Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley’s Health and Brad Lidge’s Arm Key to Big Wins

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the 2011 season as the class of the National League East by a large margin. The Phillies continue to upgrade their team while their divisional opponents struggle to keep up. The Mets continue to run their organization into the ground, the Nationals aren’t quite ready yet, the Braves hired a manger who will cost them a dozen games this season, and the Marlins continue to trade away good players for nothing.

Yet doubts seem to be creeping in by certain people due to the fact that the Phillies have had a number of injuries during spring training. So let’s take a deeper look at the Phillies team as a whole.

The rotation of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton is the best rotation in baseball by a mile. Cole Hamels could be a No. 1 starter on any other team in baseball, but is currently the Phillies No. 4 starter! Joe Blanton could easily be a No. 2 starter for most teams in baseball and there were doubts he was even good enough to make the rotation! Barring Oswalt and/or Lee missing a few starts due to nagging injuries, the rotation has the possibility of having four 20-game winners.

The bullpen is a little shaky at the moment due to the uncertainty of Brad Lidge. Having Jose Contreras close over Ryan Madson to start the season is a crapshoot, but once all the roles settle in towards the end of April, the bullpen should become a strength, at least in the late innings. The long relievers need to prove themselves to continue being on the major league roster.

First base is a strong position for many teams and the Phillies have one of the best in baseball. Second base is also a strong position for the Phillies. They have the second best second baseman in baseball if he can stay healthy, which has been a problem of late. At shortstop they have an adequate, cagey veteran in Jimmy Rollins who is looking for a new contract and may put up a decent year as a result. To round out the infield, the Phillies have one of the most underrated players in baseball history who will be more than serviceable yet again this season.

Behind the plate the Phillies have a catcher who could be dubbed the third best catcher in baseball. Outside of Joe Mauer and Brian McCann, there aren’t any catchers that are any good, so the mere fact that Carlos Ruiz can hit puts him in this position.

In the outfield the Phillies have one of the better left fielders in baseball and probably the best centerfielder in baseball as well. There are many question marks surrounding right field though. The Phillies could simply wait out Dominic Brown’s injury by having Ben Francisco play but currently it is a glaring weakness on a team that doesn’t have many.

The Phillies need to stay healthy, though. The result of putting one of their stars on the sideline due to a lingering injury could put the team’s chances in jeopardy.

The Phillies will make sports news if they don’t have the most wins in baseball this season because it will have meant they had more injuries than they could deal with.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Believe the Hype

 

The Philadelphia Phillies are entering the 2011 MLB season the heavy favorites to win the National League, and make their third World Series appearance in four years. The addition of Cliff Lee has helped Philadelphia fortify what the media has dubbed the best starting rotation in the history of the world, ever. Their offense remains a potent blend of power and speed. They even have baseball’s beardless Santa Claus himself managing them, so long as games fall between nap time and BINGO. But there is another possibility. And that is that the Philadelphia Phillies, perennial favorites in the National League, are poised for another postseason letdown.

Let me preface this article by saying that this it is not the result of a hater-ade overdose by myself, nor is it an overreaction to the Giants‘ Royce Gracie—style whooping of the juggernaut Phillies and Rangers (featuring Cliff Lee) in the 2010 Postseason. It is the result of baseball’s fickle nature. In any given season there are so many factors that go into creating a champion that any number of confluent circumstances can occur to make or break a team. Chemistry can do it, as it did last season for the Giants. But so can injuries, free agent pickups, or even general karma/universal weirdness. No one is safe from the wrath of the baseball Gods. Not even the preseason favorites or the most talented team. Or in this case, both.

Intangibles are impossible to predict. And baseball, more so than any other sport, is filled with intangibles. The Phillies have amassed a sterling roster to be sure, but to think that they are going to set their roster, go on autopilot, and sim through the regular season into a World Series berth would be a mistake. So without further ado, here are five factors that could derail the Philadelphia Phillies 2011 season.

 

Factor #1: The LeBron James lesson

This season, LeBron James signed with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. For some reason, it wasn’t covered by major media outlets, and there is a good possibility that this is the first you are hearing of it. Anyway, the Heat organization immediately responded to LeBron’s offseason signing with a preseason championship celebration of sorts. It had everything. Fog machines. Lasers. Multi-millionaires awkwardly dancing in front of a half-empty American Airlines Arena.

But LeBron and the Heat miscalculated. You see, when LeBron signed with the Heat, he assumed that that team with the most talent would inevitably win. And since a team with Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh would always have the most talent, it was only logical that they would win most every game they played. Or at least most of them.

But LeBron didn’t consider the bulls-eye that would be on his team’s back. It wasn’t only fans that watched his “Decision,” and the incredibly premature celebration that followed. Other players watched as well. And suddenly, every night the Heat were playing a team for whom that night was Game 7 of the NBA finals. Everyone wanted to beat the Heat. Every night opponents came out ready to play. Everyone brought their A games. Suddenly, playing the Heat on a formerly meaningless mid-January night became an opportunity to put the preseason champs in their place.

By signing Cliff Lee to complete an already incredibly stacked pitching rotation, the Phillies created the 2011 baseball version of a super team. They immediately became the favorites to not only get to the World Series, but to win it. However in doing so, they put a bulls-eye on their back just like the Heat did. And World Series Championship expectations aren’t always a good thing year after year. Just ask Brian Cashman.

I look at the Philadelphia roster and I see talent, to be sure. But I also see a group for whom the sky is not only the limit, but the basement as well. The Phillies are a team for whom success will be winning the World Series, and failure will be simply making the World Series.

