Charlie Manuel Watch Thread - 2010 Edition

[93henfan]

It is amazing that the Phils are only 2.0 games out of first right now.

Updated for the Braves' loss, their 6th in 9 games.

[GannonFan]

Good article on philly.com with Brian Schneider comparing the attitude of this year's Phils team with that of last year's similarly injured Mets team. Good read.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phi ... ettle.html

Good to see the rest of the lineup chipping in. When Werth goes 0 for 5 with 4K's, it just makes it easier realizing that he won't be here next year.

Also, Halladay is putting himself back into the Cy Young race. ERA is a miniscule 2.17 now and his WHIP is the 2nd best in the league. With Ubaldo fading, Halladay could easily win this thing.

[JMU DJ]

Good article on philly.com with Brian Schneider comparing the attitude of this year's Phils team with that of last year's similarly injured Mets team. Good read.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phi ... ettle.html

Good to see the rest of the lineup chipping in. When Werth goes 0 for 5 with 4K's, it just makes it easier realizing that he won't be here next year.

Also, Halladay is putting himself back into the Cy Young race. ERA is a miniscule 2.17 now and his WHIP is the 2nd best in the league. With Ubaldo fading, Halladay could easily win this thing.

Exactly spot on about the difference between the Phils and the Mets.

Is there any comparison to this Phillies team, which had its 15th player go on the DL when Ryan Howard sprained his left ankle?

"No," Schneider said, "because we're winning."

This is what I keep telling all these Bravos fans down here who keep remarking about how the Phils are injured. Followed up by a "Your team is healthy and you're losing your lead in the division to an injury riddled team. What does that say about the Braves?"

[GannonFan]

Besides the Phils getting Mike Sweeney from the Mariners, they've also promoted 1B Matt Rizzotti from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley. Kid's been tearing up first Clearwater and then Reading this year. Amazing though, the Phils only seem capable of really producing quality left handed bats. Certainly an oddity.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phil ... seman.html

[93henfan]

On cue, the bullpen completely implodes, wasting a 3-hit shutout that Oswalt handed it after 6.1 with a man on first and second. Romero gives up a ground rule double, intentional walk, and a four-pitch bases loaded walk, then Contreras comes in and gives up a 2-run single. Jesus CHRIST!

[citdog]

Jesus CHRIST!

WHERE?

[93henfan]

Jesus CHRIST!

WHERE?

Don't laugh yet. First three Phils reach base in the top of the ninth. Rally cap is on.

[93henfan]

Phils already have two across now in the 9th, game tied, first and third, no outs.

[93henfan]

CHOOOCH!

(now c'mon Lidge, you sorry motherfucker)

[GannonFan]

Phils get help from the ump, saving them in the bottom of the 9th, and then Cooch delivers again in extras. Phils now 2 back of the Bravos for the division and just 1.5 back of the Giants for the wild card. And they now get to play 16 of the next 19 in the friendly confines of Citizens Bank.

[bluehenbillk]

Phils definitely had someone watchin over them tonight. Ump made a brutal call against the Fish in the 9th on the ball down the line that should have ended it. Oswalt pitched pretty good & Ruiz is on fire.

[GannonFan]

Phils definitely had someone watchin over them tonight. Ump made a brutal call against the Fish in the 9th on the ball down the line that should have ended it. Oswalt pitched pretty good & Ruiz is on fire.

The best was McCarthy on the TV broadcast trying, in his best Arlen Specter JFK's Magic Bullet theory, trying to explain how a ball that hit the line before 3rd base, and then landed again on the line after 3rd base, could actually have twisted foul, while in midair, around the bag. Heck, even Wheeler eventually came around to the fact that the Phils caught a huge break. I'll take it, though!

[93henfan]

Phils definitely had someone watchin over them tonight. Ump made a brutal call against the Fish in the 9th on the ball down the line that should have ended it. Oswalt pitched pretty good & Ruiz is on fire.

