The House of Pain

 

It’s funny for all the crying CJ Hood has been doing that the Wriz hasn’t blogged this year, its not like anyone listens anyways.

The Wriz said RAJ didn’t deserve an extension after the 09 season.

The Wriz said trade Chooch when he was hitting .350
The Wriz said don’t resign JRoll.
The Wriz said trade Hamels & then try to resign him.
The Wriz said trade Utley & Dom Brown when they were tearing the cover off the ball.

It’s not just the Phils that don’t listen. It’s you clowns too.

The Wriz said Papelbon is a competitor and possibly the best on the team. But you still bash him.

(Well, at least Erik was listening.)

And now you want more knowledge from the Wriz? Well the Wriz never disappoints so fuck it. Here’s what to expect in 2015: Pain! That’s right CBP might as well be called the House of Pain for 2015 and its not the good Jump Around one either.

Its not going to be an easy year to be a Phillies fan. The only thing that will make this year watchable should be Hamels but it’s quite possible he’s gone before the trade deadline. After that, it’s hoping to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe a prospect that shows he’s quite capable of being a Major League player or to cut ties with the bags of shit like RAJ or Howard. (That’s for you Captain Poopypants, who happens to be our most consistent commenter so if the rest of you want more blogs better start leaving feedback)

As for the rest of the infield, Utley’s best days are behind him. For the past 2 years, I’ve been saying he needs more days off. Word is this will be the year it happens. Outside of last night, it might be too late. Asche and Galvis are off to hot starts but I see Asche as a quality bench player or platoon player at best at the ML level. Galvis has a gold glove but a tin foil bat. Neither can sustain what their doing now.

In the outfield, Imma give Herrera the benefit of the doubt as he’s learning a new position I think he will get his bat going before long. Revere’s been doing his best Jesse Barfield impression and gunned down another runner. The Phillies have been dangling him as trade bait but I’m ok with him in LF until he proves otherwise. I know he’s got no power but he can hit .300 Right field is where it gets interesting. You’ve got Jeff Francoeur, Grady Sizemore and Dom Brown vying for 1 spot. The way I see it you HAVE to play Dom. I don’t like it, but it’s the teams only play to get value (whether on the field or through a trade) on a guy who was once one of the best prospects in all of the MLB.

Pitching wise. Hamels will the announcers talking about the “walk up ticket sales” again well until he’s traded. I’m not as down on Harang as most he’s not great but he’s an innings eater. Hell, it looks like he’ll eat most anything. Same as Burnett tho I don’t understand putting the money out there for him. The difference in wins between having Harang and Sean O’Sullivan in your rotation is probably no more than five. Chad Billingsly is a low risk/high reward guy, but he’s coming off offseason surgery and that worked out so well with Mike Adams. The pen is the brightest spot on the team and if they continue to improve can be one of the best in all of baseball.

“Tanking” had become one of the most overly used and misused words by sports fans but yeah its going look like that. The Wriz says 98 losses and add 5 more if Hamels is dealt.

See ya at the House of Pain!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Time Will Tell

 

As I listen to the supposed experts, they keep telling the Wriz over and over that the Phillies have 4-5 years before they have a legitimate chance to contend. Well, anyone who actually reads this blog know theres only one true expert and that's The Wriz and he says that's horse shit. The Phillies can be contenders in 2 years. Yep, by the 2016 the Phillies could be back in the mix. I said "could" not "will" because there are several things that must take place before its even a possibility.

#1 Fire Amaro. I've said all along Amaro was a piece of shit and now everyone agrees with me. The fact he hasn't be canned already leads me to believe he'll be here at least into 2015, which automatically pushes back when the Phillies could be competitive. Unfortunately, its not as simple as if hes here another year it will take one year longer for the Phils to return to prominence. The Phillies tradable pieces are aging the time to move them is NOW. I said I would have trade Ruiz, Utley and even Hamels when they were in the last year of  contracts. And its no different now.

#2 Trade/Cut/Retire the vets. Sure Howard, Rollins and the aforementioned 08 core brought us some of the memories we will never forget but that was nearly six years ago. Its time to move on and necessary to be competitive sooner rather than later.

#3 The Phillies must keep spending money. The Phillies had for years operating like a small market team trading success for profits. The new Comcast deal infuses the team with a boatload of cash but the kid who for years watch the Fightins bring in has beens and retreads on the cheap says the faceless owners pocket that moolah and live the high life in the shadows.

Ok, so lemme piece it all together for you. The Phillies fire Amaro and bring in a competent GM. I'd like to see them bring in David Forst, the assistant GM from the A's. He learned under Billy Beane and if he can combine Moneyball with actual money who knows what could happen. You trade whatever veteran players you can and get prospects. Get as many blue chippers as you can but I'd rather see "high ceiling" prospects who are 19 and 20 than suspect major league talent who are ML ready now. The reason for that is because by trading Lee, Utley, Rollins etc you'll have all that money to bring in free agents and thus retain the ability to be competitive.

