By Amy McGinnis
April through August, with few exceptions, was a nightmare. The Phils’ sellout streak ended, many fair-weather fans broke their ankles jumping off the bandwagon, and we all went through massive frustration. The Phillies needed true leadership (looking at you, Charlie), and they didn’t get it. Manuel is a very laissez-faire manager whose mentality is “It’ll all work out.” At least, that’s the message I get – who the hell knows what he’s saying half the time. If the team is doing well (see 2008, 2009), that type of guidance is fine; when things unravel, though, we need someone to take charge.
In 2012, we saw gaping holes in our lineup – Utley’s and Howard’s absences had an enormous impact on our offense. We watched Blanton, Pence, and Victorino leave Philadelphia. Our bullpen, for the most part, has been a disappointment. Okay, I was being conservative and generous with that statement … Our bullpen has been masterful at flushing winnable games directly down the shitter. I’ve been frustrated as hell, and I’ve yelled and cursed a lot, but I’ve still attended games, watched, and cheered for my team. Two of my favorite highlights of 2012 were Cliff Lee getting in Shane Victorino’s face in the dugout, and Cole Hamels intentionally beaming Brycey-Poo in the back and not apologizing for it. Each of these incidents showed a starting pitcher giving a shit and playing baseball like he means it.
I’ve wondered many times this season, “What the hell is going on with this team?” The Phils looked sloppy and apathetic. I wanted to see some fired-up players looking as if they were ready to eat an opponent alive. It became very clear that the days of the 1993 Phillies are far behind us. We all remember that crew – not pretty or refined, but they fought like hell. One of my favorite John Kruk quotes is, “I’d rather fight Mike Tyson without his medication than fight Dave Hollins.” The ’93 Phils took nothing for granted, and they made it no secret that they’d gladly fuck your world up if you got in their way.
Fast forward to the ’09, ’10, ’11 Phillies … our team was expected to own the NL East. Our pitching staff was in place to essentially control the division, and they did just that. There wasn’t a need to claw their way to the top; the Phils have been defending champions for several years. Did our lineup grow complacent? Maybe. Injuries for Philadelphia, an “off” year for Cliff Lee, and off-season acquisitions for Washington certainly didn’t help matters, either.
It seems, though, that we’ve seen a change this September. With the exception of the Astros series (I don’t want to talk about that abysmal performance or the Phils’ tendency to make Houston look good), I’ve been happy with the month of September. We’re finally seeing players show up and hustle with some desire to win.
With “star” players (and I use that term loosely in cases such as Hunter Pence) absent, we’ve seen other players emerge from the shadows. I know a lot of you don’t care for Kyle Kendrick; I’ve always defended him and maintain that KK does well when he’s either long relief or a starting pitcher. While he never complains about it, getting bounced back and forth ruins his outings. He took over for Vance Worley in the rotation due to an injury, and Kendrick has shown that he’s a solid #5. I have loved watching him succeed. Kevin Frandsen, a great sub for Polanco at third, pulled his weight in the line
Tags: Amy McGinnis, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, dom brown, Erik Kratz, Kevin Frandsen, kyle kendrick, Phillies, Tyler Cloyd
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