The best was McCarthy on the TV broadcast trying, in his best Arlen Specter JFK's Magic Bullet theory, trying to explain how a ball that hit the line before 3rd base, and then landed again on the line after 3rd base, could actually have twisted foul, while in midair, around the bag. Heck, even Wheeler eventually came around to the fact that the Phils caught a huge break. I'll take it, though!

It was definitely a break for the Phils, but I completely see the ump's side of it. The ball was curving foul as it made its first bounce in fair territory. He assumed that it kept this trajectory and carried foul as it traveled past the bag. He rightly started making the call before the second bounce, because the second bounce is irrelevant to the ump's call. His judgment was not validated by the second bounce, but he called it as he saw it. Can't fault him too much for that. All the camera angles we were treated to on TV were shot from fair territory, behind the ump, and in slow motion. He didn't have that luxury. It certainly wasn't nearly as obvious as the blown perfect game call against Detroit earlier in the year.

[blueballs]

The best was McCarthy on the TV broadcast trying, in his best Arlen Specter JFK's Magic Bullet theory, trying to explain how a ball that hit the line before 3rd base, and then landed again on the line after 3rd base, could actually have twisted foul, while in midair, around the bag. Heck, even Wheeler eventually came around to the fact that the Phils caught a huge break. I'll take it, though!

It was definitely a break for the Phils, but I completely see the ump's side of it. The ball was curving foul as it made its first bounce in fair territory. He assumed that it kept this trajectory and carried foul as it traveled past the bag. He rightly started making the call before the second bounce, because the second bounce is irrelevant to the ump's call. His judgment was not validated by the second bounce, but he called it as he saw it. Can't fault him too much for that. All the camera angles we were treated to on TV were shot from fair territory, behind the ump, and in slow motion. He didn't have that luxury. It certainly wasn't nearly as obvious as the blown perfect game call against Detroit earlier in the year.

I just hope his assumption doesn't cost the Braves, Reds, Cardinals, Giants, or Padres a playoff spot at the end of the year.

Bottom line is he anticipated a call instead of allowing the play to completely unfold and blew it and potentially hurt six teams. Bush league...

[Ivytalk]

Phils already have two across now in the 9th, game tied, first and third, no outs.

Folowed by an out at the plate and a pickoff of Werth at second! But we did win the damn thing.

[GannonFan]

It was definitely a break for the Phils, but I completely see the ump's side of it. The ball was curving foul as it made its first bounce in fair territory. He assumed that it kept this trajectory and carried foul as it traveled past the bag. He rightly started making the call before the second bounce, because the second bounce is irrelevant to the ump's call. His judgment was not validated by the second bounce, but he called it as he saw it. Can't fault him too much for that. All the camera angles we were treated to on TV were shot from fair territory, behind the ump, and in slow motion. He didn't have that luxury. It certainly wasn't nearly as obvious as the blown perfect game call against Detroit earlier in the year.

I just hope his assumption doesn't cost the Braves, Reds, Cardinals, Giants, or Padres a playoff spot at the end of the year.

Bottom line is he anticipated a call instead of allowing the play to completely unfold and blew it and potentially hurt six teams. Bush league...

Well, considering that these 7 teams (including the Phils) will have played somewhere close to 1000 games between then over the course of a year, and that there have been and will be many other calls that are missed that change the outcome of games, it's really hard to say "yeah, that one game that the Phils won in early August on that bad call was the one that tipped the balance between someone making or not making the playoffs". It's baseball, it happens over the course of 162 game seasons. One call isn't the end all be all.

[93henfan]

Bottom line is he anticipated a call instead of allowing the play to completely unfold and blew it and potentially hurt six teams. Bush league...

