well, i asked for it

Earlier I was feeling confident about the Phils. What did I get?

A Rod holds trophy, laughs like school girl




NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Majority of the season: A-



How it ended: F+

a short take on baseball and the coming apocalypse

Hi there!

Remember when people cared about this?

I do. Kind of.

Right now is that time that I usually start paying attention to baseball again. I mean, REALLY paying attention, not just glancing at box scores and standings. Why not, since nothing else is on. And lookie here! The Phils are dominating of late and are the favorite to get Roy Halladay and create an Arziona-circa-2001 tandem that should blow away people.

The Dodgers, whom I get to see more of than I want to, are admittedly rolling, but they don't seem built for the postseason. The Red Sox and Yankees... blah, blah, blah, infloated payroll, old guys, whatever. The Mets are a walking Stooges skit (Three, not Iggy And The). Both central divisions have yet to inspire anyone. Yes, things are looking good for the Phils, for now and for the future.

Wait... what?

Dare I say the recent trend of success in Philly is just getting started? Could it be that the Philadelphia baseball team, which was clearly dead last on the pecking order when I moved there in summer of 2000, is now a constant contender and the class of the city? Even the Eagles can't match their success and are losing people tired of manic-depressive seasons. My lord... cats and dogs are living together. I still remember those late 90's summers where the only bright spot was Mike Piazza lifting the team - not the Phils, but the NL all-stars, and we took that only because he was local. (Was that realy the last time the NL won? Yikes.) I remember the public attack on J.D. Drew (take that as a warning, Stephen Strasburg!) and it really summing up everyone's feelings. Now they have a loaded lineup and almost enough pitching to be relaxed.

All I can say from experience is, don't be relaxed. We can always lose. We can always, always lose. Watch out for Florida. They could sneak up.... maybe....

... AHHHH! Come on! Really, is there any reason to be scared anymore? I used to hope that Atlanta would fall off the face of the Earth and the Phils could sneak into the playoffs with barely 80 wins. The Braves did, but the Phils have done more than that. They're a near lock right now. God help us all.

So I'll be watching the second half with an unbridled sense of optimism that I haven't had since, well, ever. I'm guessing now that I wrote this, Hamels will be thrown off a horse onto Howard's left leg and Rollins will crack a rib laughing and then Utley will trip over him.... but I don't really expect it anymore.... and that scares me a little.

Best. Season. Ever.

Yeah, I know, I didn't write anything this season and neither did anyone else.

I was going to write in June how awesome it was that Tampa Bay was finally doing something, but it was early and I didn't want to jinx them.

I was going to write in September how awesome it was that Tampa Bay was still doing good and the Yankees and Braves were going to miss the playoffs, but I wanted to be sure.

I was going to write in early October how awesome it was that the Phillies upended the Mets late - again - but then I worried about them running into the Dodgers.

I was going to write in late October how awesome it was that the Phils had finally made it back to the series, but the thought of another showdown with the mysterious area of Tampa scared me for its relevance this decade.

But now it's all over, and I can relax.

I had been pushing for years for a playoff with no Braves. Done. And, though I never expected it, no Yankees. Done. For both! And it would be nice if some new or long-suffering teams made it in. Done for Milwaukee and Tampa, who needed an injection of excitement (but not a title; they'll have to earn that one). And maybe if one or both LA teams could get their bandwagon fans to jump on and then fail, it would be sweet. Both done.

The Mets failed, the Angels failed, and the Dodgers failed as I had a great vantage point. The Cubs had a great year, though without any playoff wins, I don't know how much it matters. But at least that organization has a string of success going for the fist time.

And the Phils brought home their second title, and the first in my real life time (come on, I was 14 months old when the Sixers won, that shouldn't count). So when I look back on this, I will remember it as the greatest season ever for me, even if I didn't realize it during most of the year.

Good times.

2008 preview

No one is reading this, but it's tradition.

I'll be quick.

NL playoff teams (wildcard *): Padres, Cubs, Mets, Phils *

AL : Angels, Tigers, Yankees, Mariners *

World Series: Mets over Angels

There. I said it. That way, it won't happen.

Leo's Official Response to the Mitchell Report

Meh..... It's not that surprising.

I guess it's nice to see Clemens have to deal with scrutiny.

See there, George, I just saved you seven hours. You're welcome.

Study finds Boston "no longer considered cute"

October 29, 2007 - BOSTON, MASS.

