Carl Yastrzemski All-Stars: Top 25 Mispronounceable Names in MLB History

Admit it: you don’t know if J.A. Happ’s name is “Jay” or “J.A.” Despite the fact that his name is clearly listed in every scorecard, box score, and recap as “J.A.’, announcers uniformly refer to him as “Jay Happ.”

Happ is hardly the first baseball player in major league history to have a name that befuddles fans and sportscasters alike. Part of the fun of America’s most international sport is a wide array of easily mis-pronounced names.

For a lot of these guys, baseball being an international sport is only technically an excuse.

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Philadelphia Phillies Finding Ways To Stay On Top Of Competitive NL East

 

As the Philadelphia Phillies prepare to open a nine game road trip against NL East rivals tonight in New York, it’s a good time to check in on the division race. 

With the season just past the quarter mark, it’s early, but there are enough data points and trend lines to get a feel for what to expect over the balance of the year. 

It is not surprising to see the Phillies leading the pack with a 26-17 record considering they have been the consensus favorites to not only win the division but also the National League pennant. 

What is a little surprising, though, is the manner in which they have done it—especially considering the rash of injuries they have had to endure in the early going.

Brad Lidge and Jimmy Rollins have served two stints on the DL, while J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson have landed there as well. 

All are considered key players in General Manager Ruben Amaro’s formula for success in 2010. Blanton and Romero have returned to action, but have yet to hit their stride while the others remain in various stages of rehab. 

Overall, the team has shaken off the injury bug through players on the depth chart stepping up to make solid contributions and starting pitchers working deep into games. 

On offense, batters have displayed improved plate discipline and hitting. As a team, they are currently second in the NL with a .269 batting average, 11 points higher than a year ago. And, they have morphed from one of the easiest to fan in 2009 to the most difficult in the NL this season. 

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley have played like the universally recognized stars they are now regarded. Meanwhile, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz have elevated their games to another level— with the former looking like an early MVP candidate and the latter looking like an All-Star.

Two of Amaro’s offseason free agent acquisitions, Juan Castro and Wilson Valdez, have turned out to be important additions, especially with Gold Glover J Roll shut down with a troublesome calf injury. Both are significant upgrades over Eric Bruntlett at shortstop and at the plate. 

Another free agent pickup has turned out to be a revelation so far. Veteran Jose Contreras has proven Amaro and Phillies scouts astute as he appears dominant in his newly found relief role airing out his mid-to-upper 90 mph splitter. 

In fact, Contreras has been so good, there has been speculation that he could remain as the closer even after Lidge returns to the playing field. Considering skipper Charlie Manuel’s sense of loyalty, it seems more likely he will give Lidge every opportunity to resume his former job, but it’s great to know that an insurance policy is waiting in the wings. 

The spring training conundrum of six pitchers vying for five starting slots has turned out to be a fortuitous situation for the club. Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick have been solid over the past month after getting roughed up early on this season. However, Happ and Blanton have passed each other like ships in the night on trips to and from the DL. 

Importantly, Cole Hamels is projecting positive. After looking a lot like the 2009 edition in April, Hamels has more resembled the 2008 ace in May. With his fastball touching 94-95 mph, and better command of his curve ball, Hollywood could yet be the strong No. 2 that Amaro and Manuel envisioned. 

The No. 1, of course, is ace Roy Halladay— who has been as good as advertised. Although he is coming off a rough outing Sunday (which might have turned out differently with a couple plays behind him), the big right-hander is destined to resume his dominant ways and finish the year somewhere north of 20 wins. 

The rest of the division is bunched up behind the Phillies, separated by just 1.5 games.

The Mets fell on some hard times recently, but with two big wins against the World Champions from across town, they appear poised to compete hard in the three game series that opens tonight. With big name talent such as David Wright, Jason Bay, Johan Santana, “K-Rod” and Jose Reyes— along with high ceiling rookie Ike Davis— New York is capable of making some noise.

After a slow start, the Atlanta Braves look to be finding their legs. They are back in second place after recording 15 wins in their past 22 games. 

The Washington Nationals continue to be one of the surprises of 2010 and should compete all season long. With one hot pitching prospect already elevated to the big club and a flame throwing stud soon to follow, the Nats have the look of a contender. 

The Phillies head to Florida for the weekend to face a Marlins team that seems to perennially have enough young talent to hang around. 

