Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - February 13, 2013

 Writer Michael X. Ferraro was the guest on todays episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

We talked Phillies, poetry and Silver Linings Playbook.

  Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - February 13, 2013

It was "Turn Back The Clock" night in Philadelphia

Fans in Philadelphia were treated to a special sight last night. It was Turn Back the Clock night at Citizen's Bank Ballpark and the fans no doubt got a whiff of nostalgia of glories past.

Oh there was no official celebration last night. It just felt like it.

This has been a strange year in Philly. This was a team that was expected to compete and contend all year long. After five straight division titles, a pair of pennants and a World Series title, the Phillies went through one of the best stretches in their teams history.

They went into the 2010 and 2011 post season as prohibitive favorites, both times being upset by the eventual World Series champ.

This year? It's been a big ole bowl of suck.

Injuries, slumps and disappointments have sent the Phillies from first to last and turned them shockingly into sellers at the trade deadline.

Phillies fans thinking they had a budding dynasty realize that it may have ended in many ways when Ryan Howard collapsed in the batters box grounding out to end the 2011 Division Series.

But fans who showed up tonight got to turn the clocks back a whopping 3 or 4 years and experience some of that not so old old Phillies magic.

Jimmy Rollins lead off with a first inning double.
Ryan Howard hit a two run homer in the first inning that game the Phils a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish,
Chase Utley joined with Rollins and Howard in turning a pair of double players.
Cole Hamels went the distance on a five hit complete game shut out.

Everything clicked tonight.
Phillies fans thought it would click like hat 90 some odd times this year.

Savor this game Phillies. It isn't often that an Old Timers Game counts.


 

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.

Cliff Lee could be Ryan Gosling's brother

I saw a picture of Ryan Gosling in some up coming film called Gangster Squad. I don't doubt that I will see it because my wife is, to put it mildly, a fan of Mr. Gosling.

Do you know who is also a big fan of Ryan Gosling? Every heterosexual woman I have ever met.

He's a reasonably handsome dude.

You know how some couples have the "Free Pass" list? The celebrity that one partner can hook up with guilt free if the situation ever came up.

Well Ryan Gosling is on my wife's "I am allowed to shoot my husband in the knee to spend a night with him" list.

When we did our casting the 2011 movie video, she tried to cast Gosling as Josh Hamilton even though he doesn't look like him.

HOWEVER, when I saw his pic for the new movie, it looked very familiar.

Then I realized where I saw that intense, bad ass stare.

He looks like Cliff Lee.

Not 100% like Cliff Lee. They aren't dead ringers.

But he could be Ryan Lee. He might be the more sensitive Lee brother who never was understood by his tougher more athletic brother.

Maybe if more women knew there was a Ryan Gosling type on the Phillies they would sky rocket in popularity.

And I for one would like to see Cliff Lee play Noah in The Notebook.




  

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.


 

Now THAT was a ballgame!

9 shutout innings by Cain.
10 by Cliff Lee.
The Giants bullpen perfectly wiggled out of a jam.
And as John Sterling would say about Melky Cabrera "The Melk Man Delivered!"

Folks, regular season games don't get better than that!

I hope you have a Jim Kern Day... NOT a Warren Brusstar Day

I never saw Jim Kern pitch.
Not live at least. If I saw him on TV, I have no memory of it.

But yet I remember Jim Kern vividly. I didn't remember the fact that he was a 3 time All Star and finished 4th in the 1979 AL Cy Young Award balloting.

Nope. I remembered that every year it seemed like he just looked happy on his baseball card.

I mean just look at his 1979 Topps Card.

The guy is loving life!
He's playing for a 90 loss Indians team going nowhere in a hurry, but he's laughing away.

He's an All Star with mess up hair and the bad ass "Tomahawk C" hat and a full set of teeth,

This guy is ready to take the mound and have a great time.

In 1979 he switched teams to Texas and won the Rolaids Relief Award. That would put a smile on anyone's face.

I distinctly remember being 7 years old and laughing when I saw this card.

Later in Texas he grew some ridiculous facial hair but that obviously didn't put a damper on his mood.

I have no idea if he was a cool guy or not.

But I remember thinking even as a kid that he looked like he was having fun and savoring being a ball player.

Jim Kern was a state of mind. A way to look at life.

It was about positivity and being happy with where you are.


Now contrast that with Warren Brusstar.

