Comments on: The Greatest Gift of All

By: Halladay/Lee Trades: Will Phillies 3-Peat to World Series? « Sports Fans Bloggers

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:57:40 +0000

[...] a Phillies fan and know that we’re not hoping futile hopes and pipe-dreams. Checkout this Phillies Nation piece on Phillies fans’ perspective on the coming 2010 season — makes for enjoyable reading. Comments [...]

By: get it right please!

get it right please! — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:28:51 +0000

Only people in ST Louis thinks that it’s the best basesball town, what else would they say. The town is cheap, and won’t spend money on a players unless like Holliday , so as to keep Pujols happy.

If Pujols leaves it’s good bye to the Cardinals Central division ownership period!!

By: Brian Sr. of CO

Brian Sr. of CO — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:57:28 +0000

J Reed, thanks for the well wishes, My buddy is growing FAST. already a little over 12 lbs. Hope you had a GREAT holiday! and I hope everyone on PN had a great holiday and a happy new year!

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:20:30 +0000

At the least, I feel we have a good chance of a fourth straight NLEast title, and hopefully a lot more as well!

Can’t wait for the season to start.

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:35:42 +0000

Merry Christmas PN!
There is a great anticipation in the city for sure. Our team has won the NL East 3 years in a row, won the NL crown 2 times running and we are pretty certain that we’ll be Division winners again, NL champs again and most of us feel WFC again!
It is a great time to be a Phillies fan!

By: ashmidt

ashmidt — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:54:09 +0000

j reed, thank you that was a great xmas present, better then any card i got, i love the history of philly baseball, my mom , may god bless her soul, grew up on 23rd st. between cambria and somersett. she was a teenager between 29 and 31, jimmy foxx lived across the street from her and she said he was the nicest guy, he had no airs about him, she said he was a sweetheart. she said no one was a phillies fan that she knew of. the baker bowl really was a dump at broad and lehigh. i guess for many years the old time philly baseball fans had to think the best team in town left, they certainly had the best history. thanks again and merry XMAS.

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:44:56 +0000

I was born after the 1980 World Series, and I was too young to remember the 1983 National League Championship series, so my earliest memories of the Phillies enjoying success was in the 1993 season, who still may be my favorite Phillies team ever. That’s why the recent Phillies success has been so shocking to me, since the team has ranged from terrible(most 90′s seasons besides 1993), to okay(all seasons between 2001 and 2006, besides 2002), to excellent(2007 onward), so I can’t say enough just how thankful I am to be a Phillies fan during their most dominant period EVER!

By: j reed

j reed — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:26:41 +0000

First my little XMAS present to all of us posters here esp. for the valiant few who, after the game six, defended the blog from Yankee vermin with quick wit and a sharp tongue. So, I was doing some last minute shopping at Borders. I was looking for a starter stats. book for my cousin who is a die hard Phillies fan but an english teacher, meaning she doesn’t play well with numbers. I came across a self-congratulatory book about the ’06 Mets division champhions and thought , “Hmm, this book obviously doesn’t belong in the baseball section, so, as a small token of XMas appreciation for these Borders employee working on XMas eve I’ll just put this book where it belongs” So i walked across the store to the Fantasy/Sci-Fi section and reshelved it.

Brian of Co. – enjoy your son’s first XMAs.

Corey- thanks for al the great articles and weathering all the “sabrmetric sux” crap. I mean it’s no one’s fault that the game’s so damn measurable. I could see a hockey fan having issues with sabrmetric analysis of the fastest game on the planet. What a nightmare; ten guys and two goalie’s all of whom are missing a chromosome, traveling at 30 mph with lumber, smacking a disc that can reach speeds 100 + mph, all on a near frictionless surface. That’s alot of variables to quantify…you’d burn a hole throw a score card if they had one ( i don’t know, do they have scorecards?) Besides as baseball’s probably the most quantified human activity in history other what else are you gonna do with all that information…maybe find a new way of looking at it and hopefully get hired by the FO of a baseball team. Sounds pretty cool to me if you can swing it. Shoot if it makes your fantasy team any better, go win you some money. Anyway thanks for the recommendation for that book yesterday. I just got “The Book” for Xmas but also plan to by the one you suggested after reading a few online samples.
Thanks aschmidt for blasting the ownership….I haven’t been around as long as you have but long enough to realize the same crap in a different wrapper. Funny thing about crap is you can dress it up but the smell remains the same. I too have been paralleling this team with the 29-32 A’s. How can an ownership group not see this chance at history is beyond me. Consider this:
“Statistically the New York and Philadelphia mini-dynasties were remarkably even: The A’s had a record of 313-143 (.686) between 1929 and ’31; the Yanks, 302-160 (.654) between 1926 and ’28. And while Philadelphia scored six fewer runs than the Yankees—2,710 to 2,716—the A’s had five fewer runs scored against them: 1,992 to 1,997. That represents a difference between the two teams, in net scoring, of only one run.”
That’s the 1927 Murder’s Row Yankees considered the greatest team ever assembled. If a group of blue blood owners fail to see the history they are part of, then they don’t deserve the priviledge of owning our Fightins’. All i wanted was one frickin’ year with
Roy Halladay as righty George Earnshaw
Cliff Lee as Lefty Grove (i know Lefty was better than Earnshaw but Lee’s a lefty after all)
Cole Hamels as the lefty Rube Walberg
That’s why I can’t get over the Lee Fiasco. For those who don’t know about the 1929-31 A’s or for those that do and want to bask in the glory check out this article:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008586/2/index.htm
Diner guests are arriving. Happy Holidays.

