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It always seems special and exciting when you go to the Phillies. There's a certain atmosphere about the park, especially when it's full due to fireworks, bobble heads or (gulp) general excitement about the team. And there's only one team that can manage to take most of that excitement away. Yes, there were moments, but when 45,025 people are watching baseball, there should never be a dull moment, and there were plenty last night.
At least there were some good fireworks off the field.
Perhaps Charlie Manuel summed it up best:
I don't know if it's you guys or the players or what, but somebody out there has
got something against us. Or somebody's not living right. If you guys are very
religious, please go to church. Pray for us.So there ya have it. That's pretty much what needed to be said. The Phillies are one loss away from dropping to 10 games below .500. losing their ninth straight series, losing 12 out of their last 15 home games and going 6-21 since winning their last series. It simply can't get any worse. This is the bottom right here.
Just take last night's first inning for example. A very uncharacteristic Chase Utley error on a dead double-play ball should have gotten the Phils out of the inning. For a reason why to like Chase Utley, posted by Balls Sticks & Stuff, click here. Above is one of the few reasons not to like him. After that, a huge metal error on what should have been another double play where neither Utley nor Lieber covered first base. The, on a fly ball to right, Bobby Abreu fired a perfect one-hopper to home plate that Chris Coste simply missed the ball and Sean Casey scored to make it 2-0.
To his credit, after the first, Jon Lieber pitched lights-out. He seemed to be in command of the entire line, albeit a Pirates line-up, but I was still impressed that he turned in a quality start. Unfortunately, so did Ian Snell. He stifled Phillies hitters, who did have some chances (like when Abreu worked two led-off walks in the fourth and sixth) but nothing happened. He allowed only three hits in seven innings. The Phils only had four hits in the game.
That's probably part of why the crowd started doing the much-hated (by me) wave. But they did it in the eighth inning once the Phils had cut the lead to one run, and runners were on base. Yeah, that's the time you want to divert your attention to anything but the ball game.
Unbelievable. I will never do the wave as long as I live. In fact, I recommend buying these T-shirts and wearing them whenever you feel like the wave might break out.
So all of the momentum that the Phils had was taken away because the crowd wasn't in the game. Rick White did manage to get out of the ninth alive, and it looked like the home team might have a chance. Then Pat Burrell came up to pinch hit, stuck out, and all hope was lost. It was just a bad at-bat. He really needs to get better quick if we have any shot.
Despite everything (losing to the Pirates -- according to my friend's 13 year old cousin, the Phils lost because Pirates of the Caribbean 2 came out that night, so it was their day -- four hits all games, sloppy defense, and the wave) I still had a great time at the ballpark. For some reason, I always do.
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The Home Run Derby field of eight was announced tonight.
For the second straight year, a Phillie made the cut. Let's hope Ryan Howard's swing doesn't get destroyed by the contest just like Abreu's did. Last time I checked he still only has eight homers this season. Spent 41 of his career dingers last year... it's a damn shame. I don't think the same will happen to Howard though, he's a natural power-hitter and players like Sosa and McGwire really didn't see a drop-off in homeruns after they won Derby's, so I think he'll be fine.
Anyway, I figure since I got the World Cup championship match right, I'll give the derby a whirl. Here's my predicted order of finish and how many homeruns (total).
8) David Wright - 3
7) Jermaine Dye - 5
6) Miguel Cabrera - 9
5) Lance Berkman - 14
4) Troy Glaus - 17
3) David Ortiz - 26
2) Ryan Howard - 27
1) Miguel Tejada - 32
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Part SIX of 30 Teams in 30 Days:
American Football Conference
Western Division
Team six: Denver Broncos
Overall: So last year the Broncos were good. Really, really good. 13-3 to be exact. They got past the defending champions in the playoffs, but fell to the eventual champs in the next round. This season, the Broncos added a big receiving threat in Javon Walker (who's currently injured) but when he returns, he'll be a huge boost. The Broncos biggest loss is probably that of Mike Anderson, who provided solid rushing when it was needed most last year. But if you're worried about the running game on any team coached by Mike Shanahan, you're just plain silly.
Passing: Jake "The Snake" Plummer is still the main man, but he could be feeling a little (or a lot) of heat now that his team drafted Vanderbilt product, Jay Cutler, with the 13th pick. Plummer will be entering his 11th NFL season and you have to wonder how much more he has left in the tank and when the Brett Favre Syndrome will come into effect. Plus he's got road rage, and that's never good.
Rushing: Like I said, Shanahan can make any running back good and it's not like he has junk to work with. Tatum Bell will be one of Denver's go-to guys, as he still has a lot of time to grow and improve. Ron Dayne will also tumble downfield for some years. The Broncos are also sitting pretty on six backs on their pre-season roster, so I wouldn't be too worried about their ground game.
Receiving: Okay, now this is just an awesome receiving corps. Period. Any team would be good enough with just veteran all-pro Rod Smith. Add to that budding superstar Ashley Lelie and off-season acquisition Javon Walker and you've got some serious hands. Lelie wants to be a number one receiver, so that might cause some tension, but for now, everything is good. It won't even matter if Plummer of Culter is chucking the ball up there, these guys will catch it. Rookie wide-out Brandon Marshall (Central Florida) and tight end Tony Scheffler (Western Michigan) will also look to make an impact after being selected in the second and third rounds of this year's draft.
Defense: The Broncos spent their fourth round pick on defensive end Elvis Dumervil from Louisville. The pass rush was one area in which Denver struggled last season and the king could be a big help in that regard. John Lynch and Champ Bailey hold down the fort in the defensive backfield, threatening to intercept the ball at any time.
