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Which one of these teams doesn’t belong ?
Philadelphia is one of the few cities in the country graced with 5 full time professional sports franchises.
4 of them are established, of course I refer to the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers. Now we also have a pro soccer team, the Union.
I played football and baseball as a teenager and in college. I played pick up games of basketball, stickball, volleyball, hockey, golf, darts and even horseshoes.
My high school had a soccer team.
Not only did I: 1) Never try out. but 2) Never watched a game nor: 3) was aware of the results of a game.
I have never played soccer.
All that being said, I think I may need to reevaluate the sport, at least from the perspective of being a fan or spectator.
Because, the numbers dont lie.
Let’s look at the average per game attendance of the teams over the past decade.
Philadelphia Eagles 66,302, 66,000, 65,888, 65,670, 67,991, 67,640, 69,209, 68,169, 69,125, 69,144.
That averages to 67,000 + fans per game. Most of these numbers occured at Lincoln Financial, with a seating capacity of 68,532, but several years were recorded at the previous stadium which held about 3,000 fewer people. Suffice it to say, the Eagles attendance is nearly the maximum possible given the venue and their steady level of fan support.
Philadelphia Phillies 22,846, 20,482, 28,973, 40,626, 33,316, 34,200, 38,374, 42,254. 44,453, 45,054*.
That averages to 35,000 + fans per game, but there also is a stadium change, responsible for the first cresting of the 40,000 mark in 2004 when the Phillies moved to Citizens Bank Park. CBP has a listed capacity of 43,651 so the last three years numbers reflect near constant sellouts. The cavernous Veterans Stadium with it’s NL leading baseball capacity of 62,382 at the time of it’s demolition was rarely more than 75% full, and in lean years, 20,000 fans could look pathetic as they frequently did in 2001 and 2002 when the Phillies were out of contention by mid July.
Philadelphia Flyers 19,634, 19,576, 19,569, 19,325, 19,375, 19,653, 19,283, 19,556, 19,081, 19,536.
That averages at 19,675 fans per game which is jammed in like sardines numbers at the Wachovia Center which is designated as holding 19,519 when set up for hockey. Let it be said the Broad Street Bullies always play to a full house.
Philadelphia 76ers 19,651, 20,560, 19,685, 19,222, 17,870, 16,518, 14,843, 14,870, 15,800, 14,224.
That averages 16,000 fans per game in the Wachovia center which, when set up for basketball has a capacity of 21,500. The telling figure here is how the numbers have dwindled from 95% capacity in 2002 to 65% this year.
The brand spanking new Philadelphia Union. So far they have played three home games, 1 at PPL stadium, and in the first 2 they drew 35,000 and 25,000 fans, their home opener in Chester PA they drew 19,000 fans in a park designed to max out at 18,500 so by early appearances they will continue to sell out or near sell out their remaining games. At 3-7-1, they have not made a statement regarding their ability as yet, but still more fans are attracted then fill the Wachovia Center when the 76ers are at work.
To sum up, the Eagles and Flyers hold steady at sell out level. The Phillies are coming off back to back records numbers in attendance and at their current pace this year, they will beat that number again. The 76ers are fading, and if soccer mania gets a grip here, in danger of falling to the fifth biggest sports headline on the local news.
The most obvious reason for this trend is in the results. Since 2000 the Phillies have 3 league titles and a world championship. The Eagles have 5 division titles and 1 NFC title. The Flyers have 3 division titles and 1 conference championship. Philly is Philly so there are not many bandwagon fans. Look at the Phillies five year surge just as the team started to achieve, the same thing happened in the late 70’s and became nationally known as the Whiz Kid movement as the Phillies took it all in 1980, but by 1998, the attendance had dropped by 50%. Why is that ? Because the team stank. Why else ?
If you win, we will come, and pay, and cheer, and fight, and drink.
