All of this is occurring during a barrage of injuries to the entire Phillies lineup.  The list is seemingly endless: Howard, Utley, Polanco, Victorino, Rollins (twice), Ruiz, Schneider, Happ, Moyer, and Madson just to name one or two off the top of my head.  Jayson Werth might as well have been on the DL, since for a stretch of the season he was swinging his twig so ghastly.  Still though, they persevered and have finally begun stringing consecutive wins together.

Last night, August 5, the Phillies found themselves in a bizarre but tense struggle against the Florida Marlins.  Again, they did battle without some of their most well known swingers (batters, people…were talking baseball).  Yet again though, we chalked up another tally in the “W” column, regardless of how controversial.

This win streak is due to two things: solid defense/pitching and the unknown players, the ones that are not on Sports Center daily, the ones that do not have pockets exploding with Benjamins, the ones that drive Toyota Camry’s to the park…ok maybe not Camry’s but you get the picture.  Our bench/position players have become an integral part of the Phillies’ success.  For years now, there has been one man consistently playing that role and consistently laying in the shadows, quietly doing his job and consistently doing it without the recognition he deserves.  That man is #51, Carlos Ruiz.

Last night’s display has inspired to me finally give him some of the credit he is due.  Have you ever heard a complaint come from Ruiz? How about a statement in general?  No! Whether this is because he always talks with a catcher’s mitt in front of his mouth, combined with a thick Hispanic accent that sounds like Antonio Banderas with a bad mumbling problem… or the fact that he just loves playing baseball. This guy is “captain clutch”, a fantastic catcher, and an ice cream eatin’ extraordinaire.  Thus, I proudly present to you, the top ten reasons Carlos Ruiz is the best player on the Philadelphia Phillies (right now).

10. The dude’s nickname is Chooch. How many people do you know nicknamed Chooch? Yeah, you don’t.  “Sounds like a big Choo-Choo Train” (thank you Adam Sandler).

9.  In 2007 he had one of the highest fielding percentages among catchers with a .997, with only 2 errors in 744 chances. Yeah it was 3 years ago but if you held those kinds of numbers you’d probably walk around with it tattooed on your forehead. I would at least.

8.  He’s #51 in the books, and #7 in the batting lineup, but #1 in our hearts.

7.  If you say his name backwards it is Solrac Ziur, which is without a doubt badass.

6.  When receiving a pie in the face, it brings him back to his childhood days filled with carnivals and piñatas…hence the heavy home run swing we see today.

5.  On May 29^th, Halladay threw a perfect game, which he attributes to the pitch calls of his catcher. Why do you think Halladay pitched a perfect game? Maybe because the sphere-like rocket that was propelling out of his hand was coming to a resting spot in a little place I like to call “The Glove”. And who does “The Glove” belong to? That’s right. Solrac Ziur himself. (See #7)

4. He has given myself and my compadres something to do for several hours during the work day, a la this article.

3.  Wait..didn’t Ruiz steal home that one time? OH YEAH. He did. Against the Reds back in ’07. Some of you may ask “How is this possible for a man of his stature?” Well, ladies and germs, if you’re name is Carlos and you have a set of legs attached to an ass bigger than J-Lo’s, you best be able to steal a lot more than home-No homo.

2.  Chooch is Spanish for Clutch. How else can one get dubbed Señor Octubre after the Phils second straight run to the World Series?  He draws walks, hits doubles, and really shines in the post season with a .409 OBP. ¿Reggie Jackson quién?

1. Let’s talk about a place I like to call Panama. Carlos Ruiz not only built the Panama Canal with nothing more than a Rawlings 34” Maple bat and a few pieces of Big League Chew, but he happens to hold the honorary title of being the only player of Panamanian descent to catch a perfect game. Yeah I said it. Panamanian. It’s that serious.

A special thanks to the aforementioned “compadres”, D-Roc and Justin, who greatly assisted me in the development of this list.