The more astute the GM is at signing free agents will determine what's next. Either you are ready to contend and can flip the prospects for major league level help or if the teams not ready let them develop in the minors, but yeah its all 3 criteria or its the long haul before we're talking about Red October again.

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight
jaywrizight@yahoo.com

P.S. # 4 Keep Paps! 
 

Trout Season

 

 

As if I needed a reminder on how far the Phillies have fallen since their glorious run from ’07 to ’11, I realized I was looking forward to yesterday’s game more so than any other game I’ve attended the past year and a half and it had nothing to do with the Phillies whatsoever.

 

For the first time since bursting on the MLB scene Mike Trout was “coming home.” It’s not like I was one of the legions in attendance rocking an Angels cap or a Trout shirsey. I just wanted to see him play. Live and in person. I’m sure even if you had no idea who he was a week ago you know now. Trout grew up in Millville NJ And in his only 2 full ML seasons finished second in the AL MVP voting twice. He finished behind a guy who won the Triple Crown and still managed 5 first place votes. He’s the one that’s making people say “Bryce Who?”  The fact he’s local really had only a small influence. Simple said, Trout is the games present and future.

My only fear heading down was that Trout would be given the day off after the night game on Tues, you know, because that’s my luck. I went to see Ken Griffey Jr when he first came to the Reds. The Phillies sucked ass that year (finished with 65 wins) but managed to throw up a 6 spot in the first and before you knew it, it was 9-0 and Griffey was out of the game in the 4^th inning. But as I headed towards the gate with former Bunts staffer DB29,  I could hear Dan Baker announcing he starting lineup and Trout was playing. He has a pretty mediocre series 2-9 but did have a triple that I got to witness his speed rounding the bases. I thought for a second he might test noodle arm Revere but no dice. But it still beat watching Ryan Howard have one of the worst AB’s I’ve ever seen in my life. He swung and missed for strike 2 and wasn’t even within a foot of the ball. He shoulda saved face and taken strike 3 but decided it be better it miss that one by a foot and a half.

I can now add Trout to the list of the many great players I’ve seen over the years and I can go back to begrudgingly going to the Phillies games just for the love of the game not because I’m expecting a win.

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

No REAL Philly kid would peddle this garbage!

cLOSER???

cLOSER???

 

I’ve always said the being a MLB closer is the most misunderstood job in sports. The job definition is easy. You take the mound, get outs and your team wins. It’s not any easy proposition. Closers, for the most part, don’t get the benefit of being put in a beneficial situation like the rest of the bullpen. They face whoever’s sent to the batters box. They’re typically “a little off” but I guess it comes with wanting to be the man in a do or lose situation all the time.

It goes beyond that. Being a closer doesn’t lend itself well to statistics especially when you have a bad game or two. He comes in gives up a bloop hit and then a home run it could take weeks for his ERA and WHIP to just look pedestrian again especially this early in the season.

I had thought about writing this piece last week, but it just felt better to make CJ Hood wait. I figured I missed my opportunity. Then, Paps is given the night off after 3 straight days of work. Jake Diekman loads the bases and blows the save when he serves up a grand salami to Dan Uggla. Phillies fans torture was compounded by the fact the team scored 5 in the 8^th to take the lead. Obviously from twitter and Facebook feeds the loss is on Papelbon because he didn’t pitch. GTFO! I love people saying he makes 14 million blah blah blah. I don’t know about you but I’d rather have him on the mound come September (if Lord willing, the Phillies are still in contention) than to have to find out if Diekman or Hollands or whoever is capable then.

Papelbon looked like dog shit in the one game he blew a save verse Texas, but it was ONE game. In his other appearances, he has 5IP no earned runs, one hit and one walk. I know he blew a bunch last year. Yeah, Yeah. He had 7 blown saves last year. You know who else had 7 last year? Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time. Paps was also dealing with a hip injury. An injury he went out and battled thru until the offseason even though in reality it was over in August.

Call me a Papelbon apologist if you want, but for as goofy and as dim witted as he comes off, I don’t think there is anyone on this team except Utley who wants to win more.

 

See ya at the ballpark!

 

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Spring (t)Raining

I went into business for myself 4 and a half years ago. In fact it was the first time I even had 2 planned days off in a row. It was super stressful preparing to make sure my business was prepared for my absence but fuck it I was going to Spring Training for St Patrick’s Day no less!

