World Series Game Four - Phillies 10, Rays 2

Sharp on mound and at the plate, Blanton puts Phillies up 3-1

I don't know about you, but I'd call that a slugfest, even if Tampa Bay didn't join the party. So the only thing left to do is for Cole Hamels to go out and clinch this thing at home. The Phillies will have their World Championship and I will have pulled off one hell of a trifecta, prediction-wise.

But first we wait, which won't be easy. In fact, I'm sure the only reason I'll be able to fall asleep tonight is because I'm still so tired from staying up for Game Three. And speaking of exhaustion, as much as I would love to spend some time nitpicking Buck McCarver and the Fox Traveling Circus, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to bed. Monday is shaping up to be a pretty big day.

But before I do, I thought you might appreciate some haikus inspired by tonight's game. Enjoy:

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He of dirty hat
Whether with one arm or two
Blanton is the man

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Dearest Jimmy-legs
Crack crack crack and run run run
When you score we win

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One, two, three runs home
When Ryan swings mighty bat
Oh! Oppo poppo

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Huh? No hits, two runs
Worry not for Utley, still
Quite a strange boxscore

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Big blow by Jayson
So welcome to the party
Could you stay a while?

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Ryan in the eighth
Still holding mighty bat - oops!
He did it again

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Say it ain't so Pat
Will he stay, will he go, or
Will he get a hit?

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Steely-eyed is he
Our Hamels will take the ball
One more win to go

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World Series Game Three - Phillies 5, Rays 4

Moyer's return to form, longball give Phillies 2-1 series lead

Jamie Moyer is one cool customer (or "cucumber" according to mrs. tmmullen). What a performance in game three of the World Series by the ageless lefty: seven innings, one run, four hits, five strikeouts, and only one walk. It was a well-deserved win for Moyer, whose return to form was forecasted in this very blog.

What's that?

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention something: I have this new television with a great feature that shows alternative endings to games where, in this instance, ANOTHER umpire did not blow ANOTHER important call in ANOTHER World Series game allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to score ANOTHER couple of runs that would not have otherwise scored.

Of course, I'm referring to the Carl Crawford bunt to lead off the seventh inning. If that call is made correctly, he's the first out, followed by Navarro's double, after which Gross and Bartlett each ground out. That's the end of the inning and the Phillies still lead 4-1. From there it's Madson, Lidge, ballgame. But it wasn't.

I'll try to put this behind me - mrs. tmmullen is already tired of me grinding my teeth about it - but this is unacceptable. This is the World Series. These umpires are supposed to be the best of the best of the best. So what does it say about the quality of umpiring when the defensive play of the game - perhaps the series, or even the entire playoffs - didn't even record an out?

You want to know how good Jamie Moyer was tonight? See his strikeout of Carlos Pena in the 6th inning on four pitches (click on the link, click on the 6th inning, click on Pena's at-bat, then enjoy). This is a guy that came into the game with a career OPS of 1.495 in 22 plate appearances against Moyer. I understand it's only a personal stat, but that umpire robbed Moyer of a World Series win tonight. Shameful.

Now that I got that out of my teeth, there was a lot of good in this game. Jimmy Rollins had two solid base hits, Carlos Ruiz went yard, and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went back-to-back. While I sincerely apologize for putting him on the spot, I need to mention that not long ago Mike Hillman's patience with Ruiz had run out and he was making some radical suggestions. Then, after Ruiz's home run, these two text messages passed each other nearly simultaneously in the cell phone cybernets:

From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen
I always liked Ruiz!

From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael
That's your boy!

Then that mother-effer goes and wins it with a bases loaded infield single. Could he be halfway to World Series MVP? Wrap your head around that one my friends.

Lost in the euphoria of this walk-off win are some curious moves by Charlie Manuel. While I think he handled the bullpen superbly, I'm beside myself over his decision to take Pat Burrell out of the game in the seventh inning. This has been a bone of contention with me beyond this season and perhaps, time permitting, I will elaborate in a separate post before game four.

