Red-Hot Phillies Are Making Their Own Luck…Lots of It

Uh, one problem, Geovany—you forgot the ball...

When things are going well, this is the kind of stuff that happens.

Obviously things are going really well for the Phillies right now: good defense, timely hitting, and absolutely incredible pitching.

But that’s not all. Anyone who’s followed this team for the last four weeks knows the Phillies have repeatedly capitalized on their opponents’ tendencies to commit numerous fielding or throwing errors that have directly led to big innings by the Phils’ offense.

Please know that I’m not saying that the Phillies don’t deserve to have as good a record as they have now. They DO deserve it. Remember, there’s a reason why teams like the Nationals or Royals never seem to win games like this. Bad teams always let the competition off the hook.

Good teams, like the Phillies, truly make the opposition pay for their mistakes, and that’s exactly what the three-time defending NL East champions have been doing for the past month.

Enjoy this look back. You just can’t script this stuff...

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Pat Burrell and the 10 Greatest Outfielders in Phillies History

Pat Burrell’s return to Citizens Bank Park is a logical time to evaluate where “Pat the Bat” ranks among the Phillies best outfielders of all time.

The Phillies came full-circle during Burrell’s time in Philly, beginning as a last-place team during Pat’s rookie season in 2000 and ending as world champions of baseball by the time Burrell’s tenure ended after 2008.

The following rankings were based upon these three categories, listed in order of importance: Hitting, Longevity, Defense (CFs get a slight edge over LF and RFs).

Ranking/comparing players of different vintages and centuries is always tough, but I did my best. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane!

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A Tribute To Larry Bowa: The Manager Who Saved the Philadelphia Phillies

Just 10 short years ago, professional baseball in Philadelphia was dead.

Totally, undisputedly, dead.

I was a sixth-grader at the time, back in 2000, and nobody at Elkins Park Middle School in the Montgomery County Philly suburbs even wanted to talk about our city’s ball team.

No one. Wanna talk about Pokemon? Sure. The Harry Potter books? Of course. The Fightin Phils? No way.

The Phillies were nobodys. They were losers.

They were losers until Larry Bowa became the Phillies 49th manager in team history on November 1, 2000.

Now to the present: The 64-year-old Bowa has returned to Philadelphia this week as the Dodgers third base coach. Back in the ‘70’s, Bowa made a name for himself as the Phillies’ terrific shortstop. But 20 years later, he also oversaw the Phils’dramatic turn-around at the start of the new millennium.

Larry’s only previous managerial experience came with San Diego, where he was fired midway through 1988 after just one-and-a-half unsuccessful seasons.

Twelve years later in Philadelphia Bowa inherited a Phillies team, a franchise, in total disarray.

Rebuilding wouldn’t be easy.

Losing had become habitual. From 1987 through 2000, the Phillies had suffered through 13 losing seasons in 14 years. 1993, as great as it was, was simply lightening in a bottle (Bowa was actually the Phils’ third base coach that year).

The 2000 Phillies had the worst record in MLB. It was a brutal year. As a young fan still trying to establish some kind of a love for Phillies baseball, I couldn’t take too many more seasons like 2000.

In 2001, the culture of Phils baseball started to change.

In his time as Phillies’ manager, Larry repeatedly admitted that he wasn’t as outwardly confrontational or emotional as he had been in his initial managerial stint with San Diego. But Bowa still had more than enough passion as the Phils’ skipper.     

Larry didn’t tolerate the complacency that sometimes sets in within the clubhouse of a struggling team. He had learned to handle losing, but he would never, ever learn to settle for it.

Under Bowa, the Phillies weren’t going to be the doormats of MLB any longer. Bad baseball in Philadelphia wasn’t to be expected, or accepted, the way it had been since the Simpsons became America’s most famous animated family in the late 1980s.    

On paper, the 2001 Phillies who finished 86-76 and came within two games of winning the division weren’t significantly better than the 2000 Phillies who finished 65-97. The Phils’ payroll was actually $3.5 million less in 2001 than it had been in 2000.

Clearly, the Phillies players took to Bowa’s intense, hands-on style of coaching much more than they had former manager Terry Francona’s mild-mannered laid-back approach. 

Sure, Bowa rubbed a few players the wrong way in 2001, namely star third baseman Scott Rolen, but the majority of Larry’s players seemed to respond to him.

Back to the present—In case you haven’t heard, these 2010 Phillies are in a pennant race and have a dynamic three-man rotation of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.