It was reported today that a recent study showed Americans had lost all rooting interest for New England teams and New Englanders themselves, unless they happened to be one. The study comes in the wake of the Red Sox clinching the world series on the same day that the Patriots improved to 8-0 with a 52-7 drubbing of the Washington Redskins. It appears Boston, once the darling of the underdog lovers across the world, is no longer fun to root for.

"I think it comes from the earlier part of the decade, when the Sox and Pats were always destined to fuck up," says Boston street psychologist Sean O' Flannery. "Remember the 2001 Pats? No one thought they'd beat the Rams. They always pissed themselves in the big game. But they won, behind a true underdog in Tom Brady, and it was a great story. And then, my Gawd, the curse. The Sox! Down 3-0! Everyone hates the Yankees! But they pulled it off, and then everyone couldn't help themselves."

The study confirmed that people across the country, exculding New England, began to get tired of seeing the Red Sox and Patriots on TV constantly. The national sports media, once fixated on New York, has made Boston its go-to source of overused footage. The go-fuck-yourself attitudes of Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Sox ace Curt Schilling did not help matters. Former out-of-nowhere, great underdog story Tom Brady now goes through supermodels like a pack of Newports and appears on magazines from GQ to Cat Fancy. The Sox payroll is topped only by the Paris Hilton-esque spending Yankees. The lovable underdog image is clearly gone, according to the report. Both teams were favored to win titles this year, and the Sox have done so.

"You want suffering, we've got it," said longtime Cleveland resident Arnie Biffer. "People thought it was cute that the Sox came back to win the ALCS. CUTE??? We haven't won the series since WW2. We haven't even BEEN to a Super Bowl yet. But there they are, getting all the attention. They think they're cute.

You ain't cute anymore, Boston."

America, it seems, agrees.

Ah, the life of Philly

I've been on the East coast for the past week, basking in the first real playoff excitement in Philly in years. It was luck that I decided to come home this week andwas able to see them pull it off up close. First off, can you believe it? After years of almost doing it, they got enough to squeeze in on the very last day. People were celebrating. I couldn't drive around South Jersey without seeing rally caps and red balloons everywhere. The Cherry Hill mall was finally covered in red instead of green.

I haven't had computer access, but I wanted to post this on here last week:

-

FUCK YES!!!!!!

..

.

.

.

But instead, I will have to post this now:

AWWWWWWWW FUCK!

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.

.

............

That's it then, as I just saw. That is the end of it.

We shouldn't be so surprised, or disheartened. The Rockies were the hottest team in baseball, only no one was paying attention to them (as opposed to all eyes on the Phils-Mets race). Philly is a constant state of ups and downs. It's still great to see them end the playoff drought, and with only 8 spots, baseball is still the hardest sport to make the playoffs in. Just ask the Brewers, Mets, and Padres, the latter two teams being ones I thought for certain, up until two weeks ago, to be in the NLCS. It's tough.

.

....

.....

but seriously....

....

Colorado vs. Arizona? Who the fuck is going to watch that?????

trade deadline deals

Hello? Is anyone still reading this?

You know the trade deadline passed today?

Did you also know that the Phils are one game back in the Wild Card standings?

Weird.

In SoCal, the big news (not really) is that the Angels did nothing. Despite the Mariners creeping up like it's 1995, despite an abundance of young talent, despite a glaring need for a bat, the Angels stood pat. Their G.M., Bill Stoneman, is less active and more in love with his own farm system than the guys who used to run the Phils. They could have easily been a contender, but no, they like their team too much.

They'll like it when Boston or Detroit crushes them, if they even make the playoffs.

Also, them not going for Mark Texiera made it easier for the Braves to get him. Dammit. Now the Phils have to worry about them too.

The Red Sox have gumption. The Angels don't. The Phils made a few nice moves but I'm not going to jinx anything.

Nice job, Stoneman. I've been paying attention to the Angels for three months and I'm already convinced that you are merely a hologram.

Oh, those O's

The Orioles just fired their manager, Sam Perlazzo, but it's not like he had much to work with. This is creating a debate amongst sportswriters everywhere: is this a dead job? Can the Orioles ever win again? Most say no. I would like to pose this question to Mr. Perseghin, but it seems he has fled from humanity in a remote Rhode Island camping colony. I didn't know Rhode Island was big enough to be lost in, frankly. Whenever you come back to the world, Louis, perhaps you can weigh in on this.

