Ruben: "Where is it written that a baseball team has to have a bullpen? Why not have our starters throw 128 pitches in meaningless April games? Lee wanted to stay in the game. That's good enough for me!"
Of course it was Ryne Sandberg who left Cliff Lee in last night's loss to the Braves, not RAJ. But the speculation on not really needing a pen seems apt, since the Fightins don't have one.
What is it with managers and veteran pitchers, anyway? If one of these oldheads wants to stay in a game, as many pitches as he may have thrown, and no matter how unimportant the game, the manager (undermining his own authority?) will do it. Why? It's not like there's some carryover effect, in which we are now guaranteed a kickass performance the next time Cliff pitches.
"He's earned it" is the usual rationale. Well, no. There's too much emotion in the mix for it to be the pitcher's call.
Showing posts with label Phillies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phillies. Show all posts
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Chase Utley wants to be your best man
It'll cost you $450 to propose to your beloved at a Phillies' game this year. Considering the quality of the team (yes, Ruben, major league clubs really do need bullpens), there are probably better venues in which to pop the question. Jack in the Box comes to mind.
In any case, should you be determined to risk rejection of all your life's hopes in front of 30,000 strangers, I'd suggest that for $450 Chase Utley should agree to be your best man, Larry Andersen should offer toasts at the reception, and new TV announcer and solid citizen Jamie Moyer should agree to be godfather of any children issuing from the union.
For another $4000, I understand Chase will agree to be father of your kids (with your wife's written consent, which should be easy to obtain), so your lil sluggers have a better shot at MLB careers. Hell of a return on your investment if it works out.
The most expensive ballpark for proposing is, not surprisingly, Dodger Stadium, where it'll run you $2500. No verification on rumor that this includes a lap dance with Tommy Lasorda (sorry).
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Philadelphia-a baseball or a football town?
There's been some controversy over whether Philadelphia is a "baseball town" or a "football town". Some guy named "guapo", in a Baseball Think Factory discusion of whether Boston is a baseball town (you have to be a true helmet-head to think otherwise), does a nice job in looking at various cities' loyalties.
This is how guapo sees it:
Anaheim: Disney town
Atlanta: Football town
Phoenix: Basketball town
Baltimore: Football town
Boston: Baseball town
Chicago: Basketball town
Cincinnati: Baseball town
Cleveland: Football town
Dallas: Football town
Denver: Football town
Detroit: Hockey town
Miami: Football town
Houston: Football town
Kansas City: Football town
Los Angeles: Basketball town
Milwaukee: Baseball town
Minneapolis: Hockey town
New York: Basketball town
Oakland: Football town
Philadelphia: Football town
Pittsburgh: Football town
San Diego: Baseball town
San Francisco: Football town
Seattle: Football town
St. Louis: Baseball town
Tampa: Football town
Toronto: Hockey town
Washington: Football town
Now, being Philadelphia born and bred, I can only weigh in on my city, although I think SF is more of a baseball town than guapo would claim. As to whether we're more partial to baseball or football, I can honestly say: Nether.
Philadelphia's favorite sport, a (well-informed) cynic would say, is to dump on the athletes it claims to love. It is sick, I tell you. Sick, sick, sick! An awful lot of fans seem to have a better time dumping on the "bums" when they lose than they have fun with winning teams, which, in all honesty, have been all too rare here. And there always has to be a scapegoat: Think, Von Hayes, Tom Bladon, and Norm Snead, for the Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles respectively.
And the guys who get it the worst are those from Philly themselves, like Del Ennis, who was a hell of a player for the Phils in the fifties. And Dick Allen, not from here but a guy with HOF talent, was essentially booed out of town.
For the region overall I guess the Eagles are number one-these are dumb, violent times and people enjoy their dumb, violent sport. Where I live, in Delaware County, I think the Phillies (and maybe the Flyers too) are bigger than the Eagles. I'm basing this on bumper stickers, clothes, etc. seen on the denizens of my fair county, or their vehicles.
My personal preference is for Australian Rules Football, or, in a pinch, New Zealand RF. No, of course baseball's my first love. It is the great American sport. The NFL, as I've written elsewhere, isn't a sport at all.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Utley on the half shell
Sign seen outside Delaware County, PA sporting goods store yesterday:
All Utley half off
Which makes me think of a few whimsical notions of what that sign could portend. Is Chase half the man he used to be? Half the player? Has his enormous fan base lost half its interest in him? (He does have one apparently good knee, so, you could call say half of his allotment of his legs are functional at present).
