Balls, Sticks, & Stuff | Phillies, Eagles, golf and other matters of great importance...

It's 1:48 AM...

...and who would have thought that Eric "Big Beard Bruntlett would play such a large role in a Game 3 win for the Phillies?

We often question the wisdom of replacing Pat Burrell late in close games with Bruntlett, but I ask you these two questions:

1. If Burrell had still been in the game, would he have been able to go from first to third on the wild pitch/throwing error?
2. Would Burrell have been able to score on Carlos Ruiz's squib grounder?

Wait, Was that Excitement We Just Saw?

Yesterday afternoon, Bobby Abreu, on an 0-2 count in the top of the ninth against one of the best closers of all time, Trevor Hoffman, hit a two-run double to lift the Phillies over the Padres.  It's the kind of win that brings you back to the radio, television, or better yet, the ballpark again and again.

As I listened to the dramatic ending of the game and the post-game activities on the radio, audio clips were played as part of a promotion.  The clips were of Phils' broadcaster Scott Graham shouting "Gone!" enthusiastically in response to past Phillies' heroics.  As I heard Graham's calls and thought about Abreu's clutch double, it occurred to me that this Phillies season is really lacking in something other than wins.

It's lacking in drama.

Last season  lacked in wins too (if we are being accurate, one win specifically), but it was at least entertaining.  Surfing through the July, August, and September archives of this site reinforces the idea that this season is more boring than watching water ice melt.  Every time I watch Pat Burrell adjust the wad of God-knows-what in his mouth for the umpteenth time, I think, this season sucks.

In August of last year, Jimmy Rollins quasi-stole home, in July Chase Utley hit a game-winning homerun in the eleventh inning of a game against the Padres, in September, as the Phillies made a final run for the Wild Card, Shane Victorino came up from the minors and sealed a victory with a homerun and heck, even David Bell got into the act with homeruns in extra innings and Braves fans in Atlanta spoke to me about the Phillies refusal to go away.  Sure, the outcome of the season wasn't what we wanted, it was at least fun to watch.

When the 2006 season was still young, I felt like that same drama was going to continue, especially during the Mets series in early May.  But for the most part, fans have had little to talk about this season outside of possible roster moves and what the best date is to pick in the Charlie Manuel Gets Fired Pool.  A week or so ago, I received an email from a regular reader of this site in Iraq.  He asked what happened to the season, because when he left the states, they were in the midst of their May hot-streak.  Basically, I told him he hadn't missed much other than poor pitching, poor hitting, poor managing, poor leadership, and a tiny little spousal abuse problem.  [Funny enough, this reader also emailed me when he was shipping out for Iraq.  His message wasn't "I can't believe I'm being sent to a war zone."  No, it was actually, "I can't believe I'm getting shipped out now just when the Phillies are getting hot!"  Now that's a phan.]

And really, isn't the drama why we watch?  None of us became sports fans because of OPS, salary caps, and waiver wires (speaking of which, Shea Hillenbrand anyone?  maybe while Pat Gillick is in Toronto, he can sit down with him and have a little chat...).  No, we became sports fans because if that little uptick in heartbeat, blood pressure, and butterflies that we feel in tight spots.  We might feel it because that is our team, our player, or even better, because we -- ourselves -- are in that position.

Sports is supposed to be fun, and until yesterday as I pumped my fist at a traffic light as Shane Victorino and Chase Utley scored on Abreu's hit, this Phillies season just hasn't been at all fun.

So, raise a glass of Yuengling, Flying Fish, or Yards.  Here's to more fun in August and September.

Spanning the Globe

Link: Shallow • Center: What in the World?.
Link: Shallow • Center: Comments :: What in the World?.

Count my phellow Phlogging Toms among those disinterested in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, a growing majority.  But this Phlogging Tom is definitely in the "interested" camp.

Sure, the idea was hatched as a way for Bud Selig to get his hands on more money for his fellow owners.  And while people may have a problem with that, I'm looking at it much more superficially...It's going to be a set of relatively competitive baseball games featuring real life professional players -- many major leaguers -- weeks before MLB games mean anything.  Spring training is great, but the outcomes of the games mean absolutely nothing.

One of the biggest complaints with the World Baseball Classic is the timing of it all, smack dab in the middle of the aforementioned spring training.  It's my understanding that players will not be overused, so late season fatigue for those who participate in the WBC should not be much of an issue.  As a matter of fact, I am glad Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Bobby Abreu will be playing, hopefully they will hit the ground running in April when the real games begin.

I can understand being turned off by the way the tournament has been planned and marketed down our throats, but hey, it will be competitive baseball a full month before we would normally expect to see it.  Sit back and enjoy it.

