2016 Chachi #65 Batting Leaders - Hernandez, Herrera, Franco

After a year's absence from the Chachi set, team leader cards have returned.  I skipped the process of creating team leader cards last season as I didn't feel like creating a brand new 1985 Topps based template for team leaders with poor to mediocre team leading statistics.  This year's performance was a little better (8 wins better to be exact) so I decided to forge ahead with some team leader cards.

I don't think anyone would have predicted that Cesar Hernandez would lead the team in hitting this season, and if not for the second half swoon of Odubel Herrera, Herrera would have won the title for the second year in a row.

Memory Lane - Chachi Batting Leaders Cards
2005 - Chase Utley, .291
2006 - Ryan Howard, .313
2007 - Chase Utley, .332
2008 - Shane Victorino, .293
2009 - Shane Victorino, .292
2010 - Placido Polanco, .298
2011 - Shane Victorino, .279
2012 - Jimmy Rollins, .250
2013 - Chase Utley, .284
2014 - Ben Revere, .306
2015 - Odubel Herrera, .297 (no card created)
2016 - Cesar Hernandez, .294

Here are the three Batting Leaders cards, from 2005, 2008 and 2010, that have not yet appeared on this blog until now.

2005 Chachi #52

2008 Chachi #55

2010 Chachi #53

2010 Chachi #41 Brian Bocock

The Phillies made one trade this past week that completely flew under the radar.  If not for this blurb from MLB Trade Rumors, I would have missed it too.  Brian Bocock was traded by the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs to the Indianapolis Indians (the Triple-A team for the Pirates).  There's no indication the Phillies even received anything back in return.

Bocock made it into six games last year with the Phillies as a September call-up.  He went 0 for 5 at the plate, but he managed to score twice as a pinch-runner.

I promised a Bocock Chachi card way back at the end of last year's N.L.D.S., and I'm finally delivering.  It only took the guy getting traded for me to wrap up his Chachi card.

2010 Chachi #46 Greg Gross CO

Athletics 4, Phillies 1
Game 78 - Saturday Night, June 25th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  A lack of offense doomed the Phils against the A's, 4-1. 

What It Means:  Yet another loss that can be summed up with dreaded four words - "A lack of offense."  Their record fell to 48-30 and if the Braves hang on to win tonight in San Diego, they'll have a four game lead in the East.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils tallied four hits - two singles and two doubles - in a losing effort against the A's.  Cole Hamels (9-4) missed out on another opportunity to secure his 10th win of the season based on a complete lack of offensive support.  Hamels took the hard luck loss despite pitching eight solid innings and allowing just two runs on eight hits.  The A's tacked on a few insurance runs against reliever Michael Stutes in the ninth.

Trevor Cahill (8-5) and Andrew Bailey (5th save) combined to handcuff the scuffling offense.

Featured Card: You're not going to win many games when you score only one run, as the Phillies have the past two nights. At the end of July last season, with the offense unable to produce to everyone's expectations, the Phillies fired hitting coach Milt Thompson and brought in former Phillie and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Greg Gross to assume the hitting coach duties. (This is Gross' first official Chachi card, unseen by the masses, or at least the nineteen of you reading this, until now.)  The official word from the club was that the offense just needed a new perspective in order to snap out of a season long funk. By all accounts, Gross didn't make any wholesale changes, but he did tinker with a few guys. I'm not going to go back through the offensive splits before and after the Thompson era ended, but it seemed as if the offense was just a bit more productive under Gross' watch.

Now here we almost a year later, and the offense again is not performing to anyone's expectations. It's certainly not the fault of Gross, but I just can't help the feeling that the offense just needs a good old-fashioned kick in their collective keisters.

2010 Chachi #60 Leading Firemen - Brad Lidge & Ryan Madson

Reds 6, Phillies 3
Game 48 - Tuesday Night, May 24th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Madson had his first rough outing of the year, capped by Jay Bruce's three-run double in the ninth, as the Reds won, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies record dropped to 29-19.

What Went Wrong:  Madson had a 13-game scoreless streak snapped as a result of Bruce's big hit.  The ninth got off to a rough start when Drew Stubbs laid down a bunt fielded by Madson.  Madson threw the ball past Ryan Howard at first and things unraveled from there.

Starter Vance Worley pitched well at the outset, but then sputtered in the fifth inning.  He began the frame by allowing a six-pitch walk to Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto.  Cueto and Drew Stubbs, who doubled to reach, both came in to score on Brandon Phillips RBI-single.

