The 2012 Philadelphia Phillies bullpen has been atrocious.  However, there has been a lone beacon in the night, the Phillies new closer, Jonathan Papelbon.  The problem facing the South Philadelphians is somehow reaching the ninth inning with a lead. It is under those conditions that Paps has been perfect, recording 14 saves in 14 opportunities through May 25, a responsibility which Jonathan has proven to be extremely effective in during his illustrious career.  In fact, Papelbon, who inked a lucrative four-year contract during the off-season, has been one of the most proficient closers in …

  During the long winter of their discontent, not many pundits envisioned Freddy Galvis in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform, let alone as the starting second baseman.  After all, Chase Utley finished 2011 in what was considered reasonably good health and for the most part, played nearly every day from mid-season throughout the playoffs. However, Utley reported to Clearwater and immediately announced that his knees were once more aching. Enter Galvis, a natural shortstop who was called upon to replace Utley. Since Galvis was signed as an amateur free agent at the age of sixteen in 2006, there …

  Jim Thome returns to the Philadelphia Phillies this spring to join a rotation of first base substitutes for injured slugger Ryan Howard. Thome, who had played for the Phillies from 2003 through 2005, was traded to the White Sox just days after Pat Gillick took over the reins as the Phillies GM. Thome was considered expendable because of the emergence of Howard, and was traded along with twenty-two million dollars for Aaron Rowand and young pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood. Thome has accumulated prolific numbers in his twenty-one year career in the major leagues. Jim, now 41 years …

As Ryan Howard collapsed in a heap halfway to first base, the hopes and dreams of a championship season came crashing down along with the “Big Piece.” Chris Carpenter, the St. Louis Cardinals ace, had just outdueled Roy Halladay in one of the best pitched games in recent memory, however, the crowd at Citizens Bank Park, for the most part, just sat in stunned silence as the curtain came down on what just about every Philadelphian considered a failed season. To many astute observers, however, despite the superb pitching staff of the South Philly natives and a team, which won a franchise best …

Four batters into game one of the National League Divisional Series, an eerie silence enveloped the crowd of 46,480 at Citizens Bank Park. The sold out crowd had been stunned by a three run home run off of Phillies ace Roy “Doc” Halladay in the first inning. The pressure of winning a seven game series is great enough, but when faced with the prospect of a five game series with games three and four scheduled at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Phillies 3-0 deficit loomed large. However, this is Roy Halladay we’re talking about. When Kyle Lohse, the Redbird starter retired the first ten Phillies…

To fully comprehend what Chase Utley truly means to the Philadelphia Phillies, one only needs to attend a game at Citizens Bank Park, where Utley’s #26 is by far the most common jersey worn by the multitudes of Phillies fans despite the fact that the ballclub has had more productive superstars such as Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Chase Utley is considered by many to be the single most indispensable player on the team. In many ways, Chase Utley is an imperfect superstar, a player who has fairly obvious flaws which manifest themselves for long stretches during each rigorous campaign…

When something or someone surprises Charles Fuqua Manuel, the venerable manager of the Phillies, it is newsworthy.  Therefore, when Ol’ Charlie stated that Antonio Bastardo was the biggest surprise of the 2011 edition of the Philadelphia Phillies, many observers took notice.  What really impresses Charlie about Bastardo, is both his physical and mental approach to the game. It’s one thing to have a really strong arm, which Bastardo possesses. But he also consistently throws his pitches for strikes and has great command in the strike zone. Plus, he is not at all fazed by pressure situations …

Whatever entered the mind of Raul Ibanez as he strode to the plate for his first at bat on Sunday July 31, the thought couldn’t have lingered too long.  A day earlier, his new teammate, Hunter Pence, a 28 year-old All-Star, had made his Phillies debut. The arrival of Pence essentially pronounced that Ibanez’s days in Philadelphia were numbered. After all, a 39 year-old outfielder in the final year of his contract, an outfielder who had endured hitless streaks of 35 and 18 earlier in the season, surely had to see the writing on the wall.  Although Domonic Brown, the young right fielder, was …

There is a movement afoot in Philadelphia to commemorate each July 29th as “Ruben Amaro, Jr. Day.”  For the third consecutive year, the Phillies general manager has managed to complete a blockbuster trade just days before the July 31 deadline.  July 29, 2009 saw the Phillies acquire Cliff Lee, July 29, 2010 marked the day that Amaro went out and snagged Roy Oswalt and, of course, this year’s anniversary, witnessed Ruben attain the services of one Hunter Andrew Pence, the former All-Star outfielder of the Houston Astros.  The cost to the Phillies was considerable, as they parted ways with …

The Philadelphia Phillies were the third major league team to inform Shane Victorino that they could survive without his services, thank you. Don’t bother to call, we’ll call you. The year was 2005, and the Phillies after selecting Victorino in the Rule 5 draft on December 13, 2004, decided that Shane Victorino was not a major league caliber ballplayer and certainly not one that fit into their future plans.  The switch-hitting outfielder was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1999 amateur draft. However, after posting some rather unimpressive numbers in …

