Comments on: Abreu: I Cried When Phillies Won

By: Jason B.

Jason B. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:38:01 +0000

That being said, I don’t want a player considering the possibility of injury when he is making a play.

By: Jason B.

Jason B. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:35:50 +0000

Tyler, yes that game was against the Mets. The day before, the Mets put up 10 early inning runs and routed the Phils. The day Rowand broke his face, the Mets had two in scoring position with 2 out. If Rowand doesn’t make that catch, the Mets go up by at least 2 in the top of the first and who knows if they would have won. I believe the Mets were also up 2-0 at the time. Harry’s call, “Great, perhaps game saving catch from Aaron Rowand.” Rowand,”For who? My team. For what? To win.” Obviously him being on the 60 day DL didn’t really help the team, but I tell you what, it showed us that we had an everyday starter in center with Victorino. His reckless abandon was stuff of legends, but for those who question Bobby A’s heart compared to Powand, lets not forget that he almost killed Utley late in the season while breaking his own leg in the process. I loved Rowand, but sometimes breaking your face to catch a ball early in the season is less important than the 60 games it will cost you.

By: Dan L

Dan L — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:59:45 +0000

Please listen to Griffin. Ridding the team of Abreu’s contribution for Matt Smith’s cup of coffee is in no way connected to the WFC.

Bobby Abreu played on some TERRIBLE Phillies teams, and he was one of the main reasons those teams won anything at all those years.

I agree, watching him play the outfield could get frustrating at times, and his OCD-like obsession with his numbers was very annoying. However, to say that the team somehow got BETTER because he left (that year specifically) or that his exit was a significant contribution to the Phil’s 08 championship, that is just utterly ridiculous.

By: Georgie

Georgie — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:32:30 +0000

YES! Aaron Rowand, thanks Tyler-when you’re my age, plus having grown up in the ’60′s, the memory does not always cooperate.

By: Grrrumpy Miner

Grrrumpy Miner — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:02:25 +0000

I remember that play by Rowand,and compared it to what Derek Jeter did vs the Red Sox back in 2004 when he jumped into the stand.I hated that he caught the ball but it was what all ballplayers should do.Go for the ball and worry about your injuries later.Thats what competitors do.I have a lot of respect for players who show GUTS and go for it all.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:48:06 +0000

georgie… aaron rowand maybe???… how could you forget him when he sacrificed himself for the team… against the mets no less (if i’m not mistaken)

By: Griffin

Griffin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:03:03 +0000

Georgie, while I don’t doubt the fact that Abreu is averse to getting dirty, I think it’s quite the leap to label him a “clubhouse cancer” as some people have.

The idea that the team is better off without a guy who has averaged over 20 HR, 100 RBI and an amazing OBP for the last 8 years is just silly. Abreu has never been in trouble with the law, never spoken badly publicly about a teammate and has never had another teammate speak badly of him, and yet people hate him. It’s odd, but then again he is Hispanic, which could have something to do with his public perception….

By: Georgie

Georgie — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:48:44 +0000

Griffin, I wouldn’t say the guy has no heart, but I think his attitude just doesn’t suit this team. I get the feeling this group of players have each others backs in a BIG way, they trust each other and know that defensively their fielders will go out of their way to make a play, and Abreu never was like that. I’m not saying you have to break your face like that guy whose name is completely escaping me now, but to know that one of your outfielders won’t go near the wall is not very reassuring.

By: Griffin

Griffin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:32:43 +0000

I just don’t buy the Abreu “no heart” stuff. What is it based on? The man just admitted to crying for his old teammates. Granted, he had his flaws-he was afraid of the wall and never dove for a ball, but to say things like “we needed him to go in order to win” just doesn’t make sense to me.

The reason the Phillies won is because Rollins, Utley and Howard matured, Hamels turned into an ace and the bullpen was shutdown. Getting rid of Abreu didn’t improve the team, the rest of the team just got better.

