Shallow | Center

Easy Does It

Tuesday's Clean Win Sets Up a Potential Sweep of the Nats Today

Eight innings of sterling starting pitching, timely hitting, and an 11-pitch ninth by the closer -- isn't this what true contenders do? The Phillies played a generally crisp game in downing the Nationals last night, and will go for the sweep this afternoon. And just like that, all of the sudden Philadelphia looks as if it has a clue. There's no chance I'll succumb to the temptation, though, because we've been through this too many times before. Hell, just last week the Phils were in free fall. And Bob Ford's piece in today's Inquirer is a spot-on reminder that, Brett Myers aside, the rotation is still a mess, which augurs all sorts of problems down the road. (Unless, I suppose, Pat Gillick can work a Jedi mind trick and pry Dontrelle Willis away from the Marlins.) Being a devoted member of Phillies City-State requires one to learn to repeat the phrase "What have you done for me lately?" often.

UPDATE: The Phillies wasted a perfectly competent start by Corey Lidle, and were able to scratch out just six hits against Livan Hernandez en route to a 3-2 loss today. Naturally, inevitably, they stranded runners at second and third in the ninth. A sweep of the Nationals would have given the Phils four straight wins and sent them to the West Coast with some good vibes. Instead, they'll lug with them across the country the memory of a thoroughly mediocre performance and a missed opportunity.

Bank Shot

Treasury Nominee Brings an Interesting Pedigree to the White House

Henry Paulson, nominated by President Bush yesterday to replace John Snow as Secretary of the Treasury, will be taking a massive pay cut once he's confirmed. Serving as CEO of Goldman Sachs, apparently, earns one much more scratch than trying to convince the nation's most gifted economists that huge tax cuts for the upper classes comprise sound policy at a time of burgeoning budget deficits. Anyway, according to an NPR report I heard last night, Paulson is one of Wall Street's most generous philanthropists, having donated more than $100 million to various charitable causes over the years. Among the organizations he supports are those advocating environmental conservation -- Paulson chairs the board of the Nature Conservancy -- and a group that promotes the advancement of women in the workplace. An ace businessman who's going to sacrifice major bucks to take a job in the public sector, and who thinks the environment and businesswomen are causes worth supporting? Maybe you should consider running, Mr. Paulson. And kudos to Mr. Bush for the pick, though of course with this White House you have to wonder whether anybody not named Cheney or Rove even gets his phone calls returned.

In-Game Thoughts

Phillies Look to Take Game 2 of Series with Nats

I TUNED in just after Bobby Abreu went yard to stake the Phillies to a 3-0 lead over the Nationals tonight. And so rather than exult in Abreu's upper-deck bomb, I got to experience Chris Wheeler's exposition of the animated conversation Jimmy Rollins was having with Bobby in the dugout after the tater. Nothing like Wheels inserting himself into a chat he can't hear and knows nothing about. ... Aaron Rowand plays the hell out of centerfield. If he's even slightly gunshy about throwing his body around Citizen Bank Park's outfield, he's sure not showing it. The dude's a Philadelphia folk hero in the making. ... Brett Myers looks very, very comfortable on the mound tonight. His rhythm looks good, he's hitting his spots, and his stuff is solid. Myers just destroyed Alfonso Soriano with a devastating curve, for example. It's encouraging to see him so sharp.

You Mess with the Bull ...

In Praise of a Late, Great Character Actor

WE LOST one of the greats over the weekend: Character actor extraordinaire and former Triple-A ballplayer (!) Paul Gleason died of lung cancer Saturday at the age of 67. If you needed a hard-assed prick who held a position of middle-management authority (deputy police chief, high school principal, etc.), Gleason was your guy. It's the kind role that fuels all sorts of dramatic tension, and he was a master at playing it, all false bravado and self-loathing. My favorite Gleason moment was when, in Die Hard, he's talking with Al Powell, the uniformed cop who was the first on the scene at Nakatomi Plaza, about John McClane, at that point in the film a complete X-factor. Powell tells Gleason that he thinks McClane might be a cop himself, and he cites as evidence McClane's ability to spot forged driver's licenses. "Phony ID?" Gleason's Dwayne T. Robinson responds incredulously. "Jesus Christ, Powell, he could be a fucking bartender for all we know!" It's a great line, delivered with pinpoint precision. Rest in peace, Mr. Gleason.

One Step Up ...

... and for the Phillies, Two Perpetual Steps Back

Having downed the Brewer juggernaut yesterday for the first time in six tries this season, the Phils now face mighty Washington for three at Citizens Bank Park. Damn those schedule-makers for foisting such titans as Milwaukee and the Nats on us -- and at home, no less! I know that Ryan Howard has been bashing dingers at a rate unseen since Mike Schmidt, that Chase Utley and Aaron Rowand are hustling their asses off, that Ryan Madson seems finally to have gotten his head screwed on straight -- yet with all of the positives, the Phillies continue to play more like a high school JV team than a division contender. You just never know which squad is going to show. The lowly Nationals, for example, just tied the game on a throwing error by Howard that channeled by days on a 1-17 Little League team. Philadelphia may yet move on to win this one, but, man, things just don't come easy for the boys in red pinstripes.

