5 Times I Wish Phillies Pitchers Were Thrown Out of a Game

Published July 15, 2021

I'll do my best to not make this political, because this whole thing isn't a political issue, just one that concerns health and common sense. After the embarrassing situation that the Phillies put themselves in this past weekend, I've come to one conclusion concerning the direction of this 2021 club.

If the Phillies are going to add players for a playoff push (which they absolutely should do), they should do their utmost to only acquire players who have been vaccinated.

Since MLB is tracking vaccination rates with things like the 85% threshold we've heard so much about, I am operating under the assumption that any club can find out the vaccination status of any player. Teams are always privy to comprehensive injury and medical histories before they consummate a trade, after all. And so, armed with this information, the Phillies should immediately cross the names of any unvaccinated players off their trade list.

Maybe this sounds prejudicial, but it really isn't. I mean, if getting the vaccine is an individual choice, then teams should be able to CHOOSE not to trade for such players. America, right?

Ok, now that we all agree that this is an ironclad policy that nobody, even those who hate science, can find fault with, let's talk about the "why".

As we just saw with Aaron Nola missing a start due to contact tracing after Alec Bohm was placed on the covid list, being unvaccinated is a risky proposition that can wreck a team in the blink of an eye. If the whole goal here is to win baseball games, it's imperative that key players (but really, all players) take the time to get the shot so that their availability to play is assured.

Though the Phillies can't exactly control what their current players think, say, and do, they can at least keep a handle on any new players they bring in. And if they decide to trade for a player who either ends up contracting the virus or simply gets shelved because they get too close to somebody who does, this fanbase and city is going to explode.

The Phillies have done so many things wrong over the last few years, both on and off the field, and the Nola fiasco is just the latest faux pas. Add in some of the other things that certain Phillies have had to say about the vaccine, and you've got to wonder what is wrong with these guys.

It's incumbent upon the organization to only bring in reinforcements who have gotten the vaccine, giving the Phillies their best chance of success down the stretch. Losing any more players to this for any stretch of time is unacceptable, and there should be consequences for the club and individuals if it happens again.

So, for the sanity of us all, the Phillies must make sure that they're smart about this and don't open the door for further disaster and subsequent scathing criticism. Let's see what happens.

Published September 9, 2021

Like everyone else around these parts, I was saddened to learn of the passing of comedian/radio host Big Daddy Graham. Saddened but not shocked, however, as he had been in failing health for several years, with a sad reality having long since set in that he would not be able to return to the way things were. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends, who no doubt carried a heavy burden and a broken heart, seeing him in physical pain and low spirits on a daily basis. Rest easy now, Big Daddy. You will be missed.

Now that I’ve said all that, I want to lighten this up with a quick (maybe) anecdote about a personal interaction with Big Daddy.

I met the man a few times over the years, having participated in the Quizzo game he was running one time at a bar owned by my wife’s friend and then spotting him hosting another game at Delaware Park on a separate occasion where I chatted him up during a break in the game but didn’t actually play. But my most memorable interaction with Big Daddy was the first time that I met him.

When I was a teenager, in the summer of 1998, I found myself with my dad on the Atlantic City boardwalk watching Angelo Cataldi broadcast his WIP Morning Show in front of Caesar’s. He was there every Friday during the summer back then, and I was interested to watch some of the show and perhaps even meet him and his cohorts. With him on that particular day were Joe Conklin and Big Daddy Graham. Al Morganti and Rhea Hughes, the other staples of Angelo’s show, were off that day.

At some point during the show, and keep in mind that the broadcast went from 6 to 10 am, a disheveled guy stumbled around on the boardwalk and completely passed out, obviously the effect of enjoying himself a bit too much in some form or another the night before. And while someone collapsing on the boardwalk about 20 feet in front of a live radio broadcast is a serious thing, I can assure you that this man was breathing the whole time and someone called 911 almost immediately.

