Are the Phillies done?

A team had a great five year run. It included multiple trips to the World Series and several consecutive divisions won. Multiple MVPs played on the teams. The deep pitching staff includes a Cy Young winner and another star pitcher who won the LCS and World Series MVP.

But despite all the success there was an aura of disappointment. They won a single World Series but in other years, they lost multiple series where they had no business dropping. And the good times ended abruptly. There was no transition. They went from potential World Series contender to a last place team in one year.

Now what team am I talking about?

Am I talking about the Philadelphia Phillies from now?
Or am I talking about the Oakland A's from the 1980s and 1990s?

The A's exploded in 1988 with an outstanding team headed by manager Tony LaRussa. Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson and Dennis Eckersley all won MVP honors.

Bob Welch may have won the Cy Young in the rotation, but it was Dave Stewart who brought home ALCS and World Series MVP honors.

Those A's were tremendous. But they only won one title: the 1989 Earthquake Series against the Giants. They lost to far inferior teams like the 1988 Dodgers and 1990 Reds. But after losing the 1992 ALCS to Toronto, the good times ended. Riddled with free agent defections and injuries, the 1993 A's finished in the AL West cellar. It took years (and a Billy Beane mentality) before the A's were any good again.

Which brings us to the present Phillies. From 2007 to last year, they won the Division each year. They won it all in 2008 and another pennant in 2009. Roy Halladay won the Cy Young, but Cole Hamels won the LCS and World Series MVP trophies. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins picked up MVP honors (yes, I know Ryan Howard won his in 2006. The analogy isn't perfect.)

Yet they lost to teams like the 2010 Giants and 2011 Cardinals. The Phillies should have crushed them but they didn't.


And here we sit with about 36% of the season done and the Phillies are in freefall. They've dropped their last six games including a sweep by the Matt Kemp-less Dodgers. Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are all on the disabled list. And, despite an excellent 2.92 ERA, Cliff Lee is still winless.

Sure there is about 2/3 of the season to play. But what part of the Phillies game makes you think this team is turning around. They are a veteran team and the rest of the Division looks pretty good.

In order to get to 93 wins, which is probably what it will take to make the playoffs, the Phillies will have to go 65-38 the rest of the way. That's a .631 clip. They are currently playing .475 ball.

That's not hopeful.

All great runs come to an end.

It happened to the A's of the 1980s and 1990s.

Maybe the Phillies of the 2000s and 2010s have reached the end of their line.

I LOVE the new Washington/Philadelphia rivalry

Cole Hamels sent a message the other day when he hit Bryce Harper, but I don't think it was the message he THOUGHT he was sending.

I'm not really impressed when pitchers hit batters, quite frankly. And the best way for Cole Hamels to make Harper realize he is being a cocky twit is to strike him out and look unprepared, NOT to put him on base!

But the real message was sent to the rest of baseball. The Nationals and the Phillies could be the best new rivalry in the game right now.

I'm not saying for all time. Red Sox and Yankees have generations of bad blood and the Giants and Dodgers have been battling on two different coasts.

But just for this year, 2012, Washington and Philadelphia could wind up being the most intriguing match up of teams in the game.

Geographically the rivalry couldn't be more appealing. Just 137 miles (and Baltimore) separate the two cities. It's about a 3 hour drive from park to park. Philadelphia draws from Eastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

The Nationals pick up whichever baseball fans in DC didn't grow up with the Orioles, whatever baseball fans exist in Virginia and of course staffers of Congressmen and women who try to look cool offering access to the Nats game to visiting lobbyists.

In terms of personnel there is a wonderful contrast. The Phillies have the weathered veterans, many with World Series experience. Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino are still there. So are Joe Blanton, Hunter Pence and Roy Halladay. World Series winners like Juan Pierre and Jonathan Papelbon have been added to the mix.

And if Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee and Jim Thome come off the disabled list anytime soon, this will be a "Who's Who" of respected veterans.

The Nationals represent a new face of baseball. What two recent prospects have been brought up with more hype and fanfare than Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper? And so far they have lived up to the hype.