The current trend line projects a 98-win season for the Phils, a number that should be enough to take a competitively balanced division. Of course, pennants are not won by mathematicians and many factors will influence the actual outcome. 

In order to remain on the current trend line, the Phillies would seem to need meaningful contributions by Rollins, Lidge, Madson and Happ. Meanwhile, expect the rest of the NL East rivals to up the ante— starting this week. 

 

 

 

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Philadelphia Phillies Fan Picks The Wrong Nationals Fan to Mess With

Any shred of an inkling I ever had about wondering what would happen to me if I vomited on an off-duty cop is officially gone.

Gone like Matthew Clemmens’ dignity.

Clemmens, the 21-year-old New Jersey man who was arrested on April 14 at a Phillies game, pleaded guilty Tuesday to simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.

Apparently alcohol is a powerful drug that makes you do some pretty crazy things. In Clemmens’ case, he stuck his fingers down his throat and intentionally vomited on Michael Vangelo (the off-duty cop) and his 11-year-old daughter.

This was all after Clemmens and his friend (who was escorted out of the stadium before the upchucking) had heckled, cursed at and spilled beer on Vangelo and his daughter.

Vangelo and his 15-year-old daughter both complained to security that Clemmens and his friend were spitting on the 11-year-old as well.

To top it all off, after Clemmens vomited on the family, he attacked Vangelo by punching him several times in the head.

I’ve had too much beer before but I’ve never had that much beer.

I can’t imagine how Vangelo put up with security not kicking these two idiots out of the stadium earlier. How he didn’t attack these two with physical violence is beyond me.

I’m sure everyone sitting around those two wouldn’t have stopped Vangelo from pounding those two into the ground. Other fans might have even helped Vangelo, and those two would have left the stadium in an ambulance. (This is Philly we’re talking about.)

Kudos to Vangelo for handling things the right way. I’m not sure other dads with daughters out there would have been able to control themselves.

And while the Vangelos said they are satisfied with the outcome, I can’t say I am.

Clemmens is expected to be penalized for being one of the biggest jerks in the history of public sports spectating only by being put on probation.

An 11-year old being pelted by chunks of vomit? Yeah, that seems about right.

A 17-year-old runs onto the field at the same stadium May 3 and gets tased. That’s a much worse punishment than Clemmens will get.

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A Brief History of Left-Handed Hitting in Philadelphia

In 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies fully anticipate making the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and for many Philadelphians anything less than a World Series appearance would be a disappointment.

The Phillies have gotten to this point, in part, on the basis of the best left-handed hitting in the National League.

There was a time, however, when dominant left-handed hitting by the Philadelphia Phillies was incredibly deceptive and actually masked severe deficiencies in the Phillies’ lineup.

In fact, for an entire generation—from 1890 to 1938—if it appeared that a Phillies batter was an elite hitter, there was one question that you could ask to determine if he was truly great or if it was a facade.

Did he hit left-handed?

In essence, if a Phillies batter hit left-handed during this period, his numbers were almost certainly inflated as a result of having played in the Baker Bowl.

You see, the Baker Bowl had a relatively conservative left field (335-341.5 feet down the line, 408 feet to center) but right-center and right field in the Baker Bowl were ridiculous (300 feet to right center, 272-280.5 feet down the line). Because the stadium was designed to fit within the city grid, the stadium had an absurdly small right and right-center field, which made hitting a small task for left-handed hitters.

So up until 1938, when the Phils left for Shibe Park, the stats of left-handed hitting Philadelphia Phillies are incredibly unreliable as indications of overall hitting abilities.

This means you, Lefty O’Doul, Chuck Klein, Cy Williams, Sam Thompson, and Billy Hamilton. This means you too, Gavvy Cravath, with your crafty opposite-field right-handed hitting.

 

Chuck Klein

The effect of the Baker Bowl is particularly vivid with respect to Chuck Klein’s career statistics. From 1928 to 1933, Klein played in one of the friendliest hitting contexts of all time—he was a left-handed hitter in one of the smallest ballparks in baseball history, and he was hitting in the most explosive era in National League history.

During those years, Klein had 200 hits, 100 runs, 120 RBI, and 28 or more home runs every season. He twice hit 50 doubles, hit no lower than .337 in any one season, and had only one year in which his OBP dropped below .400 and his SLG dropped below .500. He won the MVP in 1932 and finished second in 1931 and 1933, while taking the Triple Crown in 1933. 

