The Bat, the Bunt, the Big Head and the Backstop

Last night's game was much anticipated for a few reasons: The return of Pat Burrell, the return of Chase Utley, Roy Oswalt on the hill, the two teams going at it in a virtual tie for the NL Wild Card lead. But more than anything, what made last night's game so interesting was the little things — good and bad.





Of course, the game began with something big. In the very first inning of his very first game back in Citizens Bank Park since that gigantic double he hit that turned into the winning run (in the form of Eric Bruntlett) on the night the Phillies became World Fucking Champions, Pat Burrell launched a solo home run into those familiar left field stands, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead in the first after receiving a great ovation from the Philadelphia faithful.



Unsurprisingly, those cheers turned into boos when he launched that home run, but that's something Burrell has grown accustomed to over the years in this city as well. It was always that way with Burrell, wild cheers and deafening boos. Why would last night be any different? And Burrell couldn't have been happier with the fans.

Chase Utley's return was considerably less memorable. In his first game back since stupidly injuring himself back in June by unnecessarily trying to stretch a single into a double he had no shot at getting, Utley went 0-for-5 and looked every bit as rusty as you'd expect at the plate after missing more than a month. His hustle did cause a Giants error and get a run home in the 8th, but Utley also made another less-than-wise base-running error immediately after that, though one not even close to as bad as that fateful day in June.

With the Phils exploding for five runs in the 8th and holding a comfortable 9-3 lead, Utley was on second with two outs and Jayson Werth at the dish. Any sort of hit that leaves the infield and Chase scores easily. But when a pitch bounced slightly away from rookie catcher Buster Posey, Utley took off for third. The only problem is the ball didn't get that far away, so Posey easily retrieved it and threw out Chase to end the inning. Now, with the Phils up by six and needing just three more outs, it wasn't a huge deal, but it still wasn't a smart base-running play. That's two dumb base-running errors by Utley in his last two games played, one of which cost him 6 weeks on the field.



That's very uncharacteristic of Chase. He's normally a terrific base-runner, one of the best in baseball. So good that he was one of the players featured in an SI article about base-running. He's aggressive on the base paths, puts pressure on the defense. I get that. But perhaps he should pick his spots a little better, especially in his first game back from the disabled list. I know that's probably too much to ask from Chase, a player who goes all out all the time, but maybe he should just think about it. For a second. Or at least not make anymore dumb aggressive attempts. Just those smart ones we've grown accustomed to.

Anyway, back to last night and the little things. After Oswalt gave up those two runs in the first inning, he settled down and really began to get in a zone. However, Barry Zito was in a zone of his own. He seemed to have no trouble getting the Phillies out at all through the first four innings — well, all the Phillies except Placido Polanco, who was 2-for-2 through four. But then Zito got into a little bit of trouble in the 5th. Mike Sweeney led off with the single. I can't say enough about that pickup. What a huge addition, especially in Ryan Howard's (and Ross Gload's — who came back last night) absence.

Zito came back and got Ibanez to pop out, but then Curbball worked an awesome at-bat, eventually earning the walk after fouling off five pitches. With runners on first and second with no one out, it was Roy Oswalt's job to move the runners along and hope Jimmy Rollins could get a hit to tie the game. Considering all night long Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler wouldn't shut up about how great Oswalt and Zito were at laying down sacrifice bunts, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Oswalt would do his job and advance the runners.

Then he goes and pops up the first bunt attempt foul. And then fouls off another. Not good. With two strikes on him, I had trepidation that he wouldn't get it down. But then, after seeing two balls, Oswalt laid down a picture-perfect but, deadened in between Zito and Posey, advancing Sweeney and Ruiz with two outs. You couldn't have asked for a better bunt with one or no strikes, but to do it with two strikes on him, damn. That was the biggest little play of the game right there. Because two pitches later, Jimmy Rollins turned his clutch on, fighting off a fastball on his hands and serving into centerfield for a two-run single to tie the game.



That got the Phils rolling, and the little things kept piling up. Like a leadoff single by Polanco in the 6th, his third straight hit of the game. Then a double by Jayson Werth, followed by a two-run double by Shane Victorino to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead and chase Zito from the game. And like an impressive inning by Ryan Madson in the 8th after the Giants drew within one in the 7th. Madson got a ground out, then struck out Torres, who reached on a passed ball strikeout, then getting Buster Posey to ground out and topping it all off by striking out Aubrey Huff to end the inning. Suddenly, Ryan Madson looks like his 2008 stretch run self. His changeup is unhittable once more, and his fastball is firing. Given the way he and Brad Lidge have performed the past week-plus, suddenly the bullpen doesn't look so horrible anymore. That's a terrifying proposition for the rest of the National League.

Especially when the Phillies are doing what they're doing of late. That is, resemble the team of the past three years, the team that abuses the opposition's bullpen and puts up huge innings late in games. It was something this team was devoid of much of the season, but not any longer. No, because as the Phils continue to inch closer and closer to the Braves, their late-inning heroics and late-game confidence just seem to grow with each game. Last night was no different.

With the heart of San Francisco's lineup scheduled to bat in the 9th in the form of Burrell, Pablo Sandoval and Jose Guillen, all home run threats, a one-run lead wasn't necessarily safe, even with Brad Lidge suddenly looking like his once-perfect self. So all the Phils did was go out and destroy the heralded Giants bullpen for five runs in the 8th, highlighted by Carlos Ruiz getting yet another late-game, extremely clutch hit.



