Thankful it’s ‘JOE’ Blanton ….
Posted: September 30, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: 2nd base, ALDS, BIG Joe, Giants, Joe Blanton, NLDS, Padres, phillies, post season, Reds, Tamp Bay Rays, Twins, Yankees 3 CommentsThe final regular season game against the Nationals, although the Phillies
are playing spring training type baseball at the moment, they have to consider
who they want in the first series of the post season when they head into Atlanta
for the final weekend. If they play ‘FALL’ training games in Atlanta it will
undoubtedly give the Braves the advantage over the Padres on who gets the wild
card slot. If Atlanta get the wild card then it would depend on how the Reds and
Giants finish out the season. This is of course speculative on the basis that
the Giants clinch in the West, stranger things have happened and the Padres
could still leap frog the Giants and grab the division.
The guy they call Big Joe Blanton took the mound tonight, some say
it’s ‘Big Joe’ cause he’s a ‘FATtee’, others say it’s cause of his
‘STATURE’…..
….me I’m just glad his name isn’t Richard. The bench players
got another start tonight and went back to back with homers in the top of the
2nd inning added to it in the 4th and 5th to give Joe a cushioned lead to pitch
off. When the start of the bottom of the 7th inning came around the Phillies had
just back up players on the field except for Blanton, I am sure the 7-1 lead the
Phillies were enjoying played a part, in addition to this being post season
auditions for the back up players.
A day off today gives everyone a rest and time to consider the
Braves series, do they continue auditions or go to Atlanta and make a statement.
The Phillies get home field advantage, which means they get to
play at home at the start of each series while they are in the post season. With
this in mind there is at least one change they should consider making before
post season play begins….
….the 2nd base bag, this has been the culprit of injuries and
has even come completely out and into the hands of sliding runners. This base
pad is responsible for a Valdez injury, Utley injury and a
Rollins injury and is suspected of being part of some bad judgment calls by
Werth, Ruiz and Victorino, so what do you say ground crew, lets replace this bag
with one that is more reliable and a little more favorable to the Phillies.
Around Baseball:
The Yankees lost to the Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the O’s,
so no changes there.
The NL West is still a fight to the end with both San Diego and
the San Francisco winning.
The Braves won again keeping their lead in the Wild Card and the
Phillies still uncertain of who will be the team they face in the first series
of post season play.
6 Days to post season play – GO PHILLIES….
Seven Days and Counting ….
Posted: September 29, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: 7 Days, Braves, Giants, manuel, New York, Oswalt, Padres, phillies, post season, Rays, Reds, Tampa Bay, Yankees 4 CommentsSome called it a hangover game, some called it the day after game, but it should have been just another game that we went out there and tried to win. The starting pitcher goes out there, albeit a shortened game of just 5 innings regardless of how he does, so for Roy Oswalt, yes I said Roy Oswalt, cause if you were listening to the Phillies TV feed you would be a little confused, they kept on calling him Roy Halladay, in fact they called him Roy Halladay more than they called him Roy Oswalt, so just in case T-Mac , Wheels or Sarge actually read anything that is written here maybe they’ll offer an apology to Roy Oswalt.
So there not totally confused here’s what Oswalt looks like….
….without wanting to point out the obvious, he’s the one with ’44’ and the name ‘OSWALT’ on his back.
The Phillies have selected the post season schedule already, and needless to say they have selected the one that allows them to go with a 3 pitcher starting rotation. The choice was somewhat of a no brain-er, and members of the press asking Manuel why he’s going that way, should not be covering baseball for any media outlet.
Just in case you missed it, they have been labeled H2O by a number of fans and some members of the Philadelphia press….
They have suggested that Halladay will start game 1, but this is speculation at this time, it is also an obvious choice. In keeping with obvious choices personally I would have Hamels then Oswalt, this would be just to break up the righties with a leftie in between, but it’s all about what Charlie thinks at the time.
I was dubious about constantly resting players from our starting line up between now and October 6th, but on reflection I think it’s more for Manuel to see what bench players and what bull pen members are going to make the cut. It’s a waiting game now, it’s like a second round of spring training in the fall.
