Ruben Amaro Jr. Is Commited To Winning With Philadelphia Phillies

There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring a general manager for a Major League Baseball team: Either you hire a businessman or a baseball man.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have gone the businessman route with Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and have been successful.

On the other side of the coin there are the Chicago White Sox and general manager Kenny Williams, a former MLB player who worked his way up from scout to the top of the front office and has done a solid job in Chicago for the past 10 years.

What we have here in Philadelphia is an incredible combination of both.

Ruben Amaro Jr. is a third generation baseball man. His grandfather Santo was a feared hitter in the Mexican League for 17 years, and his father Ruben Senior was a Gold Glove shortstop for the Phillies, as well as first base coach on the 1980 World Championship squad.

Amaro Jr. has been around baseball all his life. He was a batboy for the Phillies from 1980-1983 and played eight years in the Majors. This alone is impressive, but add into the mix that Amaro went to school at Penn Charter and then on to Stanford University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. Along the way he was a star on the 1987 NCAA College World Series championship team.

Ed Wade brought Amaro aboard in 1998 as assistant GM. He remained in this position through the three seasons that Pat Gillick led the team. As an assistant from ’98 to 2008 he was involved in a nice turnaround that had a lowlight of a 65-win season in 2005 and finished with a World Series win in 2008 under third-year general manager Gillick, who retired after the season, handing the keys over to Amaro.

This combination of a lifelong baseball man with a quality education is evident time after time in the moves that come out of this front office. Amaro goes out and gets Raul Ibanez and Chan Ho Park and re-signs Jamie Moyer.

Down the stretch in 2009 Amaro brings in Matt Stairs, who was a big contributor in the postseason, by giving up Fabio Castro to the Blue Jays. The day before the trade deadline Amaro pulls the trigger and brings in Cliff Lee by giving Cleveland three marginal players and Jason Knapp; Lee finished 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA. With a National League pennant in his first year in the big chair, Amaro was off to a good start.

The 2010 season has had some ups and downs in regards to personnel moves but seems to be fairly steady right now. Trading the rights of Cliff Lee didn’t sit well with most people, and it looks worse now that the top prospect that the Phillies got in return, Tyson Gillies (who is legally deaf), appears to have some legal problems in front of him.

That move was countered by signing Roy Halladay, with Kyle Drabek being the big name given up in the trade. Placido Polanco, a Gold Glove second baseman with the Tigers, comes back to Philadelphia, a place that he said he never wanted to leave, to play third base. Polanco was a huge sign; he is an excellent fielder and was the second best clutch hitter on the Tigers behind Miguel Cabrera.

Add Roy Oswalt, who the Phillies acquired from the Astros, and I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives in the trade category.

The Phillies have been plagued by injuries this season and have done an incredible job fighting though it. Amaro’s decision to bring Domonic Brown to the majors was probably not going to happen until the September call-ups, but it appears to have been the right move.

The Detroit Tigers have been in the same situation this season as far as injuries go and haven’t reacted the same as the Phillies; they are in third place, 10 games back. Good teams react differently than great teams, and the Phillies are a great team right now.

Amaro made an excellent move this week, bringing aboard Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter as a minor league pitching consultant. While this move might fly under the radar of most people, it shows a huge commitment to the future of the ball club. Here you have a man with a 2.83 career ERA working with young talent.

It’s moves like this that separate the better teams in the league from the rest of the pack. This was a move made by the ballplayer Amaro. The contracts and numbers are where the Stanford grad Amaro shines.

The Phillies are in a unique position right now. They are being led by a man that sees both sides of the fence. The future should be very bright with Ruben Amaro Jr., with his vast knowledge of baseball and his knowledge in general, leading the team.

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Hard to Believe, Harry: Howard Loses It, and Who Batted Oswalt?

(Sports Irreverence from The Other Tip of the Goldberg)

All of us Phillies fans should have been happily dusting off our Whitey Ashburn impressions and laughing at the madcap turn of events of last night’s 16-inning bizarro thriller versus the Astros at Citizens Bank Park. Only, the game did not end happily—a 4-2 loss to a mediocre team at home is not my idea of a happy ending.

