Philadelphia Phillies Cursed? Roy Oswalt, Chase Utley and Domonic Brown Say Yes

The Philadelphia Phillies cursed? Say it isn’t so.

But what if that figment of our imagination came true? What if the World Series favorite Philadelphia Phillies were indeed cursed from here on out?

Looking at the way this team is shaping up for the 2011 season, I’d put my money on the Phillies being cursed… here’s why.

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With Brad Lidge Set to Open Season on DL, Opportunity Arises for Ryan Madson

Tell me you haven’t heard this one before: Philadelphia Phillies‘ closer Brad Lidge is likely to spend Opening Day and the 14 days thereafter on the Disabled List.

After several offseasons filled with surgeries and rehabilitation for Lidge, he and the Phillies‘ fan base were overly optimistic of a full, healthy season from the once perfect closer.

Though he had the tell tale signs of an arm injury—most notably the lack of velocity on his fastball—Lidge told the media several times over that he was healthy. As it turns out, he’s not.

The injury came as a bit of a surprise Friday morning, as Lidge had just returned to the mound this week after being sidelined with some tendinitis. No one anticipated the news that he had been dealing with some shoulder soreness—something that he had successfully kept hidden away from the spotlight.

For that reason alone, when Lidge and general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. addressed the media this morning, neither were happy to be delivering the news.

Each of the men told the media that Lidge was experiencing some discomfort in the back of his shoulder—a danger zone for pitchers—but although an MRI had not been scheduled as of yet, the soreness was expected to be just that—soreness.

The Phils’ closer doesn’t expect to have any structural damage in his shoulder.

Though the injury was kept quiet by Lidge, he did his best to reassure the club that he wasn’t being purposefully deceptive about it:

“I’m a little concerned because I haven’t had shoulder problems in the past. There was always a little pain in the back (of the shoulder), which we thought was biceps tendinitis. I haven’t had shoulder issues before. At least not for a long time.”

Still, Lidge conceded that shoulder soreness is something he has dealt with in the past, and for a guy who’s dealt with a myriad of injuries in his career, that could be a bit of a concern.

However, as long as there isn’t any structural damage in Lidge’s shoulder, which seems to be the case as of now, both Lidge and Amaro don’t expect the closer to miss an extended period of time.

So, when will Lidge return to the Phillies’ bullpen?

“We don’t think it’s going to be a long-term issue, but it could be,” said Amaro in his usual short, vague snippet. If Lidge opens the season on the disabled list, the team could activate him on April 9 at the earliest.

“This is all part of the game,” said the GM. “Nobody wants injuries, but we’ll deal with them.”

So, how exactly will the Phils’ deal with Lidge’s injury? The obvious first question is who takes the mound in the ninth inning. Over the last couple of seasons, when Lidge has missed games, the closer was without a doubt Ryan Madson. Amaro wasn’t so keen on simply handing him the gig on Friday morning.

When asked who was going to be the closer in the short term, Amaro’s response was another simple, vague answer: “Whoever we think is going to be better.”

Obviously, the chances of Madson not being the closer are incredibly slim, but Jose Contreras has pitched well for the Phillies in every role they’ve assigned him. If the team isn’t keen on changing everyone’s role, Contreras could be the guy.

Of course, Contreras will get his share of consideration for the job because of Madson’s failure in that role in the past. However, the set-up man is sure that he’s ready to become a closer, especially in his walk-year with the Phillies.

According to Madson, a conversation with his agent, Scott Boras, after he kicked a steel chair and broke his toe last season helped him adjust to a late inning role.

“He said, ‘Tell me what your mentality was when you were closing.’ I was like, I thought I was going to be perfect,” said Madson.

“I really thought I was going to be perfect and not blow one save. Well it doesn’t work that way. You’re putting too much emphasis on every pitch. Then when you blow a save, it carries on and little things happen.”

We all know that closing out ball games is as much mental as it is physical, and Madson certainly has the skill to be a closer. If that conversation with Boras really made a difference, which has yet to be seen, the Phillies may not be looking at their set-up man any longer, but their closer of the future.