The 2001 Phillies went deep into a pennant race too, equipped with a “Big Three” starting rotation of Robert Person, Randy Wolf, and Omar Daal.

It wasn’t quite the same back then.

Bowa was named NL Manager of the Year in 2001, an honor well deserved. 

Overall, the Phillies had a mid-level payroll during Bowa’s four-year reign, and the Phillies won 86 games three times in a season.

But by September 2004, it was clearly time for Larry to go. Another promising season would end just short of the playoffs, and it seemed that the Phillies players were no longer inspired by Bowa’s intensity and passion. Finally, Larry was fired on the second-to-last day of the ’04 season.

Bowa had taken the Phillies as far as he could. And that was far enough. Thanks to a beautiful new ballpark that helped to keep the stadium turnstiles in motion and a roster loaded with young talent, the road was fully paved for the Phillies to achieve much bigger, better things in the years ahead.

The Phillies 2008 roster featured just six players who were around at the end of Bowa’s tenure, but all six played major roles in the Phillies' World Series championship that season (Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers, and Ryan Madson).

Larry Bowa wasn’t just the Gold Glove shortstop who helped the Phillies win their first, long-awaited World Championship in 1980, but also the manager who steered the franchise toward its second title in 2008.

Charlie Manuel was at the helm when these ultra-talented Phillies made it back to the summit of the baseball world, and he deserves credit for that. But no one should forget that it was Larry Bowa who got the long-time moribund Phillies finally pointed in the right direction and helped make Philadelphia a baseball town once again.

Phillies Four Seasons Under Larry Bowa:

Year    Record       NL East           Payroll

2001    86- 76       Second           $38, 563, 833

2002    80- 81       Third              $49, 304, 999

2003    86- 76       Third              $63, 260, 000

2004    86- 76       Second           $89, 119, 167

TOT.    338-309

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How David Herndon Is Killing the Phillies

No, David Herndon isn’t one of the main reasons the Phillies have disappointed thus far in 2010.

Not even close.

Obviously he doesn't deserve the same amount of heat that teammates like Shane Victorino and Brad Lidge have been getting. But that doesn't mean Herndon should be getting a free pass.

It's safe to say that Herndon, the 24-year-old rookie sinker-baller, hasn’t exactly been a positive addition to the bullpen this season.

Not just because opponents are hitting a ridiculous .343 against him. Not just because he’s allowed nine out of his 14 inherited base runners to score since May 14.

But also because he is in part preventing the Phillies from giving some of their minor league prospects a shot in the majors. Herndon has hand-tied the Phillies.

How? Well, all season long the Phillies have been unable to send Herndon back to the minor leagues. They’ll have to keep him on their 25-man roster all season (barring injury, of course) or be forced to offer him back to his former club, the Los Angeles Angels.

Herndon was picked up by the Phillies in the 2009 Rule Five Draft, and his rule-five status requires that the Phillies keep him on their 25-man roster or must send him back to the west coast.

With the Angels’ Double-A affiliate last year, Herndon had a 3.03 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 50 games.

The young righty impressed the Phillies in Spring Training this season with a 1.42 ERA in 10 games. But he hasn’t been anywhere near as effective with the big club in 2010, despite pitching in 32 games so far.

It’s hard to imagine Herndon would have remained on the Phillies staff this long if sending him to the minors was a real option. The thing is, the Phillies have some fairly decent arms at Double and Triple-A that could have replaced Herndon already in the pen.

How about Drew Carpenter? The 25-year-old righty has been biding his time at Triple-A since 2008 and has amassed an 18-14 record and a 3.43 ERA overall with Lehigh Valley.

How about Vance Worley? The 22-year-old right-hander was 9-4 with a 3.03 ERA in the minors this season before pitching in one game for the big club on July 24.

OK. Both Carpenter and Worley are starting pitchers, so maybe the Phillies wouldn’t want to use them in the Citizens Bank Park bullpen.

But what about Scott Mathieson? He’s been the Phillies’ best “feel good” story since 33-year-old rookie Chris Coste made his major-league debut in 2006.

Mathieson made eight starts for the Phils four seasons ago before suffering through a string of severe injuries, including one that required Tommy John Surgery at the end of ’06.

It’s taken the 26-year-old Mathieson a long time to rise back through the minor leagues, but he’s now having a fantastic season as the IronPigs’ closer, posting a 2.85 ERA and 20 saves. He’s allowed only 34 hits in 47 innings, striking out 61 while walking just 17.

Mathieson, like Worley, has pitched in just one major-league game so far in 2010.

