Shallow | Center

Pirate Slip

Phillies Waste Cory Lidle's Nice Effort, Lose Second Straight to Bucs

IT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE to score just three runs in two games against the Pirates, but the Phillies, bless their hearts, are accomplishing the impossible on a daily basis. They dropped their second straight game at Pittsburgh last night, this one 3-2, and the annual early-season skid the team pledged in spring training to avoid has become another grim reality. This despite a massive effort by MLB's schedule makers to help out, gift-wrapping the Phils an April slate that was heavily weighted with home games and the National League's less imposing squads. Before last year's late-season, though fruitless, surge, some writers floated the idea of blowing the Phillies up and starting over, rather than tweaking here and there. The thought was that their problems were too deep, too systematic, and needed to be addressed appropriately. The Phils' awful April seems destined to revive that debate in 2006.

Fire on the Fuel

Venting About the Price of Gas Produces So Much Hot Air

THE CREATIVE VISIONARIES to whom we the people have entrusted our governance have certainly done some hard, clear-eyed thinking in response to rising gasoline prices. With $3 a gallon the new benchmark, our esteemed leadership is floating several nuggets of brilliance in an effort to placate the voting public. The most insulting proposition by far is the request by some members of Congress that taxpayers prostitute themselves by accepting a $100 rebate check in exchange for a halt to the bitching. New Jersey Governor Corzine thinks allowing drivers to pump their own gas will somehow ease prices. And others in the government are sputtering about enormous oil-company profits, as if there's something illegal about playing the system to increase corporate wealth.

Rocky Terrain

Late-Inning Loss to Colorado Exacerbates Phils' April Misery

DESPITE BEING staked to a 2-0 lead, the Phillies continued their abysmal home performance this afternoon, dropping their 10th game in 15 tries at Citizens Bank Park. I neither saw nor heard a single pitch, so I can't offer any thoughts on what went wrong in the 6-3 loss to the Rockies. But does it even matter? Sweet fancy Moses, April is not shaping up as a good month, an all too familiar lament. Despite playing just six road games to now, the Phils are three games below .500; they need a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh simply to break even for the month. And it's not as if the loss of Billy Wagner can be blamed -- the failure to notch big hits, the iffy rotation, the managerial incompetence, and the inconsistent relief are all problems that are years old for the Phillies. Meanwhile, crowds at CBP continue to dwindle, and the team continues to recede in the city's consciousness.

The Power of Positive Thinking?

Phils Hopscotch Into Second ... at Two Games Below .500

THEY TALK A LOT about the negativity and pessimism of Philadelphia fans, and maybe they're right. After the Phillies' offense woke up and delivered nine runs against the Rockies last night, I opened my paper this morning and had Jim Salisbury tell me that the team had somehow staggered its way into second place. Hmmm -- maybe a little optimism is warranted after all. Some members of Phillies City-State, after all, still believe. Then I paged back to the standings. Record: 9-11. Games behind: 4-1/2. I think I'll stash that optimism in my back pocket for a while.

Four to Score

Mid-Game Rally Can't Lift Phils Out of the Hole Dug by Stink Floyd

WHAT HAPPENED to the Gavin Floyd who so dazzled in spring training? Regular-season Floyd has been a bust thus far, the latest debacle being last night's mauling by the Rockies. The would-be phenom didn't make it past four innings, yielding seven runs and putting the beleaguered Phillies in a deficit from which they never recovered. Philadelphia mounted a comeback in the fourth that left them just a run behind, and while the bullpen did terrific work, holding Colorado scoreless the rest of the way, the offense never was able to tie the score. Naturally, the Phils' ninth-inning rally fizzled in the wind and rain. Floyd's troubles are disturbing, of course, but more ominous for long-term prospects is the team's painful inability to take advantage of a soft spot in the schedule. Early games against the Rockies, Nationals, and Marlins offered a chance to shake off a poor start; instead, they've only exacerbated it.

At least Tony Luke's and Flying Fish haven't lost their touch.

Above and Beyond

With 'The Planets,' Dava Sobel Again Leavens Her Science with Considerable Humanity

IF MORE SCIENCE WRITERS practiced their crafts as sublimely as Dava Sobel, America might not be as clueless as it is when it comes to discerning how the universe works. In two pristinely written books, Sobel explored the search for a way to determine east-west position on the globe (Longitude) and the intersection of religion and science (Galileo's Daughter). In her most recent work, The Planets, she takes her inquisitiveness, her narrative gift, her exculpatory skills, and her childlike wonder and turns them heavenward, to the bodies of the Solar System. The result is no less enchanting than her previous works.

Slow and Behold

Three Weeks Into the Young Season, the Phils Are In Deep Trouble

This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it. --Rear Admiral Joshua Painter, The Hunt for Red October

YOU CAN FEEL it slipping away, can't you? The jarring loss to the hapless Marlins Friday night left No. 1 starter Jon Lieber at a very troubling 0-4, and continued to expose the Phillies' offense as inconsistent and damaging. I can only imagine how many wiseacres are noting this morning that the Phils didn't lose last night ... because they were rained out. They're 2-8 at Citizens Bank Park, and the slippery slope toward a truly wretched season isn't very difficult to envision. In an all-too-familiar refrain, the Phillies are, on paper, better than their record, but their fragile psyches seem destined to shatter under the pressure of trying to improve. I know it's a long season -- a marathon, not a sprint, and all that -- but the sport's history tells us that pennants are exponentially harder to win after a slow start.

Carry On

Frank Martin, the Transporter Himself, Returns for a Sequel; Did You Even Know He Was Gone?

YOU WOULDN'T FIGURE that The Transporter had been successful enough to warrant a sequel. Enjoyable enough but completely disposable, the 2002 actioner rode Jason Statham's laconic charm to $25 million in box office, most of that undoubtedly contributed by college-age males looking for a meaningless adrenaline rush before hitting the bars. A paper-thin plot, cursory writing, and workmanlike acting don't usually give rise to extra chapters, yet there was Statham again donning the dark suit, white shirt, and black tie in last year's .

Home Wreckers

Another Dreadful Loss at Citizens Bank Park Continues the Phils' Slow Start

AS THE PHILLIES sprinted out to their positions at the start of last night's game against Washington, the hometown crowd, despite its small size, made a lot of noise. Fans stood and cheered in the balmy spring air. We were excited to watch our boys take the series with the Nationals. There was no booing, not even any restlessness -- it was genuine affection for the red pinstripes.

And then the umpired shouted, "Play ball!"

Extra! Extra!

Phils Provide Free Baseball and a Comeback Win

WELL, WHAT HAVE we here? A three-run rally in the eighth to tie the score? A perfect ninth and 10th by the bullpen to keep the game knotted? A base hit from Ryan Howard, off a lefty, no less, to drive in the game-winning run in the 10th? And at home?

Yes, indeed, the Phillies had themselves quite a night at Citizens Bank Park. They finally grew a pair and showed some character, and walked away with a nice little win over the Nationals. The question now is whether such a gutty W will allow them to shake off their early-season doldrums and play at a level better reflective of their talents. Frankly, I have my doubts -- the Phils are a painfully typical one-step-up/two-steps-back team, one that has spent years unable to put together any sustained success. But I'd be very happy to be proved wrong.