 My big concern was that the trip was too short. Leave Sat & return on Tuesday. I worked on Saturday which meant a 2:30 am alarm. Luckily my man Dale, who would be filling in for me, worked with me. We zipped through the day and were done by 10. Two hours quicker than expected. Unfortunately, I needed the time to walk my boys and finish packing instead of taking a nap. Packing done, I dropped off my boys at Momma Wriz’s house and off to the airport. Finally, a vacation!

Now vacation hadn’t really started because I was beerless but we hit up the Chickie’s in the terminal to change all that. I know what your thinking but I would have loved to go elsewhere but the other “bar” had Coors Light, Miller Lite and Bud. Blah! So the thief got a bit of my money as I got the Victory Crabby Ale. After a few, we headed to the gate. The guy in front of us in line handed me 2 drink vouchers for the ride. Nice! He did the same for the guy in front of him but then the kid came clean and said he was underage. So rather than put them back in his wallet he said “Here’s 2 for the ride home.”  They came in handy as Southwest had Fat Tire cans as an in-flight option. Other than the old had who was asking the dumbest questions at the car rental counter and holding us up, our travel went on without a hitch.

We stayed at the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa. The rooms were really nice but finding your way around was like fumbling thru a corn maze. By the time we found our room, I was good for nothing. And I’d rather have gotten a good nights rest as our trip package included “Brunch with the Broadcasters” the next morning. I heard grumblings that the weather was going to rain on March 17. The news said 80% chance. No big deal, it rains all the time in Florida.

I woke up with plenty of time to get the brunch over at Bright House Field in our rent-a-car, just not in our rent-a-car that was dead. WTF?!?!?!!  The problem with having a dead battery at a hotel is that everyone that walks by has a rental and no cables, so I ran down to the lobby and BINGO! They have cables, but have no idea where they are. Fortunately, the hotel grounds crew had cables and helped us out. On our way, we got there a half hour late. They were going through the stadium giveaways, so we grabbed a mimosa and a plate and ate in the other room. Paul Hagen from the Daily News passed thru and said hello so that was cooler than seeing the Phanatic sunglasses anyway. A lady handed me my raffle ticket which I thought they’d give some of the freebees away.  Matt Stairs, Murph and TMac talked for a bit and then answered a few questions from the fans. All pretty generic except when Stairs said he “didn’t make enough to play everyday” He tried to save himself but the laughter just helped him drown. Then the raffle. Scott Palmer encouraged everyone to get out their tickets as the first prize was an autographed Chase Utley ball. “8-8-3-9-ohhhh-“  For fucks sakes just let it be 3 already! “Three!” BOOM! I won. Made being late worth it. The broadcaster stuck around a bit to talk, take pictures, and sign autographs.

We were able to go into the stadium and walk around and take pictures which was nice especially since we hit up the store before the crowds came in. It got mobbed once the gates opened. The day was nice bright and sunny. A tad windy but a welcome exchange for the freezing cold and snow of Philadelphia.  We stopped by the Tiki Bar before the game for some beers before heading to our seats for the game. We had great seats 12 rows behind the plate. I’ve never really considered Spring Training baseball the same as MLB but its great to hear the crack of the bat, pop of the mitt and the crowd roar again especially in the midst of this dreadful winter.

After the game, we hit up the Brown Boxer for dinner. It was a good place with a nice craft beer selection and pretty good food. Later, we hit up a couple of local bars in Safety Harbor BarFly and Nolan’s Pub. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Jon Taffer walked in either one. Both had good beer selections tho. At least Barfly had glassware. By the time we got back to the hotel the chance of rain for Monday had gotten to 90% and pretty much said it was going to be a washout.

Monday! St. Patrick’s Day. It wasn’t raining but the news was now calling for 100% chance of rain and a tornado watch. We took our time in getting ready hoping they’d just cancel the game, but about 11 we bit the bullet and headed over. By this time the heavy downpours had started. I suspected that they wouldn’t call the game about 2 so they could salvage whatever concession money they could. We went out to the Tiki Bar and between the wind and lack of cover getting soaked was inevitable. Worse yet, they didn’t have Guinness.  We braved it for a while but headed for shelter in the concourse. Of course we stopped at the Beers of the World stand for a Harp and a Guinness. I was able to catch up with an old friend and the nearby Victory Beer stand had Summer Love on tap. I saw one of the beer vendors from Citizens Bank Park doing his thing with a bucket of Lites. He said normally he could pay his rent for his 6 week stay with what he makes on March 17^th but not this time. It wasn’t long before the “boos” rang out as they announced the game was cancelled.

Now what to do? We went back to the hotel but the indoor pools and Jacuzzi were off limits because of the lightning. We headed down to Nolan’s but they were closed. What kind of Irish bar doesn’t open until 5 on St Patrick’s Day?  Oh well, we grabbed a bite to eat and went there later. It wasn’t much better. Their entertainment was a guy with a guitar playing cover songs. He barely managed to squeeze in a U2 song. Meh. The fact they had a scantily dressed female leprechaun kinda made it worth it.