As Madson prepares to open the season as the Phils’ closer, we’re left wondering just what Brad Lidge has left in the tank.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Keys to Phillies Winning a 5th Straight NL East Title

Opening Day is less than a week away.

Pretty soon, the Philadelphia Phillies will be on their way back to frigid PA and will start April 1st their quest for a fifth straight NL East Title.

Phillies fans are hoping for even more…perhaps a second World Series title in four years.

The Phillies, even though they are favorites to win the division, have some pretty big concerns heading into the season.

Injuries, age and recent play have put some question marks around the Phillies team.

If the Phils want to secure a fifth straight title and make it back to the World Series, these will be the five keys to them doing so.

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Philadelphia Phillies of 2006: What a Difference 5 Years Makes

Despite a tough, injury-plagued spring training, today’s Philadelphia Phillies are about to break camp surrounded by the type of lofty expectations that are attached to very few ballclubs.

Yes, injuries to Chase Utley and Brad Lidge have scaled down some of the unchecked optimism about the regular season (okay, they won’t win 115 or so games), but they are still the odds-on choice to advance to the World Series for the third time in the last four years.

Charlie Manuel’s bunch has won the last four National League East pennants, and No. 5 is but a formality. The Phillies always win. Don’t they?

If you cut your baseball teeth in 2007, it’s hard to think otherwise. But it hasn’t always been this way, and one does not have to conjure up images of the horrid choke of 1964— featuring Jim Bunning, Chris Short, Chico Ruiz and Gene Mauch—to appreciate how special the last four seasons have been.

Please travel with me all the way back to the year 2006 for a reminder of the way it used to be.

 

The Phillies of 2006

In the early spring of 2006, the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.23, stadium hot dogs cost a dollar, and the Atlanta Braves were coming off their zillionth straight NL East title.

I’m just kidding about the price of gas, but stadium hot dogs did cost you a buck—on Dollar Dog Days.

The Phillies had finished the season with a quite respectable 88-74 record under first-year manager Charlie Manuel. Although 88 wins wasn’t bad, it was yet another season—their 12th consecutive—without a playoff berth.

For the glass-half-full fans, there was consolation to be found in finishing only two games out of first and one game behind the Astros for the wild card.

For most Phillies fans, it seemed like Groundhog Day. And who exactly was this glorified hitting coach with the strange accent who was mismanaging our team?

As the Phils geared up for Opening Day, nobody was comparing their starting rotation to the 1971 Baltimore Orioles or the 1990s Atlanta Braves. R2C2? The Four Aces? Mound Rushmore? Please.

The 2006 Phillies started the season with this rotation: Jon Lieber, Brett Myers, Cory Lidle, Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson. Maybe they should have been called Five Guys, if a certain burger joint wouldn’t have sued. This wasn’t Mound Rushmore. It was more the case of Mount NeedMore.

By the way, the Phillies opened the 2006 season with four straight losses, and one win out of their first six. All six games were played in front of their ever-patient fans. Their first victory was earned by reliever Tom Gordon.

To reassure you that I’m not describing some alternate universe played outside of Citizens Bank Park, I will add that a certain Cardinals player named Albert Pujols left Philly with a .500 batting average, three homers and six RBI after the first three games. Some things stay the same.

The Phillies did have a pretty good hitting team back then, if in a bit of transition from an offense led by Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome, Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal to one sparked by the young emerging corp of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

In 2005, Jim Thome battled injuries, which finally gave Howard his long-awaited shot. He capitalized with 22 homers and 63 RBI in only 88 games, winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Utley got his chance to play everyday in 2005, posting a slash line of .291/28/105 and Rollins, just 26, was coming off his first All-Star season.

The Phillies cut ties with Thome prior to the 2006 season, and Manuel presented the following lineup card to home plate umpire Gerry Crawford:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Abraham Nunez, 3B

3. Bobby Abreu, RF

4. Chase Utley, 2B

5. Pat Burrell, LF

6. Ryan Howard, 1B

7. Aaron Rowand, CF

8. Mike Liebertahal, C

9. Jon Lieber, P

Even the most fervent Phillies fans may be surprised to see that Utley was hitting hitting cleanup, and Ryan Howard (who would slug his way to the NL MVP award with 58 homers and 149 RBI) was in the six-hole.

