2008 is now 4 years behind the Philadelphia Phillies. The elusive championship that avoided this team since 1980 was achieved and subsequently the city of Philadelphia and it's fans have enjoyed a baseball renaissance. 10 years ago if you were a Phillies fan, you were a glutton for punishment. You were a die-hard, reliable and hopelessly pessimistic (optimism in philly was a rare thing) fan that loved the idea of being in first place on opening day, but you knew that feeling of being on top would pass.... pretty quickly.
Things now are completely different. Being a Phillies fan is COOL!!! We're everywhere. Washington D.C. is Citizens Bank South. People young and old are sporting the "P" cuz it's en vogue. Every home game has been a sell out since 2010. And the opposing sentiment has reached the point where its almost a love-hate relationship a la The New York Yankees. I told some local college kids I was a Philles fan. One said, "Yeah alright man!" The other said, "OMG really? I hate them."
So the team is awesome. The City is beaming with Phillie Red. Yet I still sense some of that old endearing pessimism. I feel it. I've felt it every October since 2009:) Ok 2009, I can rationalize the Yankees being the better team. The Phils had a long 2008-2009 and they just couldn't push over the top because momentum only lasts so long. 2010, the Giants, Cody Ross?! Uh uh, no. No excuse. That was a choke. 2011, the Cardinals. Yeah they won the World Series but were they better than the Philles? Hotter, yeah. Better, NO.
There we go! That's the old feeling again. Now I feel 'Philadelphia' again. Pessimistic to the core. Just Kidding.
Every Phillie fan is happy with the change in the team's persona. It is a winning persona with a supreme confidence. Citizens Bank Park is no longer a home-run hitting ban box, but a beautiful, majestic field where a great team plays and every player and fan wants to experience. But guess what? We want more. 1 isn't enough. 1 championship isn't enough. Bottom Line: After 2008, if you said the Phillies would get Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and keep all the rest of their core players together and they would not win another World Series in the next three years you would say that was crazy. "If we get LEE and HALLADAY on this squad we're talking back-to-back maybe even three-peat."
That's the expectation. The Phillies have gotten better. Each year they've added better players. Each year younger players have emerged making the team even stronger ie Worley, Stutes, Brown, Mayberry.
The Question arises. What is missing? Why can't the Phillies win? Why can't they finish the deal again? If you've watched the team like I have you know the answer. The Offense. They haven't made the adjustment. They can't outslug or out hit their opponents anymore, at least in the post season they can't. The Phillies offense is fundamentally weak. They won't play small ball. It's not that they can't, they WON'T!!!
This year might be different though. Ryan Howard is starting the year on the DL and probably won't be back until June. John Mayberry had a breakout 2011 and will be an everyday starter this year. And the bullpen will not be a question mark this year as Jonathan Pappelbon is the new guy with the golden arm. No more Ryan Madson will be a change we're not used to, but JP should make us forget Madson rather quickly. So once again the question lies with the "O." Will they play small ball. They love being 'dumb sluggers'. It's really easy to do. You just swing hard in case u hit it. Ok they don't need to play small ball all the time. How bout if they don't score at least 3 runs within 5 innings of any game, then they must lay down a bunt. Or if they go into a slump like ZERO runs in 17 innings, then small ball is the only thing they play. If they get shut-out, the next game is ALL SMALL BALL.
My point is the Phillies cannot be a 1-Dimensional Offense. Guys like Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard and especially Charlie Manuel need to speak up and say "WE NEED TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT!!!" PERIOD.
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