What about journeyman Nelson Figueroa? He actually did better than Herndon when given a chance with the Phillies this year, posting a 3.46 ERA and a .220 opponent batting average in 13 games.

Houston claimed Nelson off waivers once the Phillies designated him for assignment July 15.

Of course, there’s no guarantee any of those guys would have pitched much better than Herndon has. They might have been even worse. But we don’t know. And one of the main reasons we don’t know about any of them is because Herndon has been occupying a spot in the bullpen all season.

The Phillies like Herndon’s ability as a sinker-baller, but so far in 2010 the righthander has proven to be nothing more than a useful arm in "mop-up duty"—slightly more effective than Danys Baez.

Offering David Herndon back to the Angels might not be such a horrible thing. He hasn’t made the most of his generous four-month opportunity with the Phillies in the bigs, so it’s time to see if any of the Phils’ minor-league hurlers can do any better.

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Phillies Must Become Road Warriors To Win NL East in 2010

In sports, being able to take care of business at home usually separates the bad teams from the good ones. But being able to win on the road is ultimately what separates the good teams from the very best.

It’s no secret that the Phillies’ uncanny ability to consistently win away from home has helped make them of baseball’s best teams in recent years.

Winning on other teams’ home turf has been a staple for this club ever since 2004 and is also a huge reason why they’re three-time defending NL East champions.

The 2007 Phillies won their last SIX games in Shea Stadium against the Mets.

The 2008 Phillies won ALL NINE of their games in Turner Field against the so-called division rival Braves.

The 2009 Phillies averted disaster by starting the season 24-9 on the road, despite beginning the year 13-22 at home.

Yet, it’s been a much different story so far in 2010.

The Phillies are 22-28 in games played outside of Citizens Bank Park.

It gets worse.

This month, the Phillies have lost three-of-four to both the lowly Cubs and Pirates. Remember that Chicago would have swept that four-game set if catcher Geovanny Soto could have just handled that perfect one-hop throw to home plate…

Since starting the season 13-7 on the road by mid-May, the Phillies have lost 21 of their last 30 road games. The last time the Phillies have suffered through that bad of a prolonged stretch on the road was back in 2003, as that team lost 24 of its final 33 road games en route to coughing up the Wild Card on the season’s final week.

But thankfully there’s now a renewed sense of optimism here in 2010, with these Phillies embarking on their next road-stint as both the winners of eight straight and the rightful owners of Mr. Roy Oswalt.

This upcoming six-game road trip against the Nationals and Marlins is a great place for the Phillies to start improving their play away from home. Recently, the Phillies have enjoyed playing in these two cities, as the Phils have gone a combined 16-5 in Miami and Washington since the beginning of 2009.

Twenty-one of the Phillies final 28 road games this season will come against the NL East, so playing well against the division will be pivotal, as usual.

The Phillies will also catch a few lucky breaks this week, as they will not face Nationals’ ace Stephen Strasburg nor Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson. Strasburg is on the 15-day DL while Johnson is slated to pitch the day before the Phillies arrive in Miami.

But winning on the road ain’t easy.

So far this season, 21 of the 30 ML teams have winning records at home, including all four of the Phillies NL East adversaries, but only eight have winning records on the road.

Can the Phillies turn it around away from home? You bet they can. They have the talent, the tradition, and right now they surely have the confidence.

After all, this great era of Phillies baseball has been partially defined by this group’s knack for performing well in enemy territory…especially when it matters most.

The fate of the 2010 Phillies hinges on their ability to start doing it again, and this upcoming trip down the East Coast is the perfect place to start….

 

Phillies Yearly Road Record (Since 2004)

Year                Record              ML Rank

2004                44- 37              Tied 5th

2005                42- 39              Tied 6th

2006                44- 37              Tied 5th 

2007                42- 39              Tied 5th

2008                44- 37              2nd     

2009                48- 33              Tied 1st

2010                   22- 28                 17th      

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Why Cole Hamels Deserves Your Respect…And Some Luck

The text message read: “Hollywood is starting to look like Compton.”

I got that text from a high school friend late on Friday night, April 23: the night Cole “Hollywood” Hamels gave up four home runs in a seven-batter span en route to a 7-4 loss in Arizona.

Apparently Cole didn’t realize the Home Run Derby wasn’t supposed to take place in Phoenix until July 2011.

Anyway, I agreed with the text message’s sentiment, because I, like most Phillies fans, have been pretty pissed off with Cole Hamels at times in the past couple of years.

