Cubs 11, Phillies 6Game 91 - Sunday Night, July 18th in Chicago
There's a palpable difference between following the 2010 Phillies and following the 2008 or 2009 Phillies. In '08 and '09, it was fun to watch the Phillies and each game started with a feeling the Phils were going to win. And if the team got behind early, you just had a feeling they would somehow rally to win the game. In '10, that feeling is gone. There's a sense going into each game that we'll be lucky if the team manages to score 2 or 3 or (gasp!) 4 runs. And if they get behind - forget about it, the game is probably over. Some may call that pessimism, but I call it being a Phillies fan in 2010.
In front of a national audience on ESPN last night, the Phillies bared their weaknesses for all to see: not covering bases, throwing to the wrong base, dropping foul pop ups, bouncing throws, swinging at first pitches after the previous batter had walked and looking downright dejected throughout the course of the game. At least no one was thrown out on the basepaths tonight. Roy Halladay was off. He didn't have his stuff, and he got frustrated early with the home plate umpire. Four Cubs runs scored in the 2nd, and I, along with most of the Phillies line-up it seems, checked out.
When it was all over, Halladay had his 8th loss of the year and relievers J.C. Romero and David Herndon had managed to put the game completely out of reach. Late home runs from Greg Dobbs, Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco made the final score of 11-6 a little easier to stomach, but this game was never really even close.
These are not good times for the Phillies or their fans. I'm featuring a Kent Tekulve baseball card just to brighten this place up a little today. Hopefully Teke can stop by the nearest Revco this afternoon and pick up a prescription for what's ailing the Phils.
1 comment:
Completely agree. Nailed it pefectly about how this year has felt. I've said to friends that it's been one of the most frustrating seasons in a long time, if ever, to watch; given that they were supposed to score runs by accident and win another pennant.
I'm glad the '83 design wasn't used for the Chachi set after all; it's my favorite set and I voted for it, but I'm glad it wasn't chosen for this mess of a season. '74 is one of my least favorite designs, and the team's playing like it's '74, so maybe it's an appropriate choice for the Chaci set.
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