Tuesday morning, we went to Lenny’s. I’ve always heard it’s the place to go for breakfast in Clearwater. It was packed, but not much of a wait to get seated. There was a plethora of Phillies hats, shirts and jerseys amongst the patrons. You’d think you were in Philly. The food was great and the service was even better. It’s definitely a “must” if you go down.

One last stop before we hit the airport, Cigar City is a microbrew in Tampa. I’ve had a few of their beers before so I was glad to be able to make it there. No tours on Tuesdays but their tasting room was open so that was fine by me. They had 20 or so of their beers on tap and a few from other breweries. It was a good stop so good I was worried about them letting me on the plane. LOL

A quick stop at another airport bar and we headed back to Philly. Overall, it was a good trip. Expectations may have been unrealistic but it was totally worthwhile. I can’t wait for next year. Hit me up if you have any questions.

See ya at the ballpark (in Philly)!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com 
 
 
 

For the Love of the Game

Its often been said that and publicity is good publicity.

But not so says the Wriz. MLB attendance has been in a tailspin as has its ratings. The major problem the MLB has holding its fans is its failure to deal with adversity or scandals. Steroids and PED’s have basically crippled the sport. But why just baseball? Its not like other pro athletes didn’t/don’t use steroids or PED’s. For Christ’s sakes Ray Lewis was alleged to have taken deer antler spray. The story broke the week of the Super Bowl and by game time it was no longer an issue. Its because Bud Selig and the MLB just drag it on and on and on and on.  Its so in the forefront of all baseball fans minds that as soon as someone plays well, “they must be on something.”

First was the Mitchell Report, the investigation took 21 months and then the names were withheld but every so often a name got leaked and then another one  and another one. Then so and so was supposedly on it because what’s his name heard if from Joe Schmo.

The players who were the focal point of the Mitchell Report and the Balco controversy are become eligible for the Hall of Fame so it becomes a story again.

Now, we have the BioGenesis malarkey. And again MLB is dragging the shit out. The story broke before spring and there were 20 players on the list. I understand that it needed to be investigated, but its now nearly August and Ryan Braun and only Ryan Braun has gotten suspended. Not 50 games for a first time offense but 65 or the rest of the season. Funny that the Brewers are out of it. Funny that Braun is willing to take his suspension without pay now…before his salary increases next year.

 

I’ve said from the beginning that had Braun’s and Aroid’s not been part of the scandal it would have gone away way sooner. It’s a which hunt for the 2 biggest names with PED’s connections, still playing who’ve never received any sort of punishment even tho both had been caught. Rumors are now floating around that Afraud may face a lifetime ban. As much as I hate the man, it’s still bad for baseball because it’ll drag on for decades like Pete Rose’s ban has.

I hope that the MLB and Player’s Union can get this mess straightened out sooner rather than later for our sake and for the sake of the game we love.

See ya at the ballgame!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Semi-Phantastic Auction

 

 

If you’re reading this blog, you must have heard about the Phantasic Auction the Phillies are running. Basically, they put together a whole mess of items to bid on to support Phillies Charities Inc. Some of the great packages include a golf foursome with Phillies legend Mike Schmidt, lunch with Charlie Manuel, and trips to Wrigley, Detroit and Clearwater.

But you’re not reading this blog to find out about something you can just look up on Phillies.com. You’re here for hard hitting journalism and shit like that. So the Wriz went deep undercover to find out the things that didn’t make the cut.

Drinks with LA: Unless Warren Buffet loves the Phillies Radio broadcast, no one has enough to cover that tab.

Lunch with T-Mac: There were obvious concerns about the tab, but the reason it was scratched was the last time T-Mac went to lunch with a fan; the fan came out of it looking like Jim Abbot over the last pork chop.

Bird Watching with Mick Billmeyer: He doesn’t know a clay colored robin from Batman’s sidekick.  Apparently, he was just checking about broads with those binoculars.

 

A Fantasy baseball league with Ruben Amaro Jr.:  RAJ was so gung-ho on this idea. 11 spots at $500 plus a pop. That’s serious coin for charity. Then he heard it was a keeper league and bagged the idea because he doesn’t know shit about planning for next year.

Hitting Clinic with Ben Revere: The Phillies became worried the fan that won would be too busy getting autographs and checking out the Phillies locker room and  they’d forget to teach Ben how to hit.

A night in the Bullpen: No fan could stomach the stench. It stinks there.

Trip to the Barber with Wheels: This guy I was sitting near last night already won.

 

A private tour of the Majestic Store: Just show up. That place, once a zoo, has more employees than shoppers on a weekday game.