The lineup would soon see more changes. Bobby Abreu, who always struck me as both the most overrated and most unappreciated Phillies player, was traded to the Yankees in midseason.

Shane Victorino would emerge as an important outfielder before season’s end. Mike Lieberthal (starting to show signs of wear and tear) would finish 2006 and 2007 as a Phillie, but was losing playing time to Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz.

Even Aaron Rowand, a fan favorite just acquired in 2006, would leave after the 2007 season. Third base? Don’t ask. David Bell, never a Philly fan favorite, saw the majority of the playing time.

The 2006 Phillies, despite big years from Howard, Utley, Rollins and Burrell, dropped to 85-77 and—check the record books—12 games behind a talented New York Mets team. They did not even make it as a wild card, extending that Groundhog Day scenario to 13 seasons.

Unlike the Phils of last year and for the foreseeable future, the starting pitching was never strong enough. Lefty phenom Cole Hamels came up midseason and posted a 9-8 record with a 4.08 ERA. Only Myers (12) and Madson (11) had more wins than Cole.

In the final analysis, that long, lost season of 2006 yielded a 2007 spring training of equal parts optimistic and uncertainty. That spring training gave birth to a 2007 team that nipped a collapsing Mets team by one game at the wire.

The rest, as baseball fans and archivists alike tend to say, is history.

For more information on Matt Goldberg’s new books, other writings and public appearances, please e-mail: matt@tipofthegoldberg.com or contact him via his Bleacher Report homepage.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Bold Predictions for the Team’s 2011 Season

Opening day is only seven days away, which means it’s time to ponder and predict what the Philadelphia Phillies will accomplish in the 2011 baseball season. They go into this season with one of the best pitching rotations in baseball history and are the presumptive favorites to represent the National League in the World Series.

From Ryan Howard’s potential bombs over the left field fence at Citizens Bank park to Raul Ibanez’s crucial role with the absence of Jason Werth, we look at these 10 bold predictions for the 2011 Phillies baseball season.

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Nyjer Morgan Could Be Philadelphia Phillies’ Missing Link in 2011

This spring, there has been plenty of consternation in the Phillies organization and around the Phillies fan nation.

Seemingly everyday a new concern arises, whether it’s Chase Utley’s knee, Dominic Brown’s hand, Placido Polanco’s elbow, etc. Adding Luis Castillo will certainly give depth to the infield, but what about the outfield?

Today, reports are the Phillies are actively looking to acquire a veteran outfielder who would be able to backup Shane Victorino in center field. At the same time, scouts who cover the Washington Nationals are writing that the team is actively shopping center fielder Nyjer Morgan. One scout even said, “They’re trying to give him away.”

Phillies fans should be very familiar with Morgan, who’s spent the last two seasons in Washington. He is known for his defense, speed and fiery attitude (no surprise for a former Canadian junior hockey leaguer).

Questions about his temper and discipline are well founded, as he has had more than his fair share of brush-ups with opposing pitchers.  However, what seems to be lost is just how productive he has been in four seasons while playing for perennial losers, Washington and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Excluding last season, Morgan has been better than average at the plate hitting .305 (.283 overall) with a .344 OBP and .704 OPS. He is also a great base-running threat, averaging 33 steals since 2009.  Most importantly, he is a solid center fielder.

In evaluating his team this spring, Charlie Manuel has reiterated again and again that his team needs to get back to playing small ball. Since 2008, they’ve had no need to utilize this practice. But the loss of Jayson Werth in free agency and the uncertain return of Chase Utley has forced the team to re-think their strategy.

Playing small ball means getting men on, advancing by stealing, employing the sacrifice bunt and resisting the urge to swing for the fences. In short, Manuel is hoping his team starts manufacturing more runs.

Morgan is the epitome of this style of play. He steals bases, bunts for hits and has only hit four home runs in his career.