Also, why burn Greg Dobbs when it was fairly obvious they were going to walk the next hitter to load the bases and set up a force play at home? Let them walk Pedro Feliz and the let Ruiz (or Dobbs) hit. Worst case scenario, Ruiz gounds into a double-play and then you use Dobbs for the pitcher.

Fortunately, we saw the best case scenario and, just like that, the Phillies lead the series 2-1.

Finally, before we turn the page, it's worth noting a special moment that occurred what seems like a lifetime ago. During his participation with a Boys & Girls Club pre-game ceremony on the field, country singer Tim McGraw, son of the late Tug McGraw, took a brief moment to scatter some of his father's ashes on the pitcher's mound. The modest gesture was intended to honor Tug, but, as the story spreads, there is little doubt it will have a tremendous and far-reaching effect on Phillies fans who fondly remember the left-handed reliever, his antics, and his role in the only baseball World Championship this city has ever seen.

Until Tuesday.

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World Series Game Two - Rays 4, Phillies 2

Rays even series on errors by Werth, home plate umpire

It's time for some straight talk, my friends.

That was a terrible game - and a bullshit win. Can I say "bullshit" here? It doesn't matter, nobody's reading this. As great a game as game one was, this game was the total opposite - and not because the Phillies lost, but because the home plate umpire couldn't get out of his own way. Yet despite their failure (on a mammoth scale) to hit with runners in scoring position, the Phillies still had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.

On the other hand, because of their youth, it's likely the Rays have no clue how truly lucky they were to win that game. There is no arguing the fact that if Jayson Werth fields B.J. Upton's single in the first inning cleanly, then the Rays don't score on any of the next three ground ball outs (one of which might have been a double play). You could also make a good argument that if Kerwin Danley had the balls to continue with the strike out call on Rocco Baldelli that he started, which would have been the second out of the second inning, then the Rays don't score there either and the game is scoreless instead of 3-0, Rays. The run they scored in the fourth was just good baseball.

But none of this matters - not even the ridiculous "nope, sorry Jimmy, that ball didn't hit you" call by Danley with nobody out in the ninth - when the Phillies are 1-28 with runners in scoring position in these two games. That is truly inexplicable.

The bright spots were obvious - if few and far between. Carlos Ruiz turned in some truly remarkable at-bats Wednesday night, which could be a great sign not only for this series, but for next year as well. Shane Victorino continued to collect hits, which may put him back in the two-spot on Saturday. Plus, it is truly a pleasure to welcome the real Ryan Howard back. You were missed. If you have any information on the location of the real Jimmy Rollins, please let us know. By the way, I contacted the authorities about Pat Burrell and I was told I had to wait 48 more hours before filing a missing hitter report.

So what have we learned after these first two games? It's hard to say. Most of the "experts" felt that game one was a must win for the Phillies with Cole Hamels on the mound - and they won. These same experts then proclaimed game two a must win for the Rays because they couldn't afford to leave Tampa down 0-2 - and they won. I'm going to guess that game three will now be a must win for the Phillies so they don't relinquish home-field advantage and they might be right.

At the end of the day - or the beginning of this one - mrs. tmmullen and I both knew that if we wanted to attend a World Series game this year, the Phillies would have to lose at least once (we have tickets for game five). She commented on how odd it was to secretly hope that they would lose one just for that reason and I felt that same way. But I also confided in her - before the series started - that I thought the Rays might feast on a pitcher with a style like Brett Myers and that the Phillies might lose game two. Well, the bad news is that they lost game two, but the good news is that, well, Myers didn't pitch poorly at all. So if he needs to come back for a game six, I will have plenty of confidence in him.

But I'm thinking there won't be a game six: Jamie Moyer returns to form, Joe Blanton wins a slugfest, and then Hamels clinches it at home. Yeah, I'll say it: Phils in five.

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World Series Game One - Phillies 3, Rays 2

Fightins' steal home field advantage, lead best-of-seven series 1-0

Let's play 20 questions:

(1) When was Twisted Sister hired by the Rays?

