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- 11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004
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- 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.
1.12.2005
Oh why do you tease us Mr. Wade?
From today's Philly Inquirer:
"General manager Ed Wade understands the perception that the Phillies have taken a step backward, although he doesn't agree with it. "It's the nature of our game that people view it a certain way," Wade said."
Okay, I'm gonna put my new-found optimism aside for a moment. Don't worry, I'll be returning to my 92-70 optimistic ways later. But come on, Ed Wade. That's the best you can do? That's the most inspirational you can get?
John Schuerholz goes and shores up his rotation. Successful? Many say yes, I say no, but we all can agree that he did everything he could and that he made the right decisions in bringing in Tim Hudson.
Omar Minaya goes to visit and ultimately sign Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to patch up some glaring holes in his team. Successful? Many say yes, I still say no, but we all can agree that the Mets had one of the better offseasons given their expectations and low fan turnouts (I've been to Shea a couple times the last few years, and I can tell you it's a desolate desolate place).
The Florida Marlins bring in Al Leiter to complement their already young and good rotation, are trying to bring in Carlos Delgado, and were able to keep their thirdbaseman Mike Lowell in the fold. Successful? People say they'll be better than the Phillies, I say probably not, but they're also making the best moves they can.
The Phillies? Well, the year that one of the best CF's ever was on the market, the year that several great young pitchers were on the market, the year that the Athletics were selling 2 of their vaunted Big Three, the year that the 3B who ties Schmidt's HR record for a right handed 3Bman is a free agent, what did we end up with?
Kenny Lofton, Age 39 (or so).
Jon Lieber, Age 34 (or so), with a recovering ligament.
Terry Adams, who cares how old he is.
Cory Lidle
Placido Polanco at the low low price of 4 million.
YES we took a step back. NO it's not b/c of the nature of the game making ppl take different perspectives. YES the Phillies could have done a LOT more.
But fine. Enough complaining. Go Phillies.
"General manager Ed Wade understands the perception that the Phillies have taken a step backward, although he doesn't agree with it. "It's the nature of our game that people view it a certain way," Wade said."
Okay, I'm gonna put my new-found optimism aside for a moment. Don't worry, I'll be returning to my 92-70 optimistic ways later. But come on, Ed Wade. That's the best you can do? That's the most inspirational you can get?
John Schuerholz goes and shores up his rotation. Successful? Many say yes, I say no, but we all can agree that he did everything he could and that he made the right decisions in bringing in Tim Hudson.
Omar Minaya goes to visit and ultimately sign Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to patch up some glaring holes in his team. Successful? Many say yes, I still say no, but we all can agree that the Mets had one of the better offseasons given their expectations and low fan turnouts (I've been to Shea a couple times the last few years, and I can tell you it's a desolate desolate place).
The Florida Marlins bring in Al Leiter to complement their already young and good rotation, are trying to bring in Carlos Delgado, and were able to keep their thirdbaseman Mike Lowell in the fold. Successful? People say they'll be better than the Phillies, I say probably not, but they're also making the best moves they can.
The Phillies? Well, the year that one of the best CF's ever was on the market, the year that several great young pitchers were on the market, the year that the Athletics were selling 2 of their vaunted Big Three, the year that the 3B who ties Schmidt's HR record for a right handed 3Bman is a free agent, what did we end up with?
Kenny Lofton, Age 39 (or so).
Jon Lieber, Age 34 (or so), with a recovering ligament.
Terry Adams, who cares how old he is.
Cory Lidle
Placido Polanco at the low low price of 4 million.
YES we took a step back. NO it's not b/c of the nature of the game making ppl take different perspectives. YES the Phillies could have done a LOT more.
But fine. Enough complaining. Go Phillies.
Oh why do you tease us Mr. Wade?
From today's Philly Inquirer:
"General manager Ed Wade understands the perception that the Phillies have taken a step backward, although he doesn't agree with it. "It's the nature of our game that people view it a certain way," Wade said."
