Some Phillies Links for You, May 21, 2010: Big Truck Closes, Sluggin' Jimmy Rollins
by WholeCamels on May 21, 2010 7:26 AM EDT
Email
PrintManuel comments on Halladay's workload | Philadelphia Daily News | 05/20/2010
"His next outing, I don't want to see him throw 125 pitches, because I feel like over the course of a year, it can definitely wear him down," Manuel said.
Good.
Ortiz: Pedro still hoping to sign mid-season - MLB- nbcsports.msnbc.com
I'm torn between wanting him back, and hoping that the Phillies aren't in a position where they'll need him, if that makes sense.
Lidge thinks cortisone shot is working | phillies.com: News
The question is, does it matter?
Bob Ford: 'Big Truck' Contreras happy to give Phils a lift
I just want to say that I love this nickname.
PhillyBurbs.com: Cuban connection solidifies bullpen
Scarface dies at the end.
No doubt about it, New York City now Yankeetown - NYPOST.com
This strikes me as unnecessary and cruel, like many things associated with New York "journalism."
Weekend could see Rollins back in leadoff spot
I actually like middle-of-the-order Jimmy Rollins, as it de-emphasizes his relatively low OBP, but if he keeps hitting like he's been hitting since he got back (and like he was hitting before his injury), it doesn't even matter.
Bill Conlin: Manuel finds right place for his usual leadoff man
this
Inconsistent Red Sox have no time to waste in tough AL East
Nothing like an Interleague series with the notoriously terrible-versus-the-AL Phillies to right the ship.
Conrad Slams The Braves To A Seven Run Ninth Inning Comeback - Talking Chop
You might have heard about this. The immortal Brooks Conrad with the walk-off grand slam against the Reds, who blew an 8-0 lead.
Mets 10, Nationals 7: Maine Spills, Valdes Cleans Up - Amazin' Avenue
Starting pitcher John Maine pulled after one batter and five pitches for "precautionary reasons" despite no discernible injury. LOL
95 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Brother can you spare a dime?
This is the one that really got me. Hagen’s article on Dykstra. You’ve got to be kidding me.
…it’s clear that things are not going well for the former All-Star.
So is there anything the Phillies can do? Is there anything they SHOULD do?
This is not a suggestion that the organization owes the former player anything. They paid him a lot of money to play baseball. Heck, at the end, when his back was shot, they paid him a lot NOT to play. They have no obligation whatsoever.
At the same time, the Phillies have a history of looking out for their own. Dick Allen works for them. So does Dickie Noles. When Mike Schmidt was looking to get back into baseball, he was given a chance to be both a spring training instructor and, for a year, manager at Class A Clearwater. This season, he’ll broadcast a handful of games for them. Who knows? Maybe it will open a door at MLB-TV….
Phillies president Dave Montgomery chose not to comment on what sort of assistance the team might be able to offer Dykstra. And, certainly, there’s no way the team could make him whole, even if it wanted to.
But the suspicion here is that if he’s looking for a helping hand, a little boost to get himself going in the right direction, all he would have to do is ask.
Hagen is on acid. Every account, and I mean every account – portray Dykstra as an emotionally abusive, manipulative personality who is a gambling addict- just the legalized kind, Wall Street. I don’t want that guy anywhere near my developing players, I mean, NOWHERE near, until he is demonstrably on the straight and narrow. And money is the last thing this guy needs – you might as well give a bottle of JD to a drunk. Furthermore, is there anything the Mets can do? Should do? How about the MLBPA?
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Maybe we should also take up a collection for Darren Daulton’s spaceship or to help Steve Carlton upgrade his underground bunker…
by Boundforbeach on May 21, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Now you’re talking. If it helps keeps guys like this AWAY from the organization, it’s money well-spent.
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions
This is well said. I strongly suspect that Dykstra is a literal sociopath. It’s a totally different issue than those presented by Allen and Noles.