During the frustratingly long pre-game show, Kevin Kennedy was really overselling the Rays new attitude, which was, "We're not gonna take it anymore!" This was a good example of the completely pointless information shared with viewers during a completely pointless pre-game show. Poor little Paige just wanted the game to start - and so did I.

(2) Regarding the National Anthem: What the hell was that?

If you didn't see it, count yourself among the lucky ones. If you did, well, seriously, can you tell me - what the hell was that?

(3) After Chase Utley hit his two-run home run, was I the only one who thought Pat Burrell was going to hit a solo shot?

Come on, be honest. I'm sure there were some others somewhere who were instantly reminded of what happened in the sixth inning of Game One of the NLCS. The good news is it came early, the bad news is that Pat struck out.

(4) Which was more confusing - understanding the ground rules or listening to Joe Buck incorrectly explain the ground rules?

To his credit, he did review them again later and got them right.

(5) Why try to score Shane Victorino on Jimmy Rollins' pop fly in the second inning?

First of all, I don't understand why you wouldn't give Jayson Werth, who was on deck, a chance to bat with the bases loaded (and two outs), and, perhaps more importantly, the ball was in shallow center field. No matter who made it, it was a bad decision.

(6) How concerned should I be that I agreed with Tim McCarver's assessment of the "weird" infield alignment when Ryan Howard was batting with Chase Utley at third base and one out in the third inning?

There were three infielders on the right side and they were in. The third baseman was standing practically next to third. Fuck the heck?

(7) Is B.J. Upton slow or lazy?

Clearly I'm being facetious, but I thought Upton was fast. He dogged it down the line when he grounded into a double play in the first inning. He dogged it down the line when he grounded into a double play in the third inning. And then he didn't run down Shane Victorino's single - in fact he didn't even catch it. It just bounced past him. I think mrs. tmmullen summed it up best, "Way to hustle - it's not like it's the World Series or anything. I'm sure you'll be back again." I added, "Yeah, just ask Cal Ripken."

(8) Did Joe Maddon really think that Scott Kazmir "looked good" after giving up three runs in the first four innings?

All things considered, he pitched okay, but he was constantly having to pitch out of trouble. With his pitch count climbing, he came out of the game early. Sure, the bullpen was effective, but how many times will Maddon be able to go to that well before the Phillies start hitting them? My point is that, after listening to Maddon's spin, just for a moment, I thought I was listening to an interview on "Fox & Friends."

(9) How many viewers had strokes when McCarver said, "Pack the bags and the light the lights, curves are coming left and right."?

Seriously, fuck the heck?

(10) How annoyed was Mike Hillman when Buck McCarver talked about "the two countrymen," Carlos Ruiz and Dioner Navarro, who hail from Venezuela?

He was pretty pissed. Probably because, while Navarro is from Venezuela, Ruiz is from Panama.

(11) How sweet was Ryan Howard's catch in the stands of Upton's foul pop?

Yes, he had a couple issues in the field Wednesday night, but that play was sweet. And so was his throw to second after Hamels picked Carlos Pena off first (see question 13).

(12) Did I really see and hear a Brit promoting Mexican food in the United States?

Hey I'm all in favor of a free taco [insert the joke of your choice here], but if I have to listen to Buck McCarver, spare me that transcontinental confusion.

(13) Did you think that was a balk?

Neither did I.

(14) What is with the pitch-trax or Fox-trax or whatever it's called?

That thing is useless. If the strike zone was really as small as that graphic makes it look, games would last six hours and pitchers would walk two batters an inning - at least.

(15) How lost is Ryan Howard?

I still can't decide which at-bat was worse, the one when he swung and missed at the pitch that bounced either on the plate or in front, or the one in the ninth when he struck out looking after they intentionally walked Chase Utley to pitch to him. I need to repeat that: THEY INTENTIONALLY WALKED UTLEY TO PITCH TO HOWARD. If the real Ryan Howard can show up sometime in the next five days, the Phillies will win this at home. If not, it could be a long slog.