What Went Right:  Raul Ibanez continued his hot streak, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Featured Card:  Until this game, Madson had been wonderful in the closer's role so far this year.  Last year, things didn't go so well as he was seemingly easily rattled when handed the ball in big pressure situations.  He did manage to save five games in 2010, a distant second to Brad Lidge's 27 saves.  Also recording saves in 2010 - Jose Contreras (4), J.C. Romero (3) and Nelson Figueroa (1).  It was actually Figueroa's second career save.

Field Report:  Jenna and I were there and it was a gorgeous night for baseball.  The Phils are now 4-3 in games I've attended this year.  It was also Roy Oswalt bobble head night, and I've already added Roy to my bobble head shelf in the "real" Phillies Room.  Jenna has graciously agreed to allow her Oswalt bobble head to be offered as trade bait.  So if you're interested, please check out my wantlists and make me an offer I can't refuse.

Other Stuff:  JT, over at The Writer's Journey, made Bruce's three-run double the focus of his card commemorating the game.

2010 Chachi #73 Cliff Lee HL

Phillies 2, Rangers 0
Game 45 - Saturday Night, May 21st in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee (3-4) pitched masterfully, shutting down the Rangers over eight innings while the offense exploded for eight hits.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 28-17 and they maintain a game and half lead over the Marlins in the division.  They'll go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon behind Roy Oswalt.

What Went Right:  Lee allowed just five hits while striking out ten during his outing.  He also singled, stole a base and successfully performed the Heimlich Maneuver on a fan choking on a cheese steak in Section 114, saving the man's life.  Ryan Madson earned his ninth save, lowering his ERA to 0.47.

Ryan Howard and John Mayberry, Jr. provided the offense.  Howard led off the second with his tenth home run of the year, breaking an 0 for 23 slide, and Mayberry singled home Raul Ibanez in the sixth.

Featured Card:  The back-to-back performances turned in by Roy Halladay and Lee against the Rangers are exactly what I was daydreaming about back in December when Lee returned to the Phillies via free agency.  He had turned down offers from the Rangers and Yankees to return to Philly and I spent the rest of the off-season waiting to see this rotation in action.  Halladay and Lee have not disappointed.

Other Stuff:  Madson became the first Phillie to record saves in seven consecutive Phillies wins since Doug Jones did it back in 1994.  Domonic Brown made his 2011 Phillies debut, going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

2010 Chachi #55 RBI Leaders - Ryan Howard & Jayson Werth

Phillies 10, Mets 3
Game 25 - Friday Night, April 29th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard's two home runs, including a grand slam, led the Phillies over the hapless Mets, 10-3.

What It Means:  The Phils improved their record to 17-8 with the win, but the Marlins also won, staying a half game behind the division leaders.

What Went Right:  Howard's 6-RBI night helped starter Vance Worley notch his first win of the season.  Worley pitched six shutout innings, allowing just two hits, but walking four.  Placido Polanco remains red hot, improving his average to .390 with two more hits.  Jimmy Rollins also appears to be returning to form, as the shortstop added two hits, walked twice and stole a base.

Howard's big night tied him with Del Ennis for second on the Phillies all-time home run list with 259.  Mike Schmidt holds the top spot on the list with 548 career home runs.

What Went Wrong:  If not for David Herndon's ninth inning, the Mets would have been shut out.  Herndon allowed two homers in the ninth, surrendering all three Mets runs and bumping his ERA up to 9.28.

Featured Card:  I'm almost caught up with the posting of the final 2010 Chachi cards.  Howard's 27 RBIs in 2011 currently leads the National League.  In 2010, his RBI total was actually down as he only drove in 108.  Jayson Werth, now exiled in Washington, was second with 85.

Rounding out the top five in 2010 were Raul Ibanez (83), Shane Victorino (69) and Chase Utley (65).

Transactions:  On Thursday, the Phils placed Joe Blanton on the disabled list with elbow problems and recalled Worley from Lehigh Valley to take his place in the rotation.  Before the game on Friday, due to Carlos Ruiz' lingering back problems, Mike Zagurski was shipped back to Lehigh, and catcher Dane Sardinha was recalled.

Disney Report:  We returned to reality on Friday afternoon, exhausted, exhilarated and already ready for our next trip!

2010 Chachi #51 Nate Robertson

With tonight's game against the Marlins postponed due to rain, I thought it was a perfect time to post Nate Robertson's long lost 2010 Chachi card.  If you're keeping score at home, I've almost posted all the cards from this set after taking a computer-issue mandated hiatus.