Before the ambulance arrived, however, Big Daddy and Joe Conklin took it upon themselves to go lay down on the boardwalk next to this man, basically doing snow angels on the ground next to him. My dad took some pictures during all this. Remember, this was 1998. It was an actual film camera.

Shortly thereafter, the ambulance arrived, and it was obviously not their first experience with the passed out guy, as I think the EMT even said “Wake up, sunshine” as she sort of slapped him awake. All the while, Angelo gave a play by play of the man being loaded into the ambulance, and the EMT yelled at him. It was great.

At any rate, after a bit, Big Daddy was speaking to my dad and asked if he could send him copies of the photos when he got the film developed. (How did we ever live like this, by the way?) He gave my dad the WIP station address, and my dad obliged by sending the photos a few days or weeks later.

I thought that was the end of it, but we were pleasantly surprised to receive a WIP swag bag in the mail courtesy of Big Daddy. It included an autographed headshot, a pen, a Don McKee-chain, and various other items. It was at that point that I developed an admiration for Big Daddy after he took the time to respond to a favor with a kind gesture like this. It’s the little things, you know.

In the years that followed, I would occasionally email him about topics that I heard discussed on his show. And I can’t thank him enough for keeping me company during some of the overnight shifts that I used to work, his voice providing a welcome soundtrack to the monotony of having to be awake and working at 3 am. If you’ve never had to do it, consider yourself lucky.

In addition to enjoying his radio stylings, I also received Big Daddy’s “Ravings from a Man Who Never Sleeps” email newsletter for a number of years. The final time that I corresponded with him, after diving into my email history, appears to be in 2013. I had just seen him and Joe Conklin perform their “Two Funny Philly Guys” show at The Colonial in Phoenixville. It was a riot. I sent Big Daddy a quick message thanking him for the show and saying that he made new fans out of the friends who went with me that night. His reply was short and sweet:  “Thanks Kevin. Your email made my day”.

I’ll miss Big Daddy. We all will. Let’s never forget what he taught us…

When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.

Published September 28, 2021

Flat out embarrassing.

That’s how Monday night’s loss in Dallas played out on the national stage for your Philadelphia Eagles, dropping them to 1-2 on the season as they face a gauntlet of tough games in the weeks ahead.

Jalen Hurts was inaccurate, the defense was gouged repeatedly, and Nick Sirianni seemed to have forgotten that an NFL head coach is allowed to call running plays, as he reached Joe Girardi-like levels of coaching malfeasance. It was somewhat inexplicable, but really not all that surprising when you consider how a young coaching staff and quarterback are likely to react when dealt with an early challenge like the Eagles faced from Dallas.

People are predictably screaming and stomping their feet today about how Sirianni doesn’t look like an NFL head coach, as well as issues on both the offensive and defensive fronts. But why? Is this something that some people weren’t aware of as we geared up for the 2021 NFL season? What coach looks like he truly belongs in the NFL after three games? What did you expect from what is essentially a rookie quarterback? And are we at all surprised that the Eagles’ offensive line is already decimated with injuries?

To that last point, injuries, every NFL team needs to expect a considerable amount. And the Eagles have been particularly affected over the past few years, for reasons that still remain unexplained. The team’s depth headed into this campaign was extremely shallow, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they would be in trouble once some starters went down.

Three games in, and we’re there already.

The defensive line really misses its emotional leader, Brandon Graham. And Howie’s young, high draft picks are having issues keeping opposing teams away from their QB. Throw in Hurts’ lack of touch (and a receiving group that has potential but is extremely unreliable to this point), and you’ve got the makings of a 6-11 team, something that I tried to tell you a few weeks ago just before the season began.

The Eagles are going to get blown out a few times this year, but things will look better from time to time, and I believe they’ll hang in some games that you won’t expect them to and even manage an upset or two along the way. And, hey, there’s always those two games against the Giants.

