It really looks like the wheels are about to come off the wagon.  Is anyone else out there as frustrated with this team as I am?  One day they score 5 runs, the next day, they look like The Bad News Bears.  And if life were a movie and Walter Matthau were still alive today, and someone handed him this Phillies team to coach, I am sure he'd become a raging alcoholic.  Art imitates life, or something like that.  I know I need a drink....BAD.

So poor Cole Hamels misses out on win #10 AGAIN, losing to the Fish 3-0 after only giving up 2 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.  Disgusting.  Here a just a few lovely examples of how the team let him down, AGAIN:  6th inning - Eric Bruntlett, who played great yesterday, left 2 men stranded on base with 2 outs as he grounded out.  7th inning -  Bruntlett again, bobbles a ball that should have been a double play ball and gets only one out, which extends the inning and then leads into the following...Another Ryan Howard error!  He overthrows a routine ground ball to Jimmy Rollins at second base to load the bases, further extend the inning and also allow the Marlins to tack on an unearned run.  And how about that 8th inning?  Shane Victorino leads off with a double, Pat Burrell would later walk, but teammates Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins all manage to either pop out or ground out to strand them on base.

How many of you are cowering under your seats right now, clutching a bottle of (Pick Your Poison and fill in the blank)?  I believe this all boils down to two things:  Inconsistency and lack of fire.  The inconsistency is obvious.  What do I mean by lack of fire?  I mean, they just don't look fired up.  They don't look excited or motivated; not like they did last year.  There are far too many laid back, quiet players in this clubhouse and it is high time that some of them started to get LOUD.  Start yelling!  Hell, pick a fight if you need to.  Whatever it takes to WAKE this team up and get them HUNGRY to win!  Because right now, I don't see it.  Do you?  Feel free to leave feedback and let me know if you agree...and feel free to disagree as well J  I take no offense...and right now, the Phillies have no offense...hee, hee J

Maybe they all just need a great BIG HUG!  As always, I am available for hugs anytime.  Please feel free to have the Front Office call me and I'll be right over!  Put Chase Utley at the front of the line...he looks most distressed out of everyone J  I'll even hug Rudy Seanez if I have to...and he scares me...truly. L  But I'll do it if it helps!  Ok, fresh start tomorrow against the Pirates...let's see if we can put the wheels back on the wagon!

Going a full 6 innings without giving up a run, Kyle Kendrick improved his overall record to 10-5 with tonight's 5-0 win over the Florida Marlins.  As is Kendrick's usual style, he had quite a few base runners, including 5 walks, but pitched his way out of jams when he needed to.  Chad Durbin went 2 scoreless innings as well, looking extremely sharp and Ryan Madson finished them off in the 9th.  J-Roll Smurf was also very excited about the pitching performances and he celebrated by bashing a Fish senseless J  Later tonight, he will have a stiff drink and prepare for tomorrow's Fishy Voodoo...

The other great news is that the offense came back tonight.  Last night, they had 8 hits and scored only 2 runs.  Tonight, they had 9 hits, but scored 5 runs.  The difference is situational hitting and driving runs in when there are runners in scoring position.  Chase Utley hit his 30th double of the year for an RBI; Ryan Howard smashed home run #32; Even Eric Bruntlett who usually has a quiet bat, went 2 for 3 with an RBI.  The rookie Mike Cervenak got his very first major league hit and first RBI in his 3rd pinch hit appearance.  Here is a photo of him for those wondering who he is...another Independent League product, much like Chris Coste was.  I had a chance to talk to him in Spring Training...very nice guy, hard working...really great to see him finally get a break in the Bigs J

Gotta take this series!  Everyone get out your favorite Fish bashing sticks or fire up the grill and get ready to FRY some!  Don't let the Smurf do all the work now...  After all, he is only 3 apples high...  He'll do his best for a little guy J  1:05pm start tomorrow...Go Phillies!

