2006 Philles Season Thread

[ice grillin you]

It means that if you are dumb enough to write them off after a WEEK into the season, you shouldn't be allowed to enjoy their success. Exactly.

i love sports snobs...telling people when they can and cant root for their team

so you can write a team off before a season but not one week in?

are you saying before a season starts every team in every sport has an equal chance to win?

[SunMo]

criticizing them and being angry about an embarassing start is not writing them off, it's human nature.

[PhillyGirl]

i had them written off before the season started

[SunMo]

well, there's that too

[PhillyGirl]

well, there's that too

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I'm going to go ahead and write them off.  I'll take the chance and throw caution to the wind that there won't be any real *success* to be enjoyed this season, unless you mean the inevitable "can they finish the season over .500?" or even the "Phillies in thick of wild card hunt, only to be foiled again" nonsense.

The cool part is that I'm still allowed to enjoy or not enjoy as I see fit.  I doubt there will be much enjoyable, but I will at least enjoy when this team gives false hope to those of you that aren't giving up.

Analysis:

Bell - sucks, and Nunez isn't a terribly exciting option either
Rollins - not patient enough to be a reliable leadoff hitter in general, but thankfully he's hitting the ball well
Utley - he'll make a positive impact on the season when all's said and done
Howard - he really has a lot of trouble with lefties - sophomore slump time
Burrell - infuriating player... has no clue where the strike zone is
Rowand - might be a nice player after he's adjusted to some of the new pitchers in the NL
Abreu - he is what he is... and there aren't too many better RF's in the game, despite what we say about him all the time
Lieberthal - Ha!  He's hitting better than expected thus far, but his defense is atrocious anymore
Starting Pitching - God awful.  There is no #2 starter on the team, let alone a #1.  Madson and Myers will both have to pitch lights out game after game for the team to make any kind of surge.
Relief Pitching - Honestly... could be worse.  I mean... it's not as if the offense and starting pitching is giving them leads to blow very often, so who knows?
Bench - Sucks, but this team misses Michaels a lot.  The pinch hitting has been awful.
Coaching - Haaaaaaaahahahahahaa (jk, I think "Cholly" is not nearly as much to blame as many fans would like to believe.  Is it his fault the team can't get a hit with RISP?  NO.)

[Wingspan]

where have they gotten better over last season? even better on paper?

at what position have they brought in someone new that is an improvement over last season? i dont see 1 spot.

You want one spot?

Aaron Rowand>>> Lofton/Michaels

it's a wash...the upside to the deal was only losing a player you already lost last season in thome.

2005 Rowand
.270 69 RBI 13 HR 116 K, 157 games
.992 Feilding % 3 Assists 3 errors

2005 Michaels (at CF only)
.330 25 RBI 4 HR 34K
.988 Feilding % 2 assists, 0 errors

2005 Lofton
.334 36 RBI 2 HR 33K
.981 Feilding % 7 assists, 4 errors

it's a defensive upgrade. offensively, it's an even swap.

[SunMo]

it's a big defensive upgrade though

fielding numbers for OFs aren't that helpful, it's more about range and rowand's got great range

[ice grillin you]

The cool part is that I'm still allowed to enjoy or not enjoy as I see fit

no youre not

and youre also not allowed to think a team cant be successful until _____ (how many weeks is it pg?) weeks into the season

even tho pg allowed herself to write off the taterskins before the last nfl season

[Wingspan]

lofton had the same range, but realistically he's only a rent-a-player. but the defense in CF wasnt ever really a liability before rowand.

what the phils got in rowand, was youth and stability. he's not willie mays. he is no savior, but he is a solid player. like i have said, the thome trade has the potential to help the phils much longer than it will help the chisox esp the pitchers the phils got (that is until rowands contract ends after next season and he goes to the yankees).

that said, it wasnt this huge upgrade over the platoon of lofton/michaels last season. the production was simply being replaced.

there is no where on this roster that can be considered an upgrade on paper over last season.

[PhillyGirl]

it's a defensive upgrade. offensively, it's an even swap.

there is no where on this roster that can be considered an upgrade on paper over last season.

If it was a swap offensively, and an upgrade defensively...um...that kind of makes it an UPGRADE overall. 

[reese125]

Rollins - not patient enough to be a reliable leadoff hitter in general, but thankfully he's hitting the ball well

what constitutes reliable for ya...3-4 every game? 4th in the league in hits so far.... and looks 5x's more comfortabe with a more level swing and his stance deeper in the box. Like what hes doing and will be very reliable this year IMO

[ice grillin you]

the point is while it may or may not be a marginal upgrade at the position...it doesnt make the team better in terms of wins and losses...you dont now see aaron rowand in centerfield and say now thats a playoff team...in fact thome/michaels gives them more wins this year than rowand/howard

[Wingspan]

it's a defensive upgrade. offensively, it's an even swap.

there is no where on this roster that can be considered an upgrade on paper over last season.

If it was a swap offensively, and an upgrade defensively...um...that kind of makes it an UPGRADE overall. 

ok...so rowand will catch 2 more balls in the outfield that werent going to be caught before. whoopidie do.

that so makes up for the pitching staff, the stiff at 3B, the post rigormortis corpse at catcher, and the totally inept hitting with RISP.

[SunMo]

he's definitely not putting the ball in the air as much, with exception to one game, and that was the game his streak stopped (no coincidence there)