(16) Why was Pat Burrell taken out of the game in the seventh inning of a one-run game on the road?

I would have preferred it if Charlie would have put Eric Bruntlett in left field after Chris Coste batted in the eighth inning, moved Burrell to DH, and taken Coste out. I realize this might leave you in a dangerous situation if Ruiz were to get hurt, but it's a risk worth taking - especially if you can keep Pat's bat behind Howard. Ugh.

(17) How enjoyable has it been to watch Ryan Madson evolve into arguably the best set-up man in baseball right before our eyes?

In eight games in the post-season, he has given up only one run on seven hits in 10 innings (0.90 ERA) while striking out seven and walking one. This follows a September (13 games) where he gave up only one run on 12 hits in 14 innings (0.64 ERA) while striking out 17 and walking one. Joe Owens can suck it.

(18) How lost is Jimmy Rollins?

He was 0-5 with two strikeouts and was swinging at pitches above his eyes. He's hitting .214 in the post-season and, let's be honest, it's been an ugly .214. But if the real Jimmy Rollins can show up sometime in the next five days, the Phillies will win this at home. If not, it could be a long slog.

(19) How good is Brad Lidge?

Very good. He made the first two hitters in the ninth look like minor leaguers. He flirted briefly with what a friend of mine calls "Mitch Lidge," but still turned in a perfect ninth. Who knows, he may yet blow a save in the World Series, but it wasn't on Wednesday. And that's that.

(20) How good was that game?

I realize some fans like slugfests - and I don't mind those every once and while. Other fans like it when the Phils blow the other team out, which, obviously, would allow us all to relax a little more later in games. But I do love me a good old-fashioned pitchers' duel. Every single pitch is magnified exponentially - for both teams - as a one run game like this creeps closer and closer to finality. Fortunately, the good guys came out on top Wednesday despite leaving 11 runners on base and going 0-13 with runners in scoring position. That won't get it done in the World Series.

As we wait for Game Two, hopefully the two or three people who visit our little corner of the internets will add their thoughts on the game or the series and - dare I dream? - maybe Mike will make an appearance. Only time will tell.

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Fire Tom McCarthy

Three things I thought after watching that fantastic game:

1 - There were many stories (Chris Coste going 4-4 off the bench, Shane Victorino's leadoff triple in the 13th, the bullpen, and Brett Myers' pinch hit at-bat), but the biggest was Jimmy Rollins. It's only two games, but it's nice to have ol' Jimmy-Legs back. If he can play like the 2007 version of Jimmy Rollins for the next five to eight weeks, the Phillies can go deep in the playoffs. If he can't, they may not make the playoffs.

2 - I hate Tom McCarthy. I'm tired of him offering those annoying mid-inning "reports" from the stands that ramble on endlessly while all I really want to do is hear Harry call the game. I've had enough of him encouraging Gary Matthews - who should also be fired - to continue with his mind-numbing comments that we are supposed to think is analysis. I really just want him to shut up. I felt my blood pressure rise when he kept referring to bad outings Scott Schoeneweis has had "here at Shea Stadium." Did he forget he was in Philly? Then I thought I felt blood coming out of my ears when he kept repeating with escalating alarm and certainty that Kyle Kendrick would be unable to start Wednesday's game because he "got all stretched out and warmed up in the bullpen." Yeah, the starting pitcher who averages about 90 pitches a game will be all worn out from that side work that he'll have to skip a start. If he had said that the extra work might limit how long he can go in his start, I would have agreed, but that's not what he said. He said Kendrick wouldn't start Wednesday because he warmed up in the bullpen. If Kendrick doesn't start, I will add an update to this post and publicly apologize to Tom McCarthy, provided that if Kendrick does start, then the Phillies agree to fire Tom McCarthy for making such a stupid comment.