Around Baseball:
The Yankees and the Tampa bay rays won last night assuring them both of play off spots, it’s just a case of who’s the division winners and who’s the wild card team.
The Reds beat the LOLstros last night to clinch the NL Central, kudos to them.
The NL West is a fight to the end and can only be decided when the Padres and Giants go at each other in the final series of the season. The Braves need to keep winning to keep them in the wild card, the series against the Phillies could be their do or die series. The Padres have the toughest road over their final 5 games.
7 Days to post season play – GO PHILLIES….
NL East Champions 2010 ….
Posted: September 28, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: celebrate, champagne, home field advantage, Nationals Park, NL East Champions 2010, phillies, post season 5 CommentsIt was a cooler night in the nations capital, there were dark clouds looming overhead, would the baseball game get played or would it get postponed. What was sure to be an inevitable celebration had been delayed at least 2 days already, because the Phillies winning ways hit a speed bump.
It was time, even Charlie was starting to get impatient, he wanted those champagne bubbles to flow, it was almost a necessity, since it seemed he had forgotten how to even form the simplest of bubbles with his gum….
….it was the 2nd or 3rd inning and the rain started to fall, but fingers crossed it wouldn’t get heavy enough to postpone the game. The Phillies took an early lead off the bat of Jayson ‘The Tool’ Werth with a home run in the 2nd inning, from there they never looked back. Roy ‘The Doc’ Halladay pitched yet another complete game shutting out the Nationals, he allowed only 2 hits in 9 innings….
….you could tell from pitch 1 that the Doc was pumped, he’s thrown 20 win seasons before, he’s thrown more than his share of complete games, even managed a number of shutouts and a perfect game, but his repertoire was lacking the one thing every baseball player dreams of, a shot at the post season.
The Phillies offence came alive late in the game, it was like they were sitting ready to pounce. With a 3 run 6th and a 4 run 9th, it was just a matter how how quick the Doc would mow them down in the bottom of the 9th, it wasn’t long before the crowd at Nationals Park was on their feet screaming and waving rally towels….
….yes, you heard it right, it was Nationals Park and yet the Philadelphia fans had taken it over and like so many other trips to Washington the Phillie fans were the ones in the majority.
It was finally over, the Phillies clinched their 4th straight NL East crown with an 8-0 swatting of the Nats. The Phillies players managed to make full use of the champagne they had transported from Philadelphia to Washington….
….Lets party, for one night.
The Phillies will end the season with the best record in the National League, thus clinching home field advantage for as long as they are in the post season. Yes, it’s a time to celebrate, but it’s also not the time to sit back and relax too much, we have the chance to end the season with the best record in the majors this year, so why not add one more title to the list.
One Game at a Time – GO PHILLIES….
Mets and Nationals play Spoiler ….
Posted: September 26, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: Braves, Hamels, magic number, Mets, Nationals, NL East Champions, phillies, Spoiler 7 CommentsThe Phillies lost their second straight today as they closed out the final regular season home game. It was fan appreciation day, where the Phillies paid tribute to the fans, the Phillies have now had 123 continuous sell outs at Citizens Bank Park thanks to the fans. Cole Hamels took the start today….
….but had his worst game post All Star Break, he managed just 4 innings, after giving up his 5th run at the start of the 5th inning Charlie decided it was time to make that AT@T call to the pen.
Even though the Phillies lost the game today, the Nationals gave them some support by beating the Braves and making the Phillies magic number 1.
The Phillies head to the nations capitol for a 3 game set starting Monday, where they hope to seal the deal on the National League East division title for the 4th straight year.
One Game at a Time – GO PHILLIES….
UPDATE: The Reds beat the Padres giving the Phillies a
guaranteed play off spot, however they still need that 1 elusive win to clinch
division.
Mets are Whiners …..
Posted: September 26, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: Jerry Manuel, locker room, Mets, phillies, plastic, Reyes, Tejada, Utley, Wright 4 CommentsThe Phillies lost their first game since, believe it or not they were in New
York at Citi Field facing the Mets back on September 11th, 2010. The Phillies
then managed to go Met to Met series without a loss. Although they managed this
loss without actually losing anything, the magic number is still at 2 and they
can still clinch this weekend. It maybe just have been a bit premature to line
the locker room with plastic ready for the champagne blitz.
