2007 Phillies Playoff Thread

[Geowhizzer]

Hey, Adam Eaton... farg YOU!




Remember that this guy is making probably close to or more than 100 times than you are.  If you're Geowhizzer, it might be closer to 200 times.

That's so damn close to the truth, it hurts a little. 

[Sgt PSN]

Hamels apparently pissed a lot of people off by saying he would only come back if the team was contention.

Who did he piss off?  Media, fans, teammates?  All of the above? 

[SD_Eagle5]

Hamels apparently pissed a lot of people off by saying he would only come back if the team was contention.

Who did he piss off?  Media, fans, teammates?  All of the above? 

A little bit of everyone although nobody made too big a deal over it.

[ice grillin you]

he acted like a douche....but he made up for it with fridays start

[Geowhizzer]

Tell you the truth, if the Phils hadn't swept the Mets again to climb back in, I wouldn't have wanted him to start any more games.  Protect the golden elbow.

Since they did, they were back in the race, and Hamels pitched two days later, but it took him a couple of starts to round into shape.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I'll be at work tomorrow with the Gamecenter up and running....

I hate the fact that they have to face the Rockies. I don't hate the fact that Adam Eaton isn't on the roster.

[Sgt PSN]

Tell you the truth, if the Phils hadn't swept the Mets again to climb back in, I wouldn't have wanted him to start any more games.  Protect the golden elbow.

I wouldn't have made a big deal about it either if they weren't within closing distance either which is why I don't understand who was pissed off about it.  If the Phils take a dive and end up 10 games out of the division and/or WC while Hamels is out then there's no point in him coming back because even with the way they finished they still miss out. 

[Rome]

If they were 10 games out with no hope of catching the Mets or making the wildcard it probably would have been prudent for him to shut it down for the year.  Saying what he did publicly was a mistake, though.  Not a huge one in my eyes but still a pretty significant one.  He comes off as putting his interests ahead of the ballclub and although almost every player does it in this day and age it's still not good to say it publicly.

[Rome]

The elegant eloquence of Bill Lyon:

Bill Lyon | Never-say-die Phillies offer reason to believe

A surging, surprising team finds a place in our hearts.

By Bill Lyon

For The Inquirer

Friday night, wedding reception, Blue Bell: Six men run discreet relays from the ballroom to the TV set, returning with updates of the Phillies and Mets games. Their reports are delivered with gleeful chortling, in acerbic shorthand: "Fightin's up 3, choking New York dogs down 4." The bride dances with her father, and everyone smiles, and the good news is whispered: Phillies inching closer to first place.

Saturday, gym: The TV sets are zeroed in on the first-place Phillies. The man on the treadmill next to me squints and asks: "What's that Mets score? I can't read it." The Mets have two touchdowns and an extra point. The man yelps in anguish: "Whaaaaaat" and shoots off the back of his treadmill. He sits, ruefully, and mutters: "I knew it was too good to be true." Obviously, a lifelong Phillies fan.

Sunday, checkout line: A beefy man with the tentacles of his radio elbow-deep into his ears suddenly bellows: "Rollins is on." Grins all around. Comes another bellow: "Rollins stole second." Happy nodding of heads. Soon: "Rollins stole third." Now there is growing applause. Then: "He just scored. . . . Phillies are ahead." An impromptu chorus: M-V-P . . . M-V-P.

So went a weekend for the memory bank, three days of golden splendor and apple-cider nights, of lighted candles and frenzied helicoptering of white rally towels, all courtesy of a Major League Baseball team whose mottled history is mostly one of angst and frustration.

Ah, but not this time, my friend. Not this time. No, this time the Fightin's are truly worthy of their nickname, and none of that usual sneering derision either. This is all guts and glory.

They won their division with a trumpets-blaring stretch run that was made even sweeter because it involved an inglorious free-fall, flame-out death spiral by the New York Mets, who are to the Phillies roughly what Dallas is to the Eagles.

In the Season of the 10,000 Losses, for a franchise that has suffered more defeats than any professional team in any sport, ever, the Phillies have achieved Deliverance. For only the 10th time in their 125-year history, they will play beyond the regular schedule.

And they will do so with the full-throated accompaniment of a city whose yearning for a champion goes back generations and cuts clean to the bone.

Sport is the great common denominator.

It is the umbilical that ties us to one another. It cuts across all the mean and petty lines, transcends the unspoken boundaries, and has no regard for gender, race or age.

