Recommended Phillies Links
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Official Phillies Homepage
- Shallow Center
- Citizen's Phillies Blog
- Berks Phillies Fans
- PhogLights
- Swing and Miss
- Balls Sticks and Stuff
- I'm Not an Athlete
- Phanatic Phollow Up
- Phillies Fan
- Phillies Foul Balls
- Philling Station
- Phillies Nation
- The V-Spot
Great Blogs By Baseball Fans
Other Baseball Links
Growing Your ThoughtPeach
Fun Times
Archives
- 11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004
- 11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004
- 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004
- 12/12/2004 - 12/19/2004
- 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004
- 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005
- 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005
- 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005
- 01/16/2005 - 01/23/2005
- 05/01/2005 - 05/08/2005
- 05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005
- 05/15/2005 - 05/22/2005
- 11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005
- 09/24/2006 - 10/01/2006
My love of baseball in all its forms: the Phillies, fantasy baseball, the hot stove, the playoffs, the roar of the crowd, the trade rumors, the free agents, and of course... the peanuts.
1.09.2005
Dark dark day for Phillies fans.
In the world of sports-fandom, there's nothing worse than having the worst team in your division. The teams you hate are definitely better than yours, and that just plain hurts. And so, as a Phillies fan, it simply stinks seeing Beltran go to the Mets. Why?
1. Every team in the NL East WORKED to get better.
- Braves got Hudson, Kolb.
- Mets got Pedro, Beltran.
- Marlins got Leiter and are trying to get more.
- Nationals don't count yet.
- Phillies? They drop Millwood and Milton and sign Lieber. They get Lofton to replace Byrd and Michaels. So basically, they tread water while waiting for prospects to reach the bigs.
2. Beltran probably could have been gotten by the Phillies for enough money.
Is Beltran worth 119 million dollars? I don't know. He's definitely young, has the 5 tools, and is improving. But is ANY one player worth that much cap-constricting money? Well, if anyone is, it's Beltran. And hey guess where the Phillies have a gaping hole in their lineup and defense? Top of the order and CF... the two places Beltran resides.
Before the offseason, everyone felt that Beltran would go to the Yankees or stay with the Astros. Well guess what, the METS got him. The METS. Minaya may be inspirational, and he may have the Hispanic connection with Beltran, but don't tell me the Phillies couldn't have gotten him to man the new Philly stadium for the next 7 years. Too much money? Then trade Thome and put Howard there.
Will the Mets contend now? I don't think so. They have too many holes, too many injury-prone players. But at least they're giving themselves hope. Something the Phillies are running out of.
1. Every team in the NL East WORKED to get better.
- Braves got Hudson, Kolb.
- Mets got Pedro, Beltran.
- Marlins got Leiter and are trying to get more.
- Nationals don't count yet.
- Phillies? They drop Millwood and Milton and sign Lieber. They get Lofton to replace Byrd and Michaels. So basically, they tread water while waiting for prospects to reach the bigs.
2. Beltran probably could have been gotten by the Phillies for enough money.
Is Beltran worth 119 million dollars? I don't know. He's definitely young, has the 5 tools, and is improving. But is ANY one player worth that much cap-constricting money? Well, if anyone is, it's Beltran. And hey guess where the Phillies have a gaping hole in their lineup and defense? Top of the order and CF... the two places Beltran resides.
Before the offseason, everyone felt that Beltran would go to the Yankees or stay with the Astros. Well guess what, the METS got him. The METS. Minaya may be inspirational, and he may have the Hispanic connection with Beltran, but don't tell me the Phillies couldn't have gotten him to man the new Philly stadium for the next 7 years. Too much money? Then trade Thome and put Howard there.
Will the Mets contend now? I don't think so. They have too many holes, too many injury-prone players. But at least they're giving themselves hope. Something the Phillies are running out of.
Comments:
<< Home
I have 2 comments regarding your post:
1) I think we need to consider on balance what the teams you listed gained AND LOST before we say they improved themselves. For example, the Braves lost Wright, Ortiz and Drew. In my opinion it would be extremely difficult for Kolb to be better as a closer than Smoltz has been. How many saves would Kolb have to get to be able to say that Atlanta actually improved themselves at the closer position? If Smoltz wins 15 games and Kolb saves 50, then the Braves made out.
2) The Mets are overpaying Beltran. No question about it. But they have to, because they need to get some marquee names in there to juice up the product. I have to wonder about Beltran's thinking here. He was going to get his money no matter where he went. With the Mets, how many years will it be before Beltran starts sounding like A-Rod in Texas? If/when Pedro, Piazza, and Glavine finally meet Father Time, the Mets are going to be very bad.