Okay, I'm gonna put my new-found optimism aside for a moment. Don't worry, I'll be returning to my 92-70 optimistic ways later. But come on, Ed Wade. That's the best you can do? That's the most inspirational you can get?
John Schuerholz goes and shores up his rotation. Successful? Many say yes, I say no, but we all can agree that he did everything he could and that he made the right decisions in bringing in Tim Hudson.
Omar Minaya goes to visit and ultimately sign Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to patch up some glaring holes in his team. Successful? Many say yes, I still say no, but we all can agree that the Mets had one of the better offseasons given their expectations and low fan turnouts (I've been to Shea a couple times the last few years, and I can tell you it's a desolate desolate place).
The Florida Marlins bring in Al Leiter to complement their already young and good rotation, are trying to bring in Carlos Delgado, and were able to keep their thirdbaseman Mike Lowell in the fold. Successful? People say they'll be better than the Phillies, I say probably not, but they're also making the best moves they can.
The Phillies? Well, the year that one of the best CF's ever was on the market, the year that several great young pitchers were on the market, the year that the Athletics were selling 2 of their vaunted Big Three, the year that the 3B who ties Schmidt's HR record for a right handed 3Bman is a free agent, what did we end up with?
Kenny Lofton, Age 39 (or so).
Jon Lieber, Age 34 (or so), with a recovering ligament.
Terry Adams, who cares how old he is.
Cory Lidle
Placido Polanco at the low low price of 4 million.
YES we took a step back. NO it's not b/c of the nature of the game making ppl take different perspectives. YES the Phillies could have done a LOT more.
But fine. Enough complaining. Go Phillies.
"General manager Ed Wade understands the perception that the Phillies have taken a step backward, although he doesn't agree with it. "It's the nature of our game that people view it a certain way," Wade said."
Okay, I'm gonna put my new-found optimism aside for a moment. Don't worry, I'll be returning to my 92-70 optimistic ways later. But come on, Ed Wade. That's the best you can do? That's the most inspirational you can get?
John Schuerholz goes and shores up his rotation. Successful? Many say yes, I say no, but we all can agree that he did everything he could and that he made the right decisions in bringing in Tim Hudson.
Omar Minaya goes to visit and ultimately sign Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to patch up some glaring holes in his team. Successful? Many say yes, I still say no, but we all can agree that the Mets had one of the better offseasons given their expectations and low fan turnouts (I've been to Shea a couple times the last few years, and I can tell you it's a desolate desolate place).
The Florida Marlins bring in Al Leiter to complement their already young and good rotation, are trying to bring in Carlos Delgado, and were able to keep their thirdbaseman Mike Lowell in the fold. Successful? People say they'll be better than the Phillies, I say probably not, but they're also making the best moves they can.
The Phillies? Well, the year that one of the best CF's ever was on the market, the year that several great young pitchers were on the market, the year that the Athletics were selling 2 of their vaunted Big Three, the year that the 3B who ties Schmidt's HR record for a right handed 3Bman is a free agent, what did we end up with?
Kenny Lofton, Age 39 (or so).
Jon Lieber, Age 34 (or so), with a recovering ligament.
Terry Adams, who cares how old he is.
Cory Lidle
Placido Polanco at the low low price of 4 million.
YES we took a step back. NO it's not b/c of the nature of the game making ppl take different perspectives. YES the Phillies could have done a LOT more.
But fine. Enough complaining. Go Phillies.
1.11.2005
An Overview of the NL East: Part One - Phillies
Well, I've decided to turn a new leaf. No more doom and gloom. No more pessimism. No more trashing of Ed Wade. Maybe.
The Inquirer may have finally come out with an article criticizing Ed Wade for his inactivity this offseason. And yes, the Phillies let the one player that they most needed just pass them by into the NL East rivals Mets. And yes, their pitching staff is turning out to be pretty mediocre.
It's true, I wish they had traded for Dioner Navarro and Javier Vazquez. And as Stefan as pointed out in his good comments, it's probably not going to happen. Definitely not for Navarro, as he's gone to the Dodgers, but also probably not for Vazquez, because if he's traded, he's probably going to the Orioles. Plus, if I were being truly honest, the Phillies have no one to offer outside Hamels and Floyd and Utley, and the Wade-ster just isn't going to let them go.