There was nothing left about the play "to completely unfold". The ump's job is to call it over or outside the bag immediately and not wait to see where the ball lands after that point. The two local announcers going apeshit on SportsCenter all day today on the replay didn't protest immediately, and only then did so based on where the ball bounced past the bag on replay. The umpire's hands were already in motion making the foul call at that point (rightfully, even though we think he got the call wrong). The only way to definitely ever know if the call was right or wrong is to have a camera directly over third base at the top of the stadium pointing straight down. Short of that, no one can conclusively say if the ball was fair or foul. Baseballs do curve in flight you know.

[BlueHen86]

Bottom line is he anticipated a call instead of allowing the play to completely unfold and blew it and potentially hurt six teams. Bush league...

There was nothing left about the play "to completely unfold". The ump's job is to call it over or outside the bag immediately and not wait to see where the ball lands after that point. The two local announcers going apeshit on SportsCenter all day today on the replay didn't protest immediately, and only then did so based on where the ball bounced past the bag on replay. The umpire's hands were already in motion making the foul call at that point (rightfully, even though we think he got the call wrong). The only way to definitely ever know if the call was right or wrong is to have a camera directly over third base at the top of the stadium pointing straight down. Short of that, no one can conclusively say if the ball was fair or foul. Baseballs do curve in flight you know.

I agree. Where the ball landed is irrelevant. In the umpires judgment the ball was foul when it passed third base so he called it foul.

Watching it live I thought the ball was fair, so I can understand the outrage, but the call wasn't as cut and dry as some people think. Also, based on the camera angles that I've seen, I don't think instant replay would have over turned the call.

Maybe ESPN will do something useful (when they are done talking about Brett Favre) and get a physicist to explain if it's possible for a ball go foul in between 2 fair bounces.

[93henfan]

Mutts bullpen just folding like a cheap suit here in the bottom of the 8th, coughing up the lead.

As of this post: four runs across, bases loaded, no outs. Mutts fans scattering like cock-a-roaches in the light.

[93henfan]

12 wins in the last 14 games. 12 straight wins at CBP.

Phils will either be a game out of first in the NL East or a half game out of the Wild Card lead at the end of the night depending on the outcome of the Braves-Giants game. Man, I knew they could claw back, but I never envisioned it happening in just two weeks. And this is without Utley and Howard in the lineup.

[bluehenbillk]

Amen 93, 12 wins in a row without the big boys too!!!

[BlueHen86]

12 wins in the last 14 games. 12 straight wins at CBP.

Phils will either be a game out of first in the NL East or a half game out of the Wild Card lead at the end of the night depending on the outcome of the Braves-Giants game. Man, I knew they could claw back, but I never envisioned it happening in just two weeks. And this is without Utley and Howard in the lineup.

The key is that the Phils have 3 stud starting pitchers. They don't need as much offense. Also, Gload can play and it looks like adding Sweeney will help. The Phils need to tread water in August and they will be fine in September once they are healthy.

[bluehenbillk]

Memo to the Braves: Get off the tracks!!!!!!!

[93henfan]

it looks like adding Sweeney will help

For character, if nothing else.

Anyone see the postgame interview with him? What a refreshing personality. In an era of prima donnas, this guy gets it.

[JMU DJ]

it looks like adding Sweeney will help

For character, if nothing else.

Anyone see the postgame interview with him? What a refreshing personality. In an era of prima donnas, this guy gets it.

My fiance told me about this interview with Sweeny:

After spending the brunt of his career playing for Kansas City with a season in Oakland and parts of two seasons with Seattle, Sweeney has played for just two teams that finished better than .500 in his 16 major league seasons. He has also appeared in the third-most number of games without a playoff appearance amongst active players.

Looks like Sweeney has a shot to come off that list this year.

"Being a devout Catholic, coming to Philadelphia is heavenly in a baseball sense," Sweeney said.

http://www.csnphilly.com/08/06/10/Phill ... feedID=704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;




I think the people in Philly are going to like this guy, and he didn't even have to do anything like run his face into the outfield wall.