On a cold, windy night in Philadelphia, last year’s best offense was
stymied by Washington Nationals starter Tim Redding. If the game was a
series of coin flips, the Phillies called heads every time and it
always landed tails. Every ball they hit hard was right at a defender,
and one of the many balls hitters did not hit well accounted for the
only run of the game — a Ryan Zimmerman solo home run that eked over
the right field fence.
For
those counting, that’s two game-winning home runs in three games for
the third baseman. Of course, his homer tonight wasn’t as dramatic as
the one that won the Nationals’ home opener, but they both counted the
same in the box score.
Lost in the disappointment is the great start from Cole Hamels:
eight innings, five hits, two walks, and 6 strikeouts. Unfortunately,
he gets marked down as having lost that game (insert rant against the
W/L metric here).
Had the winds not been blowing in so strongly from left field, and
had the temperature been a bit higher, Hamels might have been credited
with giving up more runs, as Ryan Zimmerman lost a well-hit three-run
homer in the first inning. Off the bat, it looked like it’d be way out,
but the ball had such a high trajectory that it was pushed back in and
caught in front of the warning track by left fielder Pat Burrell.
The Phillies’ lone hit came courtesy third baseman Pedro Feliz — a
grounder up the middle. The other three base runners reached via a
Redding walk to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Geoff Jenkins.
Tonight marks the third straight season in which the Phillies
dropped the first two games of the season, and at least so far, they
look to be en route to their fifth straight sub-.500 April.
The Nationals start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2003, when they were the Montreal Expos.
Tomorrow’s 1:05 game will have the Phillies’ Jamie Moyer facing the Nationals’ Jason Bergmann.
Seanez signed, Helms D’ed For A
Assumed to be a reaction to Tom Gordon’s blow-up on Monday, the
Phillies signed right-handed reliever Rudy Seanez. Despite his age — 39
— he is still effective, having put up great a ERA+ in three of the
past four seasons:
2004: 133 ERA+
2005: 143
2006: 95
2007: 121
He tends to stray from walking hitters — 3.2 per 9 innings in ‘07 —
and still has the ability strike hitters out in bunches, averaging 8.6
per 9 last season.
To make room for Seanez, displaced third baseman Wes Helms was
designated for assignment, the culmination of the Phillies’
unsuccessful efforts to find a suitor for him. The Phillies have 10
days to trade or release him. The Dodgers are hurting for a third
baseman, but they were discussing a Seanez-for-Helms deal and opted
instead to drop the reliever.
As the final seconds ticked off of the fourth quarter clock and the
New York Giants earned victory in Super Bowl XLII, those of us who are
more inclined towards baseball breathed a sigh of relief and marked
another X on the calendar: A week and a half until P’s and C’s report;
three weeks until exhibition games begin; seven weeks until the regular
season begins.
The Phillies, for the most part, look like an improved team. Brad
Lidge was acquired from the Houston Astros; Shane Victorino moved to
center field following the departure of Aaron Rowand; Geoff Jenkins was
signed to platoon with Jayson Werth in right field; Pedro Feliz was
given red pinstripes as a hopeful answer to the team’s third base woes.
Meanwhile, the Phillies watched the Marlins pawn off their two
franchise players, the Nationals sign and trade for no one important,
the Braves lose Andruw Jones to free agency and trade Edgar Renteria to
Detroit and replace them with weaker players. Oh, and the Mets traded
for the best pitcher in baseball. The Johan Santana deal aside,
everyone in the division either got weaker or stayed essentially in the
same place.
Jimmy Rollins, almost a year after declaring the Phillies “the team
to beat” in the NL East (and being proven correct on the last day of
the regular season), claimed his team would win 100 games in 2008.
As I counted last August, the Phillies’ bullpen was responsible for at blowing at least 19 games
between April and the end of August. Remember, this is a bullpen that
featured — not just had; featured — Antonio Alfonseca, Clay Condrey,
and Jose Mesa, among others, mostly due to the injuries to Closer #1
Tom Gordon, Closer #2 Brett Myers, and Ryan Madson.
Now, the Phillies feature a bona fide closer in Brad Lidge, a
now-serviceable set-up man in Tom Gordon, and a surprisingly deep
bullpen, now that Ryan Madson will once again be healthy, and the team
kept J.C. Romero, who was stunningly effective since he arrived in
Philadelphia in early June last season. The bullpen, barring injury,
doesn’t figure to be a problem for the Phillies in 2008.
