Kaputski

How gracious of the Phillies to complete their post-season before the Eagles concluded their bye week. Unbelievable. Oh wait, it’s the Phillies so it’s entirely believable.

 

Now we can all go back to being fixated on football. Seriously, how demoralizing, yet apropos. Make the playoffs with an incredible stretch drive, and then get swept in the divisional series by some wild card team that didn’t exist twenty years ago. It’s par for the course for the Phillies and their fans.

 

What is so depressing is the realization that having made the playoffs (note, not championships just making the playoffs) ten times in their 125 years, that the recent 14 year drought between 1993 and 2007 is not some anomaly but about average for this franchise. Will we have to wait another 12.5 years for another NL East title or wildcard? 2019? My kindergartener will be heading off to college.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Certainly, there was a lot of optimism for the ’94 and even ’95 teams, but they were never able to recapture the magic of 1993. Will it be the same fate for the 2008 Phillies? Who knows, but they will have some interesting off-season decisions.

 

Is Myers a starter or a closer? Is Rowand coming back? Can they fill the hole at third base? Will they try to unload Pat the Bat’s $15 million again or did he produce enough in the second half of the season (as my brother says, “produced like an above average major leaguer, but not $15 million worth of production”). Will we have to see Adam Eaton in the starting rotation again next year? Will Gillick make as many terrible pitching personnel decisions as he did last year?

 

As always, wait till next year.

Good Luck Bud

That Diamondback and Rockies series is going to be a disaster ratings wise.

 

-          Two relatively young franchises.

 

-          West coast teams with no recognizable household stars.

 

-          And, oh yeah, games that start at 10 pm on the East Coast.

 

Given that, we’re all going to be treated to triple doses of Red Sox – Indians. Just in the simple interests of equal time to counter balance Ortiz, Ramirez, and Schilling (though he is equally deserving) Grady Sizemore is about to have his Q rating go through the stratosphere. Sabathia will also be getting the national love.

 

Trivia Question

Regarding Phillies “ace” Brett Myers, who started opening day and after being moved to the bullpen in May cause Jon Lieber is only slightly less a wuss than Cole “I don’t want to pitch relief or on three days rest” Hamels became the Phillies closer – (that and Flash Gordon can no longer be considered a reliable closer.)

 

Anyway, Myers started the Phillies season on the mound and was the final pitcher for the team in the same season. By final, I mean actually was the last pitcher who pitched.

 

Of playoff teams, I was trying to think of any other players that accomplished this kind of a rare, fluky feat.

 

Randy Johnson and Jack Morris both came to mind but I haven’t been able to check whether they were the opening day starters. I’m pretty sure Randy Johnson was. Can you think of any others?

Moyer

A week ago, Jamie Moyer hadn't pitched in a big game for Philadelphia since his days at Souderton High. Now, in the span of less than a week he takes the mound twice with the season on the line. Amazing.

Bud's Boondoggle - Eight Days in October

Bud Selig dodged a bullet with the way the regular season standings ended. He got the excitement of the chase and divisions clinched on the last day of the season and, as an extra bonus, a one-game playoff between the Padres and Rockies for the wildcard. Which is a good thing for Bud and the boys, because it was conceivable that the closeness of the playoff races was going to require relying on baseball's cockamamie tie-breakers. Fortunately, the possibility of two! "mini-tournaments" was avoided. Maybe next year.

But now comes the latest Bud Boondoggle. I haven't seen this issue covered anywhere else so far but the Washington Post. It's the adjustment in the playoff schedules that gives teams more days off, primarily to avoid running head to head with NFL and college football. (In fact, that is why Game 4 of the Phillies Rockies series is scheduled for 10 pm. To avoid going up against the Broncos.)

Anyway, this Post story has the impact on the pitching rotations. The big effect will allow a teams top 2 pitchers to pitch four of the five games in the series if need be. Says the Post, "Because Fox, baseball's other broadcast partner, wanted the World Series to begin and end in the middle of a week -- when ratings are higher -- the entire postseason was elongated and shifted, with the World Series starting four days later than normal. Game 7 of the World Series, in fact, is the first postseason game ever scheduled in November (not counting the postponed playoffs of 2001). "It almost looks like an NBA schedule," Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. said. "Play a game, take a day off, play two games, take a day off. It's going to be different."