Overall, it is a great time to be a Philadelphia Sports Phanatic (Canada changed the spelling of center, so we definitely have the right to make changes as we see phit).

I don’t know about everyone else, but despite the baggage and poor reputation we receive (on what seems like a daily basis) from all across America, I’m honored to call myself a Philadelphia sports fan.  Could it get any better than this? It’s a very exciting time for our beautiful historic city, since things seem to be on the up and up on all fronts.  Please, take a moment to digest and let me explain.

Prior to 2008, we had the longest championship drought for a city with teams in all four major sports.  Consistently, year after year, the season would begin with the highest of expectations, proceed through the season with various levels of hope, just to be battered, beaten, bruised, kicked, punched, mollywhopped, and embarrassed come the post-season.

However, the optimist in me implores you to once again bestow your faith in the athletes we have come to love and hate simultaneously.  Let me break it down for you…

Phillies

I start with the Phillies because they are the obvious choice.  They snapped that grueling losing streak in 2008, made it back to the Fall Classic again in 2009 and are primed for another World Series run.  The recent acquisition of Roy Oswalt along with the team in general realizing, “Oh yeah! Winning is fun and we’re good at it” makes all sports fans in the city unite. This team is currently the cream of the crop. I dare you to find a neighbor without any Phillies “shwag” in their closet…ok so maybe ol’ Granny next door doesn’t count.

Flyers

After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997, and winning a home game in that series which hasn’t happened since 1987, the Fly Guys are chomping at the bit for another chance to drink out of Lord Stanley’s over sized chalice.  GM Paul Holmgren is continually making moves to better his team and this off season is no different.  I have already secured my home opener ticket and am more excited than Crosby before a dance recital. Boom! Roasted.

Eagles

While the Eagles season may or may not experience the same success we’ve had in the past 7+ years, Kevin Kolb is looking to prove himself worthy.  A dynamic offense partnered with a grinding defense will make an entertaining team to watch.  It may not happen this year, but I am confident our birds will fly their way back to super bowl contention relatively soon.

Sixers

Well, this is the one dark spot.  However, the glass is half full.  With that being said, we can’t get much worse than last year.  Young star Evan Turner seems to be the type of player a team can be built around.  If we can get some players to step up alongside him (looking at you, Jrue Holiday), maybe we can kick the laughingstock tune which has recently developed into our reputation.

Special Shoutout

I am going to take this opportunity to give a warm welcome to the Philadelphia Union.  Soccer and the MLS is growing in the good ol’ US of A and Philly is doing its part to contribute.  As with any other expansion team, the Union struggled this season.  If nothing else though, the games are highly entertaining. The stadium illustrates an overwhelming caricature of blue and gold complete with a 90 minute soundtrack of chants and drums.  Even non-soccer fans will be able to enjoy themselves.

Final Thoughts

Convinced?  I thought so.  So come on kids…dust off your blue and red cap, pull up your orange and black socks, throw on your Kelly green jersey, (dribble a basketball?) and join me in celebrating the greatness, that is Philly sports.  Oh, and don’t forget to chant “Asshole!” accompanied by an arm wave at every Devils, Mets, Cowboy fan you see.

Willie Penn would be proud.

Manuel will be managing the NL All-Stars for the second straight year for next week’s game in Anaheim, and he will have three of his players with him: Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard. Utley was voted in and obviously will not be playing, but Halladay and Howard were picked by Cholly. Halladay will probably be used early in the game and Howard should play a few important innings toward the end as the National League attempts to win their first exhibition game that determines home field advantage since 1996.

The story is not that they are there, however; it is how they got there. The perks that come with being the National League manager for the second straight year, courtesy of two straight World Series appearances, go beyond assuring continuity in the NL dugout. Beyond the starters (voted in by YOU, THE FAN!), Manuel was allowed to assemble the team as he sees fit—remembering, of course, that he must represent each team. Yes, even you, Pittsburgh.

So it comes as no surprise that Cholly named Ryan Howard to the team. It’s even less of a surprise that Manuel, when asked why he chose Ryan Howard over Cincinnati’s Joey Votto for the NL All-Star team, said he picked Howard because he’s “my guy”.