As always, the Phillies feature one of baseball’s best offenses.
Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, and the pitchers aside, the Phillies
feature 20-25 HR potential at every position, and Ryan Howard, Pat
Burrell, and Chase Utley are three of baseball’s best at getting on
base. Obviously, scoring runs won’t be a problem for the Phillies,
either, but given that Pedro Feliz and his sub-.300 OBP will be playing
every day, expect a very slight regression in runs scored from ‘07.
However, preventing them appears to be a problem for the starting rotation once you get past Cole Hamels and Brett Myers.
Jamie Moyer is 45, put up a 5.01 ERA, and averaged his highest base
runners per inning rate since 2000. Age is less of a problem for a
pitcher of Moyer’s ilk, since he relies not on speed, but purely on
location and intellect. Either way, Moyer cannot be relied on anything
more than league-average production.
Kyle Kendrick put up an impressing rookie campaign for the Phillies
in which he revealed himself as a perfect fit for Citizens Bank Park
and the Phillies. In 2007, more than 47% of Kendrick’s batted balls
were of the ground ball variety, and in CBP, where the gusting winds
push would-be fly ball outs halfway up the stands in left field,
throwing ground balls creates a huge advantage for their Phillies and
their now-great infield defense. Given Kendrick’s age and lack of MLB
experience though, we can’t reliably predict a repeat.
Adam Eaton. Not much needs to be said about him other than that the
sooner the Phillies get rid of him and his awful pitching, the better.
Eaton might be the worst pitcher the Phillies have allowed to pitch 150
innings or more since Brandon Duckworth in 2002. The non-progressives
in the Phillies’ front office likely don’t realize this and will try to
justify paying him $24.5 million over three years by letting him take
the mound once every five games.
Depending on how Kendrick pans out, and how quick the Phillies are
to pull Eaton from the starting rotation, expect about average
production from the Phillies’ rotation. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers
will obviously be well above league-average but it won’t be enough to
offset the lackluster performances from the others. If the Phillies can
sign Kyle Lohse and bump Eaton from the rotation before the season even
starts, that would be such a boon.
Defensively, the Phillies are easily above-average. Pedro Feliz is
baseball’s best glove at third base, Chase Utley is a top-two defensive
second baseman, Victorino is a gazelle with a cannon in center field,
and Carlos Ruiz is one of the better defensive catchers in baseball.
Pat Burrell and Geoff Jenkins lack range but both have strong arms,
Jayson Werth has decent speed and a strong arm, and Jimmy Rollins
provides average to slightly above-average shortstop defense. The only
defensive curse on the Phillies is Ryan Howard at first base.
Overall, I expect the Phillies to have the National League’s best
offense and Major League Baseball’s third-best, behind the Yankees and
Tigers. Pitching-wise, overall, I expect a middle-of-the-pack
performance, perhaps 9th out of the 16 National League teams. The
starting rotation will rank about 10th or 11th and the bullpen will
rank about 4th or 5th.
My prediction (with the roster as it is presently)
Phillies 2008 RPG: 5.42 (878 runs).
Phillies 2008 RAPG: 4.61 (747 runs).
Phillies 2008 record: 91-71, second in NL East behind the 93-69 Mets.
Bonus: Cole Hamels finishes a very close #2 to Johan Santana in Cy Young voting.
As promised, I am going to delve into the new look of the Phillies’ outfield, and I also want to criticize Gerry Fraley for a ridiculous article he wrote for The Sporting News. Being the lazy person that I am, I’d like to kill two birds with one stone. I’m going to break it down Fire Joe Morgan-style (his words in bold; mine will follow in regular typeface).
In two seasons without center fielder Aaron Rowand, the Chicago White Sox are a .500 team and heading south.
You know this is going to be a pro-Rowand article based on the
title, so let me just get this out of the way right off the bat: the
White Sox are not bad because Aaron Rowand left. In 2007, they had the
league’s worst offense, and the third-worst pitching. Rowand can’t
pitch and I’m pretty sure he’s not potent enough to bring his team from
a 4.28 runs per game average to around 5 per game, which would put them
slightly behind sixth place. Barry Bonds might have been able to do
that, but certainly not Aaron Rowand.
