The second chapter of my "Ode to Bill Simmons" continues in this article.  Basically, all I am doing is comparing the current Phillies roster with the Red Sox that Simmons loved (and at times hate).  I feel the same way about the Phillies, except there is the whole "playoff" scheme and it's similar to the Red Sox World Series drought.  Of course, the Phillies avoid the playoffs like audiences avoided "Ishtar" (see Simmons has the Shawshank Redemption, I have Ishtar?!?! What kind of inspiration is that?).  Part Two will compare the Phillies outfield and bench to the Bo Sox of '04 and earlier. 

RF-Bobby Abreu:  Though sometimes I hope the Phillies drop his large salary, Abreu is as solid and consistent as they come.  He's got an unbelieveable blend of speed, power and unbelieveable arm strength (sounds eerily like Vince Young), and is probably the most patient batter in baseball right now as his walks (83) and OBP (.477) indicate.  But he still has this whole "wallphobia" deal that has plagued him since he became a Phillie.  Also on the downside is his power since the magical Home Run Derby of 2005, Abreu has 8 HRs which considering he hit 41 in one night, is below subpar (think Mickelson at 18).  The Comparision is hard because right now he is looking like Troy O'Leary, but before this year he was:  A Poor Man's Manny Ramirez (with more glove)

CF-Aaron Rowand:  Who could forget his unbelieveable catch on May 11 in which he suffered a broken nose after running into a wall?  Apparently, Philly (and myself) haven't forgotten either as we still cheer him even though he is batting a Burrell-like .232 since he's returned to action.  Rowand never quits as he always goes the extra length to catch a ball in right-center field that Abreu is avoiding.  He can come up with a clutch hit, but once his average returns to the .280-.290 area, he will be embraced here.  The Comparision?  Oy vey, this is tough.  The Comparision makes sense just because he's attitude (never say never) and grit got him to this and not his play:  Johnny Damon (Attitude and Glove)

LF-Pat Burrell:  I still like him a bit, but as you can tell by my comment about him in Rowand's scouting report, he is the most inconsistent player on the team.  He still has great power and a freak arm, but he strikes out too many times.  He gets in horrible slumps and appears to put a lot of pressure on himself in the batter's box.  He makes dumb errors occasionally but when he strikes out, it can destroy the rest of his game.  He's a headcase to himself and the comparision I am making is not because he's a jerk or anything, but you never know which Pat Burrell will show up in the first inning:  Carl Everett

The Bench

OF-Shane Victorino:  I will admit at first that I was a bit skeptical of former GM Ed Wade when he picked Victorino out of the Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers.  Wade saw great speed and raw potential but at the time his glove and bat were often questioned.  Victorino responded by playing admirably in Triple-AAA Scranton (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong but won Internationl League MVP as well) and made the team out of spring training this year.  Victorino has kept up as the team's utility outfielder (playing RF, CF and LF) and has come up big when needed.  His average at .277 is decent for a player of his caliber and I still believe he can improve.  His glove is great and wait did I say "come up big when needed".  That sounds an awful lot like;  Dave Roberts (for now)

OF-David Dellucci:  Again, I will admit that Dellucci is better than a fourth outfielder (he'll start if/when Abreu/Burrell departs) and though a tad old (32) he is going to be awfully hard to keep with his .315 average.  He's got a good amount of pop (6 HRs) and he is right now the only Phillie hitting the ball (take away Chase).  He probably won't be in a Phillie uniform next season, but I like this player.  His numbers if he stays on the bench will be high (in limited at-bats) but his knack for hits and getting HRs reminds me of:  Bill Mueller

C-Sal Fasano:  He may not exactly be Joe Mauer in terms of athleticism or Victor Martinez in power, but Fasano is approaching cult status here similar to Randy Wolf's Wolf Pack.  Though not as clever and witty, Fasano's fan club is called "Sal Pals" and you gotta love it when 20 or so men and women, where Fu Manchus.  His average is low as his power but he gets the Comparision of fellow backup and cult hero; Doug Mirabelli

C-Chris Coste:  A journeyman but alas there is no close comparision to a 33-year old journeyman who played for the first time at the MLB level this season.  He's played well too, shockingly; I like him but the only Comparision I can think of is; Adam Hyzdu (without the absurd high school and minor league stats)

IF-Abraham Nunez':  After a good year in '05 with St. Louis, Abraham Nunez has not flourished at all while riding the pine.  Batting below the mendoza line, Nunez has been a huge disappointment and Gillick may have screwed up here.  Since I have to make a Comparision, he gets; Damian Jackson

That concludes Part Two as Chris Roberson and Carlos Ruiz are too incomplete

Up Next:  Starting Pitchers

Comments, like always, Appreciated.