When you add up all of the elements, I still believe that we’re looking at a 6-11 team, but I want credit if they’re within a win of that mark in either direction.

The really unfortunate part of this is how many veteran (i.e. old) players that the Eagles still have in key positions. It’s not something that you want to see in a team that’s supposed to be “rebuilding”. But a glance at the draft capital that the Eagles have accrued tells you that they’re angling to be more competitive beginning next year. And while I’m not trying to pardon them for accepting mediocrity or worse this year, we can all live with it if the team can reap rewards in the next couple years.

This season will tell us a lot about Jalen Hurts and some of the other young players, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It’s a 17-game trial run to help evaluate who should remain as foundational pieces for the franchise. As such, there is potential for this to get ugly. But maybe we see just enough bright spots to make this season fun and offer hope for 2022 and beyond. Getting stomped by the Cowboys, though, presents the sobering reality that 2021 will not be the Eagles’ year, at least in terms of wins and a postseason berth.

Let’s at least hope that this season serves as a springboard to coaching competence for Nick Sirianni and his staff, as well as a confidence-builder for some of the important players on the team.

Just expect a lot of bumps in the road this season, and don’t get too upset when things look like they did on Monday night in Big D.

 Published January 15, 2022

Imagine this scenario.

The Eagles hang tough with Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three-plus quarters of their NFC wild card playoff game. It's back and forth, and the Eagles manage to find themselves ahead with mere minutes to play. But that's when Tom Brady does his thing, leading Tampa on an 85-yard drive in the final two minutes, connecting with Rob Gronkowski on the winning score just in time to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The media falls all over itself in praising the GOAT for doing it again.

How painful would that be?

But you know what would be even worse?

If the Eagles lost 41-10.

I don't know if all sports fans do this, or if it's a uniquely Philly thing, but when it comes to "if you're going to lose, how would you prefer to do it?", I'd much rather the Eagles drop an absolute heartbreaker than get their doors blown off.

Is this the prevailing sentiment? I'd assume so, but you never know. Nobody wants a gut punch, but at least it'd be an entertaining and memorable game, which is more than we've been seeing in this town of late. And, really, it's all about the situation. Eagles fans can't have any real expectation at this point other than the team avoiding getting its heads kicked in. If they lose a tight one, everyone is going to be upset, of course. But it'd be 100 times worse if they get run out of Tampa faster than Antonio Brown.

A 9-8 finish was a pleasant surprise for the Eagles this year, but they still have a ton of doubters. And that's a fair assessment, because they largely beat up on bad teams while falling short against good clubs. Falling on their faces in Tampa would only serve to fuel the "they just got lucky" narrative and wipe away much of the progress that they seemingly made this season. It really does matter HOW they lose on Sunday, if indeed they do fall.

Hey, maybe they'll even win. I certainly don't expect it, but they've got a shot. Just trying to be realistic here, even as I sit down and act like a rabid fan on every single play of the game. Reality goes out the window when you’re actually watching your team. We know this. But I’d like to be able to look back on this game, if they lose, and say that they gave their best and it took max effort from their opponents to win the game.

I don’t need the Eagles getting smoked, and then having to listen to the same dopes call WIP about it for the next few months until mini-camp starts and we begin the cycle of insanity all over again. The Eagles did benefit from a light schedule this year, it’s true. But the fact that it was heavily front-loaded and then offered more cannon fodder on the back half isn’t on them. They certainly took a while to gel as a team (and coaching staff) this year, and it happily coincided with a stretch of the schedule that was much more manageable. They deserve credit for what they accomplished. But if they end up no-showing in a playoff game, it opens the door to a lot of unneeded criticism that we really don’t have the fortitude to deal with right now.

So, Eagles, go out there Sunday and win!

But if you don’t, let’s not get embarrassed, at least.

Published September 28, 2022

With the 2022 MLB season coming (and somewhat dragging) to a close, the Phillies find themselves in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot. They’re swerving hazardously between lanes and look like they’re ready to careen off the road any second, but still, they’re behind the wheel.