Shane led the inning off with a single. Then he stole second. Mike Sweeney followed with a walk, and Ibanez followed that with a sharp single to right, loading the bases for Ruiz. Curbball promptly did what he's done all season, smoking a double down the line to plate Victorino and Sweeney, turning a tense 4-3 game into a much more comfortable 6-3 lead with three outs to go. That chased Ishikawa. Pretty soon, those "Chooooooooooooooooooch!!!!" chants are going to turn into "Cluuuuuuuuuuuuuuutch!!!!" chants.

Ross Gload entered to pinch-hit for Madson and grounded out weakly in his first at-bat since tweaking his groin, but it was good just to see him back in the batter's box. Who knows where the Phillies would be without his contributions this season, especially with the way he was murdering the baseball when Ryan Howard went down.

And Jimmy picked him up anyway, getting his second two-run single of the game, and advancing to 2nd on the throw home, to make it an 8-3 game. After advancing on a wild pitch, Rollins scored on an error by Mike Fontenot to complete the five-run 8th. All those little things led to a big inning, and the Phils cruised to a 9-3 victory as Chad Durbin avoided any drama in the 9th. Now the Phils hold sole possession of the NL Wild Card lead — a full game up on San Fran and 1.5 up on St. Louis — and remain 2.5 behind Atlanta for the division.



The Phils obviously have a fourth straight NL East title on their mind, but it's nice to know the Wild Card is there in their back pocket for the time being. And that's all because of the little things last night. Little things like that two-strike bunt by Oswalt, who went 7 innings, surrendering just three runs. Little things like Ruiz working a walk and getting another late-inning RBI hit. Little things like Placido Polanco getting four hits and Jimmy Rollins driving in three runs with a huge two-out hit to tie the game and a late-game hit to provide extra cushion. Little things like a strong outing from the bullpen. Little things like every starter (pitcher excluded) reaching base, all of them but Chase getting a hit, and four guys having multi-hit nights.

The little things add up. And the Phillies have been doing the little things of late, weather it's moving the runner, guys filling in for injured stars, or turning a double play when needed. Now those little things are paying off, and the Phils look more dangerous than ever. Plus, they're doing this all without Ryan Howard right now. Just wait until he gets back and he and Chase get rolling again.

When I Raul the World

I want to kick myself. I really do. Twice last night, when the Phillies fell behind, I switched over to take a glance at the NHL and NBA playoff games that were on. After the Phils fell behind 6-2, I began to watch the Heat-Hawks game, only to flip back and see Ryan Howard trotting around the bases and the score tied.



Then, when Scott Eyre blew up and put the Phils behind 11-7 in the 8th, I switched on over to catch some of the Blackhawks-Flames game. A little while later, Adam EatShit is yelling at me up the stairs, "You watching this!?!" I wasn't, let him know and he responded, "Ibanez just hit a grand slam!" Yeah, that's right, I missed both of these because I'm an idiot. Thanks a lot NBA and NHL. I blame you.



That was one hell of a 13-11 win. And it was yet another incredible game for Raul Ibanez, who went 3-for-5 with 2 runs, 4 RBIs, a double and that grand slam, not to mention yet another fine defensive play in left field.

Despite what some Mets fans might think, Raul Ibanez has been an incredible success so far this year. He's hitting .342 with 18 runs, 25 hits, 5 doubles, a triple, 6 home runs, 16 RBIs, 3 steals, a .402 OBP, .685 SLG and 1.087 OPS. And his defense, which was much maligned by critics, has been nothing short of stellar throughout the majority of the games, making some ridiculous diving catches, throwing out runners and tracking down balls Pat Burrell could only dream of getting to. Oh, and he also did this:



Basically, while people like RomanWarHelmet loved to point out how, "Raul Ibanez is a downgrade in Left Field," they couldn't be farther from reality. I watched Pat Burrell play his entire career in Philadelphia. I like Pat Burrell. I respect what he did here, but he is absolutely nowhere as good as Raul Ibanez in any facet of the game, with the exception of raw power. Ibanez is a better hitter, better fielder, better baserunner, faster, smarter and all around more complete baseball player. And unlike Pat, he's always up there to swing the bat, which is a good thing when protecting the likes of Ryan Howard.

Will he keep this pace up? Most assuredly no. But He'll put up better, more consistent numbers than Pat Burrell did, and considering he'll be seeing a lot more quality pitches with guys like Ryan Howard and Chase Utley ahead of him than he ever did in Seattle, a career year is not out of the question for Raul. He's certainly off to the right start.

It didn't take long for him to make left field his own.

Update: Thank the one, the only meech:

Am I a Soothsayer? No Questions Asked

As you may have heard, I played hooky yesterday and attended my first Phillies game of the 2009 season, and you know what I found out? I'm a fucking soothsayer, that's what.



After six innings of suck (Raul Ibanez's first home run as a Phillie aside), Arkansas Fred and I watched as half the ballpark left to go about their lives outside of the Phillies. What a bunch of jerkfaces. Haven't the past two seasons taught you people anything? Never, ever count the Phillies out. Keep your butts in your seats and enjoy the show. Besides, it's not like the game was late. Where the hell did everyone have to be so bad? Sorry about that rant. Let's back up a minute.

First off, the ring ceremony. I have to say, that shit took a hell of a long time to set up. The ball girls and company were having all sorts of trouble setting up the lovely table to place the rings on, and it took for-fucking-ever to get all the boxes and rings on said table. There were five ball girls carrying the boxes over, one at time (each box had two rings in), and it must have taken 20 minutes just to set everything up. As Arkansas Fred pointed out, the setup didn't go so smoothly because, you know, the Phillies aren't exactly used to this type of thing.

