The Sixers are fading fast with a 4-6 record in an anemic division. When you consider that three of those wins were at the expense of the winless Nets and 1-9 Knicks, there is little to be encouraged about.
Any day now, we might expect Ed Stefanski to announce he is replacing Eddie Jordan with non-interim coach Tony DiLeo so the team can move in a "new direction". So far, the Princeton offense has been about as effective as the Maginot Line was in keeping the German army out of France in World War II.
Andre Miller was recently moved into Portland's starting lineup and coach Nate McMillan is pleased with the results. The Trailblazers are 8-4 and in second place in their division. This serves as an unpleasant reminder for Philadelphia fans of how important Miller was to the offense of the South Philly squad - and how ill-equipped Lou Williams is to replace him.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Who Is the Real Raul Ibanez?
While pitching would seem to be the most pressing issue for the Phillies, the offense is by no means without issues of its own. Ruben Amaro deserves credit for hitting the ground running in search of a new third baseman with a more potent bat than Pedro Feliz. One problem with the hitting has been its inconsistency and strengthening the bottom of the lineup would surely alleviate this.
But there is another potential soft spot in the starting lineup which, at least to date, has not been much discussed - Raul Ibanez. Ibanez' 2009 season was a tale of extremes. In the first half of the season, he looked like the re-incarnation of Ted Williams. He was among the league leaders in batting average, home runs, and rbi's - a triple crown threat. He was talked about - no, he was probably the prohibitive favorite in the MVP race. And he was playing solid, if not spectacular, defense in left field. Never was a popular player like Pat Burrell forgotten so quickly.
But after the All-Star break, Ibanez' numbers went into a nose dive. He hit .232 with 67 strikeouts, 12 homers and 33 rbi's vs. .309, 51 k's, 22 hr and 60 rbi's before the break. Initially, the fall-off was attributed to missing several weeks with a leg injury and never regaining stride. This is certainly plausible although he actually hit quite well immediately upon his return.
Then late in the season, it was reported that Ibanez was hampered by a stomach injury which was subsequently treated with post-season surgery. So it may well be that the left fielder's production was seriously impacted by these physical ailments and that next year a fit Ibanez will return to his early 2009 form.
But will he? His pre-Phillie career gave no hint of what he delivered last April, May and June. He had been a career .290 hitter with moderate power numbers. To what extent was he just playing over his head, or perhaps National League pitchers just hadn't figured him out. Moreover, he will be 38 next year. Will he play like his age, or will his age make him more susceptible to injury?
Ibanez deserves the opportunity to show what he can do in 2010, but he should not be an untouchable either, despite his 10 million dollar-a-year salary. At the very least, after, say, the first two months, if he is not producing consistently in the 5 or 6 spot, Charlie Manuel should consider platooning him in left field, even if it means using another lefty swinger such as Greg Dobbs on occasion. In any case, Manuel needs to find a way to get Dobbs more at-bats.
But there is another potential soft spot in the starting lineup which, at least to date, has not been much discussed - Raul Ibanez. Ibanez' 2009 season was a tale of extremes. In the first half of the season, he looked like the re-incarnation of Ted Williams. He was among the league leaders in batting average, home runs, and rbi's - a triple crown threat. He was talked about - no, he was probably the prohibitive favorite in the MVP race. And he was playing solid, if not spectacular, defense in left field. Never was a popular player like Pat Burrell forgotten so quickly.
But after the All-Star break, Ibanez' numbers went into a nose dive. He hit .232 with 67 strikeouts, 12 homers and 33 rbi's vs. .309, 51 k's, 22 hr and 60 rbi's before the break. Initially, the fall-off was attributed to missing several weeks with a leg injury and never regaining stride. This is certainly plausible although he actually hit quite well immediately upon his return.
Then late in the season, it was reported that Ibanez was hampered by a stomach injury which was subsequently treated with post-season surgery. So it may well be that the left fielder's production was seriously impacted by these physical ailments and that next year a fit Ibanez will return to his early 2009 form.
But will he? His pre-Phillie career gave no hint of what he delivered last April, May and June. He had been a career .290 hitter with moderate power numbers. To what extent was he just playing over his head, or perhaps National League pitchers just hadn't figured him out. Moreover, he will be 38 next year. Will he play like his age, or will his age make him more susceptible to injury?