It also points out something that I think many Phillies fans have forgotten. The Phillies were in that same position a couple of years ago. To get the big-name players to come to Philly, they overpaid. Everyone knew that at the time, and everyone agreed that it had to be done. (And you can debate whether Thome is actually overpaid).
Where the Philles aggravate me is with their consistently terrible decision-making on 'veteran' relievers.
George S
p.s. Shawn Green agreed to an extension with Arizona, thus clearing the way for the trade of Navarro. I think the Phillies could still get Vazquez if they made an effort. My guess is they won't.
p.p.s. Millwood signed with Cleveland for $7 incentive-laden million. Another Scott Boras 'casualty'. Millwood turned down 3-yr, $30 mil from the Phillies, and will probably end up with about $25 mil over that time if he stays healthy. Big "if". I wonder if there are other Boras clients that have played hardball and lost out?
1) I think we need to consider on balance what the teams you listed gained AND LOST before we say they improved themselves. For example, the Braves lost Wright, Ortiz and Drew. In my opinion it would be extremely difficult for Kolb to be better as a closer than Smoltz has been. How many saves would Kolb have to get to be able to say that Atlanta actually improved themselves at the closer position? If Smoltz wins 15 games and Kolb saves 50, then the Braves made out.
2) The Mets are overpaying Beltran. No question about it. But they have to, because they need to get some marquee names in there to juice up the product. I have to wonder about Beltran's thinking here. He was going to get his money no matter where he went. With the Mets, how many years will it be before Beltran starts sounding like A-Rod in Texas? If/when Pedro, Piazza, and Glavine finally meet Father Time, the Mets are going to be very bad.
It also points out something that I think many Phillies fans have forgotten. The Phillies were in that same position a couple of years ago. To get the big-name players to come to Philly, they overpaid. Everyone knew that at the time, and everyone agreed that it had to be done. (And you can debate whether Thome is actually overpaid).
Where the Philles aggravate me is with their consistently terrible decision-making on 'veteran' relievers.
George S
p.s. Shawn Green agreed to an extension with Arizona, thus clearing the way for the trade of Navarro. I think the Phillies could still get Vazquez if they made an effort. My guess is they won't.
p.p.s. Millwood signed with Cleveland for $7 incentive-laden million. Another Scott Boras 'casualty'. Millwood turned down 3-yr, $30 mil from the Phillies, and will probably end up with about $25 mil over that time if he stays healthy. Big "if". I wonder if there are other Boras clients that have played hardball and lost out?
# posted by 
: 1:55 AM
: 1:55 AM
Hey George,
(1) Yeah, you're right, whether or not those teams actually did improve themselves is up for debate. I've posted before on how I think the Braves' rotation is vastly overrated, etc... but my point above was that at least those teams WORKED to improve themselves. They took bold steps. They weren't satisfied with a below-average product. In the meantime, the Phillies seem content with where they are. Their moves weren't bold, they were more stopgaps and time-delays until Cole Hamels is ready. The Phillies are so irrelevant right now, it's hard to root for them.
(2) I agree with you here. The Mets did overpay for Beltran, and their team isn't all that great even now. But, I don't think they're done. Where will Delgado go? Ordonez? Rumors say other teams are looking at them, but what if Minaya goes to talk to THEM? Who knows what will happen.
Also, the Mets do have some interesting players, like David Wright and Jose Reyes. Thank god they traded Scott Kazmir last year, b/c otherwise I'd have to respect them. In any case, it sure seems that Minaya has the clout to get things done.
(1) Yeah, you're right, whether or not those teams actually did improve themselves is up for debate. I've posted before on how I think the Braves' rotation is vastly overrated, etc... but my point above was that at least those teams WORKED to improve themselves. They took bold steps. They weren't satisfied with a below-average product. In the meantime, the Phillies seem content with where they are. Their moves weren't bold, they were more stopgaps and time-delays until Cole Hamels is ready. The Phillies are so irrelevant right now, it's hard to root for them.
(2) I agree with you here. The Mets did overpay for Beltran, and their team isn't all that great even now. But, I don't think they're done. Where will Delgado go? Ordonez? Rumors say other teams are looking at them, but what if Minaya goes to talk to THEM? Who knows what will happen.