If Cholly is nothing else, he is loyal. He believes in his guys, and rewards them whenever he can. We saw Manuel bring Jayson Werth with him to the All-Star game last season, and wouldn’t be surprised if he does it again this year, what with the injury to Jason Heyward.

As for next season, it’s not looking good at the moment for Charlie to be in any sort of position to bring his guys with him. It will all depend on whether those same guys start to play for him like he says they can.

"For trading Cliff Lee, they are condemned!"

By now you’ve probably heard the apocalyptic news that both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco have been placed on the 15-day DL. You also are probably dealing with the physical aftermath of the emotional decision you made to jump off the Phillies 2010 World Series Champions bridge specially constructed for this season.

You can’t totally be blamed. Entering last night’s game, the news on Polanco was cautiously optimistic. He’d received a second cortisone shot on his ailing elbow, and hoped to play in Tuesday’s game in Cincinnati. There was nothing to report on Utley because, well, nothing had happened to Utley—yet.

In the fourth inning of last night’s series-opening loss to the NL Central-leading (!) Reds, Utley tried to stretch a single into a double, sliding head first into second base. He was tagged out on the play, but ultimately did worse damage by snagging his right thumb on the bag. Utley soldiered through the rest of the game without any apparent signs that the opposable digit was ailing, but with the Phils facing a six-run deficit in the ninth inning, Charlie Manuel pulled Utley for a pinch hitter. That’s when we learned of The Thumb.

Now, a day after, both Utley and Polanco are on the DL. Utley had an MRI on his thumb earlier today, and while it is not believed to be serious in the season-altering vein, it certainly is not something to take lightly. The Phillies are in trouble from now up until the All-Star break, at the very least, and possibly longer if The Thumb and The Elbow do not heal enough for both players to be effective.

If they don’t? You won’t want to be around to see it.

No, it’s not the city being broke. Nor is it the atrocious amount of traffic in and around the city at seemingly all hours of the day. And no, it’s not Buzz Bissinger’s column at the Inquirer.

It is the fact that Harry LeRoy Halladay, the proclaimed “Best Pitcher in Baseball” and resident ace of your two-time National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, has six (6) losses on the season. He has the most losses of pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA in baseball, and in those six losses the Phillies have scored a whopping nine (9) runs for Doc.

Even in his perfect game, the Phillies managed only one run for Halladay—an unearned run, at that. In his 15 starts, the Phillies have scored 56 runs. Halladay’s average support is 3.7 runs/game, which should be good enough to win games given his low ERA. Those numbers are buoyed by the Phils’ early season success however, as the team has not scored more than three runs in Halladay’s last nine starts.

With no end in sight to this devastating misuse of the staff’s ace, something must be done. Here at Philly Fan Complex, we’ve come up with five strategies that can relieve Halladay’s burden:

1. Keep Greg Dobbs away from Halladay

Greg Dobbs, in a word, sucks. An extremely valuable pinch hitter two years ago, Dobbs’ skills have diminished significantly. His decline presents quite the Catch-22 for manager Charlie Manuel: Dobbs is useless as a pinch hitter because he does not play enough to be effective, but is relegated to pinch hitter status because he is, as Charles Barkley would say, “turrible” as a starter.

Fielding was never Dobbs’ strong point, but Cholly has erred at times in starting Dobbs during Halladay starts. Nothing was worse than a game against the Boston Red Sox, when a routine double-play ball rolled through Dobbs’ legs at third and allowed the Red Sox to put together a big inning against Doc.

2. Install the perfect game mound wherever Halladay pitches

Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria was gracious enough to dig up the pitching mound Halladay threw from during his perfect game and gift it to him. With the lack of run support he’s received, it would probably be best to replicate the exact conditions Doc threw his perfect game under. That means replacing the mound in each stadium with the one Halladay now owns.

