A Lot Happened Today: Phillies 8, Rockies 6
by lizroscher on Aug 3, 2011 7:34 PM EDT
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If you wanted to see one of those totally strange and unpredictable Coors Field games, you definitely got one today. (Discounting last night's Kendrickan oddity, of course.) Hits! Walks! Errors! Saves! Home runs! Wild pitches! Stolen bases! Umpire errors! The Halladay Death Stare! This game had it all.
Jason Hammel straight up sucked, walking the first three batters of the game on 12 balls and four strikes. Neither Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, or Chase Utley even swung during their at bats. Ryan Howard would be the first Phillie to swing, on a 1-1 pitch. Howard struck out with the bases loaded, and Pence could only manage a sac fly to score Rollins. Raul Ibanez struck out to end the top of the first inning, the Phillies only managing to get one run off of three consecutive walks. Hammel calmed down in the walk department after that, but gave up six runs on eight hits, four runs coming from the second inning alone.
Roy Halladay didn't have his best stuff today, giving up eight hits and five runs (four earned, THANKS, RYAN) over seven innings. He battled the Rockies, the lead-off batter reaching in six of seven innings. Howard didn't make things easier for Halladay in the first inning, committing two (2) errors on a single play: dropping a ball hit right to him, and then flipping it *over* Halladay's head (remember that Halladay is something like ten feet tall). It was a great moment.
Howard would atone for his transgressions. He hit a double in the second which brought in two runs, and hit a two-run home run in the fifth off of Rex Brothers. Brothers has the distinction of serving up Howard's first homer off a lefty this year. Second-half Howard eats pitchers alive. Utley also had a good day, going 2-for-3, and was retired just once. Wilson Valdez, in for Polanco and the owner of a nifty play in foul ground, went 2-for-4 with a triple. In fact, every single starter had a hit, including Halladay. Halladay even scored a run on a wild pitch, which demonstrated that Jerry Meals (today's home plate umpire) really sucks at making calls at the plate. Halladay slid between the legs of Hammel to get to the plate, and Meals called him safe despite the ball getting there a full five minutes before Halladay did.
Just when it seemed that things couldn't get any stranger, the relievers came in. Bastardo gave up only his second home run of the year, a solo shot to Todd Helton. Bastardo then told Coors Field to shove it, striking out two consecutive batters to end the eighth. Then, Brad Lidge (yes, him!), not Ryan Madson, came in to get the save. (Madson is in LA with his wife, who is giving birth.) Lidge, a Denver native, got his 100th save as a Phillie, and the sweep of the Rockies was complete.
The Phillies thankfully leave Denver tonight and head to...dammit, really? They go to San Francisco to face the Giants? Ew. Lee is on the mound tomorrow, facing off against Madison Bumgarner, finalist for Most Old Timey Sounding Name of an Actual Real Person.
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Howard is straight-up raking. 3 homers & 6 rbi in his last 2 games. It’ll be nice if he can keep that going into San Fran.
I know, right?
And enough with the beard already. You’re quirky…we get it. Now sht up and pitch.
I’m working on a series of posts on The Franchise for the upcoming Giants series. I’m losing the will to live.
You can’t lose that will!
How else will we be able to enjoy your writing about that godawful trash.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Ouch- please don’t lose your will (or your wonderful writing style)! All of us who don’t get Showtime are looking forward to hearing about what we are missing.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 10:49 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
By the numbers:
ERA: 2.88
K/BB: 1.74
WHiP: 1.40
SIERA: 3.55
xFIP: 3.86
Save Percentage: 89%
All are solid, but not spectacular. Sounds like Mr. Wilson is a little overrated to me.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
...
I take particular pride in that I didn’t for one fucking second think that this guy was ever anything but schtick. I wasn’t buying any of it. Total fuckwad from the first time I saw him. Futhermore, he offended the beloved patron saint of weirdos, freaks and chickens with his scripted, wanna-be, attention-seeking bullshit.
Wilson, your act made Camilla cry. Please, F.O.A.D.
It will give me great satisfaction when he’s awful and basically out of the league in two years.
The Jruth shall be told.
pretty much his only good stat is the BS saves stat. Virtually every other stat you may what to look at is slightly above average at best. His SIERA of 3.55 ranks in 90s among relievers. K/BB of 1.74 is 111th.
Dude, we bitch on here on an almost daily basis about Wilson. Trust me you aren’t alone in your hate.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Brian Wilson is an inside joke that’s been broadcasted nationally. Shouldn’t happen
Times change, like the climate I change. Check the forecast. I reign.
by secondroundpick on Aug 3, 2011 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Brian Wilson was awesome
I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.
Shit, I actually like the guy. What’s wrong with me?
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Same.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions
And you missed the chance to out the .gif Weebles up!
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
get Websters on the horn
Kendrickan adj. 1. inexplicably miraculous 2. immeasurably awful
The first word in history that is an antonym of itself
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
by DirtyWaters on Aug 3, 2011 7:50 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
thanks
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Yeah, like, literally kill it.
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 3, 2011 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions
This pic made me lol so hard. Like diamond hard.
by All ur Aces R Belong to Us on Aug 3, 2011 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
but did you literally laugh so hard?
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
That was the one I was about to mention. Cleave (it to) Beaver. Pick your synonym.
by phillyinportland on Aug 3, 2011 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Change it to the first ‘made-up’ word that is an antonym of itself.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I thoroughly enjoyed this postgame writeup.
by All ur Aces R Belong to Us on Aug 3, 2011 8:28 PM EDT reply actions
The is probably the perfect time to play SF, as they aren’t hitting at all and in the process of losing first place to AZ. This nonsense about them owning the Phils needs to stop.
I wouldn't worry
too much about who owns who in the regular season. The Dodgers dominated the Phillies in the 1983 regular season, but it didn’t mean a thing come the NLCS.
by MJW on Aug 3, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
But didn’t you hear that in addition to his hitting and fielding services, Carlos Beltran has been acting as an assistant hitting coach?
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:23 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I wonder how guys stay in the box when being targeted by the halladay death stare
by Phillinois on Aug 3, 2011 9:00 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Matt Stairs announced his retirement today
Hopefully when he has retirement his party, there are plenty of guys hammering his ass. There is no better feeling than that.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
by Justin F. on Aug 3, 2011 9:05 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
“his retirement party,” not “retirement his party.” Fail.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Man, I was hoping he would hang on long enough to get service with all 30 teams.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m watching game recast (couldn’t watch as was at work). That was one weird game
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Good way to put it.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Madison Bumgarner, finalist for Most Old Timey Sounding Name of an Actual Real Person.
