I don't like sports talk radio and haven't listened to it in years.
This is somewhat blasphemous, considering the fact that I began my career in radio — specifically sports talk — and I've worked with some of the big names in the business, most notably Bill Campbell.
In my early years, I sat in as a substitute host for colleagues who couldn't make scheduled air shifts, and as recently as two years ago, I was in negotiations with a station in this market to host a weekly show about the Phillies. Things didn't work out because the business has changed.
One thing, however, hasn't changed. The small group of callers who jump in more frequently and who speak the loudest think that they have all of the answers. And more times than not, a lot of these fans are just reacting to a recent development that has them distressed, and the knee-jerk response is to get rid of an offending player.
This is a long way of saying that I had an animated discussion with someone after last Thursday's disheartening 12-10 loss to Houston. Like many fans, he was upset at the horrible 1-9 homestand and thought that the solution was to trade somebody. As I poked holes in his arguments, he drifted from one player to another.
By the time he was done, this guy said that the Phillies should dump outfielders Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell and replace the entire pitching staff, except for rookie Ryan Madson. He also stated that the team should sign free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran. Let's take a look at these areas.
During one of the recent losses, Abreu misplayed a ball that he should have caught, and it cost the Phillies two runs in a game that they should have won. Abreu might not be a great outfielder, but he's certainly adequate defensively. Offensively, he has been the most consistent hitter in the lineup since the Phillies acquired him.
Coming into this season, the outfielder had a lifetime batting average of .306, and he has averaged 40 doubles, 22 home runs and 90 RBIs in six full seasons in Philadelphia. And the durable Venezuelan had never played in fewer than 151 games in a year. For 2004, he is hitting .292 with 33 two-baggers, 27 dingers and 89 RBIs in games through Sunday. Trading Abreu would not be an improvement.
Burrell hit .282, clouted 37 homers and drove in 116 runs during his breakout 2002 season. During his 2003 slump, he hit .209, and his numbers for this season were .263 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs before he went down. Nobody questions Burrell's defense because he has developed into a fine outfielder.
He is most likely lost for this season, pending recent developments, but think about this: What team would be willing to assume the remaining four years of Burrell's $50 million contract when the outfielder is coming off an injury this season and a slump during the previous campaign?
I won't bother to address the suggestion to replace an entire pitching staff because it is just too preposterous. It's this inability to view the overall picture and to consider the long-term ramifications of such scenarios that makes me lose patience with those who propose ill-advised quick fixes.
I don't have the answers, but I can see how the Phillies are sometimes handcuffed. Nobody could have predicted the injuries to key players or the down years of others, and nobody is more upset than me that this team is not going to the playoffs, barring a miracle.
The fan gets no argument from me on the acquisition of Beltran. Had the Phillies traded for him in July, his bat may have helped the team avoid the recent skid, but what makes anyone feel that Beltran will want to come to Philadelphia to play alongside two unknown outfielders and with a pitching staff that, so far, only includes a sophomore reliever?
My guess is that the Phillies will have a better chance of enticing Beltran to play center field if they told him that he would be anchoring an outfield that already includes Abreu and Burrell in the corners and has a starting rotation with Vicente Padilla, Randy Wolf, Brett Myers and possibly Eric Milton along with a bullpen with a healthy Billy Wagner.
What do you think?
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