3 - I hate the CW 15 (WLYH). For the second time in the past few weeks, they were not airing the Phillies game. Fortunately, tonight, it was on Channel 249 and, fortunately, that channel is included in my cable subscription. But seriously, fuck the heck CW 15, it's Phillies/Mets... in August... with first place on the line... They should be ashamed of themselves for denying those without access to that obscure channel the opportunity to watch this important game. They should be embarrassed that they haven't bothered to update their "Phillies 2008 Schedule" on their website since April 13th. And they should know that I now plan to make a note of all the local advertisers during the next Phillies broadcast and notify them that I will go out of my way to avoid giving them any of my money - and I'll be sure to tell them why.

Mrs. tmmullen says I should loosen up and just enjoy the fact that the Phillies are in first place. I should listen. She's wicked smart.

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February Flashback

Thanks to the magic of e-mail and the internets, explained here:




Mike and I are able to communicate easily about things like the Phillies, this blog, and how much harder it was to save the world in 1994.

While sorting through old e-mails, I stumbled across a converstation we had earlier this year and thought it might be fun to share it with the three or four people who read our blog. Not only does it provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our operation, it also demonstrates that, while most of the time we make fun of the thoughts of others, we do have some original ones of our own.

Although the links and pictures were added, and it was edited slightly to make it easier to read, this is an actual e-mail conversation. Please enjoy:


Thursday, February 21, 2008

From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael



So, other than the whole, "his prediction is what won him the MVP and the phillies the division" nonsense, do you see anything worth making fun of in here?


From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen

The way it's written, he attributes Rollins’ lack of walks to his record number of plate appearances:

Those totals were helped by him playing all 162 games and walking so infrequently (49 times) that he also set major league records with 716 at-bats and 778 plate appearances, and he led both leagues by making 527 outs at the plate.

He tries to create a sense of dissension between Myers and Rollins when there's no evidence that any exists:

Not that everyone delights in how brightly the spotlight has shined on Rollins lately. Asked about Rollins's impact on the club last season, the right-hander Brett Myers said: "It’s not an individual game. It took all of us to win. It took all of us to make him the M.V.P."

It's a very transparent anti-Phillies, anti-Rollins piece, but I’m not sure it really lends itself to lampooning.


From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael

I agree. My unofficial filtering system requires a minimum of three stupid comments before I’ll even consider a post. The walks/plate appearances is a blatant one, but I thought the others were minor, especially in light of the fact that Jimmy agrees that his comment won him the MVP, it gets even harder to make fun of the article.

Moving on... Did you like the Glavine post? Did you notice the Arrested Development, "Come on!" in there? I put it in just for you [that's what she said?]. I know it's hard to read inflection, but it was my first reaction when I read that column.


From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen

I meant to point out that Jimmy agrees also.

I did like it. I didn’t notice the "Come on!" - but probably because it was written instead of spoken.



I have Phillies.com and ESPN.com loaded up, waiting eagerly for news of the Howard arbitration decision.


From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael

I’ve been stockpiling some articles on that in case I decide to do a post on the whole thing when it’s over.

What do you think?


From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen

Sounds good to me.

Who do you think will win? I think the Phillies will prevail.


From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael

Actually, when I said "what do you think?" – I was asking what you thought was going to happen. Sorry for the confusion.

To answer your question, I'm not as confident. I think if the Phils had offered $7.5 million or more, it would have been a win... But only $7M?

Then again, it will take some big balls to give him $10M. So I guess I give the phils a slight edge. But the wild card is that whole "character" thing that apparently the arbitrator is allowed to consider. It's hard to argue that there is a better ambassador for the game right now, especially with the steroids thing going on, so...


From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen

Yeah, I wonder what they offered him right before the hearing. I'm pretty concerned that it might affect his concentration this spring.


From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael

To be honest, I’m not. Win or lose, I think he knows he needs to go out and perform. Does that make sense? If he loses, he needs to play well to prove them wrong - and if he wins, he needs to play well to justify the higher figure. Plus I think he has enough maturity and humility to recognize that.

And both those things, IMHO, came from the extra time he spent in the minors. A lot has been said about the Phillies hiding him in the minors behind Jim Thome as if it was some big conspiracy to keep him from getting paid, but I think it helped him in the long run. Every player is different, but the kind of extra seasoning Howard got is exactly the same kind that I thought Pimp Strut [Michael Bourn] should have gotten.



