Tonight's Game, in Numbers

By Amy McCormick

Tonight’s 9-0 victory in Cincinnati brings us one day closer to the postseason.  Here are just a few reasons, quantitatively speaking.

18.  Number of shutouts the Phillies’ pitching staff has recorded thus far this season.

3. Number of RBIs for Halladay tonight.

411.  Number, in feet to center field, the baseball traveled when Pence homered in the 6^th.

6. Number of consecutive 100 RBI seasons for Ryan Howard.

85. Number of games in the Phils’ “Wins” column.

17. Number of homeruns for Raul Ibanez this season.

7 ½. Number of games by which the Braves trail the Phils.

23.  Our magic number.

Do the math, kids.  This team is steamrolling itself toward the Fall Classic.

Yankees' Thunder Stolen ... Again

Hurricane Irene's projected path

By Amy McCormick

Hurricane Irene is expected to unleash her wrath on the East Coast this weekend.  Because the storm's path looks as though it will follow the I-95 corridor, the Phillies-Marlins game on Sunday has been preponed.  There will be a day/night double header on Saturday at CBP, weather permitting. 

It's no mystery why my Facebook feed has gone from earthquake frenzy to hurricane madness.  Funny that the Yankees' 22-9 victory over Oakland didn't come up in conversation at all today.  (Phillies were the last team to score 22 runs in one game, in 2009.)  Martin, Cano and Granderson each hit a grand slam in the Bronx today - an MLB record - and no one seems to have noticed.  Why is that? Just recently, my Facebook was flooded with Jim Thome excitement - just seconds after he hit his 600th home run.  (I am certain that I am friends with just one Twins fan, by the way.)  Well, why no talk of the Yankees today?

Oh, right.  Because nobody cares.

Remember the Sports Illustrated cover last month, featuring a larger-than-life Carlos Ruiz? It was released a few days after Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit.  If you squint, you can see a tiny mention of DJ in the upper left corner.  It still makes me laugh ...

LOLMets

By Amy McCormick

We fans really needed to see the Phils destroy the Mets tonight, after the weekend we had.  What a bizarre weekend it was at CBP South!  Rain delays, two consecutive “starts” for Oswalt, and an uncharacteristic few days for the bullpen seemed to throw the Phils for a loop.  While I was impressed (relieved, excited, I could go on) by Oswalt’s outing on Saturday, it seems that his performance was the only highlight of the series.  Well, that and Schwimer’s debut.  Phils lost the series.  To the Nationals.  Seriously.  During the rain delay on Sunday, I joked that I would write a post titled “Mother Nature Interrupts Halladay Beating Wang; He’s Unable to Finish.” I was too depressed by the end of the game to even bother.

So, what’s a team to do after such a series? How do the Phils get their mojo back?  What’s a good pick-me-up for players and fans alike?

Beat up on the Mets.  Duh.

And did they ever.  Cliff Lee records his 14^th win of the season and the Phils are now 82-44.  We saw homers from Pence and Mayberry, a triple from Vic, and a double from Chooch.  Phils win, 10-0.  If it had been a Little League game, it would have been called after six innings.  There’s no mercy in the bigs, though … not even for the Mets.  Ricky Bo said after tonight’s game, “This is what the Phillies should have been doing to the Washington Nationals.” True.  One thing (of many) that I love about our team, though, is the ability to shake it off and put a bad game behind them.

We’ll see New York again tomorrow night at 7:05.  It just doesn’t get old for me.  LOLMets.

My Two-Minute Date With Cole Hamels

By Amy McCormick

Well, the day I had been waiting for finally came yesterday.  I met Cole Hamels.  Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself just a little.

Back in March, a friend of mine told me that Cole would be doing a signing in May.  My reaction to the news was pretty obvious: acquire a ticket immediately and explain the $130 to my husband later (he wasn't thrilled, by the way).  As it turned out, Cole was scheduled to pitch when that Saturday rolled around, and it got rescheduled for June ... and July ... and finally, my first date with him (um, I mean ... his autograph signing event) was set for August 14th. 

Now, you have to understand that I watch baseball, I love the game, and I understand the sport.  I'm not one of those females who follows a team because she likes the colors the players wear.  I don't care what Chase Utley looks like; as long as he's doing his job at the plate and on the field, I'm happy.  And as far as Cole Hamels goes, let me get one thing straight.  He is an incredibly skilled and talented pitcher, and I appreciate his athleticism.  It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes, though.  And some of you may know that Cole and I have been in a pretty serious romantic relationship since 2007.  He just doesn't know about it.