Love this line
"My grandmom's favorite grandson, ask my grandmom" --Rone
“Bumgarner” sound like a British euphemism for what will be happening at Matt Stairs’ retirement party
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions
My brother always calls him Madison Ass-Gatherer, which I suppose would be a literal rendering of the name ‘Bumgarner’
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Oswalt returns on Sunday
The veteran right-hander completed his final rehab start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday and is eager to rejoin a rotation that has helped the Phillies post the best record in baseball to this point in the season.
Ironic that KK last night dominating Rockies in his maybe last game as a starter, and Doc struggling today. Baseball is a weird game.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Well we got a 4 game series with the crappy team starting tomorrow.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Would be great if we completely demoralized them by taking at least 3 of 4.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Intruders should break into Wilson’s house and shave his beard.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Once had a bet whether I should shave my beard with my students, but I won and got to keep it.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Wouldn’t be the first. I admit I have an awesome beard. Nice and well-kept and not something that I would the missus would let me grow out like Herr Wilson.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions
if he shaves his beard we can lose all hope that the parasites living in it will spread to the other hairy parts of his body.
sorry, i really dislike Wilson and his ugly infested beard.
and He is a psycho.
" In an interview with Jim Rome on September 3, he claimed to be a “certified ninja” which he learned in a dream.40
In the sense that his “personality” is completely fabricated and he’ll plug any product imaginable, yes he’s perfect for NASCAR.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Who the hell watches Nascar?? I forgot it was a sport.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll watch it sometimes, although I like IndyCar and other forms of racing better, I blame my country midwestern roots :-P
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I went to a drag race when I was younger...
and I fell asleep,
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not a sport
It’s a bullshit Sunday drive gone wrong.
Just out of curiosity, what about Wilson seems fabricated? Sure, he’s weird and he knows he’s weird and does it (probably) for attention, which I can understand rubbing some people the wrong way. What I don’t understand is why everyone is so bent out of shape about him being “fake.” Do you honestly believe he goes home everyday and thinks to himself ‘man, I’m actually just being weird as a gimmick but down inside I’m actually this guy’ ? I do believe that some of what does he is a bit contrived but a) that doesn’t bother me too much and b) I don’t believe with absolute certainty that he’s a malicious poseur. He’s different, it’s fun, and I find it amusing. And I really don’t understand the unfettered hate.
/steps off soapbox, ducks
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I think his shtick is getting a bit old, but he certainly is original. I don’t really mind him, but I think his over promotion by MLB and the part where the Giants beat the Phillies in the NLCS has tinted some lenses.
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I don’t see how he’s “original” The flaky relief pitcher with tons of endorsement deals act has been around since relief pitchers started getting mor notoriety in the 60’s
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I see where you’re coming from. There are several people in his vein that are tiresome to me as well, Lady Gaga being the example that comes most immediately to mind. For some reason I just find him amusing. Perhaps it’s because so many athletes (at least in baseball) are mostly similar or perhaps it’s because I either tune-out or miss altogether the mainstream medias posterization of him.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I know what you mean. Athletes are often so boring because they always have to say The Right Thing™ and reciprocate the same cliches and platitudes. It’s refreshing to have someone break the mold, even if he is getting overexposed because of it.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I think alot of it maybe generational. Back in my day there were strict divisions between the jock/bop/normals and freaks/geeks/punks/metal heads. Once Nirvana blew things open the mainstreaming of underground music and culture was something that alot of us were resistant too. That’s why Worley’s jock-hawk makes me cringe. In some ways this mainstreaming was beneficial – it helped bring about post hardcore and math rock but in other ways helped spawned jock-cock-rock metal acts like Pantera who, as I previously stated in another thread (scroll half way down, it’s the long post) enjoyed because of Dimebag Darrell’s riffs, but the entire Pantera package was an over wrought, over produced macho piece of commerical crap. I’m not even gonna touch Limp Bizkit…it would take me the lifetime of a sun to express what I think about that band.
The other thing is how he became who he is. The quirkness (at least the outward expression of it ) escalated with the attention. Lady Gaga was like that from the get go. Which isn’t to say people can make a radical change in their lives but with him and why it doesn’t ring true, is that it’s too much. It’s a case of “The Lady Doth Protest too Much” as in one way psychologists detect when someone is faking a mental illness like schizophrenia. The faker will say something like they receive NSA tranmissions everyday whereas the schizophrenic will say that they only pick up the frequency after 5 PM, 2 days a week. Relative to his profession, it’s just too much with him – like last year, it wasn’t enough to display it at the game but he continued the charade with with the web broadcasts. Too much.
I agree with much of this. Also, the post-Nirvana mainstreaming of underground music and culture was only its most superficial aspects (i.e., the parts most easily assimilable), while underground music itself retrenched. Very little of the best music of the last twenty years ever bubbled up very far.
Brian Wilson strikes me as a character all too aware of his being known as a character.
I agree with the musical part of this. All in all though, even if Wilson is mostly charade (and I still doubt the validity of this assertion) he’s still amusing to me.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
You know how it is, man.
I can see why his act rubs people the wrong way, but I think if the Giants hadn’t beaten us, you wouldn’t see such vitriol.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I think a part of it (for me, anyway) is that baseball is really so conservative and conventional, and Philadelphia is a very conservative and conventional town on top of that. Baseball heroes should all be strong quiet types…on a crazy day they can come out of the dugout and tip their cap to the crowd. If they’re feeling especially emotional and need to demonstrate it, we can take some back flips ala Ozzie Smith, but only as long as we’re all feeling equally emotional. But any such behavior off the field is going to get you slapped with the “fame whore” label.
also i just really don’t like facial hair, beards especially, and ungroomed beards are just repulsive. Looks like an ungroomed woman in a bikini bottom.
KK will never master the Death Stare. Just like nobody will ever duplicate Lee’s “I’m bored with you now go sit the eff down” look or Hamel’s snotty prep school sneer.