The extra days off, however, are not mere curiosities -- they could have a profound effect on the way the postseason plays out, by concentrating a greater number of starts and innings on a smaller number of pitchers, benefiting teams with two or three excellent starting pitchers and a similar number of excellent relievers. With more off-days in the schedule, those pitchers' standard days of rest won't sideline them for as many games as before."

That's right. Bud Selig is now imitating the much maligned NBA schedule. Remember when basketball fans and commentators started noticing - and complaining - about how long the playoffs were, especially the first round series' that took two weeks! to complete. Well Bud thought it such a "good" idea he's brought it to baseball. Thanks, Bud!

In fact, Thomas Boswell lays out the worst case scenario - and something to remember as all four NLDS series have the potential to end in three games.

"If baseball's scheduling crapshoot rolls snake eyes, it will be a public relations disaster. And there will be plenty of idle off days to pillage the sport. In fact, there won't be anything else to do, except to ask Manny Ramirez if he still remembers the names of any of his teammates. So, I saved the bad news for last.

With its new schedule, baseball is rolling the dice. If too many playoff series are wrapped up too quickly, this October could become a wasteland of off-days that stand as a testament to TV-ratings greed. How bad could it get? Theoretically, baseball could face eight straight idle days before Game 1 of a World Series that does not even begin until Oct. 24th.

The new format can be quickly summarized. The best-of-five division series are spread over a maximum of eight days (assuming no rain). That's one more day than in the past and is probably sane. The World Series, if it ever starts, will have its usual rhythm -- a best-of-seven series in a maximum of nine days, ending Nov. 1, if it doesn't snow.

However, to make the games fit the best-possible TV-ratings dates, the new structure for the LCS has been stretched by two days with every team getting three off days before a Game 6, far more than any team needs. From Oct. 16 through Oct. 19, Tuesday through Friday, there's only one game per night, maximum. Why? TV ratings, ad money and, maybe, new fans.

If both LCS go six or seven games, few will notice and many will applaud. But if neither series goes more than five games, somebody better buy Commissioner Bud Selig a suit of body armor. In that scenario, the game lies idle for five days before the Series. If both LCS are sweeps, then you get the eight-off-day plague."

Eight days in October. I can hardly wait. But I may have to regardless.

Phillies Due

Not team had more comeback wins – 48 - this year than the Phillies.

 

And the Rockies, winners of 16 of their last 17, are due for a couple losses. Right?

Manuel's Mess

Charlie Manuel may not be the worst manager in the Phillies-Rockies series (Hurdle’s still inexplicable batting of Jeff Francis in the top of the 7th inning – with a man on  - and then relieving him in the bottom of the 7^th without throwing a single pitch remains the high standard Manuel would have to meet for truly outstanding managerial incompetence), but because his team is down 2-0 in the series, he’s getting the disproportionate share of scrutiny.

 

Toward that end, Phil Sheridan today gives a remarkably detailed account of Manuel’s decision-making in replacing starter Kyle Kendrick with starter cum reliever Kyle Lohse in the top of the fourth inning, with two outs and the bases loaded. Lohse gave up the grand salami to Kaz Matsui that “broke the game open” but in reality made it a very manageable (for the Phillies offense) 6-3 game.

 

Sheridan covers it all: the lead up to that inning including previous Phillies bullpen action; the squib single that signaled Kendrick’s end; Matsui’s fateful at bat; The 1-2 count that Lohse got Matsui too. And this summary: “One misplaced pitch is the difference between a 3-2 lead and a 6-3 hole. It's the difference between Manuel looking smart and strapping that lightning rod back onto his head.”

 

Fair enough. Though as my brother pointed out, bringing in a starter out of the bullpen in that situation – bases loaded – is especially tough. I’d elaborate on that. I don’t necessarily blame Manuel for taking Kendrick out there. My bigger question is why not bring in Gordon or Romero instead? It’s a critical at bat, a critical scoring situation for the Philllies. Why not bring in one of your top relievers to shut the door on the threat? Like an old fashioned “Rolaids Fireman.”