If you don’t, we won’t. The honeymoon is almost over for the Union. They need to win consistantly to keep their fan base showing up for every game. At least it should be the case, because soccer fans seem to me to be as crazed, and fired up as any other, and the global reputation of soccer fans and what happens when teams lose and the crowds riot just makes me sweat. If the Union finishes at .500 or above, I am considering listing them as the #4 professional Philadelphia team for 2011. Take this as your wakeup call, Ed Stefanski, else Ed Snider and Comcast will be forced to sell the empty seats to concertgoers and have Celine Dion performing at half court during the equally boring Sixers home games next year !!
In the meantime, Soccer may well end up being the #2 drawing franchise. (No team will ever out draw the Eagles in Philly, period) The Flyers are restricted by the Wachovia center and the Phillies success may not last and the numbers may drop. I don’t think so, but I have been wrong before, to be sure, and soccer is the number 1 sport in the world.
If that happens, you can find me out back. I will be throwing horseshoes.
*number is average so far for 2010 season.
Eagles 1999-2009, Phillies 2000-2010, Flyers 1999-2009, Sixers 1999-2009
All sports welcome in Philly.
This weekend, something is occurring in the city of Philadelphia for the first time.
In this re emergence of sports that has seen the Phillies win a world championship, and return to unsuccessfully defend their title and the Flyers with an improbable comeback from the brink of elimination to the Stanley Cup finals, the national spotlight is more aware of Philly as a sports town, and one with a newly found winning mentality.
So I am glad to see the PGA returns to the area for their first tournament since 2002 with the AT & T National being held at the Donald Ross designed Aronimick Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA.
The event marks the first time Tiger Woods has played in a PGA event in the greater Philadelphia area as he defends his title and trys for the 6.2 million purse. Jim Furyk is the hometown favorite.
With football preseason around the corner, and some major changes to the team, the Eagles look to hold a high level of interest early this year as well.
The Union has made their presence known. The Soul are returning, sans Bon Jovi, and the Sixers remain a draw, although a contender they won’t be for quite some time.
Overall, the city of Philadelphia is becoming a well rounded sports mecca.
The city now boasts multiple premiere sports arenas with the new Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and the Wachovia Center with 2 or 3 professional teams playing meaningful games late in the year, strong college teams, and huge attendance and interest from the general population.
Rabid fans, successful programs, new stadiums,the countries fifth highest population with 3rd heaviest population density having annual disposable incomes 30% above the national average. Can you say Philadelphia ?
2020 summer Olympics, anyone ??
Flyers continue their postseason tear.
The Flyers are having a fairytale ride.
Down 3-0 in the Boston series, then 3-0 in game 7, then coming out strong against the Canadians in game 1 to win 6-0.
In Sunday’s game, Michael Leighton was strong in a slow first period and then throughout and finished with 28 saves in his first NHL playoff shutout. Van Reimsdyk, Briere and Gagne scored in 9:23 of the second to turn it into a rout.
To maintain the home ice advantage, they need a win tonight at the Wachovia Center. These Flyers have gone from being a long shot to the real deal.
Philly has won 5 straight and is 5-1 at home but still have their hands full. Montreal has come from behind in each of their last two series.
The 7th seeded Flyers had the home ice advantage for the first time since the second round of the 2004 playoffs and took full advantage of it. Coburn scored his first career playoff goal and, in fact his first goal of 2010. Hartnell and Giroux also scored in the third period to ice it.
Tonight the Flyers came out obviously ready to dish out more of the same. Briere scored a power play goal less than 5 minutes in to give the Flyers the early lead. Leighton continued his stellar job in net turning away nearly a shot a minute throughout the first period as the Canadians pressed every advantage early. Leighton extended his shutout streak to 5 periods by the first intermission.
Gagne scored a power play goal in the second period as the Flyers continued to shut the Canadians out.
In the third period it was Leino’s turn to score. The first even strength goal of the contest put the Flyers ahead 3-0.
Leighton ended the game with his second straight shutout as he made 30 saves and the Flyers won game 2 by a score of 3-0.
Suddenly the Flyers are looking like a team that will be hard to beat 4 out of 5 games. Montreal has got to be feeling the heat. 13 straight unanswered goals by the offense in the playoffs. Go Flyers !!
“Doc’s” docket: Coors field but no Rogers Centre
Halladay is scheduled to start tomorrow as part of a doubleheader to make up for today’s rainout.