But once it was all ready to go, the ring ceremony itself was fantastic. When it was kicked off, and they announced the architect of the 2008 World Fucking Champions, I jokingly said to Arkansas Fred, "They invited Ed Wade?" After all, Wade did draft half the team AND trade the Phillies Brad Lidge. Of course, they were speaking of Pat Gillick, who was bawling like a baby through the entire thing.

It was a glorious moment. Adam Eaton was booed, and even though some people found it so objectionable that they had to resort to hackneyed, stereotypical writing, Eaton actually took it well. He had a huge smile on his face and waved to the crowd. He spent two years of his career sucking for the Phils and hearing a chorus of boos. He knew it was coming and took it in stride. So if he's OK with it, maybe the rest of you should be too. Just saying.

Of course, Pat the Bat received the biggest applause, and the guy was sincerely choked up. All in all, a great ceremony. Check out the abbreviated highlights here:



As for the game itself, well, again, the Phillies starting pitching got smacked around like the Braves were Chris Brown and Joe Blanton was Rihanna. Heyo! What? Too soon? In all honesty, by the time the score was 10-3, things were looking grim. But did I leave? Hell no I didn't leave.

In fact, when the bottom of the 7th was about to begin, I turned to Arkansas Fred and said in jest, "Hey, they're still in this. When you look at it, they're only down a touchdown and an extra point." Little did I know that statement was about to make me the smartest man alive.



The inning started out conspicuously enough, as Shane Victorino grouned out. But a bloop single by Chase Utley was all the Phillies needed before the Braves bullpen completely imploded. On a 2-2 pitch to Ryan Howard, Eric O'Flaherty plunked the big boy, putting two on with 1 out. Thanks to Charlie's intuition of breaking up the lefties, Bobby Cox went to the righty Peter Moylan to face Werth, and Werth worked a beautiful 8-pitch walk to load the bases. Then Ibanez got the merry-go-round started, lining an RBI single up the middle, 10-4. Pete Happy followed with another one-run single, 10-5.

Then the wheels really came off for the Braves. Moylan walked Matt Stairs on four pitches, 10-6. That was it for Moylan. Two pitchers down in the inning, three Phillies run, Blaine Boyer heading to the mound. And it didn't matter. Boyer caught the control problem fever, walking Chris Coste on 5 pitches, 10-7. With all the walks and the bases loaded, it would have surprised absolutely no one had Jimmy Rollins, or Shane Victorino, or any Phillie really, gone to their usual undisciplined, unfundamentally sound hitting, and swing at the first pitch for a popup. But that didn't happen.

Instead, Rollins walked on four pitches, 10-8. That was it for Boyer. In came Jorge Campillo, and much to my surprise, and delight, Shane took a first pitch fastball right down the middle. I couldn't believe my eyes. The Phils were being patient. On the next pitch, Victorino did swing, which was perfectly all right seeing as he was down 0-1 and the pitch looked to be a strike. Plus, he ripped a single to right, moving all the runners up a base again, 10-9. And then Campillo caught the walk bug, putting Chase on with a 5-pitch walk, 10-10. It was glorious.

A Ryan Howard chopper was all it took to gain the lead, 11-10, and off to Ryan Madson it was.



Madson came in and the first fastball he fired hit 96. Only problem is, Yunel Escobar was ready for it, and he ripped one toward the first base hole. That's when Howard, much maligned for his defense, made an incredible play, at least his third already this young season, diving like Rico Brogna, nabbing and tossing to Madson. The toss was off a little, but Madson made a tremendous catch and managed to hit first base with his right foot as he stumbled. Guess Howard really wants to hit that Gold Glove incentive.

Then Madson got back-to-back groundouts, and the Phils played small ball again to get an insurance run with a leadoff walk by Ibanez, followed by a double by Feliz, and capped off with a sac fly by Bruntlett to make it 12-10.

Lidge came in, did give up a solo home run, but managed to get the save and remain perfect in save opportunities as a Phil. And Joe Blanton, even with his suckiest performance as a Phillie, still has not lost a game since coming over from Oakland. Not a bad day at the ballpark at all.

In fact, after I beat Arkansas Fred in NHL '09, I watched it all over again on the DVR with my roommate. What a great way to kick off my year at the ballpark. The Phils should pay me to go to games. I'm the comeback witness king.

Kiss the Ring

So I'm on the el this morning, on my way to work, when suddenly my phone vibrates at 8:34. I take it from my pocket and there's a text message from Arkansas Fred waiting for me. I found this odd. I mean, why on earth would Arkansas Fred be contacting me so early? Well, reading the message, it all made sense:

Does anyone want to go to the Phillies game today? Anyone? I got an extra ticket. Hello?

Turns out he and his dad had tickets, but his dad called him and told him he couldn't go. How could I turn down such an opportunity? Simple, I couldn't. I got off the el at 15th Street, called up Fred and told him I was in. Then I walked to the eastbound side of the el, headed back home, got some McDonald's breakfast, called out of work, and here I am waiting for Arkansas Fred to get here so we can head on down to Citizens Bank Park. Needless to say, the day's off to a great start, and I couldn't be more excited. For the first time in my 25 years on earth, I will witness the Phillies receive their World Fucking Champion rings.



To top it all off, Pat Burrell will be there to accept his ring. Let's hope the Phils can make it a perfect day and get their first win of the season as well. I have a feeling they will. After all, the last time I saw Joe Blanton pitch in person, things went pretty well.



If he hits another home run, I swear to God the Phillies should pay me to go to every Joe Blanton start.

It should be a great time. The game starts at 3:05. Of course, we will be there much, much earlier than that, so as to witness every single minute of the ring ceremony. I cannot wait.

As for last night, it was another clunker for Philadelphia as a whole. Jamie Moyer gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game, and once again, the Phillies bats were silent. One run in two games ... not good. Today, they better the offense going, or you may just hear a couple boos from the Reverend.