The White Sox were bad in ‘07 because Paul Konerko had a .091 point
decline in OPS from the previous season, Jermaine Dye had a .204
decline in OPS, and Jim Thome was the only potent offensive force in
the lineup. Jon Garland has been decidedly mediocre, and the back of
their starting rotation was about as unproductive as it could have
been. And aside from Bobby Jenks, their bullpen was nearly as bad as
the Phillies’.
After saying he wanted to stay with the Phillies, Rowand
swerved and signed a five-year, $60-million deal with San Francisco.
His change of heart puts the Phillies in a bind.
“Bind” is hyperbole. The Phillies would have preferred to keep
Rowand in his age 30-32 years, but he wanted five years at $12 million,
which is what he got from the Giants. He simply wasn’t worth it.
Jayson Werth isn’t a terrible Plan B, and Rowand’s departure simply
made the Phillies look for a Plan B2 and B3, which was searching for
either another regular center fielder (Cameron), or moving Victorino to
center and finding a platoon partner for Werth (Geoff Jenkins).
Look at it this way, using simple OPS:
Aaron Rowand: .779 OPS vs. RHP (68% of career PA); .862 vs. LHP (32%); .805 vs. both.
Shane Victorino: .741 OPS vs. both.
Mike Cameron: .767 OPS vs. RHP (75% of career PA); .843 OPS vs. LHP (25%); .786 vs. both.
Geoff Jenkins: .883 OPS vs. RHP (76% of career PA)
Jayson Werth: .864 OPS vs. LHP (29% of career PA)
Here are the expected OPS, based on career averages, out of the possible CF and RF combinations:
Rowand/Victorino: .773 OPS
Cameron/Victorino: .764
Victorino/(Werth+Jenkins): .787*
* Because Jenkins will face RHP, and batters see RHP about 3 times
more than LHP, I weighted Jenkins and Werth’s OPS to reflect this. I
assumed that the two will combine for 625 at-bats (which is generous
considering how potent the Phillies’ lineup is and how adept they are
at getting on base).
Jenkins: Averages 1 base every 2.0 at-bats. With 75% of 625 at-bats,
that’s 469 at-bats, giving him about 235 total bases, and a slugging
percentage of .501.
Werth: Averages 1 base every 2.3 at-bats. With 25% of 625 at-bats,
that’s 156 at-bats, giving him about 68 total bases, and a slugging
percentage of .436.
Add ‘em together (.485 + .348 ) and you have an expected .833 OPS out of right field. *
Phew.
They previously traded center-fielder-in-waiting Michael
Bourn to Houston in the Brad Lidge deal. Plan C for the Phillies calls
for moving Shane Victorino, whose durability is in question, to center
and going with a platoon of Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins in right.
While the Phillies had some expectations of Bourn when he was
considered a top prospect in their farm system (not hard to be,
actually), he only showed Juan Pierre-esque ability: great speed,
ability to bunt, and above-average range in the outfield. They already
have a guy like that (but better) in Shane Victorino. Bourn simply
didn’t fit and was thusly expendable.
And Fraley has the plans all messed up! Bourn is Plan B? Any team
who has a Plan B as replacing a center fielder with decent defense and
some power potential with a slap-hitter is clearly a team general-managed by Ned Colletti.
Shame on this guy also for not tiering the Plan B’s.
The Phillies will also learn what the White Sox now know. Rowand is harder to replace in the clubhouse than on the field.
Whenever sports journalists wax romantic on intangibles, the
cholesterol lining my arteries gets a little bit harder. But I should
know — intangibles have been tangiblized (hat tip to FJM).
Rowand is an NFL free safety masquerading as a center
fielder. He plays relentlessly, a style the Phillies privately feared
may shorten his career, and that rubs off on teammates. He is a leader
in the true sense of the word.
First, I don’t see how being akin to an NFL free safety makes you a
valuable baseball player. Then Gerry contradicts himself by saying the
Phillies didn’t like his balls-out style of play because it increases
his risk of injury and a “shortened career.”
Gerry, however, rebounds by saying that this career-shortening style of play is rubbing off on teammates! Hopefully not in the way it rubbed off on Chase Utley.
That is why the White Sox and the Phillies both wanted to
sign Rowand. They have seen first-hand how valuable he is to the
dynamic of a winning team.
Phillies players as or more important to the NL East pennant than
Rowand: Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Brett
Myers, J.C. Romero (arguably).