Breaking news is that the single interleague series between the Blue Jays and the Phillies has been relocated to Citizens Bank Park in late June. This gives the Phillies 84 home games this year, as if they need any advantage !
Manager Charlie Manual’s initial comment was “I think it’s pretty good. It’s all right.”
Halladay’s return home as the new ace of a 3 time NL champion team was expected to be a huge series in Toronto, but citing security concerns, team management agreed to the move.
They will go on the books as home games for Toronto, and the DH will be in play, but the greatest home advantage, the fans, will not be present. All ticketholders are getting a refund and Phillies fans have will most likely buy out the replacement tickets the second they are offered.
It is evident that Halladay means a lot to this team, to be champion, then have to defend their title, then making the largest off season move in team history is a statement that this team is not satisfied with 3 NL championships and a World Series.
It is equally obvious that the Phillies confidence in him is pushing him to perform better and play harder tham perhaps any time in his career. If he keeps it up, he may win 20 games and have 250 strikeouts before the season is over. And it doesn’t really matter where he plays, when he hits the mound, he is throwing to win.
How does Charlie stack up ?
Charlie Manual is about the most popular man about town when the Phillies win, but contemptible when they lose. Typical Philadelphia.
I figured he has been here long enough, we could compare him to some other managers, many of whom you will recognize by name, just to put it into perpective.
There is no other team in professional American sports that has played so long, in one place, with the same name, as the Philadelphia Phillies. No other manager is under quite the same scrutiny as the NL clubs “manager de jour”, who is to the team what the quarterback is to the Eagles. Tough thing for Kolb that Charlie looks to be steady at the helm, because when NFL preseason starts, the Birds new young leader is going to be on the hotseat !
There have been a grand total of 52 Phillies managers. The longest tenured was Gene Mauch, who compiled a record of 645-684 over 9 years. He was replaced shortly before I was born, so made little impact on me, but, I know the name.
Danny Ozark was the manager I remembered from when I was little, watching ballgames with my Dad, a fan since 1944. Ozark’s record was better at 594-510.
After my school years, Jim Fregosi is the most memorable with the most wins at 431-463 and has a similar winning percentage to Mauch. Terry Francona (285-363), and Larry Bowa (337-308) both had 600 or more games at the helm.
5 others had 600 or more games as Phillies manager last century; Eddie Sawyer on two stints (390-424) , Jimmy Wilson (280-477) , Burt Shotten (370-549) , Art Fletcher (231-378) and Red Dooin (392-270) .
In addition, going back to the 19th century, 2 others, Bill Shettsline (367-302) and Harry Wright (636-566) on two different stints, both managed the team.
So over 128 years, Charlie Manual and 12 other guys have been Phillies manager for 600 or more games.
Charlie Manual 447-363 win percentage of .552 1 championship
Larry Bowa 337-308 win percentage of .522
Terry Francona 285-363 win percentage of .440
Jim Fregosi 431-463 win percentage of .482
Danny Ozark 594-510 win percentage of .538
Gene Mauch 645-684 win percentage of .485
Eddie Sawyer 390-424 win percentage of .479
Jimmy Wilson 280-477 win percentage of .370
Burt Shotten 370-549 win percentage of .403
Art Fletcher 231-378 win percentage of .376
Red Dooin 392-270 win percentage of .592
Bill Shettsline 367-302 win percentage of .548
Harry Wright 636-566 win percentage of .529
In my eyes Manual is looking pretty good. He is the only manager with significant tenure to win a championship here. The other (Dallas Green 1979-1981) coached fewer than 500 games. He also happens to have the best won/lost percentage since Red Dooin who coached 1910-1914, nearly 100 years ago and the second best of any manager in team history.
If Charlie stays and the team wins at their current rate for 2 more years and win another World Series, Manual will have the most wins as a Phillies manager, the best won/loss percentage and the most championships under his belt.
Can we talk contract extension Christmas of 2012 for the crafty old skipper ? Manual has been around a long time, has been criticized for not getting on his players enough, being slow to make a personnel change when a guy is struggling, and being too laid back in general, but somehow he has survived, and is now manager of a team poised to be the best in the country for a good chunk of time.