Then in 1934, as the offensively explosive era was coming to a close, Klein left the Phillies and joined the Cubs, who played in Wrigley Field, a bigger park, though by no means a pitcher’s park (how small is your park when moving to Wrigley Field represents a disadvantage?!).

He enjoyed (or did not enjoy, rather) two injury-plagued seasons during which his batting average fell precipitously (from .368 in 1933 to .301 and then .293), and his OPS numbers stayed respectable but were less than incredible.

Klein returned to the Phillies midway through 1936 and in 1937 hit .325, though again in limited play.

In 1938, a season in which the Phillies switched mid-year to Shibe Park, Klein was awful, hitting less than .200 with an OPS of .673 in 25 games before being released and then signing with the Pirates. Klein enjoyed a renaissance with the Pirates, hitting .300 with an OPS of .872 in 85 games in Forbes Field with its 300-foot right foul line.

Back with the Phils in 1940, Klein hit .218, and his career was effectively over.

 

So, Klein sucked?

Whenever I think of players whose performance was skewed positively by their home ballpark, I think of guys like Jim Rice and Vinny Castilla. But Chuck Klein was not just very good from 1928 to 1933—his unadjusted numbers were easily the best in the National League over that period, and he was a dominant offensive player.

Thus, I am less capable of dismissing him out of hand as I would if I were comparing him to Rice or Castilla. Playing in the Baker Bowl didn’t just make Klein good; it made him one of the best players in his league for six seasons. I have a hard time taking that from him without concrete split stats to back it up.

Thus, I think of him as more of a Sammy Sosa or Todd Helton-type player than a Jim Rice-type player. Cy Williams, Lefty O’Doul, et al. fall in line behind him from there.

For fun, here’s some other conspicuous performances by left-handed hitters in the Baker Bowl.

Cy Williams

Cy Williams is an exciting player when you first see his stats. In truth, you think you’ve stumbled upon the National League’s Babe Ruth—he led the league in home runs four times from 1916 to 1927 and finished in the top three 11 times during that period.

Williams actually played in Wrigley Field in 1916 and 1917 and led the NL with 12 home runs in 1916. But his truly dominant era would come in Philly; he peaked with 41 home runs in just 136 games in 1923.

Fred Luderus

A left-handed hitter, he finished in the top 10 in home runs in the NL eight times in nine years with the Phillies from 1911 to 1919, including 1911, when he finished second with 16 behind Wildfire Schulte, and 1915, when he hit 18 and finished second behind Cravath, who had 19. That year, three of the top four home run hitters in the National League were Cravath, Luderus, and Sherry Magee (a Phillies right-hander).

Beals Becker

In 1913, Beals Becker was a left-handed-hitting outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds with 15 career home runs in five seasons. After 30 games, Beals had zero home runs and was traded to the Phillies. In 88 games with the Phillies that year, Becker hit nine home runs, good enough to finish sixth in the National League. The following year, he hit nine more and set career highs with a .325 average and .370 on-base percentage.

In 1915, he would hit 11 home runs in 112 games, good enough to finish fourth in the National League behind Cravath and Cy Williams and Wildfire Schulte of the Cubs. It would be Becker’s final season.

Dave Bancroft

Bancroft was a switch hitter. In 1915, as a rookie, Bancroft hit seven home runs, good enough for sixth in the league. In 15 remaining seasons played with the Phillies, Giants, Braves, and Dodgers, Bancroft would only hit 25 more home runs.

Elmer Flick

In 1900, the 24-year-old, left-handed-hitting Flick finished second in the National League with 11 home runs. In 1902 he joined the American League and never hit more than six again.

George Harper

In 1924, the lefty-hitting George Harper had five career home runs in 350-plus games with the Tigers and Reds, and none 28 games into that season. Harper was traded to the Phillies and hit 16 home runs in 109 games with Philadelphia in the remainder of 1924.

Don Hurst

Hurst was a lefty scorcher for the Phillies who benefited not only from his ballpark, but also his era; he was the lesser Chuck Klein. He debuted at the age of 22 in 1928 and hit 19 home runs in 107 games. He then hit 31 bombs with 125 RBI and 100 runs in 1929 and hit 24 home runs with 143 RBI in 1932.

In 1933, with the offensive explosion era coming to a close, he hit only eight home runs in 550 at-bats, and he was out of baseball in 1934 at the age of 28.