By: ashmidt

ashmidt — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:26:13 +0000

good stuff matt, i really dont see mauer coming here, i will take chooch for the next 5 or 6 yrs. so james, you are truely amazing with your facts, maybe i am wrong, if chico played before kennedy in 1957 then he would be the first black player on the phils . i just always thought it was john kennedy. great name from that era.

By: Matt Kwasiborski

Matt Kwasiborski — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to all Phillie fans and to the team and ownership! This is the greatest era in Phillies history and we all should be rejoicing in these times! I remember growing up in the 1980s and 1990s when the baseball postseason left us wondering what the next year will bring us. Will Jeff Stone provide the top of the lineup threat with Juan Samuel? Will Don Carman finally live up to his potential. Can Shane Rawley provide the necessary guidance for Kevin Gross, Bruce Ruffin and Charles Hudson? Does Joe Cowley have anything left? And how much would it take to sign Bobby Bonilla?

Now, we finally have developed a championship core AND became a favorite destination for star players. Philly used to be the place where free agents would flirt with us just to drive up their price and leave us standing at the altar (see that as* hole Bonilla!) It is glorious time because no longer are we competing with just the teams in our division but now the entire NL and the powerhouses in the AL. It is amazing!

Now Phillie fans have to realize that no NL team has made it back to the World Series in 3 consecutive years since the 1942-1944 St. Louis Cardinals. Not even the Cards of the 60s, the Big Red Machine of the 1970s, the Dodgers of the 80s or the Braves of the 1990s/2000s. It will be a daunting year for us be now we are armed with the best pitcher in baseball and know how to handle teams that chase us.

A year from now I predict we will be celebrating another WS, further cementing us as a true dynasty and also toast to landing Joe Mauer who will become the face of the franchise for the next decade! You heard it hear first!!

By: James Kay

James Kay — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:41:41 +0000

@ ashmidt: You are correct. John Kennedy was the first 100% black Phillies player. But he only played in 5 games. Chico I believe was a Cuban of some African descent. How about this fact for coincidence. In Kennedy’s second game, playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Connie Mack Stadium. He entered the game in the bottom of the 6th as a pinch runner for Harry Anderson, who had singled, and later scored on a bases-loaded triple by Ed Bouchee. The Phillies won, 8-5.

By: shawn qwartz

shawn qwartz — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:29:13 +0000

Like the great Roberto Clemente, Chico was a Black Hispanic. Harry Anderson went to West Chester University. Happy Holidays to you, as well, aschmidt. Always great to connect with Phils fans.

By: ashmidt

ashmidt — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:52:30 +0000

hey shawn and james, merry xmas. the great thing about the internet , it puts you in touch with fans as intense about the phils as yourself. i also have panchos and harrys autographs, harry anderson was a really nice guy, he was a salesman at a paper company in northeast philly, i think he lived in delaware though, his nickname was harry the horse, i think because he worked hard like a horse. a compliment. richie ashburn wrote in his coloum in the bulliton that eddie bouchee was a real gentleman, good enough for me. hey james, chico was cuban, i think a john kennedy was the first african american to play for the phils, nothing like a stroll down memory lane.

By: shawn qwartz

shawn qwartz — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:30:06 +0000

Thanks James…. I enjoyed your player summaries. Brings back memories when you could get into the bleachers for 50 cents if you were a kid. How times have changed. I have Pancho Herrera’s autograph, as well as Harry Anderson’s. Chico Fernandez later hit 20 homers for Detroit — a lot for a shortstop in those ancient days. Ed Bouchee also played a while for the Cubs before the Mets. Happy Holidays James and to all Phillie Fans.