3. Abolish the month of June

The Phillies’ struggles in June stretch back a few seasons now. Who knows what the real cause is (interleague play, injuries, obsession with Pagan rituals revolving around summer solstice), but the simple fact is the Phightin’ Phils and June do not mesh. Period.

4. Bring back Pat Burrell

You may have noticed Raul Ibanez hasn’t quite earned his contract beyond the first half of last season. You also may have noticed that everyone’s favorite love-hate playboy left fielder Pat Burrell was released from the Tampa Bay Rays last month and signed with San Francisco.

Pat the Bat has hit three home runs in his first 41 at-bats with the Giants, compared to just two in 84 at-bats in Tampa. Could he help the Phillies’ bench? Absolutely. More importantly, he would rejuvenate the city’s nightlife, and that’s a win for everyone.

Of course, there may be only one solution for Halladay’s woes…

5. Bring back Cliff Lee

What?

via The Sporting Blog

Of all places in the ballpark to fall down, this guy does it right behind home plate in vision of the camera. Not only is he attention starved, but he was also likely on his cell phone.

It is rather obvious Chase Utley, the best second baseman in baseball, is struggling mightily. Given his previous hip problems, speculators have jumped to the conclusion that Utley must be hurt again. Only Utley knows if it is due to injury, since he won’t tell anyone, but there is another possible reason for why he can’t hit: a good ole’ slump.

The question is, which is better for the Phillies?

Some would argue that an Utley injury is in fact best for the Phillies. How? If his hip is bothering him again, it is not going to go away for the rest of the season, and in all likelihood it will continue to get worse. An injury would be a concrete reason, but probably the worst outcome for the success of the Phillies. They need a healthy Chase Utley to hit for them.

Utley has probably never experienced a slump as drastic as this, one that has seen his batting average plummet to .256. It is the lowest it has ever been this “late” in the season, and has coincided with hitting slumps and other injuries to make the Phillies near-unwatchable in the past few weeks.

It has also seen Utley become a liability in the lineup, especially as the all-important No. 3 hitter. Whenever the Phillies piece together some kind of rally, he has become the rally killer, grounding into double plays or inning-ending outs all too often and squandering chances to add runs for a team that is having trouble scoring any at this point.

Utley is far from the only Phillie to blame in this stretch of bad baseball. The team did salvage a win in Boston yesterday to avoid a sweep, but now faces consecutive series against two first-place teams, the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins. The revenge factor of course will be in play against the defending World Series champs, but the Twins are also a tough team that the Phillies, in their current funk, will have a difficult time beating.

The reality of the situation is, whether by injury or slump, Chase Utley has been far from his normal self in the last month. That has to change as soon as possible. If he is indeed hurt, which there is little reason to think is the case, it may ruin the Phillies’ season basically before it began. A slump, albeit a baaaaaad one, is the most likely, and best-case, explanation. This also means it is reversible and that, as ugly as it is now, there are brighter days ahead for Philly’s favorite second baseman.

There is a third scenario. Maybe Utley’s acting debut is weighing heavily on his mind, as he and Howard will be filming next week for an episode in the next season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, where he may get the chance to answer Mac’s letter:

Or maybe it’s the fact that someone wrote that letter in the first place that is weighing heavily on his mind…

This week’s show is set to air around noon and will surely be full of witty baseball stories and many “Charlie-isms”…that is if we can understand what he’s even talking about. Honestly, what is better than hearing the big boss man ramble on and on about anything that comes to his mind? Ok, maybe a few things but be sure to check it out regardless!

Once again, the pride and joy of the Philadelphia sporting world is dogged by allegations of unfair play. No, this is not Raul Ibanez being not-so-subtly accused of using PEDs nor suspicions of Cole Hamels having a pair of balls (Wait, no one’s suspicious of that?), but rather an old charge that continues to be brought up by the Phils’ defeated opponents: The Phillies are stealing signs. (Gasp!)