Oh man, oh man; I knew it was going to happen eventually.  Though it was still being kept in denial, talks are continuing in what could be the biggest NASCAR-related newspiece of the season (providing no changes to the Chase).  Danica Patrick, IRL driver, may possibly move to the NASCAR circuit in the near-future.  While "talks" apparently recently started, let's not forget the revenue in IRL and in NASCAR is tremendous.  TJ Patrick, Danica's representative, was a guest of honor at team owner Jack Roush's hauler for the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. 

Danica is currently going through a minor-sophomore slump that can be attributed to the switch from Panoz to Dallara or just plain bad luck.  I, for one, believe Danica Patrick is deservedly the most hyped racer in all forms of auto racing (with competition from Dale Jr. and Michael Schumacher) as sex sells in America and she's by far had the most success of any female racer.  She was an accomplished racer, who was running in the Barber Dodge Pro Series but then posed quite provocatively in the magazine FHM soon after signing a deal with Rahal/Letterman Racing to race in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series (consider it a Busch Series to the IRL).  In her two years running in the "TAC", Danica had some success, but never won a race in far-superior equipment.  Though she found Top-5 consistency and in her second year, finished 3rd in her 2nd year in the final standings.

Then the switch to IRL (in my opinion, she needed another year of development) came and the media boom known as "Danicamania" erupted after she nearly won last year's Indy 500.  She finished 12th in the points and won ROTY with virtually no competition outside of Ryan Briscoe who didn't finish the season due to injuries.  Rahal/Letterman was turning into a major powerhouse with Danica, Buddy Rice (a title contender in '04) and Vitor Meira (who departed to Panther Racing following the season). 

Fast forward to 2006; and Danica is 12th in points out of 18 full-time drivers, a respectable position considering she's been running a Panoz body for most of the season (now switched to Dallara) and teammate Buddy Rice has raced well but has been plagued by bad luck as of late.  She hasn't qualified as well as she did last year nor finished but can that be attributed to the Panoz?  Yes, it can and also she and Rice did not race in the season opener at Homestead due to the untimely death of teammate Paul Dana (who was replaced by Jeff Simmons) can hurt the points position.

Now the news broke that Danica is considering bolting to the grandaddy of all forms of auto racing; the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.  My opinion on this is clear; I do not support this decision for her.  I remember Tony Stewart driving an Indy car around the Brickyard with one hand on the wheel and saying "how his grandmother could even drive this thing" in an interview before a race once.  Tony is the only one that has had major success bolting to NASCAR and the failures include Jimmy Vasser (couldn't find a ride), Christian Fittipaldi and to a lesser scale, Hideo Fukuyama (wasn't from the open-wheel ranks).  The odds of failing are so high that I can only think of one way she can fare well.  Start off in ARCA for about a year, then jump to Busch for 2-3 and then go to NEXTEL Cup.  But with NASCAR's "Drive for Diversity" is pretty much forcing you to take your young, inexperienced driver and run them in Busch (see Erin Crocker).  I for one, believe Erin Crocker will be the most successful female driver ever but needs time to adapt to the stock car ranks.  Danica on the other hand?  Quite possibly, no but I can still be proved wrong.

Before I finish up this article, I want to say by no means am I sexist.  I told you what I believe about Crocker and Katherine Legge will be successful too.  Katherine Legge is a standout on the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series (where Danicamania started) and won three races in her only season.  Right now Champ Car (which is basically IRL on road courses), she's having success eerily similar to Danica's but Champ Car is more competitive than oval racing.  I also feel Juan Pablo Montoya is making a mistake to by going to NASCAR but that is a different story for another time.

I apologize to those if anyone is offended and I sincerely mean it.  This was not to point fingers at the sexes, merely just an observation, I have had. 

Comments Appreciated.

Before writing this piece in my blog, we need a prologue.  Just recently, I completed reading Bill Simmons book "Now I Can Die In Peace" and considered it to be a great book.  That book inspired me to look at the Philadelphia Phillies squad and see if I can find any similarities to the Red Sox team and players to see if the Phillies have hope.  I went to Citizens Bank Park for the atmosphere and it's non comparable to Fenway.  I will now rundown the Phillies lineup and see if I can find the similarities, if any.  The Starting Infied will be discussed first, followed by the Outfield/Reserves and the Pitching.

