2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

[gounhwildcats]

Well I know there's a few Phillies fans on here so I thought I'd start a thread of our own. Why scream and rant and pull our hair out on somebody else's thread when we can do it on our own. If this thing dies on the vine, oh well, so be it. There was a pretty good article from David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that gives the depth chart and all 57 players invited to spring training in Clearwater, which I'll post a link to. Not many surprises, but quite a few new faces, especially in the bull pen. It should be another good year for the Phils and I would think they should contend for the NL championship again.

Nice off season as they once again signed all their arbitration eligible players without the need of a hearing. The Halladay trade was obviously the biggest move, with the dropping of Pedro Feliz and signing of Placido Polanco number 2. They still need some bull pen help, and definitely need Lidge to get back to near 2008 form. A healthy JC Romero would be very nice as well.


http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...ing_Training_RosterDepth_Chart_Breakdown.html

 

[pirate]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

in retrospect I understand the Lee-Doc thing better now and guess I agree with the decision. Things for the Phils to watch in 2010, does Howard come back in shape or did the weight come back, is Chase healthy?, Lidge.


FWIW, I'm a Red Sox fan first but the Phils are #1 in the NL for me.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

To me, the key is Hamels. If he can return to good form, the Phils will be tough to beat.

Here's a look at Phillies pitching over the years:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/staff.shtml

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

To me, the key is Hamels. If he can return to good form, the Phils will be tough to beat.

Here's a look at Phillies pitching over the years:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/staff.shtml

Agreed on Hamels. Everyone laments losing Lee in the Halladay deal, completely forgetting about Cole Hamels. Ya, he was pretty much awful last year, but if he can put it together that's a pretty mean rotation they have there. 1 through four they are very strong.

There are still some decent starters on the market that could very nicely fill the number 5 spot in that rotation. I'm hearing no rumblings that they are trying to sign anyone, which means it's gonna be a spring training competition between Moyer and Kendrick. After losing his spot in the rotation early on last year, Kendrick came back at the end of the year and gave the Phils some good innings out of the bullpen. I really hope he's got his change up figured out, cuz if he does he could be a very nice number 5 man in that rotation, or at least a very good long reliever.

The rest of the lineup looks really solid again and they picked up some nice bench pieces in the off season. Ross Gload should be a pretty good utility player and Juan Castro should be able to give Utley a little more rest this year than Bruntlett ever could. Hopefully Brian Schneider left his awful 2009 campaign behind him, cuz if he has he should be an improvement over Bako in the back up catcher's role.

 

[btb91]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

The whole Moyer thing really bothers me. I love Jamie, but really do wish he had retired after the World Series in '08. That would have been the story book ending he deserves for his very long career.

To me, the biggest question is how long of a leash do you give Lidge? We was Mr. Everything in '08, and simply awful last year. If he doesn't turn things around by mid June, the Phils better start shopping.

And I totally get the whole logic on the Lee/Halladay deal, but I will still miss Cliff Lee.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

The whole Moyer thing really bothers me. I love Jamie, but really do wish he had retired after the World Series in '08. That would have been the story book ending he deserves for his very long career.

To me, the biggest question is how long of a leash do you give Lidge? We was Mr. Everything in '08, and simply awful last year. If he doesn't turn things around by mid June, the Phils better start shopping.

And I totally get the whole logic on the Lee/Halladay deal, but I will still miss Cliff Lee.

Ya, you figure if they hadn't handed Jamie that huge 2 year deal they would have had the money to hold onto Lee for this year. Oh well no use crying over spilled milk. I think we'll see Smoltz in a Phillies uniform sometime after the all star break.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Apparently Roy Halladay will get the first start of Spring Training against the Yankees. He was 18-6 as a Blue Jay against the Pin Stripers.

From the early reports Cole Hamels is looking good, and is working on a fourth pitch, a cut fastball.

Lidge threw 30 pitches off a mound the other day, pain free.

JC Romero will throw off a mound sometime this week.

Tyson Gillies, acquired in the Cliff Lee deal, was impressive during outfield drills leading Cholly to utter "he takes shagging to a new level". I guess we have found a replacement for Pat Burrell for off field relations with the female fan base .

 

[btb91]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Apparently Roy Halladay will get the first start of Spring Training against the Yankees. He was 18-6 as a Blue Jay against the Pin Stripers.

From the early reports Cole Hamels is looking good, and is working on a fourth pitch, a cut fastball.

