The Female Fanbase

By Amy McGinnis

We all know that Phillies fans have a certain reputation that is generally less than favorable and, in my opinion, not an accurate picture of the fanbase as a whole.  It seems to me that Phillies fans are the ones who are able to give you fair illustration of what the fans in this city are like.  Yes, there are some who are over-the-top and belligerent; however, for the most part, we're an intelligent and passionate group of people.  Well, what about female Phils fans? The reaction I get from male fans is sometimes interesting, to say the least.  I've been told to get back in the kitchen on more than one occassion.  I wanted to see how other women in the stands feel about it.  I talked to Karrie Woodruff, Stacey Lucas and Colleen Lucas, three ladies who know their stuff.  (They're all spoken for, by the way, so calm down.)

Before I get ahead of myself, I'd like to note that I am not attempting to criticize any females who enjoy baseball for different reasons.  I know there are plenty of women who enjoy the nice weather and tight pants.  My goal is to shine a light on those of us females who know and love the sport.  That being said ... what is it like being a female Phillies fan?

Stacey says that her favorite part of baseball is the comeback, and Colleen agrees.  The thrill of a rally in the 8th, a walk off homerun ... anyone who says baseball is boring hasn't watched a game with these girls. Karrie enjoys the strategy involved in the game.  Personally, I love that there is no time limit on games.  We've all been to the Vet and CBP into the wee hours, thinking, "Guess I'm just not sleeping tonight.  Oh well."

I love that, among four women, we have four different favorite players.  Karrie likes Jim Thome, explaining, "He doesn't juice, he plays hard, always give it his all and loves the game. Plus, as much as he gives on the field, he gives that much off the field to the community he is in. I also like the way he holds that bat before he settles into his ready stance."  Colleen likes Jimmy Rollins, citing his "cocky confidence" and "total understanding of Phils fans." It seems that Stacey and I are in the same boat: when asked who our favorite players are (Chase Utley and Cole Hamels, respectively), a lot of the time men smile at the answer and say, "Of course he is." I have explained myself more times than I care to admit as to why Hamels is my favorite.  His changeup, the focus and maturity he has acquired over time, the way he pitches rather than just fires the ball, the way he reminds me of a taller Tom Glavine ... I could go on.  Stacey likes Utley because he "plays the game like it should be played." She describes his fielding as "old school," and she loves that he hustles everything out, "even a clean shot to the second baseman."  As much as I love talking about baseball, I almost dislike being asked who my favorite player is, because I feel the need to qualify my answer.

I wondered if Karrie, Stacey and Colleen got similar reactions from men when it became apparent that they know what they're talking about.  I will say that, generally speaking, our answers are the same.  Guys seem surprised that when we open our mouths "Ohmygawd he's so hot" doesn't come out.  I think that when I was younger, I felt the need to try to prove myself in conversations; I got over that.  It seems that it doesn't occur to some men that girls know baseball (Colleen says, "I don't think it should be that big of surprise").  In all of our experiences, that initial amazement usually diminishes rather quickly.  It seems that most men think it's cool when a woman can enjoy sports with him.

I love raising my three daughters to be Phillies fans.  I love watching games with them, answering their questions about everything that's going on in the game, and knowing that they're likely to fall in love with baseball the same way I did.

Of course, especially with a winning team like the Phillies, fandom can become very trendy.  I think all four of us agree that we don't care if other people, male or female, enjoy baseball for different reasons than we do.  Every single one of us knows, appreciates, and loves different things about the sport.  That's what makes for good conversation and even debate.  Everyone brings something unique to the table.  Just don't bring a condescending attitude, because someone with a uterus just might run circles around you with her knowledge.

Saying Goodbye

By Amy McCormick

I’ve been waiting to write this post, because I haven’t been ready to talk about it.  I still don’t know that I am, but now is as good a time as any, I suppose.  I will say that I’m not ready to start discussing who will start at first next season and whether or not the Phils will resign Jimmy.  I can’t handle that right now.  To say that I’m upset and disappointed would be a gross understatement. 

This season was our year.  It was not a rebuilding year or a transitional year.  This team was built for a World Series win.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. assembled a team that was Fall Classic or bust.  After our Cliff Lee Christmas gift last year, it seemed our fate was sealed.  Who could possibly contend with a Halladay-Lee-Oswalt-Hamels-and-oh-yeah-Blanton-too pitching staff?  Well, no one.  Our starting pitching was never really an issue, not even with injuries.  Our bullpen, though they had plenty of “off” nights, seemed to hold their own, too.  Our defense was fine. 

What went wrong?