By: James Kay

James Kay — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:19:43 +0000

@ shawn qwartz: What a list of stars! For those who are not aware of them, here are some relevant biographical notes.
Pancho “Two Strike” Herrera; I believe he is the only 250 lb player who played some second base for the Phillies. He’s listed at 220 but he actually weighed more like 250. He was nicknamed “Two Strike” because of his propensity to almost always strike out with a count having two strikes. He led the league in strike outs way before Ryan Howard was ever thought of.
Ed Bouchee; He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1957, hitting .293 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI. But, After the 1957 season was over, Bouchee was arrested for exposing himself to young girls. He eventually pled guilty to a series of charges, including indecent exposure. Bouchee was sentenced to three years of probation, spent a few months in a psychiatric institution in Connecticut, and then was allowed to return to the Phillies on July 1, 1958. It certainly helps when you can hit .300. He finished his career as the third string first baseman fot the 1962 NY Mets.
Chico Fernandez: Fernández was the first African American to play in a game for the Phillies, appearing for Philadelphia on April 16, 1957.
Harry Anderson; Harry hit 23 homers and .301 with the 1958 Phils.

By: shawn qwartz

shawn qwartz — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:34:29 +0000

I have been a Phillies fan since the late ’50s and love baseball and the Phillies. Charlie Manuel has managed the greatest era in Phillies history with three consecutive division winners and two world series appearance, with a very good possibility of a third. NOW IS THE GREATEST ERA FOR THE PHILS. We have had some nice showings in the past but it has largely been less than stellar for the Phils’ century plus of existence. Keep winning. I remember when our stars were Pancho Herrera, Harry Anderson, Ed Bouchee and Chico Fernandez. I supported them then but it is so much easier to support them now.

By: ashmidt

ashmidt — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:27:53 +0000

I JUST CANT GET OVER IT, THIS SHOULD BE AS BIG AS WHEN WE GOT PETE ROSE. WE HAD A REALLY GOOD SHOT AT GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES 3 STRAIT YEARS . HOPEFULLY WE STILL WILL, BUT I WOULD LOOK SO FORWARD TO 2010 WITH HALLADAY AND LEE, IT WOULD BE LIKE KOUFAX AND DRYSDALE, I THOUGHT THE PHILS TURNED THE CORNER ON BEING CHEAP, HOW MUCH DID THEY EAT LAST YEAR ON EATON AND JENKINS. THEY ARE ALREADY THE BEST PHILLIES TEAM IN MY LIFETIME, ANOTHER WORLD SERIES WOULD PUT THEM WITH THE 29-32 ATHLETICS, THE BEST BASEBALL TEAM IN PHILA. HISTORY.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:36:42 +0000

Being only 19 I dont remember those times as much as I wish I did. I love the Phillies, and love all the excitement baseball brings to our lives. Who could think that such a silly game could bring us so much love, happiness, anger, sadness, and pretty much any emotion you could think of. As weird as it seems or sounds it does. And I dont care when you became a Phillies fan, I have been one since I can remember and if you became one last year welcome to one of the greatest fan bases on the earth. I probably wont comment on here for a while since I will be following my other love, the Devils(dont kill me Flyers fans, I am from NY so its not that bad) But until then, happy free agency, happy holidays and the best wishes to everyone and I hope everyone has not only a happy holiday but a safe one.

By: Brian Sr. of CO

Brian Sr. of CO — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:22:58 +0000

True the the 1976-1983 team was a pretty wicked team making 3 straight NLCS appearance 76, 77 and 78, and winning the WS in 80, and going back to the WS again in 83, but still the point remains, back to back NL Champs, 3 time NL East, and still a viable contender for possibly a few more years. This is a great time to be a PHan.

By: Brian of CO

Brian of CO — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:33:52 +0000

With all due respect James Kay, I think you kind of missed the point of the article. Corey most certainly was not trying to make “derogatory comments about the [relevance] of Phillies baseball” but more to point out just what Andrew said that he, I, nor almost every other die hard like us could EVER imagine in our wildest dreams the Phillies would be “undeniable contenders for the World Series three years in a row” (look at that Andrew, we agree on something! LOL). I agree with you, “Every Phillies game was and will be [relevant]“. Keep in mind the last time a Philadelphia Baseball team had this much success reaching the World Series 2 years in a row and being contendors for so many years you have to go back to the 1929-1931 Philadelphia Athletics. The Phillies have never done this. Im sure the “irrelevance” comment is more that for those years just as you said we experience “many last place finishes” we all for the most part, realizing after the off season, we would more than likely see another disappointing season. Even through all of that, we all stayed passionate and loyal. My comments were not meant to be derogatory by any means, but really, I agree with what Corey and Andrew said. This is a very special, and for Phillies fans, unusual time to be PHans, and I love this period of Phillies Baseball.