Bleah

As I type, the ninth inning of the 2009 World Series is lurching to its unsatisfying conclusion on my television. Listening to Manhattan cheerily celebrate around me is a lonely feeling. 28th and Third Avenue is surely Yankee country.

Here at the end, I’m satisfied the Yankees are better. Frankly, it feels a lot likewhen I was station ed in Germany back in 1993. The Phillies simply ran out of reliable starting pitching (as if Tommy Greene, Terry Mulholland and Danny Jackson were still here trying to be a second reliable option)- and even worse out of the bullpen. Philadelphia only won games when Cliff Lee pitched and pitched deep. And they were big Vegas underdogs in games he didn’t. In the end, the Phillies trusted Pedro Martinez- a guy who was on vacation in July- to make two Series’ starts over any of their normal rotation options. Conversely, the Yankees got real bulldog outings from their rotation in five of six games.

I also point out that while the Yankees and Phillies core hitters had similar struggles- Utley and Matsui aside- Damon and Jeter were on base repeatedly, Rollins was not. They set the table for the occasional spurts of production and gave the Phillies' pitching few easy innings. This week, Jimmy’s MVP season recedes ever further in the distance. Obviously, among the Phillies franchise players, Hamels and Lidge had very rough campaigns- but the day after day drain that Rollins took on the offense in bot hthe regular season and play-offs with his poor OBP is the team’s biggest weakness. Just look at Utley’s in-season indifferent RBI total (93!!). And Rollins salary makes this a tough issue- but I cannot imagine this guy is not off-season secret topic number one: what to do about Jimmy Rollins?

Next, the Yankees left-handed starters were able to put the clamps on the Phillies left-handed hitting (again, Utley aside). The DH was a killer in this Series- the Yankees got great production from Matsui- and the Phillies could not generate a right handed match up bat (Francisco was terrible). All year long Philadelphia worried that the left-handed power the Phillies sport in bunches could be neutralized. Finally, it was. Plus, Ibanez is probably looking at a 2010 more like the second half (rather than his MVP first half)- so a right handed bat to take some of the load off him, hit some quality DH, play when he is hurt, is a top of the list item.

So, they face an off-season with some real hard organizational questions- it is a lot easier to strategize a move from 80 to 90 wins than 90 wins to 100 wins. We mock the Yankess $450 million dollar off-season- but with the Phillies window open only a few more years, we might be looking at a $300 million version of our own. First, there is wrapping up Lee. He is a legit number one, the Phillies need a Cy Young style pitcher for the next three years, he makes as much sense as anyone else in baseball and frankly Hamels doesn’t look like a guy you can pencil in for even fifteen wins right now.

Second, the narrow window means Philadelphia probably needs to think long and hard about another top starter and yes, that means someone like Roy Halladay. It is pricin dollars and players (Rollins?), but they need another pitcher to tamp down these AL power line-ups.

The Yankees won this Series because they had three quality rotation options versus one. The Phillies simply can’t be sure of moving that number to two quality options with Hamels in 2010. Again, he very likely might be more a fourteen win pitcher (that most of his career has suggested) than a true MVP style player (that singular great play-off run). And the Phillies can’t let the window close without trying hard to find that second top guy- they owe that to three million fans who pay to see them.

Phandemonium

At 9:58PM last night, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their World Series championship- sending the city into a frenzy of joy and excitement. “Everything comes to the waiting heart,” Chris DeBurgh teaches us. That outpouring emotion extended to my living room in Manhattan as well. After pouring most of a bottle of Veuve Clicquot "Yellow Label" I learned a key lesson: Champagne in your eyes hurts bad. My first moment of Series joy were spent calling for a towel to get it off! get it out!

From the slightly opened window- I’m still experimenting with the thermostat this season- a not insignificant amount of cheers floated up from the street. Third Avenue has a lot of bars!

For the seven years I’ve been writing Frank Helps You Think It Out I’ve never had a championship to opine on. The game was thrilling; the decision to start it dumb. Other than that, I have no desire to rehash the events- better done elsewhere. Do take a moment to visit my Phillies links on the right for celebratory news and views. My favorites are Phillies Nation and We Should Be GMs.

