Phillies need to build on fantastic homestand

By Bill McFarland

I can't remember the last time it's been such fun to follow the Phillies. Although everyone knew how important it was for the team to gain some ground during the two-week stretch at home, nobody could have envisioned the club taking all but one outing in the 13-game period.

To be fair, it should be pointed out that there is always a little luck involved with winning teams. When things are going well, the breaks tend to go your way and vice versa. During the last two weeks at Citizens Bank Park, Mike Lieberthal was awarded a home run on a ball that he hit off the top of the wall, and center fielder Kenny Lofton got a couple of calls when he actually trapped fly balls.

But that's life, and that's baseball. When judgment is involved, umpires are human, too, and while the officials are normally correct by an overwhelming majority, everyone makes mistakes.



After Thursday's sweep of the Texas Rangers, reporters spoke with catcher Todd Pratt, who had four RBIs in that game. One asked about the Phillies finally enjoying a home-field advantage at CBP.

"I don't know if there's any home-field advantage yet," said a cautious Pratt.

He's entitled to his opinion, and as I stated previously, former manager Larry Bowa said the same thing last year, but this is a new year. The Phillies played 81 games at CBP in 2004 — more than any other team in baseball — and like it or not, the club will always play half of its 162-game schedule in Philadelphia.

If that means developing ground-ball pitchers and teaching power hitters to cut down on their swings instead of aiming for the fences, that's what it means.

I think the 12-1 stretch at home will go a long way toward helping the Phillies. The park will not be replaced anytime soon, and it's up to the squad to put the fear into opponents of having to face the Phillies on the team's home turf.

The Colorado Rockies will forever have to deal with the thin air in Denver, and the Chicago Cubs will always have that strong wind blowing off of Lake Michigan. The sooner the Phillies are comfortable in their own digs, the sooner opponents will dislike CBP.



I had mixed emotions about the trade that sent Placido Polanco to the Tigers. Since I've always liked the infielder, I was sad to see him go, but he will get a chance to play every day in Detroit. Unfortunately, it won't be for a contending team. Polanco probably would have gladly endured the awkward situation here if the Phils made the 2005 playoffs.

When I heard that the Phillies got pitcher Ugueth Urbina in return, I immediately put this trade on general manager Ed Wade's "A" list. It doesn't quite rank with the signing of slugger Jim Thome or the acquisition of reliever Billy Wagner, but it's up there.

To put things in perspective, I never liked Pete Rose until he signed to play in Philadelphia. Prior to 1979, Rose was a nemesis who devised so many ways to beat the Phillies. When he was on our side, there was one fewer player out there to hurt this team, and now he was using all of his tricks to help the Phillies win.

Wagner and Urbina were two closers who always had success against the Phillies. Wagner had a 2-2 record with 10 saves and a 2.70 ERA in 24 appearances against this team before he started wearing red pinstripes. Likewise, Urbina had a 6-3 mark with 11 saves in 34 career games against Philadelphia. His debut didn't go as scripted when he arrived, but I'm still glad he's now on our side.

This column was published on June 15, 2005, in the Northeast Times in Philadelphia, which owns the copyright. It may not be reproduced anywhere else without permission.

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