The Sixers also lost. To the Bobcats. Not the best way to follow up the most embarrassing loss of the year. This team needs Thaddeus Young in a bad way. Nothing like going into the playoffs with some horrible losses in the last two weeks.

However, the Flyers did provide one things to cheer for last night. With the 2-1 win against Florida, the Flyers clinched a playoff spot and maintained their hold on the 4th spot in the East. But last night's game was far from impressive.

For what seems like the 10th straight game, the Flyers came out flat, were outworked early by a hungry Florida team, and fell behind 1-0. This is a trend that absolutely must stop. If it wasn't for a great game by Marty Biron, the Flyers could have found themselves down by more.



Luckily for the Flyers, they stepped it up big time midway through the 2nd period and took over the game. Joffrey Lupul tied things up on a very nice play by Matt Carle, and Jeff Carter got the game-winner, his 45th goal of the year, in the third. Where would this team be without Carter, and really, the rest of his line, this year? Great move by the Flyers to lock him up and let Umberger walk.

Now, there are couple things I'd like to point out. First, the play of Mike Richards of late. Without question, Mike Richards is a tremendous player. He's the captain, the top penalty killer, the best defensive forward on the team and an incredibly talented player. He's had a great year and very good career thus far. But over past three games or so, Mike Richards has not played very well. And last night, he continued that trend through two periods.



In the first two periods, he was fumbling the puck, missing badly on passes, trying to force pucks through defenders, basically having an all-around tough game. He kept working and skating, and honestly, his line didn't play bad because Gagne and Knuble were all over the place, but Richards, as the captain, needs to step his game back up. It's almost playoff time, and the team is fighting tooth and nail for home ice advantage. I have all the confidence in the world that Richards will right himself. In fact, he did in the third period last night. Now he has to sustain that the rest of the way.

My next point, the play off the fourth line. Without question, the Carcillo-Powe-Nodl line was the most consistent, hardest-working line for the Flyers last night. Daniel Carcillo, fresh off his first boneheaded move as a Flyer, had by far his best game in the Orange and Black, at least in my opinion, last night. In fact, by the end of the game, he was getting shifts with Giroux and Briere as a reward. He was hitting everything that moved in a disciplined matter, firing shots, winning battles along the boards, forechecking hard and making things happen. So were his linemates. Darroll Powe has simply been a very nice surprise for the Flyers, giving them energy, speed and grit. Every shift, he seems to make things happen, and his hustle is second to none. And now that Riley Cote is done for the year following finger surgery, Andreas Nodl is back up and looking like he did early in the year. He caused many turnovers for the Panthers last night and is working well with Powe and Carcillo.







If the rest of the lines played as hard every shift as these guys, the Flyers would be nearly impossible to beat.

Oh, and a note, Ryan Parent suffered a groin injury and is listed as day to day. Not the best timing for that.

Linking Logs

Remember Lincoln Logs? Yeah, those little brown logs that allowed you to build, uh, log cabins and that's about it.



Well, Lincoln Logs sucked. Seriously, what a horrible idea for a toy. They couldn't hold a candle to Legos. With Legos, you could build any damn thing you wanted to, plus there were cool Lego guys you could play with and all sorts of possibilities. I mean, can you do this with Lincoln Logs?



Hell no you can't. What I'm trying to say is, if you were one of those kids that preferred to play with Lincoln Logs over Legos, you are probably a horrible person to hang out with. Just saying. Now the links …

-The Pat Burrell Experience was one hell of a rollercoaster, but dammit, Pat was a tough guy not to love. Well, he was honored at Citizens Bank Park this weekend with a tribute video:



-Meet the new coach of the Arizona Wildcats … Sean Miller. This has to be good news for Temple.

-A list of the 10 best tournament games, via The Big Lead:

1. Villanova 78, Pittsburgh 76. No question here. A game that was remisicent of the St. Joe’s-Oklahoma State tilt in 2004, these two threw down in the Elite Eight. What a game they gave us. With so much on the line not only for the Final Four but also in pools around the country, Scottie Reynolds’ memorable scoot to the hoop has already become something of Philadelphia legend. With this Tournament, often times, it’s not about winning it, but rather, creating a last image in a glorious victory. There’s no doubt these two teams gave us the best game of 2009.



-Michael Jordan, who was elected to the Hall of Fame along with fellow Dream Teamers David Robinson and John Stockton, is, not surprisingly, the biggest inspiration for today's players:



-LeBron and Dwight had a half court shootout:



-A look at next year's Penn State basketball team.

-Speaking of Penn State basketball, there's a good article on Talor Battle's half brother, Taran Buie, who's just a junior but already has committed to play basketball at Penn State.



The junior is rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com and is ranked No. 17 among shooting guards for the Class of 2010, making him one of the highest-touted recruits the Penn State basketball program has ever locked up.

-A day after he was announced as a member of the 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame, Antone rains on the Admiral's parade.

-John Wooden is still the coolest cat alive:



-Yes, I agree, Bob Hurley Sr. should be in the Hall of Fame, even if his son decided to go to the most evil school on the planet. Check out the CBS segment on him:



Also, did you happen to catch Villanova-bound Dominic Cheek there? No. 23 for those of you who don't know.