Man this guy always looked mad.

Maybe he was ticked off that his hat didn't quite cover his curly hair, giving him a "White Oscar Gamble" quality.

Maybe it was playing in the rough Veterans Stadium in some intense playoff caliber actions.

Maybe he was grinding his teeth in pain from all the shoulder injuries he piled up as a sinker ball pitcher

Or perhaps, unlike Kern, Brusstar had a thankless job. He wasn't a starter and he wasn't a closer. He piled up neither wins (he got 28 over 9 big league seasons) nor saves (14 total in his career) in an era when those two stats seemed to be the only yard stick people had to measure a pitcher's value.

Either way, as a kid, I thought he looked really mean.



And he kept looking mean as the years went on.



Being a part of a World Champion and pitching in the 1980 World Series didn't put a smile on his face..




Even a hair cut and moving to The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field couldn't cheer him up.

Come on man! You are a big league pitcher with a World Series ring! Cheer up!



So that's my advice to you my dear readers.
Embrace the Jim Kern within.
Wear that smile. He may not have a won a World Series, but he seemed to have more fun along the way.

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.

Hey Phillies fans... pay your respects to Brad Lidge!

Brad Lidge signed today with the Washington Nationals, joining his former teammate Jayson Werth. I guess the Nation's capitol is where Phillies champions go to cash in.

I am not saying the Phillies should have retained him. They took away my club's closer in Papelbon and it was was probably time to say good bye in Philadelphia.

I've had a lot of fun at Brad Lidge's expense over the years.

Heck I have talked about his deal with the Devil.

And yes he gave the Phillies headaches throughout 2009 and lost that key Game 4 of the World Series.

But Phillies fans... say good bye and salute the man.

Don't focus on his bizarre and grotesque 2009. Don't bring up the Pujols homer, the Podsednik homer and losing 2 games in the 2005 World Series and his horrible last 2 years in Houston.

Remember Lights Out Lidge.
Remember how he arrived in Philadelphia basically as a reclamation project in exchange for Michael Bourn and he turned into the closer the Phillies were searching for.

Remember how he went a perfect 41 for 41 in save opportunities in the 2008 regular season.
And then remember the 7 for 7 he went in saves for the post season, including the glorious moment of striking out Eric Hinske to win the World Series.

Also remember that despite being dreadful in 2009, Lidge closed out both the Division Series and clinched the National League pennant, picking up 3 saves and a win before his World Series meltdown.

For many Philadelphia fans, Lidge's strikeout of Hinske was the first championship they experienced in their lives. Using my "You don't follow a team until you are 7 years old" formula, any Philadelphia fan 32 years or younger had gone their whole lives without seeing one of their teams winning a title.

Now? They've got a Phillies World Championship. And they would not have made it past the Mets, Brewers, Dodgers nor the Rays without the anchor in the bullpen.

The lights are out.
Give him his due respect, Phillies fans.

And thank him for THIS!

Red Sox fans... remember THIS Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon is no longer a member of the Boston Red Sox.
When he walked off the mound that awful night in Baltimore, that was his last day pitching for Boston.

He signed a big mongo contract with the Phillies. Four years and $50 million.

I'm not saying the Red Sox should have matched that deal.
He will be 34 years old when it is over.
And most closers have about a 5 or 6 window of being really good. Papelbon has already had 6 solid years as a closer.

And cynically I can say "I'd rather have him breakdown on someone else's dime."
The Red Sox got his young energetic All Star closer days and the Phillies will pay for his expensive 30s.

But let's NOT be cynical.

Let's celebrate Jonathan Papelbon.

He came up as an energetic spot starter down the stretch in 2005. It's too bad Francona didn't stick him into the closer role. The Red Sox needed a closer in that stretch run (Schilling and Timlin couldn't cut it) and the Red Sox lost the Division by one game.

Keith Foulke broke down at the start of the 2006 season and Papelbon stepped in. The symbolism is wonderful in retrospect. Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon are the only two pitchers since 1918 to clinch a World Series for the Red Sox... and the baton was passed during that first series in '06.

The Sox had a cool, cocky and arrogant closer. And we LOVED it!
He was fun.
He was silly.
He did the whole Riverdance routine.
He had Shipping Off To Boston as his theme song.
And more often than not, he shut down the opposition.