It’s the same story I’ve been complaining about all season.  Outstanding pitching can only get us so far; with no run support, it’s pretty tough to compete.  Everyone thought the return of Utley would be the answer to our prayers.  For a short while, The Utley Effect did boost offense; it didn’t last.  On July 29, or RAJ Day in Philadelphia, we acquired Hunter Pence.  Pence, welcomed with open arms, was what our lineup needed: a right handed bat in the five hole.

So, what the hell happened?

It’s so hard to say, and I hate to be a Monday morning quarterback about it.  The thing is, though, we’re all left with that burning question: How does a 102-win team get eliminated by the wild card in the first round of the playoffs?  It’s hard for me to get angry, because the truth is, we were outplayed.  Period.  The better performance advanced to the NLCS.  I’ve heard lots of answers and theories; the lineup should have been switched, Charlie should have been fired last year, etc.  I can’t come up with anything more than the fact that we just couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and not even Doc could save us from that. 

So, in the past day or so, my emotions have run the gamut from shock to disappointment to heartbreak.  It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.  I hate to be a crybaby about it, and of course I wanted that parade
… it’s just baffling.  For someone who doesn’t love sports, I’m sure it seems silly, but this really is hard to handle.  If one more person says “There’s always next year” to me, s/he will get an earful.  It won’t be the same 25 guys next season, and this was our year to win.  It didn’t happen.  Let me mourn that, please.  We’re saying goodbye to the season and to this specific team.

To all my fellow Phils fans, I know that we’ll never stop loving this team.  Maybe the silver lining is that there will be fewer bandwagoners eating up all the tickets next season …. In any event, pitchers and catchers will report in four months and we’ll start this whole thing over again.  In the meantime … I’ll still be wearing my Phillies gear and sending well wishes to all the injured and surgery bound players.  Chin up, kids.  The sadness only means that you’re passionate, and that’s a damned good thing.

NLDS Game 3 in St. Louis

By Amy McCormick

This evening will be Game 3 of the NLDS in St. Louis.  Although I’d consider any postseason game to be “must win,” this one is especially important.  The series is tied at one win apiece, it’s just a five game series, and the Phils will be playing as visitors.  No pressure, Cole.

I have confidence in this team and this game is winnable. We need to see a couple things.

Jaime Garcia, the starting pitcher for St. Louis, finished the regular season 13-7 with a 3.56 ERA.  He has been successful against the Phillies in the past; in general, Philadelphia’s offense is better when facing a right handed pitcher (Garcia is a lefty).  He did pitch two complete games this past season, but he has no postseason experience.  Our offense needs to take advantage and get him rattled early.  I want Rollins and Utley to look at a lot of pitches.  I want aggressive base stealing.  I want momentum from the first inning, and I want the Phils to sustain it through the ninth.  Garcia pitches well at home; the Phils need to tire him out, rack up the pitch count, and work him.

Busch Stadium is a “hitter’s park,” but that might be due to the Cardinals’ offense.  Theriot, Jay and Furcal are no joke.  Pujols is limping around and still went 2 for 5 on Sunday.  We need to take these batters seriously.  Cliff Lee, my second favorite lefty, got a little bit roughed up by St. Louis on Sunday.  I want to see Hamels use his changeup effectively.  His offspeed pitches will keep batters swinging at what they think is a fastball.  You may recall Cole going 4-0 in the 2008 postseason.  This kid has what it takes to shut down even an aggressive offense.  Hopefully he locates his pitches well and retires batters with a quick tempo. 

A lot of us are nervous and excited about this evening’s game.  This is what October is all about.  This is what we’ve waited all year for.  Enjoy it.

Utley to Miss a Few Games

By Amy McCormick

In the bottom of the sixth inning last night, Braves' relief pitcher Eric O'Flaherty beamed Chase Utley in the back of the head.  What, no brawl? I'm not ranting about how classless and trashy Atlanta is?  Although I appreciate Ricky Bottalico's musings on which Brave will pay for it when revenge strikes, I have to say that it didn't look intentional at all. 

The bright side: 

1. Chase has great instincts and managed to whip his head around and have his helmet take the brunt of the pitch.  He seemed stunned by the incident, and I'm sure it hurt(s) like hell, but his batting helmet did its job last night by keeping Utley's brains on the inside. Plus, no damage to that pretty face we love so much.

2. This incident could have have happened weeks from now.  The implications of that are obvious, I'd say.  Let's hope that this bump in the road will leave Chase feeling rested and healthy for October.

3. Wilson Valdez is no Chase Utley, but he's a pretty damned good sub.  Injuries within our lineup are never fun, but the Phils have a knack for holding down the fort well when someone is out.