By: Chuck P

Chuck P — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:26:30 +0000

Bobby Abreu was a good guy… a likeable person but he had no heart. A good numbers guy with very little substance. If someone can light a fire under him, he could be a special top-tier player and maybe the one-year slap in the face that he received will change things for Bobby A. No way that he ever plays in Philly again.

By: Georgie

Georgie — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:22:34 +0000

Howard Eskin has climbed so far up Andy Reid’s butt it would take a proctologist to extricate him!

By: Chase Mutley

Chase Mutley — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:17:02 +0000

Griffen, I know you were being sarcastic and like I said, I like Bobby but if Abreu was still on this team, Victorino wouldn’t be and as an all around player I’ll take Vic over Abreu any day of the week.

You can’t deny that it took more than great players to win this WS. The 2008 team was good but not world beater good. It took the intangibles, it took guts, and I think that came out a lot more once Jimmy became the leader of this team and the young guns were allowed to create their own team rather than hide in the shadows of Abreu, Thome, etc.

I would be surprised if anyone here ever used Howard Eskin quote in a serious argument over anything other than fur coats and Jeffrey Lurie’s favorite color.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:07:21 +0000

I wish we got him back this year to play in the outfield
he used to be, still kind of is, my favorite player.

By: Griffin

Griffin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:59:59 +0000

ryan, I was being sarcastic.

By: ryan

ryan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Griffin: please don’t ever cite the name of Eskin when trying to make your point. It can only hurt your argument. Every word out of that guy’s mouth is total BS that plays into his agenda of acting like the eagles are the greatest thing since sliced bread and nothing the phillies do ever matters. forget him. Mike Missanelli is the new king of afternoon philly radio

By: Griffin

Griffin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:52:43 +0000

Abreu got on base too much and since the Phillies won after he left, he must have been a clubhouse cancer.

Thankfully we traded him for nothing, which magically made our bullpen a lot better.

Howard Eskin told me that Abreu was the problem, so I agree with him since I do not want to formulate an opinion of my own.

And he had an apartment in another city, so we must hate him for that also.

Thankfully the Phillies saved money by dumping him and went out and signed Adam Eaton, this definitely put us over the top and there was no way that he would have helped us last year more than Eaton did.

Just ridiculous.

By: Andrew R.

Andrew R. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:43:25 +0000

He’s crying because he knows that he was a lot more talented than most of the 25 guys on the team, but just doesn’t have half the heart of mike cervenak. OH GOD BOBBY!!! LOOK OUT!!! YOU”RE ON THE WARNING TRACK!! OH GOD! THE WALL IS NEAR, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Oh, good try Bobby.

You know its bad when you play the mets and hear Keith Hernandez say “uh-oh, looks like somebody got afraid of the wall.” and Ron Darling follows quickly with “yes, it looks like bobby abreu has a case of alligator arms out there, that ball was definately catchable.”

I loved bobby as a kid, but once i started really understanding the game, i couldnt stand him. Yay!! Way to steal that base in the 7th inning with a 4-run lead.

By: Jason B.

Jason B. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:40:57 +0000

Greg, I believe I have tickets to that appreciation night! I’m selling them for 200 dollars or lots of little stick figures.

By: Greg B

Greg B — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:25:49 +0000

Priceless.

http://deadspin.com/5155990/cole-hamels-should-really-not-let-his-wife-speak-in-public?skyline=true&s=x

By: Harper

Harper — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:18:53 +0000

I agree with Richie. As a devote Bobby phan when he played for the Phightins — my infant daughter would point to the TV when any ballplayer came on to shout, “Bobby! Bobby!” — I have come around a complete 180 since he left. That Howard won the MVP and the rest of the team picked it up enough to win the Series after his departure speaks volumes. I think someone on this site said we got a piece of infield dirt from the Yanks in return for Abreu. I think we got the better deal; the dirt’s done more for us.