So, I dragged my husband (no longer bitter about the $130) to Delaware County so that we could stand in line for an hour for an autograph.  There are very few other people (ok, no one) I would wait an hour in line to meet for two minutes.  I went over friends' advice in my head: Don't scream.  Don't cry.  Don't faint.  Don't act in a way that would cause security to escort me out.  As we got close, a dad carried his four-year-old son out of the store, kicking and screaming, "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!!!" My husband looked at me and said, "Don't make me do that."

We got to the front of the line, and I was greeted by a less-than-friendly woman who barked at me, "Have your item ready for Mr. Hamels to sign.  Take a picture WHILE he's signing it.  He will not pose."  I confidently (not at all true) stepped up to the table and was greeted by Cole's smile and "Hi!" I'm pretty sure I said hello back to him, but I can't be certain.  I handed him the picture for him to autograph, and while he was signing it, per the boss lady's instructions, I attempted to take a picture.  It turns out that when you're that nervous, you fumble with things.  He finished signing, handed me the picture, and realized that I had my camera in my hand.  I am pleased to announce that he disobeyed the warden ... he waited patiently for me to get my camera ready, and he grinned for me.  (I have already ordered the print in poster size.  My husband, again, not happy.)  I managed to squeak out, "Thank you," and he said, "Rockin'.  You're welcome." I don't really know what "rockin'" is supposed to mean, but I love it.  He couldn't have been friendlier.  I left the store with a huge grin ... and an 8x10 autographed picture of Cole Hamels (he also wrote "08 WS MVP"). 

So, my date with Cole lasted about two minutes, but I'll certainly never forget it.  Until next time, Mr. Hamels ....

Phils Don't Sweep, But They Take Out the Trash

By Amy McCormick

Thursday, August 4^th began a four game series against the Giants in San Francisco.  Aside from the late start times, the series promised to be a good one.  Here’s a rundown of what happened.

Thursday.  Cliff Lee was matched up with Madison “My Parents Clearly Wanted a Girl” Bumgarner.  Lee pitched well; half of his eight strikeouts belonged to Cody Ross.  “That’s probably the best game I’ve had as far as commanding the ball,” Lee said.  “I was getting ahead of the hitters and staying away from the middle of the plate.  I felt like I could throw any pitch at any time to any location.” Can you ask anything more of a pitcher?  Phils took the first game with a score of 3-0, which is Lee’s fifth shutout of the season.  Hunter Pence and John Mayberry, Jr. had back-to-back homers in the 2^nd inning.  Bumgarner stated, “That second inning cost me I guess.  The way he [Lee] was throwing, he looked like he could throw about fourteen innings out there.” After the end of the game, of course, tragedy stuck not far from AT&T Park.  Ryan White, 9, of Yardley, had attended the game to cheer on the Phillies.  A drunken jerk of a Giants fan managed to mow White down with a car, putting him in critical condition.  Luckily, the suspect was caught not much later. 

Friday.  Wonder why fans in San Francisco act like reckless criminals? Well, the top of the sixth inning in Friday’s game is an indication of what the fanbase seems to aspire to.  Vance Worley and Jonathan Sanchez were the starting pitchers, and the Phils won 9-2; not a whole lot else matters, considering all anyone has been talking about is the brawl that ensued on the field.  In the top of the sixth, Ramon Ramirez quite obviously hit Shane Victorino in the back intentionally with a pitch.  When asked if he thought Ramirez hit him deliberately, Victorino said, “Yeah, absolutely, I think he did.”  Vic started toward the mound, which caused Giants’ catcher Eli Whiteside to jump around like a lunatic.  Placido Polanco came to back up Victorino, and Whiteside tackled him.  Benches cleared; teammates and coaches from both sides poured onto the field.  The bullpens emptied.  It was one of those fights you can’t wait to see again in the highlights after the game.  Bruce Bochy remarked, “It’s baseball and things happen fast.  Tempers flare.  It’s part of the game … it’s competition.  Things aren’t going well for us.  It happens and you deal with it … I thought it was fairly clean out there.” Um, I assume he was talking about the Phillies’ involvement, because the Giants instigated the brawl from the get-go.  The Phils merely reacted.  Whiteside, Ramirez, and Victorino were ejected.  Charlie defends Victorino, because his reaction was pretty appropriate.  Ramirez wasn’t pitching well and it looked as if he just wanted to nail a batter with a pitch.  The Giants’ lowly tactics couldn’t land them a win.