Now, there are only 37 games left to either catch the Braves or to hang on to our precarious wild card lead (now at .001 percentage points) over the Giants. So, now…

Many Phils fans might be channeling their disgust and dejection in Harry the K’s voice,after (the now-retired) Craig Biggio took Billy Wagner deep here in an ill-fated pennant race a few years back. They say you can watch a million baseball games and still see something new on the million-and-first, and who am I to disagree with that proverb? 

And, one day we’ll even laugh about this one. Is this the day?  In the meantime…

Let’s hope that Uncle Cholly can get us a better 16th inning cleanup hitter than Roy Oswalt.  Chase is struggling, and needs more protection than a career .158 hitter with (ready for this baseball geeks?) a .176 OBP, a .370 OPS, and an unheard of OPS-plus of minus-2. 

I got cut from my high school baseball team (still pissed about that, but) and my OPS-plus is two points higher than Oswalt’s.  On the plus side, Oswalt can flat out play left field, and I’m now struggling to make the long throw from third in a Jewish men’s softball league.

Looking at the remaining 37 games, I would keep Ibanez as the all-important fourth-string first baseman.  He made a great play in the 15th, beating Bourne to the bag—and the umps even called Bourne out this time. 

Yes, keep him behind Howard, Gload, and Sweeney on the depth chart, but don’t let any of those September call-ups drop him to fifth on the depth chart.  Can’t afford to entrust that key role to a rookie.

Polanco looked great starting that 5-4-3 double play.  The only problem  was that both runners were safe, and the winning run scored.  Seems like every 16-inning loss at home to the stinking Astros features one of those.  Just as every 16-inning loss at home to the stinking Astros  features:

• Ryan Howard going 0-7 with five K’s, five LOBs, and an ejection for thinking about murdering a replacement ump.  Howard’s awfully lucky that he has a rookie-of-the-year, an MVP, multiple All-Star appearances, and gazillion power stats under his belt, or I’d call for his release today.  Every 16-inning loss at home to the stinking Astros  is attributable to his choking—and his vicious temper.
• Can Hollywood Hamels please win a game for us?  Yes, his ERA is low, but we scored him a run this time.   No excuses; what does he expect? Can’t stand prosperity.

I repeat that, in time, we’ll all laugh about that crazy game that ended in the wee hours of August 25, 2010—if we make the playoffs, that is.  You know, if Oswalt were any good—and worth the millions that Houston left for us to pay him—he would have taken that Jeff Fulchino (What the Fulch?!) deep with a three-run jack to win this thing.

Should we have traded Happ for Fulchino instead?  Although he’s listed at a more-than-svelte 286 pounds, I’ve heard that’s deceiving. I’ve also heard that he plays a mean 18th-inning center field.

And can’t you just hear Harry the K—with those majestic, mellifluous pipes—saying, “And, a great shoestring catch by that Jeff Ful-chi-no.”  After chuckling, he’ll hand it off to his co-icon, Whitey, for the all-time Phillies rejoinder:

“Hard to believe, Harry.”

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Ryan Howard Tossed: Why the MLB Needs to Rein in Its Umpires

With two outs in the 9th inning, the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins homered to tie Houston at 2-2.

With two outs in the 16th inning, and two men on, Ryan Howard should have been in a position to win the game 5-4.

But Howard had long hit the showers.

Why?

He was tossed from the game several innings earlier by third base umpire Scott Barry, a minor league replacement ump.

—See the worst calls in sports history—

Howard’s crime?

Disagreeing with two appealed check swing calls in the same at bat, the latter resulting in Howard striking out (and going 0-7 on the night).

The first check swing, Howard put his hands on his hips, which Barry mocked right back.

“Unprofessional,” is how Phillies color analyst Larry Anderson described it on the radio.

The second check swing, which was a TERRIBLE call if you’ve seen the replay, garnered almost an immediate ejection after Howard’s reaction.

Howard charged Barry and had to be restrained.

The Big Guy was HOT, pointing at the home plate umpire saying, “Don’t you try to stop me.”

This is the same ump that tossed the Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman after throwing his bat to the ground on a swinging strike three (foul tip). The same Ryan Zimmerman that had NEVER been ejected from a game.