I'm interested in this case for a few reasons. Number one, I used to have split allegiances with the Phillies and Orioles. The Orioles were my favorite AL team until I started seeing the abosolute pain the Red Sox fans held. It was easy to get to Baltimore from my house in Lancaster, so they were on the news as much as the Phils. During the mid 90's, when the Phils were awful and the O's were in the playoffs all the time, we needed it. Number two, it might help show people why basbeall needs some sort of salary cap. Number three, I like Baltimore; they have a good stadium and good fans, traditionally. They deserve better.

Are they really dead? Is there no hope for them in the AL East? Let us consider the pros and cons.

THE BAD NEWS

Peter Angelos is..... well, some have called him the worst owner ever. Is there anyone who doesn't hate this guy? Have you ever heard him described as less than despicable?

The AL East is loaded and it's never going to get any easier because the Yankees and Red Sox will always have the cash to spend. Sometimes, the Blue Jays too.

They now have to share the area with the Nationals.

Since the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry heated up again, no national sources have paid any attention to them and they haven't gottten close to the playoffs.

They haven't had a good pitcher in years.

Their big-name signings did nothing.

None of the managers since Davey Johnson did anything... and even he got fired.

THE GOOD

Andy MacPhail has done good work before in other front offices.

They claim to have a lot of young pitchers, and they managed to bring in former Braves svengali Leo Mazzone to help.

At least they did spend for a while. Their payroll is larger than a lot of the bad teams... they haven't gone completely cheap on everyone.

They're getting a lot of money from a new TV deal.

Despite the addition of the Nationals, it should be noted that the Beltway is one of the richest and most prosperous areas of the country. The area is full of people with cash and corporate sponsors.

Camden Yards is still nice.

THE VERDICT

Honestly? I don't know. I think anyone in that division has trouble... you might get a year when one of the powerhouses is down, but then the rest of the AL is tough. I hope we can get a deabte here, if anyone still reads this. I'd hate to see all the hope run out in Baltimore.

one night at Chavez Ravine

So I made my first trip to Dodger Stadium on Monday night. The Boys in Blue (sorry, Pierre Robeire, it actually works for them) lost big to the Cards. I managed to harass Scott Rolen, grab a few Dodger Dogs, and take in most of the game. My rating for the stadium? I'd say a solid B.

The atmosphere is good and the stadium is classically simple. Yes, there are too many rich people who come in late and don't make enough noise, but even most of the fans in the good sections appreciate the game. They weren't falsely excited, either, like those bizarre Angel fans. Good for them. It's not as intense as the Vet, and not as fancy as PNC, but it's a nice mix.

whoa

It's opening day already?

I'm in no shape for a season preview.

I was going to pick the Cubs, but that's not going to help them any. So I pick Yankees over Braves. Because I have terrible, terrible karma. (Although I picked that the Phils would narrowly miss the wild card last year as a semi-joke and that happened. Again.)

Phils.... finish above the Pirates. Safe enough? Watch them lose 90 now.

uhhhhh no......

I was listening to the radio out here for traffic tips, as I always am during the hours of 6-8 in the morning, when the quick sports blurb came up about a major league team that was planning on having a promotion that included bringing sewing projects to the park. I figured they really meant a minor league team, or perhaps maybe the Devil Rays, as they would have lots of old people. But when they came back from commercial, they confirmed it: that's right, the Phils.

I doubted it, but it's even on the official website for the night of June 26:

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=phi

STITCH & PITCH!!!!!

Now, I know that the Phils' front office is trying here to reach out to new demographics. This is likely aimed at bringing women / elderly fans to the park. Sewing seems like such a warm, fuzzy activity that it couldn't possibly lead to anything bloody or riotous.

Too bad they forgot where they are.

I went to the last three or four opening day games at the Vet. I saw what people could do with objects they no longer needed to carry on their person. Some kid had the - gall? stupidity? cojones? a cross between all three? - to wear a Kobe jersey to the very last one. Within seconds, he was being bombarded by empty bottles, free hats and towels, and anything else that could be thrown without back damage. Let's not forget the greatest moment in the history of Veterans Stadium: the infamous J. D. Drew game, where people were so upset that it wasn't winter and they couldn't throw snowballs with batteries hidden inside (as had been the practice at Eagles games for quite some time) that they just openly brought used batteries and chucked them, nearly causing a forfeit. Hell, they don't even need weapons. I once saw a guy pull another sucker down twelve rows of bleachers.... both got up and kept punching. This stitch and pitch business could be worse than 10 cent beer night.