When expectations are sky high, as they are for Philadelphia, anything besides unmitigated domination will be considered a failure. In these circumstances, it is much easier to disappoint than it is to live up to the hype. Putting the entire weight of a franchise or a league on your shoulders can be heavy indeed. After 2010, Cliff Lee knows this better than anyone. Right now, the Phillies are feeling the weight of their expectations.

Lee signed with the Phillies ostensibly because he wanted a team that was capable of supporting him, of lessening the burden that comes with being a franchise’s marquee player. However by signing with Philadelphia, Lee may have done the opposite, and helped create even higher expectations of himself. Certainly he didn’t create the vitriol that LeBron did, and he managed to not make the entire country hate him on national television like LeBron, but the end result is similar. Less extreme, but similar. 

Starting on opening day 2011, there are no days off for the Phillies. Every game against the Pirates, Astros or Nationals is bigger for their opponents than it is for them. From now on, playing the Phillies isn’t just one game out of 162. It is an opportunity to send a message. In a sport like baseball with an already long, laborious season, added pressures can begin to weigh on a team quickly. For the Philadelphia Phillies, the expectations and pressures have already begun, even though the season has not.

 

Factor #2: Chase Utley and his bum knee

It has recently been reported that Chase Utley will miss the beginning of the 2011 season with a knee injury that no one seems to know much about. Rumors have varied from Utley suffering minor ligament damage to needing full-fledged microfracture surgery. If he were a hockey player, he would be listed with a “lower body injury” and given no timetable for return. Heading into the season, it appears as though there is at least a chance that Utley will not play at all this year. And if he does play, it is a mystery as to how effective he will be. Knee injuries are a tricky thing. The torque required by an average baseball’s player’s in-game swing puts stress on the knee, as does playing the infield, where pivots and twists are not only commonplace, but can become tools of the trade, and a legitimate difference-maker amongst second basemen. 

Even if he does start the season on the active roster, it is unlikely that he will be healthy for the majority of 2011. He has chronic knee problems. Knee problems don’t just go away. They require you to stop playing sports for an extended period before attempting a return. Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Webber know what I’m talking about. And as they would tell you, it is very possible to come back from chronic knee problems. With the right treatment and the right amount of rest, full recovery is a realistic goal. But rest is the key. And given the rigors of a 162 game season, it is extremely likely that Utley won’t be right at any point this season. In the event that he does play, and begin to round into form, it is only a matter of time before the hard slides and dives to cutoff sharply hit liners take their toll.

It’s not exactly breaking news that having one of baseball’s best second baseman active and in the lineup every day will dramatically increase a team’s chances for success. Good second baseman are hard to find, and great second basemen, let alone great second basemen who can legitimately hit in the middle of a lineup, are a rare bunch indeed. But more than any other team, the Phillies have needed Chase Utley healthy and productive to sustain their regular season success into the postseason. If a mainstay like Ryan Howard is the engine that makes the Phillies offense go, Utley is the supercharger that can take them to the next level. 

As an example, here are Utley’s average postseason stats during 2008 and 2009, the two seasons the Phillies made it to the World Series.

.263 AVG / 4.5 Hits / 4.1 Runs / 3.16 RBI / 947.1 OPS

And here are his stats from the 2007 and 2010 postseasons, when the Phillies fell short of the Series, losing to the Rockies and Giants respectively.

.212 / 3 / 2.6 / 1.6 / 634.6

It’s night and day. For the Phillies, a productive Chase Utley means a productive lineup. Let me clarify that. This lineup is good enough to be productive without Utley. But he gives them that extra boost, that added element that no other NL team has that can help propel the Phillies from good to great. For Philadelphia, Utley is the X factor that elevates their offense. And without him, a lineup that already seems to lack killer instinct becomes utterly manageable, especially in a short series where specialized pitching matchups can help neutralize threats like Ryan Howard. In seasons past, pitching around a Jimmy Rollins or a Ryan Howard was a suicide mission. This season, it seems far less insane.

Defensively, a healthy Utley is arguably baseball’s best second baseman. He not only gives the team an offensive flexibility that is rare in baseball, and rarer in the National League, but also gives them one of baseball’s best infields. He immediately gives his team an advantage heading into any series. But if he’s not on the field, he puts them in a hole. Part of this is due to the recent frailty of fellow infielder Jimmy Rollins. With Rollins and Utley, the Phillies have one of the best, and one of the most injury-prone infields in all of baseball (somewhere, Jose Reyes is searching for his championship belt). Without Utley, the Phillies will begin the season behind the eight ball in all facets of the game.

 

Factor #3: Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, and the Wu-Tang Clan

Ryan Howard is a good player. At times, he is even a great player. But he is also incredibly streaky. It is the hot-and-cold nature of his game that makes him somewhat of a mystery. When he’s on, he’s as dangerous at the plate as anyone in the game not named Pujols. But his flashes of greatness are often interrupted by periods of stagnation. Howard is capable of going silent at any time, and while he is always dangerous enough to change a game with a single swing of the bat, his periods of low batting average and plate productivity make his team similarly streaky. 

Part of what has made the Phillies so dangerous in the recent past is the balance they have throughout the lineup. For years, the Phillies have been baseball’s Wu-Tang Clan, a group characterized more by collaboration and team success than by individual talents.