After their late April stumble, the Phillies have come roaring back to go 8-2 in their last ten and rise back to 5th on the ESPN power rankings lists. The most impressive thing about Charlie Manual in my opinion is the way he stays nearly the same win or lose, first or last, April or October. It is one of the things I believe makes him a great manager and one hopefully, who will will be with the Phillies for years to come.
Congratulations Charlie. We are glad to have you, even after an occassional loss !!
Halladay Homecoming
Halladay has so far lived up to expectations, going 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA so far this year for the Phillies. Tonight, however marks a first in his career. He gets to start in his hometown. He grew up in Arvada.
He played against the Rockies one time while starting for Toronto, but this will be his first start at Coors field. Expect more of the same, control of the ball, high strikeouts, low walks, few longballs or big mistakes. Halladay is the total package.
In is 295 career starts, he is 154-77 with a career ERA of 3.38. And that was in the American League.
Consider his last four years in Toronto: he made 130+ starts with 16+ or more wins each year and nearly a thousand innings pitched. And didnt get to pitch an inning in the post season.
If he does that the next 4 years with Philadelphia, this team has 90+ wins year in and year out and will be perennial visitors at the World Series, and we will have forgotten all about Cliff Lee.
The Phillies started the season strong, went through a rough two week period and have now resumed their winning ways with the starting pitching being stingy and the bats coming to life.
Monday night the offense seemed to be returning to life, certainly helped by the oxygen deprived confines of Coors Field, but this lineup doesn’t need to be a mile up to pound them out of the park, and I look forward to watching them continue their assault on Rockies pitching in support of Roy Halladay in his 8th start of the year.
I am sure Roy is looking forward to finally showing his stuff near where he grew up. It will be interesting to see the level of fan support in the stadium when he takes the mound. With a few more wins on this road trip, the Phillies can start to separate themselves from the expected cluster of teams in the NL East.
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Phillies make best play of week-Off the field
The Phillies may have struggled a bit on their recent West Coast road trip, but they made a brilliant move off the field that more than makes up for it.
They gave Ryan Howard a contract extension through 2016 with an option year that could keep him a Phillie til 2017.
Many players have contributed to the Phillies recent turnabout, from perennial 3rd or 4th in the NL East to NL Champions, over and over again; with multiple trips to the World Series including a win, and the transformation to team that everyone else wants to beat.
But it may be hard to argue against Ryan Howard’s offensive production and reliable contibutions at the plate since he was selected.
He already holds the Phillies franchise records for homeruns in a season, walks, strikeouts and Grand Slams. With 8 in less than 6 years of play, he passed Schmidt with his 7 career slams over 18 seasons. On October 3, 2009 he hit his 45th home run of the season to become the fourth player in MLB history (joining Babe Ruth from 1926–1931, Ken Griffey Jr. from 1996–1999, and Sammy Sosa from 1998–2001) to amass at least 135 RBIs and 45 home runs in four consecutive seasons. He has been rookie of the year, league MVP, Silver Slugger, HR leader 2 times, RBI leader 3 times, NLCS MVP, World Series winner, Hank Aaron award winner and 2 time All Star. And his next 5 years should certainly be as productive or more so than his first six.
The deal totals $125 million, or $25 million a year.
Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of numbers. And all those dollars spent should be well worth it for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Phillies find another victim
The Phillies pushed their record to 8-2 with a 8-6 win behind Roy Halladay and another day of offensive dominance.
Even after the Marlins lit up the Phillies bullpen for 4 runs in the 9th.
Halladay is now 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA making the Lee trade look like a no brainer.
Utley hit his 6th homer, Polanco saw his average drop to .444, and Howard continues to hit, drive in runs and not strike out.
The Phillies offense is now 1st in average, runs, hits, OPS, slugging, and fun. The pitching staff is actually 1st in ERA, no thanks to the 4 runs on 5 hits surrendered by Herndon in a third of an inning. Madsen did come in to earn his third save of the year.