Three times his season ERA was sub 2.00.
In 2006, he finished with a 0.92 ERA. His strikeout per 9 innings regularly was in double digits. And in the 2005, 2007 and 2008 post season, he posted a 0.00 ERA.

And let's never forget the wonderful party that was the clinching Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS. The Red Sox clinched the 2004 AL Pennant and World Series on the road. But in '07, they had their pennant celebration at Fenway. And while the final score was lopsided, he faced the tying run at the plate in the 8th inning. He got out of it before Pedroia and Youkilis put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 8th.

And NEVER forget that he struck out Seth Smith and gave Red Sox fans a second World Series title to savor.

Never forget he came out in the 7th inning of the great comeback of Game 5, 2008 ALCS and threw 2 key shutout innings to let the Sox avoid elimination.

And never forget that when Lester, Lackey and Beckett were bombing, Papelbon was accountable to the media and gave his all, even after he lost the final game.

And never forget that he was fun.

Red Sox fan got a lot of great memories courtesy of Papelbon, including a World Series clincher.

So wish him well, Red Sox fans.
Say thank you for the memories.

And one more time, for old time sake... Let's Ship Out To Boston.

What should baseball want? A 2-2 World Series after four games!

In Game 4 of the 2003 World Series, a very significant event happened.
Alex Gonzalez of the Marlins (not to be confused with Alex Gonzalez of the Cubs who did a hell of a lot more to screw up Chicago's World Series dreams than Steve Bartman) hit a walk off homer against Yankee reliever Jeff Weaver.

It gave the Marlins the win and suddenly took a World Series that everyone assumed the Yankees would win and turned it into anyone's series.

The Marlins went on to win that World Series.
Why am I bringing that up now?

Because when the ball cleared the fence in Joe Robbie Stadium (or whatever the hell it was called in 2003) it was the LAST time a World Series was 2-2 after four games.

A 2-2 series is a wonderful place to be in terms of excitement. After four games, no leader has emerged. Virtually every great World Series was 2-2 after 4.

Even the ones that ended after 6 games were thrillers 2-2 after 4.

When a team falls behind 3-1, it doesn't put the series out of reach but it puts one team at a tremendous disadvantage.

Since 2003... what have we had?
The 2004 World Series was great for us Red Sox fans but a real snoozer for everyone else. Forget a lead in the series. The Cardinals never had a lead for an INNING!

Every single game of the 2005 World Series was close and exciting. The problem is the White Sox won all four games. Clean sweeps are never good unless your team is doing the sweeping.

The 2006 World Series was super sloppy and more memorable for the Tigers pitchers making a ton of errors. It was 3-1 after 4 and over after 5.

The 2007 World Series was another Red Sox sweep. At least this time the Rockies led for a few innings of Game 2.

The 2008 World Series was 3-1 Phillies after 4. And the game 5 took 3 or 4 days to play because someone forgot to read the weather forecast.

The 2009 World Series was the last one to go more than 5 games, but the Yankees were up 3-1 after 4 games and it was inevitable that the Phillies were going to lose one game in the Bronx.

And last year was 3-1 with Tim Lincecum on the mound for the Giants.

It's hard for a World Series to gain momentum and national attention when it is pretty obvious who is going to win after 4 games.

Now I am rooting for the Rangers to win. I listed my reasons for that in one of my previous posts.

But what should EVERYONE who isn't a Cardinals or Rangers fan be cheering for?
A split of the first two in St. Louis and a split of the next two in Arlington.

We've have had some wonderful games in the last 7 post seasons. We've had the Red Sox come back against the 2004 Yankees. We've had the Astros Cardinals series of 2004 and 2005. We've had wonderful 5 game Division Series involving the Angels and Yankees and the Rays and Rangers.

The Mets and Cardinals had a heart racing 7 Game Series in 2006.
The Red Sox had two more 7 game ALCS thrillers... one they won against the Indians and one they lost to Tampa Bay.

David Ortiz, Chris Burke and Magglio Ordonez ended series with homers.
Nyjer Morgan and Jed Lowrie ended series with walk off hits.

And yet each and every year, the World Series is an anti climax.

Want people excited about the World Series?
Give them a World Series to get exited about!!!

The greatest World Series I ever saw played was between the Braves and Twins in 1991.

One played in the midwest inside of a dome.
The other was down south in a cookie cutter stadium that was empty just the year before.

This year you have THE team of the midwest playing a team in the 4th biggest media market in the country.