As the offense continues their slumber, Jamie Moyer, normally an automatic Fish-Fryer, takes his first career lost against the Marlins tonight, losing by a score of 8-2.  His record lifetime against Florida now stands at 10-1.  Of course, he did only give up 2 runs in 5 innings, which is not his normal superb effort, but certainly enough to deserve a win.  However, for the 3rd game in row, the offense did not produce and this time, the lack of runs came back to bite them.

The only scoring by the Phillies was a 2-run homer by Shane Victorino which, when watching the replay, was actually a foul ball.  So if you want to get picky about it, they really did not score at all.  They did have 8 hits, but also hit into 3 double plays to erase many of the base runners.  All I have to say is, this was one UGLY game.

And for those of you who were oh so anxious to see JA Happ back in action, well, there ya go.  Tough day for the rookie as he was put into a position he is not used to as a reliever...he pitched 2 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 4 hits; he walked 2 batters and struck out 1.  Yikes!

Ok, all I can say is, it is time for J-Roll Smurf to do some Fish bashing!  Yes, he is back...the amazing Voodoo Smurf has officially returned to wreak havoc on the Marlins!  And, as you can see, he has recently received the blessing of Jimmy Rollins himself. 

There is no stopping him now!  J-Roll Smurf will not be denied.  Now darn you Phillies!  Pick up those friggin' bats and hit the ball!!!  Thank you in advance for your cooperation J

Brad Lidge got his 27th save tonight as the Phillies snuck away with a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.  I was happy at first to see we were facing Braden Looper as his name provides me with endless entertainment and ways to annoy my friends... "Oh look, it's a looper into right field off of Looper! " ..."Hey, a blooper from Looper's fast ball off the end of the bat for a single..."  You get the idea.  But sadly, the Phillies rained on my silliness parade tonight.  Party poopers L  Looper gave up only 3 hits and 2 of those were home runs by Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard...hardly loopers or bloopers J  Well, at least those 2 runs were enough to win the game.

Joe Blanton finally got a full start for the Phillies, being rained out after only 2 innings in his last start, and he put forth a quality effort.  Blanton went 7 innings and gave up only 1 earned run (a solo home run) on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.  And sorry, I have no fun rhymes to go with his name.  But I am open to suggestions J  Anyway, his demeanor was much better than the last 2 times we saw him as he looked calm and collected.  I am guessing the new team jitters have finally gone.  Good news for Phillies fans.  Let's hope to see more starts like this one from Mr. Blanton.

One more game to go with the Cards.  Perhaps the bats will wake tomorrow?  I think they have rested long enough now...2 games off is sufficient; it is now time to play and win this series!  Go Phillies!

As the Phillies fell to the Cardinals 6-3 tonight, Ryan Howard went 0 for 3 in his hometown.  My only guess is that mommy did not make his favorite breakfast for him today, as is usually the St. Louis trip tradition.   Perhaps Green Eggs & Ham were on the menu instead?  My guess is that Ryan does not like green eggs and ham...he does not like them in a house; he does not like them with a mouse; he does not like them here or there; he does not like them anywhere. L

And was Dr. Seuss feeding the entire offense too?  Because their performance was a real tummy turner.  Only 5 hits on the night with the only highlight being the 2 run homer by Pat Burrell in the 6th inning.  A real low point, just so we have something to chat about, was Eric Bruntlett striking out 3 times and looking real bad doing it.  Hey, after 3 straight games of Bruntlett not hitting, can we give Greg Dobbs a shot at third base?  Just a thought...  He was brought up as a third baseman originally ya know...

And what has happened to Cole Hamels these last 2 starts?  Wow.  He has just looked lost out there.  Tonight he went 6 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 8 hits, 2 of which were home runs, and a walk.  Ryan Madson came on in relief and also gave up a home run in the 8th inning.  He is another guy who lately has not looked very sharp.  Hey guys, I do not like all these home runs being hit off us... I do not like them here or there.  I do not like them ANYWHERE!

So, the good news is, Dr. Seuss and his nasty, runny green eggs also visited our rivals in the NL East today as the Mets and the Marlins both lost their games as well.  The standings then do not change and we start fresh tomorrow with game 2 against the Cards.  And hopefully the team will stop by a local I-Hop to fuel up tomorrow morning J  Go Phillies!