With Bruce Bochy’s masterful handling of the National League’s pitching staff at the 2011 All-Star Game, which resulted in a 5-1 victory, either the Phillies or Bochy’s San Francisco Giants, are in very favorable position to win the 2011 World Series. Not that I am discounting the other contenders, however, both the Phillies and Giants have the more overwhelming hurlers. When you hand home-field advantage to pitching staffs as potent as the Phillies or the Giants, one cannot underestimate the enormity of such an advantage. For those of you who are taking the Giants chances of repeating …

The word charismatic is often used when speaking about Phillies shortstop, Jimmy Rollins. The diminutive dynamo, a mainstay of the Phillies since his major league debut on September 17, 2000, has been a model of consistency for the last decade and his ebullient and effervescent spirit has rubbed off on many of his teammates, who look to Jimmy for guidance and leadership.  James Calvin Rollins was born on November 27, 1978 in Oakland, California, to James and Gigi Rollins, both of who remain instrumental in Jimmy’s life, today. His dad, James, Sr. was a wrestler and weightlifter and also ran …

As the days drew nigh to Christmas, baseball fans in New York, Texas and Boston held their collective breaths as they awaited the decision by Cliff Lee, as to where he would ply his trade in 2011. Not that the Boston Red Sox were in the mix, it’s just that the fans of “Red Sox Nation” were hoping that Lee would not choose to upset the balance of power in the AL East. So, on the ides of December, when word came down that Cliff Lee was returning to the city of brotherly love, the world of baseball was knocked for a proverbial loop. Not only did Lee opt to sign a long-term contract with the …

The chorus of boos rained down on Colbert Michael Hamels from the denizens of Citizens Bank Park. It was April 5 of this year and Cole Hamels had not even survived the third inning against the New York Mets, who had pounded him for six runs, seven hits and built a 6-0 lead.  As Hamels handed the ball to manager Charlie Manuel, the cascade of boos from the tough loving faithful failed to even remotely rattle the now 27 year-old southpaw. The game which signified Hamels’ initial outing of the season marked the ever increasing maturity of the now veteran left-hander.  At the post-game press …

How good was Charlie Manuel as a hitter?  Consider the following: Carl Yastrzemski was the last major leaguer to win a triple crown (leading his league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in). Yastrzemski accomplished this feat in 1967, 44 years ago. That very same season, Charlie Manuel, a young prospect in the Minnesota Twins system, also won a triple crown, albeit, in the Midwest League.  Charlie duplicated Yastrzemski’s feat while playing with the Wisconsin Rapids. In 111 games, Manuel batted .313, with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs.  Manuel also achieved success in 1968 with …

When the word filtered down that Charlie Manuel was to succeed the fiery Larry Bowa at the beginning of the 2005 campaign, the announcement of his hiring was met with less than unbridled joy.  Oh, Charlie had limited success at the major league level, having had managed the Cleveland Indians to a second place finish in 2000, followed by a first place finish in 2001.  However, after a slow start by the Tribe in 2002, Manuel was handed his walking papers on July 11.  Charlie did, however, arrive with the reputation as a great hitting coach and the dreaded label, “players’ manager,” as if that …

Ryan Howard stared at his pitcher incredulously. With the score knotted at 4-4 in the top of the 19th inning, the sight of his “pitcher” shaking off, not one, but two of his catcher’s signs, drove Howard to laughter.  After all, the pitcher had not even thrown a pitch as of yet to the Cincinnati Reds reigning MVP, Joey Votto. However, this was not just any hurler. This was the Phillies super sub, utility infielder Wilson Valdez. Manager Charlie Manuel had stated in the past that he would never send a position player to the mound under any circumstance, however, Charlie had already used Roy …

The rich are about to get richer.  There is a young man currently toiling for the High A Clearwater Threshers who is not that far removed from joining the Philadelphia Phillies elite staff.  His ETA is approximately 2013 and he will be bringing an impressive resume and a full arsenal to Citizens Bank Park.  His name is Jon Pettibone and he is a slender looking, but solid 6’5 200 lb right-hander.  Jonathan H. Pettibone was born in Placentia, California on July 19, 1990, which makes him all of twenty years old. Jon was drafted by the Phillies in the third round of the 2008 amateur draft, and …

The names of the all-time greats just roll off the tongue, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth.  All of them legends, all of them immediately recognizable as among the greatest run producers in major league history.  In fact, Gehrig, Greenberg, DiMaggio and Ruth hold the distinction of knocking in the most runs per game in the illustrious history of the game. However, many would be surprised to learn which player ranks fifth all-time, just behind the aforementioned Hall of Famers. Oh, but he’s very familiar to Phillies manager, Charlie Manuel, who calls his huge slugger, “…

George Kissell, the career minor league manager, coach, scout and instructor, who once roomed with Babe Ruth, knew a thing or two about the game of baseball. So when Kissell, who passed away at the age of 88 in 2008 remarked, “Placido Polanco has the best knowledge of the strike zone that any hitter I’ve ever seen,” it certainly raised some eyebrows.  Placido, the Phillies third-baseman and occasional second-baseman since 2010, is perhaps the one Phillies superstar who consistently flies under the radar. In Polly’s initial season in Philadelphia,  Placido managed an impressive .298 batting …