Pass the ice Doc

When it comes to a big game, some prefer to watch it with friends and family, others prefer the quiet comfort of their cave.

Then there is the combo model. Time was the frequent phone calls..."Wow, did you see that or @#$% did you see that?", were the exchange.  After the brief conversation, you hang up, until the next play. Depending on the outcome and the party, the calls either stop or the the analysis begins.

Now we text.

My daughter and grandson dined with my ex so I was responsible to provide updates of the Phillies game. No big deal.

In the first inning, the screaming texts began from a friend whose wife refuses to watch a game with him. His ritual is to put his daughters to bed, grab a beer, sunflower seeds and a cup for the shells.
(I did point out to him they have shelled seeds. I digress.)

He sent a photo of his set up.

The uncharacteristic first batter walk by the good Doc, sent nervous chills down my spine. He looked out of sorts.
Maybe he will settle down as the game continues.


Utley's sloppy play. 


Ok Howard can't hit a ho-ho pitch but isn't he a fast ball hitter were examples of his frustration.

The fifth inning photo of the Jumbo Irish Whiskey bottle spoke volumes.

My daughter and grandson made it safely home which reduced the number of texts.

Lincicum's hair was a topic. Does he get his extensions at the same place you do? he asked.
Probably, but he doesn't add color. When you think about, with his cap off, he looks like Michael Jackson, I replied.


Nope, he is darker. (He is now out of control, but that was funny.)


When the Phillies 8th inning specialist stepped on the mound, my massage therapist and dear friend surfaced. Being a life long Philly phan he was on suicide watch.

"Typical Philly team they are going to find a way to lose," he wailed.

The last time I checked the Phillies actually won it all in 2008. The Phillies have played managed to pull out wins, with injuries and a dreadful offense all season, I countered. 


Well, he was not having it. Even though, Madson, shut down the side.
Heartbreak time was his retort.


In the final inning, Werth's homerun gave us breathing room. The table was set for Victorino to be a hero. A few more insurance runs would have eased the anxiety level for even the most optimistic fan.
We got nothing.

Now my massage therapist is beside himself, and my other friend has grown silent. (I can visualize him forgoing the glass and swigging straight from the bottle.)

Grab your rally towel and remember 2008 Lights out Lidge, I cheered.

I had moved to my bedroom but pacing. (Some people drink, some cuss, I pace and cuss).


Back from what seemed to be a long @#$$% commercial break, Here we go, my MT sighed.


First batter, got him out. (I could feel the good Lidge was on the hill).

One down


Lidge moved uncharacteristically swift last night

Two down
I stopped pacing.

Three down


Whew!

We all said our collective good nights.

One more beer for the wrap up with Ricky Bo for my one friend.

My daughter surfaced...Go Phillies! Sleep well Mom, she instructed.


I will after ice my thumbs....

(We found out after the game, Doc suffered a groin strain. This explains tons. But, he gutted it out five big ugly innings. Unbelievable)

The Phall Classic: Phillies lose to the Yankees

Maybe because we won last year. Maybe because Hamels lost his mind, Lidge lost his mojo and Howard couldn't hit a sliding curve I am not surprised how the story ended on this season. Nor am I frustrated, annoyed or other adjectives associated with being a Philly Phan.

But, it was still a good season. We picked up Cliff Lee. Manuel delivered a pennant not knowing what he would get out of his pitching staff. How many teams would be thrilled to play in the World Series?

I want to hate the Yankees. But the only whack job well whack jobs are A-Rod and AJ Burnett. The rest seems like nice guys if they were wearing another uniform. Forgot about the ownership, Georgie boy and his sons gave the Girardi the players to bring home a championship.

There is a core of guys who have the foundation of building a dynasty. What more can a phan ask for? The Phillies are the second best team in the MLB.

Second best.

HMMM Well now, that was a pile of bullshit.

I have another night in St. Louis, I planned on watching my Phillies crush the Yankees in their house.

WTF?

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO, where is my snowball?

Manny My Nightmare

I was lucky enough to attend the Phillies game on Friday. It was my first playoff game. The invitation call lasted about 10 seconds. 

The seats were in the Hall of Fame Section. A sell out crowd. The electricity was amazing.