Morgan would be a great situational player and platoon option for the Phillies. Considering he’s at his best against right-handed pitching (.333 average), he could be an invaluable substitute for Shane Victorino who hits a lowly .233 against righties. Furthermore, the Phillies have the oldest starting lineup in baseball; it is necessary to add depth and protect their aging stars.

While the Phillies’ payroll has soared north of $170 million this year, and general manager Ruben Amaro has said repeatedly that there is no more money to spend, Morgan’s $427,000 salary would be manageable—especially considering they’d have to trade a contract to acquire him.

The Nationals certainly won’t give up Morgan for nothing, but the team appears comfortable with Rick Ankiel at CF and need to make room for future outfielder and hot prospect Bryce Harper.

This comfort, and the Nationals’ apparent disillusion with Morgan, should be all the Phillies need to inquire about his services.

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: How Well Do You Know the Team?

Opening Day (for the Philadelphia Phillies, anyway) is only eight days away!

I’ve been told that I can hardly contain my excitement, and I won’t disagree with that assessment.

In that regard, I don’t know if today’s 30 degree, rainy weather is getting me more or less geeked up for the April Fools’ Day opener.

The proximity of the regular-season baseball opener does have me staying up late posting the following Phillies quiz for all of you fans to enjoy.

And yes, some of these questions may be easy, but others may challenge you just a bit. And there are a few that may have you screaming: “Who gives a damn.” Or worse.

All of the questions are focused on current players, but down the line (and still in fair territory), I may unleash some questions that will test your expertise on Phillies history.

Please close your books, sharpen your pencil, and get to it.

There are a dozen questions, so each is worth eight points, for a subtotal of 96. If you either spell or say Antonio Bastardo correctly, award yourself an extra four.

Good luck, and feel free to post your score in the comments section.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Oswalt’s Close Call Reveals Pitching Vulnerability

With Opening Day nearly a week away, the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff is still the top topic of preseason predictions. On paper, the Phils should easily pitch their way to the World Series, but so many things can happen over the course of the season that nothing is certain.

Roy Oswalt’s frightening experience on the hill on Wednesday proved that seasons can be altered in the swing of a bat.

Oswalt took a line drive to the back of the neck in the fourth inning of a spring training matchup with the Rays. Manny Ramirez‘s blast sent him to the dirt, but fortunately he only ended up with a nasty bruise and was able to walk off on his own without losing consciousness.

His X-rays were negative, but one thing is positive in Philadelphia, things could have been much worse for the most talked-up rotation in Major League Baseball.

Oswalt is lucky he didn’t end up with a serious injury. The Phils have yet to rule out a concussion, but Charlie Manuel expects him to make his next start. Nevertheless, Oswalt took a scary shot and it showed how vulnerable pitchers are on the mound.

Chances are the Phillies‘ rotation will be the best around, but fans can only hope that freak accidents and injuries don’t send their stars to the DL.

Baseball may not seem as dangerous as football or hockey, but promising players can be sidelined quicker than a fastball passes over the plate. The ability to stay healthy and consistent over 162 games will determine if the Phillies will live up to their great expectations.

Such factors can cause the downfall of credible preseason predictions. Analysts can only guess. Sports are simply unpredictable. 

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Roy Oswalt Video: Phillies Pitcher Gets Hit in Head by Manny Ramirez Line Drive

When you go through spring training, you don’t expect to have to see players go down due to injury. Nonetheless, it does happen, and when it’s a line drive right back to the pitcher, it’s always a very concerning moment since you worry if the pitcher’s going to be alright.

Such a situation happened today in an exhibition game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Roy Oswalt was facing Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ramirez hit the ball right back to Oswalt, and he went down.

While the video looked like he was hit in the upper back, the slowed down replay showed he was instead hit behind the ear, on the neck. He was able to get up on his own power, and didn’t look to have any serious aftereffects from the shot.

He was taken to a hospital, and X-rays done were negative. Oswalt also noted that he did not suffer from any dizziness or concussion symptoms, though he did end up with a neck bruise.

The big story here is, of course, that a crisis was averted. Shots like that can go badly so easily, and he could have ended up with a concussion or even a broken neck had it hit slightly over.