4. We have some breathing room.  I'd neve suggest lying down and playing dead - but the truth is, we're 10.5 games ahead of the Braves in the East.  If we didn't have such a cushion, I'm sure there would be a lot more panic in this city right now.

5. Chase has shown us that he can bounce back from an injury and perform extremely well on the field and at the plate.  I'll be the first to admit that I was hesitant about getting excited for Utley's return from his DL stint earlier this season.  Clearly, I was wrong.  His speed and range of motion actually look better to me than they did pre-injury.

6. Our favorite second baseman is in good care.  Team doctor Michael Ciccotti and Phils' trainer Scott Sheridan are being cautious and monitoring Utley.  In a couple days, he will perform ImPACT testing, which will compare his reaction and response times to his baseline scores.  The fact that Team Utley isn't taking this lightly is a good sign - it means that everyone is working to ensure his health and safety.

Why I'm worried. Maybe I shouldn't say "worried." I'm concerned about this incident for one reason: it happened to his head.  It's a mild concussion, but a concussion nontheless. I'm generally pretty freaked out by any sort of head injury because so much could go wrong.  After getting hit, Utley turned to the home plate umpire to ask him what had happened.  I don't read lips very well, but I think the umpire replied with something in the neighborhood of  "Ummmm ... you just took a 91 mph sinker to the head.  That's what happened."

I guess the only thing we can do is wait and see (and make homemade glittery get well cards for Chase, of course).  My best advice is to sit tight and see what the doctors tell us.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. thinks that the injury is "very mild," and continues, "He got a 90-mile-an-hour fastball off the melon, so we're going to be cautious about it." Fair enough.  Get well soon, Chase. 

Utley Won't Save This Offense

By Amy McCormick

The Phillies have the best record in Major League Baseball.  They’re currently 24-12; the Marlins trail by three games in the NL East.  Don’t celebrate just yet.  The Phils also only have 34 extra-base hits with runners on, a slugging percentage that is on the decline, and 156 runs scored (fourteenth in all of baseball).  Where is the offense?

I, for one, am tired of seeing ground balls hit into double plays, runners stranded, and batters swinging at garbage (I’m talking to you, Wilson Valdez.  You were swinging in the dirt last night).  It’s hard to complain when Philadelphia boasts MLB’s best win-loss record, but I’ll do it anyway.  Why?   The NL East may not offer huge competition, but I have a feeling that St. Louis, Cincinnati, Texas and Colorado – all upcoming opponents – will produce better offense.  Aside from the Rockies, each of those teams has scored more runs this season than the Phillies. 

So, what’s the solution?  Please tell me you don’t think Chase Utley will single-handedly save this lineup. 

Utley has begun his rehab and is playing decently well in Clearwater; we hope to see him return to the Phils this month.  That’s fantastic news.  Of course we want our All-Star second baseman back from his long absence.  Will it be enough to turn the offense around?  Doubtful. 

What’s the answer, then?  Fire Greg Gross and send him to hang out with Milt Thompson?  Switch the batting order?  Purchase new batting gloves?  Come on, Charlie.  It’s not rocket science.  These players are perfectly capable of getting on base and sending one another home to score.  I think Manuel is a little too laissez-faire with his players; I’m not asking him to micromanage them, but when the bats are coming up short, it ultimately falls on him.  The Phils’ lineup needs to be held accountable.  Manuel wants the best team possible – pitching, batting and fielding.  He needs to start demanding it and expecting it. 

Surely, the return of Utley (and Ruiz, I haven’t forgotten about him) should improve production.  I just don’t think it’s wise to expect Chase to swoop in and save the day.  I’m sure some of you think that I have no right to complain, since Philadelphia’s winning record is better than the rest of Major League Baseball.  Well, if we want the best overall team, then pitching isn’t going to cut it.  We all saw Cliff Lee strike out sixteen and still get the loss, yes?  Run support is crucial.  I’m excited that Chase is on his way back, and I’m sure he’ll contribute … but he’s not Superman.  I don’t like seeing a perfectly capable lineup coming up short. 

What did they tell us all back in little league?  Everybody hits. 

Missing Utley and Lidge

By Amy McCormick

The Phillies began the 2011 season with two long-term substitutes in key roles: Wilson Valdez has been covering for Chase Utley at second base and Jose Contreras has been consistently filling in for Brad Lidge as our closing pitcher.  I’ll admit that I like both Valdez and Contreras; however, the return of Utley and Lidge cannot come soon enough.