Also, the Mets do have some interesting players, like David Wright and Jose Reyes. Thank god they traded Scott Kazmir last year, b/c otherwise I'd have to respect them. In any case, it sure seems that Minaya has the clout to get things done.
Atlanta has lost Drew, Wright, Byrd, Thomas, and Ortiz. They picked up Hudson and Kolb. I just don't know how they could be considered to have improved overall.
The Mets lost Leiter, Stanton and Hidalgo and added Pedro, Beltran and Benson. I think they're ahead there. The Marlins added Leiter and Todd Jones, but lost Pavano, Koch, Benitez and Redmond. I consider that they lost ground.
I was wondering what the status of the following players is: Paul LoDuca and Ben Sheets. If the Phillies were really creative, and were willing to part with some talent, I would think they could maybe make a deal with the Brewers for Sheets. I don't think Milwaukee will be able to afford Sheets and would probably be willing to listen to an offer. Of course, they might decide to hold onto him until the trade deadline, but there's no way he stays in Milwaukee after this season. Of course, the deal would have to be something like the Shawn Green deal..give the Phillies a few days to sign an extension with Sheets as a condition of any trade.
The other guy I was wondering about is LoDuca. A catcher, right? Is he under contract right now, or in arbitration? Is that somebody worth looking at?
Do either of those make any sense??
I do agree with you 100% on Wade. It is quite frustrating to sit and watch nothing happening when there are opportunities out there. And worse, your rivals seem to have the hunger and energy to try things. Now Wade might be thinking like me (Yikes!) and thinks the rest of the NL East has actually regressed, or in the case of the Mets, are still too far behind. So he can stand pat. But to my way of thinking, it doesn't matter what the other teams do..you should always be trying everything you can to improve your team. That's the one thing I like about Steinbrenner. The Yankees can win 100 games and he still wants to improve his team.
George S
The Mets lost Leiter, Stanton and Hidalgo and added Pedro, Beltran and Benson. I think they're ahead there. The Marlins added Leiter and Todd Jones, but lost Pavano, Koch, Benitez and Redmond. I consider that they lost ground.
I was wondering what the status of the following players is: Paul LoDuca and Ben Sheets. If the Phillies were really creative, and were willing to part with some talent, I would think they could maybe make a deal with the Brewers for Sheets. I don't think Milwaukee will be able to afford Sheets and would probably be willing to listen to an offer. Of course, they might decide to hold onto him until the trade deadline, but there's no way he stays in Milwaukee after this season. Of course, the deal would have to be something like the Shawn Green deal..give the Phillies a few days to sign an extension with Sheets as a condition of any trade.
The other guy I was wondering about is LoDuca. A catcher, right? Is he under contract right now, or in arbitration? Is that somebody worth looking at?
Do either of those make any sense??
I do agree with you 100% on Wade. It is quite frustrating to sit and watch nothing happening when there are opportunities out there. And worse, your rivals seem to have the hunger and energy to try things. Now Wade might be thinking like me (Yikes!) and thinks the rest of the NL East has actually regressed, or in the case of the Mets, are still too far behind. So he can stand pat. But to my way of thinking, it doesn't matter what the other teams do..you should always be trying everything you can to improve your team. That's the one thing I like about Steinbrenner. The Yankees can win 100 games and he still wants to improve his team.
George S
# posted by : 3:04 AM
: 3:04 AM
teams and business people depend on great . Blogger your Dark dark day for Phillies fans. certainly was a great read and I simply had to post to you. I do have a similar passion as can be read at http://serendipitysuccess.blogspot.com/2005/11/update-to-steelers-climb-to-top-of-afc.html although its theme is slanted to one or more of my passions, is the important thing. Keep up your great thoughts and writings. Other passions inlcude
Blogger your Dark dark day for Phillies fans. makes a great read. In my http://serendipitysuccess.blogspot.com/2005/11/update-to-steelers-climb-to-top-of-afc.html football and its dynamic ability to create passion in individuals drives what blogging is all about. Other subject matter in your Dark dark day for Phillies fans. blog simply adds to the flavor of our blogging community. Keep up your great prose and themes for it creates great reading for all of us. Other will always move us to different plateaus in life. Thanks.
The leathered oval object is flying in with great success and while searching for other football Blogger successes I read your Dark dark day for Phillies fans.. Failure is not an option for most and my passion as read at has a similar theme. You have a great read here and thanks for promoting the great game in life.
The best place for mlb trade rumor, 07 mlb show, Baseball tickets. For more information visit: http://www.bet911.com
Post a Comment
<< Home