These sorts of serious charges are what make baseball a very dumb game. It is governed by a set of unwritten rules that are so deep and complex that not even the heady baseball historian Alex Rodriguez knows them all (Hello, Dallas Braden’s mound!). Though it is a game that not even a decade ago contained rampant steroid use within its ranks, baseball still carries the aura of America’s game. Meaning a good, honest game of gentlemen, just like in the old days of Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson and the saintly Herman Ruth.

Ah yes, to what sickening depths has our game plunged?

Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com reported this story first, and who wouldn’t believe him? Check out the cowboy hat he’s sporting in his author photo. He has real quotes from actual people that the Phillies have been warned by Major League Baseball regarding the actions of bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer. The Rockies allege Billmeyer was using binoculars from the bullpen to steal signs from Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo , and Shane Victorino was seen on the bullpen phone, supposedly receiving the top secret info.

The Mets have made similar charges in the past. Of course, the Mets and Rockies are two teams who cannot beat the Phils, so one must consider the accuser’s agenda. The Phillies shrugged off the accusations, as they typically do. It’s likely we haven’t heard the last of this, though. Everyone loves a good conspiracy.

As if you needed any reasons to hate the Mets, we offer the fact that the Metropolitans now top the NL East by a whopping half-game, thanks to that aforementioned streak. In short, this is a monster series that will likely decide the fate of the division. Or not.

Still, we can’t help but get riled up for a good ol’ fashioned NL East brawl. Both Roy Halladay and Johan Santana will start a game in this series (unfortunately not against one another) and it is likely a Mets fan will be punched at one point or another. To get the juices flowing, we offer the ten 2010 Mets to hate:

1. Ike Davis

Who the hell is Ike Davis? Good question. He is the latest and greatest sensation in New York baseball, taking the throne from Joba the Hutt Chamberlain, and has single-handedly turned around a season that looked lost very early on.

Davis is just 10 games into his MLB career, 10 games in which, coincidentally (or by fate, if you ask a Mets fan), the Mets are a scorching 9-1. He is hitting .355 with one home run and six RBI in just 31 at-bats, and is already the best Mets first baseman since Carlos Delgado (difficult, we know). More impressive than his early numbers, though, is his ability to top this list.

“I Like Ike?” Not you, Phils fans.

2. Jerry Manuel

We were disappointed when the Mets fired Willie Randolph in 2008—mainly because he was probably the worst manager in the NL East since Terry Bleepin’ Francona. His replacement was Jerry Manuel, giving the East two Manuels of very different natures.

Jerry is clearly no Cholly. He is the manager of a team that has built a reputation for collapses of every variation—late-season, early-season, and entire-season—mostly to the fact that part of his Wikipedia page says that he draws his leadership inspiration from Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi and Leo Tolstoy. Nothing against those three, of course, but we’d prefer our managers lead only with the help of a wad of Red Man and a Louisville Slugger.

3. Johan Santana

Formerly known as The Best Pitcher in Baseball, or at least the best in the NL East, Johan missed the last month of a forgettable 2009 Mets’ season with bone chips in his elbow. When the Phillies added Roy Halladay in the offseason, Santana insisted he was the best pitcher in the division still.

While Santana’s 2010 stats are impressive (3-1, 2.08 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 28:9 K:BB ratio), they are not Halladay-esque (4-1, 1.80 ERA, 0.975 WHIP, 33:3 K:BB ratio). There’s nothing wrong with second best, Johan.

By the way, this is what Santana’s page looks like on Baseball-Reference.com:

And a funny joke at that.

4. Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez

Unfortunately we can’t blame Mets fans for giving Rodriguez this idiotic nickname. That came from his time with the California Anaheim Los Angeles Orange County San Andreas Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, for whom he pitched before he was the Queen closer (or closer of Queens). Is the “K” in Francisco silent and invisible? (And yes, we do get the nickname—he strikes people out. Sometimes.)