 

Why bring in Lohse in that situation? Why not bring in Gordon or, better yet, Romero, have him pitch the 5^th and then bring Lohse in to start the 6^th inning? Yes, it was the 2^nd time Lohse had warmed up, but he couldn’t keep tossing to stay warm for one inning? In fact, Lohse wouldn’t even have been warming up the second time if Manuel had initially gone to one of his primary relievers.

 

In any case, the fixation with the Kendrick-Lohse decision overlooks the much bigger Manuel move. The Jose Mesa meltdown. The Phillies didn’t lose the game on the Lohse-Matsui grand slam. They lost it when the Rockies tacked on another four runs in the 6^th. What was Mesa doing in there!?!?!?!? A 3 run deficit is surmountable. A 7 run lead, well, not so much.

 

It was a do or die game. So I’m not sure what Manuel’s rationale for calling on Mesa was at all. In fact, why did Manuel decide the pivotal game two was the time to pitch three of his most unreliable relievers – Mesa, Alfonseca, and Condrey? What the??!! It’s like Charlie gave up after the grand slam. The reality is that if you ‘re the Phillies, losing 6-3 in game two of a best of five series where you are already down one game to none, YOU CANNOT LET THE ROCKIES SCORE AGAIN. With that imperative in mind, you have to go with Romero, Gordon, and Myers to keep you in the game while you hope the offense gets the runs back. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU PUT YOUR +5.00 ERA RELIEVERS IN AT THAT POINT (Mesa – 5.54 era, Alfonseca – 5.44, Condrey – 5.04)!!!! Thank God Eaton wasn’t on the roster, or Manuel may have been tempted to pitch him at some point in game 2.

 

If the Phils had been able to keep it a 6-3 game, or even a 7-3 game, then the bottom of the 8^th bases loaded takes on a whole new pressure for the Rockies. As it was, the Phillies never got the tying run to the plate. Without Mesa’s immolation, they likely would have at some point. And then, perhaps, the Phillies could have reversed the 4^th inning roles – and maybe – results. And it also would have changed the complexion of the game in the 9^th  when the Phils got two runners on and Ryan Howard at bat. A score of 7-5 at that point is a lot more fraught with danger for the Rockies than 10-5.

 

Manuel made some bad, bad pitching decisions in game 2. Decisions that helped the Phillies lose the game. Just not the decision most of the Philly media is looking at.

Duke Lacrosse

Just another reminder of the two systems of justice we have in this country: one for rich, white people – or in this case kids – and one for everyone else – mainly poor and minority. There are people that have spent years on death row only to be exonerated later due to faulty evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, and questionable police activity. Of course, not being Duke students they never sued for $30 million. The sense of entitlement boggles the mind. On the flip side is the  Rosenbaum family who sued Washington, DC for the negligent EMS response that lead to David Rosenbaum’s death. They won, but didn’t want money – only reforms to the city’s fire and rescue services. Finnerty, Seligmann, and Evans could take a page out of that book.

A Gnawing Bitterness

My friend PK is bitter about how the Phillies NLDS has played out so far. Compounding his frustration is the series/TV schedule.

 

He writes: “I got to watch 1 1/2 innings of my team's first playoff game in 14 years. I will likely watch none of today's game. I am in a position in life where taking off work is not a plausible thing to do in life. This sucks.

The reason why? "RedSoxNation" and the yankees.

TV sports execs are no different than the Hollywood tv/movie people who are so creatively bankrupt they keep churning out sequels of once popular movies and spinoffs of once popular tv shows. Sports producers are just praying for a BoSox-Yanks series, because they know it did so well in '03-'04. So they give every one of their games prominent timing.

F-u, TBS and MLB. F! U!”

Gruden to Return?

Fresh off Paul Domowitch ‘s “Andy Reid’s family issues are affecting the team” article this morning, my West Chester buddy Wolffie says that rumors abound that Reid is on his way out and Jon Gruden (?!?) is set to take over the team. Not sure about the Reid portion of that – though I think where there is smoke, there is fire.