A night on the Town with Jonathan Papelbon: The Wriz was so gonna bid on this, but asked when he was going to do with the winner Paps said “Now I got backup, we’re gonna get our guns back from Obama.”

Golf foursome with Lenny Dykstra: He’s not a legend and he’s not due for a parole hearing.

A spot on the 40 man roster: When word got to RAJ that Jesse Biddle planned on using his signing bonus to win it. Raj pulled the plug and said he needed another 4 years in the minors.

Vocabulary lesson with Charlie Manuel: It ad been good and stuff like that.

Chess & Checkers Strategy lesson with Charlie Manuel: It fell through when everyone realized he could only make one move at a time and hope for the best.

Invites to Phillies Bunts Meet & Greet 3: The Wriz invites everybody. Show up June 2^nd. K-lot.

Throw batting practice: Chad Durbin already has that job.

Learn a change-up from Rich Dubee: No clue why this got cancelled. He can teach anyone a sick change. Of course that’s all he’s good for.

I also heard those Mexican dudes with the huge batting helmets tried to put them in the auction but Polanco confiscated his game used merchandise.

Theres still a few hours left on some of the auctions. The private hitting clinic with Chase is up over five grand. No idea how DiamondGirl is going to afford that.

See ya at the Ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Shoulda had a "Make a video with the Twins" auction.
CHA-CHING!



Mayday!

Mayday! Mayday!

Is it time to panic?

We are a month into the season and what have we learned? Not much. The lineup is still inconsistent, but is just now taking its intended shape. The starters will have strong outings and then an Andy Ashby-esque outing. We know the bullpen blows. That’s for sure. We know Durbin can do a spot on Chad Qualls impression. I know Wheels still likes to say “middle in” and “no doubles defense.” Howard looked like garbage but is starting to be the beast in the middle of the lineup. We know Uts looks like Uts of old but we don’t know if he’s to sustain this production and stay healthy the whole season.

The Wriz knows that the Indians are supposed to be shitty but fucking absolutely TROUNCED our boys last night. They lit up the Phillies pitchers for 7 home runs. SEVEN. Nobody on the Phillies have 7 for the whole year. Even Yuniesky Betancourt even has 6 and the Phillies cut his ass at the end of Spring Training.

 

I also know that the Phillies are supposed to get a big infusion of cash from a new TV deal but if they are so coveted why do they keep putting games on the Comcast Network. I can’t even get that shitball station in HD. I mean, they were getting bumped for Sixers games and they were probably the most unwatchable TV since MTV ran Silent Library.

I know every time a Phillies player does a commercial he turns to shit. See Hamels circa 2009 (ESPN the Magazine amongst others) Howard (Subway 2011) Pence (Liscio’s 2012), so fuck Kratz and Godshalls although turkey bacon is ok in my book.

 

We know many of the Johnny Come Latelys have found better things to do than hit up CBP, but that’s cool with me. The line at Alley Brewing is long enough. The Wriz recommends anything from Troegs. (Can I get a sponsorship deal?)

So, Is it time to panic? No, but the Wriz seems to think the 2013 isn't much more than a 3rd place team, but is still holding onto the fact he doesn't KNOW that.

See (a couple of) ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

 

Do We have a Chance?

I’ve been asked a few times why I haven’t written anything for the blog (at least twice I swear.) The answer is quite simple. I got burned out. I won’t put out garbage work. And I’m not getting paid or trying to impress a teacher so if it’s not fun it’s not worth it. But not only on the blog but also on the Phillies. They had gotten close last year. Close enough to send out playoff invoices and then they got manhandled by the Astros…who has a triple A line-up. Swept! And poof went their chances.

Even pitchers and catchers and Grapefruit action didn’t get me feeling up to writing. People dissecting every pitch of Spring Training like it was game 7, really who cares? You know who had the best record this spring? Kansas City followed by Seattle. Anyone wanna bet neither one makes the playoffs? It’s just one year? Well, last year Toronto went 24-7 and promptly went on to miss the playoffs and completely overhauled their team.

But alas, The next pitch is for reals and the Wriz has the old familiar feeling so lets hop to it. I’m not sold on the Phillies are a playoff team but they are in the mix but to return to the dominate team they once were seems unlikely as too much would need to go right.  The most important things for the Phillies are health, Dom Brown, Kyle Kendrick and Ben Revere in that order.

If one less guy got hurt last year they would have made the playoffs. Or if one more did and that guy was Chad Qualls they would have been there too. But basically every starting IF must play at least 130 games. And the rotation must basically remain intact which is a longshot given Doc’s predicament. It would have been nice to have Aaron Cook as insurance but the $100,000 bonus he would have made if he was assigned to the minors nixed that idea. Fucking cheapskates.