Ibanez deserves the opportunity to show what he can do in 2010, but he should not be an untouchable either, despite his 10 million dollar-a-year salary. At the very least, after, say, the first two months, if he is not producing consistently in the 5 or 6 spot, Charlie Manuel should consider platooning him in left field, even if it means using another lefty swinger such as Greg Dobbs on occasion. In any case, Manuel needs to find a way to get Dobbs more at-bats.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Drop Howard in the Batting Order
With Ryan Howard mired in a hitting drought, Charlie Manuel has a dilemma. Howard was outstanding in the latter stages of the season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs. And he is a superstar, perhaps the premier power hitter in the game.
But when he does goes into slumps, they can be long and excruciating, like now, when he is on the verge of smashing a World Series strikeout record. But given Howard's resume, and Manuel's well-known loyalty to his players, the first baseman is not about to be shown the bench, or even pinch-hit for.
However, the Phils' manager should consider dropping Howard a few places in the batting order. Let Jayson Werth bat cleanup and move Ryan to five, six or even seven. It might take a little pressure off Howard and Werth has certainly earned it with his post-season work. Morever, the Yankees will be starting southpaws in game 6 and a potential game 7 and against lefties Howard has been AWOL all season. Werth, on the other hand, has feasted on lefties.
But when he does goes into slumps, they can be long and excruciating, like now, when he is on the verge of smashing a World Series strikeout record. But given Howard's resume, and Manuel's well-known loyalty to his players, the first baseman is not about to be shown the bench, or even pinch-hit for.
However, the Phils' manager should consider dropping Howard a few places in the batting order. Let Jayson Werth bat cleanup and move Ryan to five, six or even seven. It might take a little pressure off Howard and Werth has certainly earned it with his post-season work. Morever, the Yankees will be starting southpaws in game 6 and a potential game 7 and against lefties Howard has been AWOL all season. Werth, on the other hand, has feasted on lefties.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Phillie Notes - Failure to Capitalize on DH
The Phillies were unable to get much mileage out of the DH in the first two games. Francisco and Stairs combined for one single, a marginal one at that. Greg Dobbs has become odd man out. Manuel should have used Dobbs as DH and held Stairs for pinch-hitting. The Phillies have a dearth of contact hitters and could use Dobbs in the lineup.
Ryan Howard has had an exceptionally productive stretch at the plate going back to August. Since he started crouching more in his stance, he seems to be seeing the ball better and swinging at fewer bad pitches. However, he is long overdue for a slump and in Game 2 last night he struck out four times and looked badly out of synch. If this is the beginning of a trend, it couldn't come at a worse time.
Pedro Feliz currently seems lost at sea at the plate. He seemed to fade a bit late in the regular season after a hitting well for most of the season. Right now he is a liability on offense, prone to the double play or strikeout. At what point does Manuel consider starting Dobbs in his place?
Ryan Howard has had an exceptionally productive stretch at the plate going back to August. Since he started crouching more in his stance, he seems to be seeing the ball better and swinging at fewer bad pitches. However, he is long overdue for a slump and in Game 2 last night he struck out four times and looked badly out of synch. If this is the beginning of a trend, it couldn't come at a worse time.
Pedro Feliz currently seems lost at sea at the plate. He seemed to fade a bit late in the regular season after a hitting well for most of the season. Right now he is a liability on offense, prone to the double play or strikeout. At what point does Manuel consider starting Dobbs in his place?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Should Manuel Hold Lee Until Game 2?
With the Phillies' starting rotation leaking oil in the last couple of months, there is added pressure on Cliff Lee, the only consistent starter of late, to succeed. Game 1 against the Yankees therefore becomes particularly significant. If the Phils were to go down with their ace on the mound, the prospects for the rest of the Series would be dire.
Perhaps Pedro Martinez can replicate his gem against the Dodgers. Perhaps Hamels can regain his form. Perhaps Blanton and/or Happ, or even a short-rested Lee, can go deep in a Game 4. But given recent history, and the intimidating Yankee lineup, none of these scenarios are in the high probability category.
The problem is that even if Lee performs well in the opener, it could be wasted against the venerable C.C. Sabathia. No one is unbeatable, as the Phillies proved Sabathia not to be in his previous incarnation as a Milwaukee Brewer. But he is one of the great pitchers in the game, coming off a solid season, and certainly capable of dominating the Phillies' lineup. And memories of his loss to the Fightin's last year can only serve to incentivize him even more this time around.
Should Charlie Manuel go outside the box and start Martinez in Game 1, and give Lee a better matchup in Game 2? It depends on what you consider more important. Do you want Cliff Lee to have the opportunity to start in 3 games, or do you want to increase your chances of winning at least one of the first two games in New York?