KK definately has no death stare. It was nice he had a great last game, although many before had thought we had seen the last of KK and he keeps returning.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
KK has the “why the hell am I here” squint.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that is the best description of it I have heard!
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Probably the most memorable look by him (I think that ball is still orbiting the earth).
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 7:54 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
“Don’t be a goof. Don’t be a goof. Don’t be a goof.”
/Sandlot’d
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 4, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Juan Perez is a revelation!
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I wouldn’t be 100% opposed to it during the stretch run, but yeah it’s probably just people overreacting to Kendrick being not horrible his last couple starts. Next they’ll be calling him the “next ace.”
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Please tell me there will be a seventh Rocky movie, please oh please.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I think there should be a separate Rocky statue form every movie scattered around Philly
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Phiilly has alot of great public sculpture…except for that Rizzo monstrosity.
Every time I go to the art museum there is always a line of people wanting to take a pic in front of that statue.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
and running up the steps
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I thought they moved it. I’m not opposed to it being in a show about sports images or pop icons but as permanent piece in the front of the steps…it really contextualizes the architecture and the space. Once in awhile it’s fine. It’s more monument than sculpture. In that sense I believe it needs it’s own venue.
That would be awesome, so long as Mt. Airy gets the one for Rocky III, so we could have a Rocky AND a Mr. T statue
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What we want is Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc.
120 feet long (36.6 meters), 12 feet high (3.66 meters), and 2.5 inches thick unfinished COR-TEN steel plate. Holy fuck it’s -or was – gorgeous. ( It was removed from New York City’s Federal Plaza in 1989)
minors
Austin Hyatt
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 0 HR, 1 HBP
22 BF, 3 GB, 0 LD, 6 FB (2 pop)
Garett Claypool
6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
22 BF, 5 GB, 3 LD, 7 FB (2 pop)
Adam Morgan
4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR, 1 SH
21 BF, 8 GB, 2 LD, 6 FB
Austin Hyatt. Wow.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
but did he get the win?
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Don’t know. We left in the 8th and the tarp had just gone on the field. He was pulled after 6. His stuff was working tonight, even in constant downpour. Game was still tied 1-1, so he’ll get ND either way. (He gave up game tying run in 6th as he was tiring)
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
I don’t know how to use sarcasm font
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Like this (remove spaces tonight actual effect)
@ sarcastic comment @
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 7:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
“tonight” should be “to get”
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 8:00 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Wow, I think this actually counts as a joke kill, even though you provided useful information.
The Good Phight, NotGraphs, fun!
by FuquaManuel on Aug 4, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
So any word on Jimmy? I was listening to the game on the road and LA said he was limping in the 2 inning while running the bases. Anything to be concerned about?
same knee thing that has been bothering him all year…sometimes it acts up
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
yet another reason why he needs to be rested more often….I guess we’ll have to wait until they have a 15 game lead before that starts happening
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
This game seemed like a perfect “rest people,” and yet only Polly got rest. oh well.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Polly recently off DL with bulging discs in his back. Doubt rest and steroid has unbulged those discs. So charlie more careful with Polly
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Oh I’m not saying Polly needs more rest, I’m just saying that day game after a night game on the road with another series on the road starting tomorrow while going up against a pitcher who sucks seems like the perfect time to rest quite a few regulars. Polly included.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions
s/b Polly doesnt need
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions
New injury- he has a bone bruise in his knee from fouling a ball off of it in Pittsburgh.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 8:01 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Going to enjoy watching BL pitching the 9th. :-)
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
by Borg_Queen on Aug 3, 2011 9:46 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Lidge in the 9th...smart decision or loyalty?
Bastardo should be closing ahead of Lidge. That being said, it was smart to use Bastardo in the 8th tonight with the LH hitters due up. Lidge could come in to face RH hitters in the 9th with only RH hitters available off the bench. Was that a smart strategic decision by Charlie or a feel good Gut decison….thoughts?
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I care because if they play a game, say tomorrow night, where the LH hitters are due up in the 9th instead of the 8th…is the Gut gonna continue the “Lidge is the closer” loyalty or put Bastardo where he belongs?
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I don’t think one game turns BL into our closer. Madson has that job. But today he was the bast arm available. Bet we lots of BL (if remains good and healthy) in middle innings and such.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I mean while Madson is out
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Yes 8 game lead with how many games left to play and a 4 game series with the Giants and Brian Wilson’s beard (GAK)
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
If we get swept by the Giants, we still have a comfortable division lead no matter what the Braves do. This is the very definition of a non-crucial game.
If we win.. WIP will believe Hunter Pence did the trick.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I think you were just dazzled by his angelic glow and confused by the fact that his feet never touched the ground. He doesn’t actually need wings to fly.
by GTPinNJ on Aug 3, 2011 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I guess saying going into a tough series, 8 games a nice lead but I believe last year we were down 7 games about not. So lots can change. Charlie is resting guys.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
By this point last year (110 games in) the Phillies had closed the 7 game deficit to two. It would still take another 30 games (game 140) for the Phillies to catch Atlanta after going from 7 back to 2 in a matter of 11 games.
Still lots of baseball left (remember 2007?)
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 8:33 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Only problem with the theory (and granted we do not know who would have warmed up for the ninth in this case) is that when they decided to use Bastardo for the eighth, there was every chance that Lidge would have to face the left handed Smith and Stewart to lead off the ninth (granted only two lefties as opposed to a definite three in the eighth, but still).
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 8:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
/Meals’d
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
being serious, have the Pirates won a single game since the Meals incident?
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
One game.
I think they won the game after the second extra inning game.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I was being serious…something like that combined with back-to-back extra innings losses can be demoralizing for a young team. It doesn’t help that their next series was in Philly and then back home against a hot swinging Cubs team.
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
the goodphight got mentioned over BGN
There’s no way.
He’s gotta babysit Chad. I’d love to have him because it would give the Good Phight people another scrappy white player to hate, but I don’t think so
Didn’t no we hate Pence so much.
who said that?
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Not calling out names.
It is close to the bottom.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh sweet we’re uppity about baseball too :)
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Someone seriously misunderstands this blog. We are a sarcastic baseball blog. Someone just got confused.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
well yeah but for sarcasm to work there needs to be a mutual understanding of sarcasm, which they obviously don’t.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Same thing with satire.