With the likes of Steve Lobardozzi, Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann, Craig Stammen, Ross Detwiler and when he comes back, Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats have created a nice core of home grown talent.

Throw in some former Phillies like Brad Lidge and Jayson Werth, and it becomes very interesting on the East Coast but South of Red Sox/Yankee land.

But there is more to this than geography and age differences between the players.

The Phillies have been THE team in the National League for five seasons. Between 2007 and 2011, they won all five Division Titles, made three trips to the NLCS, two trips to the World Series and won it all in 2008.

But with upset losses by the Giants in 2010 and St. Louis last year, there is a sense that the Phillies should have at least one more trip to the World Series on their resume.

And with injuries and age creeping up on the team, this could be the last year for them to be a legit pennant winner and have a chance for multiple titles (and a first ring for Halladay, Lee and Thome.)

Yet who is in first?
Even after they were swept by the Dodgers, the Nats remain on the top, 6 games ahead of the Phillies in the loss column.

Washington hasn't seen post season baseball since the 1933 Senators lost the World Series to the Giants. That was around the time King Kong was released. It has been remade twice since then.

Basically we have the old veterans looking for one last gasp of glory against the young phenoms who don't want to wait their turn and be respectful to the codgers.

So who is going to win?
Well, I think it is going to be the Marlins who are getting their groove back. But the fight for a playoff spot between these two teams who don't seem to like each other could be as entertaining a match up as we'll see this calendar year.

That's not a bad message for Hamels to send.


 

Phillies pitchers who clinched a post season Series: From Ruthven to Hamels

With Brad Lidge leaving Philadelphia for the Nationals today, I realized that exactly 1/2 of the pitchers who have clinched a World Series for the Phillies switched teams. The late Tug McGraw was the other one.

I asked the Phillies fans to pay to pay their respects to Lidge today. But later I realized that the fraternity of Phillies pitchers to clinch a post season series is actually very very small.

Despite being a member of the National League since the 19th century, the Phillies went from 1903, the year of the first World Series, to 1979, a World Series I remember watching, without a single post season series victory. They lost the 1915 and 1950 World Series. They lost the 1976, 1977 and 1978 NLCS. And less said about 1964 the better.

In fact if the Houston Astros got another hit in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 1980 NLCS, their searched for post season victory would have been prolonged.

So like I did for The Red Sox, I decided to honor each and every Phillies pitcher who threw the last pitch of a post season series.

Here are the pitchers, the game they pitched, and how was the last out recorded.


DICK RUTHVEN
1980 National League Championship Series - Game 5
Phillies, 8, Astros 7

October 12, 1980
At The Astrodome, Houston

2 innings of relief of five pitchers for the win.
LAST OUT: Enos Cabell flew out to center fielder Garry Maddox.



TUG McGRAW
1980 World Series - Game 6
Phillies 4, Royals 1

October 21, 1980
At Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Two innings of relief to save the game for starter Steve Carlton.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Willie Wilson.




AL HOLLAND
1983 National League Championship Series - Game 4
Phillies 7, Dodgers 2

October 8, 1983
At Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

1 2/3 innings of relief for starter Steve Carlton and reliever Ron Reed.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Bill Russell.




MITCH WILLIAMS
1993 National League Championship Series - Game 6
Phillies 6, Braves 3

October 13, 1993
At Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

One inning of relief and the save for starter Tommy Greene and reliever David West.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Bill Pecota.




BRAD LIDGE
2008 National League Division Series - Game 4
Phillies 6, Brewers 2

October 5, 2008
At Miller Park, Milwaukee

1 inning of relief for starter Joe Blanton and reliever Ryan Madson.
LAST OUT: Jason Kendall grounded to Jimmy Rollins at shortstop who threw to Ryan Howard at first for the out.

2008 National League Championship Series - Game 5
Phillies 5, Dodgers 1

October 15, 2008
At Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

1 inning of relief for starter Cole Hamels and reliever Ryan Madson.
LAST OUT: Nomar Garciaparra popped up foul to catcher Carlos Ruiz for the out.