Lidge threw 30 pitches off a mound the other day, pain free.

JC Romero will throw off a mound sometime this week.

Tyson Gillies, acquired in the Cliff Lee deal, was impressive during outfield drills leading Cholly to utter "he takes shagging to a new level". I guess we have found a replacement for Pat Burrell for off field relations with the female fan base .

So far everything looking good out of Clearwater. Thinking we need to Enjoy Jayson Werth this season, as I suspect it will be his last with the Phils. Brown is probably one season away from the majors, and Werth will be a free agent. With all the money the Phils have dropped recently, I can see where Werth will be the odd man out for salary reasons.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Tickets to CBP are getting harder and harder to come by. MLB.com reported they had sold all their full-season plans and all their Sunday plans. They were capping season tickets at 28,750 and had sold 28,500. They've sold more than 3,000,000 already for the year.

Lidge says he won't be ready for opening day, but that worked out fine a couple of years ago. I think bullpen injuries and issues dogged this team all last year, starting with JC being out until almost June. Roles that were so perfectly designed in '08 were a little less so last year. Hopefully there are enough arms there that roles can be hit on and another great routine will be followed.

And I had no idea there were Phils fans on the forum. Growing up in Michigan and living in Indiana I am sort of on an island out here, surrounded by Cubs fans (my family) and the odd Sox or Tigers rooter. I used to love the looks I'd get from folks at the Vet when I told them I drove 12 hours to see the Phils. In the '80s and '90s they had a hard enough time getting people to drive in from Bucks County!

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Opening day is just 5 days away! Some concern out of camp as Joe Blanton stopped a bullpen session short today after tweaking an oblique muscle. Brad Lidge took a cortisone shot in his right elbow also. His fastball has yet to sneak into the 90s yet according to reports out of camp. His fastball last year was what got him into all sorts of trouble IMO. Not only was it in the high 80s instead of the 92-93 he was used to throwing, it was flat and he had no command of it. When he's on top of his FB, that slider becomes devastating to most hitters, especially people who haven't seen it more than a few times. Hopefully he comes out of his stint on the DL at the start of the year with all his pitches.

Even with the concerns coming out of camp, I am cautiously optimistic. The team is deep and experienced. I think they are going to be even more potent offensively so a little pitching struggle can be overcome. Get Victorino comfortable down in the order and the team may even start to manufacture a few runs. It is certainly a good time to be a phan of the Phils.

Curious as to some of the favorite memories or favorite games over the years of some of the other Phils fans out there. Maybe something less obvious than October 27th, 2008 or October 21st, 1980!

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

ESPN is reporting Blanton will be out 3-6 weeks with the oblique problem. Not a total disaster as Kendrick has had a great spring and will fill that role until Blanton is healthy. Obviously of greater concern is Lidge and when he will be fully healthy. JC Romero is coming along and hopefully will be ready to go by the middle of April. The rest of the rotation, bullpen and line up all look they are ready to go.

As for my favourite Phils game, non-World Series clinching, that would be a game in August of 08. The Phils were trailing the Mets in the standings and not playing particularly well at the time. They started a series against the Mets late in August that wound up kick starting their run to the division title. The first game of the series at CBP started out disastrously as the Phils were down 7-0 by the end of the fourth. I was on my way to a friends house and was listening on my XM radio. I got to my friends place with the score 7-0 Mets. When I got into my car a few hours later to go home, the Phils had tied it and it was in the ninth inning. I was stunned. I listened to the remainder of the game in my car on the ride home. In the bottom of the 12th, Chris Coste hit a liner to centre field that drove in the winning run. Just an outstanding finish to an outstanding game. Like I say, it really was the turning point of the whole season, as the Phils would catch and pass the Mets and never look back.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

And I had no idea there were Phils fans on the forum.

We're here.

In high school, I actually worked at the Vet as a hot dog vendor.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

We're here.

In high school, I actually worked at the Vet as a hot dog vendor.

That's a job that could have had its moments during a spirited Eagles-Cowboys game or maybe in the 1970s during a Phils-Pirates series.

