The Phillies squandered a 6 run lead in the last 2 innings Wednesday afternoon, and it is a loss that will be tough to come back from. Brett Myers and Tom Gordon were victims of bad bounces and a missed catch in RF, but a 6-run lead is a 6-run lead, and good, highly paid relievers are supposed to get these saves. After a 4-game sweep of the Mets last week, bringing them to 2 games back in the NL East, a 2-4 road trip has served to once again pull the rug out from under Phillies fans. Twice in the last week, 8 runs has not been good enough to win. You just cannot make the playoffs with pitching so unbelievably bad. All of the good vibes from last week seem to be a distant memory, and the playoffs, barring a major pitching turn-around, will be just out of reach for another year.
Paging Dr. Cole
Cole Hamels claims that the lack of a traveling chiropractor may be party responsible for his arm injury. I wonder if not having one has ever affected any other pitcher in major league history. Toughen up, kid, and get back on the mound where you are needed.
Phils may need new doctors, though.
When the Phillies failed to re-sign Billy Wagner two years ago, they signed Gordon, with a history of arm problems, to a 3-year contract. Gordon gave the Phils 3 months, not 3 years. Last off-season, Phillies doctors saw something wrong on the MRI of Joe Borowski, so they allowed him to sign with Cleveland, where he has 40 saves. They traded for Freddy Garcia and his $10 million contract without even an exam, and we all know what happened there. Where do the Phillies find their doctors, Quacks-R-Us? www.quacks.com? Wherever they came from, I bet they were just the right price for the Phillies, which is cheap.
College Football thoughts
Michigan paid Appalachian State $400,000 to come up to the Big House for a supposedly easy win. I wonder if they asked for a refund.
Notre Dame lost at home to Georgia Tech 33-3, and appear to be in for a long season. Is Irish Coach Charlie Weis still a genius?
Already wary of announcers for Sunday
One of the things that bother me most about NFL announcers is the continued unabashed adulation of Packers QB Brett Favre. The opening intro to Sunday’s game will probably be filled with doubt about the ability of Donovan McNabb, while continuing to bow at the altar of Favre, who hasn’t been good in years. Green Bay has been mediocre in recent seasons, but Favre and his ever-increasing interception total always seem to dodge responsibility. The Eagles will win Sunday, McNabb will have a decent game, and Favre will throw a stupid interception or two, but the announcers will continue to turn a blind eye to all of Favre’s faults.