Saturday. Cole Hamels started for the Phils, and the Giants sent Matt Cain to the hill.  A lot of fans expected a repeat of the previous night’s fight.  Not only did we not see such action, the game didn’t last much more than two hours.  Phils won, 2-1.  Hamels said, “I was one out away from a shutout.” It was 2-0 going into the bottom of the ninth, but Pablo “I Shouldn’t Be Playing in This Game Because I Choked Chooch Last Night” Sandoval hit a two-out homer.  Bochy, when asked about the Giants’ lethargic offense, said, “You don’t win the World Series unless you can beat good pitching.  Right now, we’re not doing that.” Yeah, no kidding.  Even your fans agree.  Aubrey Huff, a fan favorite in San Francisco, was booed when he grounded out to Ryan Howard.  Like I said, the fans in San Francisco are suitable for their classless team.

Sunday. Today’s broadcast began with Tim Lincecum on the mound, the breeze flowing through his long (and disgusting) hair.  I hate to say it, but Lincecum pitched well.  He kept the Phils’ offense at one run; the Giants ruined Philadelphia’s attempt at a sweep and won 3-1.  It was “Little” Roy Oswalt’s return to the bigs after being absent more than six weeks.  He looked healthy, and his velocity was fine.  He just seemed a little rusty.  He let up twelve hits in six innings, getting himself into jams and working his way out of them.  Oswalt scored the Phils’ only run, and said, “It’s good to be on the field.  It’s good to be well again.” Though Philly suffered the loss, it is nice to have #44 back in the rotation.  The Phillies played a great series, and I hated to see it end on a Brian Wilson note. 

Here’s what the series means to me: the Giants aren’t the contender they might think they are.  We are 74-40 (34 games above .500).  San Francisco is 63-52 (11 games above .500).  I used to view them as a tough team to beat, but they’re hanging onto the lead in the West by a thread.  (Meanwhile, the Phils are up 8 ½ games over Atlanta in the East.)   I used to see San Francisco as just a team with terrible hair (facial and otherwise) and a bunch of girls’ first names.  Now, thanks to poor behavior and poor sportsmanship, I see them for what they are: a team with trashy players and a trashy fanbase.  This I know: we will be seeing Phillies baseball well into October.  If the Giants would like to join us in the postseason, they’ll need to get their act together.

Ruben Amaro is a Good Fit for the Phils

By Amy McCormick

In our lifetimes, we’ve seen General Managers come and go; some have been great, and some have left much to be desired.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. is quite popular in this city, and for good reason:  he fills the role well.

Amaro grew up in my neighborhood.  I’ve thought about just telling people that he was raised in my current house – it’s not as if anyone would know the difference, right?  Anyway, Amaro grew up here, served as a batboy for the Phillies, and worked in the front office as Assistant General Manager under Wade and Gillick.  Ed Wade hired Amaro immediately after his career as a player ended, and he kept the position of AGM for ten seasons.  On November 1, 2008 (many of us still had a parade hangover), Pat Gillick handed the reigns to Amaro, naming him the new Phillies General Manager. 

RAJ has other ties to this area, as well.  He co-founded the Richie Ashburn - Harry Kalas Foundation, which provides grants to schools and allows underprivileged youth to participate in baseball camps free of charge.  Additionally, he is on the board for the Philadelphia YMCA.  It is clear that he finds value in giving back to his community.  I like that his philanthropy benefits the Delaware Valley, because it shows that Amaro is proud to be a hometown boy.

Amaro’s seemingly genius business sense is no accident.  He attended Stanford, where he played in the College World Series.  Phillies President and CEO David Montgomery had this to say about Ruben’s background benefiting the organization:

"A big part of it is communications, and Ruben has great communications skills.  Ruben has a skill set where he's comfortable in that clubhouse, and he's comfortable in that coaches' room, and he's comfortable in a conversation with the manager. He can ride in a car with Dallas Green and Pat Gillick, and be very comfortable in that dialogue. And explaining any of our moves to the general public, our ownership or anybody else, he's gifted, from a communications standpoint."

So, with his unique skill set, Amaro is able to understand what it means to be a fan, a player, and a businessman.  He has the ability to use these skills in everyday operations, big moves that will affect the team for years, and everything in between.  We all know that Amaro has acquired Ibañez, Lee (twice), Halladay, Oswalt and Pence.  What we usually don’t know is what is going on in Amaro’s mind, as he has been known to keep us guessing until a deal is inked. 

Amaro is an ideal General Manager for the Phils because he calls Philadelphia home, he’s intelligent and educated, he has played the game at the professional level, and he has the desire to win.  He inherited a great team (thanks to Ed Wade) and has turned it into an outstanding team (thanks, in part, to Ed Wade).  In March, Amaro signed an extension to serve as the Phillies’ General Manager through 2015.  I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to see what RAJ has in store for next July 29^th.