The Nats’ Rob Dibble was apoplectic.

“I shouldn’t know these guys’ names,” he fumed, referring to the umpires.

So instead of Howard standing in with a chance to redeem himself for an 0-7 night, Roy Oswalt got pressed into duty. As a left-fielder no less.

This marked the second night in a row that the the Phillies were on the wrong side of an umpire “judgment call.” 

First base umpire Greg Gibson ruled Monday night that Michael Bourne did not run out of the basebath after a bunt attempt, nor did Ryan Howard apply the tag. 

Replays showed both calls were suspect.

Houston would push what proved to be the winning run across the plate with two outs in the inning. A run that would not have had a chance to score had Bourne been ruled out at first.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel would eventually be tossed. According to the Phillies radio broadcast, it wasn’t the first time this particular ump had ejected Manuel.

He then cited MLB regulations saying he wouldn’t talk about the call. (Funny how Jim Joyce was able to)

So, two consecutive games. Two consecutive controversial losses.

Perhaps it’s karmic retrobution for the Phillies extra innings win over the Florida Marlins on August 6, when earlier in the game third base umpire Bob Davidson called Gaby Sanchez’s line drive down the third base “foul.”

Replays showed the ball was clearly inside the third base bag, yet Davidson was defiant afterwards, saying he called the play correctly.

There are two problems here.

First, the drumbeat for instant replay is growing louder.

Purists can claim “human element” all they want. I consider myself a baseball purist, and the game needs replay.

More time is wasted with managers arguing the call instead of just looking at the play and making a determination.

The Little League World Series is using replay, and a close play at first base between Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia was reviewed and overturned this past weekend.

It was quick. It was decisive.

It was correct.

The second issue is the attitude problems some of these umpires have. 

Maybe Barry was looking to make a name for himself. He is a replacement, afterall.

Davidson could have asked for help from the home plate umpire on the Bourne play.

He did not.

Nor could the other umps intervene.

Gibson had to ask for help.

He chose not to.

NFL refs huddle when another sees a play differently. They discuss it. And try to get the call right.

And replay is there for the occasions when they get it wrong.

MLB needs to get handle on those that handle the rules.

Because these moments will get replayed-on SportsCenter and other highlight shows.

Over and over and over again.

The game would be better served if those highlights showed its officials getting the call right.

One way or another.

 

 

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: An Epic, Five-Hour Thriller Leaves Team Scrambled

PHILADELPHIA — For huge baseball fans, watching the Phils vs. Astros was a treat. This was the longest game in Citizens Bank Park since 2004; five hours and twenty minutes worth of baseball showcasing a bullpen battle, which took us through 16 innings. This landed Roy Oswalt in left field, and Raul Ibanez at first base.

A day after the controversial call by Umpire Greg Gibson, the Phillies and Astro’s serve up an epic 16 inning thriller.

This game served a lot of excitement starting in the ninth inning when Jimmy Rollins tied the game at two a piece in the ninth, with a dramatic, towering, home-run to send the game into extra innings.

With an out of character Ryan Howard ejection in the 14th, and the bullpen performing magnificently for eight scoreless innings, the Phils were forced to go to the all-pro starter Roy Oswalt to man left-field for them, clear into Wednesday morning.

With one out in the top of the 16th, Phillies Pitcher, David Herndon, approaching 50 pitches, showed fagitue, hitting a batter and loading the bases for Houston’s, Chris Johnson.

Despite a trip to the mound by Dubee, and a tremendous subsequent diving stop by Polanco on a ball drilled to third base, the Phils weren’t able to get anyone out. Eventually, the scrambling of the roster finally takes its toll on the Phillies.

A ground ball hit to Jimmy Rollins was thrown to Utley for one out, but the throw to Ibanez, playing a position he doesn’t normally play, first base, was bobbled allowing another to score making it 4-2 with two outs in the top of the 16th.

After the Astro’s loaded the bases again, Herndon strikes out the sides, leaving the resilient Phillies with two options—score, or lose.

At 12:16am the Phils took bat, looking to do what they do best—make magic.

With one man on base, the Phils could have won the game with a walk off home-run. The Houston Astros, wisely decided to pass on Utley and take a chance pitching to their old ace, Roy Oswalt, putting the game on the line.