Get off your bums and party people!  We just swept the Washington Nationals!  Yee-haw!  What?  Not that excited?  Oh, ok...I know it's just the Nats, but it's still three games; I'll take it.  And we are now a full game in first place.  Have a drink.  Relax. J

I know, many of us are still highly annoyed with Mr. Gillick for the lack of effort put forth into getting this team some help before the trade deadline today.  But you see, Pat was obviously very busy with other obligations.  Concerned as he is with our teams' morale, he decided to spend the Washington series impersonating one of the Nationals mascots (Dead Pres., Mr. Washington!).  He knew it was sure to bring smiles to the faces of all our players.  Now if we only still had that guy on our team who liked to whack mascots with his bat...I believe his last target was a Brewers Sausage?   Hmmmm....  Well, I guess Mr. Gillick did the best he could.  And as we are all well aware, his best does usually involve the chirping of crickets...

I'll tell you who is not upset about the Trade Deadline passing...Shane Victorino.  Shane had another 2 hit night in the 8-4 victory over the Nats, although he did get caught stealing a bag, which I am sure did not go over well.  But once that clock passed 4pm, he probably had to ask someone, "You mean I don't have to go pack now?  Seriously?  Awesome."  All for the better in that area I think.

Jimmy Rollins came up big in the final win as well...3 RBI's for J-Roll with 2 coming off a home run.  Ryan Howard had 2 hits and one RBI; Pat Burrell had one hit and drew 2 walks and Chase Utley had a hit and was intentionally hit by a pitch in the 8th inning.  I would have liked to have seen some retaliation for this, especially with the score as it was, but Rudy Seanez wimped out.  Speaking of which, why on earth do we keep putting this guy out there when he constantly gets into trouble and gives up runs?  What is going on with Seanez?  His ERA has jumped to 3.58 and he looks worse every time they put him out there.  Just a random observation...

Next series is in St. Louis where Ryan Howard will stay at home with Mom who will cook him pancakes for breakfast every morning and he will going on a hitting spree...  we hope J  Hey Momma Howard...put some magic in those pancakes!  Go Phillies!

It was a scorcher last night as Jamie Moyer got out his bug zapper and whacked the Nats, sending them to bug heaven by a score of 8-5 and putting the Phillies back in first place in the NL East.  The rest of us in the stands whacked the actual gnats buzzing about our faces in the 90 degree humid temperatures so we could see the game through the haze of sweat, thick, hot air and nasty little creatures.  How a 45 year old man can pitch in those conditions is beyond me.  I could barely sit through it.  And yet, Moyer managed to go 6 innings with only 3 earned runs, all in the first inning, on 6 hits and 3 walks.  He made a few adjustments after the rough 1st inning...perhaps a different brand of bug spray? ...and then went on to pitch 5 scoreless innings.

The Phillies offense was steaming hot as well!  Chase Utley hit home run #27 last night, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and looked great in the field as well.  Here is a nice shot of him and Jimmy Rollins turning a double play last night.  Shane Victorino, obviously pumped up over all the buzz about trade rumors, went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and a solo homer.  Even Carlos Ruiz and Geoff Jenkins, who have been struggling lately, both had 2 hit nights.  But what was really most encouraging was not only to see the Phillies jump on a pitcher in the very first inning and score 2 runs, but that pitcher was Tim Redding whom they had not scored on AT ALL in their last two games against him.  This is a great sign that the offensive funk may be well behind us...