It usually doesn’t work over the internet… look at Maddox.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Also although Eagles popular (I’ve been on season ticket list for 5 years only 60,000 in front of me) they have to frustrated with no Super Bowl.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Hoping for back to back parades on Broad Street this winter. Flyers could had won this year but no let’s trade Versteeg to screw up team’s chemistry.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Management imploded the Flyers will be an interesting season.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I wish Michael Leighton could come back.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
"Oh yeah...does he have one of these?"
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
how so?
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Just KK looking very dominated there and she looks like she likes it.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I’ve never seen any guy have such a dear in the headlights look with a girl on top of him like that.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Although if being uppity will let us be able to walk up to trendy Philly restaurant and be seated immediately before other blogs I up with that.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
And apparently noone recognizes the irony of them hoping to get a white player to upset all of us “uppity” fans.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I threw out my 2 cents in an abridged format.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
A well thought out post that gets the point across but does it in a reasonable manner and not “You guys are a**…….”. The Collective approves.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
The majority of us (there are some displaced fans and such) Philadelphia sports fans. Whether we’re keen on some things and not so much on other things, all of us are rooting for the teams to win when it comes down to it. I don’t really trash talk and stuff but I’d rather argue with an opposing fan than a fellow fan.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
majority of us are*
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
yeah I don’t get this whole “baseball fans must hate football” mentality and the reverse of that. I don’t watch the NFL nearly as closely as I do baseball (really only make it a point to watch Eagles and the playoffs) but that doesn’t mean I don’t like football, and it certainly doesn’t mean I root for the Eagles to lose.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I always enjoy the Carlin routine, because people automatically think he is making fun of baseball for being a pansy-ass sport, but he also making fun of football even more so (IMO) for being jingoistic and for misappropriating war and military terminology.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely. But people just go YEAH! when he starts talking about football being played in ‘Soldier Field and War Memorial Stadium’
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Nowadays...
People are saying football for being too soft and Baseball for being too rough (Ahem Buster Posey play)
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions
In Philly I think it’s the WIP football or baseball town irritation. The usual gripe “Phillies going all out and winning” but “Eagles pinching the penny and hoping to get it done with inferior talent” also “Phillies got the 2008 parade and Eagles still waiting”
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
jingoistic is a great word
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
1000%….most of America too unfortunately, but that’s another story
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I’m confused on that one
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
I can’t say it enough that I am glad not to live in the area so I don’t ever have to listen to WIP. We have our own brand of homerism here, but it’s in the opposite direction. Everyone swoons over the Redskins.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Doesn’t Dan Snyder own all the radio stations there anyway? I’m guessing a lot of criticism on the Redskins doesn’t make it to the air
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions
He owns WTEM 980-AM (ESPN 980 or Dan-Jazeera, if you prefer), and there is a competitor (WJFK 106.7 The Fan) who also swoons over the Skins. DC is such a Skins town. Everything else is in last place. Even the actual good team – the Capitals.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
What’s unfair about that is that Al-Jazeera actually isn’t a propaganda network. They should have called it Prav-Dan.
Blame Smokin’ Al Koken, he’s the one who came up with it.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Or Fox Dan Channel? I’m not sure how to work that out…
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions
packimop:
they’re very uppity about baseball there. if you don’t have the same opinions as them on most everything you get slaughtered. It’s really unappealing
What a chickenshit thing to say. This is the way cowards say “if you don’t use logic and data when you make your assertions, people will argue with you, sometimes forcefully.”
The Good Phight, NotGraphs, fun!
Don’t worry soman319 defended the blog and lords admirably and rationally
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
They been trolled a lot.
I’m give them the benefit of the doubt… surprised that we don’t have any trolls.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Football lends itself better to that sort of thing. Also recent FA action has led to more trolls.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Yeah, the crazy thing is that before they acquired whatshisface (not even going to try to spell his name) I had no idea who he was, now he’s the guy who’s supposedly going to lead the Eagles to a Vince Lombardi Trophy
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Asomugha. They’ve had a lot of other guys sign who are pretty good, too. Still a lot of work to do, so nothing’s assured, but most real fans know that. Just because the backup QB says we’re a “Dream Team,” doesn’t mean anything.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
That quote has been screw up...
No one pays attention to the second part of the quote. Vine Young said he would act as scout or do anything of that nature to help this team.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, that’s how the media rolls. They take the parts they want out of context and use them to rile up folks. That fat Rob Ryan throws his two cents in and soon we have an all out quote war.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Well it’s not like the first time we’ve gone into August hearing that the Eagles were Super Bowl bound. I have a strange feeling I’ve been hearing that, oh every year for the last decade and a half.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Asomugha really is really good.
Honestly, while I’m a Phillies fan first, I not only love the Eagles too but I’m pretty sure I appreciate the Eagles organization a lot more than the typical Eagles-firster does. Most of those folks spend their day railing on the organization for being cheap or whatever, when they’ve actually got one of the three or so smartest front offices in the NFL.
I’m not saying that people who are primarily Eagles fans are dumber than people who are primarily Phillies fans. We’ve got dummies over here, and they’ve got lots of smart people. We’re really all the same.
by taco pal on Aug 3, 2011 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Well said TP. Glad you failed your physical and not traded.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
maybe the FO will finally realize how good TP really is, now that he’s stuck with us.
by phillies0100 on Aug 3, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I just wish that WC wouldn’t leave TP in after 110 posts in a thread. We’re going to need his logic in the playoffs.
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental" - Yogi Berra (SI, May 14, 1979)
by bandwagonesque on Aug 3, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Not likely.
They see him as a logic and snark guy. can’t provide FM enough protection, blah blah blah….
He’s all the protection FM needs…
25.8/106 CURRENTLY HOT!!!
They do have lots of smart people, but a lot of them get shouted down and there just aren’t enough folks to police the idiots. Here’s hoping that never happens here.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
I’m not really a BGN reader, but I see your point on that. One thing to remember though is that they don’t occupy the same place in the Eagles fan universe that we here occupy in the Phillies fan universe, so comparing us to them is sort of an apples and oranges kind of thing. A lot of people think of us as the stathead blog, which is a pretty substantial niche but still a niche (which is kind of unavoidable because there are so many other Phillies blogs out there). They have much more of a general, mass following.
There was a stat-friendly Eagles blog that I used to read, but it shut down after last season.