Like Wu-Tang there are individual talents, to be sure. There’s the RZA, the Abbot, the leader, the producer (Jimmy Rollins). There’s the GZA, the genius, the technically sound jack-of-all-trades who makes the team significantly more balanced and dangerous (Utley). You have the Ghostface Killa, who enjoys star status despite inconsistent individual efforts (Howard). Jayson Werth would be Raekwon, and under-the-radar talent who quietly goes about his business. And then there’s the wildcard, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Or in the Phillies case, Cole Hamels—who is capable of elevating the group’s status to legendary-level, or falling apart at the seams, and disappearing to parts unknown for extended periods. Roy Halladay arrived in Philadelphia ready to play the part of Method Man, a solo artist with higher visibility than his group mates, who is capable of carrying the team or simply blending in with workman-like efforts.

Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez are the lesser-known members. They don’t get the solo verses, and you might not see them on tour. They play the parts of U-God, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck. They have all had their moments, and are capable of standing out, but aren’t relied upon to do the heavy lifting. The team is filled with individual talents, but their success has been cultivated as a team. However this year they are potentially missing two key parts. Imagine the Wu without Raekwon and the GZA. There is still plenty of talent left, but things just aren’t the same.

Because of the loss of two key group members, this season’s version of the Phils seems more predicated on the success of Howard than it has in years past. Without Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, Howard is the Phillies’ clear-cut chief offensive threat, and the Philadelphia offense is far closer to a one-trick pony than it is to the thoroughbred we have become accustomed to seeing. In seasons past, Howard could go through the ups and downs at the plate that are intrinsic to his game, and still have plenty of offensive support to make Philadelphia’s lineup dangerous. The balance in the Phillies lineup made his slumps manageable and his hot streaks MVP caliber. This season is different. 

Not only do the losses of Werth and Utley soften Howard’s support in the lineup, it puts added pressure on guys like Ibanez and Ruiz to fill these holes. Simply put, it is much harder to pitch around Howard with Werth on deck and Utley on second than it is to pitch around him with Ruiz or Ibanez on deck and Victorino on first. There is no doubt that Ibanez, Ruiz and Victorino are productive players, but they are not nearly as productive as the players whose shoes they are being asked to fill. Ryan Howard is a bona-fide star, but he is not a superstar in the Albert Pujols/Alex Rodriguez mold. He cannot carry on offense by himself. He is simply too streaky. It is for this reason that the Phillies diminished supporting cast has to be cause for concern among Philadelphia fans. This season, for the first time in many, Howard’s supporting cast will not be good enough to mask his periods of ineffectiveness. 

As far as Jayson Werth is concerned, there is little doubt that he was paid far too much money by the Nationals, and that the Phillies were economically correct not to re-sign him. He is not a good enough hitter to warrant a $126 million contract by himself. But a baseball team is a sum of its parts. And Werth was a key cog in the Philadelphia machine. Even though he isn’t worth the superstar money he is now paid, he was invaluable to the Phillies offense in recent years, and not only because he made it difficult to pitch around Howard. He also gave the team offensive relief when injuries struck Rollins, Ibanez or Utley. He made his team better in a variety of different ways that are not measured through statistics. With Werth gone and Utley injured, Ryan Howard can be pitched around, or pitched to more freely because there will certainly be fewer men on base during his at bats.

In recent years, the Phillies first through seventh hitters could all do significant damage. Even if opposing pitchers couldn’t single out an individual whose killer instinct and knack for situational hitting scared the bejeezus out them, the sum of the parts was a well-oiled offensive machine. Although it was unquestionably the right financial decision to let Werth go, his loss has undoubtedly left the Phillies a less scary group, and a less potent offense all around.

 

Factor #4: The Phillies air of ‘vincibility

Whatever the opposite of invincible is, that’s what the Phillies are. I’m not saying they’re not intimidating—with their stable of talents you’d be stupid not to respect them. But they lack the killer instinct that great champions have. Its that intangible thing that separates Kobe Bryant from Vince Carter. Derek Jeter has it. The Patriots had it for a while. Ray Lewis has it 24/7/365, and he will literally stab you if you say otherwise. It is rare, but invaluable in sports. It is the arrogance, the attitude that lets you know you are playing with someone who will not lose. Someone who will rip your heart out of your chest and show it to you if you give them even the smallest opportunity to do so.

It is something that is hard to put your finger on, but something that all great champions have in one form or another. But the Phillies don’t have it.

Maybe it is the fact that their offense is subject to the hot streaks of Ryan Howard’s bat, or the health of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Maybe its the good-but-not-great qualities of players like Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino (nothing against them, they’re good—they just do nothing for me). Maybe it’s the fact that their home-grown pitching prodigy carries himself like a male model (with the hair to match) and is named Cole. Who knows. The point is, the Phillies aren’t a team of Kobe Bryants. For the women of greater Philadelphia this is a great thing. For fans, it has to be concerning.

The Phillies don’t have a single guy offensively who puts the fear of God into you. I know. I watched last season’s NLCS and saw Ryan Howard rendered offensively impotent by journeyman Javier Lopez. The Phillies possess the opposite of an air of invincibility—they seem totally mortal, completely…vincible. And no, this is not a shot at Vince Carter. Although it totally could be. This sense of vincibility, or baseball humanity or whatever you want to call it was on full display last season when the Giants, a vastly overmatched team on paper, got hot and handled the Phillies in six games to advance to the World Series. 

The Giants undoubtedly went out and won that series. But there must be some sentiment within the Philadelphia fan base that the Phillies also went out and lost it, just like they lost their NLDS series in 2007 against the Colorado Rockies. It’s not that the Giants can get as hot as they did last season and roll through the Phillies again. But someone can. And every contending team in the National League has to know it.