At second base, Valdez is a solid infielder.  At the plate, he leaves something to be desired.  Last season, in 333 at bats, Valdez hit .258.  Going into tonight’s game, his batting average was .318, with fourteen hits.  Let me put it this way: if we need to have our second baseman on the disabled list for a length of time, and we use an in-house solution for coverage, my choice is Wilson Valdez.  That being said, he’s no Utley.  Chase Utley is one of the top second basemen in the league, both defensively and offensively.  At this point, the Phillies have sixteen games in the books for 2011.  In the first eight games, our offense averaged 7.25 runs per game.  In the latter half, they’ve average 2.875 runs per game.  Are we going to have a repeat of the offensive slump we saw in 2010? We need Chase healthy, and we need him back in the lineup.  I watched footage of Utley doing drills yesterday, and his lateral movement looks remarkably better.  The fact that he’s running is promising.  I’m holding my excitement until I see him in the starting lineup, though.  I hope, for our offense’s sake, that it’s sooner than later.  The Phils got shut out by Milwaukee tonight, and the offense managed just two hits. 

Brad Lidge has been out due to issues with his shoulder, and is expected to return this season without surgery.  In his absence, Jose Contreras has been closing quite a few games.  I have to say that I like Madson in the eighth and Contreras in the ninth.  My concern is the questions I have about Contreras’s longevity.  I have doubts that he can keep up the innings he’s been throwing for a long period of time.  Some people hate Brad Lidge and say that he’s injury prone, past his prime, and anxiety inducing.  Please remember that he had 27 saves in 32 opportunities last season; he converted seventeen of his last eighteen.  His four-seam fastball and breaking slider make him one of the best closers in baseball.  Don’t get me wrong; I like Contreras in the ninth inning, even if he is 39 years old (he has to be older than that).  I’ll admit that I get excited when I hear “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” as he runs from the bullpen.  But just as Valdez is no Utley, Contreras just isn’t Lidge.

I think we’re lucky to have talented substitutes for regular players.  Wilson Valdez and Jose Contreras continue to contribute to the team and they play their roles well.  My hope, however, is that Chase Utley and Brad Lidge are 100% healthy – soon – and we start seeing them on the field each night. 

Ut-oh ...

By Amy McCormick

We’ve all known for weeks that Chase Utley has an injured right knee.  The mystery has been how severe the injury actually is; Utley has been known to play through pain, and Ruben Amaro, Jr. is famous for not divulging information.

There are a few things we need to look at here.  To begin with, let’s examine the actual damage to his knee.  Physician for the Phillies Michael Cicotti says that Chase has patellar tendonitis, chondromalacia, and bone inflammation.  What it boils down to is that Utley is in pain when he bears weight on his right leg.  He’s been able to swing the bat, because he’s a lefty, but running and playing defense are just too painful.  There is a chance, since he has had issues with the knee before, that the condition is degenerative.  Cartilage does not repair itself, and there’s a strong possibility that Chase will be faced with a decision: suck it up and play through the pain, or undergo surgery.

Assuming that Chase will be out for an indefinite amount of time, a question arises: will his absence have an impact on the Phillies? The answer to that question is a resounding YES.  Since 2005, no other second baseman has had more homeruns or RBIs.  If you look at WAR (Wins Above Replacement) numbers, you’ll see how many wins to which a player contributes compared to a how a replacement-level player would perform.  Over the past four seasons, Utley’s WAR average is 7.18.  Wilson Valdez, a possible substitute for Utley, has averaged 0.35. 

This leads to the next question: who will play second base? A middle infield position is not an easy one to fill, and Chase’s bat would be missed as well.  An obvious option is Wilson Valdez, who served as a substitute infielder through much of the Phils’ injury-riddled 2010 season.  Other possibilities are Michael Martinez, Delwyn Young, and Josh Barfield.  That’s just about it, right?

Maybe not.

Apparently, Charley Kerfield, a Phillies scout, has been watching the Texas Rangers.  More specifically, he has had his eye on Michael Young.  It seems that Michael Young trade rumors come up every now and then, so we shouldn’t count on a deal until we see it.  If we were to sign him, we’d surely end up sending pitchers to Texas.  That being said, Young can play 2^nd, shortstop or 3^rd.  The Phils could move Polanco to second base and have Michael Young at third base.  He posted a .284 batting average last season, and is a right-handed batter.  In our lefty-heavy lineup, that could be very beneficial.

It seems that there are still several unknowns at this point, and we’re all waiting to see what happens next.  I sincerely wish Chase Utley the best in his recovery and hope that he rejoins the team – healthy – as soon as possible.  In the meantime, we’ll have to stay tuned.