Anyway, I doubt the answer to the first question is yes-Chase is a nice guy, if a bit overly secretive. But the answer to the second question looks like a sure "yes"-his WAR last year was 3.6, almost exactly half his 2009 peak WAR of 7.3. That '09 figure is HOF-pace, but even half of it is a damned good number. Freddie Galvis won't give the Phils that, assuming the team doesn't make a move for another second baseman.
Speaking of going halfsies: I wish the team had moved Utley from second to first a few years ago, as it seemed to be toying with doing (Chase occasionally used to fill in there.) That might've preserved his health, and the club could've moved the now falling-fast Ryan Howard at peak value, and avoided signing Ryan to that albatross of a long-term deal.
All Utley half off
Which makes me think of a few whimsical notions of what that sign could portend. Is Chase half the man he used to be? Half the player? Has his enormous fan base lost half its interest in him? (He does have one apparently good knee, so, you could call say half of his allotment of his legs are functional at present).
Anyway, I doubt the answer to the first question is yes-Chase is a nice guy, if a bit overly secretive. But the answer to the second question looks like a sure "yes"-his WAR last year was 3.6, almost exactly half his 2009 peak WAR of 7.3. That '09 figure is HOF-pace, but even half of it is a damned good number. Freddie Galvis won't give the Phils that, assuming the team doesn't make a move for another second baseman.
Speaking of going halfsies: I wish the team had moved Utley from second to first a few years ago, as it seemed to be toying with doing (Chase occasionally used to fill in there.) That might've preserved his health, and the club could've moved the now falling-fast Ryan Howard at peak value, and avoided signing Ryan to that albatross of a long-term deal.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
J-Roll-better leadoff guy hitting third than first?
The Phils are defying expectations, I suppose you could say, scoring runs like crazy (2nd in the NL so far, with 6.3 RPG) while exhibiting so-so pitching (14th, 4.80 ERA). Of course, they're not exactly facing the cream of the league in the Astros and Mets, but still...the run production has to be a pleasant surprise, even if the pitching, especially Cole Hamels' first start, hasn't been.
But perhaps the most heartening thing about the early season results is how well Jimmy Rollins is playing. J-Roll is sporting a .478 OBP, good for 16th in the league among qualifiers. He's actually taking pitches-he's 11th in the league in P/PA, at 4.35. In the past Jimmy might see 4 pitches in three or four times up. He's looking like a better one hole hitter hitting third than his usual first!
In truth, though, this could be seen as a continuation of last year's pattern, where, despite an OBP of only .320, Jimmy had more walks (40) than strikeouts (32), putting him in an elite club typically occupied by the likes of Chipper Jones and Carlos Ruiz.
So, it looks like Jimmy is maturing as a hitter (finally). It also looks like he wants at least one more big contract. More power to him.
I don't know Amaro plans to do-the organization has at least two big glove/no hit guys to play SS, in current rosteree Michael Martinez, and Reading's Freddy Galvis. Neither of these two can touch Rollins' combination of strong SS play, great base-running, and elite power for his position. The key may well be whether the last great "tool" Rollins had typically shown-great durability-returns this year, along with the power. This will leave Reuben with a very tough call come this winter. My guess is that the brass will cut costs and go with Martinez or Galvis, but an outstanding year from Jimmy might well change some minds.
But perhaps the most heartening thing about the early season results is how well Jimmy Rollins is playing. J-Roll is sporting a .478 OBP, good for 16th in the league among qualifiers. He's actually taking pitches-he's 11th in the league in P/PA, at 4.35. In the past Jimmy might see 4 pitches in three or four times up. He's looking like a better one hole hitter hitting third than his usual first!
In truth, though, this could be seen as a continuation of last year's pattern, where, despite an OBP of only .320, Jimmy had more walks (40) than strikeouts (32), putting him in an elite club typically occupied by the likes of Chipper Jones and Carlos Ruiz.
So, it looks like Jimmy is maturing as a hitter (finally). It also looks like he wants at least one more big contract. More power to him.