Dom Brown had a phenomenal spring, but if you have to take Spring pitching stats with a grain of salt then so too with hitting stats. Maybe the best thing that happened to Dom was Delmon Young not being ready for the start of the season. That ensured Brown, at the very least, a platoon job. But the Darrin Ruf had more boots in the outfield than an Uggs factory and Brown moved up to full fledged starter. I’ve been drooling over the guy since he first came to town, but the Phillies handled him so so badly. What I liked the most from him this spring wasn’t his production but his confidence and his acceptance that’s he’s a big leaguer. Is it too much to ask that he goes .290 25HR 85 RBI?  I don’t. In fact, the RBI total could be higher depending on when he settles into the line-up.

KK. Kendrick was 9-4 with a 2.87 ERA in the second half. Numbers like that over a full season will get you CY Young votes. Do I expect that from KK? No, but 15-16 wins and a low 3 ERA would be nice. Last season, KK was either really good or god awful. Lets hope the god awful KK pitched his last game yesterday.

Ben Revere. He’s got a youthful exuberance and seems a tad immature, but fuck it I like what hes all about and that’s getting on base and causing havoc. Let him take all the selfies he wants if he can up his on base percentage.

I’m looking forward to see that the boys can do now that their not the top dogs anymore. I’m pegging them for 84 wins and just missing the playoffs, but if Halladay can find a way to compete its on!

Other things I’m looking forward to:

-CJ Hood’s song parody of the Beasties Paul Revere called Ben Revere

-Cole Hamels making fools look stupid on his way to a monster season
-Darrin Ruf’s first cleanly fielded ball in the OF
-Bunts Meet & Greet 3—June 2^nd in the Linc Lot—Don’t say you didn’t know
-Netfather making his flight this time
-The Big Piece’s return to form
-Delmon Young’s blow up

Things I’m not looking forward to:

 

-3^rd place

-Being playoff-less again
-DB29’s suspension appeal hearing AKA Hamilton gate
-See Doc look like the Walking Dead when its hot
-finding out the dirty secrets Amaro has hid all offseason

I’ll post my awards predictions early next week. Once I figure out who’s on what team. I kid. Does Hubie Brooks still play?

See ya at the Ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Not an Easy Choice

 

Every year, the Wriz does a blog where he names the Phillies season MVP. Usually, it’s pretty easy or at least to be able to narrow it down to a few worthy players. This year the pickings are pretty slim. Not just because, the team was so down this year but so many players played half a season.  Only Jimmy Rollins has the necessary plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.  A player needs 502 PA to qualify. John Mayberry is second with just 454. Then its Pence and Victorino and they haven’t donned a Phillies uniform in 2 months.

Chooch was well on his way to coasting to the team MVP when he landed on the DL. In fact the Philadelphia writers still gave him their version of the award. Can you be MVP and only play half the season? Well, guess if you a pitcher it’s possible. Or if you still end up leading your team in RBIs as Chooch may do. He’s only 1 behind JRoll. But still, it just doesn’t seem right.
 

 

Who else could win it? Well JRoll has had a decent season, his batting average is a bit low but he leads the team in homers. Cole and Paps joined Chooch on the all-star team and have had solid seasons. I knew this would be a damn near impossible decision. I saw a sportswriter say in an interview when asked who should get the AL MVP award, Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera that they should be co-MVP’s. It got me thinking.  Fuck it. It’s my award.  First Half MVP: Chooch. Second Half MVP: Jimmy Rollins.

It pains me as much not to just give it to Chooch as it does to give it to JRoll after the non-hustling bit, but he has had a productive second half. (14 HR, 34 RBI’s 16 SB) And my personal feeling is unless a pitcher has a ridiculous season; it’s just not possible to be the MVP. Hamels had a very good year but not great. Maybe it’s me but it seems when the Phillies give him a big lead, he gives up a more runs than usual. Maybe it just hurts his personal stats but I’d still like to see him shut down the opposing team like he’s capable of doing. There are just 8 games left and no postseason and no real hopes of any of the Phillies winning a legit award, but Fan Appreciation night is tomorrow and I better feel appreciated. After all, I need a year’s supply of SuperPretzels.

See ya at the ballpark! 

Jay Wrizight

 jaywrizight@yahoo.com

That’s how I J-Walk

I understand the baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint. I get it. It’s not how I ever played or will ever play. Not baseball. Not hockey. Not fucking tiddlywinks. If it’s a competition, I’m in it to win it. This is the reason I like Chase Utley more than Jimmy Rollins. Don’t get me wrong I’m a JRoll Fan. He’s silky smooth with the leather and has an arm like a bazooka. There’s never been a better fielding shortstop in the National League since he’s been in the majors. Dude should have at least 8 Gold Gloves by now. But…..he’s stubborn with how he wants to swing the bat which I could live with…. if he wasn’t being such a lazy piece of shit!