In the end, after a battle at the plate between Oswalt and his former team, it just wasn’t meant to be. Leaving the fate of another pennant race game in the hands of another sensitive, arrogant, tight-pantied umpire with an ultra contentious disposition, ultimately, costing them the game.

The Phils lose two home games back to back for the first time in a half and a month, but, this isn’t all gloom and doom.

What we’ve seen from the Phillies, nonetheless, is the very resilient quality of fighting until there’s no more roster spots left.

Also on the bright side, the Braves have lost too.

Something has got to be done about the Phillies offense and these diva’s who are umping the games.

Aside from all of that, the Phillies have two very important series coming up against the division leading Padres, and the wily Los Angeles Dodgers.

It’s looking more and more like the Phillies season is going to come down to the last series against those much talked about Atlanta Braves.

Happy September baseball!

 

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Frustrations Boil Over in Philadelphia Phillies’ 16-Inning Loss

With Cole Hamels on the mound, everyone knew the game would be a low-scoring affair…for both teams.

It’s seemingly just as hard for the Phillies’ offense to score when Hamels pitches as it is for the opposing team, and the trend would continue in Game Two of a four-game series against the Houston Astros.

Hamels left the game in the seventh inning after giving up only two runs. Unfortunately, his offense only gave him one.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Jimmy Rollins came through with a solo shot to tie the game at two and send it into extras.

And when I say “extras,” I mean they almost played a full second game.

Six completed extra innings later had the Phillies and Astros all the way into the 16th inning without an end in sight. Both teams had a few baserunners here and there, but for the most part, the bullpen for both teams was outstanding and nearly unhittable.

That is, until David Herndon entered his third inning of work.

Herndon had already pitched two perfect innings and, due to the lack of available pitchers, the Phils hoped he had a third in him. But, as it turns out, Herndon and the Phillies just were not meant to win this game.

A crazy chopper that went over Herndon’s head, followed by a hit batter, a wild pitch, and an intentional walk loaded the bases for the Astros.

An infield single and a fielder’s choice would put the Phillies down by two runs entering the bottom of the 16th inning.

Brian Schneider would lead off and ground out. As the lineup turned over, Rollins would strike out. Placido Polanco took a walk (a rare sight) and Chase Utley would step to the plate, representing the tying run.

However, with Roy Oswalt on board, the Astros chose to walk Utley and get Oswalt to the plate.

Now, if you didn’t watch the game, I understand your confusion. Let’s press pause for just a second and go over the sequence of events quickly.

In the 14th inning, Ryan Howard checked his swing on an 0-1 pitch. After an appeal down to third base ump Scott Barry, Howard was down 0-2 and nearly lost his cool after Barry mocked Howard, who put his hands on his hips and shot a confused glance after the call.

He began complaining and, after being warned by the home base ump, the now-infamous Greg Gibson, Howard said he was only mad at himself (which no one really bought) and everyone got ready for the next pitch.

Fast forward a bit, the count is now 1-2, and Howard again checks his swing on a ball low and inside. Again, the Astros appeal down to third, and Howard is ruled out on strikes.

Clearly frustrated, Howard threw his bat and starting mouthing off, which immediately got him ejected. Then, in a move no one would have ever expected out of the usually level-headed Howard, he chucked his helmet and was on a B-line for Barry.

Polanco came out and had to physically restrain Howard, or there’s no telling what Howard might have done once he reached Barry. He was clearly enraged at the call and had flown off the handle. It could have gotten very ugly, very quickly.

In fact, as Howard began walking toward Barry, the home base ump tried talking to him to calm him down.

Howard could immediately be seen pointing at Gibson and yelling “Don’t you f**king talk to me!” and nearly took out third-base coach Sam Perlozzo as he jogged toward Barry.

Barry, by the way, is usually a Triple-A ump who was filling in. He kept his cool and stood his ground, but he had to be scared out of his mind seeing a very large and very angry Ryan Howard headed his way.

And because Howard was ejected and the Phillies’ last bench player, Brian Schneider, took over at catcher for Carlos Ruiz, Charlie Manuel would have to pick one of his pitchers to put out into left field for Raul Ibanez, who was taking Howard’s place at first.