Having said that...

...I couldn't care less about the upcoming Winter Olympics.  Fine, call me an egocentric ugly-American, but to me, the way the Olympics have been packaged takes all the fun out of it whatsoever.  For one, in order to prolong the hype and advertising opportunities, the events are spread out over what seems like six or seven weeks (its not that I have a problem with NBC making money, but when it dilutes the product, then I have a problem).  The empty time between events is filled with Oprah-like interviews in soft lighting and somber music, and the storylines that are fed to us are almost as predictable as a VH1 Behind the Music: Athlete excels on the playing field.  Athlete experiences personal setback.  Athlete contends at the Olympics despite the personal setback.  Tears are shed, rewind, play again...

Blah.  The better course would be to compress the overall time of the games to just a week or so.

And while I have no problem with NBC and the Olympics making money, I am quite turned off by the accounts of corruption and politics that go into the selection of each Olympic site.  Couple that with the fact that the athletes are no longer amateurs and the whole spectacle leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'll leave the fact that winners of many events are often decided by a panel of judges with questionable ethics for another day.

2005 in Sports

After some thought, I've decided on the best and worst sports moments for me of 2005.

The best was when Tiger Woods chipped in for birdie on the 16th hole at the Masters.  I still smile when I think about the way the crowd's reaction to the ball jarred the cameraman.  A close second was when Dillon Dougherty nearly chipped in on the 18th hole at Merion during his all-square at the time semifinal match.  I was in attendance, and I still don't believe what I saw.

The worst was the closing two minutes of the Super Bowl.  Painful, still, to think about.  A close second was Billy Wagner serving up a homerun to Craig Biggio in early September.  Of course, Biggio never should have gotten to the plate that inning...

...Your thoughts?

Storylines

What a time to be a sports fan.

The British Open, the Tour de France, the Phillies/Marlins series, the Yankees/Red Sox series, and the Amateur Publinks Championship are all holding our attention.

In the British Open there are at least two storylines worth watching.  For one, Jack Nicklaus is playing in his last major tournament, and the player most likely to break his record of eighteen professional major victories, Tiger Woods, has gotten off to a hot start with a six under par 66 to take the first round lead.

All of this on the oldest stage in golf, St. Andrews Golf Club.  St. Andrews is the reason most courses have a total par of 72 and are eighteen holes.  It's the birthplace of golf, architect: Mother Nature.

On the other side of the English Channel, Lance Armstrong is vying for his seventh consecutive Tour de France title.  I don't know much at all about cycling, other than the fact that it looks incredibly hard, just as psychologically taxing as it is physically taxing, but I do know that this is an incredible undertaking for Armstrong.  To have beaten metastasized cancer the way he did and then go on to perform at such a high athletic ability is simply amazing.  Sure, Armstrong and his yellow bracelets and his famous girlfriend Cheryl Crow are overexposed, but don't let it sour you to his accomplishments.

An ocean and several time zones away, Michelle Wie has advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men's Amateur Publinks Championship.  I'm still struggling to comprehend how a fifteen year old female can compete with some of the best golfers in the world.  Last week, she nearly made the cut in a PGA Tour tournament, and should she somehow manage to win the head-to-head matchplay event, she will earn an invitation to The Masters.  The Masters!

As for baseball, many teams begin the second half of their seasons versus division rivals.  The Phillies and Marlins are meeting for a four-game series in Philadelphia in what are very important games for each team.  In the coming days, each team has to decide how they should best approach the July 31st trade deadline, and the outcome of this series will be significant in that regard as well as the NL East standings.

Last night, the Phillies got off to a great start, beating the Marlins 13-7.  Much has been written and spoken about Citizens Bank Park's dimensions and wind patterns, but there is no doubt that many of the home-runs the Phillies hit in this game -- two by Mike Lieberthal, two by Pat Burrell, and one by Ryan Howard -- would have been home-runs in any ball park as they were very hard hit balls.

Tomorrow, the Phillies will send the surprisingly consistent Corey Lidle to the mound to take on Brian Moehler.  This is a matchup that favors the Phils as Moehler has struggled.

Another intra-division series worth watching is that between the Red Sox and Yankees.  This rivalry is even more overexposed than yellow bracelets, but again, we shouldn't let it taint our enjoyment of it.  In game one, Curt Schilling returned to action in a relief role and managed to blow a Red Sox lead.  Though easing Schilling back into action by placing him in the role of reliever seems good in theory, it's a different story in practice.  Not only is Schilling coming off an injury, but he also has to adjust to an unfamiliar role, no easy task to be sure.

