Charlie Manuel Wants Phillies Fans to Boo More? Say It Ain’t So

Oct. 29, 2008 was the night that all the demons were exorcised. A championship for the first time in 25 years brought an end to all of the stereotypes associated with the Philadelphia sports fan, especially the booing.

However, Charlie Manuel has not received the memo on the new etiquette practices for the Philly fan. When it comes to our world champions, we don’t boo, period.

Sorry Charlie, but it isn’t going to change anytime soon. In 2008, the floodgates opened, and this city and this fanbase embraced you and your team forever. 

So sue us if we are a little grateful for the title you delivered. We had to wait through the Omar Daals, Marlon Andersons, Travis Lees, and Jose Mesas of the world before we could count on Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Brad Lidge to end the championship drought.

Now, I see what Manuel could be driving at. 

The Phillies are 12-14 at home while posting a baseball best 17-6 road record. The fans have failed to light a fire under the team when the going gets tough. I applaud Manuel for trying to make his players that much more hungry to repeat and not become complacent, but leave the fans out of it.

In the fan’s mind, the moment in the sun will not cease until October rolls around again with the chance at possibly another World Series title or when the crown is passed on to another club. 

Consider a year-long moratorium on booing and being overly critical of this ball club. Something this foreign should come as unusually comforting for a Philly fan. Any argument about another team in this town not being able to get it done should be muted. 

You can get frustrated at times, but do not get rabid. Passion has its boundaries in this rare circumstance in this fan’s existence.

A concession I’ll make is that the Eagles are fair game. Their reign in Philadelphia is over; the town has been painted red.

Sorry, Charlie, the boos will not be cascading down any time soon. 

The only thing you will hear closely resembling boo is Rauuuuullllllll.

Trade Winds Are Blowing Early: Could Jake Peavy Be Philly-Bound?

The woes of the Phillies starting rotation have now been compounded with the uncertainty surrounding Brett Myers’ hip. 

Regardless of Myers’ health going forward, the Phillies look to be in the hunt for a starting pitcher to be added to the rotation via trade before the July 31 deadline.

The top of the prospective wish list is San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy.  Peavy has made it known that he wants to stay in the National League and pitch for a contender; both of which work in the Phillies favor.

However, with Peavy’s full no-trade clause and his desire to stay close to his Southern California home, plucking him away from the Padres may prove to be difficult. 

Peavy wants to be a Cub, but Chicago does not appear to be interested in giving up the farm for him.  The Phillies, on the other hand, have plenty of prospects to get a deal done. 

Shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson were rumored to be included in many proposed trades last summer, but the heat has died down on these prospects. 

Top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco may be expendable, but the arm that teams may be looking at the hardest is Antonio Bastardo.  Bastardo’s 50-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio has drawn comparisons to Johan Santana.

Among others who could be packaged in a deal are outfielders Michael Taylor and Dominic Brown, catcher Travis D’Arnaud, and shortstop Freddy Galvis. 

The problem in trading for Peavy is his contract.  With many key players on the roster due for pay raises and free agency, would the Phillies have enough to pay Peavy and keep the core of their team around? 

In this scenario, Myers’ money comes off the books as he is due to hit free agency at the end of season.  In defending a world championship, no expense should be spared, but to keep the window of opportunity open could prove costly down the road.

Another starting pitcher that has drawn the Phillies interest is Houston Astros starter Roy Oswalt.  Oswalt has not been the Oswalt of old over the past few seasons, but still would provide a solid 1-2 punch if paired with Cole Hamels. 

The Phillies have a familiar trade partner in Houston GM and former Phillies GM Ed Wade, who gave away closer Brad Lidge in a deal for outfielder Michael Bourn prior to the 2008 season.  Could the Phillies front office pull another fast one on their old friend? 

Combined with acquiring a starting pitcher, the Phillies need to look hard at their own farm system to seek a replacement if the time comes to part ways with struggling left hander Jamie Moyer. 

Antonio Bastardo is the flavor of the month pick right now, but lurking in Lehigh is the specter of Kyle Kendrick.

An unlikely choice but a promising one is Vance Worley, who has posted a 4-2 record, 2.83 era, and a .208 opponent’s batting average in Double-A Reading.

The Phillies need to fix this rotation in a swift fashion in order to contend later on.  This situation does not need a band-aid in the form of a Kyle Kendrick or Andrew Carpenter.

It needs the urgency of an acquisition of a solid No. 1 or 2 starter to complement Hamels and shore up this pitching staff.

Philadelphia Phillies at the Quarter Pole: A 41-Game Review

The Philadelphia Phillies are a quarter of the way through their defense of their World Series championship.  Thus far, through the accolades and mourning, this Phillies team has proven to be as strong as the team that brought home the title in 2008.