This Mets series showed us what some players are made of, and quite frankly
David Wright and Jose Reyes should be traded to a west coast team, they
definitely showed us they do not like playing baseball the way it was intended
by men.
Finding something to whine about was the goal and they chose Utley’s slide
into 2nd to break up a double play in game 1 of this series, even though he was
sliding at Tejada, who himself didn’t seem to think anything was wrong with it
and even Jerry Manuel hinted at the fact that maybe the Mets wouldn’t be losers
if they played hard ball too.
I’d say Wright and Reyes should go back to playing T-ball where
the only slide is at the water park after the game.
Hamels gets the start in the season finale at home, one that
could end in celebrations or just another deep exhale of breathe ready for the
next game.
One Game at a Time – GO PHILLIES….
Chuck chuckled and Phillies go 11 straight ….
Posted: September 25, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: 1960, Bing Crosby, New York Times, phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Red Sox, Simply the Best, Tigers, Twins, Yankees 2 CommentsThe Phillies do it again, win that is. It’s now 11 straight wins, giving the
Phillies a 93-61 record with 8 games left, and that was enough to make Chuck smile
a little more….
…. as even more good news came his way, when the Washington
Nationals closed out a win over the Atlanta Braves, making the Phillies magic
number ‘2’, could Carlie’s wish becoming true. Conceivably the Phillies could clinch on Saturday, like Charlie requested in his wish. They will know
before game time, if the clinch is possible, as the Braves and Nationals play an afternoon game on Saturday. The Yankees
fell short against the Red Sox and the Twins got demolished by the Tigers, the
Phillies now stand alone a top Major League Baseball with their 93 wins.
Bing Crosby’s wine cellar gave back Game 7 of the 1960 World
Series where the Pittsburgh Pirates managed a walk off win to defeat the Yankees
and win the ’60 World Series. See
the full story as reported by the New York Times.
One Game at a Time – GO PHILLIES….
Technology Advancements at the Bank ….
Posted: September 24, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: Android, Apple, AT&T, CBP, Citzens Bank Park, Droid, iPhone, Mets, New York Yankees, Rays, smart phone, Tampa Bay 4 CommentsThe Phillies move ahead in technology giving the Philadelphia fans more
opportunities to catch all the action in a game, a new partnership that includes
the Phillies, MLB Advanced Media and Aramark have a new food app for the iPhone and
iPad Touch….
….it’s so easy, even a Mets Fan could do it. Obviously it’s
available firstly for the (idiot)Phone, yep I admit it, I have one,
eventually I am sure they’ll have the app for those who use the ‘dumbassroid’
phone before long, so fans from ****** (insert team you think
fits here) can order up food too. You can read the full
press release here if you really want the serious stuff.
The Phillies are currently the only NL team with more than 90
wins this season, and if Charlie gets his wish the Phillies will clinch the
division after the next 2 games…. good luck with that Charlie
The Tampa Bay Rays put another bump in the road to division
clinch for the New York Yankees last night by winning the final game of the
regular season between these two teams. This leaves them back where they were
before the 4 game set got under way, with the Yankees having just a half game
lead and a game in hand on the Rays, love these tight divisions this year…
GO PHILLIES….
Atlanta Braves get Swiffered by Phillies ….
Posted: September 22, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: Atlanta, Bobby Cox, Braves, division lead, magic number, phillies, post season, sweep, Swiffer 2 CommentsThe latest tool in the Phillies arsenal is not Jayson Werth, even though next to his new agent, Boras, he seems like a saint, he’s still a tool. It’s official, the Phillies now have the ‘Power of the Swiffer’….
….it can be used while on the road or at Citizens Bank Park, Florida, Washington and now Atlanta have suffered the power of the Swiffer this month.
The Phillies have now won 10 straight and have a 6 game lead in the NL East, they are even closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Up next the New York Mets come to the Bank, yes anyone with just an inclining of common sense knows they can’t keep winning without a loss, but for now it certainly feels like it….
GO PHILLIES….
