The Other Side of Things in the NL East by T-Stro

A look at the Phillies by Tim Mastro

In March 2007 Jimmy Rollins had the “audacity” to claim that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East, not the Mets. After this comment he was abused and hated for what he said (what is he suppose to say? "The Mets are better than us"?). It was almost laughable to some at the time, how was a Phillie team made up of some unproven young players, some never-wases, some supposedly has-beens, and some good players here and there, suppose to be better than the free-spending, headline grabbing New York Mets. Fast forward to now; with a MVP award on his shelf and back to back NL East titles, its J-Roll that’s having the last laugh.

As a student at the University of Delaware I’m basically right in the heart of Phillie country. Two of my roommates are from the Philly area so I’ve watched almost every Phillies game since we moved back in. The only baseball I get here is the Phils (aside from the occasional O’s or Nats game on MASN). As a Met fan I’m suppose to hate the Phillies and root against them and I do, but they are just so fun to watch, aside from possible the worst commentary team in the history of sports. *RANT* I understand Harry Kalas is a legend but he is so annoying. Gary Matthews has the IQ of a four year old and sounds like he’s chewing on rocks, while Chris Wheeler is probably the most biased color man ever. “Wheels” is only outdone by the bias on the post-game show (especially you Mitch Williams, two words: Joe Carter), love those announcers that use the words we and us. *RANT OVER*

While watching the Phightin Phils one thing sticks out to me in particular and that is how much they remind me of the 99-00 Mets. The quality that both these teams share is that neither was ever out of a game. This whole September even if the Phils were down, somehow you think they would win, meanwhile with the current crop of Mets even if they were up, somehow you think they would find a way to lose. Just like the 2000 Mets it seemed almost like a different person every night would step up and be the hero for the Phillies. Both teams had so many weapons that could change the game at any point in time. They both were also so good at doing the little things like going from first to third, hitting behind the runner, sacrifices etc.

What is it that makes the Phils so good? It starts with the pitching. Young Cole Hamels was slowly brought up a couple years ago and is now turning into one of the premier pitchers in the game. The wily veteran Jamie Moyer is still going strong into his 40s while Brett Myers has shaped up his sometimes erratic behavior on and off the field and while doing so has found his ace potential stuff. A midseason trade saw the Phils acquire Joe Blanton as a solid number 4 starter. Then there is one of if not the best bullpens in the National League. Led by closer Brad Lidge, who they took a big risk on (that Pujols homerun is still probably traveling in orbit somewhere) and it certainly has paid off as Lidge did not blow a single save this year. Its not just Lidge however, the pen also contains solid and reliable relievers like J.C Romero, Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson, Rudy Seanez, and Chad Durbin (so this is what a functioning bullpen looks like… neat).

The Phils also have one of the most fearsome lineups in the league, its strong, fast, balanced, and has tons of pop, complete with a solid bench as well. Jayson Werth has figured out how to hit right-handers and has emerged into a legit star. Pat Burrell started the season off looking like an MVP candidate, and while he did find himself in a slump in August he woke up at the end of September to help the Phils into October. Shane Victorino is one of the best sparkplugs in the game and Charlie Manuel’s decision to move him down in the order to provide energy to the bottom of the lineup proved to be a genius move. Ryan Howard started off the season terribly but he turned it around and managed to help power the Phils and get himself a mention in the MVP race. J-Roll proved to be a tough leader and an energizer for this offense. This is J-Rolls team and he wants the pressure on himself to take this team to the next level, J-Roll thrives on this pressure and he almost always seems to come through in tough situations (are you taking notes Mr. Reyes?). Finally the Phillies have something so important it deserves its own paragraph:

They have Chase Utley.

33 HRs 104 RBIs and 113 Rs are some crazy good numbers for a second baseman. Also consider that Utley finished the season hitting safely in 18 of his last 19 games while the Phillies were making their surge past the Mets into first and into October. The last time I’ve seen a player that was as pure as a hitter as Utley was Edgardo Alfonzo. Alfonzo developed into a star in the late 90s and early 2000s and was amazingly clutch for the Mets back then. Utley right now is developing into probably the best player in the NL behind Albert Pujols.

Last year after the Mets’ collapse it was clear that the Phillies did not really win the division as much as the Mets lost it. The Phillies were thrilled with making into the playoffs that they were quickly dismissed by the Rockies. This year it seems like the Phillies really won the division. This year the celebrations at Citizens Bank Park were much more subdued than last year. Its like the Phillies expected to make the playoffs this year, they have higher goals than just making it this time around. This year they are not just happy to be there, they are actual World Series contenders.