I don't know Amaro plans to do-the organization has at least two big glove/no hit guys to play SS, in current rosteree Michael Martinez, and Reading's Freddy Galvis. Neither of these two can touch Rollins' combination of strong SS play, great base-running, and elite power for his position. The key may well be whether the last great "tool" Rollins had typically shown-great durability-returns this year, along with the power. This will leave Reuben with a very tough call come this winter. My guess is that the brass will cut costs and go with Martinez or Galvis, but an outstanding year from Jimmy might well change some minds.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The rumors of Dominic's Brown's death are premature
Funny piece by "wet luzinski" at the Good Phight about Dominic Brown's struggles and how fast people are writing him off- Bang the Dom Slowly: Domonic Brown's Baseball Obituary.
Yes, Dominic is totally lost right now-he doesn't know what his stance is, where the ball is coming from, or maybe even his own name. And yes, he did poorly in winter ball, and in his (few) PA's with the Phils last year. But Dom is an uber-prospect for a reason-he can hit. And he is just 23 years old.
Late last year, Amaro and Manuel probably figured that keeping Dom on the bench in Philly was better than having him "prove" he could hit AAA pitching-an already settled question. Sure, this is not the typical strategy, and maybe it backfired here. But Brown will be fine. It might be a different story if he was 27. He may need a few months at LV to re-establish his swing, and identity, though.
Yes, Dominic is totally lost right now-he doesn't know what his stance is, where the ball is coming from, or maybe even his own name. And yes, he did poorly in winter ball, and in his (few) PA's with the Phils last year. But Dom is an uber-prospect for a reason-he can hit. And he is just 23 years old.
Late last year, Amaro and Manuel probably figured that keeping Dom on the bench in Philly was better than having him "prove" he could hit AAA pitching-an already settled question. Sure, this is not the typical strategy, and maybe it backfired here. But Brown will be fine. It might be a different story if he was 27. He may need a few months at LV to re-establish his swing, and identity, though.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Your first place Philadelphia Phillies!
I haven't seen the numbers, but I bet that the Phillies have lost as many, or nearly as many, player-days to the DL as the Mets did last year-and with comparable players-Utley, Rollins, etc.
Yet the Phillies are prospering, with a playoff spot now a 73% probability, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Maybe the acquisition of "character guys" by Pat Gillick and Rueben Amaro makes sense after all. It's not as if character doesn't matter, of course. That, without talent, won't buy you a latte' at Starbuck's. But with it, who knows?
Yet the Phillies are prospering, with a playoff spot now a 73% probability, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Maybe the acquisition of "character guys" by Pat Gillick and Rueben Amaro makes sense after all. It's not as if character doesn't matter, of course. That, without talent, won't buy you a latte' at Starbuck's. But with it, who knows?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Phillies' hitting follies
No, I didn't write "Phillies' Phollies". I hate that.
The Fightins are now 11th in the NL in runs scored, possibly the best determinant of how good a team's offense is, other than "productive outs" (kidding.)
How fast the mighty bats have fallen! Is it just due to Rollins and Polanco being out? I'm sure the Phils brass would like to believe that, but you shouldn't, though playing the third string SS and C, and second string 3B, for a while hasn't exactly helped.
Mega-million dollar baby Ryan Howard is on pace for just 28 homers, and doesn't walk much any more. He pretty much defines "albatross of a contract."
Rollins' absence has hurt, no question-his stand-in as lead-off hitter, Shane Victorino, is showing unusual power (ISO of .191), but ain't gettin' on base-his OBA is an unacceptable .308. Jimmy, for all his faults, usually exceeds this, and in fact has a mark of .462 in limited duty this year.
The guys added in the off-season to spruce up the bench have, in a word, sucked-Gload, Schneider, and Castro have done little-and Greg Dobbs is having his second rotten year in a row.
I'm with Beerleaguer-time to dump Dobbs and add John Mayberry from the IronPigs, and/or Andy Tracy. The Phils have stopped hitting the long ball, and stopped hitting in general, and they could use the sluggers on the bench these move (-s) would provide.
The Fightins are now 11th in the NL in runs scored, possibly the best determinant of how good a team's offense is, other than "productive outs" (kidding.)
How fast the mighty bats have fallen! Is it just due to Rollins and Polanco being out? I'm sure the Phils brass would like to believe that, but you shouldn't, though playing the third string SS and C, and second string 3B, for a while hasn't exactly helped.