No doubt Dykstra needs help and maybe there’s something the Phillies could do for him. But giving him a job ain’t it. There must be a more effective treatment for sociopathy than that.
I think of him as a Phillie, but it is clear that is not how he sees himself. Further, his behavior since retirement bothers me, and is such that I do not want him near the organization— he is just too reviled…. plus he allies himself with that other team from NYC, and I would never be quite sure whether he was trying to help us or them.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
His behavior when he was a player didn’t bother you? The guy has always been a piece of shit.
by FuquaManuel on May 21, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I was 11 when he was a player and a casual fan, so it did not get to me… but a pair of interviews with him by HBO’s real sports over the last couple of years made me nauseous.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
Yeah, he’s always been a pretty disgusting human being. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’d want to have a beer with most of the guys on the 1993 team. On the other hand, I can’t think of too many people on the current team I wouldn’t want to have a beer with aside from maybe Romero (seems like kinda a douche), Victorino (ditto, and a hyperactive douche at that), and Lidge (the Jesus freak act would quickly get tiring). Oh yeah, and Cole, because he doesn’t drink beer, he drinks appletinis, of course.
Romero is actually one of the nicest, most personable people on the current team, according to people whose opinions I trust and who have the access to make such determinations. The more you know…
http://www.thegoodphight.com
Wow. Never woulda guessed.
The more I think about it, I could imagine Werth being kind of a jackass off the field (of the fratboy variety). And the fans in San Diego and San Francisco (I think) really don’t like him, if I remember correctly from things posted at McCovey Chronicles and Gaslamp Ball.
But I have seen interviews with Romero and he does come across as a gentleman.
I personally do not dislike his on-field persona, but I realize that others do. But even if that’s the case, it’s important to remember than many athletes take on very different on-field personas – they use them for competitive purposes and what not. Brian Dawkins is a good example of this.
Romero’s a pretty serious Christian as well, if it’s really that big a turnoff for you. But unless you actually know a lot of Christians personally (as opposed to just the ones you might see on TV), that might not be a sound assumption to make.
Agreed. Some Christians, who aren’t really Christians, are into shoving their belieffs down your throat. My parents-in-law who are devout, non-denom types, never ever flaunt their faith, even though the F-I-L is a deacon. I am a person of faith but I detest organized religion and they support my decision. People who are real Christians are usually OK.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
New York City now Yankeetown
Translation: The 5% of remaining NYC baseball fans that weren’t frontrunners are now frontrunners.
Lol… but it got me thinking of something— in a two team city, what determines which team you root for— is it a simple matter of rooting for the team that your family rooted for when you were little, a simple passing down of loving the same teams from one generation to the next???? Or does it also have more than a little something to do with who is successful while you are growing up— I had thought about it recently with reference to the Giants and the Jets, but also with reference to the White Sox and Cubs, and those two teams from NYC who shalt remain nameless…. speaking of which, as good Phillies Phans, who do we root for in the subway series— since they can not both lose?
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
In all seriousness, I don’t know where the writer of the article has been. NY has been a Yankees town since the WS wins in the 90s, and because so many people are transplants and immigrants from elsewhere, there has always been a large tendency towards frontrunning.
But the tradition is that fans tend to like the Mets/Jets/Islanders and Yankees/Giants/Rangers, vaguely driven by region. Not always true, though, again because of the tendency towards frontrunning.
As far as who you root for in a two team city, I know a lot has to do with geography. Obviously, this is mitigated a bit if a fan’s dad or mom or grandfather or whatever likes Team A over Team B to begin with, but the part of the city one grows up in has a lot to do with alliance.
I can’t speak to New York specifically, but I’d assume Queens/Brooklyn/Staten Island (?) is Mets-land and the Bronx/Manhattan is Yankees. Any of the NYC residents here can correct me, but I remember when I lived in Brooklyn in ’07, there was a pretty big interest (followed by a pretty sharp depression) about the Metropolitans.