A week from now, we will know a lot more about the ultimate fate of the Fightins, although the story will hopefully not be concluded at that point. This leads me to the three outcomes that can possibly spring forth from this Phillies season: accomplishment, relief, and anguish.

As many people know, baseball can often be boiled down to the “three true outcomes” of a plate appearance: home run, walk, strikeout. It reduces the game to its purest form, pitting the hitter against the pitcher in a test of wills without taking into account any fielders having to intervene. But enough analogies; let’s look at the three true outcomes of this 2022 Phillies season.

ACCOMPLISHMENT: This will be the overriding emotion surrounding the club if they win a playoff round (i.e., the best-of-3 Wild Card series). This will mean that the Phillies have not only conquered their playoff demons, but they’ve gone into a hostile environment and won two out of three to advance to the National League Division Series and actually treat their home fans to a playoff game or two for the first time in over a decade.

Essentially, if the Phils get as far as the NLDS, they’ll be playing with house money. Nobody should rightfully expect a parade at that point, although anything can happen, but it will be a positive step for Bryce Harper and company to show management and the fans that the team might just be one or two moves away from being a real championship contender.

RELIEF: You’d think there would be more excitement surrounding this team as it sits in a playoff spot with the calendar about to flip to October. But, no, any enthusiasm has largely been replaced with dread and that “not again” feeling. And so, if the Phillies do manage to hang on, the fanbase will be breathing a sigh of relief more so than celebrating, outside of perhaps the five minutes immediately following any clinching scenario.

In this outcome, the Phils go on the road for the Wild Card series and lose, hopefully not embarrassing themselves in the process. It will feel like an unceremonious end to the season, but the mere fact that they’ve slayed the dragon and passed the moniker of “longest NL playoff drought” onto someone else will be a huge burden lifted off everyone’s shoulders. Then we regroup and look for bigger and better things in 2023.

ANGUISH: We know all too well what this is. The Phils either collapse again and/or the Brewers get hot enough to pass them, banishing the Phillies to their 11th straight season of postseason-less baseball. We will wrap up year four of Bryce Harper with zero playoff appearances, Aaron Nola will enter his age-30 season with zero career playoff starts, and Jean Segura will continue on as the active leader for most games played without a postseason appearance, although nobody really cares about that.

Use whatever synonym you want for anguish, but the Phillies should fear both apathy and outrage from their fanbase if they blow this lead down the stretch and can’t make the playoffs this season. Yes, they had injuries, but so did plenty of other teams. And they even managed to dig themselves out of the Joe Girardi-shaped hole that they were stuck in for the first two months of the season. There will simply be no excuse for this outcome, which is why it feels all too imminent

Prove us wrong, Phils.

But no matter the eventual path that the 2022 Phillies end up taking, I’m sure that the faithful fans of this city can absolutely, 100% agree on one thing in the end…

Go Birds.

Published December 19, 2022

(Note: I wrote this before all of the Jalen Hurts injury info started coming out. It doesn’t really change the spirit of the article, but that’s why I don’t mention it.)

Well, this has been fun.

Not in my wildest dreams could I ever picture the Philadelphia Eagles charging out to a 13-1 record, winning in such a variety of ways that they defy the ability to categorize them as simply a “high-flying offense” or “dominant defense”. They are a chameleon, a team capable of adjusting in-game to seemingly any circumstance. It’s not always pretty, but they’ve shown time and time again that when the dust settles, they figure out a way to be on top.

Except this week, because they’re totally going to lose to the Cowboys on Christmas Eve.

I know. Eagles oldheads (and plenty of youngsters too) out there are going to flip out over such indignity, and they’re going to sulk and moan for the entire holiday because of an undesirable outcome of a football game. I really do get it. Sports have ruined my ability to enjoy literally anything in my life on so many occasions. This time, however, it doesn’t even matter.