Clear your weekend schedules, finish up your "honey-do" lists as soon as possible, make sure your internet, satellite and cable connections are sound, because it's stories such as these are the reasons why we are sports fans.

A Night's Observations

As I mentioned in the previous post, Mr. Comcast visited B.S. & S. Headquarters and consequently, The Missus and I spent the night simultaneously surfing the web and watching television.  The whole night.

Some thoughts...

...If Dick Wolf had never created the Law & Order juggernaut, cable would have to air hours of blank tape and The Missus would have to read or do crossword puzzles.

...Over a beer, "TD" recommended Bill Conlin's latest effort, in which "One Chair" pleads for modifications to Citizens Bank Park's dimensions.  First off, Conlin reports on Joe Kerrigan taking a laser operated range-finder to the park and measuring the "real dimensions". I've tried such devices on the golf course and have decided against purchasing one for two reasons: one, they break the rules of golf, and second, which is relevant for this discussion, they are not very reliable, often off by 10 feet or so.  In other words, I'd take Kerrigan's measurements with a grain of salt. 

Conlin also cites John Smoltz's comments on national television about C.B.P., but what Conlin, Kerrigan, Bowa, Smoltz, and nearly everyone else seem to forget is that whatever the measurements truly are, they are exactly the same when each team comes to bat or takes to the mound.  I don't care if it's 200 feet to dead center, it's exactly the same for both teams.  Remember the scene in Hoosiers before the championship game where Gene Hackman takes the Hickory High team out to the court and has them measure the court to drive home the fact that it is exactly the same?  That's pretty much what I am talking about.

...Having said that, I think modifications should be made.  What? Why? Because only a handful of us seem to realize the fact that the measurements are exactly the same for both teams.  The hearts and minds of 99% of fans and players are lost.  The organization should just go ahead and acquire some good P.R. by lowering the field or raising the walls.  Just give in because one thing is certain: no matter what park the Phillies are playing in, the pitching staff is not up to the task.

...Michelle Wie is amazing.  Lance Armstrong is even more amazing.

...I wish I had the patience to sift through Retrosheet.org to find out how many times the average team runs into outs and how many times the Phillies run into outs, particularly at home.  Again tonight, we saw a lumbering Phillies slugger -- Pat Burrell -- thrown out at home.  And as usual, it wasn't even close.  I am serious when I ask this: does Bill Dancy need corrective eye-wear?  Everyone knew Burrell was going to be out, everyone except Bill Dancy.  Even The Missus knew he stood no chance, stating incredulously, "He's Pat the Bat, not Pat the Runner, what was he thinking?" And that out came back to haunt the team, final score, Nationals 8, Phillies 7.

Wilt 1962

Link: "Wilt 1962" | By Gary M. Pomerantz.

On the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain scored one hundred points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers. The game was not televised; no New York sportswriters showed up. This is the fourth quarter of that historic night.

By going to this website, you can listen to the radio broadcast of Wilt's historic night.  Is my treble/bass off a little bit or does the play-by-play guy sound just a bit like "Robert" on Everybody Loves Raymond? [tip of the Phillies rally cap to Off Wing]

Hoops Making a Comeback?

Readers of B.S. & S. know that baseball, golf, and football are the sports I follow with regularity.  But if we wound the clock back about ten years, basketball would be part of that list (of course, if we could wind the clock back ten years, we would do a lot before we got around to caring about which sports that I regularly followed).

Starting in the late-1980's I followed the 76ers and Duke quite closely.  Duke intrigued me because of the type of program they were putting together, proving that it was possible to focus on academics while also getting to the Final Four.  Of course, at the time, I had no idea that fifteen years later, Duke would be perennial national championship favorites and that Mike Krzyzewski would be one of the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball.

The Sixers in those years were led by Charles Barkley and his occasional sidekicks Rick Mahorn and Manute Bol.  They were a fun team to watch and had a moderate amount of success.  Eventually, as all Philadelphia teams do at some point, the team went downhill for a prolonged period and Charles Barkley was traded to the Phoenix Suns.  For a time, my allegiances followed him westward.

But the NBA was changing.  There was less and less team play, and more and more isolations, one player on another, and the other eight professionals standing off to the side.  Where's the team work in that?  Dunks, literally brutal defense, and hot-dogging were becoming common styles of play, and the league was becoming more and more hip-hop.  Anyone who has met me knows I am decidedly un-hip and un-hop, and so with each passing year I spent less and less time watching basketball.  By the time Sammy and Big Mac came along in 1998, the NBA wasn't even an afterthought for me.  And since high school players and college freshman began jumping directly to the NBA, my interest in college hoops had waned as well.