Lefty O’Doul

O’Doul failed to make it as a pitcher in the early part of the ’20s and disappeared from 1924 to 1927. He re-emerged in 1928, but by the end of that season, he’d hit only eight home runs in 190 career games.

In 1929, at the age of 32, he joined the Phillies and hit 32 home runs with 122 RBI, amassed 254 hits, scored 152 runs, and finished with a .398 average and an OPS of 1.087. He had 202 hits the following season and 22 more home runs. In 1931 he left Philly and joined the Dodgers, whose ballpark itself was quite the hitter’s park, and his numbers fell off dramatically.

Johnny Moore

From 1928 to 1933, Johnny Moore was a nobody with the Chicago Cubs, having enjoyed brief success in 1932 when he hit .305 with 13 home runs. The Reds acquired him in 1934 but traded him to the Phillies after he hit .190 with a .506 OPS through 16 games.

In the remainder of the 1934 season, Moore hit 11 home runs with a .343 average. In 1935 he hit 19 home runs with a .323 average, and in 1936 he hit 16 home runs with a .328 average in just 124 games.

Dolph Camilli

Camilli established himself as a slugger for three-plus seasons with the Phillies before joining the Dodgers, with whom he is better known. The two best seasons of his career came with the Phils, when he hit 28 home runs and posted a .315/.441/.577 in 1936 and then hit 27 home runs with a .339/.446/.587 in 1937.

Camilli was saved, in a sense, because when the Phillies switched parks in 1938, Camilli was already in Brooklyn, playing in another park that favored left-handed hitters.

 

So, what’s the point of all this?

You can rest assured—while we can almost completely write off the performances of left-handed Phillies hitting in the Baker Bowl, today’s left-handed Phillies are earning everything they get. Citizens Bank Park still favors hitters, but it is 330 down the right field line and 329 down the left field line.

No gimmes for Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and company.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com .

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Phillies Phestival a ‘Phantastic’ Success

It’s events such as these that proves my frustration towards Philly fan haters is justified. To those who may complain that Philly inhabitants are rude, reckless, and front-runners, read on.

Phillies fans proved they’re just as phanatic as ever at the 26th annual Phillies Phestival Monday night. Over 7,000 fans, the most in phestival history, showed up to Citizen’s Bank Park for the sold out event which raises money for the ALS Association for the fight again Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Though this year’s event could not beat last year’s outstanding total, the phestival successfully raised $801,615 for the ALS Association, according to a press release.

The 2010 team and coaching staff, as well as their wives, and the broadcast crew attended the night’s events to show their support for the cause. In addition, over 30 ALS patients and their families were present, some even lucky enough to have a special meeting with players Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins.

Entertaining phestival-goers was an autograph station, games such as the “Wheel of Phun”, and three photo booths featuring Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and manager Charlie Manuel.

The top bid of the night was for a set of six World Series baseballs which were signed by the 1950, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, and 2009 teams. The set went for an inspiring $4,100 at a live bidding. Ellyn Phillips, president of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of ALS Association was stunned by the growing support for the cause.

“It has been critical to our success,” Phillips said. “We’ve met sponsors that have become more involved with us, the Phillies help us get sponsorship. Believe me, they could pick other charities. We’re fortunate.”

Since the first phestival in 1984, the charity autograph and auction party has raised over $11.8 million for the cause. All the auction proceeds, ticket sales, and sponsorships go to the ALS.

For those who think that all the ‘phanatics’ are good at is booing other teams, and yes, even sometimes their own, hopefully you can realize that beneath the perceived rough exterior is just another city full of people who love their sports teams, and are eager to lend their hand to a good cause.

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Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets: Is Jose Reyes the Modern Day Juan Samuel?

Fresh off of taking two of three from the New York Yankees in the Subway Series this past weekend, the New York Mets play host to Philadelphia for a three-game set starting Tuesday, hoping to get back into the NL East race. 

While the Mets find themselves looking up at the Phillies in the standings,  they may need to look into the Philadelphia Phillies’ past to figure out what to do with one of their current struggling superstars.

The Mets couldn’t be welcoming the Phillies to town at a better time.  Jimmy Rollins, the human embodiment of the Mets-Phillies rivalry, has just gone back on the disabled list with a lingering calf injury.  Rollins, who certainly draws the ire of Mets fans whenever his name is mentioned, also serves as a sparkplug in the Phillies offense and a motivating force in the Mets-Phillies rivalry.