-Oh, about that earlier thing with Antone dissing David Robinson a bit, he made up for it with Mr. Robinson's Neighboorhood spots and a couple tribute videos:







-Shoals discussing players who cannot be pigeon-holed (including Allen Iverson), as only Shoals can:

And now, we come to what should be the topic of the hour, Allen Iverson. I find it fascinating that, ever since the 2001 Finals, even those who decry ballhogs and bemoan the death of the league have a soft spot for the guy. He's heart personified, guts on a stick, a performer whose sheer visceral and emotional impact on fans is like being hit by an unshorn tidal wave. He is, in short, a stone classic, a Hall of Famer, and one of the most important players in the game (even if you want to argue over whether he's one of the best). But he's been both ahead of his time and, in his uncompromising version of the Wade philosophy, a prototype that could not move forward without reforms. It's a given by now: AI can't play any other way. Even with Melo, when he racked up assists and worked well with another scorer, he set the tone and rhythm of every possession, and forced all around him to pick on his idiosyncratic sense of timing, space, and cues.

We can argue over whether or not the 2000-01 Sixers were effectively built around him, since no one else on there even needs to touch the ball. I'd say, though, that in retrospect, Iverson isn't the man who wrecked the guard position, but a phenomenal talent who can't help himself—actually, can't help but transcend the very notion of roles and responsibilities. As irresponsible as it sounds, Iverson only works when you give him the ball and let him improvise. Let what come may. Not because he's a ball-hog, but because the game only comes to him on those terms. Just as, for the guards discussed above, there's too much going on there (and sometimes missing there) to try and assign them clear-cut responsibilities. We're talking about a stylistic profile, a new way of mapping an ordinarily maddening kind of player. Inconvenient truths, but ones that have yielded fruits at times. Iverson is perhaps too extreme to even fit this model, but what he would need is a team built to respond to his disproportionate hits and misses—not a normal one that pretends he's a point guard, or even one where he's paired with a complementary player, as if Iverson were merely singular, not totally fluid.

-And of course, One Shining Moment, which was pretty weak this year:



Tonight, we have the Phils and Flyers both playing. Let's hope Jamie pitch a good game and the bats come alive. As for the Flyers, is it wrong if I'd prefer to have this game go to overtime, with a Flyers victory, of course? Obviously, I want the Flyers to win first and foremost, but I sure would like to see the Panthers get a point and find a way to edge out the Rangers for the eighth spot in the East. That would be sweet.

Linking It All Together

I have to admit, I'm a little depressed. In the past week, Philadelphians have lost the greatest safety to ever roam the city, a beloved winger and been forced to witness a former No. 1 overall pick face the Phils in a foreign uniform. These things can be traumatic to the psyche of us fans.







Man, it's been a rough week. Last night, I even took a break from watching sports to get some wings, drink some beer and test my trivia. Then I won two games of NHL '09 after a week hiatus, pissing off two of roommates in the process. It cleared my head momentarily, but in all honesty, I don't have much going on in the old noggin right now, so I link.

-Henry Abbott is a mad man. I mean, actually trying to make sense of the NBA's traveling rules/enforcement? Damn. Check it out here, here, here, here and here. Damn.

-If you don't know, now you know: I'm a huge Ween fan. True story. And seeing Deaner chill with Chris Paul makes me love them even more.



-Some love for Shane Clark.



I hope Clark, along with Dante and Dwayne, can go out with a big bang.

-I agree, Ahmad Nivins is the best college player in Philadelphia.



Hell, I'd argue he's the best player in the A-10.

-Upon news of Terrell Owens' release from the Cowboys, one jerk comes to T.O.'s defense.

-Another jerk doesn't feel the same way.

-A-Roid needs surgery.

-The Bat will be attending the ring ceremony.

-Who's madder: Don Nelson or Shoals?



I'm pretty sure this whole Nellie idea can't work out well.

-Classic:



-Now that's a good prank:

Bobby Abreu is Just Like Me

Say what you want about Bobby Abreu's tenure in Philadelphia, there's no question the guy loved playing here. And no matter how his career winds down (first a Yankee, now an Angel), he'll mostly be remembered as a Phillie, where he put up ridiculous numbers at the plate and even won a Gold Glove! (Biggest crock of shit ever, by the way.)



Sure, he wasn't a great fielder, and he was deathly afraid of the outfield wall, but Bobby was the best hitter on the Phillies each and every season he suited up. He was a perennial all-star(snub), who put on a ridiculous display in the home run derby and really looked to enjoy the game.



And it turns out, Abreu became a Philadelphia Phillies fan during his time here and rooted on his former team during its run to the World Series title in October:

“I was rooting for them. I was screaming, ‘Let’s go!’ at the television whenever they made a great play or scored some runs,” he said.

And when it was over, when Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske and the celebration began, Bobby Abreu admits that tears came to his eyes.

“I was crying in a happy way because I know how hard they worked for that and how important it is to win the World Series.

That's pretty fucking awesome. And I have to say, it cracks me up when Phils fans, even the incredible meech, discuss their hatred for Abreu while at the same time flaunting their affection for Pat Burrell. It's pretty mind-blowing if you ask me. I mean, think about it: The biggest knocks on Abreu were that he was terrible defensively, didn't always go hard after the ball, lacked the intensity and emotion Philadelphians crave, and often failed to get the clutch hit.

What, exactly, makes that description any different than the majority of Burrell's playing days in Philadelphia, save for the World Series ring last year? Terrible at defense? Check. Not always going full-bore for a ball? Maybe not, Burrell was just slow. Lacked perceived intensity and emotion? Do any of you remember his emotionless called third strikes or his maddening lunges at balls way out of the strike zone as he fell to one knee? Double-check. And, uh, for a few years there, Pat didn't get any hits, let alone clutch ones.



