Phillies Nation

In a classy move, the injured Roy Halladay summoned reporters before tonight’s game so that he could offer some conciliatory words to Phillies fans.

Below is a snippet of Roy’s comments.

I’ve been thinking just the last couple of days. I just felt like I should address the fans. I know there is a lot of mixed opinions on pitching, not pitching, all that kind of stuff. I know there are people who are disappointed about how I pitched the last two years. I know there are a lot of people who are very supportive.

So, one, I just wanted to thank them for their support. And my heart goes out to all of the people who spend all of their money and go out to the games and don’t get to see what they want to see. I know I’m not the whole team. There are still a lot of guys out there and it’s a fun team to watch. But I feel bad that I’m missing the time that I am. I feel bad for the fans that I’m missing the time.

It’s tough. You feel an obligation to the organization, to your teammates, to the fans to try to go out and pitch. Especially on a competitive team that sells out. For me, that was a big factor. If I’m playing for a last-place team and there’s things going on, you maybe speak up. But we have a chance to go win a World Series and we have sellouts and fans have expectations. You want to do everything you can to try to make it work.

Really, that was a lot of the reason I tried to keep going. Like I said, I never really felt the pain. I just wanted to reach out to the fans, thank them for their support and apologize to the ones who pay the money and show up in the second inning and it’s 9-0. I apologize to the fans that I won’t be out there for three months.

I don’t feel like I have to apologize to the team because I think they know. I just want the fans to know that I’m thinking about them. I don’t take that for granted. I don’t take playing for Philadelphia for granted.

You can read the full transcript at Ryan Lawerence’s Daily News article.

Phillies Nation is looking for a new female host for the 2013 season. Following in the footsteps of awesome stints by Natalie and Alex, we think you might be the next host to film alongside Pat and Corey.

This is our third year of the TV show. In year 1, we aired exclusively on YouTube. In year 2, we made our way to televisions in the Lehigh Valley on 2Sports. This year, we’re hitting the Philadelphia airwaves through a new partnership with Comcast. The show will be featured on The Comcast Network and CSNPhilly.com.

So if you think you have what it takes to interview ballplayers and local celebrities; to weather rain delays and wind-strapped South Philly, and be the next Phillies Nation Female Host, complete the application below.

Please use the application to let us know about your experience and interest in the Phillies, journalism or other related subjects.  We highly recommend filming a video of yourself discussing the Phillies, but feel free to upload any photos or videos you think will help tell your story.

Note: This is an unpaid position, but it’s perfect if you’re looking to break into the media industry and meet some great people along the way.

Despite the Phillies loss yesterday, the Phillies Nation party in DC was a monumental success. A huge thanks to our friends Quimby, Marylin and the crew of Phils Fever for orchestrating the event – 13 buses and over 800 people made the trip. Here are a few photos from the pregame tailgate. (It’s always fun to get a new Phillies tattoo photo!)

Will the return of Howard make you freak out less?

It’s only been four games, but some are already freaking out over the slow start by the Phillies. A 1-3 record is not what anyone envisioned when the schedule opened up in Pittsburgh, and then a home opener with the Marlins. Alas, we are here, and some are not happy. Others understand it’s a long season with many twists and turns. As Juan Pierre said after the game, it sticks out more because it’s the beginning of the year and people want results right away. But even Pierre said he’s been on teams that have started fast and faded quickly – so it’s not completely about the start. It’s mostly about the long haul.

So what camp do you find yourself in? Are you freaking out now? Or will you let this baby play out a month, or two, or three?

Let us know in the poll below.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be unveiling a list. After careful consideration by the lot of Phillies Nation writers, we’ve come up with the players, teams, coaches, and umpires throughout baseball that we just don’t like. That is, on the baseball field, of course.

Manny was always being Manny. (AP)

You know, the guys that the Phillies just can’t get out. The people that just annoy you to no end. The Phillie killers, so to speak.

Well, the votes are in and we have a Top 10 coming your way, plus some of the guy who missed the cut, so to speak. That’s where we begin:

Manny Ramirez:

-If you remember the NLCS’s between the Phillies and Dodgers, you remember Matt Stairs‘ homers, the collapse and downfall of Jonathan Broxton, and the incredible heroics by Jimmy Rollins. What you might not remember is how Manny Ramirez haunted the Phillies both times. If you don’t, you should.

Not only do we dislike Manny for being Manny, we dislike him because he often killed the Phillies during his short stint in the National League.

Our own Don McGettigan on Manny: “Another showboat, another cheater. “Manny being Manny” made me hate the guy.”

