Posts Tagged ‘Phillies’

June 23, 2010: What a Day in Sports

June 24th, 2010 BroadStreetHero

Today was an unforgettable day in the world of sports.  Let’s recap the day by looking at the highlights from sports all across the world:

Wimbledon

To start the day (and to end it), John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played 10 hours of tennis at Wimbledon, making it the longest match in history.  Tied at 59 games in the 5th set, play was suspended due to darkness and will resume for the 3rd day tomorrow.  It is by far the longest game ever played in tennis history and it isn’t even over yet.  The last match that I remember being that long and on such a grand stage was last year’s final match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick at Wimbledon that went to 30 total games in the 5th set at Wimbledon before Federer broke Roddick.  The 5th set of this match, at over 7 hours long, is probably one of the most stunning events in sports history and it is amazing that we can watch it resume tomorrow.

Update: American John Isner finally won the match today with a 5th set score of 70-68.  The match totalled 183 games, far and away the record.

The World Cup

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks you know that the FIFA World Cup is going on in South Africa, and that team USA had high hopes of competing against the world’s best.  At 10am today USA played their third and final match in their group against bottom dweller Algeria.  If they win, they go on to the Round of 16.  Lose and the are out.  Tie and they need some help to get in.  Well, late in the 2nd half England had pulled off their victory and were moving on, so behind by two points,the USA had to win to advance.  Still tied after 90 minutes the refs gave the game 4 minutes of stoppage time.  One minute was all the USA needed.  Landon Donovan followed up the play on a great run and put a wonderful strike into the back of the net, sending the USA into the next round and allowing them to win their group for the first time since 1930.  Donovan’s goal was probably the most important goal in USA Soccer history and could inspire a new generation of soccer players in the United States.

NHL Free Agency

In a (not so) surprising move, the Chicago Blackhawks relieved some of their cap problems by trading Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Brent Sopel to the Atlanta Thrashers for a 1st and 2nd round pick, Marty Reasoner, and a prospect.  This shakeup really shows how dire the Blackhawks’ cap situation really is and makes us question their longevity as a team, something that bodes well for the Flyers.  Even though the Thrashers gave up some good picks in the trade, I think that it was a good move for them.  Having seen what Byfuglien can do first hand, I know they got someone who will irritate the other team and be a force in front of the net, and I really can’t stand the fact that I will have to see him twice this season.  Ben Eager is another tough guy who can help a young team with no real leaders and Brent Sopel gives them a veteran on defense.  Overall, this NHL offseason is getting off to an interesting start, and hopefully the Flyers will make another big splash soon.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Henrik Sedin for winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP.  The Sedin’s haven’t gotten the credit they deserve from the mainstream media (probably because they aren’t Crosby and Ovechkin), and hopefully this is the start of their emergence as faces of the league.  Congrats to Ryan Miller as well for winning the Vezina as the league’s best goaltender, to Duncan Keith for winning the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman, and Tyler Myers for winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Around Major League Baseball

Stephen Strasburg continues to show why he signed a record contract as the 1st overall pick last season.  The man is a machine.  Tonight he received his first loss, by a score of 1-0.  Strasburg pitched 6 innings and had 9 more strikeouts, bringing his season total to 41 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.  The rookie continues to break records and is even being considered for a spot on the All Star Game in a few weeks.  If he makes two more starts and gets to 60 strikeouts before the break he has my vote.

Josh Hamilton and the Rangers have also been red hot.  The Rangers have won 10 straight games and are well atop the AL West.  Hamilton has been a man on a mission.  In the month of June the Rangers are 17-4 and Josh is batting .476 with 8 HR and 26 RBI.  Thankfully we don’t play them in interleague play, that’s all I’m saying.

Phillies Baseball

Tonight I was fortunate enough to score some tickets to the Phillies vs. Indians game so I got to see them play first-hand for the first time since Roy Halladay got hit around by the Red Sox.  Well, from a pitching perspective, Kyle Kendrick didn’t have it tonight.  He looked very nervous out there, possibly because he saw J.A. Happ making another rehab start and saw his job on the line.  In the first inning Kendrick allowed a leadoff double and then tossed up a meatball to Shin-Soo Choo who crushed a homer to the upper deck in right field.  Their second time around was like deja vu, with another double by Trevor Crowe and another home run by Choo.  After that, Kendrick’s night was done.  The bullpen actually performed well.  Mike Zagurski, who was recently called up from the minors, did a great job coming out of the pen, getting 5 outs with what looked like zero effort.

The Phillies offense wasn’t too shabby either.  Jimmy Rollins, who was only playing in his 2nd game since being back, didn’t look too sharp during the game, but let’s just say he turned it around later.  Jayson Werth hit another opposite/center field home run and Raul Ibanez had a 2 RBI double to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  Brian got off the Schneider (I had to use that sorry) by hitting a homer to right to tie the game at 5.  One person who really hit the ball well tonight was Chase Utley, but that won’t show up on the scorecard.  He ripped two balls foul that were no-doubt-about-it home runs and hit another one to the warning track that needed a great catch to avoid an extra base hit.  All in all, Chase was on top of the ball tonight and I really think he has gotten the confidence to break out of his slump.