I haven’t enjoyed hearing Cole whine about pitching in day games (’09 NLDS vs. Colorado). I haven’t enjoyed watching him repeatedly give up two-out, two-strike runs to the opposition. I haven’t enjoyed seeing him pitch like Steve Carlton for five brilliant innings only to see him look like a southpawed Adam Eaton for one, usually fatal, frame.

I haven’t been a Cole Hamels apologist and don’t mean to make excuses for him here. But after doing some statistical research over the last few days, I’ve realized that Cole doesn’t deserve a lot of the flak he’s been given by fans such as myself over the past few seasons. I was wrong.

Is Hamels nothing more than the three-week wonder he was back in October 2008? His win-loss record suggests he is. Since the start of ’08, Hamels has a very pedestrian 31-28 record in 85 starts.

But actually, Cole Hamels has been a pretty unlucky pitcher over the years, and his record could be a lot better than it is had he just a little bit of luck on his side.

Now, what exactly is luck? How can it be quantified? Those questions aren’t exactly easy to answer. So, here are some statistics, and you can make of them what you want.

 

2008: More Than Just the Playoffs

Considering the pitching clinic Cole put on in the postseason, it’s easy to forget just how good he was during the regular year.

Cole had one hell of a season, and his 14-10 win-loss record didn’t tell the whole story. Hamels led the NL in WHIP (1.08) and finished second in innings pitched (227.333), sixth in strikeouts (196), tied for fifth in ERA (3.09), and tied for fourth in quality starts (23).

Meanwhile, the Phils’ prolific offense finished 2008 tied for the second-most runs scored in the national league (799) but continually failed to support its ace. In 2008, Cole Hamels pitched 10 games in which he gave up two earned runs or less and DID NOT get a win. 10!!!

So yeah, he was 14-10. But he could have easily won at least 18 games had the Phillies' usually reliable offense not let him down.

 

2009: Betrayed by the Bullpen

Remember how the Phillies bullpen had so much trouble closing out games last year? Of course you do, and you probably don’t want to be reminded.

Anyway, Cole was killed by the bullpen more than any other Phillies pitcher. Phillies relievers blew SEVEN potential wins for him. In other words, there were seven games that Hamels left with a lead in which he did not get a win.

So sure, Cole was a disappointment in 2009, but a record of at least 13-11 instead of 10-11 would have definitely been possible had the ‘pen had done its part.

 

2010: NO Run Support...Period

Cole struggled in April, going 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA in his five starts. But since the start of May, Cole has regained his old form.

His record is just 5-5 since the start of May, but his ERA is a fantastic 2.80. Cole is walking more hitters this year than ever before, but his strikeout rate is the highest it’s been since 2007.

He’s given up more than three earned runs just once in his last 15 starts, and he’s pitched at least seven innings in eight of his nine starts. He also has a 1.72 ERA in five July starts...but just one win to show for it.

Everyone acknowledges the fact that Phillies ace Roy Halladay has totally been victimized by a lack of run support in 2010. But guess what: Halladay is actually receiving more run support per game than Hamels (4.07 to 3.64).

 

Conclusion

Mr. Hamels, I don’t have much of a law background. But if you ever need a defense attorney, then well, I just might be your guy. Check out this chart. Hopefully, it’s a point made and a case closed.

 

Average Run Support Per Game (Number of starts in parentheses)

 Cole Hamels    Jamie Moyer    Kyle Kendrick                       

2007    5.24 (28)          5.40 (33)          6.67 (20)                                 

2008    4.72 (33)          5.24 (33)          5.93 (30)         

2009    4.67 (32)          5.05 (25)          ----

2010    3.64 (20)          4.69 (19)          6.14 (19)

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Why Domonic Brown Needs to Stay in the Minors

The script is already written. Now, Phillies management needs to start following it.

Domonic Brown, the Phillies 22 year-old outfielding phenom, is the missing piece the 2010 Phillies need. They need to call him up right now.

Brown will come to the rescue, and once in the Phils’ lineup, his dynamic skillset will immediately help the Phillies win.

His mere presence and youthful flare will also inspire his veteran teammates who have all grown “complacent,” and lead them to their fourth straight NL East division title.  

If only it were all that simple.

Actually, Domonic Brown needs to stay in the minor leagues with the Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Look, it has nothing to do with me doubting Brown’s abilities or his potential.  And no, it has nothing to do with me believing that Raul Ibanez will somehow rediscover the Lou Gehrig stroke he displayed during the first two months of 2009.