Of course the boys had to make it far too interesting. The game was a welcome diversion from work, the market and even campaign activities.

There was one loud intoxicated, Dodger fan, sportin' a Manny shirt. Why would you? 

I'm convinced a guy who does that must the need to be center of attention or is woefully inadequate in bed. Eventually, security told him to pipe down or she would not be responsible for his safety.

The game had a whacky start time of 4:30. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees. Indian summer in the Northeast. My companions and I were thrilled to be at Citizen Park watching the Phils in October. Always optimistic in April, totally basking in the reality of a fall outing.

After Moyer's dreadful game and watching tonight's game unfold..........

Friday seems like a distant memory.

Update: Victorino and Matt Stairs hit Home Runs. Stairs just crushed that pitch....ah Matt Stairs? The Phillies picked him up at the end of August.  Hooray for us...

Top of the 8th, the Phillies are up by 2....

Kisses for Pat

I have to admit I developed a soft spot for Pat Burrell. It developed the end of last season. He finally found his swing.

He lumbers in the outfield and moves down the first base line like a freight train versus the Acela like speed of Ryan Howard.  For a big boy Howard can move.

I was calling for his head for years but no one would take him because of his huge price tag. This year, when da boys bats were cold as ice, Burrell kept us in the mix.

For the first time in his career, he deserved to be an all star.

Yeah, he has been struggling but so has poster boy Utley.

Burrell stepped up and found his groove when we needed him the most, truly the sign of a gamer.

Lots of kisses to him and Manuel.

Re-Sign him next year for a reduced salary. He has earned the right to end his career in Philly.

Only in Philly

The Fighting Phils control their destiny. All they have to do this weekend is just win.

That's what scares Philly fans. Myers the wife beater was terrible the other night on the mound. He seemed to implode right before our eyes. The cameras captured the horror on Charlie Manual's face after hit number 9 in the second inning. We watched batting practice.

Should we roll over the Nationals? Ah Yah....

But ask the boys at USC about playing a team that you should roll over.

Off to Costco, to buy some Tums.

One of the Funk Brothers goes to the Minors

I stopped being a Brett Myers fan when he beat the crap out of his wife. The Phillies response was weak at best. Why baseball and the beat writers have more of a problem with Barry Bonds who took something than a guy who uses his wife as a punching bag leaves me cold. Myers recent fall may teach him some humility, worse he could take his anger out on his family.

I digress.

The Phillies were sitting on top of the world and hot bats went cold. This is a surprise only to those who are Philly Phans.

No story here, move along.....

33-Year-Old-Rookie: Chris Coste

My work schedule has been a little nuts. Time spent on trains and planes has been tolerable because of my recent choices in reading materials.

Being a huge baseball fan and sap for an underdog, buying Chris Coste's "The 33-Year-Old- Rookie" was a no-brainer. 

I knew the story. I lived through the games. Every time Coste's name flashed on the Scoreboard, talk in the stands turned to his story. He always receives a hearty Philly cheer. Philly Phans are tough but loyal.  Will Coste land in Cooperstown? Unlikely, but who cares? We love the guy who succeeds against the odds.

That did not stop me from crying and cheering while sucking in this feel good story. 

A must read for anyone chasing a dream.

Attytood: October Surprise?

Attytood warns of the drumbeat of an October surprise. What truly saddens me in his post, is how long it has been since we have won ANY sports championship. Ugh.

The Phillies are in First Place

Howard is slumping but its early in the season. He will catch fire when it counts. Utley and Burrell are on hitting the crap out of the ball. Next up revenge time against the Diamondbacks.

The Phillies are in First Place....Cool

Burrell finds his heart and his swing

I guess it was after the Phillies couldn't unload his erratic bat and expensive salary. Burrell grew tired of being the punching bag at Citizen's Park, in the newspapers and radio. Or maybe he got mad or simply accepted that he was going to work in Phildelphia. Who knows?

Since the all-star break, he has been hitting the crap out of the ball, in critical situations. The boos turned to cheers.

After a six year slump, I never thought that I would put Burrell and clutch in the same sentence, EVER. The Phils are 1 1/2 games from securing a playoff berth. Considering our bull pen has been just wretched, it is clear that a whole lot of offense will overcome a shaky pitching staff.

Burrell has found his heart and his swing, welcome home, we missed you.