The scary thing for Phillies fans is that this championship air is not something you develop in a year. It’s something you’re either born with or you’re not. And there’s nothing wrong with not being born with it. I wasn’t born with it. Peyton Manning wasn’t born with it. Alex Rodriguez wasn’t either. You can be great without possessing it. But not having it does, unarguably, decrease your chances for success. When Derek Jeter at bat during Game 7, he knows he’s going to get a hit. Knows it. But when Peyton Manning has the ball with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship, he’s only pretty sure that he is going to score. In professional sports, the difference between pretty sure and knowing can make all the difference.

 

Factor #5: Cliff Lee might be closer to Zito territory than you think

Philadelphia’s signature move during the offseason was bringing aboard former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. You may have heard about this during ESPN’s 24/7 coverage of Lee’s free agency, which proved once and for all that anywhere in America where anyone is muttering the words “Yankees” and “Phillies” in the same sentence, ESPN is pointing a camera at them, and Joe Buck is salivating. The signing of Lee put Phillies fans in a fuzzy crimson-colored, utopia-like fog, with visions of multiple World Series rings dancing in their heads. However, I have my reservations about the Lee signing, and Phillies fans should too, because Cliff Lee is one short step away from becoming Barry Zito.

Alright, maybe he won’t be that bad, but let me explain.

Zito’s numbers surrounding his Cy Young season weren’t exactly on Lee’s level, but in a statistical-deviation type of way they were comparable. Both pitchers had less than impressive stats the year before their Cy Young season. For Zito, that meant a 3.49 ERA/1.232 WHIP/184 Hits Allowed/80 BB/205 K. Surprisingly, Lee was worse, posting a 6.29/1.521/112/36/66 in 2007. Predictably, the years that followed were career bests for both, and both received a Cy Young Award for their efforts. During these years (2002 for Zito, 2008 for Lee), their numbers were surprisingly similar. Zito – 2.75 ERA , 1.134 WHIP. Lee – 2.54, 1.110. Lee has always had better control, and been more of a strikeout artist than Zito, but Zito allowed fewer hits in his Cy Young year than Lee did.

Unsurprisingly, the years following Zito’s and Lee’s Cy Youngs were a minor regression from the year before. Both saw their ERA jump by roughly 0.75, and both saw their WHIP and BB elevate as well, although not by much. Really the only major statistical deviation that we saw in their numbers is the significant jump in hits allowed by Lee from 2008 (Cy Young year) to 2009, which went from 214 to 245 (Zito’s hits allowed stayed basically steady, increasing only by four from 182 in 2002 to 186).

However the interesting part comes when we jump ahead a few years to predict the next phase of Lee’s career. Zito’s 2005 (which we are comparing to Lee’s projected 2011) saw the continuation of his slow regression, as he posted a 3.86/1.200/185/89/171. Not great. Definitely not Cy Young caliber. But not bad either. I would expect similar results from Lee in 2011, but more on his level than Zito’s. He isn’t going to post the insanely low ERA that won him his Cy Young, but he won’t regress to 2007 form either. He will fall somewhere in between. For two pitchers who have seen similar career paths thus far, I don’t think this is unrealistic. 

In 2007, the bottom fell out for Zito. He signed with the Giants and the rest is terrible contract history. For Lee, should he continue on Zito’s path, the 2013 season or somewhere thereabouts will see his skills diminish. I’m not saying that the Phillies will immediately regret his contract the way the Giants did with Zito, I’m saying that it is extremely likely that by the end of his deal, he will be getting paid for past successes more so than continued production. Zito and Lee’s careers are more similar to this point than Phillies fans would probably like to admit, and signing a 33 year old pitcher to a long-term deal is rarely a harbinger of future success. Lee will probably not turn into Zito this season, but the similarities between the two shouldn’t be ignored.

In his heyday, Zito possessed a repertoire very similar to Lee’s. A 92-94 MPH fastball, a famously knee-buckling curve, a slider (Lee uses a cutter), and a changeup. For a few years, he was nearly unhittable. But as he got older, he quietly but steadily transformed from baseball golden boy to perennial punchline. Somehow, Zito had undergone a reverse chrysalis-to-butterfly transformation into the realm of below-average veteran pitchers. In only a few short years, Zito had gone from one of baseballs most promising young pitchers to a washed-up (and significantly overpaid) role player in knee high socks and shaggy hair. It was a stark transformation.

How did this happen? Simple. He lost a little bit off his fastball, a lot off his confidence, and saw his repertoire fall apart as a result. When he could cruse at 91-92 MPH, his 86 MPH changeup gave hitters a significantly different look. His slider took just enough off his fastball, added just enough movement to deceive, and consistently caused poor contact off the end or handle of the bat. But when Zito lost that extra 3-4 MPH off his fastball, everything else became incredibly hittable. When he lost that velocity, he lost his confidence—perhaps understandably so. He had signed a huge contract, and like Lee had huge expectations. Yet all of a sudden his changeup and fastball were nearly the same speed. His curve remained deadly, but he no longer had the secondary pitches or the confidence in his control throw it consistently or accurately. 

Pitchers like Zito and Lee are perfect examples of baseball’s fickle nature. When they are at full power, they are unstoppable. They are capable of dominating with such ease that it is a thing of beauty to watch. However, once they begin to slip—even just the slightest bit—the bottom can fall out in a hurry. 