And how about Pat Burrell with his league leading 11th outfield assist, throwing out catcher Jesus Flores at 2nd base trying for a double?  And what happens later in the game?  Charlie Manuel takes him out, yet again, and puts in a "defensive" replacement as part of a double switch, which, yet AGAIN, backfires on him.  Now, I understand the double switch and moving the pitchers spot in the line-up, yadda, yadaa...  And I still LOVE Jayson Werth and feel very bad for the guy, because really, it is like a jinx at this point.  Whoever gets put in for Pat is just going to suck.  Period.  The first big play Jayson gets to make, a long fly ball, and instead of catching it, he slips and falls right on his rear!  Poor thing.  But, just one more reason for Pat (and me) to yell...quit taking him out!  And that is all I will say about that, AGAIN, for today J

And a few quick notes about the new Washington Nationals stadium for anyone who has not been or is thinking of going...  First, the scoreboard:   WOW!  It is by far, the most impressive, clearest, biggest and most amazing one I have EVER seen!  Here is a shot of it for you.  Next, ticket prices:  outrageous!  In fact, I compared them to Philly and they are, on average, 50% more than the price for the regular seating areas; the Diamond Club seats are more than double the price, and are further back from home plate.  Actually, where I usually sit in Philly, if I sat in the same seat in DC (considered the "Presidents" area), I would have to pay $250.00 MORE for one seat to one game (I am usually in row 14 in the DC section).  Can you say hell no?  Are they nuts?  Ok, and then there is the parking...$40, pre-paid only.  Or, you can walk like 10 blocks through some really not nice areas and pay $20.  Or, you can leave your car at the old RFK Stadium for free and be at the mercy of their bus transportation.  Scoreboard envy aside, all this makes me SO happy to be a Phillies fan!

Here are a few more fun photos for you:   This one of the number 10 is in Centerfield near the scoreboard.  Are they trying to count the number of actual Nationals fans in attendance?  Hee!  And then here is a ball I snagged during BP.  They are specially marked for the inaugural season of the ballpark.  Guess that makes up for the $40 I blew on parking... J  Oh, and I caught a tee-shirt tossed out by President Lincoln (the racing mascot).  Also got an autograph from Chris Coste before the game.  I never get this lucky in Philly.  Go figure.

A bit off topic here, there was a woman last night a row behind me who got hit right on the top of the head in the 7th inning with a foul ball while standing in the aisle.  She hit the ground like a ton of bricks and without giving the gory details, I can tell you, it did not look good.  I am just wondering if anyone reading this knows how she is doing, I would like to know if she is ok (sec. 113/114).  Please e-mail me; I'd appreciate it.  I looked all over the internet and could not find anything about it.  I just felt very bad for her and wanted to make sure she was ok.  The paramedics did a great job getting to her quickly but you just hate to see those things happen.  Sorry for the bummer, but just wanted to see if anyone knew anything...thanks! 

Brett Myers had a very solid outing tonight in the 2-1 win over the Nats, going 7 full innings without giving up an earned run.  He walked only one batter, struck out 2 and surrendered 4 hits.  The one run that scored was unearned due to a rare Chase Utley error on what should have been a double play ball in the 8th inning, but Utley dropped the ball and was unable to record an out.  So, a great ego boost for Myers who sorely needed one.  Granted, he was facing a depleted offense in the Washington Nationals, but it is still one more step in the right direction.  The fact that he threw mostly strikes is also very encouraging.

And error aside, I think we can also put aside the injury rumors about Utley.  He went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI (the only 2 runs of the night for the Phils), including his 26th home run of the year.  His swing looked like it was back to normal.  Pat Burrell also had a 2 hit night; the rest of the offense was fairly quiet...a hit here and there, but nothing exciting really.  But as usual, Brad Lidge came on in the 9th and bailed them out, notching save number 25.

These guys are going to need to produce many more runs over the next few days if they expect to win this series.  Regardless of the Nats being in last place, this is a team that the Phillies traditionally struggle with every year.  Perhaps it is the air in DC?  The stench of politicians scheming makes them ill?  Well, whatever it is, let's hope they are over it and swinging those bats!  I'll be traveling to DC to see the new stadium and cheer on the Phils for the 2nd game of the series tomorrow.  If anyone else is going, let me know so I can say hello J  'Till then, Go Phillies!   