2008 World Series - Game 5
Phillies 4, Rays 3

October 29, 2008
At Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia

1 inning of relief for starter Cole Hamels and relievers Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Eric Hinske.

2009 Division Series - Game 4
Phillies 5, Rockies 4

October 12, 2009
At Coors Field, Denver

1/3 of an inning for the save in relief of Cliff Lee, Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Troy Tulowitzki

2009 National League Championship Series - Game 5
Phillies 10, Dodgers 4

October 21, 2009
At Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
1 inning of relief for pitchers Cole Hamels, J. A. Happ, Chad Durbin, Chan Ho Park and Ryan Madson.
LAST OUT: Ronnie Belliard flies out to center fielder Shane Victorino.


COLE HAMELS
2010 National League Division Series - Game 3
Phillies 2, Reds 0

October 10, 2010
At Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati

Complete Game five hit shutout.
LAST OUT: Strikeout of Scott Rolen.



So there you have it, Phillies fans. All 10 Post Season Series that the Phillies won are listed here.
And how about some more respect for Brad Lidge?

He clinched HALF of them!

I thought for sure they would have added to this list in 2011.
The window is slowly closing on this squad.

Maybe I'll add Papelbon.

But remember, they won't have Harry Kalas call it.
Let's savor his 2008 call.

The Greatest Last Day of the Season... the Worst First Day of the Post Season

After a mindbogglingly amazing (if agonizing for Red Sox fans) finale to the season, I thought "Man, if this is what the playoffs are going to be like then October is going to be incredible."

Well if tonight was any indication of how it is going to unfold, then this post season will be the biggest let down of anything that didn't have Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the title.

Yeah it was cool that Matt Moore had his second ever big league start in the playoffs and he dominated the Defending American League Champs. But guess what? The game was a snooze fest.

And off to New York for the best game 1 match up of the year and we get one inning... and rain.
Enough rain to call the damn game.

Enough rain to make Verlander vs. Sabathia into Nova vs. Fister.
Enough rain to make the Yankees and Tigers waste their ace over one inning.

If the rain was that bad in the second, why start the game in the first?
Is this the 2008 World Series all over again?

The thing that made me pick the Tigers for the Division Series was the idea of Verlander pitching twice. I expected him to go deep in each game... deeper than one.

Personally I would start Verlander in Game 2.
Make someone do a double take to see him starting Game 1 and 2 of the playoffs.

I better see some closer games and closer inspection of the weather report tomorrow.
It's supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope they don't get 2 innings in and push it to Sunday.

Mike Lortz (aka Jordi Scrubbings) joins the Sully Baseball Show

Mike Lortz... aka Jordi Scrubbings... joins The Sully Baseball Show tonight.
That's right, I invited a Tampa Bay Rays fan onto the show to discuss the Red Sox collapse and the Rays rise from the TAMPA point of view.


It is the second hour of the Seamheads block on Monday night after What's On Second, the flagship show of the Seamheads National Podcasting Network.

Listen to internet radio with Seamheads on Blog Talk Radio

10 Reasons why the Tampa Bay Rays winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

There are only a few more weeks left to the season and the contenders are dwindling down. I am running out of time to finish my Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series.

We continue with the Tampa Bay Rays.
When I started writing these, I didn't even have Tampa Bay on the list but I DID have the White Sox and the Indians, who as if this writing are below .500.

But thanks to the Rays surge this September and a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox, they are very much in the hunt. They need a lot of help, but sweeping the Red Sox again starting tonight would tie them for a playoff spot with 10 games to play.

If they do that, it would be a monumental pre-2004 esque collapse for the Red Sox and the third playoff berth in four years for Tampa Bay.

Would a Rays World Series title be good for the game?
Oh let me count the ways.

10 Reasons why the
Tampa Bay Rays
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. A Rays World Champion could put Joe Maddon on the fast track to Cooperstown.