Offensively, an already strong offense has become even more deadly to opposing pitchers with the acquistion of left fielder Raul Ibanez.  There were many questions about Ibanez’s age and fielding ability.

However, whatever questions there were about Ibanez have been silenced up to this point as Ibanez leads the majors with 17 home runs and 43 RBI; numbers no one expected from the 36 year old.

Being as big of a Pat Burrell fan as anybody, it was sad to see him leave, but gratifying that he went out on top as a Phillie.  However, I have to admit that Ibanez has made me go Pat who?  Ibanez has clearly shown why the Phillies took the calculated risk of signing an outfielder of advanced age to a very lucrative contract; he’s worth every cent.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has been slow out of the gate offensively.  As of late, Rollins has picked it up at the plate.  For this offense to continue to run on all cylinders, Rollins needs to get innings started at the top of the order.  Based on his track record, its only a matter of time.

The pitching staff which carried this team through the month of October has been hit or miss.  The starting staff’s troubles have been a season long experience, however, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.

The Chan Ho Park experiment has finally come to an end; giving J.A. Happ a deserved spot in the starting rotation.  Based on yesterday’s appearance against the New York Yankees, Happ is a capable number five starter who is more like a two or a three in this current rotation.

Cole Hamels has finally gotten over his rash of early season bad luck and become himself again on the mound.  Hamels is the stabilizing factor in this rotation.  The NLCS and World Series MVP is returning to form after a lack of innings pitched from late spring training into April.  This team can count on a solid outing at least every fifth day out of Hamels.

Brett Myers has been slowly coming along as the new workhorse of the starting rotation.  Of his nine starts in 2009, eight have lasted six innings or more.  Maybe its because its a contract year or Myers has started to come into his own.

The ageless Jamie Moyer is beginning to show his age.  The 46 year old has struggled in the early going with an ERA of 7.63.  This organization won’t give up on someone like Moyer who has given them so much, but if his struggles last any longer the front office’s patience may no longer be on Moyer’s side.

Joe Blanton is a bit of an enigma in 2009.  His last start against the Reds was impressive until he got to the fifth inning; turning a 6-0 lead into a 6-5 lead.  Blanton is supposed to be an innings eater, but has proven anything but in the early part of the season. 

However, rest easy as his career numbers are significantly better in the second half than the first half.

The bullpen has been solid with one exception as of late.  Closer Brad Lidge, who is suffering with a sore right knee, has blown three saves after going 48 for 48 in save opportunities in the 2008 regular season and playoffs combined.

The cockeyed optimist in me believes Lidge will turn it around, but a stint on the DL may be the best place for him recover for when the game become even more crucial.  Ryan Madson has closer type stuff and is more than capable of taking over Lidge’s role. 

In a perfect world, Lidge would agree to get his knee scoped soon after JC Romero’s return on June 3; moving Romero to the set up role and Madson to closer.

All in all, this team has got the make-up to make a run at defending their title.  Perhaps with the addition of a starting pitcher along the way, this team could become even more of a force to be reckoned with in the National League.

Outta Here But Not Forgotten: Phillies’ Voice Silenced

Upon writing this, I know there are many articles of the same vain.  However, this man deserves every tribute coming to him in the coming days. 

Harry Kalas was not just a broadcaster, he was a friend to Phillies fans the world over from April to September and sometimes beyond.  Harry made the game come alive with each and every spirited call.

Even if the game was out of reach, Harry had a way of making you feel that an amazing comeback was on the verge of transforming from fantasy into reality.  You could feel it in his voice, night in and night out, that there was no doubt who he was rooting for. 

Mere words cannot begin to describe the impact of a man who transformed the moments of something so trivial as a baseball game into magnificent oral poetry. 

I was not old enough to appreciate the legendary partnership of that Harry had with Richie Ashburn, however, from the age of 7 on, the “Outta Here” guy, as I remember calling him as child, was my first real introduction to the game that I love to this day. 

Harry taught me and every other Phillies fan that the mantra instilled by the likes of Tug McGraw, that you always got to believe until that last out is on the board.

The summers will never be the same without that voice, that passion and most importantly that spirit that made him one of a kind. 

You knew this day would come of course and in the case of Harry, it would have most certainly been in the place he loved the most, the broadcast booth. 

Players and managers have come and gone, but Harry was always there.  The old showbiz adage, the show must go on, comes to mind.  The games will indeed go on but there will be a significant hole in the hearts of fans listening to each and every broadcast. 

I could not help to think upon watching the ongoing tributes of all the warm and happy feelings that each and recalled moment brought me.  It is indeed a sad, dreary time, but when someone like Harry passes on, you cannot help but crack a smile in reflection of the lifetime of memories you are now left with to recall for the rest of your life. 

Harry, you’re outta here, but you surely will never be forgotten.

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