Now, I'm not saying all this to put down Pat. I love what Pat Burrell did to help the Phillies win, and I will always respect him for the way he handled himself and understood the fans in Philadelphia. He never made excuses, never blamed the fans, never asked to leave. The thing is, neither did Abreu. I'm just pointing out how horribly misplaced the hatred for Abreu is in this town. After all, when you look at it, Pat was the 1st overall pick and pretty much turned out to be a chronic underachiever most of his career. Abreu, on the the other hand, hit over .300 in 6 of his 8+ seasons in Philadelphia, walked at least 100 times each and every full year here, drove in runs, got on base … basically outperformed Burrell in every aspect of playing baseball.

I don't know, I just never understood the hate. Call me crazy, but I always have and always will love Bobby. Nice to see he's still pulling for us, too.

So Long, Pat

I wish you well, sir. Except if we meet again in the World Series, of course. Pat's time in Philadelphia was certainly a journey, full of ups and downs. Through it all, the man has earned my respect.



Pat struggled through some truly atrocious and disappointing seasons during his tenure here. I will always remember sitting in the left field seats of the Vet and yelling at him to "hit your weight" in reference to his batting average (he hit .209 in 2003). I will admit that I was among the many Phillies fans and members of the Philadelphia media who bashed the guy.

Pat, however, persevered through those rough times. And though his numbers were never spectacular, he has consistently put up solid numbers. From '05 through '08 he averaged 31 home runs, 98 RBI's, and 103 walks. And of course there is his last at bat as a Phillie, that booming double off the wall in the deepest part of the ballpark, which led to pinch runner Eric Bruntlett scoring the game-winning, series-clinching run on Pedro Feliz's single.

The thing that has changed my perception of Pat the most was his character. Despite all the bashing the man took during those rough seasons, not once did you hear him complain, and not once did you hear him make an excuse. He just kept working, kept playing, and became a player who contributed to the Phillies' success. He is one of the few Philadelphia athletes who lived in the city, and through his time here has developed an understanding of our city and our fans that few athletes have. He has seen us at our worst, and he has seen us at our best.

For him to have put up with all he did here, never back down or quit, and accomplish what he did here, it is impressive. And to hear him talk now, as a world champion, about what it means to "bring this to these people" is something that I will always remember and appreciate. He will be missed not only on the field, but also off it for that deep understanding and relationship that he has developed with us and our city, for that is a rare and special thing in today's sports world.

MLB's First Step to Make Sure New York is in the Playoffs

Read this and try not to hate Major League Baseball.



J.C. Romero is going to be suspended for the first 50 games of 2009 because he purchased an over-the-counter supplement at GNC. The MLB players union told players they have no reason to believe any supplements purchases legally in U.S. retail stores have banned substances. Romero had it checked by a nutritionist, the Phillies' nutritionist and rechecked by a nutritionist, all of whom found nothing wrong with the substance.

Chamomiles Davis has a great recount of what happened.

After the World Series flopped nationally without a team from Boston or New York partaking, Major League Baseball has taken its first step to rectify that, what with the Mets being the Phillies prime competition in the National League. What a fucking joke. Don't be surprised if Brad Lidge, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley get suspiciously suspended for something or another, while the fucking Mets sign Barry Bonds as he gets cleared of any wrong-doing. Fuck you, MLB. Fuck you right in Bud Selig's ass.

Oh, and Pat, as meech said, signed with Tampa Bay for 2 years, $16 million.



What? Seriously, what? Two years for 16 mill? Really? You'd rather have 37-year-old, terrible fielding Raul Ibanez than 32-year-old, at least I can throw and hit bombs Pat Burrell? Burrell is getting $8 million a year for two years, is 5 years younger and can actually throw people out and work walks. Ibanez is making $10 million a year for three years, when he'll be 40, can't field or throw, and is left-handed while the team desperately needs a right-handed bat.

You have some explaining to do Ruben.

Burrell Out, Park In

We all know the Pat Burrell story—the ups, the downs, the cheers, the boos. It was a rocky relationship with Pat, one that was always intriguing to me.



When Burrell was going good, he looked like one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball. When he was going bad, he looked like he couldn't make contact off a tee. But one thing was consistent with Pat Burrell, his refusal to make excuses. Not once did Burrell lambaste the fans for getting on him. Not once did he blame his struggles on injury. Not once did he try to downplay his slumps. Pat Burrell always took responsibility for his play—good or bad.

And Pat always discussed his desire to play in Philadelphia, how much he appreciated the fans, loved the city, loved the organization. Now his time is up. Through it all, I have bashed Pat Burrell, cheered Pat Burrell, wished he would go away and pleaded for him to come back. Now, that's all in the past. Pat Burrell will be moving on to play somewhere else, and it will look odd. Like seeing Allen Iverson in a Denver or Detroit jersey or seeing Eric Lindros wear a Rangers sweater or Donovan McNabb wearing a Vik… or will it be a Bea… err, wait, that hasn't happened yet.

Anyway, Paul Hagen wrote about his lengthy conversation with Burrell about the end of his time as a Phillie. Here are some quotes from the Bat:

"I'm disappointed. I can't lie about that. But I can't say I'm upset about it, either, because when I think about my time there I have nothing but good things to say. The city, the fans, have been behind me from the very beginning. That's the hard part, especially with respect to what happened last year, with us winning the whole thing. It was very meaningful to me to be a part of something like that. But you have to move on.

"You know, there's a business [aspect] to this sport. And as a player you'd better learn to accept that or else it's going to be pretty frustrating for you. I was aware that, most likely, the team was going to go the other way. At the same time, I thought there was a chance I might be back."

…

"I was coming off the field and I started looking around and thinking, 'This might be it.' At the same time, here we were possibly about to win the World Series," he said. "On a personal level, I remember hitting the ball and thinking it was way over the fence. Then getting a chance to be on second with nobody out and [Shane] Victorino up, I thought we were going to get [Bruntlett] over and we were going to get him in. That's kind of where I was at."