The Rollins injury couldn’t come at a worse time for the Phillies, whose bats have suddenly gone cold for the second time this season.  After scoring 12 runs against the Pirates last Monday, the Phillies have scored a grand total of 15 runs in six subsequent games against the Bucs, Cubs, and Red Sox, including one game in which Daisuke Matzusaka came four outs away from no-hitting the usually robust Phillies offense.

The Mets are not without their own problems, however.  Just two years ago the Mets featured two of the most promising young players in all of baseball on the left side of their infield in David Wright and Jose Reyes.  In 2010, though, there is trouble in Mets-land.  Wright simply seems to have forgotten how to hit the ball; he is hitting a career worst .261 with 60 strikeouts in only 44 games.

Meanwhile, Jose Reyes, who missed almost all of the 2009 season due to injuries and discovered at the beginning of this season that he has a thyroid disorder, has entered the Quentin McCracken Zone (named after the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder who regularly flirted with a batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percent all under .300; this is also known as the 200/200/200 Club).  Reyes currently had an RSL of .222/.266/.284/.550.

So what’s eating Jose Reyes?  As soon as the Phillies get to town, the Mets should ask them what to expect from Reyes, because they’ve been here before.

In the early-to-mid 1980s, the Phillies had their own speedy five-tool infielder from the Dominican Republic by the name of Juan Samuel.

Like Reyes, Samuel could hit for power and steal bases.  Like Reyes, Samuel led the league in triples and at-bats multiple times, and regularly had over 700 plate appearances.  Like Reyes, Samuel had four great seasons in which he looked to be the paradigm for the new generation of ball players.

At the age of 27, however, Juan Samuel figuratively fell off the cliff.  All of his numbers dropped significantly; his on-base percentage went under .300, he had career lows in triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and runs scored, while finishing with a below league-average OPS for the first time.

(Full disclosure: I’ve compared a current player to Juan Samuel before, and it didn’t turn out so well ).

The problem with Samuel was the same problem that Reyes may be having.  Like Reyes, Samuel was never considered to be a patient hitter.  Reyes, like Samuel, relies on his ability to make contact and use his speed to get on base.

The problem with that approach is that once a player who uses that approach begins to lose a little bat-speed, not to mention a little foot-speed, it becomes very difficult to continue to play at a high level.

Samuel was never the same player after he fell off the cliff.  Fortunately for the Phillies, they recognized this almost immediately and got rid of him while he still had some market value.  Ironically, the Phillies sent Samuel to the New York Mets for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, and Tom Edens.  Dykstra, of course, became the centerpiece of the Phillies’ 1993 team, while Samuel was traded away to the Dodgers at the end of the season.

So what’s the point of all this?

Jose Reyes is either having a little trouble coming back from some injury issues, and needs some time to get his mojo back, or, he is at the beginning of the end of the productive part of his career and the Mets need to try to get some return for him while they can.  Whichever it is, the Mets need to figure it out before any of the other teams in the league do. 

Who knows?  Maybe Jose Reyes could be traded away for the cornerstone of the next Mets World Series run.

Let’s just hope that as the Mets look to Phillies history to figure out what to do with the 2010 version of Juan Samuel, the Phillies are also mindful of their own history and avoid sending the Mets the 2010 version of Lenny Dykstra.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com

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Brad Lidge Shoots for Return to Phillies Bullpen Early Next Week

Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who has been on the disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow since May 15, said he will throw in the bullpen both today and Thursday while the Phillies visit the Mets at Citi Field.

Yesterday, Lidge received a cortisone injection for the second time in 2010 in hopes of easing the pain of his ailing right elbow. The Phillies hope Lidge can return to the Phillies’ bullpen early next week.

“It feels like it is,” Lidge was quoted as saying when asked if he feels the inflammation is gone, by Phillies.com. “The key is keeping it out. But I think we’ve figured out some things I can do to keep it out.”

Whether or not Lidge can keep the pain out is a big question—but not the only one facing the Phillies. It’s uncertain whether the Phillies will make Lidge their closer once he returns.

The Phils bullpen has a 3.69 ERA so far the year, the exact same ERA as their starting pitching staff. But that’s misleading. While the Phillies rotation has collectively been excellent through the first seven weeks of 2010, the bullpen has been anything but impressive in close games.

Jose Contreras, the Phillies’ current closer, has been sensational. The 38-year-old has allowed just one run in 14.2 innings this season. The opposition is hitting .163 against him, while he’s walked just two and struck out 20.

