Since I've been writing this column, the Phillies have marked a few milestones, such as when the club celebrated a century of Phillies baseball in the year 2000 and the memorable moments at Veterans Stadium after the last game in the South Philadelphia bowl in 2003.
Readers would always ask about mine, and I've always reminded folks that as a youngster I was in the upper deck near the left-field foul pole when Tug McGraw struck out Kansas City's Willie Wilson as the Phillies clinched their only World Series championship in October 1980.
The double play that the infield turned to win the National League's Eastern Division title tilt on Saturday is a close second. Loyal readers know that I've wavered on manager Charlie Manuel since his arrival, even calling for his dismissal in the past. Although I've since come around on Manuel and think he will be — and should be — given serious consideration for the Manager of the Year Award, he still makes some calls that I question.
The last one was using closer Brad Lidge in a non-save situation in the ninth inning of Friday night's 8-4 win over the Washington Nationals. At the time, it appeared that the Phillies would need at least two wins over the weekend, and possibly three, depending on how other games around the league played out. My feeling was that Lidge should have been saved for Saturday and Sunday, if needed.
It was no surprise to me that the reliever, who entered Saturday's game with the Phillies leading, 4-2, struggled a little, gave up one run to make it 4-3 and faced a bases-loaded situation with just one out.
When the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, who had singled and doubled in his two previous at bats, smoked a grounder up the middle, I thought shortstop Jimmy Rollins' only chance was to stop the ball from getting through to the outfield, thus allowing the tying run, but not the go-ahead run, to score. When Rollins flipped to second baseman Chase Utley, who then completed the twin killing with a perfect relay throw to first baseman Ryan Howard, I never saw so many jaws drop. We'll remember that play for a long time.
Lidge deserves the National League's Comeback Player of the Year Award, which was announced on Tuesday. He finished the season with a 2-0 record and a 1.95 earned-run average and was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities. I just hope that Manuel doesn't overuse him in the playoffs.
Lidge won, hopefully, the first of several awards that some Phillies could claim. I previously stated Manuel's good chances for the managers' award, and Ryan Howard should get plenty of votes for a second Most Valuable Player Award. His league-leading 48 home runs and 146 RBI speak volumes, but detractors will say that he only hit for a .251 average and that he strikes out too much.
Power hitters strike out a lot. It's a given in baseball. The Hall of Fame is filled with power hitters who finished their careers with more strikeouts than homers. As for his average, people forget that Howard began this season with the worst slump of his career. He was hitting .170 on May 3 (19 hits, 112 at bats). He hit nearly 100 points higher (.269 avg., 134 H, 498 AB) since that date to finish at .251. If I had a vote, Howard would get mine.
As for the Phillies' chances against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the playoffs, I think last year's experience was a valuable lesson.
"You saw what happened last year," recalled pitcher Jamie Moyer during Saturday's clubhouse celebration. "We lost our first series (against the Colorado Rockies), and we were finished, so we have to go out and play hard and play together to win that first series."
After Sunday's regular-season finale, catcher Chris Coste noted that the team caught Milwaukee during a tailspin when the Phillies swept the Brewers in a four-game series two weeks ago.
"They've rebounded well enough since then to clinch the wild card, so they'll be a different team when we see them in the playoffs," said Coste.
I think last year's experience, combined with a starting pitching staff that's in much better shape this year, will help the Phillies. The bullpen has been strong all season. As long as the bats don't fall silent like last year, I like this club's chances of getting to the next round.
That's my opinion. What do you think? Click on the "Comments?" link below and let me know.
This column has been posted every two weeks since its inception in 1999. However, the original agreement with management was to continue it on a weekly basis if the Phillies qualified for the playoffs. Thus, the column continues every Wednesday until the Phillies end their season.
Next post: Oct. 8.
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