Atlanta Braves True Lies …
Posted: September 22, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: Atlanta, Bobby Cox, Braves, CC Sabathia, Halladay, liar liar pants on fire, Mets, New York, NL East, Oswalt, phillies, post season, Tommy Hanson, True Lies, Yankees 7 Comments
The
Braves beat writers, coaches, players and fans have all been telling us of the
Phillies offensive woes when facing pitchers for the first time. This concerted
effort even have the TV analysts convinced to the point they are spewing the
same ‘Bull Sh-it’ in an ever increasing web of deceit.
Lets put our rookie pitchers against the Phillies ‘Aces’ cause that’ll give
us the best chance to win and make up ground on the division leaders. If you
believe that then you also probably believed the Mets were the team to beat in
the NL East this year.
The ‘Atlanta Braves True Lies’ appearing at a stadium near you,
if your a Braves fan that is. What was the real reason behind the need for
Atlanta to pit rookies against some of the best pitchers in the league this
year.
Who did the Braves stand the best chance of beating with their ‘Aces’ on the
mound:
- option 1 New York Mets
- option 2 Philadelphia Phillies
So why not be Brave and honest and tell the truth, they could
almost guarantee wins against the Mets with their ‘Aces’ on the mound, but
against the Phillies it was a crap shoot. The ‘truth is’ it’s better to beat
the Mets with Aces and lose to the Phillies with rookies instead of losing to
the Mets with Rookies then losing to the Phillies with Aces on the mound.
Good luck with the rest of the season with that mentality Atlanta, you may be
handing a Wild Card to a West coast team, or maybe that’s the plan, maybe Bobby
Cox has his retirement housing all picked out in Florida and can’t wait to move
in.
Roy
‘The Doc’ Halladay clinched his 20th win of the season against the Atlanta
Braves, making him the first Phillies pitcher to win 20 in a season since Steve
Carlton in 1982.
Roy joined CC from the New York Yankees as the only 2 pitchers this season to
reach the 20 win mark, with Jimenez and Wainwright close behind on 19 wins.
The biggest differences between the two 20 win pitchers, about 50 or 60 LBs
of blubber, that’s one stat I’m happy CC has more of than Halladay.
With Halladay’s 20th win the Phillies moved 5 games ahead in the NL East.
After being 3 games back on September 1st, the Phillies are certainly giving
themselves a chance at a 4th consecutive post season.
Even Jayson Werth seems to have gotten a new lease on life, we hope that his
joining forces with Boras has nothing to do with his sudden spark of enthusiasm.
The fact that he joined with Boras means he must have completely accepted the
fact that he’ll not be with the Phillies next year.
Tonight is the last of 3 at home with the Braves as Roy Oswalt takes the
mound for the Phillies against Tommy Hanson for the Braves.
GO PHILLIES…
MLB – Weird and Wonderful
Posted: September 19, 2010 Filed under: Dailies | Tags: AL Central, AL East, AL West, Citizens Bank Park, history, Marlins, Mets, MLB, NL Central, NL East, NL West, Philadelphia, phillies, Ryan Howard, weird, wonderful 8 CommentsMajor League Baseball at times contains some weird and wonderful
things, not because of umpiring screw-ups or because players tend to get a holier
than thou attitude and do something really really dumb, but just because of the
pure mathematics of baseball.
Last night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, was another
night where a sell out crowd got to see history in the making….
….Ryan Howard hit his 30th home run of the season and became
the first Philadelphia Phillies player to successfully achieve 5 consecutive
seasons with 30 HR’s and 100 RBI’s.
Things that make you say ‘Really’ in a sarcastic
manner –
The AL East has had more changes to the division lead than any
other division this year
The AL Central has all teams at or below .500 eliminated.
The AL West has only 1 team above .500
The NL West has 3 teams above .500 contending for the division
title
The NL Central has 3 of the 5 worst teams in the National League
The NL East has mathematics….
….the Mets season is officially over, yet right behind them in
the standing the Marlins cling to, well nothing really, but it gives the
Marlins this weekend before the last remaining dozen or so fans stop going to
the stadium and with the sCrUBs in town chances are no ones going to the stadium
anyway.
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