THE FABULOUS PHILLIES

Posted by bigD | October 31, 2008 .

I sure laid an egg with my World Series prediction. In saying Tampa Bay would win in 6 games, I wasn’t even in the ballpark so to speak. I, like so many people who predicted Tampa Bay, was brutally surprised by this outcome. Looking back on it now I guess I can say that it’s not really that surprising after all but as I watched this World Series something became very apparent. Like the Tigers in the 2006 World Series, the Rays just weren’t hitting the ball. Was it Philadelphia’s pitching? Yes, but for the most part I would say it was more like an offensive collapse by Tampa Bay. Their lack of World Series experience clearly showed. Manager, Joe Madden claimed after the game that this is “JUST THE BEGINNING” for Tampa. He might be right. With young talents like Upton, Longoria, Shields and Price (to name a few), Tampa’s future certainly isn’t now but more likely LATER. Saying that certainly doesn’t make it any easier though.

One of the biggest differences was Tampa Bay’s 3rd and 4th hitters – Carlos Pena and Evan “Eva” Longoria. For the first 4 games their bats were completely silent. If your team doesn’t hit the ball, you don’t win. It’s that simple. But if the biggest hitters don’t perform when your team needs it the most, YOU’RE SUNK. That’s one reason the 2006 Tigers had a bad World Series. You must get production out of the middle of your lineup or suffer the consequences as Tampa did. That being said, it’s not like Philadelphia’s combination of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the 3 and 4 holes did a great deal better. The difference is the two Phillies performed when they had to. In other words, they hit the ball when the team needed it the most. With the exception of Game 5 you certainly can’t say that about Pena and Longoria. Give Longoria some credit though. It has certainly been on the job training for the young phenom. He seems to have a maturity level that is above others his age and a leadership quality that is unmatched period but people were saying all playoffs long that sooner or later he would struggle because he is a rookie. Most rookies don’t hit cleanup. Longoria was thrust into that roll and at first it was the right decision but after awhile it was like feeding lambs to the slaughter as predicted.

The other problem for Tampa was their starting pitching. It carried them over Boston but didn’t come close to showing up in the World Series. Too many walks and too many timely hits after those walks led to Tampa’s death. Matt Garza pitched nothing like the way he did in his American League mastery over the Red Sox. Scott Kazmir simply couldn’t throw strikes. The bullpen was also terrible but I think Tampa could have a nice future with the hard throwing Price. We’ll see. I think this Phillies team has been underrated all season long. They proved that putting a solid cast of characters on the field at each position surrounded by a few big names is clearly the way to go. In the end though it was clear that Philadelphia just plain wanted it more and Tampa almost seemed just too happy to be there and they got caught up in the moment. The great Kevin McHale once told the even greater Isaiah Thomas (before the Detroit Pistons started winning championships), “DON’T BE HAPPY WITH JUST GETTING THERE. GET THERE AND WIN.” Sometimes it takes time. Perhaps Tampa should have been given a speech like that but either way Tampa is the team of the future. Philadelphia on the other hand is the team of NOW and they proved it by winning their first World Series in 28 years.

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are probably the best 1-2 punch up the middle in baseball. Ryan Howard didn’t hit the ball real well but he picked his moments and wasn’t needed because others picked him up. Shane Victorino seemed to lead this team all year long even after the loss of fan favorite Aaron Rowand to San Francisco. How about that Cole Hamels? His 2 starts were awesome even with the Game 5 rain delay. I said going in that Philly didn’t have enough after Hamels. Whether they did or not, the other starters certainly stepped up, especially Jamie Moyer. Will this guy ever retire? Does he have to? As old as he is he had a great World Series start and one he can forever remember. Finally on the Philly bullpen which clearly was the biggest difference of them all…How good is JC Romero, Ryan Madsen and mainly, Brad Lidge? These guys have done it all year long, especially Lidge. He is simply magic. It was a deserved World Series, Philly earned it and Tampa Bay sure looked lowsy.

If my Tigers are out of it (which is like most seasons) often times I find myself cheering for the underdog teams. Tampa Bay was the team I wanted to win this year, but how can you not be happy for the Phillies? The Phils proved that hard work, timely hitting and strong pitching certainly can win it all but again, Philly clearly had more heart then Tampa did and it certainly showed. Tampa Bay learned a valuable lesson from losing this World Series and I doubt they’ll make the same mistakes should they ever return to the World Series. It can certainly be said that this Phillies team was made the right way. The city of brotherly love showed the baseball world how it’s truly done. Pay attention Tigers…NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

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THE FABULOUS PHILLIES

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