Halladay is currently on pace to go 48-0 as the Phillies score 10,000 runs.
OK, those numbers may be slightly exaggerated. Slightly.
Put it this way, if the Phillies had a bullpen, they might win 120 with this offense.
I was just glad to see them play someone other than the Nationals. The Marlins have a good team, but it is hard to match up to the Phitens hard hitting offense, especially with Halladay on the mound.
Good thing too, because the Braves are looking tough this year. Nice to know the Phillies +35 run differential also leads the league.
More coverage on the year of the Phillies to follow.
Phillies offense on a tear
The Phillies put an exclamation point on their quick start this season by loading up early and often on the Nationals in their fifth meeting and winning 14-7.
Amid concerns that with the loss of Jimmy Rollins and Jaysen Werth, the team may struggle on offense; the rest of the team turned in another winning performance. Werth made a late performance as a pinch hitter so it seems obvious his absence from the starting lineup will be brief. Rollins calf injury may be more serious then was at first thought, which is a shame given his extremely fast start.
If there is ANY early question about the Phillies this year, it would have to be their starting pitching. Halladay is a lock, and Hamels is 2-0 but has been shaky. Happ looks as good as he did last year and Moyer just keeps throwing up W’s. But tonight, Kendrick, subbing for the injured Joe Blanton, lasted a mere 1 and 2/3 innings after giving up 6 runs and saw his ERA shoot above 17. We need Blanton back. Hey, where was the last Martinez sighting anyway ?
Three middle relievers combined to hold the Nationals to 1 run from the 3rd inning on.
The bottom line, no matter the injury, the focus is on offense. When one Phillie is out of commission, another simply steps it up a notch and fills the gap. There are many teams that struggle to score 14 runs at all in a game, and I have the feeling we may see this another dozen or more times this year, when the team gets in sync and everyone has a couple hits and a couple RBI.
Tonight, Victorino broke out of his mild slump with a 4-5 day with a triple, homerun, and 5 RBI’s. He was listed on ESPN’s MLB top performers of the day board. Utley went 2-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. He also appeared on the top performers board. Polanco maintained his torrid pace going 2-4 to keep his average in the .480’s
Overall the first four in the lineup were a combined 10-18 with 12 RBI.
It seems clear to me now that the team is off to a 7-1 start that they may be substantially better than they were in 2008. If the pitching solidifies, this offense is lethal. And every new addition to the sluggers row has stepped up and over performed, as in Ibanez, and Francisco and now Polanco. With six guys in the lineup that are each capable of a clutch hit, homerun or other run producing play, it is extremely difficult for a pitcher to work his way through this lineup.
Oh, and by the way, our pitchers can hit too !
Looks like it is going to be a long, enjoyable summer ahead with the Phillies setting the pace the whole way !
Phils win home opener, now 6-1.
The Phillies won their home opener 7-4 behind Cole Hamels to run thier National League leading record to 6-1. They dealt Marquis his second loss of this young season. Hamels and Halladay are now both 2-0 and the Phillies bats are smoking hot.
Jimmy Rollins was a late scratch due to a calf injury but his replacement, Castro, was 1-4 with a double and an RBI. Rightfielder Jayson Werth left the game after the fifth inning due to a sore left hip. Chase Utley ripped a two run homerun with one out in the fifth.
Ibanez and Victorino are the only two starters who have not hit their stride as yet, with the remainder of the starting lineup batting above .290. The team as a whole continued their torrid hitting. They’re averaging 7.1 runs and 11 hits per game.
The fans showed up in force for the home opener, giving the Phillies their 43rd consecutive sellout at home dating to last season.
Game 2 of the series is tomorrow night, and the Nationals have got to be searching for answers after dropping 3 of their first 4 games against the defending NL champion Phillies. Even the new pitcher signed for 15 million after an All Star year with Colorado last year was unable to keep the Phillies hitters in check. Our team now leads all of baseball in hitting.
I limited myself to 2 hotdogs and four beers and had a great time rooting for my Phillies. For some reason a Mets fan sat behind me and booed every time the Phillies had a good play, but after checking the standings, I refrained from comment, the poor guy already has enough going against him and the Mets season is only going to get worse once they starting playing Philadelphia !
