Howard Power ( I am an endless fount of cheesy titles)

I made a negative comment about Ryan Howard in a previous post, and I want to clarify. I am a huge Ryan Howard fan. I have been since the beginning, and by beginning I mean since his debut in 2004. I have a Howard Phillies shirt, I've taught my son Howard's name, and I always have the urge for Subway.

My negative statement was about how he let that last pitch in the NLCS go by, and lost the game against Brian "Beardo" Wilson. I was very saddened by this and was actually extra upset. I had tickets to game 7 and was going with my father-in-law who had never been to a playoff game before. It probably would be the greatest sporting event I'd have ever been to, and because Howard couldn't swing at a pitch too close to take, I'm sitting here complaining about it in a blog 5 months later. You can see where I'd be a little ticked. It felt like I had been stood up, and believe me I know what that feels like.

This event hasn't turned me off. He's still my favorite player and I will support him 100%. A lot of people were unhappy with his last contract thinking it was too much. To one extent I have no argument with this, because guys with contracts like that hit the ball in the NLCS. There was part of me hoping Howard would've come out after that game and said, "You know what guys. I don't deserve this huge contract. I'm going to give some of my money back so the team can resign Werth." Wouldn't that have been a sweet PR move?

On the other hand, I don't really have that many issues with the contract. In my opinion, he is a major factor in the Phillies becoming what they are. Yes, people are coming to see the Phils because they are winning, but they also want to see the characters involved. Howard was giving us things to get excited about before we won the Series: Rookie of the Year, Home Run Derby Champ, and MVP.

I've also been impressed by his work ethic, because he seems to improve every year. A big knock on him was his fielding. Last year, he came in a little more svelte (I have never typed that word), and nimble. His fielding was very much improved. He wasn't going to be winning any gold gloves, but he was going to be on less Not Top Plays on Sportscenter. His home runs were down last year and I think his willingness to improve was part of the problem.

Another issue people had with him, was that he struck out too much. I think he worked on his batting so much that he was hitting for average instead of looking to put it out. How dare he? I could be wrong on this, because he actually was belting them out at a fairly good pace before his injury knocked him out for a while and seemed to really throw him off.

My hope is that last pitch stuck with him as it did with me this whole offseason. I hope it inspired and pushed him. I hope he reenacted every cheesy training montage scene from Rocky that he could possibly remember. If he did, this will be a monster year for him. I'd like for him to do so well, that everyone is talking about him and not the pitchers. I'd also like for him to call me to hang out some time. We could go to Subway or something.

Intentional Walk

It's late, I feel a cold coming on, and the Phils lost again. This leads me to not want to write anything and just go to bed, but let me give a little. I'm pretty much intentionally walking this blog.

Carlos Ruiz had to go back down to Panama, because his wife ended up having a C-section. It sounds like everyone is doing well, but I think they named the baby, Carlos. This would be cool if he didn't already have another son named Carlos. Is he trying to switch his nickname from "Chooch" to "The George Foreman" of Baseball?

Mayberry Jr. had a good game today. I'm still pulling for Brown. I'm not a big reader, and Brown is so much easier on the back of a jersey then Mayberry Jr. By the way, a special thanks to my good friend Mr. Whittle for the correction on my spelling of "Domonic" yesterday. Not so much, for the correction, but the confirmation that someone really is reading my blog.

Ok, there are some tidbits. I'm going to take some CVS brand Airborn and go to bed.

Dave

Closer to Danny Glover

Domonic Brown is in a heated competition with Ben Francisco and John Mayberry Jr. I'd say he is holding his ground, but the whole 0-12 at the plate thing makes me hesitate. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I'm not a baseball expert, but if I'm pretty sure that if I can put on the same batting performance as Brown, it's not good. Actually, I have a smaller strike zone, so there's a better chance that I would at least be getting on base.

I'd really like to see Brown win this job, so I'd like to share some of the limited baseball wisdom I have. First, stop taking batting tips from Ryan Howard. When the game is on the line, watching the strikeout pitch go by you isn't a good idea. Yeah, it will have people talking, but you won't like what you hear.

Maybe we can get the team on board to be more encouraging. When Brown is up to bat and he takes a ball, is anyone from the dugout yelling, "Good eye!"? I know I always found that encouraging in Little League. Cliches could be really helpful to bust his slump. Is Charlie taking him aside to explain that a tie goes to the runner only applies if he is a runner? Does he know, that when the guys in the field are yelling, "Hey batter, batter, Swing Batter!," they're just trying to distract him?

My final thought is, does he have an estranged family member that he would like to be closer to? If so, praying that the Phillies win the pennant so that his family can be together, just may work. It did for that kid in "Angels in the Outfield." It's worth a shot to get the job, or at least get closer to Danny Glover. Sorry, that's the movie. Too bad. It would be cool to get closer to Danny Glover.

