I've never enjoyed roller coasters the way many others do. Not as a child, not as a teenager, and certainly not as an adult. A few dips and turns can be fun, but if the dips dive too much or the turns are too tight or -- heaven forbid -- there is a portion that takes you upside down, I become as green as the blazer handed out in Augusta every year.
Having said that, this Phillies season is beginning to make me change colors just a bit.
Through April and May, the team remained in the basement of the NL East. In June, we witnessed a 12-1 homestand. After that, the Phils went several weeks before winning another series. And yesterday, they swept the Padres to complete a 9-win, 4-loss homestand.
On May 14th, the Phillies were six games below .500 and in last place. On June 12th they were 8 games over .500 and in second place. By July 8th, they were again in last place, one game under .500. Morning of July 25th -- five games over .500 and in third place.
Stop the ride, I think I want to get off.
"But why," you might ask, "would you want to get off the ride, the team is climbing and climbing?" Right, and what does every roller coaster do after it climbs? It comes racing downhill in a hurry, G-forces tugging at your face and a pre-teen girl in the car behind you shrieking in your ear the whole way down, leaving you with a slight ring for days afterwards.
In other words, when it comes to the 2005 Phillies, what goes up must come down.
Maybe I shouldn't be so pessimistic. Maybe the season will turn out to be more Jet Sky Fighter than Twister, and the Phillies will somehow glide their way to a playoff berth. But I look at the inconsistency of the pitching staff and the lack of a fluidity to the offense and wonder how likely the prospect of making the playoffs really is.
While the offense may have it's shortcomings, it may be good enough to get the job done. However, the Phillies will have to begin to allow fewer runs if they are to make the post-season. The logical move would be to make a trade for a starter. But when one looks at the pitchers rumored to be available that are better than what the Phillies already have and then the teams that currently own them, it doesn't seem likely that a deal can be worked out.
The next logical choice would be to bring up prospects Gavin Floyd or Cole Hamels. But Floyd is mired in a slump and Hamels may be calling David Bell for the name of a good chiropractor.
On the bright side, the teams the Phillies are in competition with for playoff spots -- Braves, Nationals, Marlins, Astros, and Cubs -- also have their own flaws and trade deadline predicaments to overcome before the issue will be put to rest in late-September.
At that time, we will find out which teams have enough tokens left to enjoy a post-season ride.
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More On Clutch-Hitting
David Pinto writes:
I'd remind you, some players have to do well in non-clutch situations to set up the clutch situations. So a better clutch hitter isn't necessarily a better ballplayer.
He has a point, and if His Whiteness were around, he would agree. I'm reminded of an exchange between Ashburn and Phillies public relations director Larry Shenk [as told in Richie Ashburn Remembered]. Shenk told Ashburn that as a child, his favorite player was Del Ennis. Ashburn asked Shenk why that was so. Shenk explained that Ennis was the one that, "drove in all the runs." Ashburn retorted, "And who do you think was on base all the time?"
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On the Move?
The Allentown Lynx? Speculation abounds on The Batter's Box as what it means to Canadian baseball.
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Priorities
I'm following this thread on PhilliesPhans.com very, very closely.
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On Deck
Tonight, look for a Balls, Sticks, & Stuff live play-by-play account of the made-for-TV Lincoln Financial Battle at the Bridges [no, it's not played at the sports complex in South Philly].
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And finally, Balls, Sticks, & Stuff can once again ring the Liberty Bell in celebration of another series win.