This is true. I don’t write much about the Phillies on my personal blog because there is much out there that I would just be repeating. However, I do write a lot more during football season because there aren’t a whole lot of Eagles blogs. You’d think there would be more though.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Eagles aren't bi-winning.
So many people are Steelers fans and Cowboys fan who doesn’t know a damn thing about the city nor the team.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m on record as saying Philadelphia isn’t (and never was) the football-dominant town it had been made out to be from the mid-‘90s to the mid-’00s or so, but I do think football is and always has been as strong as baseball. I think it’s just that baseball is more conducive to writing. It was like that in the days of old media too.
yeah just go to any library, there is probably 12 baseball books for every football book on the shelf.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Most Phillies books, I probably own ’em.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that speaks more to the volume of baseball books written relative to other sports. Go to any library/bookstore anywhere, the amount of baseball books dwarfs any other sport. Its because more books are written about baseball.
My dad and I had this conversation yesterday. He believes that the Philly-as-an-Eagles-town myth was something driven by things like WIP and other media outlets and were helped by a little more national exposure that the NFL TV deals bring.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Baseball has one BIG difference from other sports that gets overlooked by most people which makes it more conducive to writing.
That one big thing is visualization.
What other sport can you read about or listen to on the radio and just about completely visualize what is going on just from words?
1-1 count, here’s the pitch to Howard, big blast to right field, going… going… GONE!!! Howard with a monster shot to the second deck in right field on a low and inside fastball.
Who can’t visualize exactly what that looks like?
You nailed it! I think this is one of the things that I love about baseball- it is a lot more conducive to my lifestyle- I can follow the game on the go with radio, or even just following play by play on AtBat and not feel completely lost. Football is nowhere close to this.
P.S.: Loved your play call- reading it I could totally see Howard putting the ball in orbit.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:52 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I agree with most of what everyone says, but I also think that the thing -you know, the THING – that makes baseball people love baseball is also what makes them more likely to be writers and to write about it. I’m willing to bet that most of the best authors identify themselves as baseball people (whether they’re writing books about baseball or not). Baseball is a thinking person’s sport.
Actually, I don’t buy this. There are certainly a lot of people who congratulate themselves on this score, but really baseball attracts a lot of windbags who wouldn’t know thinking from its opposite (cf. all around awful writer, on all topics, George Will)
I don’t like george will, but i do like what he has to say about baseball.
anyway, does baseball attract windbags, or does it make people act like windbags? is there any quick & easy way to discuss baseball? there are like 3000 people on this page, all of them trying to articulate what they love about baseball and Phillies, and i’ll bet none of them felt they did an adequate job and could easily be compelled to continue making their case.
I have to come out of the closet and say I’m not too much into stats. Can’t do math in my head (although know all the important equations) and use a lot of math at work. What drew me to TGP (for better or worse) was good analysis and insightful posts (written by others that I can read) along with sarcastic humor. I probably lurked here about a year before I posted.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I have a Nnamdi Man-Crush
I’ve honestly and faithfully followed the guy since his rookie year and he’s been my favorite player since then. I’ve been preaching this guy as the best CB in the league for the past 4 years and only now do people know who he is. I changed my last name on facebook to Asomugha for like 3 months.
For real, I have a problem (I guess). But when I heard that he became an Eagle, I borderline cried… and then proceeded to start chanting and yelling with a friend of mine in Ocean City (E-A-G-L-E-S, and Asomugha, and whatever).
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
A friend of mine says that Asomugha is pronounced “Awesome-wah.” Is this true? If so, that’s the coolest thing ever.
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 4, 2011 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Nnamdi Asomugha. (pronounced (Nam-dee a-so-mwa)
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
We do have some trolls but leave in the face or logic, reason, sarcasm and uppityness.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
TGP: A High Brow Phillies Blog
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
remember earlier in the year when some guy tweeted that TGP was a bunch of sarcastic pricks, I think that was the blog’s tagline for a while.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions
TGP: we use big words
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
over chai lattes
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Delicious
My favorite tea after English Breakfast tea
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I add my two cents over there occasionally, but I usually just read the comment thread and get stupider
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
by DirtyWaters on Aug 3, 2011 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This.
It didn’t always used to be that way, though. And I commend the blogmasters for trying, but so many people come over there to bitch that it becomes damn near anarchy.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions
They’ve also got some nerve saying that we argue with people forcefully, when they do the same thing there all the time (just without stats).
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
I like to read some of the articles when there are new signings and such-like. They have good writers over there; I just don’t care for the comment threads unless they are doing battle with Cowboy trolls. Then it’s funny.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Not just football blogs, but it seems like the majority of sports blogs with the word “nation” in the title suck. I’m not sure why that is.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know- I like Pats Pulpit for the most part.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 12:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
When they argue there, it is a flat-out insult fest. Everyone acts like 15-year olds there. At least here at TGP most of us put actual arguments with their insults.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
gifs totally awesome here. Although I still cannot post a pic. Remedial pic posting. :-(
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
posting pics
Okay here’s how BQ. Open up an image on the web or an online photo server like photobucket. Copy the URL address. Then Click where you want the image. Go up to the icon bar (under POST A REPLY) and click the icon on the far right (picture of a tree). In the “Enter the URL” box, paste the the copied address and click enter. To size the image type, in between “img src” either “height” or “width” = whatever the image size you want. Watch you spacing. This “<imgheight=xxx src….>” or “” won’t work. CLICK PREVIEW before posting to see what you have. Also put a title in the title bar. This let’s people minimize your post if the image is too large or the thread is really long.
Yeah, they just flame each other and post photos of half naked chicks. I’m sure you guys dig that but you know I can only take so much of that shit.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Liberty Ballers does that too. I enjoy that greatly.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
I’m sure you do. I just don’t share the same enthusiasm, sorry.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
I don’t think they’re ACTING like fifteen year olds….
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions
That is what happens when you don't win.
It makes you bitter. At my last job, one of my co-workers is a Braves fan and Nationals ( I don’t know how that works but whatever) wish two of our starters get hurt. Sure enough Oswalt and Blanton went down.
Braves and Nationals stinking up the joint though. Karma anyone?
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Another Football vs Baseball thing again.