I get it: take Rowand away and the Phillies don’t win the East. But
that can also be said of Russell Branyan, who was with the Phillies for
all of 9 at-bats, one of which won them a game in Washington. And the Phillies won the East by one game.
Seasons of catering to Barry Bonds turned their clubhouse
into a nest of apathy. Near the end of the season, manager Bruce Bochy
said the last-place club lacked “a warrior spirit.”
The king of the team lacking “a warrior spirit” put up an OPS+ 170
with a knee that gets regular fluid injections at age forty-two.
Forty-two. Save his injury-plagued 2005 season, Bonds has led the
National League in on-base percentage every season since 2001.
The Giants were bad last year because, aside from Bonds and Randy
Winn (barely), no one in the lineup was hitting at or above the league
average, which makes it easy to believe that they had the league’s
second-worst offense. They had a good, but not great starting rotation,
and a decent bullpen. Blaming Bonds for the Giants’ failures last
season (or in any season) is beyond reprehensible and downright
ignorant.
San Francisco may remain stuck in last in the demanding National League West, but the Giants will not go quietly.
Earlier in the article, Fraley contends that teams that have Aaron
Rowand win, and teams that lose him end up losing. Now Fraley says that
the Giants get Rowand… but they “may remain stuck in last”?
In explaining the signing, general manager Brian Sabean said
Rowand was “far and away a plus” in the areas of concern for the
Giants.
“His no-nonsense approach is known throughout the game,” Sabean said. “Including inside the clubhouse.”
So, the areas of concern for the Giants aren’t offense, starting
pitching, and the bullpen? It’s a no-nonsense approach? No wonder they
haven’t reached 77 wins in three seasons.
No, I’m not talking about Rosie O’Donnell’s favorite pastime. I am
talking about what Phillies GM Pat Gillick should be doing now that
there are non-tendered players out there, waiting to be plucked up by
another team.
I mean, look at this list! I think these guys might be better than the actual free agent market!
I’d like to highlight a few of the players on that list the Phillies should be interested in picking up.
Dallas McPherson
Formerly a top prospect, third baseman Dallas McPherson battled
injuries in 2007 and never caught fire in the Major Leagues in his 360
at-bats between 2004 and 2006.
The Phillies, having just traded “third baseman of the future” Mike
Costanzo to the Astros (who just traded him to the Orioles in the
Miguel Tejada package), are in need of a third baseman now, next year,
the year after that, the year after that…
A Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs platoon at third base likely isn’t going
to cut it unless Helms can revert to his second-half of ‘06 ways. Let
McPherson rehab in the Minor Leagues, hope he gets healthy, and call
him up. It’s a win-win situation — a cheap roll of the dice that can
result in big winnings. After all, McPherson hit 40 HR, drove in 126
runs, and put up a 1.054 OPS between AA and AAA in 2004.
2007 salary: $382,500
Josh Towers
The Phillies were interested in pitcher Josh Towers at one point.
What’s easy to dislike about the guy — his career ERA of almost 5.00 —
is offset by what you really like about him, which is his ability to
throw ground balls, a must in a hitter-friendly stadium such as
Citizens Bank Park. In 2007, 43.9% of Towers’ batted balls were of the
ground ball variety, just one whole percent over his career average, so
it’s not an aberration.
His BABIP has been a bit higher than the league average throughout
his career (.314), and his WHIP isn’t awful (1.38). With exceptional
defense in the middle infield with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley,
Towers would thrive in Philadelphia.
Go get him, Pat.
2007 salary: $2.9 million
Emil Brown
After getting regular at-bats in Kansas City starting in 2005,
outfielder Emil Brown showed that he can put up above-average
production. In ‘05, he put up an OPS of .804, .051 points above the
league average. In ‘06, he improved to an .815 OPS, but that was .034
points above the league average.
Brown would be a sturdy addition to the Phillies’ bench, which, as
it stands currently, is weak. Said bench includes Chris Coste, Eric
Bruntlett, Greg Dobbs, Chris Snelling, and T.J. Bohn.
2007 salary: $3.45 million
Chad Durbin
Durbin, a pitcher released by the Detroit Tigers, is another ground
ball-prone pitcher. He would be an excellent low-cost, high-reward
chance to take. 44% of Durbin’s batted balls were ground balls,
slightly higher than his career average (40.3%), but good nonetheless.
Besides, wouldn’t you rather have Chad Durbin than J.D. Durbin?