Continue reading “Guys We Despise”: Missed the Cut

Hey, I'm still here.... (PHOTO: AP)

We continue our 2011 Player Reviews with starting pitcher Joe Blanton.

If you’re making eight figures and post a 4.85 ERA over the last two seasons, plus have spent a long stretch on the disabled list with arm trouble, people get a little ticked off. That’s where things stand with Joe Blanton after an ugly 2010 season and an even worse 2011.

It was a doomed year basically from the get-go. In his first start of the year against the New York Mets, Blanton allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, and it was basically chalked up to one of those days early in a long season. His next start against the Nationals was better, although most any start would be. Blanton got through six innings, giving up five earned runs.

Not long after, the elbow troubles began. In late April, he hit the disabled list with nerve damage, taking with him a 5.92 ERA through just four starts. He’d come back on May 9, make two starts that lasted just five innings each, and then return to the DL on May 23, staying there until he would return in a bullpen role on September 5.

Continue reading Blanton’s 2011: A Year to Forget

PHOTO AP

People are clearly upset at the way things ended for the Philadelphia Phillies. The masses are free to place blame somewhere, because the expectations were that this team was the best in the National League. So a trip to the World Series was looked at as a mere formality, even though we know that often times is not the case.

But, blame has to be put on the players who failed to perform in the series. We look at those who are guilty of falling short:

-Ryan Howard:

It has been well-documented just how bad he was in the NLDS. So there is really no need to rehash the sickening statistics Howard finished with. Adding injury to insult; Howard is likely to miss time next season after rupturing his achillies.

-Cliff Lee:

I lay some of the blame on Cliff for the Game 2 loss, but not all of it. Sure, he was given a 4-0 lead after two innings. That doesn’t mean the offense couldn’t give him a few more over the final seven. After roughing up Chris Carpenter, Phillies hitters managed just one hit the rest of the way. Not exactly backing Lee. He needed to shut down the Cardinals and did not, but that loss wasn’t completely his fault.

Continue reading Playing the Blame Game After Early Playoff Exit

When the Phillies traded for Hunter Pence, many believed the move to be just as necessary for Ryan Howard as for the right field hole. The theory goes that since Pence hits behind Howard, Howard will see better pitches, which leads to better swings and better numbers. Protection.

The idea of “protection” looks at the wrong thing though. The benefit of having Pence in the lineup is adding a solid right-handed bat to a lefty-heavy lineup–not to help Howard see better pitches.

So what explains the fact that Ryan Howard has a 1.101 OPS since Pence arrived, as opposed to a .796 OPS prior?

It could be a coincidence or a hot streak, but I think it is somewhat of a placebo effect. You see, with the media drilling the idea of “protection” into Howard’s head, Howard could be buying into it. Perception is reality, and if Howard thinks it helps him–it helps him. He could be feeling more comfortable at the plate, leading to a better, more relaxed approach. He may not feel the pressure with a good hitter added to the lineup.

Think of Pence as a sugar pill, and Howard as a person with a cold. The person takes the pill, and immediately the symptoms improve. It had nothing to do with the pill, it had to do with the perception that the pill helped. The symptoms improved because the person was under the impression that the pill would make them improve.

That’s what I think may be happening–to an extent–with Howard and Pence. Howard isn’t seeing “better pitches” or anything like that, he’s gaining confidence, which is a powerful thing for a hitter.

Pence may not be tangibly helping Howard, but there could be an underlying effect of the Phillies new 5-hole hitter.

—Citizens Bank Park

Raul Ibanez was happy. There’s really no other way to describe his mood after ridding himself of an ugly 0-for-35 slump that had people believing he was finished as a ballplayer. Ibanez himself never had thought that way, although you couldn’t blame him if he did. His teammates wouldn’t let him think that way.

“These guys have been really supportive and almost to a man, guys have come up and say ‘hey, I’ve been there, I know what that’s like.”

Even Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond couldn’t believe that Ibanez has slid into such a funk. Desmond gave Ibanez a tap when he got to second base, and told Ibanez he looked it up before the game to see how bad it had gotten.

“I can’t really put the feeling in words…it was a big relief,” said Ibanez after a 2-for-4 night.  “The only way I have to function is to pretend it never happened, and move forward.”

Maybe Raul himself can act like this never went down, but every Phillies fan was literally counting the hours, minutes, and seconds until he hit the bench. But as Charlie Manuel says, the only way to beat a slump is to keep playing through a slump.

Continue reading Ibanez Busts a Slump; Werth Continues His

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