To tell you the truth, Domonic Brown could be ready for the big show right now. He really could be.

But here’s the catch—right now is not the right time to find out if he is.

For over a month, there has been a certain segment of Phillie fans and media members who have wanted to see Domonic Brown replace the offensively stagnant veteran Ibanez as the every day leftfielder. Phils' management wants Brown to play almost (if not) every day, so calling him up to be a bench player is out of the question.

But promoting Brown would be totally unfair to one man and one man only. No, not Raul Ibanez, but Domonic Brown himself.

If the Phillies were out of the playoff picture, then sure, bringing up Brown could be justified. Of course, that’s not the case. The Phils are treading water just well enough to make us think they still have a chance to compete.

Therefore, bringing Brown up now would put the Phillies' top prospect in a very difficult, pressure-packed situation.

Thankfully, the Phillies didn’t bring him up weeks ago.

Domonic Brown shouldn't be asked to work through his growing pains at a time when the Phillies are fighting for their playoff lives.

There’s a reason why, usually, it takes even the most highest-rated prospects months, if not years, to figure out hitting at the major-league level. For every rookie call up who immediately sets the batter’s box ablaze, there are 10 rookies who initially struggle to find their groove. And that’s completely understandable for a young hitter.

For every rookie like Brennan Boesch, there are 10 like Mike Stanton.

Just look at Jason Heyward, the 20-year-old kid in Atlanta who this past spring was getting compared to some of the greatest hitters of all time even before he recorded a single major-league at-bat.

The “Jay-Hey Kid” was all but awarded the NL Rookie of the Year on Opening Day after his first major-league swing produced a screaming laser beam home run that’s still in orbit somewhere almost four months later.

Of course, Heyward’s going to be a star, but he’s also human, especially in his rookie season. Jason’s still having a good rookie campaign, but he’s also experienced some of the typical rookie growing pains that most young hitters struggle through.

Heyward saw his batting average fall from .298 in the end of May to .251 in the end of June. His run production hit a standstill while his strikeout totals exploded before he landed on the 15-day DL at the end of June.

Naturally, the Braves have reported that Heyward’s struggles were attributed to a sore thumb that had bothered him for a month before he went on the DL.

Just perfect, Atlanta. Guess that’s because Hank Aaron and Willie Mays never, ever hit slumps, especially at age 20.       

The bottom line is that it was too much to just assume Heyward would tear up the league from day one, and the same is true in Brown’s case, even after already playing almost a full season of minor-leaque ball in 2010.

This Phillies roster is filled with men who are battle-tested and fully expected to make the difference down the stretch. Domonic Brown is not one of them.

Of course, Brown should get his chance to play at Citizens Bank Park and get some major-league at-bats once Lehigh Valley’s 2010 season ends on Monday, September 6.

He should be one of a few minor-league call-ups. He’ll probably start some games, but he should not be forced into a position where he plays every day in the majors all while potentially in the heat of a pennant race.   

Domonic Brown should not and will not be the Phillies savior this season, but he could be in 2011 and beyond. The Phillies currently have an aging core of terrific but declining players and a farm system that right now doesn’t seem to be loaded with super-star prospects.

Domonic Brown could be the new face of this franchise in three years. He could be its savior.

But the thing is, he doesn’t need that kind responsibility just yet, and much more importantly, he doesn’t deserve the kind of pressure that comes with it.

For more on Domonic Brown, please click here.

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The Phillies Five Best Wins, Five Worst Losses in the First Half of 2010

The All-Star Break is a great time to reflect on your favorite team's first half of the season: remembering the good times and the bad of the last three months. So here they are (in my opinion): the five best wins and five worst losses for the Phillies during their first half of 2010. Let's start with the five worst losses and finish with the wins, and therefore, a high note. Enjoy!

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2010 MLB All-Star Game: Looking Back at the AL’s 13-Year Unbeaten Streak

The last time the National League beat the American League in an All-Star game was on July 9, 1996: back when Independence Day was the summer movie blockbuster and six months before a young gunslinger named Brett Favre won the Super Bowl with Green Bay. The game was played at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Veterans Stadium, a ballpark that was leveled by dynamite six-and-a-half years ago. That night, the Philadelphia-suburb native Mike Piazza hit a home run and was the game’s MVP as the NL rolled to a 6-0 victory. Tuesday in Anaheim, the NL will try again for it’s first victory over the AL since that time…it’s been a while. The AL has dominated since. Let’s take a look…

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Scott Rolen vs. Chase Utley: Comparing Philadelphia’s Villain and Hero

When a 22-year-old third baseman named Scott Rolen burst onto the scene in 1997 by winning the NL Rookie of the Year award, he won over the fans who followed the Phillies during some of the franchise’s darkest days.