Lee, it has been said, is an artist on the pitcher’s mound. He paints with powerful, brilliant strokes that are so perfect in their execution that they make grown men look like overmatched boys. But in reality, he is a precision artist. He is always just an inch or so away from disaster.

When big-league hitters swing and miss, they don’t do so, generally, by much. Baseball is a game of inches, and when hitters fail by an inch, they are also an inch away from success. Cliff Lee is a master of that one inch. While his mastery of precision makes Lee one of baseball’s most intriguing pitchers to watch, it also makes him a candidate to regress, to lose a step, even to pull a Zito and fall off the map completely. 

It is possible that this regression has already begun. In fifteen games with the Rangers last season, Lee was uncharacteristically hittable. His ERA was its highest since 2007, at a very pedestrian 3.98. He allowed 103 hits in 108.2 Innings Pitched, and gave up 48 earned runs in 15 games started, only 15 fewer than he gave up in all of his 2008 Cy Young season with Cleveland. Lee did improve as the season went on; however ,his hittability was clearly at a level it had not approached in previous years.

Therefore, despite Lee’s recent successes, he is closer than people think to being an average-to-below-average pitcher. People point at Lee’s control as a sign that, even as his velocity inevitably declines, he will remain dominant. I see the other side of this argument. I see Lee as a control artist whose ability to cruise at 91-92 MPH separates him from his competition. a 92 MPH fastball thrown with pinpoint accuracy is nearly impossible to hit, even for major leaguers. However an 88 MPH fastball, even if it is immaculately controlled, is considerably more hittable. 

To be fair, Zito is unarguably more of a head case than Lee. Zito analyzes and over-analyzes and reanalyzes every start he makes. He is harder on himself than most, and not coincidentally is more prone to lapses in self-confidence and fits of doubt. By all accounts, Lee does not take this approach. He has a notoriously short memory about his on-field performances, and does not doubt himself in the slightest. This will naturally separate him from Zito in that a stronger mental fortitude will likely prevent a total loss of confidence in the face of adversity, or diminished stuff. It is no sure thing that Cliff Lee will turn into a carbon copy of Barry Zito. However given his style of pitching, the expectations heaped on him, and the large contract he just signed, it is at least a possibility that he is headed down Zito’s path.

At some point, whether it is now or five years from now, Lee’s magic will fade. He is already 33 years old, on his fifth major league team, and is signed to a huge contract with the Phillies. Odds are that by the end of that contract, Lee will have regressed, and will be another overpaid pitcher whose financial drain on an organization outweighs his past successes.

It may not be this year, but then again it may be.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Chase Utley Is Advised by Group of Best Doctors: Update

The countdown is on to Opening Day. Expectations have never been higher in the entire 121 year history of Philadelphia professional baseball. Behind four of the top pitchers in the game in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels and a lineup that features two former MVPs and perennial and potential All-Stars.

The Phightin’s have won four straight National League East titles. They have appeared in three straight National League Championship Series, (NLCS) winning two of them, had the best record in the entire Major Leagues last year at 97-65 and won the World Series in 2008.

The most anticipated season ever is set to begin, and Philadelphia finally has the team to beat. We are now (finally) the Yankees (WITHOUT selling our souls to the devil.)

Then why has the attitude in Philadelphia gone from excited to anxiety? Whether it is the injuries to Dominick Brown or Brad Lidge or the potential ineffectiveness of the lineup, Philly Nation’s confidence has grown into a legitimate concern.

Then there is Chase Utley, one of the most beloved Philadelphia athletes of all time. He has been battling patellar tendinitis, chondromalacia and bone inflammation in his right knee and he will begin the season on the DL. Many pundits believe that this is a smoke-screen and he will require surgery that may sideline him for the majority of the year.

Utley said on Monday, “Over the past few weeks I think we have made some progress for obviously the good and we’re going to stay on top of what we’ve been doing. So I’m optimistic at this point and we’ll continue to do what we’re doing and go from there.”

Utley said he has consulted with several doctors, and the opinions they have offered have varied. This is extremely good news for fans, as they want Utley to exhaust every possible option he has in the hope of their best player being able to be a part of what could be a historic season.

The best thing about all of this is that many of the doctors suggestions were in the best interest of Philadelphia and its fans.

Here is what the top doctors in America have suggested that Utley should do for his knee.

1. “Chase, I would recommend you have the leg amputated and play second base with a peg-leg, thus increasing your longevity and the likelihood of taking out middle-infielders on potential double play balls.”

2. “Chase, you should take some of Joe Blanton’s excess (you know) and insert it right into the knee cap to increase comfort.”

3. “Chase should borrow Carlos Ruiz’s knee-savers, because he can wear them in the field as well as at the plate. They will not only help him “save” his knees, but also may become a fashion trend in baseball.”

4. “Chase actually should play second base while sitting on a stool, as he has done in Spring Training.

5. “Chase, the Phillies should invest in a Tempurpedic mattress for you to lay on at second base during games started by Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt or Lee as they will continue to dominate as they always have. Leg elevation would be best as well.”  

The same doctor called back this morning and was reported as saying:

6. “Upon further review Chase, the mattress idea would work for Blanton as well. You should be as comfortable as possible watching balls sail over the fence.”

7. “Chase, the peg-leg idea is the way to go as it can double as a leg and a baseball bat.”

8. “Do whatever Jamie Moyer is doing.”

9. “Stop crying, Philadelphia loves warriors.”

10. “Retire and let Brian Dawkins play second base, as he has been tweeting daily about his desire  to return to Philly.”

