First Post...Howdy!

Hey phellow phanatics!  Just wanted to introduce myself on the first day of a new season of Phillies baseball (thank Christ).  If there are any bloggers from Bleeding Green Nation here, you'll probably already know me.  So!  Let's get started...

So I woke up with a huge smile on my face this morning, in anticipation of Opening Day.  I have off from work, my newborn daughter will be watching the game with me, and there's plenty of beer in the fridge....

...then I logged on to ESPN.com.  Evidently, they employ a writer by the name of David Schoenfield, whose curriculum vitae is comprised of sixteen years of experience at ESPN, as well as being an avid Mariners fan.  So, naturally, he's the perfect person to comment on the Phillies' postseason chances, right?

Well, unfortunately, it is Mr. Schoenfield's contention that our beloved Phils will NOT make the postseason the year.  He cites the loss of Jayson Werth, an inevitable letdown from Roy Oswalt, declines of both Chooch and Raul, and bullpen issues.  He has us winning 90 games, but losing the NL East to Atlanta (ugh) and also losing to San Francisco in a playoff tiebreaker.

Mr. Schoenfield assumes quite a bit in his article.  He surmises quite confidently that Ruiz will not be able to duplicate his success at the plate he had last year...what this argument is based on, I have no clue.  He overlooks the optimistic scenarios and seems to think that Murphy's Law will be in effect for us.

ESPN, the undisputed king of bandwagoners.  They just despise the fact that Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees, that the Yankees didn't win the World Series, that they didn't even MAKE IT to the Series.  How dare Philadelphia usurp New York in such a rude and thoughtless way!  We seem to have forgotten the Cardinal Rule of Major League Baseball, as ESPN holds it, which is always to let the Yankees win!  Yeccchhh.

No, Mr. Schoenfield.  The answer is no.  The Phillies WILL make the playoffs.  Our rotation is the best baseball has seen since the '93 Atlanta staff.  Any one of our first four starters could be an ace on any team in the league, and Joe Blanton is a great option at the five-spot because he generates outs and eats innings.  Atlanta has a good rotation, but they only have two pitchers (Lowe and Hudson) who can even remotely compare to ours.  Their lineup is impressive, especially after adding Dan Uggla, but the team on the whole has playoff inexperience.

Ours is a team that has been there TOGETHER, that knows how to pull off wins.  Doesn't that count for anything?  Charlie Manuel is similar to Bobby Cox in that he knows how to get a team's chemistry flowing.  He knows his squad inside and out, and will always put them in the best position to win.  Nothing trumps experience, Mr. Schoenfield.  Your assertions are unfounded and without merit.  Please stick to writing what you know.

Oh, and by the way...your Mariners will be so deep in the AL West cellar this year that they'll be finding Christmas presents from 2001...the last year they made the playoffs.

And thus concludes my first post here at The Good Phight.  To those who read it, thank you, and I hope you enjoy it and share my ire at Mr. Schoenfield's nonsense.