Dave

MVP Candidate?

So, I've been on the road, and since preseason games don't get much by way of TV play or even good reviews, it's going to be hard to comment on some of the games that have occurred this weekend. With that being said, let me give you a quick recap.

Saturday the mighty Phils played their first real exhibition game (oxymoron) and won 5-4. Cole Hamels faced the mighty Yankees, struck out 2, allowed 1 hit, and most importantly hit Mark Teixeira. Dane Sardinha had 2 RBI's and brought in the game winner. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Sardinha as the 2011 MLB MVP. I say that because I'm a comedian, so it will be forgotten as a lame joke. If it comes true though, I will become the smartest man in baseball since Coach Morris Buttermaker.

Sunday saw the Phillies losing to the Yanks, 7-3. I'd rather not talk about this one, but I will point out that Sardinha didn't play.

Monday, the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 6-3. During 2 innings of this baseball game the world was right: birds sang, babies cried, and Roy Halladay pitched a shut-out. Hearing about Sardinha's 1st game and the MVP buzz surrounding it, Carlos Ruiz answered with his own 2 RBI game. Though he had no hits in this game, Sardinha did play, bringing the Phillies to 2-0 in games he's played in. I'm not trying to force anything, I'm just giving facts.

Dave

Florida State (Nothing Witty, just a University)

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a blog out yesterday because I was on the road for a show at SUNY Cobleskill in NY. I was also unable to take in the contest between our Philadelphia Phillies and the mighty Florida State Seminoles. I like that this game took place, because when else will some of these guys get this kind of opportunity. I mean let's be realistic. A lot of these players on the Phillies will never go back to college and this served as a great warm up for the Noles.

So apparently, the Phils 4 hit Florida State, and won 8-0. I know the Phillies are at the next level, but if I were the Florida State Athletics Director, I would reevaluate some of the scholarships I was given out. Tyler Everett was the starting pitcher for Florida, and gave up 4 runs and 5 hits in the 1st inning. It was probably a very valuable learning experience for the lad. I know that when I dominate my son at a sport, he only cries for a few hours.

Chase Utley was held out of yesterday's game and maybe the rest of the weekend, because he is experiencing soreness. Charlie Manuel, says that he has soreness, and will not play, but is NOT injured. This is a little confusing to me, but I'm not going to ask any more questions. I learned a valuable lesson as a lifeguard at a summer camp. When young girls seemed perfectly fine, but weren't swimming, you weren't supposed to ask why not, because you might get an answer that was awkward for everyone. I know he's not an adolescent girl, but I can only assume this could be the issue.

It seems like Dominic Brown will be in the mix to replace Jayson Werth in right field. Some people don't like this because he's a lefty and the batting line-up will be too left handed. As a southpaw myself, I am saddened that we haven't come far enough in society to be more accepting of this sort of thing. So what, his handwriting may not be great and according to studies he may be more prone to having Chrone's disease or dyslexia, but it's 2011. Let Dominic Brown join his left handed brothers and be the revolution. He helped that cause yesterday going 1 for 3 and playing 6 strong innings.

Seeing that I'm starting to be all over the place in this blog, it looks like the 3 hours of sleep I got last night are catching up. More to come tomorrow.

Dave

Muscle Strain is the Pits

So for a moment in time this week, Phillies fans threw up a little in their mouths from terror, and Mets fans peed a little in joy. Word came out that Cliff Lee had suffered a mild muscle strain in the armpit area of his throwing arm which occurred back in Arkansas. I assume it was caused by throwing, but I'm not ruling out having someone in a wicked headlock. He's apparently now back to 100%. This whole story has impressed me on many levels.

First off, when was the last time the armpit has gotten this much publicity? Often referred to as, "The New Jersey of the Human Body," you never see the armpit show up on an injury report, or even as an ailment in the game "Operation." I can't imagine what it would feel like to strain a muscle in your armpit. I once had an allergic reaction to some deodorant, and that was bad enough. Also, does someone have to massage that for him? How awkward is that? Anyway, just glad to see the armpit get it's moment in the sun. Can you imagine a sun burn on the arm pit? Sorry, it's just that I've never really contemplated armpit injuries.

It was also fun to see all of the haters come out. They took the first opportunity to rain on the Phillies parade (which should be held in early November). I saw so many articles and reports of, "This is the beginning of many injury problems. . .," "The Phillies are old. . .," and "I don't have anything better to do than to try and tear apart the good going on in Philadelphia." This "injury" wasn't a major deal, and the Phillies aren't revolving around 1 player. The guy on Sportcenter sarcastically said it best: "Glad to hear that Lee is doing well. They don't have any other good pitching there in Philly."