My generation and younger have grown up in an age where technology has thrown us from VCRs to DVRs. Everything is hi-speed and fast paced. Football has been booming throughout my lifetime (I’m 22), and it’s popularity has risen past Baseball fans. You can ask any casual fan and they will always point to the action in football and perceived lack of action in baseball as a sticking point to why they like one more than the other. In Football, it’s all about who is faster, stronger, bigger, quicker, etc. In baseball, while all of those characteristics are still important, there’s more of a mind game and things flow at a different pace.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Oh gawd.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
or maybe something that runs DOS. Or do you prefer fortran?
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I have no idea what the last one is, for the record.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Is like
Commordore 64 or Atari? This fortran you speak.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Try programming language dude. Java? C++….help at all? I enjoyed that comment btw.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm familiar with Java and C++...
damn.. I’ve been out my element. Can’t believe I miss that by a mile.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The alternate is BASIC. You write original code. One wrong slash, dot, mispell and the whole program is doomed!
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
Virtua Basic is crap… some guy recommend that program to be the first language to learn.
by chillyphilly on Aug 3, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I took a Visual Basic course in high school. I made a tic-tac-toe program.
I eventually went into the Biomed field.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Scientific computer modeling dude. It’s all we use.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, unfortunately with all the commercial breaks in a modern NFL broadcast they’re losing the “more action” argument.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
One of my co-workers told me that if you took all of the action in a football game (just what happens from the time the ball is snapped until the ball is whistled dead), it actually only makes up 10 minutes of the game.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 1:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
In other words, football is more inclined toward the ADD generation.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
High impact, aggresive, etc etc.
Its the modern day, drastically less lethal, structured version of Gladiatorial games.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Bread and circus for all!
In all seriousness, I love the Eagles too, but the Phillies are always going to be #1. I have said many times that football season is essentially filler between the postseason and spring training.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
When it comes to speed and being fast-paced, I actually think basketball is the #1 game. Football has speed in small bursts, but with constant interruptions. The NBA was by far the most popular sport among my peers ten years ago, though that isn’t true today.
yeah the average NFL play is something like three seconds, so three seconds of action in between 40 seconds of nothing. Followed by five minutes of commercials.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
And people have the nerve to bitch that baseball doesn’t move fast enough.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I know which is something I completely don’t get. A routine NFL game is easily 45 minutes longer than a routine MLB game.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I had this argument with a friend after I mentioned my excitement concerning the Phillies monday comeback and how they were down to their final strike. My friend was all ‘blah blah – comebacks happen in other sports that are more exciting. Baseball is boring, it doesn’t move and football comebacks are better’. Couldn’t reason with him at all.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 3, 2011 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I actually find it rather inexplicable that people who otherwise like sports hate basketball. I mean, what’s to hate?
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Basketball is great – it helps that I went to a great basketball HS, though.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 4, 2011 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions
I love basketball but hate the NBA. Give me college games any day of the week.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 10:51 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This. The MLB and NCAA basketball seasons almost perfectly align too. It seems like the tournament ends the week before opening day and begins the week after the world series.
Baseball: the only sport whose commissioner wants you to think it is still 1960.
by phillies fan in bowie on Aug 4, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Your friend has it so wrong- only in baseball can a team come back from 6 runs down with 2 outs in the 9th. If you are down an equivalent amount in football at the two minute warning, you won’t get enough possessions to make it up, and the opposing team can run out the clock on offense, making it impossible. In baseball, they have to throw the ball over the plate all the way to tje last out- and that makes it wonderful!
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 4, 2011 1:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
True. And baseball isn’t like basketball where the last two minutes of the game are about 15 minutes because one team just won’t accept defeat.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah but.
The NBA has been on a downward spiral for a long time and it’s been shooting itself in the foot. The system itself has been flawed and now we see the direct result of it. Outside of the major sports scenes, Pro basketball doesn’t really flourish. That is why College Basketball is more popular than Pro. But now even College Basketball is somewhat getting diluted because of people opting out of college or going over seas.
Thing is, as hated as the Miami Heat were/are…. they were actually a good thing for the NBA as far as bringing in viewers and trying to revive its popularity. As a Sixers fan, I hate everything them.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
I also think a fair number of people who prefer college ball over the NBA (not all of them) do so because there are more “good” players there who are white American.
I personally don’t think the NBA is that much worse of a product on the floor today than it ever was. Its popularity started to decline not so much because of the quality of play as it did because of the increasing prevalence of hip-hop culture. The NBA has been African-American-dominated for a long time, but the cultural issues weren’t as divisive in the ’80s.
I guess I am the exception – I prefer pro sports over college any day. NBA over NCAA (even March Madness) and easily NFL over CFB.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 4, 2011 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s true of a certain demographic but I don’t think it is the main driving factor. As an avid college basketball fan (and a pretty avid NBA-hater) I prefer college basketball because, while the individual quality of the players may be worse, the quality of the basketball as a whole is better. Teams are more than the sum of their parts (as I believe is evidenced by Butler) in college basketball than in the NBA. They also play more aggressive defense and more of them care. The fans are better. You can rush the court. And, at Maryland at least, you can riot and get beaten by the police. Hopefully I didn’t use too many cliches in there.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions
the quality of the basketball as a whole is better.
I love college basketball but this argument does not make sense to me. The NBA has the best players. They shoot better, run better plays, they turn the ball over less.
I think I understand what you are trying to say but to say the quality is better is not the right word (unless I am defining quality as skill and you are defining it as something else).
Yeah, quality is perhaps the wrong word here. I didn’t intend for it to mean skill, since the skill in the NBA is definitely better. I guess what I mean by quality is that NCAA games seem to have everything that (at least in my opinion) a good basketball game should have – defense, effort, some turnovers, scoring, etc
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
higher quality no. More exciting yes. Just because of the mere fact that the NBA plays an 82 game schedule and needs to save its players means that they can’t do full court pressure or run up and down the court in the manner that they do in college ball. But yeah, better players, better coaches, etc. I can’t stand most of the NBA rules though.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I would hesitate to say that the NBA has better coaches.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
The best college coaches are the best recruiters. Calipari is a great recruiter but his X’s and O’s are average. Many college coaches get by with recruiting great players and using the talent gap to beat teams with average schemes. Pro coaches don’t have that luxury.
Coaches in the NBA are much better. They draw up better plays, make smart adjustments (for the most part) and have to deal with bigger egos.