UPDATE: As if to prove my point, Scott Graham and Chris Wheeler just noted that starter Jon Lieber left after two with a strained groin. Sigh.

Blog Kill

The Sad Phillies Show Themselves Easy to Forget About

BASEBALL SEASON is supposed to be the ultimate for bloggers. Day-to-day posting based on near-daily games, stats, analysis, commentary -- there's so much going on for us to talk about. But if you're a Phillies fan, you can find your blog buzz killed awfully quickly. After that glorious early-May run, they've all but wiped out the progress they made, dropping eight of 10 to skid down into third place in the division. That's right, the Braves -- the goddamn Braves -- have skipped ahead of the Phils by a half-game. Philadelphia's recent stumbles are the result of the various flaws that have plagued the franchise for the last several years -- inconsistency, poor managing, injuries. It's hard to shake the notion that the streak that carried them to just a couple of games back of the division lead was nothing more than an aberration. Whether I post a couple of times a day or once or twice a week won't change the fact that the Phillies just aren't good enough.

Philadelphia Fleedom

Leaving Town for a Few Days Coincides With Yet Another Skid

BOY, YOU take a single long weekend in Boston 'burbs and then the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut -- an awfully nice corner of the country, if you ever get the chance -- and the Phillies lose their mojo faster than you can say, "Joe Cowley." Being swept at Milwaukee is nothing short of shameful, and then they allowed the Red Sox to abuse them in two out of three losses at Citizens Bank Park. Just like that, the bubble of good vibes and consistent winning popped, and a chance to gain ground on the Mets was lost. Worse, we realize that the demons of years past have yet to be expunged. Hopes that the Phils had turned a corner, that the inconsistent ways of the last few seasons had been shed during early May's dominance, were clearly unfounded. Three important games at Shea begin tonight, and we're left with the never-ending question: Which Phillies team will show?

Showtime

For Phils, a Two-Week Stretch That Belongs on the Big Screen

IF THIS Phillies season were a movie, the last two weeks would be the montage. You know the montage. In Major League, it's the stretch drive, when the Indians make their late-season charge to force a one-game playoff with the Yankees. In Bull Durham, it's the mid-season streak that sees the Bulls rediscovering their passion for the game. Lots of cool, graceful slo-mo shots of defensive gems and winnings runs; freeze-frame images captured as newspaper photographs; cut-aways to off-field antics. That's life in Phillies City-State in mid-May 2006. Iffy rotation pitching in one of the league's most hitter-friendly ballparks? No sweat -- watch 'em absolutely strangle the Reds. Food poisoning got one of your big boppers heaving on the bench? Check it out -- he's gonna swat a pair of late-inning dingers to seal the win and the sweep. Film at 11.

Red Menace

Phils' Staff Steps It Up in Cincinnati

AARON ROWAND might disagree, but it appears the Phillies are living quite the charmed life these days. Putative phenom Cole Hamels made his major league debut Friday night in Cincinnati and tossed five shutout innings, with an adrenaline-induced five walks being the only negative in an otherwise solid start. Philadelphia 8, Cincy 4. Yesterday Jon Lieber, who's struggled for much of the young season, dominated the Reds, taking a perfect game into the seventh and helping the Phils to a 2-0 win. That this series is at Great American Ballpark, one of the National League's most hitter-friendly venues, against a Reds team that's much better than expected, makes Hamels's and Lieber's accomplishments that much more impressive. The Phillies are just two games behind the Mets and go for the sweep today. There's a lot of season left, but I admire their ability to shake off their poor start -- it could be a very fun and interesting summer.

Progress Notes

Key Series Win Over Mets Rekindles Optimism

PHILLIES CITY-STATE has been abuzz over some significant happenings this week. The Phils' winning streak reached 10, then was snapped in brutal fashion by the Mets. Aaron Rowand made a jaw-dropping catch, then shattered his nose on the centerfield wall. After blowing away single-A and triple-A hitters, Cole Hamels got the call to the Show. Yet the most significant news of the week is that the Phillies took two of three from New York, gaining a game on their first-place foes and providing a reason to believe that they may truly have turned things around. I'm not willing to go all in just yet, but I like what I've seen over this stretch. There's fire in their bellies, a swagger in their step, and some very welcome 'tude emanating from their clubhouse. For a lot of reasons, we have to hope that Rowand can recover swiftly from his surgery -- he's a hell of a fun player to watch, and seems to be serving as the emotional catalyst the team has needed for years. After a month of dreadful ball, we finally appear to have a summer of meaningful baseball to watch; of course, we said that last year, too. And the year before. And, uh, the year before that.