Its all over (Facebook, TV, sports radio) today how Rollins not once but TWICE gave less than sufficient effort running out a ground ball yesterday verse the Marlins. 97.5 played the Marlins radio call of the first (lack of) effort. The announcers initially assumed JRoll was hurt but then realized he was dogging it and mentioned that “Rollins will probably be sitting down with Charlie Manuel to discuss his effort.”

Frequently when Jroll hits a routine grounder, he will not give maximum effort down the first baseline, but enough that if there is a bobble or errant thrown he’ll be easily safe. I’ve always been willing to let that slide, but this is different. It’s like he’s given up on the season. The game was still in doubt when both instances happened. I know it’s been a tough season only the SweatHogs have had a tougher year, but they still have a chance. It’s slight but still a chance. $14 million should buy enough effort until you’re mathematically eliminated. Even more important with the number of rookies and players with minimal ML experience Rollins is SUPPOSED to be a leader.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, when he was called out by a fan on Twitter, he got awful cocky:

I mean he could have tried to offer an explanation or hell just ignored it, but really? Its insult to injury. Borderline “For Who? For What?” type shit. For Jimmy’s sake, I really hope it was just a bad day otherwise we are in for a long rebuilding process.

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com


***PS-- Back to School luch bag day was cancelled after Parents made know their fear their children would lallygag to school

Pay Day and Bills Due

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the Phillies signed Cole Hamels. But if they ended up trading him, I’da been ok too.

Six years and 144 million. Man that’s a lot of dough! It’s a long investment too. The first week of July was when I came to grips the Phillies didn’t have it this year so trading Cole looked like a real possibility. The prospects they would get in return could have been the building blocks for the next great run in Phillies history. My first choice was to sign him but last week it came what the offer on the table was. I thought, “God Damn! Dudes gonna get PAID!” But then the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it. How come he didn’t sign the contract already? And more importantly, how much loot were the Phillies going tie up in the starting rotation?

Halladay makes 20 Million. Lee 24 and Hamels ultimately gets 24. So basically with a self imposed cap limit just south of the luxury tax, you’ve got $68 million in payroll with sits on the bench 2/5 of the time. Hell, throw in Papelbon’s 13 mil and nearly half your payroll is on the bench more than half the time. No wonder, the bats go weeks without showing up. They’re probably scouting a good intersection on Roosevelt Blvd to panhandle or hock bottles of water. I could care less if the Phillies spent money like the Yankees; plundering the free agent market for their ideal team, but that’s just not the case. Amaro is the MLB equivalent of a college freshman with his first credit card. Get what looks good then worry about the consequences later.  Unfortunately, for him the bill is in the form of me and you and the rest the Phillies Nation that buys tickets. If the team finishes 4^th or 5^th, never making a real run, how many people will drop their season tickets or partial plans? How many tickets will be sold by the first day single games seats go on sale? Last year, the number was 3.1 million! I’ve been on the waiting list for full season tickets for 3 years. My buddy who was going to split it with me has already bailed and with the trouble I had GIVING away tickets for the game yesterday, I might not be far behind.

The reason I gave away the tickets I’ll save for another blog, but it had nothing to do with the team’s play.  But the team’s play and their roster moves and the deadline and during the offseason will influence what I do as far as tickets for next season.

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Turning Points

At first, I was going to do a Phillies “mid-term grades” piece, but it have more F’s than a Chase Utley interview. Plus everyone one and their mother were doing them. Only the 3 all-stars (and I would have made a case for Schwimer) deserve a grade higher than a “C.”

It seems like every time, I read anything on the Phillies lately, its people trying to pinpoint the season’s turning point. Guess what? It ain’t happening. Even I did it. Back on June 28^th, I went to the game the previous night and for the first time all year it was like no matter what they were going to find a way to win and they did. I thought that was “the night.” Since then, they have gotten back Chase and Ryan and have manage to go a whopping 1-10 which includes sweeps by the Braves and Marlins, who went 4-1 against the Floppins in June and 4-17 verse everyone else.

People want to point to previous years and say they can do it again or that the Cardinals made up a similar margin in just the final month. But this team has no heart, no desire to win. Victorino wants to throw a temper tantrum because he’s batting 7^th? Fuck You. Jason Pridie did more in that one game than he’s done in a month. For reals! He’s got one extra base hit in the last month. ONE! I wish MLB would edit him out of the commercial when he says he will lead the league in triples. It’s embarrassing. There are 64 more major leaguers with more triples than him including AJ Pierzynski who’s a catcher…and 35 years old and has a mind boggling career SB total of 20. You’d better start embezzling from the Nicetown Y because you ain’t getting paid this year bro.  Then there was the Vance Worley AB when he just gave up. I’ve seen Natalie Gulbis take harder practice swings. (Funbags. Don’t judge.)

