2009 Philadelphia Phillies - Season's Over, Time to Move On

[PhillyGirl]

25 games over .500 for the first time since 1993.

They suck.

[ice grillin you]

no they are supposed to win the world series...and they wont be facing minor league teams in the playoffs

[MDS]

the playoffs are a crapshoot. theyre in. they got a shot. have some fun dooks.

[Sgt PSN]

the playoffs are a crapshoot. theyre in. they got a shot. have some fun dooks.

pretty much. 

[ice grillin you]

before cliff lee i would agree...but getting him changed everything....

they have a real chance to do something special...its all or nothing now...no consolation the playoffs were neato prizes

[MDS]

of course not

but with or without lee its still a crapshoot. so drink some of your gay mixed drinks, come on over to my cousins house for rosh hasnahah dinner and stop being such a dork.

[ice grillin you]

no its not...but even if it was by that theory you should never really care about a title in any sport....just have fun in the playoffs and relax...if it happens it happens right?

[MDS]

what other mindset should you have? we are sitting there and watching and nothing else. we have no control over the outcome. expectations are one thing, but in baseball, all you can really work for is getting to the playoffs. after that, and its up to jesus.

[ice grillin you]

Carl Crawford lashed out at Pat Burrell last night, screaming across the Tampa Bay Rays clubhouse before a game in Baltimore.

Burrell ignored him, Crawford was ushered out of the room by a teammate, and manager Joe Maddon pronounced it no big deal. Crawford refused to comment on the situation and Burrell, as usual, blew off the media.

These things happen in any workplace, let alone those in which employees spend virtually every day for eight months working and traveling together. So most likely it was no big deal. Crawford and Burrell, after all, trained together during the offseason for many years at Athletes' Performance in Phoenix.

Then again, everything you need to know about the state of the Tampa Bay Rays, perhaps the most disappointing team in baseball this season south of Queens, can be seen in Crawford and Burrell.

Crawford is the fastest man in baseball, a bundle of energy who always seems to have a spring in his step. Burrell is perhaps the slowest man in the game, a guy with a perpetual scowl on his face who seems to suck the energy out of a room like a Harry Potter dementor.

Crawford is a conditioning freak whose work ethic matches his God-given gifts. He's a spokesman for the Tobacco Free Florida campaign and baseball's RBI program. Burrell usually has a big wad of tobacco in his jaw, smokes the occasional cigarette, and has the body of a much older man.

Crawford is a stand-up guy, always accountable to teammates and the media. Burrell is a loner who usually blows off the press unless he homered during the game.

Crawford has a $10 million option for next season. Because of his five-tool talent, consistent play, and youth, teams will call with trade offers this winter. Because of the way the Rays keep payroll low to remain profitable, quite profitable according to Forbes magazine, the team likely will pick up his option and trade him at some point in 2010.

Burrell has $9 million guaranteed for next season. Because of his one-dimensional skill set and underachieving play, nobody will call with trade offers this winter. Because of the way the Rays keep payroll low to remain profitable, they have to allocate a sizable chunk of next year's payroll to Burrell, who is immovable in every sense of the word.

Crawford is a three-time All-Star who turned 28 last month who has earned $21 million in his career. Burrell is a zero-time All-Star who will be 33 next month who has collected $60 million in his career.

The Rays' signing of Crawford to a long-term contract before the 2005 season, buying out the first and possibly second years of free agent eligibility, looks like the shrewdest financial move in team history, though the long-term deal handed to Evan Longoria might one day eclipse it.

The Rays' signing of Burrell might not be as bad as the contracts handed to Greg Vaughn, Wilson Alvarez, and Juan Guzman, but it's the worst move by Andrew Friedman, who usually places a premium on defense, speed, and clubhouse chemistry.

Next season Crawford likely will be playing elsewhere, if not on Opening Day then by midseason. Next season Burrell will be playing in Tampa Bay unless the Rays agree to pay at least $7 million of his contract in trade.

Last night, Crawford called out Burrell, not that it will do much good for the Rays now. It's Burrell, after all, whose contract and play might seal Crawford's early departure.

[ice grillin you]

what other mindset should you have? we are sitting there and watching and nothing else. we have no control over the outcome. expectations are one thing, but in baseball, all you can really work for is getting to the playoffs. after that, and its up to jesus.

no it isnt...its why some teams are better than others...its why detroit has no chance at a title this year but the yankees red sox and phillies do...if the phillies had little to no chance in the playoffs this year i could see where youre coming from

the mindset you should have if for this team to become a special one and make history...and if they dont throw your head thru a window...your ladi dodi flowerchild whatever happens happens attitude belongs in atlanta or california...not with the phils...turn in your card immediately

[MDS]

what card? my blue cross/blue shield? i need that.

[ice grillin you]

your (jew) gold card

[PhillyPhreak54]

Interesting article; I wonder what caused Crawford to go apeshtein...

Also re: PG's 25 games over comment....that's great. But it's at the end of the year and they have bullpen issues and bench issues. They built a nice lead and will have a nice record, but if they suck in the playoffs none of that means anything

[Sgt PSN]

hamels has been much better in his last 4 starts (3-1).  he might be in position to start "turning it on" now because he's pitching significanlty less innings this year than last.  last year he pitched 227.1 innings in the reg season and so far this year, he's only thrown 177 innings and he's got probably 3, maybe 4 scheduled starts left this year, so even if he were to pitch cg in each on, that's still only going to put him around the 200 inning mark.  and since it looks like the phils should be able to wrap up the division relatively easily, cholly can skip his last start....maybe even 2 and get the rotation set for the playoffs. 

[LBIggle]

yeah, it would be nice to give some of the starters a blow since the relievers are dropping like its hot.  i guess the over use in the beginning of the year finally caught up.  lee is well over 200 i believe it would be nice to have him fresh... and its almost a blessing in disguise that happ got hurt since he's never pitched this much in a season.  hopefully they wrap this up soon.