I think I will have to get tickets in my normal spot on April 30th and see if he shows up again to watch the Phillies play the Mets for the first time this year. Maybe I will buy him a beer. Who says Philadelphia fans are horrible ?
The extra bad news for my friend in blue; it is likely Halladay will have the start on that Friday night game, in which case, the Mets, who will arrive at Citizens Bank sporting a 6-16 record or so, don’t have the faintest chance !
Strong start for Phitens-home opener today at 3
The Phillies finished thier opening road trip with a 5-1 mark, representing thier best start for a season since 1993 when they started 7-1. Not only did they win 5 of 6 games but did so by outscoring the opponent 43-18.
To be fair, the teams they played were not top echelon teams. The Phillies return for their home opener today at 3pm and face the Nationals for the 4th time already this season. This time the matchup is Cole Hamels against the Nationals Marquis who gave up 6 runs in 4 innings in his first start against the Phillies down in Washington.
The Phillies started strong, leading the majors in hits, runs, slugging percentage and batting average on their first road trip. They rank second with a team 2.72 ERA. They look to continue their success at home.
Halladay is already paying dividends, going 2-0 with a .56 ERA in his first two starts. The offense has returned in force with 5 starters currently batting .348 or better. 7 starters have an OBP of .400 or higher. Polanco, the other off season acquisition is paying equal dividends to Roy Halladay as he is 13-27 with 1 home run and 8 RBI through the first 6 games. Ryan Howard is leading the team in homeruns (3) RBI (10) and is batting .357 with only 4 strikeouts. Jimmy Rollins started the season off looking like the MVP he was several years ago with his batting average pushing .400 and his OBP over .500, exactly what the Phillies need out of their leadoff batter.
The last time the Phillies started the season this strong, they won the NL East, then won the NLCS against the Braves, prior to losing to the Blue Jays in the World Series. More typically of late, this team has started off average and then accelerated through May and June to lead the NL East for the majority of the summer and fall. This year they actually look to lead the division from start to finish. Florida briefly held a game advantage but that was swiftly erased when the Phillies went to Houston and swept the Astros last week.
Even the pitching staff is hitting, with Hamels, Halladay and Moyer all collecting hits on their opening road trip. When the pitching staff is batting 4-15 you get the feeling this may be the year the Phillies put it all together and set many records en route to another World Series victory.
The Phillies started the season ranked #3 in the MLB power rankings, behind the NYY and the Red Sox in the AL. The Yankees are now 4-2 and Boston is at .500 at 3-3 so it is probable the Phillies will move up in the ranking.
Now I have to sign off, and get moving, so I can get to the park in time for some tailgating before the game starts in 2 1/2 hours. I was privileged to watch the season opener in DC and am now going to watch the home opener live at Citizens Bank. I will report on the game once I return home. If you are my boss, and are reading this, I REALLY am sick, and my doctor prescribed an afternoon of $9 beers and fresh air, so I have to go. Just don’t ask me for the note, because I think I lost it already !
Go Phillies !!!!
Union is not backing down
In case you hadn’t heard. There is a new team in town.
Led by the ownership group of Keystone Sports and Entertainment, LLC, the club operated under the name MLS Philadelphia for most of 2008 and the early portion of 2009.
1 down – 101 to go.
The Phillies got off to a good start, winning their opening game for the first time since 2005 behind new pitching ace, Roy Halladay. Polanco and Howard homered and Halladay held the Nationals to 1 run on 5 hits while continuing the AL pitcher habit of contributing at the plate, albeit with a 30 foot dribble that scored a run when it was put into play at the perfect time.
Tonight is game 2, seeing a matchup between previous staff ace Cole Hamels who had an off year in 2009 but still was good enough to factor in the Phillies push to the World Series last fall and ex Colorado Rockie Jason Marquis, who owned 6 more wins than the Nationals top pitcher (John Lannan) from 2009.