The final call was Oswalt. And not only was it the first time in nearly 40 years a Phillies pitcher would play the field, Oswalt would also get tossed into the clean-up spot.

While amusing at first, it was a situation the Phillies knew would come back to bite them.

Which leads us beautifully back into our story and ends my little digression.

Oswalt came up to the plate with guys on first and second and two outs. He fought his way to a 2-2 count, but grounded out to third base to end one of the wildest games the MLB has seen thus far in 2010.

So while it was an entertaining game all in all, it’s an enormous failure for the Phils.

Not only did they exhaust every player possible, but they still wound up losing to an inferior team, missed an opportunity to gain some ground on the Atlanta Braves (who lost 5-2 to the Rockies), and will most likely be without Howard for some time while he serves a suspension.

As a man, I understand why Howard was so angry with Barry. But, as a player, he’s got to be smarter than that and understand what’s at stake.

Instead, he’ll be on the bench for who knows how long while Mike Sweeney fills in at first and Jayson Werth takes over the cleanup role.

So much for getting used to the usual lineup again.

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Greg Gibson: Meet the New Resident on Philadelphia’s ‘Boo List’

Greg Gibson is a 41-year-old Ohio-born man, who has worked as an umpire for some 13 years.

On August 23, 2010 he made a controversial, potential game deciding call, against a team in the heat of a vicious pennant race. If that is not enough, he consulted nobody for a second opinion.

In the top of the eighth, Ryan Howard fielded a bunt by Michael Bourn and dove to tag Bourn. Bourn ran out of the base path to avoid the tag, and proceeded to first base where he was called safe.

Bourn was definitely out of the three feet zone allowed to base-runners to run off the path. Despite the pleas from players and Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel, who ended up being tossed from the game, Gibson stuck to his guns—no questions asked. Even Chase Utley, who never complains, had a few words with the hard-headed, umpire.

This calls into my mind the question: Is this replay resistance really about time, or an act of pride, and refusal to accept the fact that you make mistakes?

Now, as a writer, I know how hard it may be to accept mistakes in an industry which requires efficiency and accuracy. But come on, Gibson, you’ve got to know you’re wrong.

This isn’t McDonald’s, we can’t just bring the hamburger back, Gregory.

Gibson has made other controversial calls this year also.

On April 24, 2010, Gibson, the same umpire who called home plate for the first instant replay game, was umpiring for a Twins vs Royals game, when he emphatically called Scott Podsednik out at second on a force play, ending the game, when Podsednik had clearly beat the throw from J.J. Hardy after the shortstop bobbled the ball.

I understand you have to stick to your guns in a moment that demands decisiveness, but lets have some balance here. It was, at least, worth a second look.

What’s more interesting, however, is the deja vu factor that comes into play. Exactly two months earlier, the same exact play happened with the Phils on the opposite side of the play, and Gibson, the first base umpire, ruled against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

In the bottom of the second inning, Shane Victorino grounded out to the pitcher, and when faced with a tag, veered off the base path into the grass, sprawling out to touch first, but was called out by Gibson. This lead to yet another argument, and another tossing of Charlie Manuel.

Although it had no bearing on the game, those two plays have some feeling as if Gibson is biased against the Phillies.

Either way, this guy may have earned himself into the same, mansion-sized, Philadelphia doghouse as Kobe Bryant, Adam Eaton, and Santa Claus.

They may have to set a time and challenge limit, like the NFL, but at this time in the year, it’s crucial not to let pride and/or bias decide games.

For more from Vincent Heck please visit: www.vincentheckwriting.com

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Ruben Amaro Jr. Is Commited To Winning In Philadelphia

       There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring a General Manager for a Major League Baseball team, either you hire a business man or a baseball man. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have gone the business man rout with Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and have been successful. On the other side of the coin there are the Chicago White Sox and General Manager Kenny Williams, a former MLB player who worked his way up from scout to the top of the front office, who has done a solid job in Chicago for the past ten years.

       What we have here in Philadelphia is an incredible combination of both. Ruben Amaro Jr is a third generation baseball man, his grandfather Santo was a feared hitter in the Maexican League for 17 years, and his father Ruben senior was a gold glove shortstop for the Phillies as well as first base coach on the 1980 World Championship squad.