If he can’t make the rotation, he could serve a purpose in the bullpen.
2007 salary: $385,000
Mark Prior
Maybe it was the Cubs system of developing pitchers that has
tarnished his arm health, and maybe another organization can halt his
D.L. stints. It’s the epitome of the low-risk, high-reward move.
Sign Prior to a multi-million, but incentive-laden contract. If he
gets hurt again, meh, the Phillies wasted a few million with a
potential right-handed Cole Hamels. I’d certainly prefer an
injury-prone ace push an injury-prone Adam Eaton out of the starting
rotation, than actually have to watch Adam Eaton attempt to make 33
starts in 2008.
Prior also throws a decent amount of ground balls (40.3% over his
career), strikes out a lot of hitters, and doesn’t walk too many.
If there’s one player on this list that I would suggest Pat Gillick to sign, it’s Prior, without question.
2007 salary: $3.575 million
Morgan Ensberg
When I said that Mark Prior should be #1 on this list for Pat
Gillick, Ensberg is #2. As mentioned, the Phillies have no legitimate
third baseman now or in the future, and Ensberg could fill that void at
least for a couple years.
For starters, he plays excellent defense. In 2006, he was second
behind Scott Rolen in RZR, and 7th in plays made out of his zone. In
2005, he led all NL third basemen in RZR, and was a short second
(80-to-79) to then-Phillie David Bell in plays made out of his zone.
Then you get to his offense, which nowadays is merely referred to as
potential. In 2005, he put up a 144 OPS+ with 36 HR and 101 RBI and he
was envisioned as one of the top third basemen in baseball for years to
come. His power has waned as he’s battled injuries, but when he’s
healthy, he gets on base at a great rate (nearly 37% of the time he’s
at the plate).
If Phillies fans were ever allowed to have their cake and eat it,
too, we’d see both Prior and Ensberg in Phillies pinstripes in 2008.
2007 salary: $4.35 million
While these kind of players come with risks, such as injury
histories and downward trends in production, they are risks worth
taking when your other option is marching forward with the status quo.
The Phillies are oh-so-close to being a powerhouse in Major League
Baseball. They already boast the National League’s best offense. Small
tweaks to the pitching, and keeping the 6-7-8 part of the lineup afloat
offensively will ensure the Phillies are playing October baseball once
again.
You read right. 500-to-1. They were that much an underdog on
September 12, seven games behind the New York Mets in the National
League East (Baseball Prospectus goes over some of the biggest
collapses here, and mentions this year’s playoff hunt).
Today, on October 1, the Mets are officially out of the playoffs
(the second-worst collapse in baseball history, after the 1964 Phillies
and the worst since divisional play began in 1969), while the Phillies
are officially in for the first time since 1993.
The coaching staff acted rashly and moved their then-ace Brett
Myers to the bullpen to pitch the 8th inning (when Tom Gordon went down
with an injury, Myers moved to closer).
Ryan Howard, the reigning NL MVP, had a horrible April (.390 SLG) and then missed two weeks from May 10 to 24.
Pat Burrell had a mind-bogglingly awful first-half of the season (.408 SLG).
They started the season with six starting pitchers (Garcia, Lieber,
Hamels, Eaton, Myers, Moyer). By season’s end, only one of them would
not spend a day on the disabled list — the 44-year-old, who ended up
pitching Sunday’s game, the biggest Phillies game in 14 years. In
addition, the Phillies set a club record for most pitchers used in a
season (28).
More than a month after moving Myers to the bullpen, he got injured
closing out a game in Florida and missed the next two months. By
season’s end, nine Phillies have recorded saves (Myers, Alfonseca
Gordon, Condrey, Madson, Mesa, Rosario, Durbin, Ennis).
Wes Helms showed himself to be a free agent bust, and saw his
playing time significantly reduced in the last two months in favor of
the offense of Greg Dobbs and defense of Abraham Nunez.
The franchise reached 10,000 losses on July 15.
And despite ALL of that…
The Phillies won the most games in a season (89) since 1993 (97).
Jimmy Rollins, en route to a possible and likely NL MVP award,
recorded the fourth 20 2B/20 3B/20 HR/20 SB season in baseball history,
joining Curtis Granderson (also achieved this year), Willie Mays, and
Frank Schulte. In addition, he played in all 162 games, and set records
in at-bats and plate appearances, surpassing Willie Wilson and Lenny
Dykstra, respectively.