Being a fan requires no more than a simple emotional investment. But beware, for, over time it will grow and swell and inflame and rouse from you a passion you never knew existed.

Most of the time, the Phillies have tantalized you, seduced you, left you in gnashing rage, or weeping sorrow. But this is a team meant for this town and for this time. This is a team that does not swoon, that does not go gentle into that good night.

Of its 89 wins, 48 were achieved when they had to come from behind.

"Not a ounce of give-up in 'em," says manager Charlie Manuel, who knows a little bit about not giving up, having survived cancer and a heart attack, among other triumphs.

Says Jayson Werth, a platoon player: "We don't feel like we're out of a game. It's been crazy. Nothing can surprise us."

Crazy, yes. But a delicious lunacy. How many school-night bedtimes were fudged, or just plain ignored, during the month of September? Here is the rationalization for being allowed to stay up waiting for one more rally: The Fightin's have provided a life lesson, applicable for any and every age. Never give in, never give up. Never. Ever. Never.

They were seven games behind with 17 to play. They won 13, equaling the biggest September comeback in major-league history. And the Mets, well, in a delightful bit of irony, the Mets did a passable impersonation of the Phillies Great Collapse of 1964.

And the '07 Phillies did all of this in spite of a crippling, season-long run of injuries. Their DL was as thick as a Manhattan phone book. Asked how this team was held together, Jimmy Rollins replied: "Motrin and duct tape."

Also held together by Manuel, who gave a determined demonstration of placid, panic-free managing, and by Rollins, who played every game and scored more runs than anyone else in the National League, and in the process was without peer at his position.

In the euphoria of Sunday's win, Ryan Howard, last year's MVP, leaned into a camera and, with an appealing touch of class, said: "I gladly relinquish my title to this man. He deserves it."

Yes, he does.

It was Rollins who first uttered the words "We're the team to beat" back in January. It was not said in arrogance or cocky posing, but rather as an honest, if opinionated, assessment. In Game 162, it became reality.

This team has caught many by surprise. We have become accustomed to oh-so-close. We have come to expect being led to Lover's Leap, and then pushed. Ah, but you have heard all of this a thousand times and more, by now, about curses and negativity, hexes and terminal pessimism, the shroud that cloaks our town.

But perhaps it has never been quite as bad as we think. Listen, for example, to Pat Burrell. Pat the Bat rallied from a horrid first half of the season and ended with 30 home runs and 97 RBI, respectable numbers, indeed. But in his stay here, he has been roundly roasted. And yet . . . and yet, well, listen: "It's always been good to be a Phillie. Even the bad times have been great."

There is something to be learned from such a stalwart sentiment.

So now what? Well, now comes a thing to which we are unaccustomed: Tomorrow. The Fightin's are going to play October baseball. At home. They are in the playoffs.

And in the words of their beloved Dirt Ball, Chase Utley: "Once you're in, anything can happen."

And so it can.

And so it can.

[SD_Eagle5]

Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.39 ERA) will take on lefthander Jeff Francis (17-9, 4.22). Hamels has never faced the Rockies. Francis is 0-1 with an 8.79 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies, and 0-1 with a 15.12 ERA in two starts against them this season.

"We've only faced Philly a couple times, but we feel we are going to beat them," outfielder Ryan Spilborghs told the Rocky Mountain News on Monday. "There's no doubt in our minds that we're the better team, so we're looking forward to it."

The Phillies mostly rolled their eyes at that comment.

Nobody took the bait.

"We've got the raw-egg factor," closer Brett Myers joked. "Rocky, man. We're going to eat raw eggs in the morning."

[ice grillin you]

Phillies vs. Rockies

Thinking Fan's Approach

Maybe Matt Holliday and Co. aren't the Blake Street Bombers of yesteryear, but they can certainly knock the ball around the yard.
The Rockies' reputation as the Blake Street Bombers dates back to the days of Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Larry Walker and Andres Galarraga's putting up Nintendo numbers in the '90s. Coors Field's park effects have mellowed a bit since then, though Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki still form one of the most fearsome fivesomes in the game. On the other hand, the Phillies' offense has been even better, with three MVP candidates in Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Plus, Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand are having career years, and there have been plenty of contributions from the supporting cast.