And don’t get me started on that - you know I wasn’t his [Bourn's] biggest fan, but if Burrell isn’t part of your 2009 plans (as it sounds right now), then how do you let this kid go? Plus if Burrell isn’t part of your 2009 plans, trade him to an American League team this year and get something for him. Again, you know I don’t want him gone, but to let him play out his contract and say, "Thanks for the memories, you called third strike taking motherfucker," is insane, but par for the course I guess with these owners.

Look at that, there are like three different posts in that rant if I had time to flesh them out.


From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen

Nice. You should do it... That's a great point about Howard in the Minors, and I sincerely hope you’re right... And, yes, the OF is effed if Burrell is gone next year.


From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael

I'm going to remind you that you said that...

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They Boo Horses, Don't They?

It was originally my intention to take a pass on the situation with Jimmy Rollins calling Philadelphia fans "front-runners" (clearly, they're not, although perhaps fickle might have been a more accurate word). The whole thing has been covered ad nauseam and we're probably the only Phillies blog (applied loosely at the moment given the lack of attention over the past few months) that hasn't weighed in on it yet. But after reading his attempt to clarify his comments, I had to get in the game.

Speaking to local reporters yesterday in the wake of the heavily circulated video clip in which he expressed some discontent with Philadelphia sports fans, Rollins said he was simply sticking up for some of his teammates who have been booed mercilessly this season.

But that wasn't the question. The question was, essentially, are Philadelphia fans as bad as the media makes them out to be? Both Rollins and Ryan Howard responded, almost in unison, "they can be." And that should have been the end of it, because, let's face it, they can be. But Rollins didn't stop there and, well, you know the rest. Now back to his clarification.

"A lot of times, fans worldwide in general, they say, well, you are making all this money, you are supposed to [take it], or I paid to come to the game so I can let you know anything and say anything I want," Rollins said.

True. He may not like it, but it's true. I may not boo, but it's true.

"Well, I have kids, I've got a wife, I've got mom and dad. Before I was a ballplayer I was a person and I am a person the same way you are. So you say something as a person, forget the uniform, as a person I could say something back. But because of the uniform, I [the fans] can say anything I want to you, and that's your armor, that's your shield. It's just not true. Not at all."

Hold on Jimmy. Now you're talking about something completely different than booing. In fact, I agree with you here in that fans shouldn't say anything they want. There should be some boundaries. But there aren't. Which is why I won't take my daughter to Mets games - I don't want her to have to listen to all the nonsense - often profane - coming from the jerks around us.

Though Rollins attempted to clarify what he meant by the word "front-runners," saying he wasn't calling Philadelphia a city of fair-weather fans,

Yeah, he dropped the ball on that one, figuratively. And, no doubt, fans somewhere booed.

he also didn't back down from his stance that the populace takes its negativity toward individual players too far.

I realize "populace" is the writer's word and not J-Roll's, but herein lies the problem. You can't paint an entire fan base with a one broad brush. While some fans were relentlessly hounding Pat Burrell over the past few years, there were others like me who calmly and rationally defended him. As for Pat, he kept his mouth shut and played baseball. Maybe there's a lesson there for Jimmy-Legs.

"It's not me, it's booing the guy who is out there working hard and busting his butt," Rollins said. "That's when I really get upset. I've always said that. Whatever you want to do against me, I can deal with myself. And I'm sure he could deal with it, too. But that's my teammate. I know the work he is putting in, I see what he is doing, trying to get better, and you are crushing him. That's what makes me upset."

So doc, I've got this friend who has this rash - it's not me! - but my friend, yeah, my friend... and... well... it's really irritating, and it's not getting any better, and he's not sure what to do. What advice would you give him?

Rollins acknowledged the fact that Philadelphia is a city that hasn't seen much athletic success in recent years, and that some of the frustration may lie in the one World Series title the Phillies have won in their history. But he also said current players shouldn't be targets for the frustrations of years past.