Have it go into a 5th game tied 2 games a piece and have Chris Carpenter stare down Josh Hamilton.

THEN you can have a true October classic.

100 win teams bounced in the Division Series (updated for 2011)

Last year I wrote about the 100 win teams who couldn't make it to the LCS.

This year I never imagined that I would add to the list... but alas the Phillies need to be here. 100 wins is still a magical number for a regular season but evidently it sometimes has a burden with it as well.

The weight of 102 wins made Ryan Howard collapse in the batters box.

So here we are... updated for 2011.

1998 HOUSTON ASTROS
102-60 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-1 to San Diego Padres. (98-64).

Manager:
LARRY DIERKER

Ringless Veterans Include:
BRAD AUSMUS
JEFF BAGWELL
CRAIG BIGGIO
MIKE HAMPTON
DOUG HENRY
RICHARD HIDALGO
JOSE LIMA
SHANE REYNOLDS
BILLY WAGNER

1999 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
100-62 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-1 to New York Mets. (97-66)

Manager:
BUCK SHOWALTER

Ringless Veterans Include:
OMAR DAAL
BERNARD GILKEY
GREGG OLSON

2001 OAKLAND A’S
102-60 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-2 to New York Yankees (95-65)

Manager:
ART HOWE

Ringless Veterans Include:
CHAD BRADFORD
ERIC BYRNES
ERIC CHAVEZ
RON GANT
JASON GIAMBI
TIM HUDSON
TERRENCE LONG
MARK MULDER
F. P. SANTANGELO
MIGUEL TEJADA
BARRY ZITO

2002 ATLANTA BRAVES
101-59 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-2 to San Francisco Giants (95-66)

Manager:
BOBBY COX (Won Ring as manager in 1995)

Ringless Veterans Include:
HENRY BLANCO
DARREN BRAGG
VINNY CASTILLA
JULIO FRANCO
MATT FRANCO
RAFAEL FURCAL
CHRIS HAMMOND
ANDRUW JONES
KEVIN MILLWOOD
B. J. SURHOFF

2002 NEW YORK YANKEES
103-58 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-1 to Anaheim Angels (99-53)

Manager:
JOE TORRE (Won Rings as manager in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000)

Ringless Veterans Include:
RON COOMER
JASON GIAMBI
NICK JOHNSON
STEVE KARSAY
RAUL MONDESI
MIKE MUSSINA
JUAN RIVERA
ALFONSO SORIANO
ROBIN VENTURA

2002 OAKLAND A’S
103-59 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-2 to Minnesota Twins (94-67)

Manager:
ART HOWE

Ringless Veterans Include:
CHAD BRADFORD
ERIC BYRNES
ERIC CHAVEZ
RAY DURAM
MARK ELLIS
SCOTT HATTEBERG
RAMON HERNANDEZ
TIM HUDSON
BILLY KOCH
TED LILLY
JOHN MABRY
MARK MULDER
MIGUEL TEJADA
RANDY VELARDE
BARRY ZITO

2003 ATLANTA BRAVES
101-61 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-2 to Chicago Cubs (88-74)

Manager:
BOBBY COX (Won Ring as manager in 1995)

Ringless Veterans Include:
DARREN BRAGG
VINNY CASTILLA
ROBERT FICK
JULIO FRANCO
MATT FRANCO
RAFAEL FURCAL
MIKE HAMPTON
ROBERTO HERNANDEZ
ANDRUW JONES
RUSS ORTIZ
JARET WRIGHT

2003 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
100-61 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-1 to Florida Marlins (91-71)

Manager
FELIPE ALOU

Ringless Veterans Include:
EDGARDO ALFONZO
RICH AURILIA
BARRY BONDS
JOSE CRUZ, Jr.
RAY DURHAM
ANDRES GALARRAGA
JEFFRYE HAMMONDS
JOE NATHAN
SIDNEY PONSON
KIRK RUETER
BENITO SANTIAGO
JASON SCHMIDT
J. T. SNOW
TIM WORRELL

2008 LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
100-62 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-1 to Boston Red Sox (95-67)

Manager:
MIKE SCIOSCIA (Won Ring as manager in 2002)

Ringless Veterans Include:
VLADIMIR GUERRERO
TORII HUNTER
HOWIE KENDRICK
GARY MATTHEWS, Jr.
KENDRY MORALES
DARREN OLIVER
ERVIN SANTANA
JERED WEAVER

2011 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
102-60 regular season record.
Lost Division Series 3-2 to St. Louis Cardinals. (90-72).

