Halladay. Lee. Hamels. Papelbon. Howard. Utley. Rollins.
So many household names.
So what!
As the 2012 version of the Phillies plummets deeper into the NL East cellar it is worth noting many of those household names are like the 20 year old refrigerator or rubber sweep beneath the back door. They wear out and need replacement.
And even those parts that are relatively new cannot make up for the defensive lapses occurring with greater frequency or the inexperienced middle relievers who, frankly, have no business being in the big leagues.
Perhaps the signature moment of this fall from grace occurred last night when Hunter Pence literally ran over third base coach Juan Samuel en route to scoring in the bottom of the second. There was Samuel, flat on his back, batting helmet flying off. After the play the cameras couldn't take their eyes off the Phillies' dugout where Pence, Kyle Kendrick and Cole Hamels laughed uncontrollably at what had just transpired. They weren't unfeeling or cruel; heck, the Phils had just taken a 3-1 lead and everything looked pretty rosy for the moment. When your team is up the laughter comes easily and Samuel was due for some serious ribbing when he returned to the dugout at the end of the inning, which, by the way, ended prematurely when Jimmy Rollins was caught stealing for the third out. He was safe, but in this season of discontent his protest was short and as futile as the rest of the Phillies' efforts for the evening.
As the trade deadline approaches it grows increasingly obvious the Phils will be big sellers IF, and this is a big if, other clubs are willing to offer good to top prospects. Everyone in baseball knows a Phillies firesale is likely and they can drive a hard bargain when dealing with desperate sellers.
So many household names.
So what!