…

"I could be wrong about this, but we won Game 5 and I think at some point during the celebration [Montgomery] asked me if I wanted to bring [his wife] Michelle and [his dog] Elvis and go on with the Clydesdales. At that point, I was in a dream," he said.

"They called the next day and confirmed it. But even at that point we didn't know where it fit in the whole scheme of things. There were so many people and it seemed like such mass confusion to start this thing off. Then we found out that we were actually in front of all the flatbed trucks with the players, then I really knew it was something pretty special."

…

"The only way I can explain it is that if you're always on top of the world, if you're always at the top of your game and feeling great, it's hard to understand why other players who are struggling are having a good time. You understand what I'm saying?" he said.

"I've certainly been through some periods where I haven't played very well and struggled and went through all these things. And to be able to get out of that and to get back to where I am now and have the fans' support that whole time, it's a special feeling.

"These fans, I don't think they get the credit they deserve for being as passionate about the game and the players as they are. They only want one thing, and that's to win. As a player, that should be the only thing that matters, too. They came every night, and that's all you can ask. If you don't think the fans were important in us winning that World Series, you must have been watching on TV. Because every one of us on our team knew we had the [homefield] advantage. And I think their team did, too."

…

"I was at Triple A [Scranton/Wilkes-Barre] and we were in the playoffs against Charlotte. I got to first base, I was having a good series, and [Hollins] was playing first. I remember him saying, 'They're going to love you up there. Just keep playing hard.' For some reason, after all these years, that sticks in my head more than anything.

"Because when you're going through these times and the fans are watching you go through it and you're struggling, as long as you're giving it everything you've got, they appreciate it. Especially for me.

"Living downtown with Michelle and having the dog, walking to the park every day, the support was incredible coming down the stretch. I can't tell you how many people came up to me and said stuff like, 'We love having you here, we hope you stay. You went through such bad times and you made it out. You came back and became a great player.' Stuff like that is important, for me anyway, to know that, hey, they're behind you and they care about you and they're pulling for you to get back on track."

…

"If you had told me last spring training that this was going to be my last year and how did I want to go out, there would be no better way to go out," he said. "But having gone through everything . . . Like Cole Hamels said, 'I can't wait to do this again.' So there's a touch of that, too."

You and your maddeningly inconsistent play will be missed, Pat. Best of luck wherever you land.

Oh, and the Phillies signed Chan Ho Park and (GASP!) he may start. Please don't do this to us. Put him in the pen where he was all sorts of good for LA last year.

Update: Moyer is set to return to the fold as well, according to The700Level.

Hopefully this puts to rest any possibility of Park as a starter, but maybe not. Potential rotation: Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Blanton, Happ/Kendrick/Park/ … Carrasco?

I'd Swap Burrell for a Holliday

With new Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. saying the Phils weren't going to resign Pat Burrell before he could become a free agent, the speculation is that Burrell will be leaving town.



As sad as that might be given Burrell's up and down relationship that culminated with a World Fucking Championship, if this rumor is true, I'm all for forgetting about Burrell:

Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd increased the likelihood Matt Holliday will be traded with his admission Wednesday he doesn't have to receive a proven starter in return.

O'Dowd is looking for the best deal, not the best pitchers, with multiple opposing executives predicting that Philadelphia and Oakland are the most likely trade partners.

"There is not much pitching in the market available. Period," O'Dowd said. "And any pitching we get will likely be projection pitching. Not that guy that has been there, done it. We are completely open-minded to anything."



Oh wait, it gets a little better:

The Phillies could be frontrunners for Holliday as they had plenty of talks with the Rockies about him back in July, but a deal could never be finalized. If Pat Burrell leaves via free agency the World Champs will probably be a lot more willing to meet Colorado's asking price.

Please Mr. Amaro, make this happen. Make this deal. My head is about to explode contemplating a lineup that includes Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Matt Holliday, not to mention Shane Victorino and company!

In in the infamous words of Nike, JUST DO IT!

A Game of Epic Fail

All right, maybe last night's game wasn't on par with this epic fail, but it was as close as you can get in one game.



I gotta tell you, all day long I had a great feeling about last night's game. At work, I was calm, cool and collected, just sensing the Phils were primed to go up 2-0. I should have known better. And, well, I think my brain was trying to tell me not to get my hopes up too much about 15 minutes before the game. Sitting on my couch, preparing to take in game 2, I got an awful feeling that the Phillies would lose. Despite my confidence all day long, right before it was time, I could sense things were going to go wrong. And oh did they ever go wrong.

In fact, it would hard to write about what went right for the Phillies last night. Carlos Ruiz was the best player on the field for the Phillies, and he still had an error. And Eric Bruntlett had the only RBI of the night with his solo home run in the 8th. Other than that, the Phils didn't do shit. Sure, Howard got two hits, but of course he's going to get pitches when no one is on base.

No, last night was a game of epic failures. The candidates are many. There was Greg Dobbs, a man I can't recall striking out in consecutive at-bats all season long, whiffing his first two at-bats in situations where the only thing he couldn't do was strike out.



Or it could be Jimmy Rollins, who's been missing in action in Tampa. Hey Jimmy, WAKE THE FUCK UP! This is the World Series. And if you think fans were hard on you when you ran your stupid fucking mouth, just wait until they get a hold of you tomorrow if you continue to go 0-for in the series.



Shit, 0-for-10 in two games? Desi Relaford could do better than that.

There's also Pat, who doesn't seem too interested in joining this World Series party either. And Chase and Pedro each put up 0-fors last night as well, but at least those guys helped win game 1.