But chalk me up as someone who still believes that the Phillies can win this NL East. How? Well, let's take a look at each franchise, one at a time, excluding the Nationals, b/c I see them as a AAA team that's been promoted to the bigs. Plus I have no idea who their pitching staff has, despite my obsession with fantasy baseball. So they seem a little irrelevant.
Let's start with the Phillies:
Projected Lineup:
CF Lofton
SS Rollins
RF Abreu
1B Thome
LF Burrell
3B Bell
C Lieberthal
2B Utley
Best case scenario: Lofton will be rejuvenated by his reunion with Thome and Charlie Manuel, and the ballpark will rekindle his stats. He'll be a consistent OBP guy (somewhere around .390). Rollins will take the next step and prove last season wasn't a mirage (a la Marlon Byrd). Lofton and Rollins will routinely set the table for Abreu and Thome, who'll put up 130 RBI's each. Thome will stop striking out so much, though it'll be okay if he still K's, b/c Burrell will rediscover his 2002 form and hit .290, .980 OPS, with 40 HRs and 120 RBI's. Bell will be the "good" David Bell, not the "injured, weak" David Bell, and he'll be the clubhouse glue to boot. Or else, Bell will get hurt and Polanco will play 3B full time. Lieberthal will defy Father Time and hit a solid .275, with 15 hrs and 70 RBI's. Utley will show me why Ed Wade values him so DAMN much (sorry), and he'll validate his minor league numbers with a .280, .890 OPS, 23 HR, 70 RBI campaign.
Worst case scenario: Lofton will show his age and will show why he hasn't been a starter the last few years, batting .250 with a meager .330 OBP. He'll be replaced with Jason Michaels in June. Rollins will continue to think he's Roberto Alomar and will try to hit 35 HR's, managing to hit 23 but striking out 110 times. With no one on base, Abreu will be pitched around and Thome will be struck out more often than not. Burrell will show that 2003 was his true self, and he'll end up a .240 hitter, with 25 hrs before being traded in July to the Astros for Morgan Ensberg (talk about a worst case scenario!). David Bell will be hurt, and Placido Polanco will play 3B... but will tear an ACL. Utley proves me right and hits .250 with 10 hrs and no excitement. Lieberthal will go down with knee surgery and the Phillies will rely on Todd Pratt as their catcher.
Most likely scenario: I actually think the offense will be okay. I think Rollins will take the "best shortstop in the NL" label seriously, and I think Lofton will be a good influence on him. Lofton will probably end up a .270, .350, .450 hitter, which is serviceable, and he'll score 100 runs. Abreu I think is terrific and Thome will be happy to play for Manuel. Burrell will relax and should settle into his .275, 35 hr routine. Utley I'm hoping will be a productive hitter, but I don't know about him.
Pitching Rotation and Bullpen:
Jon Lieber
Randy Wolf
Vicente Padilla
Cory Lidle
Brett Myers
Ryan Madson
some other warm bodies
Billy Wagner
Best Case Scenario: Jon Lieber will pitch like the September and October monster he was, the guy who shut down the Red Sox offense in the playoffs. He'll go 19-6, with a 3.50 ERA, and he'll show Padilla how to be consistent. Randy Wolf will go back to his 2003 numbers, and he'll be injury-free all season long. He'll end up 16-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Padilla will finally harness his electric stuff, go injury-free, and end up 15-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Cory Lidle will be his productive version, going 10-9. Brett Myers will take his next (first?) step to being the next Curt Schilling and he'll end up being our 2nd best pitcher, going 15-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Ryan Madson will continue being lights out in the pen and Wagner will have a healthy shoulder all year long, posting 46 saves with only 3 blown saves.