He's only been the Rays manager for 6 seasons, but a World Series title this year would make his Hall of Fame candidacy very interesting. With a title, he would have already done the hard work. He took over a team that lost at least 91 games for each of their 10 years of existence and put them in the World Series. Throw in another Division Title and four straight winning seasons and he can take a huge piece of credit for turning a laughing stock into a contender. Not even Lou Piniella could do that. Like Ron Roenicke in Milwaukee, he is a protege of Mike Scioscia who was a protege of Tom Lasorda who was a protege of Walter Alston. It could be a legacy of Hall of Fame managers.

2. Maybe Brad Pitt could play Andrew Friedman as well if the Rays win it all.

The Rays were a bigger mess than the Oakland A's ever were and with Andrew Friedman as GM, they've won more pennants than Billy Beane's A's! So where's the Brad Pitt film about Friedman?

He is putting contenders (and Division Champions in 2 out of 3 years) in a Division that features the two big bad wolves (New York and Boston.) He didn't listen to the whining of "Nobody can compete with them" and found a way to. And he is STILL doing it with one of the lowest payrolls in the game. They are putting a winning product on the field and by letting key free agents walk, they had what seemed like 100 first round picks. So the talent pipeline to the majors will remain fruitful.

Seriously, it's a great story.



3. Finally Johnny Damon would have a World Series ring that EVERYONE can feel good about!

Johnny won a World Series ring with the Red Sox. But Yankee fans and people who like grooming didn't like that.

Then he won a World Series ring with the Yankees. But Red Sox fans and Yankee haters didn't like THAT!

If he wins one with the Rays, who could have a problem with him? It's like the porridge that Goldilocks chose.

4. A World Series title could be the overdue fulfillment of Kyle Farnsworth's potential.

Since coming up with the Cubs, Kyle Farnsworth has had jaw dropping potential but never fulfilled it. He threw hard but the balls went out of the park even faster. Even in Atlanta, where he had his best regular season, he blew a key playoff lead that led to the Braves elimination in the 2005 Division Series. Yankees fans dubbed him "Farnsworth-less."

But in Tampa Bay he found his groove and has become an effective closer. What better place of redemption than on the mound for a World Series title?

5. A ring for David Price and what could become the best staff in baseball.

At age 25, David Price is already a seasoned battle tested veteran. 29 year old Big Game James Shields is the elder statesman of the rotation. Pitchers Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann and Alex Cobb all made Matt Garza and Scott Kazimir expendable. This team is so loaded with young pitching (Matt Moore and Jake McGee are the latest to make the leap to the big leagues) that they should keep Tampa Bay competitive for the next 4 or 5 years.

A World Championship could spotlight this staff and pitching coach Jim Hickey and create a blueprint of how to build a team around pitching.


6. A World Championship would force the spotlight on Evan Longoria and B. J. Upton.

Baseball needs new heroes to emerge in the post Steroid years. Neither Longoria nor Upton have put up numbers that match their potential. But perhaps World Series heroics and highlights can put these two talented and exciting players in the public consciousness.

And maybe THEN Longoria would be able to afford a new hat.




7. Would Manny Ramirez get a World Series ring?

Hey! He played 5 games for the Rays.

Yeah, he retired in disgrace.
Yeah, he is sinking further into Pariah-ville and has as good a change to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But he DID play for the Rays. If they win, it would be an interesting debate.


8. It would interesting to talk with a Cubs fan the day after a Rays World Championship.

Seriously, it would be nothing short of cruel for a Cub fan to witness yet ANOTHER expansion team win the World Series. The Cubs last PLAYED in a World Series 16 years before the first expansion.

14 teams have come into the league since the 1945 World Series and 12 of them have made the World Series.

The Cubs last won the World Series when Roosevelt was in office... TEDDY Roosevelt. The Marlins and Diamondbacks have each won a World Series and they were created when CLINTON was in office. If a third recent expansion team wins while the Cubs wait would be borderline cruel.

Hey! At least the Cubs have Matt Garza and Carlos Pena!