Why?

Why do the Phillies play to the level of their competition? Maybe they are drained from the week of Mets?
Who knows?

They are killing me...

It was a great week to be a Phillies Phan

Monday evening, I had just settled in to watch the contest between the Phillies and the Mets. It was critical for the Phillies, to at least, split the series to secure a playoff spot.

The ring of my cellphone was a mild intrusion. On the other end, was a very dear friend of mine. "Hey where are you?" he asked without a hello. Why? was my knee jerk response. "In my living room, I finally acknowledged.

"I just remembered that I have tickets to the game. Wanna go? I'll pick you up in ten minutes. With zero arm twisting, I took a quick shower and prepared for the game, needing all ten minutes.

Since everyone was at the game, there was no traffic. We arrived to our great seats at the bottom of the third inning. My companion like all of my friends is very smart and funny. An attorney by profession, a baseball geek by passion. Throughout the game, he provided a running commentary on the players and their stats. The couple in front of turned around, and thanked us for being there. "We are tired of sitting in front of people who do not know the game."

Little did we know at the time with the win, the Phils would sweep the Mets and continue to win.

Come on join me in my fantasy...Phillies in the Fall Classic??

Taken to the wood shed

Just because sensed Trot would be leaving, it did not make it hurt any less. After what seemed like an endless spell of rain, I needed to be outside. So I accepted an invitation to the Phillies game. I assumed watching my Phils would the perfect prescription for my mid-August blues.

Yet another miscalculation. Watching the game was like a guy taking Midol for a headache. It will cure the pain but it's just weird.

That pretty much summed up the evening. The weather was crappy and so were the Phillies.

I suppose I shouldn't complain, I could be a Orioles fan.

What a man!

On the night the other guy made some noise in San Francisco, Phillies own Ryan Howard is slowly building some stats of his own.

Being the "runt of the litter" in his family, his power comes genetics and probably biscuits. Good for us, good for baseball.

Thank God, Coste didn't get a life

A great piece on Coste by Neon Gods.......

What a shame, Costner is too old to play Coste in the movie

The Chis Coste story has all the elements of a perfect baseball tale, journeyman writer playing for a working class team whose fate is unknown hourly. I love it.

The Phillies must keep him. He is a steady Eddie who delivers. It is cool watching an great story unfold. The happy ending will be determined by Phillies management. Sigh.

Toby McGuire?

It's not fair

Ryan Howard has found his stroke. Thank God. He had a terrible spring. All of which is forgivable, when you get your groove back after the All-Star break.

My Phillies have won five in a row. Unfortunately for yours truly, I was supposed to be at last night's game. Duty called. We managed to become a finalist for a contract for a possible client in Newport News.

All things considered, I would have rather been at the game. Today, I have to take a client to the Businessperson's special.

Poor me.

We can't even count............

As celebrated by Phillysucks:

""The Phillies are closing in on being the first professional team to reach 10,000 losses all time.
Below is the Phillies all time record.

Wins: 8808 Losses: 9999

Current as of 7/8/07

Initial stats prior to 2005 compiled from baseball-reference.com. 2005 season to present, record is updated daily.

Note: There is some conflicting information out there. The Phillies website includes the records from the Worcester Brown Stockings (1880-1882) which would make the Phillies 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on June 25, 2005 the 10,000th loss."

Who knows whether we have already reached or just one loss away? I'll operate on the assumption that we have yet to reachb this milestone.

Phillies magical misery tour

Groan..........

I had breakfast with the family yesterday at a local diner. Before the waitress could bring the coffee, my Dad shook his head and scolded me. "Don't EVER mention THEM in my presence again." My mother rolled her eyes and piped, " Can we order first?"

i knew immediately who held my Dad's scorn. He stayed awake the night before and watched the Phillies collapse after having a six run lead. He even drug our poor waitress into the conversation. She informed my Dad that she stopped watching the Phillies ten years ago. She simply did not want to subject herself to the pain.
"
Dad was annoyed with the management and the players. Knowing the answer, I asked "Pop, why do you do this to yourself?"

With his notorious shit eating grin he responded " what would we have to talk about, the bonehead in the White House?"

Good point. With that, he dove into my Belgium waffle.

Four losses away

Groan