It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday for the Phillies Phestival, the annual charity event held at the ballpark with all funds raised going to towards fighting ALS or "Lou Gehrig's disease."  This year, the event raised a record-setting $758, 540 in its 19th year running.  I have posted some PHOTOS here on my photobucket site from the event and have a few to share with you here as well.  I apologize for the grainy ones...combo of a very bad back lit situation and the wrong setting on my camera...oops!  Oh well...it was hot and my brain was fried.  Anyway, first I have a collage I threw together with Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chad Durbin, Chase Utley and right in the middle, Jimmy Rollins with your favorite web site voodoo mascot and mine, J-Roll Smurf!  And figuring we've all seen enough photos of me, I was kind enough to cover that part up J  I have a fun story about that photo though...

So I walk over to Jimmy for the picture and he is already cracking up over the Smurf and starts telling me, "You know, I like smurfs too..." And I start telling him I knew that, and that is why I dressed him up like that...  Then he proceeds to tell me with a huge grin on his face, "You know what they used to call me, back in the day?  Papa Smurf."  Now I am cracking up!  I showed him the back of the uniform where I had ironed on his name and number and he was very impressed.  He said he liked it and that it was "very original."  So, I think J-Roll Smurf will be attending a few more games for luck J  I don't mind making a fool of myself; it's all in good fun.  J

Here's another fun photo for the ladies!  Should we play the "Guess Who's Better Side This Is?" game or should I just tell you?  Hee!  Well, I shouldn't say "better side," the man doesn't really have a bad side.  It's all good.  Ok, ok, I won't keep you in suspense...it's Chad Durbin.  And probably 50 or 60 people cracked up laughing while I took this picture as I turned to the line of people waiting for his autograph and said, "Ok, you know I have to do this, right?"  Sorry, couldn't help myself...he bent over right in front of me...it was like a bulls eye!

Wound up getting 14 autographs by the end of the day and an odd assortment of pictures.  I would have done better, but the Chase Utley line alone took me an hour and a half!  And what an ordeal that was too.  The guy in front of me kept making trouble by trying to let someone cut in; he got caught so then he tried to take that guys stuff for him to get it signed and the ushers wouldn't let him do that either so he got in trouble again and this time, they pulled him out of the line!  And all this happened right as it was my turn at the front of the line so I was already a frazzled mess and then to make it worse, the usher standing next to Chase yells at ME!  He points at my camera and says, "Make sure YOU don't hold up the line by stopping to take a picture.  Take it while you are moving!"  WHAT???  Mind you, I have been standing by quietly, smiling and behaving the entire 90 minutes and now this guy has the nerve to YELL at me for no reason?  I was SO upset I nearly cried and forgot to take the picture at all.  Poor Chase saw the look on my face and asked how I was and I was like, "Ok I think" and he signed my photo and gave me one of those "oh you poor thing" smiles.  He was already annoyed with how things were going...I had seen him "correct" the ushers a few times before that while I was waiting in line.  Earlier, the ushers were telling people they couldn't take photos at all and Chase looked right at them and said "Yes they can."  By the time I slid over to Jimy Williams (sitting with Chase), I was shaking like a leaf and couldn't pull his photo out of the sleeve and he was trying to calm me down!  He said, "It's ok, take your time, there's no hurry."  He's such a nice man.  J  Finally, I was out of that line and every other line was fine...no problems at all.

Now, for anyone who has not been to the Phestival, don't let what you just read discourage you from going.  This is NOT typical.  I've been going every year for 8 years and have NEVER seen this happen or been treated this way.  Usually, everyone is very nice and friendly and the event is lots of fun.  I have no idea what happened in that one line, but whoever was in charge over there simply blew it.  They obviously panicked because they knew there was a high demand for Chase's autograph and tried to change how things are usually done to try to get the line to move faster.  But you can't tell people not to take pictures or HOW to take them and you certainly shouldn't be yelling at them.

So, I have certainly not had a lot of luck in the Utley department this week!  First the picture that didn't come out on Photo Day and now this!  Geez, when will MY streak end?  In other news, the team has officially announced adding JA Happ back to the roster to take Adam Eaton's spot now that he has accepted a minor league assignment.  Do I smell a trade in the air though?  Guess we will just have to wait and see...  On to DC tonight!  Go Phillies!