The response from the Bobby Shantz story was somewhat overwhelming. It generated more calls than any other column. Apparently Bobby made many friends when he lived in the Northeast.
Those of you who are still awaiting responses will have to bear with me. Although I attended Friday's game, circumstances prevented me from talking to Bobby, so I will contact him and get back to everyone as soon as possible. If anyone hasn't received a call, it's because I wrote your phone number down wrong and couldn't get back to you. Please call again and leave a valid number.
Sunday's sweep of the twinbill against the Oakland A's allowed the Phillies to salvage the longest homestand of the season. The Phils managed six wins during the 12-game stand, which included a four-game losing streak.
One highlight of last week's disaster was watching local boy Jamie Moyer (St. Joseph's University) pitch a gem of a game. He held Philadelphia to just four hits in seven innings in the Seattle Mariners' 4-0 victory on June 4. He baffled the hometown team with an assortment of change-ups and breaking pitches mixed in with a fastball that only registers in the mid- to upper 80s on the radar gun.
I interviewed Moyer a few times when I was with another newspaper, and although he wasn't pitching well at the time, I always felt for him because he's a genuinely nice guy. He last pitched in Philadelphia in 1991 when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. The last time that I met up with him (1995), he was a reliever for the Baltimore Orioles.
Somehow, he managed to turn things around and has become one of the top pitchers in the game. In the last seven years, the lefthander has gone 105-49 for Seattle, which is the highest winning percentage posted in the major leagues from 1996 through 2002. Moyer's mark of .682 over those years is better than Roger Clemens (.677), Greg Maddux (.676), Tom Glavine (.659) and Andy Pettitte (.655).
And after defeating the New York Mets on Sunday, he became the first 10-game winner in the big leagues this season. Moyer is 10-2 with an earned run average of 2.92.
The Pat Burrell situation hit rock bottom after Friday's loss. More than 30 minutes after the game, the outfielder was still in uniform, sitting in front of his locker and staring at the wall.
One by one, some veterans went over to offer words of encouragement, including backup catcher Todd Pratt and first baseman Jim Thome. Their messages were basically the same — that Burrell will break out of his slump eventually.
Questions about the outfielder are common at manager Larry Bowa's postgame media sessions. Someone suggested that sitting Burrell a game or two didn't seem to have any effect.
"What's the alternative?" Bowa asked. "Send him to Scranton?"
The skipper firmly believes that it is up to Burrell to sort out his problems and battle his way back.
When another scribe suggested that maybe the team should consider making a trade, Bowa tried to point out that it's not quite as easy as it is in a rotisserie league.
"What are the options?" Bowa asked the reporter. "I'm asking you to propose a trade. Are we supposed to just pick somebody out? And who are we going to trade? You guys seem to have all of the answers."
For the most part, Bowa has kept his composure during trying times. The fact that he's turning the tables is just part of his personality. That media session ended with something from the skipper's arsenal of sarcastic wit.
As he walked out of the room, Bowa had a twinkle in his eye when he told the press corps, "If you guys come up with a good trade, let me know."
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