Back to Jimmy Rollins.  After the Phillies allowed the Indians to take a 6-5 lead (possibly due to some poor managing by Charlie Manuel who should’ve walked Carlos Santana to load the bases and create force outs at each base with 1 out instead of pitching to him), they were down their last chance, the bottom of the 9th.  Jimmy Rollins, who was 0-4 with two miserable looking strikeouts came to the plate.  Watching him in the batter’s box brought back memories of Game 4 against the Dodgers in the NLCS when Jimmy hit a double in the gap to fuel the Phillies’ comeback.  Me, my brother, and my neighbor were discussing that at bat and getting pumped up, hoping Jimmy could provide some more magic tonight, down one run with a man on.  Just then, Jimmy took a Kerry Wood fastball and deposited into the right field seats at Citizen’s Bank Park, hitting his FIRST ever walk off home run and giving the Phillies the 7-6 victory they really needed!  While giving his post-game interview, Shane Victorino emerged from the dugout and gave Rollins his shaving cream pie to the face, showing us that this team still has the confidence and swagger that we’ve seen for the past few seasons.  At 37-32 the Phillies still have a lot of work to do, but the season isn’t even half over yet and we are only 4 games out.  Let’s go Phils!

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Phinally!

September 8th, 2009 BroadStreetHero

All it takes is a game against the Washington Nationals to get the Phillies (minus Brad Lidge) back on track. After losing four straight games which included a sweep by the Astros, the Phillies got a win by virtue of the long ball. Led by 6.2 strong innings from Pedro Martinez and a flurry of homers, the Phillies were able to put away the Nationals by a score of 5-3.

The heavy hitters in tonight’s game included Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, and Raul Ibanez. Raul seems to finally be finding his swing again, swatting two homers in the game tonight, giving him 30 on the season. The foursome of Utley, Howard, Werth, and Ibanez now have 30 home runs each on the season. They are the 12th foursome to accomplish this feat, and the first Phillies to do so.

The one bleak note on the game was Brad Lidge, who was given his last chance to be the Phillies closer, and he blew it. Once again Lidge let the lead off man reach first base, and Charlie Manuel finally was fed up with him after seeing the bases get loaded with only one out.

Ryan Madson took over for Lidge and got the last two outs, recording the save for Pedro Martinez, who is now 4-0 with the Phillies. Overall, the game showed us that the Phillies could be back to their hitting ways, a good sign for the reigning champs.

I want to extend a thank you to my readers who have stuck with me while I have been busy, and also a thank you to Charlie Manuel for finally saying “Enough is enough” and pulling the plug on Lidge. I know he was perfect last year, but enough is enough.

Posted in Phillies Tags: 3,091 Comments »

Phillies Back on Track

August 14th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
Shane probably wouldve rather had one to drink after the game than a beer during the game.

Shane probably would've rather had one to drink after the game than a beer during the game.

In case anyone forgot, the Phillies did sweep the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field yesterday. Behind another sensational performance by Cliff Lee, the Phillies brought their division lead back up to 5 games. Lee pitched 8 strong innings, allowing only one run while striking out 8. In three starts with the Phillies Cliff Lee has shown why he was the AL Cy Young Winner last season. His stats so far: 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA, 24 innings pitched, 23 Ks, and 6 BB. Plus he has 3 hits which is equal to the amount of runs he has let up.

Lee wasn’t the only highlight of the game.  The Phillies brought their bats out in the series and remembered how to hit with runners in scoring position for the first time in a while.  Ryan Howard hit his first home run of August and Pedro Feliz also homered to spark the Phillies in the finale.

The Phillies were able to sweep the Cubs at Wrigley for the first time in the last 25 years.  The Wrigley faithful had something to say about it, trying to help out their Cubs by throwing a beer on Shane Victorino as he was trying to make a catch late in the game.  Fortunately Shane kept his concentration and caught the ball while receiving a shower of beer.

After this energy boost, the Phillies traveled to Atlanta to face the division rival Braves.  Tonight Joe Blanton squared off against Braves ace Jair Jurrjens, who the Phillies hadn’t scored a run against in his last two starts.  After the Braves got out to a 1-0 lead, Chase Utley provided a spark for the Phillies by hitting a two run homer off of Jurrjens (his first of August) to make it 2-1 Phils.

Of course they gave one run back the next inning to tie the game at two.  Both starters pitched through 7 innings as the game remained tied due to some tremendous fielding, especially by Shane Victorino, who made two sensational grabs in center field.

