Eight things we already know about the Phils

By Mike McDonald
Collegian Editor
April 9, 2008

This is a fun time of year. The NCAA tournament has just come to a close, the NHL and NBA playoffs are almost upon us, replays of Darnell Harris’ three-point championship are still running and the NFL draft is right around the corner.

But what really characterizes this time of year for me is the start of baseball season. After a long offseason, the Phillies are back, and they’re – well, they’re playing adequately. The goods and the bads have basically balanced out so far. The 2008 Fightin’s feature an eclectic mix of strong pitching, terrible pitching, powerful bats, anemic offense, ninth-inning wins and late-inning collapses.

The Phils have not been superb by any means, but they have been able to catch some breaks and even create a few. And despite the fact that only eight games have been played, we have already learned some important things about our baseball team.

1) Brett Myers is not a great starting pitcher—The man has always shown us signs of greatness out on the mound, but his mindset has never seemed to fit that of a dominant starter. Last year, he was fantastic in the closer role. Somehow, with the pickup of Brad Lidge, everyone seemed to believe that Myers would be great at the front of the rotation. Why? He has never done this before, except for short periods of time. His performance on the mound will not be bad, but he certainly won’t be an ace. His role on the team wasn’t the only thing the Phillies decided to change in the offseason. The organization apparently decided to overhaul the image of “Myers the alleged wife beater” to become “Myers the practical-joke-playing, happy-go-lucky guy.”

2) Shane Victorino was born to play center field—Sure, he was able to showcase his arm in right, but his incredible speed makes him a natural fit in center. The Flyin’ Hawaiian can cover a tremendous amount of ground, and as he plays more and more, he will only feel more comfortable out there. Victorino is going to compile a nice highlight reel this season, and he is going to be a regular on Web Gems.

3) Jimmy Rollins is an awesome leader—Yes, we learned this last year, but Rollins has supplied some more evidence by continuing to fan the flames of the ever-growing Phillies-Mets rivalry. It’s nice to have an actual rival that matters. Despite the fact that the two cities are only separated by a trip up the New Jersey Turnpike, people around the country are wondering what will happen between the teams.

4) The pitching staff is treading on thin ice depth-wise–Face it. Cole Hamels is going to get hurt at some point during the season for some length of time. Jamie Moyer can only withstand the test of time for so long. Lidge is a gigantic question mark. When one or more of these guys go down, there really is no insurance policy. It would be nice if the Durbins and Tom Gordon could step up and fill these gaps, but that’s anything but a safe bet.

5) Pat Burrell is going to have a monster year.—He’s playing for a contract, but it’s not even about that. Pat the Bat took on a new role last year. He was emotional and passionate, and he hardly resembled the statue that has been standing in left field for the better part of a decade. He looks good so far, and although he can go into the occasional slump, the fans are behind him, and it seems like his teammates are too. A productive Burrell makes the Phillies lineup exponentially tougher to beat.

6) The platoon in right field will get the job done—Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins are not going to set the world on fire, but they are going to be able to fill the need that the Phils have. Werth produced whenever he was needed down the stretch last year, and Jenkins is a nice player that will complement Werth and complete the platoon. It would be nice to have Michael Bourn, but the Phillies will be able to get by without him.

7) Charlie Manuel is what he is–He still hasn’t learned to manage a pitching staff, and it’s never going to happen. What will happen, though, is that he will continue to run a low-pressure, player-friendly clubhouse that produces positive results. With Manuel, you have to take the bad with the good. He’s not going anywhere, so we might as well just accept him for what he is.

8) Gary Matthews is just plain entertaining—It took me some time to warm up to the Sarge, but at this point, he is one of my favorite parts of watching Phillies games. His daily hat selections are hilarious, and his jokes and stories during the game always add to the experience. Keep it up, Sarge.

There are 154 games left to play in 2008 (not counting the postseason). A lot is going to change between now and October. So turn on the television, eat your Graham Slam ice cream and enjoy your summer, because it’s going to be a fun season once again.

mcdonaldm2@lasalle.edu