Lately however, in the same manner that a lot of trends take on a pendular motion, there are signs that the NBA of "old" is returning.  "Fun Ball", the featured article in the current issue of ESPN the Magazine focuses on the current crop of Phoenix Suns and the style of play they are using to rocket from the basement to the penthouse.

The Suns are excelling by playing an up-tempo transition game led by newly acquired Steve Nash.  For those of you unfamiliar with Nash, he is a point guard that actually looks to pass first and shoot second.  Nash leads the league in assists per game (11.5) by a wide margin, which is one of the reasons Amare Stoudamire is one of the leading scorers in the game and the Suns are leading the league in points per game, over 110.3.

And, as if learning that the NBA might be moving towards a team-oriented game again, Eric Neel writes in "Fun Ball" about several statistics that weren't around the last time I paid attention to the NBA. Starting-five plus/minus ratios.  Offensive efficiency ratings. Interesting.

I can't envision a day when basketball will ever crack my "Big Three" of baseball, football, and golf, but now that I know the game is possibly on it's way back, I won't be so quick to pass up a televised game while doing laps around Comcast's channel guide.

-----------------

More on hoops:

• For the stathead in you, 82games.com.

• Paul Shirley's basketsblog (Suns forward/benchwarmer).

• Ken Pomeroy's college basketsblog.
  

The Balls, Sticks, & Stuff Store

We've all heard the saying, "I work as a [insert occupation here] to support my [insert hobby-of-choice here] habit."  Well, the following is a variation on that theme, blogging in order to support my blog habit.  Everything you find here are items I actually own, stacked on shelves or crammed into closets, so, I can actually vouch for their worth.

So wander in, browse around, stop in the cafe and get a coffee or iced tea.  And, as a way to set myself apart, I'll even let you take merchandise into the bathroom without having to try and sneak it through magnetic detectors.

Brackets Baby, Brackets

After consulting a few websites, my hooked-on-hoops brother, and my gut, I present the Official Balls, Sticks, & Stuff NCAA Tournament Bracket. [Click to enlarge and read.]

And so, we wait.

It's Not Just Talked About in Goodfellas

Link: The Sports Grinder: On cue.

Apparently, more college games may be fixed than we realize.  I doubt it is very prevalent, but it is something to consider for sure.

Hat tip to Off Wing Opinion.

Appreciate Athletic Ability, Don't Cheapen It

By now you have probably heard about Jason Giambi's confession - under oath - to using steroids.  If you are like me, you are disappointed.  I suppose it was only a matter of time before one of the games true stars was found to be guilty of using performance enhancing drugs illegally, but I kept my head in the sandtrap and held out hope that it wouldn't happen.  People follow (and to a lesser extent) participate in sports for two primary reasons: we find competition on nearly any level interesting and because we marvel at the abilities of athletes at the elite levels.  It is the latter reason that Giambi and others like him cheapen when they break the rules and illegally use substances such as testosterone and human growth hormones.

Some athletes' abilities are worthy of marvel because of their natural-born talent.  The eye-hand coordination, the leaping ability, the innate awareness for the dynamics of their sport.  Not everyone can hit a golf ball straight as an arrow, three hundred yards down the fairway.  Not everyone can begin their jump at the foul line and dunk the ball.  Not everyone has the awareness to run all the way across the diamond, cut off a misplaced throw from the outfield, and redirect it to make an out at home.  Amazing feats whenever we see them.  Is there anyone that does not appreciate Dr. J's leaping underhanded layup from under/behind the backboard?  Amazing, simply amazing.  No one can say for sure where these seemingly reflexive abilities come from, nature or nurture or otherwise, but we know it when we see it, and we love it.

Other athletes' abilities are worthy of admiration because of the work and internal drive that enhanced or even created the ability.  Ben Hogan practicing hitting golf balls until his hands bled.  Ted Williams consistently eschewing evenings out on the town with his teammates in order to practice his stroke in front of his hotel mirror all night long.  Jerry Rice running up hill after hill after hill.  Jackie Robinson's ability to steal home while slurs and threats are hurled in his direction.  We all wish we had such devotion, such drive.  No one can say for sure where this drive comes from, nature or nurture or otherwise, but we know it when we see it, and we love it.

There are times we have learned that an athlete has tried to cut corners and take the easy way out, and we despise it.