In the top of the 9th inning, Ryan Howard showed that he is back in the home run hitting groove, smacking a solo shot to deep center field.  This gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead, and it was Howard’s 205th career home run, passing Dick Allen on the Phillies all time home run list.  Not-so-lights-out Brad Lidge came into the game in the bottom of the 9th to close it out for the Phillies, who were going for their 4th win in a row, one that they sorely needed to put some more room between themselves and the Braves.

After getting the first out, Lidge allowed a base hit, then a stolen base.  Brad then threw some 97 mph high heat to strike out Ryan Church.  With a man on 2nd and two outs, Lidge faced the poor man’s Matt Stairs in Greg Norton, who he walked.  This brought Nate McLouth to the plate for the Braves with two men on.  McClouth hit a fly ball to left field that fell into the glove of Raul Ibanez, securing the win for the Phillies!

Posted in Phillies Tags: , , , , , , 1,519 Comments »

The Manny Effect

August 8th, 2009 BroadStreetHero

The Los Angeles Dodgers are considered to be the best team in baseball this year. They have the best record in the league at 67-43 and lead the NL West by 6.5 games. They are driven by a host of young stars who all revolve around one tainted veteran, Manny Ramirez. Players like Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Ethier have shined in a Dodger’s lineup that contains Manny.

When Ramirez was suspended 50 games for testing positive for PEDs in early May, one of those young stars declined dramatically, and that is what I call “The Manny Effect”.

I have heard about Right Fielder Andre Ethier since before he was a household name in Los Angeles. My younger brother is an avid fan of Arizona State baseball, and Ethier was the star of the team that he followed. My brother has followed his career, all the while collecting memorabilia from baseball cards to game used jerseys and bats. Even though he is as much of a Phillies fan as I am, he still would root for Ethier when he played against us.

So far this season, Andre Ethier has had some of the most memorable late inning heroics in baseball. He has five walk off hits, four of which are home runs, and two of which came against the Phillies in back to back games. The most recent of these walk offs came two nights ago in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Atlanta Braves when Ethier hit a three run shot into the night to win the game for the Dodgers by a score of 5-4. That’s what happens when you fall behind 2-0 in the count and throw a pitch over the middle because you would rather throw that to Ethier than allow the man behind him, Manny Ramirez, to step up to the plate.

Manny’s presence in the lineup has been very significant to Andre Ethier, and his performance shows it. Ethier has played in 59 games this season with Manny in the lineup and in 48 games without Manny due to his suspension. The statistics I compiled on Ethier during both of these times shows the Manny Effect.

59 Games with Manny Ramirez in the Lineup

.314 BA      14 HR      47 RBI      34 BB      36 K

48 Games without Manny Ramirez in the Lineup

.222 BA      9 HR        25 RBI        16 BB        42 K

As you can see, Ethier’s production is drastically lower without Manny there to back him up.  Without Manny, Andre’s batting average is 92 points lower, he has hit less home runs while driving in less runs, and his walks to strikeout ratio is remarkably different, from about 1:1 with Manny to 1:2.5 without him.  That means Ethier gets on base less, puts the ball in play less, and is less productive overall without Manny Ramirez.

There seems to be a euphoria in Los Angeles that revolves around Mannywood, and from the looks of it, Andre Ethier should be his biggest fan.

Posted in The Rest Tags: , , , , , , , 1,172 Comments »

Phillies Win 7-0 on Happ’s Complete Game Shutout

August 5th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
The Phillies are back to their winning ways

The Phillies are back to their winning ways

J.A. Happ just showed Phillies management, coaches, players, and fans why he deserves a spot not only in the starting rotation for the rest of the season, but also as the fourth man in the playoff rotation. Tonight, Happ pitched 9 shutout innings for his 2nd complete game shutout of the season. He racked up a career high 10 strikeouts as well, showing that he can be dominant. On a night where Pedro Martinez pitched 6 strong innings in AA ball where he fanned 11 batters, J.A. Happ overshadowed with a more dominant performance against the Wild Card leading Rockies.

J.A. wasn’t the only story tonight. After a 6 game stretch where the Phillies bats were limp and the team went 1-5 while scoring a total of 13 runs, they finally started hitting. Each starter got a hit, including a double by Happ, and Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, and Jayson Werth hit homers for the Phils. Ryan Howard also recorded an RBI tonight, and Chase Utley got hit by a pitch for the 17th time this season and 100th time in his career.

The hot summer night was all the Phillies needed to get back on track in front of a crowd that acted as if tonight’s game was a playoff game. The atmosphere was absolutely electric as J.A. Happ struck out the final batter of the game, demonstrating poise that is needed out of a playoff pitcher.

Tomorrow afternoon Cliff Lee makes his home debut. He will have to do something extraordinary to overshadow his first start where he pitched a complete game while allowing only one run. Hopefully he is the competitive type and will only want to improve on his performance, and maybe try to beat out Happ’s outing from tonight.

Posted in Phillies Tags: , , , , , , , , 5,775 Comments »
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