Worst Case Scenario: Jon Lieber will get hurt again in May, or he'll be ineffective all year long, going 10-13. Wolf will get hurt again in May, or he'll be inconsistent all year long, going 12-11. Padilla will get hurt again in May, or he'll be wildly inconsistent all year long, going 10-13. Cory Lidle will be terrible. Brett Myers will take yet another step back and go 5-8 before being traded to the Tigers. Hitters will figure out that Ryan Madson has ONE good pitch and he'll be rocked, just as he was with every start he made in 2004. Wagner will get hurt again in May (sense a pattern?), and he'll end up with 15 saves.
Most Likely Scenario: Well, I think Lieber might be okay this year. He's a gamer, and he sure showed me a LOT in the playoffs last year. I think he's a 15 win pitcher. Wolf I think is better than we give him credit for, and his 2003 and 2002 seasons were pretty terrific. I think he'll also be a 15 win pitcher. Padilla, unfortunately, I think will be a dud again, and I think he goes 13-10. I think Myers will be bothered by the park again, and he'll go 10-10. Lidle I think is worthless and I can't believe he's on the staff. Madson might be okay, but he'll be less unhittable than last year, and I think Wagner will be terrific this year, b/c he's pissed about last season.
Conclusion:
It's unclear where exactly this team will end up. I have a feeling they'll contend for the division title, for real this time. Many people are putting the Braves as a clear-cut winner, or even the Mets, but as I'll show later, I just don't see it that way. The Phillies had a terrible offseason, no doubt, but when you look at it, they have fewer GLARING holes than the Braves or Mets. True, the Braves and Mets have some studs now, stars that the Phillies might not have (though Thome, Wagner and Abreu aren't peanuts)... but in terms of overall quality, the Phillies don't have that glaring hole. Just consistent concerns across the board. That may be good enough to go 92-70 and win the East. Or bad enough to go 70-92.
In my new optimism, I'll say 92-70.
The Inquirer may have finally come out with an article criticizing Ed Wade for his inactivity this offseason. And yes, the Phillies let the one player that they most needed just pass them by into the NL East rivals Mets. And yes, their pitching staff is turning out to be pretty mediocre.
It's true, I wish they had traded for Dioner Navarro and Javier Vazquez. And as Stefan as pointed out in his good comments, it's probably not going to happen. Definitely not for Navarro, as he's gone to the Dodgers, but also probably not for Vazquez, because if he's traded, he's probably going to the Orioles. Plus, if I were being truly honest, the Phillies have no one to offer outside Hamels and Floyd and Utley, and the Wade-ster just isn't going to let them go.
But chalk me up as someone who still believes that the Phillies can win this NL East. How? Well, let's take a look at each franchise, one at a time, excluding the Nationals, b/c I see them as a AAA team that's been promoted to the bigs. Plus I have no idea who their pitching staff has, despite my obsession with fantasy baseball. So they seem a little irrelevant.
Let's start with the Phillies:
Projected Lineup:
CF Lofton
SS Rollins
RF Abreu
1B Thome
LF Burrell
3B Bell
C Lieberthal
2B Utley
Best case scenario: Lofton will be rejuvenated by his reunion with Thome and Charlie Manuel, and the ballpark will rekindle his stats. He'll be a consistent OBP guy (somewhere around .390). Rollins will take the next step and prove last season wasn't a mirage (a la Marlon Byrd). Lofton and Rollins will routinely set the table for Abreu and Thome, who'll put up 130 RBI's each. Thome will stop striking out so much, though it'll be okay if he still K's, b/c Burrell will rediscover his 2002 form and hit .290, .980 OPS, with 40 HRs and 120 RBI's. Bell will be the "good" David Bell, not the "injured, weak" David Bell, and he'll be the clubhouse glue to boot. Or else, Bell will get hurt and Polanco will play 3B full time. Lieberthal will defy Father Time and hit a solid .275, with 15 hrs and 70 RBI's. Utley will show me why Ed Wade values him so DAMN much (sorry), and he'll validate his minor league numbers with a .280, .890 OPS, 23 HR, 70 RBI campaign.