It may seem like NBA coaches do little but babysit but how they gameplan before the game is huge.
I’m in the (not all of them) category. I agree with you about the quality of play being misconstrued, but there is a noticeable difference in effort, particularly defensively, in the NBA from the majority of the regular season to the playoffs.
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
A lot of it’s regional too. I come from the heart of College Basketball country where it very much is the most popular sport. The NBA got a lot of attention when I was growing up but that was during the era when the NBA was arguably the most popular sport in the country (the Magic era, followed by the Jordan era). It was weird when I moved to Philadelphia how little college sports got in terms of attention in comparison to back home. Of course the opposite is true as well and baseball gets very little attention back home in comparison to Philly
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Think those people think Jimmer is the next great white hope?
by chillyphilly on Aug 4, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I find no issue in racially identifying with a player and thus cheering harder for him or her to make it in a sport where they are the minority. The problem is that many (if not most) people who root for white players also hold negative, racist opinions about black players and players of other races. In and of itself, cheering for a white guy because you’re white and he’s white is pretty harmless.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re not wrong here, but people have been saying the same thing since at least the ‘80s, if not even earlier. Football is certainly more popular in America now than baseball is, but baseball is still very popular and more popular than it’s ever been.
Maybe it’s just perception on my part but it seems like baseball and football are even now in terms of popularity. Of course it doesn’t help that the NFL and College football are doing everything possible to destroy themselves right now.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 3, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Everytime I see the "action" argument
I think of this…
The research found that a typical baseball game has about 14 minutes of action! Woo hoo. Not quite as much as a Seinfeld rerun. The two games played this year averaged 40 minutes of commercials (10 for the older game) and 105 minutes of players standing around waiting for the next pitch.
But hold on football fans, before you use this as another excuse to bash Baseball, the same study was conducted for Football.
The Results? 11 minutes of action time, 55 minutes of commercials and 120 of stand around time. Meaning those who argue that not enough happens in Baseball, are technically wrong, as Baseball actually packs in a whopping 3 more minutes of pure action.
but they’re not standing around waiting for the next pitch.. they’re waiting to steal, or watching to see if a guy’s gonna go. or they’re trying to break the pitchers concentration. or the batter is trying to dictate the pitcher’s rhythm. or the pitcher is trying to rush the batter. There’s almost no downtime in baseball.
I hate that bullshit about “standing around waiting.” There is no waiting in baseball. Things can happen in between pitches and even if nothing exciting happens on a given pitch, it’s still live gameplay. Frankly, in baseball, there is live gameplay almost the entire freakin’ time, except in between innings. In between snaps in the NFL the ball is dead and absolutely nothing can happen (aside from a fight or something similar) and hence the 11 minutes of action is valid. The use of the word “action” to describe how exciting or interesting baseball is is inherently flawed since there are many facets of baseball that aren’t exactly action-packed but are far more than just standing around.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
We don’t have much patience for willfull ignorance here. And I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t believe in this “respect the opinions of others” nonsense. If you come here and state a belief and your argument is fallacious, you should expect to be disagreed with. One of the things I appreciate most about this site is that open, fervent debate is not discouraged. But if you can’t handle passionately defending your views using objective evidence and sound reasoning, then TGP is not the place for you.
And while it’s not always the case, I don’t think the level of snark in our responses is disproportionate with the level of ignorance or utter silliness displayed by the offending commenter.
The Good Phight, NotGraphs, fun!
And I think the cowardice comes in when you bitch and moan about how we slam anyone who doesn’t have the same opinion as us.
No, we argue people who we think are wrong — and that’s the way I think the world should be.
The Good Phight, NotGraphs, fun!
I hate the “respect all others opinions” defense. Most use it to hide behind when their opinions is either a) glaringly incorrect or b) ignorant
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Eh I use it, even when I know I’m right. Thing about arguments is that while you may “win” some, it doesn’t change someone’s opinion overall. Attacking someone just makes it worse.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Debates aren’t always just about the two (or more) people involved. They are also instructive for observers who can adopt a position themselves based on who makes the better argument.
I rarely approach a debate with the intention of changing my opponent’s mind, but rather to illustrate to others why my opponent’s position is wrong.
The Good Phight, NotGraphs, fun!
I disagree. Everyone doesn’t have to get along. Arguments, as long as they are enlightened (at least on one side) are beneficial. Too many people back down from an argument because they are wary of stirring up emotions. If no one argued, the world wouldn’t being a very exciting place.
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not saying I wouldn’t argue. And it’s not about getting along for me either. Thing is, I find it more times than none that people don’t get “enlightened” because they shut off after their opinion has been dissected and destroyed.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Very true. It’s pretty much what’s wrong with this country (and lots of other places too)
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 4, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
This is the type of comment I don’t like
Advanced stats are fun and all..but it gets a bit silly after a while watching all those accounting majors worship at the altar of Bill James. When you are using WAR and UZR to try to justify a claim that Shane Victorino is a "better player" than Ryan Howard, there is a problem.
Disagreeing is fine, but when stats prove that you’re wrong, you’re wrong.
by phillies0100 on Aug 3, 2011 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Excuse me......
Unless you are The Gut™. Nothing beats The Gut™.
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
I also resent being stereotyped as an accounting major
by FearTheTurtIe on Aug 3, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I was told moneyball was stupid yesterday by someone who watches the games every day
I kind of got sad inside
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 4, 2011 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions
the thing about stats is at any moment, voodoo can take over and blow the stats out of the water. What did stats tell us about how KK would likely pitch on Tuesday?
My take
I think that for the most part, new people are treated fairly here and given the benefit of the doubt more often than not. When they arent, its usually because they immediately ttack in their posts, or refuse to hear what someone else says. occasionally, they’ll get hit with one bomb from someone, but for the most part, I think people are treated pretty fairly if they dont come off as an idiot or an asshole.
I would consider myself one of them, since I only started posting in the off season. I followed the site,though, for over two seasons. I probably made a few random posts from facebook before joining, but thats it.
I found the site cause the name sounded cool, and kept reading because I found the writing to be better than most others, and the temperment to be less “phanatical” i guess.
I knew little about sabermetrics, but more about baseball, than most of you, if that makes any sense.
Learning about sabermetrics has given me a much deeper undersanding and love for a game that has been a very integral part of my life since I was 5.
also, go iggles.