The Phillies organization saw Marquis quite a bit, earlier in his career when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, but most of the current crew have relatively few plate appearances against him. The Nationals won a division low 59 games last year, even after winning the final 7 games of the season, and opening their 2010 season against the NL champion Phillies may not be the best way for them to get off to a strong start. Washington has made some changes to the lineup this year; only three starters from the 2009 opening day game were on the field as starters Monday.
The Phillies remain a solid favorite to win and should pose problems for all the NL East teams this year with the exception of the Braves. Atlanta has a more solid pitching staff and also made some off season changes to improve upon thier 86-76 third place finish last year.
I am looking forward to tonight’s game, which I will watch, regretfully from home. I was lucky enough to attend the game in Washington but in doing so seriously crippled my sports entertainment budget for the year !! It may have been the money I spent after the game, because the actual expenses to attend were fairly reasonable, I think between tickets, parking, food and gas, I spent $400.00, for myself and a guest. And we had some sweet seats !
I predicted before the season started the Phillies would break the 100 win barrier this year by posting a 102-60 record in winning the National League East once again. After opening day, I am happy to report, a scant 101 more wins to go ! I think it is fairly certain Halladay is going to get in the 20 win range, and Hamels may not be far behind as he seeks to reestablish himself to 2008 staff ace form. JA Happ should have a breakout season with 15+ wins of his own.
Three great pitchers, 6 of 8 position players top five in the league, a new World Series tradition; all add up to one of the most exciting Phillies season to come our way in a long time, perhaps in all time. Can’t wait to see how Hamels looks tonight because if he is as strong as Roy there will be a lot of teams chasing the Phillies with little or no hope this year.
what was number 5 REALLY worth ?
Well, as much as I have tried to support him and defend him to the national public that just doesnt understand sports in Philadelphia, McNabb is officially a goner. The debate will rage for years to come over whether the Eagles got a fair shake in this deal. Bottom line is that team management had decided on going a different way quite some time ago, and this was the best deal they could finalize.
I am not entirely sure of the wisdom behind trading Don to a NFC East competitor. The Eagles have made their team a little weaker and the Redskins a little stronger.
Let’s look at the numbers behind those broad shoulders in his tenure here at Philly.
In his career, he played 148 games, with a QB rating of 86.5.
He was 2801 for 4746 passing (59.0%) for 32,873 yards, 216 touchdowns and 100 interceptions.
In addition, he rushed 573 times for 3249 yards for a 5.7 average and 28 touchdowns scored.
He also lost the ball 44 times for a total of 144 giveaways in 148 games played in the regular season.
In games started he ranks #1 with Jaworski at #2 with 142 starts.
In yards he ranks #1 with Jaworski at #2 with 26,963 and Cunningham #3 with 22,877.
In touchdowns he ranks #1 with Jaworksi #2 with 175 and Cunningham #3 with 150.
In passer rating he ranks #1 with Brister #2 at 85.8 and Cunningham #3 at 78.7
In interception % he ranks #2 with Brister at 1.6 to his 1.9.
In completion percentage he ranks #1 at 59.0% with Detmer at 57.7%
In rushing touchdowns for a quarterback he ranks #1.
In rushing yards for a quarterback he ranks #1.
In attempts, completions, yards gained from scrimmage, total wins, post season starts, post season wins, overall win loss percentage, red zone offense, comeback wins, 4th quarter touchdown drives, average yards per rush and kicking average McNabb is also #1.
Too bad the Eagles couldn’t win a superbowl ring with him.
I think his record speaks for itself, it was not his performance that prevented them from doing so. It was the overall team composite during his tenure here. The Eagles have had some great teams through the years, normally centered around world class defensive players. McNabbs era here will be remembered for the team ability to score points in a hurry. After trading or releasing Reggie, Clyde, Cunningham, BDawk and Westbrook, did any of us really think a great one like Don would be allowed to start and end his career here ? Not !
Reggie went to Green Bay and took a 23rd ranked defense, made them #2, and got his. Cunningham went to Minnesota and almost got his, but settled for a 16-1 record before losing in the chamionship game, still setting the record for team points scored (at that time) Each player won the MVP and McNabb very well could go and get his and more in Washington.