9. A World Series title would give us SOMETHING positive to say about the Trop.

The Rays have been trying to get out of the Trop since their first game IN the Trop! I have yet to step foot in Tropicana Field. It just looks like an idea that was great in the mid 1980s but just is out of date now. It is the BetaMax of stadiums.

But guess what? Some ugly parks can have some nice memories. The Metrodome was ugly, but the Twins had their greatest moments there. The Vet was a hole, but the Phillies had some glorious victories in that cold ugly donut. The Kingdome was an eyesore, but that's where Griffey scored from first!

Eventually the Rays will have a new park or a new city. If the Trop is leveled, it would be nice to have one great moment there.

10. A Rays World Series title is supposedly what EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WANTS!

What are the biggest complaints about baseball?

Only big market clubs win.
The Yankees and Red Sox make it unfair.
You need deep pockets and a huge payroll to have a shot.
A team needs a state of the art stadium to have the revenue to contend.

Well the Rays have raised a middle finger to all of those sentiments! The Rays, filled with homegrown stars, a sense of fun and a wonderfully likable manager, should be the darlings of every casual baseball fan. They should be the glorious underdog who spit in the face of convention and are saying "We'll defy logic and show all of you how to do it!"

The draft well, they trade well and play hard. (Are you taking notes, Royals and Pirates?) And they are not afraid of the Goliaths of their Division. I swear if I weren't already a Red Sox fan, I'd probably rooting hard for them this weekend.

The fact that baseball DOESN'T sell this team better just is another example of MLB's incredible incompetence to promote their own sport!


So there you have it.
I am writing this AS my beloved Red Sox are trying to keep Tampa OUT of the playoffs. But if Tampa does get in, there are plenty of reasons to cheer them on.

Oh I am such an optimist!




If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS
DETROIT TIGERS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NEW YORK YANKEES
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

10 Reasons why the Philadelphia Phillies winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

The latest entry for the Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series will be for the Philadelphia Phillies.

A lot of these entries have been for long shots or teams that are pretty much dead right now (I'm looking at YOU Indians, Giants and White Sox.)

But now it is time for one team that not only has a shot, but should be the prohibitive favorite against any team.

The Phillies were picked by many people (including yours truly) to win it all. And frankly it would be stunning if they didn't. Now if you are the kind of person who doesn't like offense, pitching and power, then the Phillies aren't for you.

Today they clinched a playoff berth.
With 95 wins and 16 games left, they are a cinch for 100 wins.
If they win 102 games, they will have the best regular season record in franchise history.

And with the memory of last year's stunning loss in the NLCS against San Francisco fresh in their minds, they have gone all in.

The Phillies are the Big Bad Wolf. They could turn the Red Sox or Yankees into underdogs.

So they are another big market Northeastern team with unruly fans using their deep pockets to buy another championship!

What could there POSSIBLY be to root for with a Phillies World Series title?
PLENTY!

10 Reasons why the
Philadelphia Phillies
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. Another World Series title would make Charlie Manuel's Hall of Fame candidacy very compelling.

Charlie Manuel seems like a cool guy. A classic "Gold Ole Boy" Southern manager who has tamed the wild Philadelphia fanbase and delivered the city's first Championship in a quarter century.

While the classic Hall of Fame manager seems to be a strategist or a fiery, who can deny the results. With a clinched playoff spot this year (and assuming the Division is inevitable) he will have 5 straight Division Titles, back to back pennants and the 2008 World Series title.

Throw in the fact that his Phillies zoomed past the Mets in the wild 2007 Division race and Manuel could be the best manager in the team's history. Who is ahead of him?

(He also has another Division Title as a manager of the Indians.) If he wins another World Series title, his Cooperstown resume would start to look convincing.


2. Another title would shine light on the new "Core."

Jimmy Rollins has been a Phillie for 11 plus seasons. Chase Utley has been a Phillie for 9 seasons. Ryan Howard has been a Phillie for 8 plus seasons. Cole Hamels has been a Phillie for 6 seasons. Ryan Madson has been a Phillie for 8 plus seasons. Carlos Ruiz has been a Phillies for 6 seasons.

