Phillies Nation

Personally I’m fine w/Howard. He came to ST early and looked as if he was trying. I’m happy with his higher overall avg, lower weight, and somewhat better play at 1st base v just trying to power hit every ball that flies over the plate last season. I don’t have any problem with him.

Victorino…eh. I’ve never thought his arm was great or his acumen. But he’s fine in CF. For me, Ibanez’ OF play had nowhere to go but up. However, lately both he and Valdez have been hitting into double plays (Ibanez’ plays have actually gotten Werth out at 2nd & 3rd more than once). Don’t get me started on poor Juan Castro. Utley made more errors than normal for him before his injury but nobody can say he isn’t smart as hell or that he wasn’t giving 100%.

Wow, is that true about Mickey Mantle, George? I had no idea. I’ve been saying we should be more conservative regarding when & how Dom Brown is brought up. I just didn’t realize there was that brilliant back-up for it. When he is brought up, why can’t he be platooned w/Ibanez? LF isn’t as difficult as CF or RF. RF for some reason has turned into almost a GameBoy or something it’s so bad these days. (What did all these designers do to these RF spaces?) Shouldn’t Brown be able to learn it at a decently quick rate, or am I nuts?

I, for one, am not angry at Jayson Werth. I just think that if he’s gone at the end of the year, you try to get more proven prospects as opposed to a couple of draft picks.

Werth has a big problem with perception. When he strikes out, he looks awful almost like cartoon character. It’s really just the nature of the beast (The Beast?). Take it for what it is.

HA! You took the words … er …. away from my keys, Chuck. I’m not certain how one should look after having struck out, especially knowing the weight of the team is on your shoulders right then, especially feeling the literal pressure of tv cameras and a crowd of 44,000 people breathing on you. How should he look? I don’t know, he doesn’t look any worse to me than any of the other guys striking out. Victorino has almost fought with every ump in the past 3 games. Ryan Howard has also been murmurring to himself.

Under any circumstance striking out is embarrassing at best, ignominious at worst. And coming from the place Werth was 1 month ago when he was getting standing ovations from his ‘peeps’ in RF, I’m sure we can only imagine 1% of his pain & embarrassment. It’s some life, I’ll tell ya.

It’s then when I question whether or not the money is actually worth it. I like being left the heck alone. When somebody breathes down my neck I tell them to get lost. They can’t. If Werth did that – then he’s being “nasty with the press.” Brother people would hate me.

It makes me angry that every comment about Utley has nothing but praise in it ..

People would rather complaing about the .300-hitting Howard, because he ONLY has 15 HRs ..

but with Utley, everything ends in that he “gives 100% percent”

(doesn’t Howard do that by commiting to training all year long, dropping weight, and getting to camp early every season to work on defense?)

or when Utley strikesout
“looks remorseful .. his sweet choppy swing” ..etc

… Do people really not yet realize that Utley isn’t the greatest player to ever put on cleats? His average has dropped in each of the past few seasons.. he’s improved defensively but you would think that Ryan Howard SUCKS, and Chase Utley is AMAZING based on these comments .. Utley probably costs us more defensively every season then Howard does

Amen.

Stark is saying Haren, Guthrie are semi-likely targets

I am more concerned about known relievers than a starter and sending one of our pitchers to the Pen. The only consistent real problem so far is Blanton, which I cant imagine would stay that way. Is he tipping pitches? And hopefully Happ will come back in the same was he was last season (until he had the oblique strain.

Utley may not be the greatest ever, but he may currently be the greatest in the game right now (or at least as of May 12, 2010):

http://www.actasports.com/sow.php?id=248

Here is Ryan Howard’s WAR and calculated free market value (Dollars):

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=2154&position=1B#value

Now, take a look at Chase Utley’s WAR and calculated free market value:

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1679&position=2B#value

Is there really an argument as to why people have problems with Howard? I do like the fact that Howard has been able to focus on other portions of his game and the fact that he has trained himself into being a better player, but I hate how well he is regarded even though it isn’t 2006 anymore. And now he gets paid the most when he is not our best or even second best player.

You know why I like Utley so much? He doesn’t showboat and he treats his job with the utmost professionalism. I just don’t get that same feeling with Howard. Maybe Utley is more modest, but the fact that I like Rollins so much undermines that theory.