       Amaro Jr has been around baseball all his life, he was a bat boy for the Phillies from 1980-1983, and played eight years in the Majors. This alone is impressive but add into the mix that Amaro went to school at Penn Charter then on to Stanford University where he graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. Along the way he was a star on the 1987 NCAA College World Series Championship team.

       Ed Wade brought Amaro aboard in 1998 as assistant GM, he remained in this position through the three seasons that Pat Gillick led the team. As an assistant from ’98 to 2008 he was involved in a nice turnaround that had a low light of a 65 win season in 2005 and finished with a World Series win in 2008 under third year General Manager Gillick who retired after the season handing the keys over to Amaro.

       This combination of a life long baseball man with a quality education is evident time after time in the moves that come out of this front office. He goes out and gets Raul Ibanez and Chan Ho Park, and resigns Jamie Moyer.  Down the stretch in 2009 Amaro brings in Matt Stairs who was a big contributor in the post season, by giving up Fabio Castro to the Blue Jays. The day before the trade deadline Amaro pulls the trigger and brings in Cliff Lee by giving Cleveland three marginal players and and JC Knapp, Lee finished 5-0 with a 0.68 era. With a National League Pennant in his first year in the big chair Amaro was off to a good start.

       The 2010 season has had some ups and downs in regards to personnel moves but seems to be fairly steady right now. Trading the rights of Cliff Lee didn’t sit well with most people, and it looks worse now that the top prospect that the Phillies got in return, Tyson Gillies (who is legally deaf) appears to have some legal problems in front of him. That move was countered by signing Roy Halliday with Kyle Drabek being the big name given up in the trade. Placido Polanco a gold glove second baseman with the Tigers comes back to Philadelphia, a place that he said he never wanted to leave, to play third base. Polanco was a huge sign, he is an excellent fielder and was the second  best clutch hitter on the Tigers behind Miguel Cabrera. Add Roy Oswalt, who the Phillies acquired from the Astros and I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives in the trade category.

       The Phillies have been plagued with injuries this season and have done an incredible job fighting though it, Amaro’s decision to bring Domonic Brown to the majors was proboly not going to happen until the September call ups, but it appears to have been the right move. The Detroit Tigers have been in the same situation this season as far as injuries go and haven’t reacted the same as the Phillies and are in 3rd place 10 games back. Good teams react differently than great teams and the Phillies are a great team right now.

       Amaro made an excellent move this week bringing aboard Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter as a minor league pitching consultant. While this move might fly under the radar of most people, it shows a huge commitment to the future of the ball club. Here you have a man with a 2.83 career era working with young talent. It’s moves like this that separate the better teams in the league from the rest of the pack. This was a move made by the ballplayer Amaro. The contracts and numbers are where the Stanford grad Amaro shines.

       The Phillies are in a unique position right now, they are being led by a man that sees both sides of the fence. The future should be very bright with Ruben Amaro Jr, with his vast knowledge of baseball and his knowledge in general, leading the team.

 

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The 10 Best Moves the Philadelphia Phillies Never Made

“You remember when they traded Bobby Abreu for Matt Smith, CJ Henry, Carlos Monasterios, and Jesus Sanchez?”

“Yeah, that was bad but they got Shane Victorino in the Rule 5 draft so it makes up for it.”

People remember the good trades and the bad trades but no one ever seems to talk about the moves that didn’t happen. Most of the moves that you will read about led to a World Series Championship in 2008 and a World Series appearance in 2009.

Without some of these moves, the people in this picture would have had no reason to congregate in Center City, Philadelphia on October 31, 2008.

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Karma Catches Up To Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park

After being the beneficiaries of a terrible call against the Marlins back on Aug. 4, the Phillies got to feel what it’s like to be on the other end of a call Monday night.

With a man on first, Michael Bourn bunted the ball up the first-base line. Ryan Howard fielded the ball a few feet away from the base-line in fair territory, and make a spectacular dive to tag Bourn on his way to first.

Or so we thought.