With Contreras pitching so well, it’s likely the Phillies will welcome Lidge back with a few appearances in semi-lopsided, no-pressure games.

If Brad is effective in those situations, he could be used as the club’s setup man in place of either Chad Durbin or Danys Baez. Ryan Madson, the most ineffective pitcher in the Phillies bullpen this season, is not expected to return from his broken toe until the end of June.

Lidge made his first major league appearance of the season in a 9-1 loss to the Mets back on April 30 at Citizens Bank Park, where he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced (former Phillie catcher Rod Barajas). Lidge only recorded one out before being removed from the game.

Two weeks later, after pitching in three other games, Brad was back on the DL.

Manager Charlie Manuel will no doubt be very careful not to overwork Lidge when he returns from the DL, whether he’s being used as closer, setup man, or mop-up man.

Decisions, decisions for the Phillies.

But the Phillies’ only goal for right now is to get Lidge healthy for the first time in 13 months (thanks again for your honesty this time, Brad).

Getting Jimmy Rollins back in the lineup would be nice too…

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Is It Time To Worry About Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies?

The author of this column has a request:

Please don’t even think about blaming Roy Halladay’s tough start against the Red Sox on his high pitch counts in previous games.

Don’t rip Roy. Don’t second-guess Charlie. Don’t go there.

But watching the Phillies get their butts kicked by Boston continues to be an annual interleague ritual.

For more on that, click here. It ain’t pretty.

Sunday’s final score of 8-3 was misleading. It wasn’t that close. The Phillies were embarrassed, even with their three cosmetic, hollow ninth-inning runs.

Their play on Sunday (and Saturday, too) was totally disheartening, but not at all because of Mr. Halladay’s effort.

No, Roy wasn’t great against the Sox. Not even he can be every time. But his final pitching line in the box score is extremely misleading. The Phils ace deserved a much better fate.

A Kevin Youkilis second-inning triple set the stage for Boston’s first run. The ball was in center fielder Shane Victorino’s mitt as he flagged down the drive to deep center. Tough play for Shane, but a play he usually makes.

Two innings later, Adrian Beltre’s tailor-made double-play grounder with the bases loaded went right through third baseman Greg Dobbs’ legs, leading to two runs and a 3-0 Boston lead.

Halladay could have easily had a shutout through five innings had those plays been made. By the time the Sox tacked on four runs in the sixth to make it 7-0, it was obvious that things just weren’t meant to be…  

Once again, the Phillies offense came up small behind their ace. In five of Halladay’s 10 starts, the Phils have scored two runs or less with him on the mound. Four runs of support for Doc should be enough to win most every game. Philly has scored just a single run in its last 16 innings with Roy out there.

Halladay still has six wins this season, but he could easily have eight if only he got the same run support that teammate Jamie Moyer has received over his years in Philly.

Meanwhile, Boston starters Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield entered this weekend’s series with a combined two wins in 10 starts a 6.21 ERA during 2010.

Teams were teeing off these guys. Apparently not the Phillies.

Dike-K and Wake combined to shut out the Phils on six hits in 16 total innings.

Of course, the Phils offense just isn’t the same without Jimmy Rollins, replaced on the 15-day DL this Saturday. High-quality shortstops such as J-Roll are extremely rare, the main reason why the Phillies should make re-signing him a much higher priority than re-upping two-month legend Jayson Werth.

So far this season we’ve seen just how much the Phils miss Jimmy’s multi-faceted offense and steel trap-tight defense.

But injuries are part of the game. No excuses, the Phillies missed a great chance this weekend.

Boston came into the series at just 22-20, good for fourth place in the ultra-competitive AL East. The Phils wouldn’t be facing Boston’s two best starters (Jon Lester and Clay Buccholz) while the Sox would be facing the Phillies’ two best (Cole Hamels and Halladay). In the NL park, the Sox wouldn’t be able to use red-hot David Ortiz as a DH, while Boston’s bullpen had been worked extremely hard in its two-game Monday and Tuesday series at the Yankees.

The Phils even had tons of momentum after taking Friday’s series opener, 5-1, behind Cole Hamels’ awesome performance.

But old habits die hard. The Phils are now 5-16 against the Red Sox since 2004 and 11-25 overall in interleague play since 2008. Yeah, and the 2010 interleague play schedule resumes in just a few weeks. Gulp.