Buckle up, this is my favorite part.

"I've been around 8 [years]," said Rollins, who added that he is happy playing for the Phillies and isn't looking to leave. "In the 8 years, we've been getting closer and closer."

No! You haven't! Don't believe me? Read this. [And on an unrelated note, is there a reason the writer wrote "8" instead of "eight" like you're supposed to?]

"Last year we finally got over one obstacle and we are still working to get over another one. And it's our fault as players for saying, well, we understand why, because of this. You know what, let them get over it. You weren't even born yet. Some of you were just born in 1980. That's like saying, well, the Oakland A's haven't won since '90-something, and I was an A's fan growing up. If we're not in it, that's still my hometown team. I never want them to win as long as I'm playing, don't get me wrong, but take the team that you have and push them to be better. Don't take Black Friday - I just found that out - don't take Black Friday and put it on these new guys. Half of them don't even know it. I didn't know it until 15 minutes ago, 20 minutes ago. Black Friday, I was like, is that like Palm Sunday?"

Fuck the heck? Jimmy, just stop talking.

"You know about the history of the team, don't get me wrong, but when you are there, you are trying to change that for that time period. My tenure here, were we successful? That's all you can control."

But you haven't been Jimmy - and that's why they're booing. Or at least why some of them are. If there is any good news to take out of this situation, it's that many Phillies fans (not all, so put away that broad brush mr. tmmullen!) are fickle. That means when Jimmy wins a game with his bat or his feet or his glove, with open arms he will again feel the embrace of the City of Brotherly Love.

So Jimmy, just shut up and play.

---

DNL - Week in Review - 4/7 to 4/11

Despite the legitimate excitement generated by both the Flyers and Sixers making the playoffs, the Phillies talk did not disappoint:

April 7th

Regarding the torrid start of Pat Burrell, Rich Hoffman said:

At a certain point everybody will begin to say, "well, it's a contract year." Now I don't know that that's it or not. His history is great one month, and really, really awful, tough to look at the next month."

True. Contract year or not, we should be encouraged that Burrell seems to be picking up where he left off in the second half of last season. Unless you're Les Bowen, who said:

What scares me about him is he doesn't ever seem to have much insight into why things are going well or why they are going poorly. You ask him what he did to turn things around, he has no idea. So he could just as easily start looking at inside strikes over and over again as hitting them out like he is doing right now. There is nothing to criticize right now.

But I've got three or four really good columns ripping him to shreds ready to go the moment there is, he added. Maybe they should have spent a little less time on Burrell and a little more time on the $10 million dollar man.


April 9th

On the issue of Jimmy Rollins' ankle, Bob Cooney said:

DL . . . This time of year, something like that . . . DL . . . If you don't DL him, you could go through the whole year without having [Jimmy at 100%] . . . If you DL him you are guaranteed only no having [him] for two weeks or so . . . if this thing lingers and lingers that first to third thing goes away - oh, Jimmy has to pull up at second because the ankle is still bothering him a little bit . . . can't have that.

Eddie Moran agreed:

Soft cast him and shut him down right now. There are 152 games left, get it out of the way and fix it right now.

Lacking the first-hand knowledge that can only come with being on the Phillies medical staff, I must agree with them. I suppose we will know more when we see the starting line-ups Tuesday night.


April 10th

John Marzano preaches to the choir:

It made me more angry and more frustrated the other day when I watched Kyle Lohse go out and throw seven and two-thirds innings, shutout baseball. For $4.25 million, solidify your starting rotation, give you the #3 starter that you need - we talked about before, you have a #1, a #2, and three #5s, we mentioned that before - if you get that #3 starter, you put him in the rotation, the whole team is going to feel better about themselves, I can't understand for the life of me why, for $4.25 million, the Phillies wouldn't go for that.

Paul Hagen asked, "But John, who, in your mind, didn't go for it?"