There you have it folks, some of the best doctors in America when it comes to knees and their suggestions for how Utley’s injury should be handled.

Soon to come, Joe Blanton and two dozen donuts are rumored to be on the move to the Yankees for a danish to be named later.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Play Ball: A Look Back at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Last 10 Season Openers

Four more days!

Four more days!

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-1 on Sunday to run their Grapefruit League record to 19-13. And yes, those three more scoreless innings from ace of aces Roy Halladay (to up his exhibition games record to a silly 4-0 with an 0.42 ERA) looked quite encouraging to Phils fans.

Homers by Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, both having good springs, also engendered a smile or two from Phillies Nation.

But as they say in local TV, the big story is that the real season is starting on Friday, April 1—I’m not April Fool-ing you.

While there have been some good developments this spring, the Phillies have endured a few too many injuries and must be looking forward to getting it going for real.

Doc Halladay will take the ball versus the visiting Houston Astros at roughly 1:05 PM on Friday. Did I mention that this is only four days away?

In anticipation of the April Fools’ Day opener, let us embark on a journey through the last 10 Phillies season openers.

Not all seasons brought the same type of anticipation and passion as this one. But to a true baseball fan all season openers are great events, by definition, whether played in 80 degrees or 40, home or away.

Pack your virtual bags and take a slightly nostalgic journey through the last decade of Phillies baseball.

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Glancing with the Stars- LeBron James, Roy Halladay and the Best of the Rest

There are 13 cities in the United States that have teams from the four major sports. These are some of the biggest markets in America where the brightest stars can shine.

Which city has the best collection of stars across the four major sports? What fanbase has that special talent or personality that can draw them to watch a sport that they make not even like? This is a ranking of each of the 13 cities best players from each sport.

Each team gets two players, so every city will have eight players fighting for United States supremacy. Does your city have the biggest and best stars? How can this be judged? Here is how we’re going to try.

They will be ranked on the following scale from 1-5 with 5 being the highest:

1) Talent (Skill) + or – points will be added or subtracted based on work ethic. 

2) Success (Championships, Division/Conference titles, etc.)

3) Star appeal (Video games, magazines, fan favorite, etc.)

4) Income with endorsements (Jersey sales, TV/radio appearances, etc.)

5) Charity Work (Community service, charitable donations, etc.)

Here are the 13 U.S. cities with four major sports teams biggest stars and how they stack up.

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Major League Baseball 2011: A Phillies Championship Not an Automatic

Unless your name is Mad Dog Russo or you live in the 415 or 408 area code, how many of you predicted the San Francisco Giants would win the World Series last year? 

Probably about the same number who have Butler and VCU in the Final Four…

More than any other sport, forecasting a champion in baseball is as difficult as picking the next Masters winner. The Yankees are always an easy choice based on payroll and pom-poms in the media alone, but let’s remember that Steinbrenner Inc. has won exactly one ring in the past decade.

The Phillies and the best rotation since the ’66 Dodgers are THE pick in 2011, but health issues surrounding Chase Utley and the loss of Jayson Werth are raising some big doubts about the offense (not that they’ll necessarily need it). And then there’s that little thing about the pressure of the highest expectations in the history of the franchise. Remember all of those Braves teams in the ’90s with outstanding pitching who couldn’t seem to get over the hump in October, save for one time?

How about the Red Sox? Vegas has made them a huge favorite as well after they out-Yankeed the Yankees by landing Carl Crawford from Tampa and Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres. The pitching staff appears strong (Beckett is somehow now fourth in a rotation that includes Lester, Buchholz, Lackey, Dice-K and the ageless Wakefield if needed) and the bullpen bolstered by set-up-man Bobby Jenks (who some in Boston feel may end up being a closer by August) to compliment Jonathan Papelbon. 

But the AL East is so tough (yes, even Toronto and Buck Showalter’s Orioles) that the usual Wild Card berth likely won’t be in the cards thanks to everyone in the division beating each other up. 

That leaves (according to Vegas), the aforementioned Giants, Minnesota and last year’s runner-up, Texas.

San Francisco is a tough pick simply because no champ has repeated since the ’99-’00 Yanks, and no NL team has pulled it off since the Big Red Machine in ’74-75.

The Twins? As long as they can avoid the Yankees in October, perhaps…(2-12 vs. the Evil Empire in the playoffs since 2003).

As for Texas, they’re missing you-know-who at the top of their rotation after he decided it truly is always sunnier in Philadelphia. They still have the likes of C.J. Wilson to anchor the rotation and yes, Josh Hamilton will certainly make another MVP run. But not unlike the Giants‘ tall task, even getting back to the baseball’s biggest stage will be difficult.

The last team to return to the World Series the following year after losing it the year before? The ’92 Braves.

The last AL team? The ’64 Yankees, or sometime around Jamie Moyer’s second birthday. 

So who will be this year’s Giants? 

Look no further than across the bay…

The Oakland A’s mirror Bruce Bochy’s Giants in many ways and particularly in the all-important pitching department. Trevor Cahill (22-years-old), Brett Anderson (23), Gio Gonzalez (25) and Dallas Braden (27) have the ability to do what the Giants did in 2010 to get to the Fall Classic:

Win a relatively weak division, take a short series and build enough momentum to beat a superior opponent from the east. 

And it’s not like these guys aren’t already battle tested. The A’s didn’t just lead the league in ERA in 2010, but they also led in starting-pitcher ERA by 36 percentage points. The bullpen looks strong as well, with four-time All-Star Brian Fuentes setting up closer talented Andrew Bailey, who should be good for at least 30 saves this season upon getting healthy. 