Lee threw 38 pitches on Tuesday in his mound session and felt fine. We can all sleep well tonight no longer have to think about Cliff Lee's armpit.

Dave

Out on a Lidge

The best move Ruben Amaro Jr. made in the beginning of his tenure, was signing Brad Lidge. The guy basically throws a fastball, and much like White Castle, a nasty slider. He was unstoppable with 41 out of 41 saves in the regular season and continued through the playoffs. The Phillies were undefeated when taking a lead into the 9th inning. That year, there was never a doubt in my mind that the Phils were going to lose in the 9th. Lidge could load the bases with no outs, and I still knew he would find a way. He was so clutch, I'm pretty sure he could beat Contra without the whole "Up, up, down, down. . ." deal (The Konami Code for you super dorks).

Then the unthinkable happened. He won the World Series, and apparently got injured when the team piled on him. I blame Eric Bruntlett. He seemed like a boney guy. Lidge came in to 2009 with the injury and it just seemed to rattle him for the rest of the year. He was no longer perfect, and very shaky at times.

The Phils got to the World Series, but in my mind their major weakness all season came shining through. Johnny Damon worked a long at bat against Lidge and walked. On the next batter, Damon stole 2nd, and as he reached the plate he took off toward 3rd. I yelled, "Where the heck is he going?" I said,"heck," because I always try to speak as if ladies are present. Turns out, no one was on the 3rd because of an over shift. I didn't pay too much attention to my Tee Ball coach as a child, so I don't know much about defense, but I'm fairly sure that often when there is field position mistake, it's usually because the pitcher got lazy. If Lidge covers 3rd, I think we win that game, we shake the confidence of the Yankees, and I can gloat to all of my Yankee fan friends, instead of avoiding all contact with them to this day.

Let me start by saying, I think Lidge was better in 2010 then 2009, but the best way to describe this past season, is to share a Text interaction with my father-in-law. After a Phillies win where Lidge won but was shaky, I got a text from my father-in-law that said, "LOL." I commend my father-in-law for being a man in his 50's and not shying away from technology, but this was a little much. I called him right away, seeking answers. He told me that "LOL," stood for "Lights Out Lidge," because it's laughable how many pitches he'd throw and base runners he'd allow, yet still pull out these wins.

This year is the first year, in Lidge's Phillies career where I don't think the season should have to rely on how well Lidge does. With our starting rotation and bats, there shouldn't be too many close games. Now, that all depends on our pitchers' health (more on Cliff Lee's armpit tomorrow), and hopefully our batters don't all forget how to hit at the same time, as was the case for long stretches last year. If everyone does their jobs, Lidge's job becomes much easier, like handing him the controller with 99 lives (see 1st paragraph). Apparently, he's coming in this year pretty healthy, so all should be well. We'll see and hopefully the only "LOL" texts I get from my father-in-law are when he sees a wacky video on YouTube.

Sorry Charlie

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to our skipper, Charlie Manuel. I must confess when he first came in I had no faith. You see, I had watched Terry Francona leave and lead the cursed Red Sox to a championship and in doing so create a beautiful ending to the film, "Fever Pitch." I also saw Larry Bowa come in, yell a lot, and hurt Scott Rolen's heart. With all of these things beating down my faith in the Phils, you can see why I was less then welcoming when we hired a guy, who I thought sounded like the original narrator for "The Dukes of Hazard."

Charlie arrived to a team in 2005 that hadn't been to the playoffs since 1993. His first 2 seasons, ended similarly to how Bowa's seasons ended, within a few games of the playoffs. One difference was that Charlie saw the end of more games live then Bowa who had to watch from the locker room after being ejected. This team couldn't finish things and I thought it was Charlie's fault. It turns out, much like me at a Medieval Times, the team was just immature.

Charlie was able to get the team focused in 2007 and lead them to their 1st playoff appearance in 14 years. Some would argue that it had to do more with the Mets. What did they do? Let's just say that drawing a Y inside an N that year was just as universal as putting your hands to your throat. In the last 3 years, we have seen the Phils win the Division, go 2 of 3 in the NLCS, and 1 of 2 in the World Series. They did this in spite of crazy injuries, horrendous slumps, and fans getting tasered (which I was for).

How he hasn't won Manager of the Year in any of these past 4 years, I will never know. Especially last year when he made all of the right moves throughout the season to keep this slumping, injury ridden team moving. Not only that, he even lead the NL All Star team to victory. Does this man's leadership know no bounds?