Pat Burrell followed up his awful first half with an amazing second
half (1.016 OPS) and finished the season with at least 30 HR for the
third time in his eight-year career.
Ryan Howard followed up his awful first half with an amazing second
half (1.016 OPS) and finished the season with 47 HR and led the
National League with 136 RBI.
The Phillies overcame the one-month loss of then-MVP candidate
Chase Utley to a hand injury when Pat Gillick made a quick acquisition
of Tadahito Iguchi, who instantly took to the red pinstripes.
The Phillies overcame the three-week loss (and light use following
his return) of Shane Victorino, and the six-week loss of Michael Bourn
(both lost in the same game in Chicago) with the help of Jayson Werth
(.950 second-half OPS), who at one point hit safely in nine straight
at-bats, breaking Pete Rose’s mark of 8 at-bats.
The starting rotation changed from Hamels, Moyer, Lieber, Garcia,
and Eaton at the start of the season to Hamels, Moyer, Kendrick, Lohse,
and Eaton by season’s end. Kendrick is a solid candidate for some
third-place Rookie of the Year votes.
J.C. Romero put up an insane 369 ERA+. A 100 ERA+ is considered league-average.
In their campaign against the Mets, the Phillies beat them in eight
consecutive games, including sweeps of a four-game series in
Philadelphia and a three-game series in New York.
44-year-old Jamie Moyer, born in Sellersville, PA, pitched the
biggest game for his hometown team since 1993. He went 5 and one-third
innings, giving up only one unearned run on five hits and no walks,
striking out six.
There were far too many great storylines for this year’s
Philadelphia Phillies, and far too much going against them. Yet they
persevered. It couldn’t have happened to a more likable group of guys
or a more deserving group of fans.
Advantage: Phillies
The San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies play a one-game playoff to
determine the Wild Card winner at Coors Field tonight. The Padres will
send Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy (176 ERA+) to the mound to face
Rockies starter Josh Fogg (99 ERA+).
This is beneficial for the Phillies for a few reasons.
Both teams will be at the disadvantage of having played an extra
game, adding to the risk of injury, and adding to the already high
level of fatigue in most of the players.
If the Padres win, they will have burned their “ace in the hole” in
Peavy until at least Game 3 of the NLDS. It’s even more beneficial when
you consider that the Padres’ starting rotation hasn’t been great.
Chris Young, for example, has a 5.96 ERA since returning from his
injury. Meanwhile, the Phillies will have their ace, Cole Hamels,
pitching Game 1 and likely Game 4.
While not a long flight, the Padres are at another disadvantage for
having to go on the road. The Phillies get to rest until Wednesday.
Give ‘em Credit
The Phillies’ 2007 run at the post-season will forever be linked to
the biggest divisional collapse in baseball history by the New York
Mets. Due to this fact, the Phillies will likely not be given much
credit for winning themselves so much as winning by default because of
the Mets’ inadequacies.
The Phillies played .623 baseball in August and September, and, as
mentioned, beat the Mets in eight consecutive games. Not only was this
due to the Phillies’ league-best offense, but the settling down of the
pitching staff. They had their occasional bad games, but nothing like
the first half when it was commonplace. Since September 13, the
Phillies have given up 68 total runs in those 17 games, an average of
exactly 4 runs per game, more than a full run better than their
seasonal average of 5.07 runs per game.
While the Mets definitely were in a position to cinch the deal in
the NL East, let’s give credit where credit is due — to the
Philadelphia Phillies.
When Words Aren’t Enough
Yahoo! has some great pictures from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty Images.
[…]Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas sang “High Hopes” over the public address system.
You have to have seen and heard it to appreciate it. Kalas won’t be
on American Idol any time soon, but it was a moment where every one of
his off-key notes sounded infinitely harmonic.
Please advise me if a video of this is posted on the Internets!
Visit my new website -- Crashburn Alley!>
Crashburn Alley is a fusion of the phrase "crash and burn" with Ashburn Alley, which is beyond the center field fence at Citizens Bank Park. You can read more about Crashburn Alley here.>
I'm a diehard Phillies fan who is still reeling from the 1993 World Series and Joe Carter's three-run homerun in Game 6.
For
those counting, that’s two game-winning home runs in three games for
the third baseman. Of course, his homer tonight wasn’t as dramatic as
the one that won the Nationals’ home opener, but they both counted the
same in the box score.