They are all home grown players who have been together for all 5 Division Champions. Throw in Shane Victorino who came over to Philadelphia after making his big league debut with the Padres and you have a core of players who have been together through many different Octobers and give the Phillies a sense of stability with the franchise not seen since the Joe Torre Yankee days.



3. The redemption of Ryan Howard's contract.

Speaking of that core, Ryan Howard has been much maligned since signing his long contract extension. I understand the deal emotionally. Having him play the bulk of his career in Philadelphia would mean that Phillies fans could invest some emotion in the big guy. And he is no doubt one of the more likable stars in the game.

But with his numbers declining (except RBI... the REASON he is paid so much) and the age of sluggers suddenly getting good again seems to be over, the deal looks like it might be an albatross for the next 5 years.

Ahh but what if he helps the Phillies earn ANOTHER World Series title? You could say "Sure he's over paid and slipping, but that's the price for an MVP, 3 pennants, an NLCS MVP and being part of 2 of the only 3 World Series titles in team history."


4. Speaking of redemption, Philadelphia fans can show themselves in a better light.

You might not like it, Phillies fans, but you have one of the worst reputation in sports. I know not ALL of you booed Mike Schmidt... or Santa Claus for that matter. I know not ALL of you got tased or threw up on a little girl. But enough of you have to give Philadelphia sports fans a bad rep.

Want to change that? When the Phillies win the World Series, cheer. Clap. Stomp your feet. Have a great time. But don't riot. Don't flip cars over. Show some class. And you can say "Yeah, I'm a Philly fan. At least I'm not a Vancouver fan!"


5. Roy Halladay is great for baseball and deserves to be a champion.

As we move past the Steroid Era and pitchers are becoming more and more dominant, it would be nice to see the BEST current pitcher get a ring.

Halladay could win his third Cy Young this year (although it will probably go to Clayton Kershaw) and last year showed his greatness with a regular season perfect game and a playoff no hitter. Today he threw a complete game shutout to clinch a spot in October. He's already a Hall of Famer. He is lacking the ring and he'll join Tim Lincecum, CC Sabathia, Cole Hamels, Jon Lester, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter as current aces who are also World Champions.


6. Cliff Lee's bad ass-ness needs to be celebrated.

In 2009 World Series against the Yankees, Cliff Lee casually caught a pop up while barely moving his body. He just was so cool and non chalant. That's how he plays the game. He is good. He KNOWS he is good. And he'll just shut you down on HIS terms.

And those terms also means being a cool customer after being traded from the Indians to the Phillies to the Mariners and to the Rangers in two years. And cool in saying "Thanks but to thanks" to the Yankees money and declaring Philadelphia the place to win.

Like Halladay, Lee is one of the stars of post steroid pitching. And save for his two games in the World Series last year, has been as exciting a big game pitcher as you will see in baseball. He should be a champion.



7. Juan Samuel would get his World Series ring.

In the mid 1980s, Juan Samuel was the best second baseman in the National League not named Ryne Sandberg. He was part of the 1983 National League Champion Phillies and looked like he was going to be a staple in Philadelphia for a long time.

Then he went to the Mets, fetching Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell, which turned out to be one of the best deals in Phillies history. Samuel is a baseball lifer. He's been a coach and briefly managed the disastrous Orioles last year before Buck Showalter arrived.

The three time All Star has been in professional baseball since 1980 but has never been part of a World Series winner. The current member of the Phillies coaching staff has earned it.


8. A World Series ring for Brian Schneider, the last Expo.

There are very few Montreal Expos left in baseball. Schneider is one of them and he played for the team as MLB was screwing the franchise sending them to San Juan, not letting them call up players in September even while Frank Robinson was putting a winning product on the field. When baseball sent an All Star team to Japan after 2004, the Expos last season, Schneider represented the team. When he returned, they were the Washington Nationals. So by definition, Schneider was the last ever Expo.

He's now Carlos Ruiz's backup and probably won't see any action in the post season. But it would be nice to see one of the remnants of that lost team be rewarded.



