I know the big story in baseball is the Willie Randolph firing. I'm really not at liberty to discuss the situation (nor is it my responsibility), but in short, I thought it was handled in the most unprofessional way... worse than a phone call or FedEx letter.
Seriously, a press release at 3:15 a.m.????
Shame on Omar Minaya and the Mets organization. As much as I hate the Mets (and that's only natural), I think Willie deserved a better fate. As Joe poignantly discussed in his blog, the Mets have worse problems.
OK, moving on...
The Phillies were on ESPN Monday night for their interleague showdown with the Boston Red Sox. Ryan Howard had two home runs and a triple while Jimmy Rollins homered and finished with three hits in an 8-3 victory.
Lost in the emotion of the game (it was a great win for the Phillies) was Chase Utley's performance. The leading NL All-Star vote getter went 0-for-5, dropping his season average to .303. The 29-year-old second baseman hasn't had a hit in the last three games.
Listen, Phillies fans will NEVER get on Chase's back. When he struggles, it's for a very short period of time. He'll never go in a prolonged slump for weeks or months. He'll eventually get his act together and start raking up hits on a consistently basis. He's an MVP candidate who happens to be scuffling a little.
It's apparent that Chase is having a tough time reading the ball. He has such a short, compact, sweet swing that he's capable of hitting the toughest pitches. But when he's getting fooled, he'll often hit a harmless pop up or swing too early and strikeout. And you can tell by reading his body language that Chase is pressing a bit.
What Phillies fans love about Utley is his competitive streak. For example, Monday night he hits a harmless grounder for a force out to give the Phillies an extra run. Most players would have "casually hustled" down the the line, mad at themselves for not putting the ball in the outfield.
Utley is a different kind of ballplayer. Soon, he'll be right back on track, hitting .320-plus again.
Until then, remember, as Harry Kalas would say: "Chase, you are the man!"
Seriously, a press release at 3:15 a.m.????
Shame on Omar Minaya and the Mets organization. As much as I hate the Mets (and that's only natural), I think Willie deserved a better fate. As Joe poignantly discussed in his blog, the Mets have worse problems.
OK, moving on...
The Phillies were on ESPN Monday night for their interleague showdown with the Boston Red Sox. Ryan Howard had two home runs and a triple while Jimmy Rollins homered and finished with three hits in an 8-3 victory.
Lost in the emotion of the game (it was a great win for the Phillies) was Chase Utley's performance. The leading NL All-Star vote getter went 0-for-5, dropping his season average to .303. The 29-year-old second baseman hasn't had a hit in the last three games.
Listen, Phillies fans will NEVER get on Chase's back. When he struggles, it's for a very short period of time. He'll never go in a prolonged slump for weeks or months. He'll eventually get his act together and start raking up hits on a consistently basis. He's an MVP candidate who happens to be scuffling a little.
It's apparent that Chase is having a tough time reading the ball. He has such a short, compact, sweet swing that he's capable of hitting the toughest pitches. But when he's getting fooled, he'll often hit a harmless pop up or swing too early and strikeout. And you can tell by reading his body language that Chase is pressing a bit.
What Phillies fans love about Utley is his competitive streak. For example, Monday night he hits a harmless grounder for a force out to give the Phillies an extra run. Most players would have "casually hustled" down the the line, mad at themselves for not putting the ball in the outfield.
Utley is a different kind of ballplayer. Soon, he'll be right back on track, hitting .320-plus again.
Until then, remember, as Harry Kalas would say: "Chase, you are the man!"
1 comments:
I think Utley might be hurt. He doesn't even look right walking to the plate or setting up. Last night he also looked like he was stretching his back in a funny way at one point, like maybe there is pain there. And he doesn't look like he's even swinging hard in his warmup, like he's protecting something. Did anyone else see this?
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