Chicago I know is geographical as well as, partially, racial in terms of team alliance. As simply as my wife’s explained to me, the North side likes the Cubs, and the South side likes the Sox. This generally means the more affluent, gentrified areas in the North comprise Cubs fandom, so Latino, African American, and even Irish fans make up a lion’s share of the Sox fanbase in the city. Again, anyone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve often wondered the exact same thing, dannijd, and I always thought the answer was pretty fascinating. I always wonder where the split would be if the Athletics stuck around.
From my vantage point, northern NJ is about 75/25 in favor of the Yankees.
Bronx/Manhattan/Staten/NJ/Westchester tend to be more Yankees, while Brooklyn/Queens/Long Island are more pro-Mets.
Western Connecticut is tough to figure out, it seems like almost a 50/50 split. This might be because most of the people I know from Connecticut are Mets fans.
When I was studying for the NY bar exam in Rye, NY my wife and I often went for pizza at this place in Greenwich, CT that had Tim Teufel’s signed photo on the wall. Also little Ricky Schroeder’s.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on May 21, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
North Jersey really ought to have its own team. I know it’ll probably never happen, but I think it would work if it did, and it would be good for the sport to dilute the Yankees’ market share a bit.
I don’t know that it would change anything— I think about even a team placed in Central Jersey— people here love who they love… in South Jersey, it is predominantly Phillies country.. in North Jersey… pick your favorite NY team. And I think that the attachments are so well rooted that an NJ team, particularly one up north near NYC would have a problem developing a following, because most fans already have a team.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
I know plenty on North Jersey residents who are die hard Rangers fans, that I don’t think replacing the “Y” with a “J” makes much difference for many.
It isn’t necessary for a majority of fans to immediately change allegiances. A few will change them. Some will share their allegiances. And as time passes, you’ll have more and more people who will be born into rooting for the new team.
I’m sure the Yankees would always remain #1 in North Jersey even if there was an NJ team, but that doesn’t matter. As long as their fan base would be diluted at least to a degree (which it would) and the NJ team could do well enough to survive (I think it would), then it would be good for the sport.
I’m curious how the break happens for the Jets/Giants, since they play in the same stadium, that would seem to get rid of the goegraphical break (though I understand it was there 30+ years ago).
Jets used to play in Queens so they’ve retained most of that similar-to-the-Mets geographic fanbase.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on May 21, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
While I have no actual knowledge of this, my guess is that the A’s were the “high rent” team, while the Phillies were the “working man’s” team. If I’m right, then it’s pretty odd that the high rent team was the one that left. It’s the opposite of what happened in every other city.
But the A’s were the successful team and the only one other investors wanted to buy to move out West.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
by the time the A’s were getting ready to leave, the Phillies had become the “favored” team in the city thanks to the 1950 pennant. If it weren’t for the Whiz Kids we might all be Philadelphia A’s fans now.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on May 21, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
By successful I meant they had actually won a few championships. I really wish the Whiz Kids had been able to pull it off.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
Interesting thought
If the team that moved from Phila in the ‘50s was the Phillies would they have changed the name? I’m guessing that, like the St. Louis Browns, the name Phillies would have ended up in the dustbin of history and the Kansas City or wherever team would have come up with a new name, like Blue Jays.
by phillyinportland on May 22, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually after the back to back WS glory (’29 and ’30), The won the AL pennant in ’31, then in ’32 came in 2nd place in their division and in ’33 third place. After that they were last or next-to-last place every year from 1935 to 1946.
Though the A’s had much the better history than the Phillies, during their last 20 years in Philly, the A’s were pathetic. The Phillies were pathetic for a much longer period until the Whiz Kids had some success. If you were a Philly kid who first became a baseball fan in the mid-30s or later, it would have been difficult to become an A’s fan. Actually, there was a 15-year period when it would have been difficult to become a fan of either team.
by Derekcarstairs on May 23, 2010 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
From William Nack's SI article, " Lost in History ''
Here’s a link to a great article making an argument that the ‘29-’31 Philadelphia Athletics were perhaps the greatest baseball team the game has known. Anyway this is a passage from the article that deals with how the city broke along team lines.