For the next four years, the youngster with such potential was compared to one man and one man only: Michael Jack Schmidt, the best third baseman in baseball history and the greatest player ever to wear a Phillies uniform.

Flash forward to 2010: Rolen returned to town this weekend as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, and Phillie fans welcomed him back home in the exact same way they have since 2002.

Scott Rolen was one of the finest players in Phillies history. Too bad he’ll never be remembered like that.

For Rolen, where did it all go so wrong?

After all, Rolen was a fan favorite during most of his time here, the late 1990’s. You know, back in the days of Nintendo 64, back when middle-school dance functions first played Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and back when Monica Lewinski’s mug appeared on the cover of every magazine in America.

Back then, Rolen was the Phillies’ Chase Utley.

In Philadelphia today, it’s probably baseball blasphemy to mention Scott Rolen and Chase Utley in the same sentence. But, the two players actually have, and had, a lot in common.

For years, Utley has been the best all-around player on a Phillies team loaded with talent. Similarly, Rolen was the best all-around player on his Phillies teams that simply weren’t very good.

Remember what it was like to have Desi Relaford instead of Jimmy Rollins? Matt Beech instead of Cole Hamels? Mickey Morandini instead of Chase Utley?

Utley was, and still is, the absolute right guy at the absolute right time. Scott Rolen, on the other hand, was the absolute right guy at the absolute wrong time. Still, the similarities between the two run deeper than that.

 

1. Five-Tool Ability

They could both hit for average, hit for power, run, field, and throw. When Utley’s at his best, there’s nothing on the field he can’t do. The same could be said of Rolen during his tenure in Philly.

 

2. Gamers

Everyone knows Utley has tremendous on-field tenacity and intelligence. But anyone who watched the Phillies during the lean years knows that Rolen’s style was very similar. Both men played the game as hard as anyone. Scott was a smart base runner who went from first-to-third on a single whenever possible and broke up double plays with hard slides. His hot-corner defense was pretty good too….

 

3. Never A Quote Machine

Scott wasn’t a talker. Intel about his non-baseball activities was always confidential. Scott never seemed like a vocal clubhouse leader. Then again, neither has Chase Utley. Chase lets his play on the field do the talking. Rolen did the same. Has Utley ever given a real passionate quote over the years? Well, there was one….'08 World Series parade?

 

4. Chick Magnet

Yep. They flocked for the Scott Rolen jersey long before Pat Burrell, Jayson Werth, or Cole Hamels appeared on the radar. The babes who at one point held up “Scotty’s a Hottie” signs at the Vet eventually converted to “Burrell’s Girls” a few years later.

Of course, Chase is pretty popular with the women, too. But Rolen’s female fanbase was even more impressive since a Phillies game during the late ‘90s wasn’t exactly considered the unparalleled social hotspot that it is today for people 15 to 25.

 

What’s Done Is Done. But It’s Still Sad

Of course, the Phillies did their best to re-sign Rolen in March 2002, but Scott had feuded with management in the past year and was desperate to leave his losing team in favor of a serious contender.

Phillie fans didn’t like that.

Rolen turned down the Phils long-term contract offer. Through the entire first half of the 2002 season, the Philadelphia fanbase booed him before every at-bat and after every out he made.

The man who had been the Phillies most beloved player for six seasons was suddenly their most hated.

Think the fans were hard on Donovan McNabb? He had it easy by comparison.

When Rolen was traded to the Cardinals at the ’02 deadline, he spoke of St. Louis as “Baseball Heaven” and criticized the Philly fanbase. Considering the way he was treated over his final four months in town, could you really fault Rolen for saying what he said?

In Philadelphia today, Rolen is known as a malcontented mercenary who hated everything about the fans and the city.

Will Philadelphia ever welcome back Scott Rolen? Ever? Probably not.

Just don’t forget that during Bill Clinton’s second term in office there were pretty much only two reasons to watch a Phillies game. 1) To hear the great Harry Kalas. 2) To watch Philadelphia’s young third baseman do his thing….

A lot has changed in Philadelphia over the years, but one thing hasn’t. To this day, Scott Rolen is still compared to one man and one man only. But it isn’t Chase Utley, and it sure as hell ain’t Michael Jack Schmidt anymore:

It’s J.D. Drew.

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