The Eagles have put themselves in such a great spot with their performance this year that things aren’t hinging on this game. While they can officially clinch the division and the NFC’s top seed, they still have time for that after the fact. The bigger matter at play here is that this is the Cowboys’ Super Bowl, their chance to puff out their chest and reclaim legitimacy after Doug Pederson and the Jaguars made them look like bums in Week 15. That Cowboys loss, while ultimately helpful for the Eagles by creating separation in the standings, will also serve as fuel for Dallas. They’re a good team, and I really couldn’t expect them to lose two games in a row at this juncture of the season, no matter who the opponents are.

I want this to be clear. I am in no way rooting for an Eagles loss. I don’t believe it will “teach them a lesson” or any mumbo jumbo like that (although I am still glad they lost to Washington, because there would be too much pressure right now if they were 14-0). But I call ‘em as I see ‘em, and this game is just so much bigger for Dallas to make a statement than it is for the Birds. Really, the only important thing is that the Eagles come out of this game healthy. Lose, fine. But have a couple key players go down in the process? Then I would change my tune. In a vacuum, the score of the game doesn’t matter.

The Eagles will be the #1 seed in the NFC and have to win two home games to advance to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are almost certainly locked into the NFC’s #5 spot, and they’ll go on the road to face whatever team emerges from the cesspool that is the NFC South. I’d frankly expect the Cowboys to beat whoever it is, although falling on their faces to some 7-10 “division winner” would be pretty funny.

The more likely scenario is that Dallas wins and then faces either Minnesota or San Francisco in the next round, at which point their annual trend of playoff failure will be on full display. Or, dare I say it, might the ‘Boys be headed to Philly? It’s certainly possible, and it would be a good game. And you should also put zero stock into whatever happens on Christmas Eve in Dallas (again, as long as key injuries don’t muddy the waters).

Eventually, though, cream rises and scum sinks. Enjoy your W on Christmas Eve, Cowboys fans. At least you’ll be able to look back at that fondly as you shed wistful tears while watching the grainy VHS of the last time your team made the Super Bowl.

Eagles fans, don’t let your Christmas be impacted by a game that doesn’t matter.

PS If the Birds win, even better. Merry Christmas to all except the Cowboys and their fans (and New York, as usual).

Published February 2, 2023

The national media, by and large, is stupid. As are the myriad of fans out there who just want to “hot-take” themselves into notoriety. I get it, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

Yes, these Philadelphia Eagles defeated a QB-less 49ers club to capture the NFC title, just one week after they beat up on an underwhelming Giants squad. But the Birds paved their playoff path by being the best team in football this year, so it’s only fair that they should have the best chance to stomp their opponents, correct? The games aren’t played on paper, however, so it was incumbent upon the Eagles to actually do the stomping. Mission accomplished so far.

Nick Sirianni didn’t luck his way into a great roster that any Joe Blow could coach to the brink of a championship. Jalen Hurts didn’t simply benefit from a system where any Tom, Dick, or Harry could successfully guide the offense. Nonsense, all of it. This is simply a well-constructed, well-coached team that is rightfully one of two left standing for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.

The haters and the doubters talk a big game, and the Eagles have one more task ahead to silence any would-be critics. Heck, even a win over Big Red and the Chiefs will still be regarded coolly by some. “Mahomes wasn’t 100%, no fair”, they’ll whine as the Eagles parade down Broad Street again. But in the event that the Eagles fall, they’ll be derided as frauds by these same bozos, ignorant of the fact that they’ve gone 16-3 to this point of the season. That didn’t happen by accident.

The Eagles accumulated a 5-1 regular season record against teams who went on to make the playoffs, prior to their actual two postseason victories. In addition, they went 3-0 against teams who were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 18 (Packers, Steelers, Titans). These teams were one victory away from a playoff berth, and the Eagles dished out losses to all three, outscoring them by an aggregate of 109-56.