I guess I have two things to say. First, it is satisfying to win mostly with guys you’ve seen grow up together in the organization. Hamels, Meyers, Howard, Utley, Rollins, Burrell and Madson are key players. Coste and Kendrick had their moments. Romero was plucked off the waiver wire. I’m not saying that if A-Rod showed up I wouldn’t hand him a glove and show him third base. But it is no band of outside mercenaries; we grew these guys mostly in town, in front of us. It is great fun to watch them come full circle- particularly since Pat the Bat will probably move on.

Second, Cole Hamels deserves his car and trophy as the proverbial MVP. But my vote would have been split between Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton. It is a little sentimental— sure. But the Rays were favored here because both Moyer and Blanton were huge question marks- and both turned in gutty performances in the biggest of spots. As a deserved underdog, the Phillies needed someone from the bottom half of the roster to step up and make a giant contribution. Those two guys did- they won a pair of games that the Phillies figured to lose on paper. And that, to me, is the most valuable contribution to the Series.

The Proverbial Happy Bubble

Leaving the Linc yesterday afternoon spilled the observer into a world of happy- the proverbial happy bubble. The common areas surrounding the multiple Philadelphia temples of frustration were a sea of green and red: balloons, signs, apparel. It was a perfect weekend in south Philly: the Phillies pull oh-so-close, the Eagles win and someone throws a stink bomb at a Flyers’ game. And of course, remonstrance such as the following:

During Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night, Rays family members and employees say they were harassed and abused by Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park to an unacceptable degree.

Children were cursed at, and one 9-year-old boy had beer poured on him. A Rays family member stayed locked in a bathroom stall because, he said, Phillies fans were banging on the walls and threatening him.

I have been skeptical about the Phillies chances in the Series- rating it a stone toss up only if the Phillies managed to get both games Hamels was scheduled to pitch versus the Ray’s number three Scott Kazmir. But I was wrong about the lift the Phillies have gotten returning home to their ball park.

I’m not talking about the fans really. Certainly the Phillies pick up some in front of their own fans. But here, I’m talking about the ballpark itself.

To me, a huge turning point of this series is the homerun Carlos Ruiz hit in the third game- the sort of routine fly ball that gets out in Philly, and few other places. People gripe about Citizens Bank Park as a hitter’s friendly park- but it really isn’t. It is a real good poke to straightaway center to get the ball out. The outfield isn’t big like Shea; the corners are tight and play fair. Particularly for a new ball park, there is a goodly amount of foul ball territory. And poor weather is a factor in April and October.

But the one place it does play a real crazy is from, say, both the traditional power alleys to the foul poles. The fence is in close there- and warning track power gets the ball out in those segments of the ball park. Ruiz’ home run- and Blanton’s and Howard’s first from last night- are good examples. Neither was crushed, neither probably gets out of Shea- and both were well out of Citizens Bank park.

Ever since Ruiz homerun, the Rays have pitched real scared. Andy Sonnanstein never walks anyone- and he was walking and behind guys all night. The Phillies' game three ninth inning rally was part and parcel of the same fear. If you want to know why JP Howel was pitching Bruntlett and Victorino like they were Roger Maris, well, the Rays pitching is pressing. Brunlett may be .217 hitter- but to a Rays reliever, he looks like a guy who can potentially hit a 350 foot routine fly ball into the flower bed.

Psychologically, pitching at the Bank requires a mentality. I forgot this sometimes- as the Mets and Braves and Marlins come in enough to know, hey, homeruns happen. Moyer and Blanton were touched up for close calls and homeruns- and both just asked for a new ball. The Rays have responded by pitching scared- and pitching scared at the Bank means hitting guys with pitches, extra base runners putting pressure on your defense, more guys on base for when Howard does lose one into the ether- and more excuses to press and press.

That being said, it is not done yet. Kazmir is not a chump- and he is left-handed. One could argue that really, all the Phillies have proved is that they can hit RHP in their cozy ballpark- something we frankly know already. If the Phillies lose tonight- and the pressure is squarely back on them with a real shaky Myers and up and down Moyers between them and a collapse on the road. It would behoove Philadelphia to just win this thing with their best option. And thus, I stand by my original forecast- the Phillies need Hamels to win his pair.