Manager:
CHARLIE MANUEL

Ringless Veterans Include:
BEN FRANCISCO
ROY HALLADAY
RAUL IBANEZ
CLIFF LEE
ROY OSWALT
HUNTER PENCE
PLACIDO POLANCO


Man, you'd think Cliff Lee and Raul Ibanez would have one by now!

Alas, baseball remains a sport where 3 loss can negate 102 wins. Think anyone will call the Phillies the greatest team in their franchise?

Ahhh cruel October.

BIGGEST POST SEASON SERIES UPSETS OF WILD CARD ERA - Updated to include 2011 Division Series

There are upsets and then there are games like this weekend when the prohibitive favorite gets knocked off.

The Cardinals eliminating the Phillies has to be one of the great upsets in the history of the Wild Card era. In September when St. Louis was languishing 8 games out of a playoff spot and the Phillies were coasting, if I told you the Cardinals would be in the NLCS while Philadelphia sat home, you'd put me in a padded room.

But here we are.

Last year I wrote a blog post about the biggest post season upsets in the Wild Card Era.

This one belongs in the update.
There's no other colossal mismatch left in the playoffs.

Nobody can top St. Louis over Philadelphia.
Let's look at the other Wild Card era upsets.

BIGGEST POST SEASON UPSETS OF WILD CARD ERA


1997 ALCS
INDIANS defeat ORIOLES

The Orioles led wire to wire and won 98 games. The Indians won only 86 games and barely squeaked past the Yankees in the Division Series.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Orioles shut out the Indians in Game 1 and had a 2 run lead in the 8th inning of Game 2.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
Marquis Grissom hit a 3 run shot off of Armando Benitez in Game 2. Then the Indians won in 12 for Game 3 and finished Game 4 with a walk off win.

THE DAGGER
The Indians overcame a brilliant Mike Mussina outing in Game 6 to win in 11 innings and stunned Baltimore.

1997 NLCS
MARLINS defeat BRAVES

The Braves had won 4 of the last 5 pennants. With a 101 win season, a 5th pennant in 6 years looked all but assured. The Marlins won 92 games and the wild card, but they were playing the varsity team and looked over matched.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Marlins won a pair early but the Braves tied the series when Denny Neagle threw a complete game shutout in Game 4. With Maddux and Glavine looming in Games 5 and 6, it looked bleak for Florida.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
The late Eric Gregg called any pitch that Livan Hernandez threw a strike as long as it didn't hit the ground. He struck out 15, giving the Marlins the lead.

THE DAGGER
Tom Glavine imploded in the first inning of Game 6, letting the first four batters read base and having them all score before the Braves even came to bat. It would be all Kevin Brown would need to clinch the pennant.

2002 American League Division Series
ANGELS defeat YANKEES

The Yankees were in full dynasty mode. The Angels had never won a post season series and looked like a bunch of inexperienced kids heading into Yankee Stadium. No doubt this would be a forgettable series much like the Yankees manhandling the Rangers all of those years.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Yankees rallied to win game 1 in the 8th and took a lead late into Game 2. It was going to be a sweep a la the Yankees/Texas series of the past.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus hit back to back 8th inning homers off of El Duque to take the lead in Game 2. Then in Game 3, the Yankees blow an early 6-1 lead and the Angels break the tie with a Tim Salmon home run in the 8th.

THE DAGGER
David Wells melts down in the 5th inning of Game 4 as the Angels score 8 times and go on to win their first ever playoff series.

2002 American League Division Series
TWINS defeat A'S

Thanks to a 20 game winning streak, an MVP season from Miguel Tejada, a Cy Young season from Barry Zito and 103 wins, the A's looked poised to stampede into the ALCS. The Twins, who were rumored to be contracted just the year before, were just happy to be there.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
A series of Twins blunders gave the A's a 5-1 lead in Game 1, making it clear that this series was Men versus Boys. Later, the A's were up 2-1 with Hudson and Mulder ready for games 4 and 5.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
The Twins came back to win that Game 1 and scored 11 unanswered runs in Game 4.

THE DAGGER
A. J. Pierzynski's homer and David Ortiz's double broke open a tense Game 5 in the 9th. The Twins would need every run as Mark Ellis homered to bring the A's to within 1 but Ray Durham, the potential series winning run, popped up to give the upstart Twins a most unlikely series win.