Of course (like SF), the offense has all the firepower of a JaMarcus Russell two-minute drill, finishing second-to-last in home runs in the league last season. But playing in a cavernous park like the Coliseum doesn’t mean having a need for a 21st Century version of the Bash Brothers as long as the pitching holds up. Additions including Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham and Coco Crisp may be just enough to get the A’s the three to four runs they’ll need to squeeze out some low-scoring games. 

The A’s?

2011 World Series champs? 

Before dismissing that notion outright, picture yourself reading the same thing about the mostly no-name Giants in March of 2010. 

In the meantime, enjoy your Opening Day…

Joe Concha is a rare Cubs fan based in New Jersey and dominates his co-ed bar-sponsored softball league. Email questions or comments to joeconcha@yahoo.com or follow him on the Twitter thing @ConchSports 

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Philadelphia Phillies 2011: Are We Becoming “Those” Fans?

Sitting in the friendly confines of Veterans stadium on a drizzly and cold September day in 2003, the battle-cry rang out through the near-empty venue.

“GO SOX! Atta’ boy, Nomaaa!”

You could see the disdain wash over the already grumpy, but devoted Phillies fans who were holding tough through yet another mediocre season. They were still the lovable tough-luck Red Sox fans, but in a little over one year, they would transform into “those” fans. You know who they are. The ones whose memorabilia collection rises and falls with the team’s wins and losses. The ones who give you a bad name.

On the whole, Phillies fans are wonderful. Please don’t think I’m blanketing the whole of the fan base with these statements. However, recently more and more new fans are puking and tazing their way to a bad reputation for us all. They’re the ones who pop up as our representatives on the national news. They’re “those” fans. The ones that other cities love to hate. The cocky, unapologetic jerks who dare you to say a negative word about their team.

Who are these people? Where were they when Francona and Bowa were sleep-walking their way through season after season?

They’ve been spoiled, but it’s really a shame. They’ve missed out on so much. They’ll never know the legendary exploits of Ron Gant, Rico Brogna or Mickey Morandini. They’ll remember Lenny Dykstra as a wacky, failed businessman who pals around with Charlie Sheen rather than the enigmatic, juiced-up spark plug that roamed the chaw stained turf of the Vet. Who could blame them? These are special times. We’ve all lived and died with the team. The recent years seem to be karma for the miserable late 90’s, but those years built character. Along the way, we learned to never take it for granted. That’s what separates the die-hards from the new kids in town.

This team has made Philly a baseball town again, and that’s admirable. The new influx of fans has been great for the city, and when the teams are winning, this is an amazing place to live. We deserve this new winning attitude. No, we’re not “Red Sox Nation,” but we don’t want to be. We’re the guys who miss Harry AND Whitey. We’re the guys who worried about Scott Rolen’s back problems. We’re the ones who hope you all stick around for the long haul. If you aren’t? Well, that’s fine. We’ll be waiting to welcome you back with open arms. You’ll know where to find us, we’ve been sitting in the same spot for the last 20 years.

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MLB Fantasy Baseball Digging for Saves: Who Will Replace Brad Lidge?

Brad Lidge is the latest closer to go down with an injury and how long he will be out is completely unknown.

The pain in his shoulder has yet to be identified, meaning he could be out a week, a month or maybe more. It was just a few days ago that I questioned if Lidge was even worth owning (click here to view) and now things look even more dubious. 

Obviously, there are two options for the Phillies to turn to: either Ryan Madson or Jose Contreras. The question is, who will it be?

Or, will fantasy owners face yet another “closer-by-committee” situation?

According to Todd Zolecki of mlb.com (click here for the article), the latter does not appear to be in the cards.

Pitching coach Rick Dubee was quoted as saying, “Guys are more comfortable when they’re slotted into a role. It’s preparation. You know when your time is coming. When you’re grabbing at straws, guys are a little leery about what’s going on. You like to have that back end set up.”

So, knowing that it is likely going to be one or the other, which is the player that fantasy owners should be targeting?

Ryan Madson is clearly the more dynamic pitcher. He has the better stuff and you would think that he should excel closing out games. However, he has never seemed extremely comfortable in the ninth inning. It is a small sample size, but in 2010 he converted just five of 10 save opportunities.

Over the past five seasons, he has 19 saves in 35 opportunities.

In Zolecki’s article, Dubee is quoted as saying, “He doesn’t get to the same comfort level. There’s a little anxiety there. The ninth inning is a little different than the eighth. There have been solid eighth-inning guys that haven’t been able to pitch the ninth. One day they learn how to do it.”

Contreras, however, thrived in his brief chance as closer in ’10, converting four saves in five opportunities. In his first season in the bullpen, he posted a 3.34 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 56.2 innings of work. That’s not to mention a 9.05 K/9, significantly better than he did while in the starting rotation.

If Friday’s spring game was any indication, you can tell which direction the Phillies are leaning:

Eighth Inning: Ryan Madson allows one hit in an otherwise clean inning as the setup man.

Ninth inning: Jose Contreras is perfect, complete with two strikeouts, picking up the save.

Should we be looking too much into spring strategy? Of course not, but past success clearly is going to factor into the Phillies thinking. Small sample size or not, you can tell by Dubee’s comments that Madson’s past struggles are certainly going to play a role. 