1B-Ryan Howard:  After the loss of Jim Thome to the White Sox, a new HR hitter has been blessed to come to Philly.  With 28 HRs and 71 RBIs, Ryan Howard's numbers are freakishly similar to Thome and David Ortiz.  The 1B is going to the ASG and will participate in the Home Run Derby (presented by Century 21) against Big Papi.  He also gets a hushed (well by Philly standards) reaction when his at-bat is up.  The Comparsion is simplistic:  David Ortiz

2B-Chase Utley:  If I had to pick one player on the Phillies as my favorite, it is 2B Chase Utley.  His numbers .307/16/51 are impressive by 2B standards and is hard-nose style of play is welcomed in Philly.  A breath of fresh air, an improving glove and an even better bat; Utley deserved the starting nod for the ASG.  While he does not have the popularity in Philly that Nomar Garciaparra had in the Boston (when he was healthy before the media and him feuded), Utley still has similar style of play to the player formerly known as NOOOOMMAAARRRR!  The Comparision?:  Nomar Garciaparra

SS-Jimmy Rollins:  Jimmy Rollins has been the starting SS for the Phillies for the past four years.  He has matured into a great fielder and a demon on the basepaths.  But the average needs to creep up a little bit as .256 ain't going to help out this desperate team.  A fan favorite, Rollins 38-game hitting streak was the biggest story coming into the season but as it ended, apparently the consistency went away with it too.  Rollins fielding and baserunning are great but the hitting needs to improve.  So as for now, his Comparision isn't impressive but respectable:  Pokey Reese

3B-David Bell:  Yes, he's still playing in the MLB if you have forgotten.  Bell is a steady defender, at times a clutch hitter but mostly the average player the Phillies love.  Dependable fielder, low average and HR totals is what Bell earns.  But he can turn in a highlight reel play (against David Wright earlier in the year, perhaps?) every once in a while.  I like him, but some fans are booing him when there is a runner on first with 1 out, in the last inning, trailing by one.  You can guess what happens.  The Comparision, is hard to make so I am going to find a Red Sox player of the early 00s:  A better Jose' Offerman

C-Mike Lieberthal:  I personally still love the guy but the fans unfortunately have given up on him.  Face it, the value of a 34-year old C is nill and no one wants to see him anymore.  He was once a .300 hitter who could hit 20 in a season.  I miss the old Lieberthal, the leader, instead of the new one who bats .250 and is more injury-prone than most.  His catching is even going downhill fast, it's like an aging RB.  The Comparision?:  Scott Hatteberg, when he started for Boston 

PART TWO:  Coming Soon (the Outfield and Reserves)

With the heavy "Corporate America" business running NASCAR, much has been lost in the fire.  Turn on ESPN and the new NASCAR fan sees the likes of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and what's going on with 4-time champion Jeff Gordon?  Add the move of Toyota to NEXTEL Cup, and you'll see a whole new breed of "hot topics".

But what I find interesting is what every American loves.  Seeing the Underdog rise from obscurity and win a race.  At one time there was a chance of that happening, with the aging Dave Marcis and watching Daytona, the Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard.  At Daytona, you'd see ARCA drivers (think of it as the equivalent of the Independent Baseball leagues) such as Norm Benning, Bobby Gerhart and Kirk Shelmerdine run their guts out with a three-man team, a beat up engine and a Winston West car but still miss the big race.  Now, only Shelmerdine is around and he's hanging by a thread.  It's now nearly impossible for a two-car team to win a race per year let alone a unsponsored, 40something driver/owner.

I am hear to introduce you to one of the average Joe-type NASCAR drivers.  The guy who runs a team of volunteers (or low-salary workers) with cars barely old enough to continue racing.   With engines ready to explode in a heartbeat.  The driver who has more experience than "young guns" such as Reed Sorenson and JJ Yeley.  The guy who you want to see succeed but won't bother searching for help.  Here's to the other world of NASCAR!!!

Carl Long-Victory Motorsports & Keith Coleman Racing:                                                               Carl Long is no stranger to the NASCAR lower-rank circuit.  In fact he has 48 career All-Pro Series (think Class A in comparision to MLB) and is highly-respected by the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr and Darrell Waltrip.  Carl Long is most known for his flip at the old Rockingham Motor Speedway in North Carolina in his only car.  There the grit and hard work of the Carl-Long forum raised money for Carl to buy a brand new car and some much needed publicity.  The Carl-Long community is one of the best in NASCAR.  Probably the best sense of humor in the world.  They have traditions such as the "Dancing Nazi" when any thread page reaches "Page 5" and of course telling the world the webmaster Tom Czerwinski is a celebrity.  Carl will attempt to qualify for R&J Racing which was recently acquired by Victory Motorsports.  Guess who's involved with Victory?  Former NFL reciever Terrance Mathis and Detroit Pistons Dale Davis both have a stake in the race team.  Keep your eye out for Carl at Michigan and root for the Underdog of the series!

Carl Long Website:

http://carl-long.com

Comments Appreciated.