Counting their two playoff games, the Birds have held teams under 20 points 9 times this year. They’ve scored under 20 points just twice. They are complete. But completeness doesn’t guarantee a championship. The hunger is there, as well, some intangible that the team seems to have. It makes the hair stand up on the back of their fans’ necks. Everyone can taste it. The trophy beckons.

In a short while, we’ll see if they can get to the finish line, to cross the threshold that separates “fun memories” from immortality.

Birds

Published October 10, 2023

I haven’t been posting on this site very much at all since you can find my work elsewhere, but these 2023 Phillies are worth a mention. We all felt it coming on Monday night. It was too good to be true. The Phillies weren’t going to go into Atlanta and come back leading a best-of-5 series two games to none. Zack Wheeler was pitching the game of his life, until he wasn’t. Rob Thomson was pulling all the right strings, until he wasn’t. The juggernaut Braves offense was being silenced. Oh well, so much for that.

Look, it wasn’t fun, as the events of Game 2 created a seismic shift in this series that took the Phillies’ odds of pulling off the upset from probably about 95% if they took a 2-0 lead to something like a coin flip now that we are knotted at one game apiece. But last year, these two teams faced off under similar circumstances. After winning a tight slugfest in Game 1, the Phils were shut down 3-0 in Game 2, and it was back to Philadelphia. Once there, the Phils pounded the Braves by a combined total of 17-4 over two games en route to winning the series. Their silent bats in Game 2 didn’t portend a collapse.

Then, one round later, the Phillies took Game 1 on the road in San Diego, only to fritter away a 4-run lead (sounds familiar) in the next game to send things back East in a deadlock. Three home wins later, the Phils were dancing to the World Series. Heck, even once they got to the Fall Classic, the Phillies won Game 1, dropped Game 2, then counter-punched with a Game 3 victory. (I will conveniently ignore what happened in Games 3 through 5, but you get the point.) Ultimately, the takeaway is that ‘playoff momentum’ really doesn’t matter, and that’s especially true for this group of Phillies.

They faced adversity all year long last year and made a shocking playoff run. They are better and deeper this year, and that added expectation won’t cause them to choke or wilt. They may simply get beaten by a better team, and that’s fair. This is something that insecure, pouty Braves fans could not possibly accept after their almighty club dared to lose Game 1 of this series, with their collective sigh of relief after Game 2 matched only by the speed at which they are backpedaling their childish overreactions to one game.

Am I worried? Sure. One team will win, and one will lose. There is always worry attached to sports, where nothing is a guaranteed outcome. But there is no doubt that the Braves are worried about the prospect of coming to CBP, where it will be Bedlam at the Bank. The Phillies know that they can win in Atlanta. The Braves are doubting their ability to do so in Philadelphia. The most likely outcome here is that the teams split two games, and we head back to Dixie for a deciding Game 5, where Zack Wheeler will hopefully be at his best. It would be nice to wrap things up before then, of course, but we’ll see how this all plays out. I do believe that the victor of this series is your NL champ, as they should be able to run through Arizona in five or six games. The D-Backs are looking impressive against the Dodgers, but the other shoe will drop for them in the NLCS. That’s just how I see it.

So, take heart that these Phils recovered and didn’t let any phony notion of ‘momentum’ derail their trip to the World Series last year. The same could happen this time around. In the back of my mind, however, I think back to the 2011 NLDS where the Phillies took on the Cardinals. Those were different circumstances, since the Phillies had homefield advantage, but I will never shake the disappointment out of my mind over the way that the Phillies won Game 1 but blew a lead in Game 2. Yes, they won Game 3, but one ‘rally squirrel’ and a blown Achilles tendon later, the Cards were victorious in five games to start their title run. I just hope the same thing doesn’t occur here.

Let’s enjoy the next two games, at least. And then a bunch more after that, for good measure.