25.8/106 CURRENTLY HOT!!!
I, for one, appreciate the Blog Lords’ vigilance against unsubstantiated opinion strongly expressed as fact. You want to make an assertion that the numbers prove incorrect? Fine, go ahead. Get snarked on and then get mad and leave. It’s like a spam filter.
Go find one of the thousands of other blogs that are more your cup of tea. Stop trying to “change” TGP because we make you insecure with all our numbers.
Stop violating my geeky sports sanctuary.
You probably made fun of me in high school, jerk. I don’t really care about your bonehead opinion. I want to be able to drop obscure Star Wars references and have a velociraptor as my avatar without getting criticized.
Seriously, Blog Lords, you’re doing an incredible job.
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 4, 2011 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
LL, you’re awesome.
That is all.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Great Convo folks.
There’s a different dynamic when it comes to talking on here than at BGN or LB. I love it all but each blog has its own characteristics (and characters).
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
I wouldn't know.
BGN seems cutthroat in posting. TGP seems like every topic is free game.
by chillyphilly on Aug 4, 2011 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
BGN has up to date material and is fun. However the influx of a buttload of members, etc makes it hard to keep up with fanposts and comments. As mentioned above, comment at your own risk since its a mixed crowd and more often than not you deal with younger fans.
I personally think LB is the funniest out of those three though and the smaller fanbase there makes it a great environment to chat and joke. The guys (and gals? I don’t recall any female regular there) there are very knowledgeable too, both blog lords and members.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
I used to post at LB in the earlier days, but when the Sixers hired Eddie Jordan, I quit because I hated the hiring so much. Also, there was a poster there who used to love to give everyone a hard time because he was such a contrarian.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
OH REALLY? I must meet this individual
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 4, 2011 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions
No, you don’t understand. Remember MarioD? He was worse than he was.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
whaaaatttttttt
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 4, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Eddie Jordan went to Rutgers, and was a key part of the great 1976 Final Four team. I will always be a fan.
Fine to be a fan of his as a player, but he was a horrible choice as a coach for this team and he proved it.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Oh the 1976 Final Four. That of course is where Indiana defeated Michigan for the championship and are the most recent team to go undefeated and win the NCAA title.
Had to throw that in. Go Hoosiers.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Pshhh go over to BSH. We have all types of fun over there
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 4, 2011 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions
I like BSH, although I don’t watch hockey that often and barely understand it when I do, the convos over there are fun.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
TGP seems like every topic is free game.
No, this is BSH (although maybe a too much in that direction sometimes).
Hunter Pence will not guarantee a WS, but, then, neither does Carlos Beltran.
Broad Street Hockey. Flyers affiliate.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 4, 2011 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions
If I had a dollar
For every person at the Reading Phillies game tonight who said Howard was hitting better because he’s being “protected” by Pence, I’d have about $50.
Last 21 days: 14H 62B 03B 5HR 9RBI 2BB 12SO .298BA .327OBP .745 SLG 1.071 OPS
Last 7 days: 8H 42B 03B 3HR 6RBI 1BB 7SO .308BA .333OBP .808SLG 1.141 OPS
He was already heating up (also, his BABIP was normalizing) before Pence even got here. His BABIP just early last month was around .250 but has since hit .300 and is up to .313.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
Meals
Nice game summary but what was with the Meals comment? Really vague statement obviously Halladay slid in safely so it was sarcastic to say Meals sucked. So it was sarcastic but then who is it aimed at? People who thought he made a bad call in the 19 inning Pirates game? He DID make a bad call he even admitted it. So again what is the point of this sarcasm? Are you trying to say people over criticized Meals for his call? I don’t know if I agree. It was a really bad call. If you are going to defend Meals or say he was over-criticized this is kind of a weak non-committal way to defend him. Again, don’t get this part of the blog.
I watched the reply on Espn and Halladay should had been called out.
Meals had a bad angle on the play.
I saw like 5 different angles… on some he looked safe and others he looked out. The rockies announcers looked at the replay and said he was safe.
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 4, 2011 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Lidge, a Denver native, got his 100th save as a Phillie, and the sweep of the Rockies was complete.
Halladay is also from Denver.
Bastardo of course is not.
Celebrating over 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1961-2011
also, Troy Renck, the beat writer for the Rockies, coined "wobbly closer Brad Lidge"
giving birf to dis here:
You are a day early with that picture.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 4, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I completely don’t get this Rebecca Black fascination. I’m not sure how someone can be autotuned and still sound that nasaly.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 4, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
.
Uncanny valley, perchance? Rebecca Black looks like a singer, but when we get up close and get a better look we see she is really a zombie and get repulsed.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 4, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
The fact they are trying make a new Justin Bieber.
She has another song called My Moment where she is addressing her “haters”. The song is just as bad as Friday. Point is she is just another distraction from the real problems… cough debt ceiling cough.
Phillies on pace for 105 wins
Actually 104.56, rounding up.
If they do get to 105, it would shatter the team record for wins, obviously, and Cholly would become the Phillies’ all-time winningest manager with 649, 3 more than Gene Mauch.
One other thing it would accomplish is extend their over .500 record all the way back to 1948, and I could update my signature.
Will they get there? It’s hard to say — will they avoid significant injuries? will they stay focused if they continue extending their lead?
Assuming they maintain the best record and home field advantage, the priority as they head towards the back end of September will be to make sure everyone gets and stays healthy and is rested for the postseason. If that means a lot of Martinez, Valdez, Mayberry, and call-ups, and a few fewer wins, so be it.
Celebrating over 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1961-2011
Getting to 105
After the win on Thursday night it will take another 33 wins to reach that level – in the final 51 games, or 33-18 (.647). How does that compare with the recent record? Well, after 60 games the team was a solid 36-24, playing .600 ball. They had the best record in baseball and a four game lead over Atlanta AND Florida. In their next 51 games they have gone 36-15 (.706). I think a convincing argument could be made that on all fronts – lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen – the team appears to be stronger heading into the final 51 games than it has been in the previous 51.
by phillyinportland on Aug 5, 2011 4:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Wow. Reading this thread might have been the best thing I’ll do all day.
Baseball: the only sport whose commissioner wants you to think it is still 1960.
by phillies fan in bowie on Aug 4, 2011 12:21 PM EDT reply actions
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