Obviously, to be safe all Lidge owners should be hoping to stash both Contreras and Madson. You really don’t know exactly what is going to happen at this point. However, if push comes to shove, all signs are currently pointing to Contreras getting the first opportunity to close out games.

Right now, neither appear to be a long-term options, but those looking to steal a few saves early on will want to probably nab Contreras.

What are your thoughts? Who do you think is going to get the save opportunities?

 

Make sure to order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here.

Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:

Top 15 Catchers
Top 15 First Basemen
Top 15 Second Basemen
Top 15 Third Basemen
Top 15 Shortstops
Top 30 Outfielders
Top 30 Starting Pitchers
Top 15 Closers

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: ARE There Baseball Gods, and If So, Are They Angry?

I believe in the “Baseball Gods.”  No kidding, I really do.

There is just too much baseball karmic history to deny the existence of the baseball higher power, so to speak. 

Having said that, I do not believe that the Philadelphia Phillies or their fans have done anything so terribly wrong so as to anger said Gods. 

What did we do?  Seriously.  We signed a top of the line starting pitcher in the offseason, who wanted to come to Philly.

This is a close-knit, tight team, with a generally strong baseball attitude and confidence, but not arrogance.

I’m getting just a little bit sick of hearing about the Phillies Spring Training curse.

Yes, Chase Utley is out for, well, what we’ll call indefinitely with his knee ailment.  Sure, Lidge will start the season on the DL.  Sure, Oswalt got hit by a line drive, Dominic Brown broke a slump while breaking his hand and yes, we’ve had some other minor problems with Polanco and Victorino.

Remember, folks, this is Spring Training!  It is, admittedly, important to start the season successfully, as many a mid 2000’s Phillies teams will attest.

However, it is paramount to finish the season strongly, and when I say paramount, I mean that it is much more important than the beginning of the season, let alone Spring Training tribulations.

We still have the best starting rotation in baseball.  We still have a strong lineup that, in this writer’s opinion, will benefit from huge comeback years from Howard, Rollins, Victorino and Ibanez.  We still have a strong bullpen, even without Lidge.

Phillies fans, listen up!  We do not have a hex out on us.  We are not remotely cursed.  These are things that happen in baseball. 

If we do get to a point in the postseason in which a play that makes a difference is so outlandish that we cannot possibly explain it any other way, then we’ll call it Baseball God interference. 

This Spring Training is what we’d call growing pains, nothing else.  Any of you that thought we’d even get though the preseason with no injuries do not know how baseball works.  Injuries are part of the game, and I’d like to think that many of us would have learned that last year. 

This Phillies team, even without Utley and Lidge, is still the class of the National League East, if not the National League, if not the entire Major Leagues!

Phils Phans, do not jump ship!  This is going to be the most exciting season that they’ve had since, well, ever!  This pitching staff will win many a game 1-0 or 2-1.  Be excited for the season.  A couple of speed bumps are not going to make the difference in this season that we’ve all been anticipating for months! 

We’ve done nothing to anger the baseball gods.  It’s a top-notch organization that does almost everything the right way, and the Phillies will show everyone in the end.  That much I can almost guarantee!

Thanks for reading! 

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Brad Lidge to Start Year on DL; Should Phillies Fans Be Worried?

With pain in his right shoulder, closer Brad Lidge will start the 2011 season on the disabled list.  With Lidge’s long history of injuries, this new issue should be a huge red light to the Phillies that Lidge’s time is close to being over.

Lidge was especially concerned with this new injury saying, “I haven’t had shoulder problems in the past.”  Although, Lidge has had surgery on both knees multiple times, elbow surgery, an oblique strain, a strained intercostal muscle and bicep tendinitis, just to name a few.

Still, Lidge entered spring training boasting that he was healthy and felt great.  Exactly when that may have changed is hard to tell.  Lidge is an eternal optimist so what he says should maybe be taken with a grain of salt.

In fact, here is a little help for those who cannot always decipher what Lidge is talking about.

The Brad Lidge Translator

Lidge Says:        I feel great.

Lidge Means:     The pain is unbearable!

 

Lidge Says:        I am not concerned.

Lidge Means:     I am totally freaking out here!

 

Lidge Says:        No need to panic.

Lidge Means:     Red alert, red alert…PANIC!!!

 

Lidge Says:        It is a setback.

Lidge Means:     This is the END of my career!

 

Lidge Says:       This is disappointing.

Lidge Means:     I am going to crawl into a hole with a vat of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and eat and cry until I vomit.

 

With Lidge out of the picture, closing duties will fall either to Ryan Madson or Jose Contreras.  While it is good to know the Phillies have options, this does create major issues in the bullpen.  The Phillies failed to re-sign Chad Durbin, which may come back to haunt them as they now have to rely on less experienced arms in the middle innings.

The Lidge injury is magnified when you think about the loss of Chase Utley, Domonic Brown and questions still lingering about Placido Polanco’s elbow.

So, should Phillies fans be worried?  The short answer is, not yet.

The team seems to have back-up for Utley.  Luis Castillo finally got a hit today and also walked twice while showing solid defense in the field.  Wilson Valdez continues to impress as well.

As for Brown, Ben Francisco is doing well in what may have been Brown’s spot in the outfield.  John Mayberry Jr. is also capable and the two may wind up rotating in right field.

Another good sign is that Polanco did play today in the 3-1 victory over the Braves.  Polly looked a bit tentative and was sore after the game, but he expects to play again on Sunday.  Or perhaps, much like Lidge, I am being a tad too optimistic about all this?  I hope not.

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