There are probably some people out there that want to blame Manny Ramirez for the shot, but that would just be foolish. One can’t magically dictate exactly where a ball is going to go when they hit it, so I would hope no one really believe that was meant to happen.

It’s too early to tell if Oswalt will miss any time as a result of this, though I would imagine his preseason is over just to be on the safe side. After all, we know he’s going to be one of the stars in the rotation, so he might as well look forward to that.

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Philadelphia Sports Fans: A Great Fanbase…Just Don’t Ruin It

It seems that once again the old meme regarding the heinousness of Philadelphia‘s sports fans has reared its ugly head, and for the first time, I find myself thinking that the narrative is not the only thing that has become tiresome.

For those of you who may have missed it, GQ recently published its list of the “Worst Sports Fans in America” and, surprise, surprise, the big winners (or shall we say, losers) were the Philadelphia faithful.  After all, as this tired trope goes, these are the fans who booed Santa Claus, had a jail in the basement of their stadium, cheered when Michael Irvin nearly died and jeer their biggest stars.

See the full GQ list here.

This not the first time Philadelphia fans have been subjected taken the brunt of this easy punchline on the history of Philadelphia sports fandom, but it is also not the first time the city, or at least the city’s fanbase, has become up in arms about the slanderous insult being once again hurled our way.

Indeed, at this point, it is not entirely clear which narrative has become more tiresome.

Obviously, the portrayal of the Philadelphia sports fanbase is unfair; a few bad eggs should not ruin it for the whole bunch, and a handful of incidents over 50 years should not define a sports fanbase.

Nevertheless, having had to defend themselves repeatedly over the years, Philadelphia sports fans have now had enough, and it’s time to dissemble a narrative that has become tiresome and, frankly, becomes more ridiculous every time it gets regurgitated.

Let’s recap the arguments frequently made in support of the Philadelphia sport fan:

 

1. The “One of Us” Argument

A reasonably straight-forward proposition: Philadelphia is a hard-scrabble, blue-collar city, and we like guys who are hard-scrabble, blue-collar players. 

Thus, when a guy like Scott Rolen comes through town, who has world-class talent both defensively and offensively but is also a bit of a prima donna and a pretty boy, Philly fans are slow to warm to him because he is not our type of player.

On the flip-side, Aaron Rowand may not have the same talent level as Rolen, but he broke his nose crashing into the center field wall, one time, and we will love him forever for it.

The essence of this argument is that Philly fans will shun the most talented players in a sport in favor of less talented players, whom they will love as long as they “play hard,” which can only be demonstrated through a handful of neat plays. 

Guess what, Philly fans: This makes you idiots!  The inability to appreciate truly talented players because they do not make blood-inducing plays or lose teeth is not a compliment to the fanbase.

And it certainly does not support the proposition that Philadelphia has good sports fans.

 

2. The “We Demand Excellence from Our Teams” Argument

Essentially, the story here is: Philadelphia sports fans are not fickle, we just demand excellence.

Face it, you or your neighbor believes that NBA basketball is dead, and the Philadelphia 76ers are the deadest of the dead NBA teams.

That may be. NBA basketball has its fair share of image problems and it has certainly lost its standing amongst the major professional sports leagues.

Question, does the fact that the city that gave us the Big Five, Dr. J. and Allen Iverson cannot muster interest in one of the NBA’s most storied franchises make Philly fans good sports fans? 

Quite the contrary. This would seem to be a black mark upon the Philly faithful.

 

3. The “Our Games Have Become Such Fan-Friendly Experiences” Argument

This is perhaps the most tiresome element of the argument for the greatness of the Philly sports fan—that going to see a Flyers, Phillies or Eagles game has become such a fantastic, wonderful experience for the whole family.

No kidding.

Philly fans have a tendency to act as if they have suddenly, collectively decided to clean up their act, and have instantaneously created their own fan-friendly environments in support of their local teams.

Never mind the fact that all three teams play in completely new, state-of-the-art stadiums that have replaced more readily affordable venues.  And never mind the fact that the “riff-raff” that used to populate the 700-level of Veterans Stadium and the cheap seats at the Spectrum have now been priced out of Eagles and Phillies games.

