Are Philadelphia Phillies fans too hard on their team?

I couldn't believe this question was being asked at a community site of opinions, articles, etc... (http://Helium.com)


Some people said yes... so I had to respond. Here is what I wrote:

The Philadelphia fan is informed. The Philadelphia fan knows the game. The
Philadelphia fan is passionate about his/her team. Period. If you are truly a
faithful fan, no matter the sport or the situation, you become upset when your
team does not meet their potential. This gives you, the fan, the right to
express your feelings in whatever way you deam neccessary. If it is a 'boo', so
be it. The Philadelphia athletes understand what they are up against. There is a
certain kind of athlete who we Philadlelphia fans embrace. We embrace hard
workers. We embrace Jeff Garcia, after he showed us some heart. (And a side not
about Garcia. When he took over, we weren't booing him, were booing the decision
by the coaches not to choose AJ Feeley) We embrace Brian Dawkins. To name a few
Phillies Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Aaron Rowand, Jimmy Rollins. These are
Philadelphia type of players.

As good as Bobby Abreu was, the informed Philadelphia fan understood that
his numbers were hollow. He would steal bases down 4 runs with Jim Thome at bat.
All that does is then allow the pitcher to walk Jim Thome. A hollow stolen base.
It also took Abreu years before he achieved his first game winning hit. And this
is a guy who started almost every game for many years. It was as if Abreu was
invisible after the 7th inning. And we PHiladelphia fans noticed.

So are we too hard on the Phillies? No. Until Pat Gillick came to town, we
had a general manager who was satisfied with the status quo. We had a general
manager who was satisfied with a winning record. This attitude of not being
committed to winning drove the likes of Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen out of
town. This same general manager fired our beloved Larry Bowa, a man who bleeds
Phillies' red, because some of the players beleived he was asked too much. All
he asked is that they play hard. We now have a manager who doesn't understand
the double switch. And when we get the chance, we'll boo him.
So to ask the
question again.

Is the PHiladelphia fan too hard on the Phillies. NO.

Dear Pat Gillick, Please Don't Trade Rowand!

UPDATED 2/3/07

Rumors have surfaced about the possibility of the Phillies trading Aaron Rowand for some help in the bullpen. Mostly from ESPN's Buster Olney. I know the Phils could use some arms in the later innings to finish the fine job we know our starters will do this season, but I can't bring myself to accept the trading of Rowand. I like Rowand, because he plays the game like it should be played. He plays an excellent outfield, and his veteran bat would be a nice fit in this lineup. So maybe he's not a #2 hitter, but he's a great 6 or 7 guy.

Rowand is the epitomy of the Philadelphia ballplayer. I'd like to see Gillick use Leiber as trade bate for bullpen help as opposed to Rowand. And I understand we have some outfield prospects waiting in the wings....namely Jayson Werth, Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson who's doing well in winter ball, but I just don't want to see them get rid of Rowand. When he's been healthy he's been great for us.

Pat, I know you're new to the city, and you've done great things so far... but let's keep the players that bleed Phillies red. It will pay off in the long run.

UPDATE 1/28/07 : The Phillies website has an article about our beloved Rowand.

UPDATE 2/1/07: The Trade Rumor has not gone away... Rowand for Linebrink, probably unlikely.

The catch below proves that Rowand is worthy to wear the stripes.

Rowand's Catch

Is this really the Phillies?

I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe we're actually starting a Phillies season with some optimism. I'm 30 years old and I can't remember the last time this happened? The team of '93 was a complete surprise. I guess we had some buzz for the '94 season, which was a total bust, but I honestly can't think of a time when the Phillies were the talk of the town, this early in the season.

The Thome signing got a lot of buzz, but I don't think the team was touted as a favorite quite like this.

Where are the players who's name brings a wince to even the most loyal of fans? Do we have any guys like that? Pat Burrell comes to mind, but we've given him 4 seasons of amnesty, so what's one more?

Where's the dead weight? Where are the Doug Glanvilles? The Travis Lee's? The Alex Arias'? The Joe Boever's? We're missing guys like Rob Butler, Ricky Otero and Dickie Thon. Remember Kevin Sefcik, Rob Ducey, Marlon Anderson and Ricky Ledee? What about Brian Hunter (Brian R. or Brian L. take your pick)?

We don't have the dead weight!

I think we've got some gamers. We have a team of players who can perform.

Rollins says we're "the team to beat", and we have the NL MVP on our team, and a talented mix of youngsters and veterans. Is this really the Phillies? What happened the the ho-hum signings like, Danny Tartabull, Ron Gant, Todd Zeile and Gregg Jefferries? I guess we picked up some mediocre meat, but we've also added some GradeA prime choice. When was the last time we picked up this much talent in one offseason? When was the last time we had a QUALITY starter who was expendable? Are the Phillies really this good? Should history tell us not to get our hopes up?

Living in Atlanta, I'm a little far away from WIP and Comcast SportsNet, but perusing the Phillies blogosphere I can get a sense of what's going on in the town. I think we like this team.

I think Pat Gillick knows what he's doing. Unfortunately I'm still not convinced our manager does, but at least we've got some cylinders working.

So sit back, relax and wait for spring training. This might be a fun season.

Phillies Secure Utley

The Phillies have just given Chase Utley a well deserved raise. His deal is reportedly worth $85 million over 7 years. In a few years, this will be a bargain. Chase is one of, if not the best 2nd baseman in the league.

The trade-off for Utley is that he sacrifices some earning potential for
the security against injuries or a decline in production. Had he maintained his
production level over the next three years, he likely would've earned more than
this deal's annual value, but it also could have gone the other way. He'll be 35
at the end of this contract. (from Phillies.com)

I couldn't have said it better myself. Signing guys to long term contracts is good for situations like this and a situation like Donovan McNabb, where if they continue their pace are a bargain. It backfires on guys like Pat Burrell.

I can't think of a player who personifies the philly spirit more than Chase. The Phillies need more guys like Utley and Aaron Rowand. Guys that are going to get dirty and get the fans behind them. A new era of Phillies baseball is upon us... the Pat Gillick era.

I for one and glad to have Utley in a Phils uniform for years to come. Kudos to Gillick for getting the job done. Congratulations to Utley!

PS -- 24 days until pitchers and catchers report.