Shibe Park, which had opened in 1909, occupied a single city block of North Philly. The stadium, bounded by streets on all four sides, was at the center of a predominantly Irish neighborhood of row houses and small factories. Like a ballpark in a Norman Rockwell painting, Shibe had knotholes in the wooden fence in rightfield where dozens of smudge-nosed boys lined up daily to peer in, as if looking into a giant magic egg. To hear old-timers in Philadelphia remember it, Shibe was a stunning shag rug of deepest green, its paths and boxes and pitcher’s mound immaculately manicured, in the middle of a city blackened by factory chimneys and coal-burning locomotives. “Shibe was this perfect place,” says Walt Garvin, a 76-year-old Philadelphia native. “Everything was green. No advertisements on the fences. Neat and clean and perfectly kept.”
The Phillies played in the dilapidated Baker Bowl, six blocks east of Shibe on Lehigh Avenue, and attending one of their games in those days was tantamount to slumming. From the first year a Philadelphia team played in the World Series—back in 1905, when the New York Giants defeated the A’s four games to one—until the Whiz Kids won the pennant for the Phillies in 1950, this was an American League city, a town whose heart belonged to the A’s.
Great article
I remember seeing the SI cover years ago but I hadn’t read the article. William Nack did a wonderful job of evoking the period – really a great writer. And just the mention of the ways of old-time sports journalism brings a smile – can you imagine opening your newspaper today and seeing the word contumelious used to describe someone as rude or insulting?
by phillyinportland on May 22, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Connie Mack put together great A’s teams in two periods, the ‘29-’31 period you cited and the period 20 years before. Mack did not have deep pockets; so, it was difficult for him to keep talent together for very long.
by Derekcarstairs on May 23, 2010 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
today the Mets
Tomorrow, the you-know-what
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Pretty much sums up how I feel about the evil empire.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
LOL— That is just rich… I started calling the Yick-ees the Evil Empire after watching warm-ups for game one of the 2009 World Series, and seeing what a sad place their dug out was… the Series had not even started, and there was no joy in being there for them… it just felt so dark and devoid. I had never liked the evil empire before that, but that just really hit me. You are in a place 28 other teams would love to be, yet there is no joy, no enthusiasm??? It just felt like a machine— something a little lacking in the heart and soul department.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
And then those fuckers won. 2009 was the Empire Strikes Back. Looking at Return of the Jedi this year. Who’s our Jedi anyways?
by Boundforbeach on May 21, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
idk… Doc know any Jedi mind tricks???? I don’t even know that it will be a single Jedi— with us it seems like it could be any player on any given day… and maybe that is the best thing about the Phillies— any given player, any given day! If irony really is what it is… I would go with Werth… although I have my fears of him turning to the dark side (AKA one of the few places he could go that I would not root for him to do well… largely because I do not root for anything to go well there).
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
Another possibility, for lovers of irony, would be Howard, who suffered so much through the 2009 Series…
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
In being struck out he became more powerful than the Yankees could imagine him ever becoming.
"I remember being three and I wanted to be a baseball player, that's all I ever really wanted to be. That and Spider Man." -Raul Ibanez
by Jose and the Contrarians on May 21, 2010 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Might not be Retun of the Jedi for us but for the Rays, at least by the way they are playing so far this season
True… They are playing out of their minds, scary good this year.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
by dannijd on May 23, 2010 12:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Conlin
is now the Matt Stairs of columnists. Sometimes when he gets a hold of one, he is a delight to read.
ok, I lol’d. exceptionally well-played.