Special Teams: Jason Elam is the man. Never will I forget his record-tying 63 year field goal. But aside from being able to kick for distance, he's very accurate and a big reason for Denver's success last season. Aside from the kicking game, Denver is solid, but didn't return any kicks of punts for TD's last year.
Grade: A. This team has an above average offense and a very solid defense. It's hard to look past the quality and depth of this receiving unit and with Plummer still having one or two good years in him, the Broncos are most certainly the team to beat in the AFC West.
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Quote of the Day:
(I believe you've already read it... too good to not be here as well)
"I don't know if it's you guys or the players or what, but somebody out there has got something against us. Or somebody's not living right. If you guys are very religious, please go to church. Pray for us."
--Phillies Manager, Charlie Manuel
--Statman
Alex Rodriguez is the reigning American League MVP. He's played in the big leagues since 1994, is a career .305 hitter, and has 452 career home runs at the ripe age of 31. He has a contract worth over $250 million dollars. By all accounts, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, lest his named be soiled by some sort of illegal substance in the future, which is doubtful.
Go back to Texas, or better yet, just drop dead
This is his third season as a member of the New York Yankees, where he moved to third base in order to facilitate a trade from the Texas Rangers in 2004. Yet, to this day, he is still not acknowledged as a "True" Yankee. He wasn't drafted by the Yankees, he wasn't developed by the Yankees, and he hasn't won a World Series with the Yankees. As far as Yankee followers go, winning the MVP doesn't count for anything. That was an individual honor. His presence has not equalled Yankee postseason success, so he is basically worthless until the point that he kisses a World Series trophy. Charlie Hayes would be a better third base choice if you asked Yankee fans.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006 was an eventful day. Maurice Clarett apparently was set to kill or be killed in Ohio; SI writer Rick Reilly stirred up talk shows nationwide with his column about a Pony League championship in Utah that involved the walking of the star hitter in order to face a cancer survivor; and the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Houston Astros by a count of 14-1.
If I was at the NFL draft and heard Denver make that pick, I would have thrown the old fantasy football classic "Coulda waited on that one" line to Mike Shanahan
But something bigger happened during the course of that game. What has eluded Alex Rodriguez for three seasons, Shawn Chacon was able to achieve in just his second outing as a Pirate starting pitcher.
Shawn Chacon became a True Pirate.
His statistics from this memorable outing? 1 2/3 innings pitched, 6 hits, 4 walks, 7 earned runs, and 3 home runs served up. 14 batters faced, and 10 of them reached base (.714). One of the home runs allowed was to pitcher Roy Oswalt, who received a curtain call. And now, according to Dejan Kovacevic, he is getting his knee examined.
Some of the True Yankees are usually identified as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and before he left for the greener pastures of Houston, Andy Pettitte. These were the homegrown boys that did New York proud by bringing title after title home in the mid-to-late 90s. The aura surrounding the Yankees is that anything less than another World Series ring is a wasted season.
The Pirates have a bit of a different aura. Once players arrive from other MLB teams, or even from their own minor league system, they seem to fall victim to some sort of infection (often diagnosed as "losing") that sucks them in and depletes all discernable baseball skills. At that point, and only that point, can we recognize them as True Pirates. I believe Jason Kendall was usually the bearer of this news when he would welcome new players to town with his famous line of
"Welcome to Hell". This is the occasion we can now celebrate with Shawn Chacon's performance last night. Xavier Nady, you're next. Don't say we didn't warn you.
A True Pirate can have initial success, but eventually, they all come around. Zach Duke looked like a lefthanded Greg Maddux when he burst onto the scene in 2005. 8-2 in 14 starts, with a ridiculous 1.81 ERA! Fast forward to 2006, where he currently sits at 7-10, with a 5.36 ERA. Some theories blame pitching coach Jim Colborn for Duke's woes. But the true culprit is the infection.
Zach Duke, already showing the symptoms of being a True Pirate
Oliver Perez was the next Sandy Koufax, posting a 12-10 mark, with a 2.99 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 196 innings, in 2004. In 2005, the infection kicked in: a 5.85 ERA, 7 wins, 97 strikeouts in 103 innings, and one broken toe courtesy of a laundry cart that looked at him the wrong way. 2006 was even worse, with a 2-10 record and 6.63 ERA before being sent to the New York Mets. His current stats, even though he is no longer a Pirate, are even worse. But the infection is still in his system. Someday, he may be well again. But it may take a while.
Note the enlarged head, disproportionate to body size. Always a telltale sign of a True Pirate.
Chris Duffy had an amazing 2005 season. He batted .341 and had the look and feel of a guy who could lock down center field for a long time. He was a young, marketable player who the team thought so much of that he was the subject of the incredibly rare triple bobblehead doll earlier this season.
What happened next? He had a disappointing start to the 2006 campaign, went AWOL, talked about retiring, wished he was traded at the deadline, and currently sits with a .169 average at the exact same point (39 games) that he played in last season. Again, many fingers point to manager Jim Tracy for tinkering with Duffy's swing, but we all know that he may never recover from the infection. It affects you mentally as well as physically.
A porcelain memento of three True Pirates
I know that I'll read comments saying "What about Jason Bay?" or "You're wrong...just look at Freddy Sanchez!". And you will be right, because they have played at an All Star level. But trust me, sooner or later, they will all succumb. This is a Jedi-like force. It is strong. And we can only hope that one day, we will have a cure. Until then, imported players will all eventually earn their badges as True Pirates.
Denver Broncos Schedule
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