The bullpen stinks. You got Papelbon then your next 2 best options are Schwimer and Raul Valdez????  

The addition from within theory wasn’t exactly panned out so far and now you just waiting on Doc, Nix and Schneider. How much can they possibly do at the trade deadline to improve? It won’t be enough. I’d much rather see the fire sale begin so the Phillies can retool the minors and reload in the offseason.

See ya at the ball park! I’ll be the one wearing the paper bag!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Did the Phillies Find It?

What a difference 48 hours makes. Sunday night after the Phillies got swept in a doubleheader, all hope was gone. The mutiny had begun. Charlie had to go. Cole and Cliff had to be traded. The team needed to be revamped. Amaro had to be put on notice.

Now Wednesday morning, back to back wins, Utley is likely to be activated tonight. Word has it; Howard could be in Lakewood as soon as tomorrow to start his rehab and Herndon needed Tommy John surgery. How much better can this week get?

Suddenly, people are trying to see how soon we can get Doc back and figuring how long before we are creepin up on teams in the standings. The ladies are drooling over Chase. Shit, when I saw him on the pregame show in this RePresent tee with the sleeves cut off probably so his fucking 24 inch pythons could breathe, I let out a “Damn! Chase looks good!” (No Homo! I’m saying that now not then but it still counts right?)

Is it a matter of the fan base so desperate for a reason to cheer? Or have the Fightins finally turned the corner? Only time will tell. But being at the game last night, it did seem a little different. Most games this season, it was like our boys tried to find a way to lose rather than a way to win. They didn’t have the “It factor.” And by that, I mean finding a way to win no matter what. Some guys have “it” and some guys don’t. Did Ruben finds a way to assemble 25 guys without one “It” guy? I’d like to think last night was the turning point in the season. When Vance got in trouble in the first, he made a remarkable fielding play to keep the Pirates off the board. Then in the seventh, Schwimer and Mayberry came up HUGE!

With the impending return of Utley and Howard, it seems we can stop worrying about the lineup as much, but the bullpen has been a disaster. Other than Papelbon, the only reliever that I don’t cringe when I see them warming up is Schwimer. For reals! Michael Schwimer! His ERA has been plummeting since Dubee tinkered with his delivery. And maybe Papelbon needs to change his entrance music or abandon it completely. He’s ERA at home is 5.40. on the road his ERA is zero point zero zero.

They have a month before the non-waiver trade deadline. Lets find “it”!

See ya at the ballpark!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

PS-- for the other fans in attendance last night, doing “the wave” in the 8^th inning of a 1 run game is a god damn disgrace. Act like you been there before.

You buyin or sellin?

It’s pretty pathetic when the highlight of your season so far is watching Chad Qualls fall on his ass trying to make a pickoff throw to first. Sad but true. A lot of people have been saying “don’t panic” “it’ll be ok” “Utley and Howard are coming back.” Fuck it, I’m panicking. I know the Phillies were 7 back with 17 to play and still won the division in 2007. But realize this: They had to pass ONE team. Right now they’re 9.5 back and they have to pass the whole fucking division.

But there’s two Wild Cards this year, right? Still 5.5 back and have to pass SEVEN teams. Amaro said they aren’t going to rush to do something either way, which is somewhat understandable. But at some point a decision has to be made. Are the Phillies going to be buyers or sellers? The Phillies haven’t been sellers since they unloaded Bobby Hustle in 2006. In each season since, they have added to their roster before the trade deadline. Some major deals like for Pence and Lee and some minor deals like Blanton and Lohse. If we are to believe RAJ and the Phillies aren’t going over the Luxury Tax, the Phillies can’t make much of a blockbuster move. They can only take on roughly 4 million in salary. So how much can you bolster this team that needs fielding, bullpen and offensive help?

With the additional WC spot, teams probably will wait longer to make moves, holding hope they can make a playoff run. This means help for the Phillies is further away except for injured players returning to the club. And ultimately, in my opinion, the Phillies will be sellers rather than buyers. They have loads of tradable pieces with expiring contracts: Polly, Blanton, Victorino, even Pence who will be arbitration eligible for the final time, and of course, the mother load, Cole Hamels.

I have said time and time again that if Cole wasn’t signed before the team headed north from Clearwater, he was gone. Can the team take a chance that they don’t trade him and get the king’s ransom he will garner and not make the playoffs and he walks? It would be disastrous. Cole has said time and time again he wants to win. This team seems like its trying to force him out of town.

Best case scenario is Amaro sits down with Cole makes his best and final offer, not after the season, not next month, NOW! If Cole rejects it, he’s gotta go. But Amaro should still be up front with Cole and tell him even if they trade him; they still like to see him in a Phillies uniform next year.

I gotta go cry.

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

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