Mega-million dollar baby Ryan Howard is on pace for just 28 homers, and doesn't walk much any more. He pretty much defines "albatross of a contract."
Rollins' absence has hurt, no question-his stand-in as lead-off hitter, Shane Victorino, is showing unusual power (ISO of .191), but ain't gettin' on base-his OBA is an unacceptable .308. Jimmy, for all his faults, usually exceeds this, and in fact has a mark of .462 in limited duty this year.
The guys added in the off-season to spruce up the bench have, in a word, sucked-Gload, Schneider, and Castro have done little-and Greg Dobbs is having his second rotten year in a row.
I'm with Beerleaguer-time to dump Dobbs and add John Mayberry from the IronPigs, and/or Andy Tracy. The Phils have stopped hitting the long ball, and stopped hitting in general, and they could use the sluggers on the bench these move (-s) would provide.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
"The last place New York Mets"/Francoeur's follies
Man, that sounds good!
I thought the Mets would bounce back this year-somewhat-no way could their luck with injuries be as bad as it was last year. But the whole division looked to be improved, with the exception of the Marlins-so I didn't see the Mets making up a lot of ground. And they aren't.
A big part of the problem for the Metropolitans is Jeff Francoeur, who will always break your heart. Do not be deceived by his RBI count! Jeff may well get to 95 ribbies this year, with 23 in his first 43 games.
I hate the "so and so is the poster boy" for such and such expression, it's trite as hell, but if anyone is the poster slugger for the meaninglessness of RBI, in isolation from other stats, Francoeur is your boy. It's a shame-there seemed to be boundless promise when he first came up, but here he is, in his 5th full year, with a career OPS+ of 92. His OBP is all of .280 this year. He, in a word, sucks.
Have you ever noticed the similarities between Francoeur and Jayson Werth?
Both are RF's with good range (Jeff is probably a little better defensively), and big swings. Both throw well also. But Werth, despite his tendency towards injuries, has ended up having a nice career, for which he will shortly receive an enormous payday, while Francoeur (who still is only 26, mind you) just isn't developing.
It's all about knowledge of, command of, the strike zone. Jeff still doesn't walk (11 BB in 164 PA in '10), and still can't work the count-he's 155th (out of 180 MLB qualifiers) in P/PA. Werth is 11th.
I thought the Mets would bounce back this year-somewhat-no way could their luck with injuries be as bad as it was last year. But the whole division looked to be improved, with the exception of the Marlins-so I didn't see the Mets making up a lot of ground. And they aren't.
A big part of the problem for the Metropolitans is Jeff Francoeur, who will always break your heart. Do not be deceived by his RBI count! Jeff may well get to 95 ribbies this year, with 23 in his first 43 games.
I hate the "so and so is the poster boy" for such and such expression, it's trite as hell, but if anyone is the poster slugger for the meaninglessness of RBI, in isolation from other stats, Francoeur is your boy. It's a shame-there seemed to be boundless promise when he first came up, but here he is, in his 5th full year, with a career OPS+ of 92. His OBP is all of .280 this year. He, in a word, sucks.
Have you ever noticed the similarities between Francoeur and Jayson Werth?
Both are RF's with good range (Jeff is probably a little better defensively), and big swings. Both throw well also. But Werth, despite his tendency towards injuries, has ended up having a nice career, for which he will shortly receive an enormous payday, while Francoeur (who still is only 26, mind you) just isn't developing.
It's all about knowledge of, command of, the strike zone. Jeff still doesn't walk (11 BB in 164 PA in '10), and still can't work the count-he's 155th (out of 180 MLB qualifiers) in P/PA. Werth is 11th.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Jayson Werth, funnyman
Phillies' soon to be free agent outfielder Jayson Werth fields a bunch of questions, on MMA (ugh), his new beard (cool), and how his hometown of Springfield, IL is like Homer Simpson's fictional Springfield. (Actually, having watched the Simpsons for so long, the fictional Springfield seems more real than local Springfield, PA).
Anyway, Jayson's a fun and likable guy, whom we all should try to get to know, since he soon will be very, very rich, assuming his 2010 season is anything like the last few impressive ones, and maybe even if it isn't.
Anyway, Jayson's a fun and likable guy, whom we all should try to get to know, since he soon will be very, very rich, assuming his 2010 season is anything like the last few impressive ones, and maybe even if it isn't.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)