Let’s not pat ourselves on the back for the environment in these ballparks and arenas.

They have been created for us, not by us.

 

4. The “Consecutive Sellouts” Argument

In an offshoot of No. 3, there has been a lot of back-patting around Philly over the Phillies’ incredible string of sellouts over the last season-and-a-half, which has extended over 100 games and promises to extend well into the 2011 season and potentially beyond.

So? Philadelphia can sell out its ballpark in the wake of consecutive World Series appearances. Is that impressive? Does that make us great fans?

Just imagine what we would be saying if we did not sellout every game with the success this team has experienced. I think that would be more noteworthy, and also disappointing.

I think the string we have had, while impressive, should also have been expected.

 

5. The “We Demand Excellence from Our Coaches” Argument

What was once a love-hate relationship with Andy Reid has become a hate-hate relationship, and Philadelphia fans seem to pride themselves on their ability to not love Andy Reid. He has simply delivered too many winning, playoff-bound teams over the years. 

I happened to be running errands and listening to the radio the day Andy Reid announced that Michael Vick was taking over as starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.  Let’s just say the shock and outrage felt by the Philly fans and media was deafening.

“Andy Reid lied to us!” 

“How does this help us win, long-term?” 

“Michael Vick is a dog-killer!”

That was just some of the deafening chatter on the radio that day.

Then, when Michael Vick played at a level no one anticipated throughout the season, the praise heaped upon him and the Eagles by the fans and media was deafening once again: “This is Eagles history!”

“Vick is such an amazing athlete!” 

“He should be the MVP!”

Vick and the Eagles earned the love and praise of the Philly faithful, while Andy Reid’s role in putting Vick in a position to succeed was casually ignored.

Then, when the Eagles lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers on a final-drive Michael Vick interception…

“Off with Andy Reid’s head!”

Hey, Philly fans, the inability to give credit where credit is due—does this make you good fans or bad fans?

 

6. The “Cliff Lee Chose Us, So We Must Be Awesome” Factor

This argument sets forth the proposition that when Cliff Lee chose to take less money to come back to Philadelphia instead of staying with the Texas Rangers, with whom he’d just been to the World Series, or going to the New York Yankees, who offered him significantly more money, it somehow represented the new referendum on the Philly sports fan.

Lee even indicated as much, stating that he and his wife were so flattered by the treatment they received during his brief stint here in 2009 that they wanted more than anything to return to the City of Brother-Lee Love.

So, that solves it, right? Philly fans are great. Cliff Lee said so.

Except, let’s unpack that statement a little bit…

Lee arrived in Philadelphia via trade in 2009 as the Phillies’ postseason fate was in question.  He pitched stellar ball down the stretch and helped guide the team to a third straight division title. 

Then, in the postseason, he helped pitch the team into the World Series and had a magnificent championship round, essentially the only Phillie that did, in a losing effort against the New York Yankees.

Is it hard to believe that Cliff Lee received a good reception in Philadelphia?

Without ever going through a contract dispute with his team, like Allen Iverson, J.D. Drew, Eric Lindros and scores of other Philadelphian athletes before him, was there ever a chance for the fanbase to turn on him?

Of course Philly sports fans loved Cliff Lee.  He pitched 120 excellent innings and we essentially had him for free.

The ability to root for a player and treat that player well when he plays at an elite level on the game’s biggest stage does not make a fanbase great.

And at the end of the day, that is what is so annoying about the new narrative, “We really are a great fanbase.”

We are a fanbase who loves to win and hates to lose.  A group of fans that loses patience with teams who do not continue to improve, and celebrates with teams who defy low expectations by doing something good.

We fill stadiums for our winners and we fail to show up for our losers.  We wait with bated breath for the stars of tomorrow, while remembering with teary eyes the heroes of yesterday that we may not have actually cheered for. 

We bleed Eagle Green, and we pine for the return of the Broad Street Bullies, and we dance in the street when we win the World Series.

For all the world to see, we are clearly not the worst fanbase in the sports.  

We are a great fanbase and a great sports city.

Let’s just not ruin it by making silly arguments as to why this is the case.

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