Charlie, please find it in your heart to forgive me for not only doubting, but blaming you for this team's early woes. He is looking for a contract extension, and unless they think he should be asking for more, I'm not sure why the powers that be are taking so long on it. My only message for them is this:

Joe Blanton the Manton

He's had many nicknames such as Big Joe, Heavy B, and now The Other Guy. Joe Blanton is the 5th starter behind All-Stars, Cy Young winners, and a World Series MVP. There is one thing he can boast that none of these other guys can and that is having a World Series HR. As a matter of fact, Ken Griffey Jr. can't even say that. Am I saying Joe Blanton is better then Ken Griffey Jr.? No comment.

Blanton could be a 3rd starter on any team and maybe even a 2nd starter on many teams, but if he was, would you ever hear of him? As "The Other Guy," he can be in the spotlight with no expectations. He's kind of like a back-up quarterback, an assistant basketball coach, or the plot of "Avatar." No one expects anything from him, so when he succeeds it's over exaggerated, and when he stinks, no one notices.

The other week, "The 4 Aces" and "The Other Guy" got together for a press conference and there has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not Blanton should've been there. Some feel it was nice for him to be included to show the cohesive nature of the staff. Others feel it was sad and looked like they were charitably including him. Who's to say he was even invited? Maybe he just showed up and asking him to leave would've made an already awkward situation more awkward.

If it were me, I totally would've been there. Why not make the most of it? I equate it to my dog, August. When I take her to the dog park, she loves to run just outside of the pack. She can't run with the big dogs, but just being a part of the chase is enough. I'd rather her do that than be one of those dogs alone, chasing it's own tail, and wearing a sweater. Maybe that's not the best illustration, but the other one I thought of involving The Funky Bunch riding Marky Mark's success, seemed more contrived and outdated.

Joe is scheduled to make $8.5 million this year. He will only have to pitch 6-7 innings every 5 days, he has an amazing offense to back him up, and will probably be the top reliever for the Phils in the playoffs. I would take that job any day and I would totally live it up. For instance, in the press conference, Cliff Lee was asked what he thought was the best pitching staff in MLB history. He responded, "I think the best rotation I can remember is the Braves back with Glavine, Smoltz, Steve Avery, and Maddux. I mean, that was, I don't even remember who that 5th guy was, but those 4 were pretty dang good." If I were Joe, I would've shouted, "His name was Kent Mercker. How could you forget Kent Mercker!" and then stormed out muttering.

There's no need to think poorly of Joe Blanton as he sits behind greatness. He's probably not crying in a corner at night listening to Firework, by Katy Perry. He's stress free, getting ready to have the best seats to a hopefully historic season. For that I applaud him and sort of envy him as does Ken Griffey Jr. I'm sure.

My First Phillies Blog

Welcome to my first Phillies Blog. Let me preface by saying, I'm not a baseball expert or historian, nor am I the greatest writer. All I'm trying to say is don't expect a huge amount of stats, a complete analysis of the 1915 Phillies, or even coherency at times. I'm just a big Phillies fan who loves the team and hopes to someday work for them in some capacity (i.e. broadcast, writing, 5th starter (more on this tomorrow) (am I allowed to do a parenthetical inside another parenthetical?)). You can just expect a strong opinion from a passionate fan, and since I'm a professional comedian, it will have a humorous slant.

How did I become a fan? I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, PA (1983-1992), so regionally it made sense. They were on TV a lot and all over the news. Also, since I didn't have a father figure who was into sports, I had no one to explain to me that this wasn't the greatest team at the time, or that Von Hayes shouldn't be anyone's favorite player.

I grew to love the Phillies more and more as each year passed, but I never got to a game as a child. We had tickets to a game in 1990, but my mother was having some health issues so we couldn't go. The Phils lost to the Cardinals in that game, but I probably still would've loved it. That same year though, I did get to meet Nick Leyva (Manager at the time), John Vukovich, and Larry Bowa at the opening of an Orloski's gas station. Probably my favorite trip to an Orloski's gas station not involving gas or Big League Chew.

In 1992 I moved to upstate NY and needless to say, I was probably the only kid in my school passionately watching the 1993 World Series. When Carter hit that HR off of Williams, I threw a glass of milk across the room. Seeing that Wild Thing blew it, and I was drinking milk, you'd think my mom would appreciate my passion, or at least the fact that I had a healthy beverage before bed. Not so.

In college, I started dating a girl from the Philly area and I got to my 1st game when I went to visit her parents. This moment solidified my love for this girl and we married 2 years later. We now live outside of Philly and I try to follow every game whether on TV or on the radio. My 1st son was born when we won the Series in 2008, and seeing that the last time they won was my birth year (1980), everything has come full circle.

Hopefully this gives you a brief synopsis of where my fandom comes from. I will try to blog everyday, covering the outcomes and story-lines within each game. In the upcoming days I will cover different topics involving some preseason thoughts. Please feel free to follow this blog, pass it along to anyone you think might enjoy it, and comment.

Dave