Bourn lept off to his right side, jumping into the grass, and presumably leaving the baseline which would mean he’s out anyway, regardless if Howard actually tagged him or not.

Again, you would think so, wouldn’t you?

But up pops the MLB’s ridiculously vague rule about what constitutes leaving the baseline. In the rules, they say a runner can’t be more than three feet away from “his” baseline. And what exactly is “his” baseline?

Per the MLB rulebook, “a runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely.”

So, apparently, Bourn’s baseline didn’t start until Howard attempted to tag him.

“I said, ‘If that’s the damn case, he can go all the way to the dugout,'” Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel said after the game. “[First-base umpire Greg Gibson] said, ‘Yeah, if he establishes his baseline over there, he can.’ I don’t understand that.”

It might not be exactly fair to call this a “bad call” since it’s more a result of an inexcusably vague rule, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Phils got the short-end of the straw.

It’s like the NFL’s infamous Tuck Rule game between the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots back in 2001. Just because the rules say it wasn’t actually a fumble, does not mean that the Raiders didn’t get royally shafted.

Everyone watching that play knew it was a fumble, and everyone watching this play knew Bourn was out one way or another.

It also doesn’t help that Gibson made a similar call this season when the Phillies faced the Cleveland Indians.

The call went against the Phils that time too, except that time when Shane Victorino attempted to do the same thing Bourn did Monday night, he was ruled out.

Same circumstances, same umpire, but a different call? The main focus of the rules should be to take as much discretion as possible away from the umpires, not give them more. This rule and this set of circumstances proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The MLB needs to rewrite the rule so there’s absolutely no confusion as to what is and what is not the baseline.

Make it the actual line, stick more closely to the “three feet” part of the rule, or just say they’re going to abolish the baseline idea altogether and we can watch a speedy guy like Bourn just run in a circle until Howard is too tired to throw to first or tag him.

But whatever they do, they need to make it a concrete rule that everyone can clearly follow.

It certainly didn’t help that Ryan Madson got smacked around a little bit in only one inning of work and eventually gave up what would be the winning run, but if the Phils could score more than two runs it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

Had they taken advantage of opportunities presented to them earlier in the game, they could be walking away complaining about the call, but comforted by the thought that it didn’t wind up costing them the game. Instead, they’re extra sore because they feel they’ve been cheated.

“Games like tonight, these are the games we have to win,” Manuel said. “That’s a game we’re supposed to win and have to win.”

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The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies: What It Will Take To Get Them Back

The Phillies have had some games in which their offense was not as good as it could have been, games in which they were held to very few runs, and games in which they had many base runners but just couldn’t seem to get hits in important situations.  Even some of those games were against pitchers who were not all that great.

When I looked at the score from one of those games, my initial thought was that maybe the reason they couldn’t knock in the runners was that their lineup wasn’t very good.

But in a moment, I realized that I was wrong.  The problem was not in their lineup.  The problem was in their players. The lineup had holes.

The Phillies have a very solid team.  They have great pitching, great offense, a good manager, and good coaches. They are just a plain, good, old team.

Because of that they have, unlike many other teams, the potential to do good.  They have a World Series winning lineup.  They have a starting rotation that is one of the best in the league.  They have all that it takes to win.

Those players who created the holes had the potential to do great.  If they were playing as good as they had at their best, they would have knocked in those runs. 

The Phillies won the World Series in 2008, and they won the National League title in 2009.  Both of those years, the key to their success was that all of their players were playing as good as they could.

For a lot of teams, the only reason they lose is because their players aren’t very good, and the only reason they win is because their players surprise everyone by doing good.

But not the Phillies.

Almost every single one of the Phillies players is good.  There are no surprises when Ryan Howard hits a home run.  There are no surprises when Jimmy Rollins steals a base. 

Because those players are good.  The Phillies are good.

The Phillies win when all of the players in their lineup play as good as they have, as good as they could, as good as they should.  That is the key to the team of the Philadelphia Phillies.  They just have to get all their players playing on the top of their game.

The Phillies have the potential to win.  They have the ability to win.  They have the skill to win.  They have the players to win.  All they have to do is to get it to fit.

That’s what they did when they won the World Series.  And that’s what they have to do to win it again.

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