But the Gruden part doesn’t make too much sense. After several lean years in the wake of his super bowl victory, Gruden finally appears to have righted the ship in Tampa. I can’t believe he wouldn’t want to put several more winning years in down there to dispel any of the whispers that Gruden’s championship came about mostly because of Tony Dungy’s players and that Gruden on his own hasn’t made the Bucs a consistent winner. Then again, Gruden does have a history with the Eagles and Jeff Lurie. Gruden was the offensive coordinator under Ray “I want players who make plays” Rhodes during Lurie’s first five years as owner. And next to Rhodes, Lurie must think Gruden was a freakin' coaching genius. And if not, well, Gruden would be sure to tell him that himself.

Back to the Eagles?

Like I said in an earlier post, the Phillies have a window of opportunity – what with the great NL East run, the first two home playoff games, and Eagles on a bye - to reclaim some Philly fan attention that has been disproportionately focused on the Eagles for, oh, the last decade. Anyway, as I also wrote, re-engaging a generation of potential baseball fans in the region was going to depend on how the NLDS went, and, more importantly, how the Phillies played.

 

Note to Pat Gillick and Dave Montgomery: Getting swept is NOT the way to engender yourself with prospective Phillies fans.

Game 3

“Yesterday is a wind gone down, a sun dropped in the West. I tell you that there is nothing in the world, only an ocean of tomorrows, a sky of tomorrow.”  - - Carl Sandburg.

 

"We gotta play it one day at a time." - - Ebby Calvin LaLoosh.

Game 2

Best line by the announcers: “Pitching for the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick. Whose name sounds like he should be driving in NASCAR.”

 

Jimmy Rollins is THE MAN.

 

Chase Utley, one of the top lefthanded hitters in the league, is 0-6 with 5 strikeouts  so far vs. Rockies southpaws.

 

 

Best Line of the Day

No – not Utley’s 0-4 with 4 strikeouts. On 13 pitches!

 

Not even Howard’s 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.

 

Phillies fans should take solace in the fact that they only lost 4-2 as their 3-4 hitters went a combined 0-fer 8, with 7! Ks -  Add in Jimmy Rollins’ double play with a 3-1 count, Charlie pinch running Michael Bourn who didn’t steal a base and then was promptly doubled up (what a waste), and the blown call on Holliday’s mammoth grand slam that was called foul as it left the stadium and the score could have, should have been much, much worse.

 

Anyway, the best line of the day was from the TBS studio guy – Ernie Johnson: “With Shane Victorino wearing the double earflap helmet and Jeff Francis, who looks like he’s 17, it’s like an American Legion game out there.”

 

All in the Family

For the first time, the Daily News’ Paul Domowitch delicately raises the issue of Andy Reid’s family life affecting his coaching and, thus, the Eagles performance. “The line between Reid's family issues and his team's poor play is starting to become blurred. While questions about his sons don't need to be asked of him right now, this one most certainly does: Are his personal problems starting to affect his ability to coach his football team?”

 

It’s a concern I’ve been hearing about from lots of fans – how else to explain Greg Lewis as a punt returner or no adjustments to address Umenyiora’s sack bonanza - but now its been publicly aired in a major venue.

 

If the Eagles season continues on its downward trajectory, expect this issue to become bigger and bigger – perhaps become THE issue - as the losses pile up.

Ump

howard just K'd in 9th on two straight balls that were called strikes.

Manuelesque.

Hurdle just let francis bat in the top of the 7th with a man on, and then replaced him before throwing a pitch in the bottom of the 7th.

Maybe charlie isn't the worst game manager in the playoffs.

jeff francis looks like he's in high school.

More like it

ok. Rowand & burrell with back to back homers has woken the moribund crowd up.

every hit this inning s even the outs - have been smashes.

So far

jimmy rollins' strikeout, after being ahead 3-0 in the count really seemed to take some of the wind out of the crowd's sail. Striking out the side just added to silence.

looks like hamels is getting squeezed on the inside of the plate - though the ump is giving both pitchers the outside.

Everyone should be happy it's only 3-0 since the ball Holliday hit out of the stadium with the bases loaded looked fair to me before it exited citizens bank.