But the Rockies' biggest edge over the Phillies lies in their defense. Most advanced defensive metrics rate Tulowitzki as one of, if not the best defensive shortstops in the game. Since shortstop defense plays a bigger role in a team's run prevention than any other position (yes, even catcher), you can thus argue that Tulowitzki is the single most valuable defensive player in baseball. Add the contributions of the slick-fielding Helton and other defenders, and the Rockies rank eighth in MLB in defensive efficiency, a stat tracked by Baseball Prospectus that measures the percentage of balls in play that a defense turns into outs. The Phillies, by comparison, rate just 18th.

Nonthinking Fan's Approach

"Defense is great and everything, but who are these pitchers anyway? In these two ballparks, with these two offenses, isn't every game going to end with a 10-8 score anyway?"

Well actually, yes, that could happen. Even after stripping out park effects, these are two terrific offenses, ranking a notch below the Yankees but in line with any of the AL's other playoff teams. But the Phillies will trot out Cole Hamels as their No. 1 starter in the playoffs. A study run by Nate Silver and Dayn Perry in the book "Baseball Between the Numbers" showed that the three key ingredients to winning in the playoffs are:

1. Strike-throwing aces at the top of the rotation
2. A top-notch closer
3. An airtight defense

Despite Manny Corpas' success this season, it's premature to compare him to the K-Rods of the league at this point, so neither team projects to have a huge advantage in the 'pen. We've already covered the Rockies' superior defense. But Hamels showed enough after coming back off the DL to convince me that he's back to being a true ace. He struck out almost a batter per inning this season and ranked among the league ERA leaders, despite pitching at Coors Field Lite in the form of Citizens Bank Park. After that, you could argue that Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer and Kyle Lohse are no great shakes. But you have to favor them over whichever pitchers the Rockies run out after Jeff Francis -- likely rookies Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales and journeyman Josh Fogg.

Random Facts

Thanks largely to some aggressive moves by Pat Gillick (I know, it's just as weird for me to write this as it is for you to read it), the Phillies may have the strongest bench of any of the eight playoff teams. Most notably, Jayson Werth posted an OBP above .400 while subbing for Shane Victorino, and Tadahito Iguchi hit over .300 while playing his usual steady defense with Chase Utley out. With all hands now on deck, the Phils suddenly have plenty of options for pinch hitting, pinch running (Michael Bourn is lightning fast) or even an occasional lefty-righty platoon.

Will Ryan Howard deliver in an expected late-inning matchup against Colorado reliever Brian Fuentes?

Look for at least one key eighth-inning moment in this series pitting Phillies lefty sluggers Utley and Howard against the Rockies' Brian Fuentes. Colorado's former closer, turned set-up man, was one of the stingiest relievers in the NL against lefty hitters this season, limiting them to a line of .207 AVG/.297 OBP/.296 SLG, with no homers in 54 at-bats.

What Page 2 Wants to Happen

Five games to match Monday night's epic 9-8 Rockies win over the Padres -- regardless of which team wins them. The Phillies and the Rockies both staged huge late-season comebacks to get into the postseason. Both teams boast a stable of likable, dynamic young players who are new to the big stage. The Rockies have never won a World Series, and Phillies fans have historically been among the most tortured in baseball. If you're not from Denver or Philly, it's almost impossible to root against either of these teams.

Series Prediction

You have to love both teams' offenses. The Rockies have a slight edge in the bullpen and with the leather. But Cole Hamels is a difference maker at the top of the Philly rotation, and there's enough uncertainty in the No. 2 through No. 4 spots on the Rockies' staff to make you wonder whether Corpas and Fuentes will get to pitch with many leads. The Rockies' incredible run has made me a fan for the past few weeks. But I think it ends here. Phillies in 3.

[Geowhizzer]

I hope they're right, but I don't know.  What I do know is that my stomach is in knots, and its five hours until game time.

EDIT:  Yes, I'm a teacher... 

[ice grillin you]

the more i look at it the more im gonna be heated if jimmy doesnt win the mvp

everyone is talking about the power guy vs the little guy but never mention that holiday only had six more homers than jimmy!!

and had jimmy batted clean up all year he would have had an equal number of rbi

this is not a rout but its also not as close as people are making it out to be

plus if nothing else rollins going out on a limb before the season then backing it up should win it for him

[Wingspan]

Off the bandwagon, dook.

You spend months telling us the Phils can't make the playoffs...and that Matt Holliday's jizz tastes like strawberry ice cream...and now you play nice?

Ha!

[ice grillin you]

matt holiday is awesome...but jimmy got soul in his strut and bustle in his hustle