If he does, I will be the first one cheering him on (not looking forward to the Redskins/Eagles matchups) just like I cheered for Reggie when the Packers took it all. A Philadelphia athlete that supports this city and performs well here is still someone to cheer for once they move on. Back in the day, a sports team may have remained essentially intact over the course of a period of dominance, and rooting for the team and it’s players were mutually exclsuive undertakings.
Now, I have a favorite ex-Eagle on half the teams out there. The good news behind that being that I can always find some one to root for, even though I would prefer to just sticking with rooting for the Eagles. Now this year, I will be watching Kolb, rooting for him, and hoping trading away number 1 in 15 offensive categories is not too large a burden for this largely untested QB to overcome.
Just for fun, imagine this scenario. The Eagles and Redskins are both in the mix this December. The ’skins have to come to our house, in a playoff situation, McNabb steps up to throw for 5 touchdowns and 400 yards as he narrowly defeats the Eagles in his triumphant return to Philadelphia.
Now, are you gonna respect him yet ??
Just asking !
Best individuals, best team, best chance to repeat.
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies enjoyed one of their best decades in franchise history in the 2000s.
They won one World Series, two National League championships and three NL East championships. They had eight winning seasons.
A few weeks ago, MLB.com chose Jimmy Rollins and Cole Hamels as the organization’s player and pitcher of the decade.
I decided to look at Phillies players of the decade based on statistics alone.
Gotta go with Lieberthal behind the plate. He played 705 games in the decade, led Phillies catchers with 318 runs, 713 hits, 166 doubles, four triples, 83 home runs, 357 RBIs and 207 walks. He hit .280 with a .346 on-base percentage and a .446 slugging percentage. He started more games at catcher than any other player on the team from 2000-2010.
Howard is unarguably the top first baseman. Period, no need to go into statistics.
Utley is second baseman of the decade and arguably the greatest player at that position in franchise history.
Jimmy Rollins, the ultimate leadoff man, shortstop, run producer, and offensive instigator.
Scott Rolen has to be the Phillies’ top third baseman of the decade even though he is no longer with us. After only playing for the team three seasons of the decade, he leads this category with 236 runs, 11 triples, 68 homers, 262 RBIs and 177 walks. He was second behind David Bell with 401 hits and 92 doubles. He also hit .284 with a .510 slugging percentage during his time here. He won two Gold Gloves.
Bobby Abreu must be considered. In addition to his efforts in the field, and giving some leniance to his playing balls off the wall, offensively he led outfielders with 703 runs, 1,131 hits, 282 doubles and 208 stolen bases. He was second with 31 triples, 158 homers and 644 RBIs and batted .298 with a .412 on-base percentage and a .511 slugging percentage. He also made two All-Star teams, and won an NL Silver Slugger Award and an NL Gold Glove Award.
Pat Burrell earned the second outfield spot. He led Phillies outfielders with 235 homers and 763 RBIs. He was a fixture in the middle of the Phillies’ lineup throughout the decade.
The last spot came down to a battle between Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth. Victorino had 31 triples, 98 SB’s. and played the third most games (2,000), with 337 runs, 579 hits and 110 doubles. But Jaysen Werth was the ultimate in cool, playing only 387 games, but hit 68 homeruns and drove in 215 runs in his short time here. With a .275 BA and .396 OBP he was a large factor in the team going to 2 World Series and winning one.
Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels and Randy Wolf started a lot of games and won a lot of games. Myers who I have been saying is underappreciated by the team, although he is back this year to finish out his contract at age 43, led the decade with 73 wins. Wolf finished second with 63. Hamels finished fourth with 48, and went 4-0 in the 2008 postseason. Moyer joined the franchise in 2006 yet ranked fifth with 47 wins.
Lidge’s one season (2008) makes him the best reliever/closer/spectacle, since MItch Williams. OMG !! BUT, can’t wait to see him pitch this year, nuf said.
There is the Phillies team of the decade, and it is interesting to note, 80+ percent of these selections continue to play on the current team, which bodes well for the Phillies this year as they return to the fray and attempt to return for the World Series in 2010.
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