Phillies Nation

I had a really bad feeling that Hamels was going to get lit up today. I can’t imagine all these loses after pitching a countless number of gems this season. That has to mess with the head a bit and sometimes, you just have a lousy outing. I was declaring the season over and everything and then they came back in true Phillies fashion. It’s so easy to become frustrated with this team lately but they did everything right as far as coming back is concerned. Not ready to say that they are a lock for the play offs, but this is the team I know and love. I hope to see more of it.

The offense definitely owed Hamels this one… to get him off the hook and not get a L was a way to say “thanks for keeping us in every game you pitch and sorry for not getting you 5 more W’s during our slump.” Who knows- this could be the key to the offensive reawakening this season. I almost think subconsciously Hamels gave up the home run to Texiera to see if he could wake up the Phils’ offense. I’m hoping we’ll look back at the season and point to this game as the time the offense came back to life for good.

Phew. Big game tomorrow for Joe Blanton, I really hope he holds it down tomorrow. I could see him going 8 giving up less than 3. id love to see that out of him a few times down the stretch.

The Mets lost! Phillies are tied with the Marlins for 2nd and now only one game behind the Mets.

I don’t know what team “that guy” is watching, but Howard looks like the only weak fielding link to me in our infield.

that return maybe could be an ace to make hamels the number two. how about that, yeah. anyone that gives up 9 runs in one innings is not an ace, just a number two guy having a bad night. hamels is awesome, but there are plenty of guys who are legit aces we could make a move for. yes.

Geoff: YES. I am sober at the moment.

Cole is an ace. Sabathia’s 1st 3 starts landed him at a 13.00 ERA. Is he not an ace? This game was awesome to watch. I am really excited that the Phillies are turning it around. They had situational hitting. It was such a pleasure to watch aside from Hamels. I wonder if Ruiz was catching if Hamels woulda pitched better?

this game was the ultimate test of faith for me. i’m living in south carolina for the summer, but i’m visiting philly this week because it’s my birthday. i love this team but they’ve been killing me these past two series (i can watch the games on my laptop). and then to start this series off with a game like the first, i was really feeling like giving up. then comes this game, with me and my family there, baking in the sun. and they get off to an early lead playing smart baseball, the type of baseball everyone says this team can’t play. and i think, here we go, hamels starting, early offense… we’re set. and then comes the inning. NINE RUNS. from cole freaking hamels. and i have to admit. i considered right there and then, giving up on this team, for the rest of this season at least. i walked to the back by the bathrooms, called a friend, and cursed and yelled. and he told me this- “they’re a good team. don’t forget that. they’re struggling this game, but no matter what, remember they’re a good team.”

and so i sat down with my family, and i tried to be reasonable. “if they score two runs, we’ll stay for the rest of the game.” i NEVER leave a game early. but even i was trying to justify why we should stay. and then those two runs came. and then another, and then another. and then- BOOM! i swear, the highest i’ve ever seen a ball hit in person at a game. to say dobbs crushed that ball wouldn’t be fair. he destroyed it. he annihilated it. there was never any doubt, for anyone in the park, from the moment it left his bat, that we had the lead.

and then every inning after that, you could feel the tension throughout the stadium. but you could also feel the excitement. i’m sure this team is going to make me pull my hair out more than once before the end of the season. but going to this game reminded me of the most important thing, in my biggest moment of doubt- this team is a freakin blast to watch. sure, they’ll make you hate them at times. but when they make you love them? those times, there’s no team i’d rather root for.

You guys did a great job describing the emotions that, I am sure, every die hard Phillies Phan experienced yesterday. What a roller coaster of a game! And as an extra treat, the Mets lost in 14 innings. While that was a great boost for the Phillies, the Mets are playing some hard nosed ball right now. Let’s pray the Phillies can play at their true level the rest of the season just to make it interesting. I am still predicting the Phillies will win the NL East, but it is going to be very tight down thru the stretch. Leaving for the ballpark at 10:30am (#16 for the year). First time I will see Blanton in person.

GO PHILLIES!!!!!

I had the same emotions. I was watching the game, and then I watched that horrible inning unfold. It wasn’t just Hamels. The defense was horrible. They couldn’t make good plays. There were a lot of balls that Hamels threw for those walks that were definitely strikes. Hamels himself threw the ball away because he was in a rush. It just unfolded for him. I was baffled because Hamels owns the Braves. I’ve been saying this all season though…Chris Coste SHOULD NOT catch Cole Hamels. Hamels is a lot more dominant with Ruiz behind the plate. You can see how well they click. Anyway, I turned the game off, and I went into the kitchen to make homemade pizza for a party. We have a TV in the kitchen specifically so that when the Phils are on we can watch them if we’re cooking/doing dishes/etc. I put the game back on and my gf got on my case about it. She’s like just turn the game off, they suck. I responded by telling her I know, but I’m a masochist. Lately she’s been telling me not to watch them in general because of how stressed I get over their horrible play. Then the bottom of the 5th came. I was washing dishes and wasn’t paying attention and I just hear the fox announcers saying base hit. One thing lead to another, and I was excited to be a Phillies fan again. It was the 2nd time in the past 6 weeks, where I could actually tell they enjoyed being a team. Also, remember when Hamels imploded in Houston in May, and the offense ended up bailing him out? After that we went on a tear and won like 16 of 20. That’s what we needed right now. A crazy winning streak. I hope this offense wakes up from that. GO PHILS!

One other thing of note:

These ballplayers are A LOT bigger than people realize. I’m not a real small guy @ around 5’10″ and 175lbs, but Ryan Howard dwarfs me in the picture!

If I remember correctly, several Phillies fans, on this blog, were shitting on their team. NOW, they are extremely optimistic. Your mood swings are sickening. Why don’t you remain faithful? Admit the weaknesses in your team, and gloat on your strong points. Gross.

Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell are both 6-4