K-Rod was the Mets’ big offseason acquisition in 2008, and promptly inserted his cabeza in his culo by proclaiming his new squad the team to beat in the NL East. This came barely more than a month after your Phillies held their World F’ing Champions tour down Broad Street. Of course, Frankie was wrong—the Mets finished in fourth place, out of it by mid-July. At least K-Rod got his 35 saves though—a mere 27 behind his previous season’s total.

5. David Wright

Wright is loathsome mainly because he is a Met and because he is their best position player. Some other traits that do the exact opposite of endear him to us include: being the starting third baseman of the New York Mets; living in New York; wearing an oversized batting helmet; and the fact he appeared on Joe Buck Live. Case closed.

6. Mr. Met

Mr. Met is up there as one of the worst mascots in baseball. Not only does he look like a bobblehead but his theme song is the lousiest concatenation of notes and words there is. It makes my ears want to puke. In all honesty, I would take the Sixers’ mascot, Hip Hop, over this guy…and that’s saying a lot.

Mr. Met has generated a fair share of controversy, thanks to some of his off-field activities. Good thing he doesn’t mascot in the NFL:

Mrs. Met would probably be upset—if she wasn’t already in bed with the Phanatic.

7. Jason Bay

We couldn’t help but laugh when the Mets signed Jason Bay to a monstrous free agent contract only to have concerns about the health of his shoulders and his longevity take over the story. Bay is in the first year of a four-year, $66 million contract, and isn’t performing up to it—naturally. He also has driven up the price for Jayson Werth, a free agent after this season, whom Werth is a better all-around player than. And what more reason is there for disdain than that?

8. Rod Barajas

We in Philadelphia have a long memory. After Barajas’ unforgettably inept stint with the Phils in 2007, in which he batted .230, he has gone on to bigger and better things. Mainly, scorching the Phillies at every opportunity. With the Toronto Blue Jays from 2007-09, Barajas took advantage of his few opportunities against the Phils to kill them. In 2008, Barajas got four hits, including two home runs, in two games against the Phillies. In 2009, he hit two home runs and knocked in four in a three-game sweep of the Phils. And now, Rod the Bod is now a Met.

9. Fred Wilpon

The owner of the Mets infamously lost a looooot of money last year when Bernie Madoff was outed as an epic swindler and crook. Some thought it would affect the Mets’ plans, especially with a new stadium. But never fear—Citi Bank was in much of the same boat as Wilpon, and was still able to pony up the big bucks for the naming rights to Citi Field. Inspired by Citi’s brave act, Wilpon remained undeterred, continuing to splurge on big-name free agents with monstrous contracts. The Mets’ payroll currently stands at $136 million.

10. The Fans

A hate list wouldn’t be replete without the good people of New York who faithfully support the Mets’ failures. You know them well; they invade Citizens Bank Park whenever the Mets are in town (such as this weekend) and generally behave themselves in ways that approach Public Vomiter No. 1′s level of depravity. True to form, with nothing to cheer about last season, the Mets faithful suddenly became the city’s biggest Yankees fans. Approach with caution and vitriol.

Right-hander David Herndon, a Rule 5 draft pick, has made the Phillies’ opening day roster. Herndon will be pitching out of the bullpen, at least until Brad Lidge and/or J.C. Romero come back.

That is all.

Sure, there was some excitement. Jayson Werth’s beard, for example. There was also Charlie Manuel losing 50 pounds. And some stuff about the roster.

Now, on the last day of March, there is some drama in Phillies camp. Closer Brad Lidge, he of the shaky confidence, had a cortisone injection in his elbow Wednesday morning. Already throwing well below his normal velocity, there is plenty of reason to worry about Lidge, even without last season’s monumental struggles.

Shortly after the Lidge news, Roy Halladay took the mound in his final spring training start against his old team. Toronto lit Doc up for four runs in the first inning, though he settled down to strike out the side in the second and held the Blue Jays scoreless in his third and final inning. Still, it was enough to earn Halladay his only loss of spring training—the same day Sports Illustrated’s MLB season preview hit the stands in Philadelphia, featuring none other than Doc himself on the cover.

Are we worried about Halladay? Hardly. Still, it fits nicely with the narrative.