9. Another title would make this the greatest Philadelphia team in history

If the Phillies win the World Series this year, which Philadelphia team would be better in history than this squad? The Dr. J/Moses Malone 76ers? The Broadstreet Bullies? The Jimmie Foxx/Lefty Grove Connie Mack led A's?

This Phillies team might be better than them all.

And sometimes it is GOOD to see greatness unfold and the best of something emerge.



10. Sometimes it is good to have the best team win.

Yeah, underdogs are fun to see win. A little team that could like last year's Giants or the 2006 Cardinals beating the odds can be appealing. But there are other times it is cool to see a team that is clearly the best in the sport take the title and the crown.

Sometimes seeing a champion who was the best from start to finish can be more satisfying than simply honoring whichever team happened to get hot over three weeks. This Phillies team was designed to win the whole damn thing and they played like it since April. There is something to be said for that.

Is there any doubt who the best team in baseball is? Then by definition they deserve to win the World Series!



Oh I know this will be a hard sell for a lot of you. Philadelphia is as bad as New York and Boston in terms of gluttony in many people's eyes. (The Phillies payroll is now bigger than the Red Sox!) But trust me, the world won't end if the Phillies win the World Series. And in many ways, it could be a very cool thing.

Show some brotherly love, my dear readers.


If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS
DETROIT TIGERS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NEW YORK YANKEES
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Bad Luck Hamels

There were many story lines to last night's wild Phillies/Astros opus.

Jimmy Rollins game tying 9th inning homer? Clutch.
Ryan Howard getting called out on a check swing in extra innings? Borderline.
Some umpire named Scott Barry trying to prove to the world how tough he is by tossing Ryan Howard? Bush League.
Roy Oswalt playing left field? Little league.
Roy Oswalt coming to the plate as the potential winning run in the 16th? Nuts.

But here's something that got lost in the shuffle:
Cole Hamels pitched great AGAIN... and has nothing to show for it.

When I pitched that Felix Hernandez should get serious Cy Young consideration even with a losing record, one of my readers named Ed wrote "A pitcher's win-loss record must be the silliest stat in baseball."

I don't 100% agree. The pitchers job is to get the team in position to win the game, Ed has a point when evaluating the recent pitching performance of Cole Hamels.

Hamels began the season with a poor April, a good May and a bad June, prompting the Phillies to deal for Roy Oswalt (and basically admit they f---ed up when dealing Cliff Lee.)

But in July, he posted a 2.16 ERA and nearly averaged 7 innings a start, nearly a strikeout an inning and a 2.86 strikeout to walk ratio.

He's kept it up in August. Including tonight's 7 inning, 2 run, 8 strikeout and 1 walk performance, his August numbers include a 3.17 ERA, 6 2/3 innings a start, 42 strikeouts and only 4 walks.

His record over July and August? 1-4.
He is winless since the All Star Break.

He threw 8 innings of 1 hit shutout ball on July 22nd against St. Louis and got a no decision.

He had back to back starts against the Mets recently... one he threw 7 innings, 1 run, 11 strikeouts, no walks... LOSS.

His next start he threw 8 innings, 1 run, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks... LOSS.

He's been throwing at least like a true #2 and like what most teams would want from their #1 starter. (If he threw like that in Game 3 of the World Series last year, the Phillies would probably be the back to back defending World Champions.)

This is a guy who is pitching lights out and oh yeah... has an NLCS and World Series MVP trophies sitting on his mantle. If he pitches like this in October and goes in the #3 slot behind the two Roys, the Phillies would be so scary that not even Brad Lidge coming out of the bullpen could stop them.

It would be nice if the Phillies could hit for him.
Someone pitching THAT well shouldn't be tied with ME for second half wins.

Was it turn back the clock day in Philadelphia?

Seriously… Cole Hamels throws well for the win?
Brad Lidge goes 1-2-3 for the save?

Did I go back in time to 2008?
I had to check to see if Pat Burrell was in the lineup for the Phillies.

(Now where was that start by Hamels and 9th inning by Lidge in the World Series LAST year?)