2006 American League Division Series
TIGERS defeat YANKEES

The Tigers slumped badly down the stretch and went from a lock for the Division title, home field in the Division Series and playing the A's to claiming the Wild Card and going to New York to face a stacked and eager to wipe away 2004 from their memories Yankee team. They were no match.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Yankees torched Nate Robertson for 5 runs in the third and cruised to an 8-4 Game 1 win. Then Johnny Damon hit a three run shot in Game 2 and it looked like the sweep was on.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
Carlos Guillen hit a game tying homer off of Mike Mussina but Curtis Granderson drove the Yankees crazy. He got a run scoring sacrifice fly in Game 2 and gave the Tigers the lead with an RBI triple. In Game 3, former Yankee Kenny Rogers out pitched Randy Johnson in what turned out to be the Big Unit's final game for New York.

THE DAGGER
Joe Torre dropped the slumping Alex Rodriguez to 8th in the fourth game and gave the starting assignment to Jaret Wright. He was bombed and the Tigers finished the Yankees in 4.

2006 NLCS

CARDINALS defeat METS

With the Yankees eliminated in the Division Series, the Mets looked poised to capture the city's baseball heart. Neither American League team (the Tigers nor the A's) looked dominating and all they had to do for the pennant was beat an injured and underachieving Cardinals team who won only 83 games.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Mets shut out the Cardinals in Game 1, scored 3 in the first of Game 2 and were tied going into the 9th of Game 2. The Mets were clearly in control.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
So Taguchi hit a go ahead 9th inning homer off of Billy Wagner to give the Cardinals a Game 2 win. Then, behind Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver, took a 3-2 series lead back to Shea.

THE DAGGER
The Mets forced a Game 7 which was an all time classic. Endy Chavez preserved a tie with a mindboggling catch that turned a go ahead homer into an inning ending double play. Yadier Molina homered in the 9th to give St. Louis the win and rookie Adam Wainwright got Carlos Beltran to strikeout looking with the bases loaded in the 9th to win the pennant. The Mets have never recovered.

2010 NLCS
GIANTS defeat PHILLIES

The 2 time defending National League Champion Phillies had the best record in baseball and steamrolled over the Reds in the Division Series. Roy Halladay threw a no hitter, Cole Hamels pitched a complete game shutout to clinch the series and Roy Oswalt was no slouch. The Giants, saddled with a stagnant offense, barely squeaked by a Braves team that was battered with injuries.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:
The Phillies responded from a Game 1 loss with an offensive explosion in the 7th inning of Game 2. The Phillies bats were back and they knew Roy Halladay wasn't losing twice!

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:
Matt Cain out dueled Cole Hamels in Game 3 and Juan Uribe won Game 4 with a walk off sacrifice fly.

THE DAGGER:
Uribe again was the hero, this time with an 8th inning home run to give the Giants the lead in Game 6. And with the tying and winning runs on base, Brian Wilson struck out Ryan Howard looking to win the pennant.

2011 National League Division Series
CARDINALS defeat PHILLIES

The Phillies won 102 games, more than any in team history. They had assembled the best pitching staff since the Braves of the 1990s. Adding Cliff Lee to Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt almost didn't seem fair. The Cardinals came back from 8 1/2 back in September to win the Wild Card over Atlanta on the last day of the season.

IT LOOKED BAD WHEN:

The Phillies took an early 4-0 lead in Game 2 and looked like they were going to cruise to a 2-0 series lead with Cliff Lee on the mound. In Game 3, Cole Hamels won with the help of a pinch hit homer by Ben Francisco making the end inevitable.

THINGS TURNED AROUND WHEN:

The Cardinals rallied off of Cliff Lee who was not sharp in Game 2. Jimmy Rollins getting caught stealing was a key blow against the Phillies.

In Game 4, David Freese doubled and homered, giving the Cardinals a come from behind win.

THE DAGGER:

The Phillies handed the ball to Roy Halladay for the Game 5 finale and he was superb, letting up only a first inning run. But Chris Carpenter made that run stand up as he threw a complete game shutout to clinch the series. The game ended when Ryan Howard ripped his Achillies running out of the box... a fitting end to the collapsing Phillies.

So with no prohibitive favorite left, this entry is done for another year... kind of like the Phillies!