After the loss, we unfortunately found out Joe Blanton has abdominal muscles, contrary to all appearances. Blanton suffered a strained oblique muscle pitching in his bullpen session, and is scheduled to see the team doctor tomorrow.

Perhaps the Phillies will be needing Kyle Kendrick in the starting rotation after all…

In a turn of events that set the hearts aflutter of teenage girls and sportswriters alike, Werth unveiled his new-old look at batting practice Tuesday morning before the Phillies played Ed Wade’s Astros.

Behold, Jayson Werth, as he basically looked before!

Photo courtesy of Todd Zolecki

Back is the familiar facial landing strip, starting at the bottom lip and stretching down. The hair is still there, of course, but the beard is gone, with no warning, lending further to the mystery of Jayson Werth: unpredictable, eccentric, but chock full of character and grit.

And that, friends, is the essence of Jay-Dub, The Most Interesting Man in Baseball.

The most memorable quote about facing Myers came from none other than Charlie Manuel, who famously had an altercation with Myers after removing the pitcher from a game in 2008.

When asked about Myers, Manuel let his feelings show: “I miss Myers.”

Well then—who saw that coming? In the spirit of fine memories and good feelings, here are a couple of other things Charlie misses as much as he misses Myers:

• 50 pounds
• Heart attacks
• Cancer
• Howard Eskin in the locker room
• Coaching the Cleveland Indians
• Playing baseball in Japan
• 2009 Brad Lidge
• 2009 Cole Hamels
• Pick-a-year Eric Bruntlett

Ed. Note: J.R. is a close personal friend of the powers that be at Philly Fan Complex. Here accounts his more-or-less hallucinatory trip to Phillies Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla.

Not too long ago, I mentioned to a lifelong friend (who happens to be a major financial supporter of one of the creators of this site) that I was taking my 7-year-old son to Clearwater to see the Phillies at Spring Training. Shortly thereafter I received a request from my friend that I consider contributing a report, of sorts, for publication here.  I’ve not done a great deal of writing of this sort, so here goes:

The Why of the Trip

Well, my son is of the age that he needs to be introduced to some of the finer things in life and, hopefully, left with an appreciation for them. He’s attended a couple of Flyers games and a Phillies game with me in the past, but this is the year that we’ll embark on the Phillies Immersion Project, which will involve a trip to spring training, a Sunday Season Ticket Plan and some out-of-town trips following the Phillies as well. On deck for the out-of-town trips are Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. A good first year, I hope.

The Trip Itself

The flight to Tampa was posted as delayed when we arrived at the Southwest gate on Friday morning, March 12. Having had my most recent sports-related travel disrupted (a cancelled flight to Phoenix for a golf trip), I was left with an uneasy feeling. Luckily, the delay was only 40 minutes and we were on our way to sunny Tampa.

When we arrived in sunny Tampa, we were greeted by torrential rain. Animals of all varieties were seen pairing up not far from the runway, awaiting the arrival of a large wooden craft. My mood worsened somewhat, but the weather reports called for good weather on the weekend, so this was just a blip.

The blip grew a bit larger when The Boy and I spent the next 40 minutes of our lives at Baggage Carousel 20 at Tampa International Airport awaiting the release of our luggage from whatever detention area they send luggage to on the west coast of Florida. The bags finally arrived, but they were soaked, victims or the aforementioned downpour. No worries! They arrived, we arrived, I’m not in my office, The Boy’s not in school on a school day—all’s well!

After checking in at the hotel, we headed to dinner at Frenchy’s. Super Grouper Sandwich (Cajun) and a few cold ones for me, chicken tenders, ice water, and the Nintendo DS for The Boy, and the cares of the day’s travels melted away…

The Ball Game

We awoke on Saturday to bright sunshine (no worries!) and after two hours in the pool it was time to head out to Bright House Field for the day’s game against the Minnesota Twins. The last time I was in Clearwater for Spring Training the Phils were still at Jack Russell Stadium, so I was looking forward to the game as much as it appeared The Boy did.