I know that the people behind this will say that they will allow only plastic needles and keep the knitting to grandmas. Again, they seem to forget who they're dealing with. Plastic needles can still poke an eye out if used with such force, and in Philly, even the grandmas can get in on the action. That mitten probably has some jagged rocks in it.

Anyone in for an over/under on the eye injuries that night?

(Speaking of the Phightin's, I recently discovered that wanted pirate / was once a man / of Boston divided loyalty / war mongerer Mikael Mulllller is part of a group blog just for the Phils:
http://driventodeepcenter.blogspot.com/ . Perhaps we shall connect with them to provide baseball snarkiness in all corners. As the only person left on this blog who cares about the Phils, I say welcome.)

<3 Tito

Many notes already on the Red Sox Spring Training Media Extravaganza™. Manny shows up three days early bucking everyone's expectations. Of course, he could decide to pull a Bonds and just sit around the locker room in his leather easy chair. Sources report his dreads look "less Predator-like" this year.

Dice-K threw batting practice; Tito compares him to Michael Jordan, except the former Seibu Lions star "can't dunk." He said the comparison was mostly due to K's fondness for "gambling and white women."

Tito was not at practice Friday due to flu-like symptoms. He told the press he was at home watching the Anna Nicole Smith court proceedings on television. "I wanted to see if Manny [Ramirez] would show up there."

I didn't even have to make that last one up. And I don't even think I could have come up with a better punchline. Damn you, Tito!

Stepping out of character

Ok, I know this is a baseball blog. I set it up. I know. And this post is about football, sure, but it is inextricably linked to baseball. I promise.

It won't be hard to follow, since I have neither the wherewithal nor attention span to make a J Leo-sized post. I just don't have it in me.

Now, I know I get no sympathy for liking the Pats. I don't. The Patriots, in an ironic and horrifying twist of fate, are the Yankees of football. No one but Patriots fans ever want them to win. We find Belichick's eccentricity to be a sure sign of genius, and his cut-off, ratty-ass sweatshirt the calling card of a mind that is on another ethereal plane. We worship the ground Tom Brady graces with his Adonis-like form, and find owner Bob Kraft repulsive but a born winner who accepts nothing less than perfection.

Compare these to Joe Torre (who, like Belichick, has been scrutinized for having a far superior team and has been accused of not being able to win elsewhere (look what happened to B in Cleveland)), Derek Jeter, and The Boss (Steinbrenner, not Springsteen). The Colts are the Red Sox - the lovable little scamps from the hick town who can just never quite pull off the upset.

But, like the Yankees, the Patriots have gotten old. They have not been able to replace "character guys with character guys," to steal a line from the Sports Guy. Without Rodney Harrison, the secondary couldn't help stop the run even if Rhodes and Addai had been running off to marry their moms. Backup linebacker Larry Alexander gave it his best, but they looked mushy in the middle. Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney gave it their best for a couple of Gators (still bitter about the Buckeyes getting raped), but Deion Branch and David Givens each had nearly what they combined for in the regular season.

True, they have up and comers - Lawrence Maroney looks like the back for the future, Tom will be around and dominant (if he gets his head out of his ass) for six or seven more years, Assante Samuel tied for the league lead in picks this year, and Vince Wilfork - well, dude's bigger than a Yugo.

What it comes down to, I guess, is that in baseball we're lucky to have several chances to prove ourselves. I feel like the Pats could have beaten the Colts in a best of five, or even best of three, series, but they just got the best of them that one game. In football, there are no down-three-games-to-none miracle comebacks, and that makes me sad.

What it comes down to, I guess, is that when I walked out of the bar on Sunday, my first thought was, "Hell, it's only like a month before Dice K shows up in Fort Myers for training camp, right? Life ain't so bad."

Now, I just have to stop thinking of myself as a Yankees fan.

Confessions of a Hall of Fame voter

I feel stupid.

I feel stupid because I didn't recognize the obvious signs. Perhaps I did, but I lied to myself. I didn't want to be the curmudgeon, the naysayer, the pundit, the guy everybody hates. I ignored the complete lack of logic during that magical season of 1998. I jumped on the train with everyone else and celebrated.

Now, since everyone realizes what was going on, I feel dumb. I feel dumb for fallign for it, for allowing myself to be blissfully ignorant. Of course, if the fans and other media weren't so concerned about this, I wouldn't be either. You can call me spineless. I can call myself a hall of fame voter.