Brett Myers could also be a good candidate. Sure, he kept the Phils in the game, even went seven innings. In fact, overall, it was not a bad outing. Except for that first inning. Oh, the first inning—Brett Myers' nemesis.



Someone really needs to get Brett up and throwing about a half hour before the game and tell him it's the first inning then. Or hypnotize him before he goes out there to make him think the first inning was already played. I mean, you cannot, absolutely cannot, keep giving up first-inning runs in the World Series and expect to win. That's science. Just look at the first two games.

And of course, there's this guy:



Kerwin Danley, you should never be allowed to umpire a little league softball game again, let alone a god damn World Series. Never before have I ever seen an umpire call a guy out on strikes, only to then appeal to first and then let that guy walk to first base. I mean, it was plain as day. You called Rocco Baldelli out. And he should have been out. He fucking swung the bat. Instead, he ended up on first because you are fucking moron and the first base umpire was as blind as you are.

Then, in the 9th, you completely ignore the fact that David Price fucking hit Jimmy's jersey with a pitch. It was clear as day you blind fuck. Certainly, Jimmy getting on base there, instead of popping out, could have changed the outcome of that ninth inning. Maybe not, and without question, the Phils deserved to lose that game. But that doesn't mean you should get off the hook. I hope terrible things happen to you and your family the rest of your lives, you fuck. Actually, all I want is my 75 cents back, an apology and for him to be fired.



Not Skittles indeed.

Anyway, the epic fail of the day could go to any of the above mentioned parties. But no, last night's epic fail goes to one person and one person only: Jayson Werth. I've grown to like Jayson over the last two years, but last night was inexcusable. Mr. Iracane sums it up nicely:

Who should Phillies fans be hanging in effigy this morning? Sorry, Jayson Werth, but your douchey facial hair and extraneous 'Y' in your first name can't save you now. You made your first error of the year in the first inning; that led to a Rays run. You went 1-for-5 at the plate with 2 K's and three men left on base. Sure, you threw out Rocco Baldelli at home to prevent a Rays run, but he returned the favor later and doubled you off first base on a liner.



I mean, Jayson, that was one of the worst games from anyone ever. You struck out with a runner on third and less than two outs. You made your FIRST ERROR OF THE SEASON in the fucking World Series. And you got doubled up off first on a fly ball to right field to end the inning, with Ryan Howard waiting on deck. Last night, Mr. Werth, you sucked worse than anyone. You were the winner (loser?) of the epic fail of the night.

That was awful. So let's put it behind us and get a win tomorrow. Or Sunday. Or whenever the hell game 3 is going to be played. Jamie Moyer (God help us) takes the mound against Matt Garza in game 3. These two have an awful lot in common. Like being in the Major Leagues and the World Series.

Actually, other than that, the two couldn't be any more opposite. Garza is a young righthanded, flame-throwing Latino who has been dominant in the postseason and also has three brothers who absolutely suck at singing. Jamie is the oldest player in baseball, a lefty, throws softer than Sean Considine hits people, is of the vanilla complexion and has completely blown donkey balls in the playoffs.

And you know what, as Chase Utley would say, I still like their chances. Why? I have no idea.

So back to Philadelphia, where baseball is meant to played—outdoors—and back in the win column.

LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!

what is this, a blog?

i hate to get a little sentimental with four wins yet to go but i couldn't help but feel that way after the game 5 win over the mannys. i speak mostly of mr. pat burrell and one charlie manuel. when you think about this city, you list all the cliches that get churned out interview after interview about the passion, the blue-collarness and the ultimate desire to reach that promised land of a championship. you can go through the lists of those athletes around here who have got it (see chase, shane and pat just from the phillies), and those who haven't (rolen and rollins to name a couple). but after a decade of burrell, i can't help but put that guy on my all-time favorites list



if you think about where burrell came from and what he was when he got here, it's nice to see where is he is now. arriving from the always arrogant university of miami as a brawny pretty boy as the no. 1 pick, maybe he didn't seem like our typical philly guy. so he went through the fire, played well early on, then had that disastrous .209 season, and bounced back to be a solid bat in the middle of the lineup. he was the goat for years. all those kneel-down strikeouts on sliders down and away, while the team either struggled to compete or fizzled down the stretch. if jeff conine can do it, why can't our supposed golden boy? the one thing pat never did was sit around and complain like others or pout or anything. he just kept trying, because he got it.

well maybe he's no golden boy, but he is now a huge part of one of the best core's of a team we've had in this city in a while. the phillies have always had a special route to philly fans' hearts throughout the decades and the main reason is that the successful teams have done it with grit and hustle and a certain determination that those sitting in the seats all buy into and relate to. and to see burrell now, coming up big in key spots (do i need to remind you about game 4 milwaukee?), showing the same passion that's in every title-hungry fan's belly, it just makes you feel pretty darn good. sure pat is never gonna be the all-everything first overall pick, but what he is now is the imperfect, blue-collar, not-taking-anything-for-granted kind of player. he is a true philly guy.

unlike others...



as for charlie

i don't think i ever had a super strong opinion about him. i liked how he got the team to play hard. i didn't like some of the things he did during games. but seeing how authentic this guy is and how his team has grown to be just like him, in that they're tough, determined and they just won't stop coming even when everyone is calling them dead, i gotta tip my cap to him. he's done a heck of a job and in terms of people, it couldn't have worked out for a better guy.

hearing that quote about from his mom, "charles, you're gonna win those games..." or however it went exactly woulda made me cry if i knew how to cry.

let's get this one done for charlie and pat and chase and shane and chris and jayson and i could list a lot of others. and also vinnie. let's win one for vinnie. it would be nice.

and it's about time.