Thursday, August 20, 2015

So Long, Chase

Goodbye, Chase.  You gave us a lot of good memories, especially about dedication.

Goodbye, Ruben.  You gave us nothing but misinformation.  Ooops!  Ruben isn't going...yet.  A day after the Rube said Utley would likely not be traded the second baseman was dealt to Los Angeles.

Rube:  no one believes you.  

My guess is the rest of the Phillies' alleged brain trust figures they might as well keep the Rube around to finish up the dismantling and, then, when he's just about to turn off the lights and close the door he will be served his very own pink slip.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Pepper

If Aaron Harang were a horse they would have put him out of his misery already.

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Chase Utley has  done his Lazarus impersonation....again!  He's hitting just when the Phils are shopping his services.  He'll be traded to a contending club, which will be a nice change of pace, and then at some point, if not this year then next, he'll hit the Disabled List again.

In any event, he should be leaving town any day now.  Before he goes we should acknowledge his tenure here as exemplary.  He represented everything professional in a ball player.  All business.  All the time.  Dedicated.  Determined.  Talented.  We were damn lucky to have him here.

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Cole Hamels missed his last start.  A groin issue.  He should have missed his first two starts deep in the heart of Texas.  If the folks there (everyone is "folks" in the Lone Star State) thought he was going to be their savior they have been disappointed thus far.  But Cole will bounce back.  He normally does.

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Ryan Howard is still here.  He's soon to be the granddaddy on the roster.

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I have no idea how Jonathan Papelbon has fared in the land of Presidential races...and, frankly, I could care less.

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Aaron Nola went from number one prospect to ace on the Phils' staff in less than a month.  That's too much to ask let alone expect.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Landing Ho!

Until they arrived in the desert the other night the Phillies had defied not only gravity since the All Star break but every other natural phenomenon as well.  After all, they were the team with the best winning percentage since the break and no one, not even Pete Mackanin's mother, figured them to do that.  They even escaped the NL East cellar for a while.

But, then came the desert landing.  It wasn't one of those splash downs NASA loves. Heck, it wasn't even the terra firma landings the Ruskies favor.  No, this was a serious crash landing.  A thumper to end all thumpers.

The Phils have yielded, no, let's make that, thrown themselves at the feet of and offered up themselves entirely, 26 runs to the Diamondbacks in two games.  They gave up eleven runs last night in the second inning.  That used to be a month's worth of scoring for the pre-All Star break Phils.

There's regression to the mean and then there's a no-holds barred, Oklahoma land rush to it.

Having made their big push to avoid losing 100 games the Phils look like they are back on track.

C'mon, let's face it:  a team with a Rule 5 guy starting in centerfield, a third baseman starting in left and a bunch of starting pitchers who aren't highly rated even by the team's admittedly low standards, isn't going to really play well for long stretches of time.  The aberration was that stretch between the AS break and Phoenix.