Perhaps Pedro Martinez can replicate his gem against the Dodgers. Perhaps Hamels can regain his form. Perhaps Blanton and/or Happ, or even a short-rested Lee, can go deep in a Game 4. But given recent history, and the intimidating Yankee lineup, none of these scenarios are in the high probability category.
The problem is that even if Lee performs well in the opener, it could be wasted against the venerable C.C. Sabathia. No one is unbeatable, as the Phillies proved Sabathia not to be in his previous incarnation as a Milwaukee Brewer. But he is one of the great pitchers in the game, coming off a solid season, and certainly capable of dominating the Phillies' lineup. And memories of his loss to the Fightin's last year can only serve to incentivize him even more this time around.
Should Charlie Manuel go outside the box and start Martinez in Game 1, and give Lee a better matchup in Game 2? It depends on what you consider more important. Do you want Cliff Lee to have the opportunity to start in 3 games, or do you want to increase your chances of winning at least one of the first two games in New York?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Umpiring in Major League Baseball is a Major Issue
The Phillies pulled off an exhilarating win in Game 4. Jimmy Rollins was able to turn around a 99 mph fastball from one of the game's best relievers to drive in the tying and winning runs. And Jonathan Broxton has nobody but himself to blame for walking Matt Stairs on 4 straight pitches.
However, the game was somewhat diminished by the surreal home plate umpiring. Ball-and-strike calls were as unpredictable as El Nino. Randy Wolf has to be still talking to himself after having three consecutive called balls clearly shown on replay to be three consecutive strikes, in some cases by a wide margin.
No two umpires have precisely the same strike zone. This has been understood from time immemorial. But what we saw Monday night, an egregious but by no means isolated example, is undermining the credibility of the game and asking the players to perform with one hand tied behind their backs. Major league baseball's powers-that-be need to put this issue at the top of their to-do list.
However, the game was somewhat diminished by the surreal home plate umpiring. Ball-and-strike calls were as unpredictable as El Nino. Randy Wolf has to be still talking to himself after having three consecutive called balls clearly shown on replay to be three consecutive strikes, in some cases by a wide margin.
No two umpires have precisely the same strike zone. This has been understood from time immemorial. But what we saw Monday night, an egregious but by no means isolated example, is undermining the credibility of the game and asking the players to perform with one hand tied behind their backs. Major league baseball's powers-that-be need to put this issue at the top of their to-do list.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Phils-Dodgers Game 2 - Manuel and Utley
Phillie Notes:
In his tenure as Phillies' manager, Charlie Manuel has had an annoyingly predictable penchant for pulling starting pitchers too early and insisting on lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchups with his bullpen. This was on full display in game 2 against the Dodgers. Pedro Martinez looked strong and unhittable after 7 innings but Manuel stuck to his playbook and brought in Chan Ho Park. He then removed Park, who was the victim of some bad luck, so Scott Eyre could pitch to lefty Jim Thome. A few minutes later Ryan Madson exited in favor of J. Happ with the bases loaded so Happ could pitch to a lefty. Of course, all these moves backfired although it may seem easy to second guess with the benefit of hindsight. We will never know if Martinez would have been effective in the 8th, or if Park or Madson could have gotten the next batter. But when in doubt, why not stick with someone who is in the flow the game? And in case you haven't noticed, Eyre and Happ in no way resemble Mariano Rivera.
In a regular season game in late September, Chase Utley made a throwing error. In the radio broadcast, announcer Larry Anderson remarked that Utley had been throwing "horribly" for the last month. It looks like Anderson was on to something.
In his tenure as Phillies' manager, Charlie Manuel has had an annoyingly predictable penchant for pulling starting pitchers too early and insisting on lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchups with his bullpen. This was on full display in game 2 against the Dodgers. Pedro Martinez looked strong and unhittable after 7 innings but Manuel stuck to his playbook and brought in Chan Ho Park. He then removed Park, who was the victim of some bad luck, so Scott Eyre could pitch to lefty Jim Thome. A few minutes later Ryan Madson exited in favor of J. Happ with the bases loaded so Happ could pitch to a lefty. Of course, all these moves backfired although it may seem easy to second guess with the benefit of hindsight. We will never know if Martinez would have been effective in the 8th, or if Park or Madson could have gotten the next batter. But when in doubt, why not stick with someone who is in the flow the game? And in case you haven't noticed, Eyre and Happ in no way resemble Mariano Rivera.
In a regular season game in late September, Chase Utley made a throwing error. In the radio broadcast, announcer Larry Anderson remarked that Utley had been throwing "horribly" for the last month. It looks like Anderson was on to something.
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