Worst case scenario: Lofton will show his age and will show why he hasn't been a starter the last few years, batting .250 with a meager .330 OBP. He'll be replaced with Jason Michaels in June. Rollins will continue to think he's Roberto Alomar and will try to hit 35 HR's, managing to hit 23 but striking out 110 times. With no one on base, Abreu will be pitched around and Thome will be struck out more often than not. Burrell will show that 2003 was his true self, and he'll end up a .240 hitter, with 25 hrs before being traded in July to the Astros for Morgan Ensberg (talk about a worst case scenario!). David Bell will be hurt, and Placido Polanco will play 3B... but will tear an ACL. Utley proves me right and hits .250 with 10 hrs and no excitement. Lieberthal will go down with knee surgery and the Phillies will rely on Todd Pratt as their catcher.
Most likely scenario: I actually think the offense will be okay. I think Rollins will take the "best shortstop in the NL" label seriously, and I think Lofton will be a good influence on him. Lofton will probably end up a .270, .350, .450 hitter, which is serviceable, and he'll score 100 runs. Abreu I think is terrific and Thome will be happy to play for Manuel. Burrell will relax and should settle into his .275, 35 hr routine. Utley I'm hoping will be a productive hitter, but I don't know about him.
Pitching Rotation and Bullpen:
Jon Lieber
Randy Wolf
Vicente Padilla
Cory Lidle
Brett Myers
Ryan Madson
some other warm bodies
Billy Wagner
Best Case Scenario: Jon Lieber will pitch like the September and October monster he was, the guy who shut down the Red Sox offense in the playoffs. He'll go 19-6, with a 3.50 ERA, and he'll show Padilla how to be consistent. Randy Wolf will go back to his 2003 numbers, and he'll be injury-free all season long. He'll end up 16-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Padilla will finally harness his electric stuff, go injury-free, and end up 15-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Cory Lidle will be his productive version, going 10-9. Brett Myers will take his next (first?) step to being the next Curt Schilling and he'll end up being our 2nd best pitcher, going 15-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Ryan Madson will continue being lights out in the pen and Wagner will have a healthy shoulder all year long, posting 46 saves with only 3 blown saves.
Worst Case Scenario: Jon Lieber will get hurt again in May, or he'll be ineffective all year long, going 10-13. Wolf will get hurt again in May, or he'll be inconsistent all year long, going 12-11. Padilla will get hurt again in May, or he'll be wildly inconsistent all year long, going 10-13. Cory Lidle will be terrible. Brett Myers will take yet another step back and go 5-8 before being traded to the Tigers. Hitters will figure out that Ryan Madson has ONE good pitch and he'll be rocked, just as he was with every start he made in 2004. Wagner will get hurt again in May (sense a pattern?), and he'll end up with 15 saves.
Most Likely Scenario: Well, I think Lieber might be okay this year. He's a gamer, and he sure showed me a LOT in the playoffs last year. I think he's a 15 win pitcher. Wolf I think is better than we give him credit for, and his 2003 and 2002 seasons were pretty terrific. I think he'll also be a 15 win pitcher. Padilla, unfortunately, I think will be a dud again, and I think he goes 13-10. I think Myers will be bothered by the park again, and he'll go 10-10. Lidle I think is worthless and I can't believe he's on the staff. Madson might be okay, but he'll be less unhittable than last year, and I think Wagner will be terrific this year, b/c he's pissed about last season.
Conclusion:
It's unclear where exactly this team will end up. I have a feeling they'll contend for the division title, for real this time. Many people are putting the Braves as a clear-cut winner, or even the Mets, but as I'll show later, I just don't see it that way. The Phillies had a terrible offseason, no doubt, but when you look at it, they have fewer GLARING holes than the Braves or Mets. True, the Braves and Mets have some studs now, stars that the Phillies might not have (though Thome, Wagner and Abreu aren't peanuts)... but in terms of overall quality, the Phillies don't have that glaring hole. Just consistent concerns across the board. That may be good enough to go 92-70 and win the East. Or bad enough to go 70-92.
In my new optimism, I'll say 92-70.
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.