According to Giambi's testimony, he used the substances in order to prolong his career in the manner that Barry Bonds has.  We would admire Giambi if he had chosen to have more faith in his innate strike zone judgment, a confidence that might have carried him into his late 30's the same way it has for Bonds.  We would admire Giambi even more if he had also chosen to run up the same Bay Area hills as Jerry Rice day after day, conditioning himself into his late 30's the way Rice has.  Instead of admiration, we are left with disappointment.  Disappointment in Giambi's failure to appreciate elite athletic ability in himself and in others the same way we do.

If this story begins and ends with Jason Giambi, baseball will be fine.  It will be less than a blip on the proverbial radar.  But if others, Barry Bonds especially, are linked or found to be guilty, I shudder at the consequences.  It is bad enough we have to endure the ever present Pete Rose debate, but a permanent debate on the legitimacy of the record books - and the cumulative and historic athletic ability they represent - will tarnish the sport forever.  As I've written before, a sport is significantly damaged once the public routinely questions the legitimacy of what they see on the field.

B.S. & S. Notebook

--- Now that Charlie Manuel has been confirmed as the new Phillies manager, one of the next logical questions is, "Who will be hired as the hitting, pitching, and bench coaches?" One name came up as a possibility before the manager interviews even started - Jeff Manto. Included on Manto's resume are stints as the Phillies A-ball club, a roving hitting instructor in the Pirates organization, a 1993 Phillie, and a former player on the Indians where he was influenced my Manuel. If Manto had anything to do with the emergence of Jack Wilson and Ryan Howard as hitters, he must know his stuff.

--- Charley Walters of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press is reported on Thursday that the Phils have expressed interest in Brad Radke and that many insiders think it will take a two-year/$17 million deal to snag Radke. Though that is probably out of the Phillies budget, it is a figure that is roughly in line with what THT's Net Win Shares Value Estimator indicates Radke's 2004 performance is worth.

--- If you have a weakness for "electrified porch music", swing on over to CarbonLeaf.com and listen to the new album Indian Summer, it starts to play as soon as the website loads.

--- Speaking of The Hardball Times, Aaron Gleeman considers Placido Polanco as the best free agent second baseman this offseason. Phans need to look on the bright side of his departure. By turning over the second bag to Chase Utley, the Phils will get younger, cheaper, gain some additional power in the starting lineup, and when Polanco signs with another team - an extra draft pick.

--- Thursday night, Raj was eliminated from The Apprentice. I realize this isn't saying much, but he was one of the more amusing people on reality TV. Cocky to the point of being humorous, Raj made a pass at The Donald's receptionist as he was being fired. My Philly area readers might be interested to know Raj has Philadelphia roots. Most readers might wonder why I even brought this up, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I am in an Apprentice Pool that pays out $300 to the winner.

--- Geoff Shackelford reports on PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem's "State of the Tour Address". Apparently, the PGA Tour and the USGA have been internally researching the possibility of regulating/deadening/standardizing the golf ball. Pros and amateurs are hitting the ball further and further all the time, leaving many historic courses defenseless. But too many people blame today's hot golf ball. Its the combination of the balls, the clubs, the improved agronomy, and most of all, the evolution of the modern golf swing.

--- Shallow Center, the first Phillies blog I ever read, has made the wise jump from Blogger/BlogSpot to Typepad.  Go check out the new site.

Help Me Understand

Somewhat lost in the shuffle in all the election analysis and the Phillies managerial search is the news that Larry Bowa is very likely to be named bench coach for the Florida Marlins. The Florida Effing Marlins. This actually bothers me more than any of the stunts L-Bo pulled as a manager. How could he do this, isn't he an Old Guard Phillie? Isn't that what got him the manager job in the first place?

This brings up something I have never understood in sports. Or, more accurately, something I haven't been able to make up my mind about. How does a player or manager/coach leave a team and go to their most hated rival? For example, how could Wade Boggs go from the BoSox to the Yankees? Or Jason Giambi from the underdog Athletics to the Yankees? Do you think that Pedro could really end up with the Yankees too? Most of these examples have to do with the Yankees, but it happens with plenty of other teams in plenty of other sports. We've all seen it, but I feel like I am the only one that it bothers. Am I?

Part of me thinks that the desire to compete for these elite athletes is so great, that they just want to participate and in the end that is more important than the logo on their hat. In other words, the Thrill of the Game overrides the loyalty factor. But there is another part of me, the older, more cynical side, that thinks it is just for money, always selling out to the highest bidder.

Maybe there is a third factor I never considered: revenge. That could certainly be the motivation for Roger Clemens ending up with the Yankees, and it could be a similar motive on the part of Bowa, despite his stated desire to "just be in a uniform next year."

What do you think?

One thing I do know for certain: whatever Bowa's motivation, it makes me want the Phils to beat the Marlins that much more.