As 2009 Rolls Around, the Philadelphia Phillies Still Talk Mighty with Stick

The keys to the Philadelphia Phillies successful run for the 2008 World Series was an explosive offense and a lights-out bullpen.

Closer Brad Lidge blew his first game since 2007 early in the 2009 season and has been hampered by a knee injury. The offense, however, has been dangerously good.

As evidence, of the Phillies first 10 wins of the year, nine were come from behind. The team’s formula for success this year, which finds them in first place in the east on May 8 with a 14-12 record, seems to keep a team to five runs, catch up and hold the lead for Ryan Madison and Lidge in the eighth and ninth, respectively.

And the most glaring offensive stat is that the Phillies are hitting .517 (15-for-29) with the bases loaded this season. They rank eighth in offense among Major League teams and their 37 home runs tie them with Colorado for tops in the National League.

Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and newcomer Raul Ibanez all have hit grand slams this year. Most impressively is Howard’s recent slam in St. Louis tied him with Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt with seven career grannies. Howard, however, has done it in 2,164 at-bats while Schmidt did it in 8,352 at-bats.

Here are this year’s top Phillie performers and the rest of the lineup:

Jimmy Rollins: Rollins has started the year slowly .211 in 109 at-bats. As the leadoff hitter he needs to get on base more. When Rollins hit a home run to start the game last year, the Phillies usually won. Grade: C

Shane Victorino: Victorino showed a flair for the dramatic in last year’s World Series. He recently duplicated his playoff grand slam with a grannie recently against Washington. He is riding a 16-game hitting streak going into Friday’s game and I only see greater things for “The Flying Hawaiian.” He is hitting .304 in 112 at-bats. A –

Chase Utley. Utley without a doubt is the best all around player on the Phillies. They would not have won the World Series without two key fielding plays. He seems recovered from off-season hip surgery. He is hitting .318 in 85 at-bats with eight home runs. A

Ryan Howard. Some say he strikes out too much and should hit for a better average. Poppycock. He gets paid to hit home runs, not singles. He has shed25 pounds and playing much better defense this year. He is a hot streak hitter but absolutely has owned September the past two years. And June. He is hitting .291 with 6 home runs and 22 RBI. Grade A.

Jason Werth. Werth won the full-time right field job last year and has not proved manager Charlie Manuel wrong in the move. He hit a third-level home run in St. Louis, his fifth of the year. He is hitting a respectable .284. Grade B.

Raul Ibanez. What a find! In his first year with the Phillies, in just over 100 at bats, Ibanez is hitting .343 with 8 home runs, 8 doubles and 22 RBI. With Manny Ramirez out for 50 games due to an illegal substance infraction, Ibanez will be the best free agent player in the first two months of baseball. Grade A+.

Pedro Feliz. In his second year with the Phillies, his rep has been a stellar defense and an inconsistent offense. He has been better this year, with a .311 batting average. Grade A.

Carlos Ruiz. His handling of the pitching staff and play at the plate is among the best in the league. His hitting could be better. He is hitting .185 in a season marked by injury. Grade D or incomplete.

The bench: Matt Stairs is enough to drive fear into any manager with men on base late in the game. He has 2 home runs. Greg Dobbs is not his usual steady sub this year, hitting .136 in 22 at-bats. He should come around. Eric Brunlett and Miguel Cairo are adequate to good utility players. Chris Coste, the backup to Ruiz, is off to a slow start, but should come around.

Phillies fans drooled at the chance to get Garry Sheffield. But only as a right handed bat off the bench to compliment Stairs. The Mets can have him. Bench grade B.

Even if Lidge blows a few games this year, as long as he saves 3/4 of the games he pitches in, the rest of the bullpen will follow suit and have a good season. To gain momentum this season, the starting pitching has to be more consistent.

Because, one thing for sure. The only thing that separates this Phillies offense with the Big Red Machine of the 1970s, is two consecutive World Series titles.

The first part has been completed. This Phillies offense simply is that good. 

To Lose Harry Kalas Was Like Losing a Family Member

The Phillies honored the memory of longtime radio and television announcer Harry Kalas with a public tribute on Saturday at Citizen Bank Park.

Kalas, the voice of the Phillies since 1971, died Monday, April 13, 2009, as he prepared to announce the Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Washington National game in Washington, D.C. He collapsed in the broadcast booth and died at a local hospital shortly after.

His last home run call was Matt Stairs’ pinch hit home run in Colorado in a 7-5 Phillies win on Easter Sunday.

So what does this picture above mean to the life of Phillies announcer Harry Kalas? It is to show that all of us, as Phillies fans, have met briefly, or a few times, a member of the team, broadcast team, or other member of the Phillies family.

The picture above is my mother-in-law, Lois, with the late Paul Richardson, the longtime Phillies organist, at a Christmas party in 1980 for season ticket holders. Here Richardson shows off his 1980 Phillies World Series ring.

I had season tickets once, in about 1985, as I had a 13-game Sunday plan. Living in Ocean City, NJ, I went to about half the games, gave a few away and ate the rest. It wasn’t worth it.

But I did, as an 19-year-old, meet Mike Schmidt, Garry Maddox and Tug McGraw. I was of legal drinking age and me and my buddies would buy cheap seat tickets and go to the Stadium Club to watch the game. My buddy knew that if we waited 45 minutes after the game (enough time to have another beer), we would take the elevator down to the first level, near the Phillies locker room.

One night, when the elevator door opened, Mike Schmidt was on the elevator. He was very gracious and signed an autograph for me (I guess he was outnumbered and we could always hit the stop button, JK).

I also, three years ago, met and talked to John Kruk on the Ocean City Boardwalk. I talked to him for about a minute or so and left. No picture or autograph, just a meet and greet.

You see, whether you met him or not, Harry Kalas was a member of the Phillies family. You invited into your home, your car, to the beach with your transistor radio, on your  boat, through XM satellite radio or MLB.com, or however you listened to Phillies broadcast their games.

He went places you would not invite your mother-in-law on most days! (JK).

Hey, I don’t have blinders on. It would be the same for any team who lost a longtime and/or beloved player or announcer. It is like losing Jack Buck, for Cardinals fans, Harry Carey for Cubs fans, Red Barber for Brooklyn and Yankees fans, or Phil Risotto, again for Yankee fans.

Kalas was not only a great baseball announcer, but the Hall of Famer also broadcast Notre Dame football games and was the voice of NFL Films.

“This ball’s outta here,” was his familar refrain.

Those who love the broadcasting part of baseball could tell that Kalas was not as sure about what was a home run or not, later in his career (“Could it be, could it be?”), but he never, ever lost the voice that made him famous.

I watched some of Saturday’s broadcast of the memorial service at Citizens Bank Park. I had to put the moment into perspective: I still had to go shopping with my wife, cut the grass and do things that a man, husband and father does.

But make no mistake. On Monday, as a Phillies and baseball fan, I lost a member of my family.

The broadcast won’t be the same for a long, long, time …

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