I have plenty of fun Phillies memories over the years and one of the best was in 1990. Phils were playing the Mets and Frank Viola was pitching for New York. He won 20 games for the Mets that year, was the mid-season favorite at the time to win the NL Cy Young award, was 13-4 coming into this game, and it was his second best year in a career that saw him win 176 games and a world title with Minnesota in 1987. He took a no-hitter and a 3-0 lead into the 6th inning this night, and the Phils looked over matched, to say the least. But in the 6th he fell apart completely, walking the bases full and seeing his shutout evaporate on an unearned run. Up steps Dickie Thon, who coincidentally was born in the same town I was, and he blasts the first pitch he sees from an obviously rattled Viola into the 300 level out in left field for a grand-slam and gives the Phils a 5-3 lead. First hit of the game and it's a grand-slam! Phillies go on to win the game 7-4. I've seen 4 different Phils hit grand slams in person over the years, and as much as I loved this game and memory, it is only my third third favorite in-person Phillies grand slam.

Mets games at the Vet were always rousing, especially when New York was good and all those indecisive New Jerseyites would show up in droves rooting for the Mets. A couple of my other favorite non-postseason Phillies memories happened when they were playing the Mets. Always a good time.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Wow! Polanco with a grand slam! This Halladay guy looks pretty good! Wonder what he was like in the AL? And Rollins is hittin' .500! Yeah, just one game, but its a good way to start the season. Lets Go Phils!

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

After 4 games the Phils are hitting a robust .344 as a team. Take out Victorino's 2 for 18 performance so far and it is .376. I wonder if he's having trouble adjusting to hitting so far down the order? Other than a few games hitting 6th or a couple of interleague games in AL parks, he hasn't hit this low in the lineup. His April #s were pretty good last year, but not so hot the year before so he's not really established a pattern in the early going. Can't argue with Polanco's results hitting behind Rollins though. Much like Raul Ibanez last year this is an acquisition that's paying huge early season dividends.

 

[JHG722]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

This team is just incredible. These last few years have been so much fun

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Nice to be 7-1 but the Phils' opponents so far are some pretty bad baseball teams - Houston and Washington.

Will be interesting to see how they do with J-Ro on the shelf for a while.

Halladay is going to be very good against National League hitters.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

That's a job that could have had its moments during a spirited Eagles-Cowboys game or maybe in the 1970s during a Phils-Pirates series.

I worked quite a few of those Eagle/Dallas games, including the 1980 NFC Championship Game when Wilbert Montgomery ran roughshod over the Cowboys. I sold a lot of hot dogs that January day.

Steve Carlton was my nemesis in making money as a vendor, because his games were always over so quickly because he took so little time between pitches. My favorite pitcher from an opponents' standpoint was a Padre pitcher named Juan Tyrone Eichelberger, who used to take about a week between pitches. I made about double my nornal take whenever he pitched.

 

[JHG722]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Swami, where'd you go to HS?

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I worked quite a few of those Eagle/Dallas games, including the 1980 NFC Championship Game when Wilbert Montgomery ran roughshod over the Cowboys. I sold a lot of hot dogs that January day.

Steve Carlton was my nemesis in making money as a vendor, because his games were always over so quickly because he took so little time between pitches. My favorite pitcher from an opponents' standpoint was a Padre pitcher named Juan Tyrone Eichelberger, who used to take about a week between pitches. I made about double my nornal take whenever he pitched.

1980 must have been a great time to be a sports fan in Philly AND a vendor at the Vet. All four major pro teams played in the championship game/round of the playoffs. Happy fans buy a lot more beer and hot dogs.

After your time likely vending at the Vet Swami, but Alejandro Pena would have been a goldmine for you. I watched Orel Hershisor pitch a game once in Pittsburgh that Pena relieved in. Hershisor pitched five innings and faced the minimum 15 batters but strained a muscle and couldn't come out for the sixth. It literally took Pena longer to record one out in the bottom half of the 6th inning than it did for Hershisor and the Bucs pitcher to go 5 1/2. I swear to God I'm neither making that up OR exaggerating. I would imagine the 100s of fans at Three Rivers bought a few cold ones.

Nice to be 7-1 but the Phils' opponents so far are some pretty bad baseball teams - Houston and Washington.

Will be interesting to see how they do with J-Ro on the shelf for a while.

Halladay is going to be very good against National League hitters.

Phils couldn't have asked for two better teams to start the 2010 season out with. Houston and Washington will be the worst the NL has to offer, IMO. But with games coming up against Florida and Atlanta the chance is there to come right back to the pack.

In addition to his continued success (hopefully) against the NL, hopefully when the interleague games roll around Halladay will be in the right rotation mix to get the most starts. The one area they have consistently come up short in is beating the AL. Except of course for October of 2008 I'd like to hope his success in beating AL teams will jump start the whole team and make June better than it has been the last couple of years.