JM: You hear things, you don't know how true it is . . . the truth that I heard was that, "well, we hit rock bottom when we signed the third baseman, we gave him the three year contract, we didn't have any more to spend."

PH: So you don't blame the general manager necessarily?

JM: I blame the organization . . . I'm not finger pointing at Charlie, I'm not finger pointing at anyone. But I'm like, come on! This is Philadelphia! If you want to have a chance to just be competitive, yeah, that's fine, go to Kansas City. If you want a chance to be a World Series champion, loosen up the purse strings every once and a while. I'm not saying the Phillies don't spend money. We've been around these people all the time. I think they're wonderful people but . . . Do you really believe the Philadelphia Phillies are committed to winning a World Series Championship?

An excellent question, one I asked here... And I couldn't agree more regarding Kyle Lohse, as I noted here... All I can say is, preach on Brother John!

---

My first FJM-style post!

And it's not that great. But here goes!

Special thanks to Jeff Wallner, a freelancer who covers the Reds for MLB.com, for working so hard. In this recap of yesterday's game, Wallner informs us:

Rollins led off Monday's game with his third home run of the season on a 3-2 pitch from Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (0-1). It was his 27th career leadoff home run, his first since Sept. 27, 2006.

Back here in the real world, where writers can do simple research on the Internets, we discover that:

Rollins led off Monday’s game with his second home run of the season on a 3-2 pitch from Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (0-1). It was his 27th career leadoff home run, his first since Sept. 25, 2007, which was his last home run of the year (and, therefore, only two home runs ago). And if you don’t count home runs leading off the bottom of the first inning as “leadoff home runs” (which you do when you calculate that he has hit 27), it was his first since Sept. 1, 2007 – still not that long ago.

Thanks anyway, Jeff.

Phillies @ Reds: Live blogging

2:14 p.m.: Adam Eaton is proving that even I could get by as a Major-League pitcher. His pitches look horrible; notwithstanding, he has only given up two runs in four innings. Mark my words: he will implode in the next two innings.

I also think the Phils have been the beneficiaries of at least three blown calls so far, including Brandon Phillips being caught stealing in the fourth frame.

Special thanks to Sarge for his lecture on the history of the Underground Tunnel, where the trains of the Underground Railroad ran.

2:31 p.m.: Chase Utley is amazing. He is now hitting .438.

Congratulations to the IronPigs, who just blew their first lead.

2:35 p.m.: Pat the Bat!

2:38 p.m.: "I like that Dick Pole"... heheheh...

2:45 p.m.: I should make bold predictions about Phillies' failures more often... Congratulations to Adam Eaton for amazingly pitching a quality start. Didn't his pitches look like they were just hanging over the plate to anyone else?

Also, Griffey seems determined to get HR #594 this weekend.

Now it's time for me to make my bold managerial decision... I'd say you bring Eaton back for the seventh, but have somebody ready to come in at the first sign of danger.

Looks like Eaton is staying, as he is now up to bat.

2:54 p.m.: Didn't the answer to the Dodge Stump the Fans trivia question feature prominently in a radio spot last season? I think it may have been a Turkey Hill Graham Slam ice cream ad or a Herr's chips ad. I definitely knew the answer because of some radio commercial.

I cannot believe Eaton has pitched seven innings.

Speaking of advertisements, I love that MW Tux commercial.

3:00 p.m.: Ryno!!!

Please, Charlie: No Tom Gordon.

3:02 p.m.: Ugh. A one-run lead is not sufficient to take Pat Burrell out of the game. And I'm not feeling too good about Eaton coming back out for the eighth.

3:06 p.m.: Good God. Now warming in the bullpen: Number 45!

3:13 p.m.: ...

3:17 p.m.: Whew.

3:40 p.m.: You just can't beat a guy wearing high red socks.

Can't really blame Chad Durbin for the loss. He couldn't buy a strike.

Not sure what Rollins was thinking...

I was really hoping the Phils would get above .500, but this isn't a terrible loss. I think it was a definite confidence builder for Eaton and Gordon. Let's hope Myers has a better start tomorrow than he had Monday.