My first warning that Phils Spring Training had changed was the crowd. I learned later that The Boy and I were joining 10,499 other fans for the game, a Bright House Field record. Spring Training is a business now, as opposed to the quaint novelty it was when I last visited Clearwater, and a Big Business at that.

We found our seats and got ready for the game, happy to hear that the Phils were playing the full complement of regulars for the first time this Spring. Bright House Field is a nice enough place but lacking in character, save for Frenchy’s Tiki Bar over the left field wall. Upon sitting down, we noticed that a gale was blowing to right field. Anything hit up in the air that way with any authority was sure to travel a long way.

Our neighbors in the seats to The Boy’s right were Twins fans, following the Twins for a couple of weeks in Florida while hoping that the glaciers recede in time for the Twins to unveil Target Field, their new open-air stadium in downtown Minneapolis. We talked about the lack of a roof on their new ballpark. My new friend assured me that April wasn’t going to be the problem but that October would be when the Twins were in the postseason. Fans are fans everywhere, I guess.

The joy of the moment then set in: a sunny Spring afternoon in Florida, talking baseball with a fellow fan of the game. I just met the man but we speak to one another in a shared language that all baseball fans know. That we were fans of different teams didn’t matter. The partisan animosity between fans of different teams you see so often during the regular season was nowhere to be seen on this sunny March afternoon. We were at the ballpark, watching a game we’ve loved since we were kids, talking baseball.

Isn’t it a shame Joe Mauer isn’t playing today?

Yeah, we both have serious closer questions with Lidge and Nathan.

Are the players you guys got from the Mets for Santana starting to pay off?

You Phillies fans are going to love Halladay; he’s the real thing.

Five years, $16.5 million for Denard Span? Really?

And so on. A new season is beginning, and hopes are high in most major league towns. Sorry, Pittsburgh.

The game itself, as games go, was largely uneventful. Random thoughts and impressions from the game that may be noteworthy:

· The Phillies starting lineup made Carl Pavano look like Roy Halladay during Pavano’s three innings of work. That’s pretty hard to do, but easier during the second week of March.

· J.A. Happ looked strong. He was throwing without effort, it seemed. One weak base hit in four innings. An encouraging sign for our third starter.

· It’s Spring Training for the boys in blue, too. Home plate umpire Paul Emmel had what could be fairly described as a wide strike zone. Not Eric Gregg 1997 NLCS Game 5 wide, but wide.

· I miss Eric Gregg.

· The Twins fans are looking forward to having former Phil Jim Thome in the lineup. It was good to see him in person again. A good guy and a true professional.

· Durbin, Madson and Baez and, amazingly, Contreras all pitched solid relief innings. I’m trying to temper my enthusiasm, but if the bullpen is solid we’re likely to have an uneventful September as we prepare for the postseason.

· The same cannot be said for Antonio Bastardo. Tempering my enthusiasm is not the issue here. My temper is the issue here. Lefty relief is a whole lot less certain for the Phils right now with Romero on the mend and little else viable. If Bastardo, Escalona, and Zagurski are the options, I’d start looking for different options. Today. Joe Beimel? Ron Villone? Alan Embree? Ron Mahay? Every Day Eddie Guardado? Yikes! Slim pickings, but consider what we have now.

· Both Ben Francisco and Cody Ransom powered homers to left through the wind. Francisco can be said to have Tiki Bar Power after sending his blast into the beach party over the wall.

· Promising sign of the possible success of our trip was when, while standing in a long line to pay for hats and shirts, The Boy complained that we were missing too much of the game. Good sign indeed.

· The Boy’s favorite part of the trip? The pool at the hotel, complete with waterfall. Some things are going to take a while to change.

With any luck, I’ll be asked to contribute another story later in the year. I promise that it won’t be a report on the April 18 home game against the Marlins, which is already known in our house as “The Phanatic’s Birthday Game”. Thanks for putting up with the ramblings of a life-long Phils fan.