You may be wondering why we're all ganging up on McGwire, a likable guy who's obvioulsy not the only great player during that era who was juiced. We're not saying anything right now about Clemens and Bonds and many, many others who have really ominous signs. Well, it's just that: we're sending a message to the public that we (now) care so much about steroids that we're willing to make a scapegoat out of the most popular guy in the past ten years. We'll deal with those other stars later.... and we'll see hwo the public reacts then.

Is this unfair? Of course it is! When have we been fair? I've ignored Andre Dawson and Jim Rice for years. Why? Because I'm a hall of fame voter. I like to think that with my priviledges, I can be a higher authority on baseball and not listen to common sense. I have my own rules, and I love the feeling of being better and smarter than everyone else, who doesn't get a vote. I don;t like feeling stupid.

And I feel stupid right now.

What the Eff? Who's running this shit show?

Breaking the silence on this beast because of Randy Johnson. What team in their right mind trades FOUR PLAYERS for a 43 year-old pitcher coming off of back surgery. Having done that, what team gives said pitcher an EXTENSION on an already over the top contract?

The guy is 43. Name a pitcher besides Phil Neikro (and possibly El Duque) who has had much success after that age. Jamie Moyer perhaps, depending what you consider successful to be.

All the same, this trade makes no sense. I hope this deal dies somewhere along the approval lines within the league office, because this is damn near the stupidest trade I've ever heard of. The guy is going to fall apart and the Yankees knows it. I can't see the motivation for this trade from the D-backs perspective at all, except maybe from a marketing standpoint.

Matsui who?

Josh Beckett will have a dominant year, and he'll be their number 3 starter. Ridiculous.

Now all eyes can turn to Barry Zito. Yawn. More Scott Boras in the news. At least he'll be talking to more than one team.

"I'd like to meet Curt Schilling," said Dice-K. Umm, pretty sure you'll get the chance dude. He's learning Japanese for you buddy. What a pal.

The whole Red Sox brass flying to California and lighting bags of feces on fire in front of Boras' house reminded me of the Thanksgiving dinner Schilling deal. I remember the excitement and palpable energy there was surrounding the team then, and look what happened the very next season...

Not a prediction, just a thought.

The real prediction? Royals v. Cubs in the series, but they only make it to two games and the world as we know it implodes on itself.

Now, votes on who the hell is going to anchor that (still) travesty of a bullpen for the Sox come '07? Tavares?

People I intensely dislike may or may not look like insidious members of a sci-fi classic

Scott Boras is going to be the reason that the Sox don't sign Matsuzaka (if indeed they end up not signing him.) That pisses me off so much, but not as much as it irks Mike.

Clock's ticking down to the end on this one, and all the rumors swirling around don't sound too good. I'm hoping for the best. This business with Schilling learning Japanese is such a transparent PR ploy (although he may indeed be doing it with good intentions) it makes me ill.

Jim Allen on ESPN (from where I got the picture at left) makes some good points in this article. Namely, that it will ultimately be up to Matsuzaka to decide whether he signs or not. No, and he goes back to Japan for another two seasons and the Lions get jack. Boras can finagle all he wants, says Allen, but ultimately the prospect of earning the most money he's ever earned in his life and the chance to bring pride to his old club and home country will be the deciding factors for Matsuzaka.

We'll see how that goes very soon.

Coming up later: Why signing Juan Pierre was a great investment for the Dodgers: Definitive proof courtesy of MVP Baseball '05.

Yay for Sense!

After all that chatter, Barry Bonds is not going anywhere. That's probably the most logical move. No other team would offer him that cash, and no other fan base would likely support him. 16 million is too much, but whatever. At least we can focus our rancor in the same place.

And, ho, Pat Gillick! I wanted a top starter and we got one in Freddy Garcia. That's a good deal. Yeah, Gavin Floyd might be great down the road and we could end up regretting all this in the future, but as I've been saying for a while, the Phils can't keep waiting with the farm system and young pitchers who may or may not pan out. They still have Hamels and Myers, who have looked good, and now they have their ace. Add them into a rotation with solid vets Lieber and Moyer (or maybe Madson, who knows how they'll move people), and now their rotation is solid... in fact, one of the best in the NL. I can't think fo anyone hugely better for now.

See how nice it is when people make deals that make sense?