  Just a thought...

Hmmmm. not sure about my take on the Fightin Phils.   As we stand now they are 3 games under 500%. But just 5 and a half out in MAY.  June is always the make or break month. If they are still within 5 games at the all-star break, I'll still give them a shot.  You can't complain about Leiber, Myers, Lidle or even Wolf lately.  The bullpen has two pitchers, Wagner and Madson.  A healthy Thome is huge for them.  Burrell is their best player right now. Abreau is a stone cold hitter.  Although,  I will say they may have the worst defensive outfield in baseball.  Pat  "the butcher" Burrell in left.  Who knows in center.  And Bobby (still not really into the hustle thing) Abreu in right.  Just clone Chase Utley and play him everywhere.  Outside of him and J-roll nobody can play defense.  Leave Charlie Manuel alone, he's not the problem.