As always, the key as a fan is to keep each loss, and win, in perspective.

It’s hard for any fan not to be extremely pleased with the Phillies current 26-17 record, and come July, maybe their lineup and pitching staff will be back to almost full strength.

The New York Mets will continue to whine about their injuries (as always) while the Phillies will continue to win despite their own.

Of course, these Phillies always get better as October inches closer.

In case the author wasn’t clear enough, the answer to the headline question is a resounding NO.  

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Are Philadelphia Sports Fans Truly Front-Runners?

Back on August 13th, 2008, Jimmy Rollins became a short-term pariah in Philadelphia because of something he said on FOX’s Best Damned Sports Show, Period in response to a question about whether or not it’s tough playing in Philadelphia.

“There are times,” Rollins told the other guys on set, “I might catch some flak for saying this, but, you know, they’re front-runners. When you’re doing good, they’re on your side. When you’re doing bad, they’re completely against you.”

That was the absolute worst thing Rollins could have ever said but—perhaps enforcing his point—all was forgotten and forgiven once the Phillies won the World Series that year. The quote hasn’t really been brought up since then, but with the success the Flyers are having of late, it’s time to talk about it again.

If you’re from the Philadelphia area, take a look around every once in a while.

Before the Phillies’ improbable playoff run in 2007, did you ever see anything more than the slightest hint of Phillies red around the city?

During the 90’s, did you ever see a wave of Eagles green engulfing the sidewalks?

Now that the Sixers are slumping, do you ever see more than a few loyal fans donning their Sixers gear?

And now that the Flyers are making a run, how much more orange and black is there all over the city?

People who only a few years ago would have told you they thought the only Michael Richards was the guy who played Kramer on Seinfeld are suddenly Flyers fanatics who still think Boucher is the one shutting down the Canadiens because they haven’t watched a single game.

Every team has their loyal fan base that sticks with them through thick and thin. If their team is down by 21 points, 10 runs, or 5 goals they’re still in the stands or in front of the TV watching until the very bitter end because the hope for a miracle is still there.

But now, more and more, we’re seeing the “casual fans” who go out and buy a jersey-shirt or two and toss it on when they go out to the bars with their buddies. They learn a few names and regurgitate something they heard on ESPN until they’re welcomed aboard as a fan.

Every city has their group of people like that, but Philadelphia truly might be one of the worst cities when it comes to that sort of thing.

After a win, the city is littered with that respective team’s merchandise. But after a loss, it’s like they’re once again the red-headed stepchild.

The worst, however, are girls wearing Phillies shirts who probably couldn’t tell you the significance behind the phrase “Struck him out!” (in my best Harry Kalas) past that it’s what happens when the guy holding the wooden stick gets three—maybe four— strikes.

I would never lump all Philly fans together and say they’re all front-runners, but there is a large group of Philadelphians who truly are nothing but fair-weather fans.

It’s fine to support your city’s team when they’re in the playoffs, just don’t pretend like you’ve been watching since day one and go blow an entire paycheck on some new gear if you can’t formulate your own opinion on the team because you’re far too ignorant on the subject and are simply parroting someone else.

By the way, I think Cole Hamels needs to be traded for Cliff Lee, Kevin Kolb is the savior, Michael Leighton is the greatest Philadelphia hero since Dr. J, and Andre Iguodala needs to be traded immediately.

(If you believe all of that, I’m probably talking about you.)

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Raul Valdes Likely Taking John Maine’s Spot in New York Mets Rotation

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have a tentative schedule to pitch Raul Valdes in the first game of the Phillies series in place of John Maine, who just went on the DL with shoulder weakness.

Igarashi Takahashi will be back in there for the second game against Philly and Mike Pelfrey will be pitching the last.

At least they haven’t put Oliver Perez back in the rotation, but it is interesting that they would turn to a member of their bullpen instead of going to the minors. Although now that R.A. Dickey is already in the rotation, there is no obvious choice to get called up.

Pat Misch would probably make the most sense, especially considering that he is lined up to pitch that day and manager Jerry Manuel said that he wants a lefty against the Phillies. Misch is also putting up pretty good numbers in Buffalo, 4-0 with a 3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings. Dillon Gee might be another possibility, but he would have to go on short rest.

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Related Stories

• April 14, 2010 — If Not John Maine Than Who? (0)
• April 11, 2010 — Mets Roster Moves: Everts DFA’d, Green DL’d, and Valdes Up (0)

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