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
cant say i enjoyed his column at all. admittedly, it was less offensive than his usually controversially positioned, condescendingly voiced opinions, but even when he tackles something a little more innocuous, like today, he still writes allusion, cliche, delusion soaked drivel.
his writing style reminds me of my most annoying college professors – totally self involved, full of obscure, esoteric, and usually meaningless examples that just confound his point, if there ever was one.
i haven’t enjoyed anything he’s written for a long time.
Agree wholeheartedly for the next 53 at-bats. But I kinda liked this one for the imagery of one old fart looking into the eye of another, and winking.
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Conrad's slam
I know it was for the dark side and all, but if you didn’t catch the video and accounts of that HR, it’s pretty remarkable, as it includes:
-LF fail at the wall – I mean, in and out of the glove, over the wall.
-Reliever rending his jersey in antiquated shame-styling. (Well, it’s brighter than kicking a chair….)
-Conrad turning back to the dugout believing ball was caught, then doing a 180 to round the bases when crowd cheered.
Watched it live as I was doing some mindless work tasks from home yesterday. I was pulling for the Reds, but it was an epic finale, and pretty cool to see, even if I didn’t like the outcome, per se.
you forgot a sure double play that Cairo muffed up cause he couldn’t get the ball out of his glove after fielding a routine grounder which not only scored a run but kept the bases loaded with no outs
Yeah… that was not a game that the Braves so much won as the Reds lost— they had two chances to end that game with double plays prior to that Grand Slam… you make that many mistakes, something bad is going to happen.
Philadelphia: Phinally home to more than just a Hollywood Boxing Champ
- Drunken Bleachers
Re-sign Jayson Werth!!!!
"I never want to look back and wonder 'What if I had tried harder'"
- Chase Utley
Doug Collins’ hiring as the Sixers’ new coach just brought back an odd memory for me, from the day Collins was fired as the Bulls’ coach back in 1989. It happened, of course, during baseball season, and Harry and Whitey announced it on the air – both of them, especially Whitey, were appalled.
I knew Collins had played for the Sixers, but I hadn’t realized until now that he had been a Sixers commentator for several years (presumably alongside Andy Musser) before his hiring in Chicago. The broadcasting community is a small fraternity, so now it makes sense. I don’t have a strong opinion on whether he’s the right choice for the Sixers today, but I’m sure Harry and Whitey would be happy about it.
interleague baseball
Our colleagues over at the Red Sox SBN blog seem to think interleague play is designed to screw them up.
http://www.overthemonster.com/2010/5/21/1481925/interleague-play-begins-as-red-sox
Hahah, I love the line about “pitchers throwing out their backs” trying to swing. That’s some vintage Red Whine right there.
It’s pretty refreshing to see interleague analysis that doesn’t boil down to “Boy, the NL is sure weak.”
There is one commenter who said that they hate the NL and until they get the DH, they just be “the JV league”. Arrogant bastards.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
I much prefer being a snooty traditionalist.
by Wet Luzinski on May 21, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Snooty is at least somewhat polite.
BTW, today is the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. I. feel. old.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
I remember being disturbed when I learned that the futuristic events portrayed in the original animated Transformers movie are now supposed to have already taken place.
classic
"I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I’ll try to jump over his head.’’ - Asante Samuel
God I can’t wait to get my Hover-Board!
"I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I’ll try to jump over his head.’’ - Asante Samuel
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on The Good Phight
Related FanShots on The Good Phight
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Next Game
Philadelphia Phillies
@
St. Louis Cardinals
Thursday, May 24, 2012, 8:15 PM EDT
Busch Stadium
Clear. Winds blowing out to left field at 15-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85.
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Roy Halladay bobblehead with glove on wrong hand selling on MLB.com
- Will Smith shows why making your big-league debut at Yankee Stadium is less than ideal
- Steinbrenners selling the Yankees? Family denies New York Daily News report
- The Juice: Brandon Phillips flip sets up Todd Frazier walkoff for Reds
- Josh Hamilton makes great catch, destroys part of fence at Safeco Field