First, a little history from a September 2010 post on Robertson's season before landing with the Phillies as a free agent on August 24th:

The Phils also recalled pitcher Mike Zagurski from Lehigh Valley today and selected the contract of pitcher Nate Robertson - both leftys. The Phillies are Robertson's 4th organization this year. Late in Spring Training, the Tigers (with whom he pitched for 7 seasons) traded him to the Marlins. He started 18 games for the Marlins going 6-8 with a 5.47 ERA and earning his release on July 27th. (Interestingly enough, his best start of the season came against the Phillies on April 18th, when he pitched 6.1 innings of shutout ball for the win.) The Cardinals signed him to a minor league deal, but it included an opt-out clause if Robertson wasn't with the big club by August 23rd. He wasn't, the Cardinals released him and he signed with the Phillies. He's expected to pitch middle relief for the Phils down the stretch and he'll be card #51 in this year's Chachi set.

I wrote that on the morning of September 6, 2010, and here's what transpired over the next three days:

September 6 - In Game 1 of a double header against the Marlins, Robertson entered with two outs in the ninth inning with the Marlins holding a 6-1 lead and runners on first and third.  He allowed an infield single (plating the Marlins' seventh run) and then got catcher Brad Davis to fly out to deep center.

September 8 - Again facing the Marlins, Robertson allowed six runs on four hits (including a home run and a double) and two walks.  He recorded just two outs before Charlie Manuel mercifully took the ball from him.

September 9 - Robertson was designated for assignment and his 2010 season was over.

In January, he signed with the Seattle Mariners.  He underwent surgery in March to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow and the Mariners expect him to be ready to go by June.

Without going too far out on a limb, I'd wager this could be Robertson's one and only baseball card with the Phillies, albeit a virtual one.

2010 Chachi #59 Strikeout Leaders - Roy Halladay & Cole Hamels

Phillies 3, Braves 0
Game 9 - Sunday Afternoon, April 10th in Atlanta

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels got his groove back in Atlanta, pitching seven shutout innings, and Shane Victorino's bat keyed the 3-0 Phillies victory.

What It Means:  The Phillies have played three series so far this season, and they have won all three.  With a 7-2 record, the Phillies have a two game lead against the Florida Marlins in the National League East.  They have a day off tomorrow before opening a three-game series in Washington on Tuesday night.

What Went Right:  His first game of 2011 (against the Mets) seemingly a distant memory, Hamels dazzled against the Braves, striking out eight and allowing just four hits.  He shut down the first ten batters he faced until Nate McLouth doubled in the fourth.

Victorino was involved with all three runs scored by the Phillies.  He singled in the first and came home to score on a double play ball.  He singled and scored in the fourth and he finished the afternoon with a solo home run in the sixth.  In the three games against the Braves, Victorino went 9 for 13 with three RBIs and two stolen bases.

Carlos Ruiz added two more hits, upping his average to .346.  Jose Contreras recorded his second save of the season.

Featured Card:  I almost went with a Victorino card, but Hamels gets the nod for his pitching performance this afternoon.  As of right now, Hamels' 11 strikeouts this season are third on the team behind Cliff Lee (14) and Roy Halladay (13).

Last year, Halladay and Hamels finished one-two in team strikeouts, with Joe Blanton (134), Kyle Kendrick (84) and Roy Oswalt (73) in the distance rounding out the top five.

2010 Chachi #71 Shane Victorino HL

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 7 - Friday Night, April 8th in Atlanta

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves got to Cliff Lee, knocking him out in the fourth and tagging him for six runs as the Phillies lost in Atlanta.

What It Means:  Lee had his worst start since September 4, 2009 (against the Astros) when he surrendered six runs in three innings of work.  Tonight, he allowed six runs on ten hits, a walk and a hit batter in 3 1/3 innings.  The Phillies fall to 5-2, maintaining a one-game lead over the Marlins in the N.L. East.

What Went Wrong:  The Braves offense jumped on Lee's pitches early as the lefty suffered from a lack of command tonight.  Two key at-bats doomed the Phillies.  First, Shane Victorino should have caught the ball hit by Chipper Jones in the fourth that resulted in a bases-clearing double, breaking a 3-3 tie.  Second, with the bases loaded and one out, slugger Ryan Howard bounced weakly back to pitcher Tim Hudson, resulting in a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

What Went Right:  The long relievers at least looked good.  Kyle Kendrick wriggled out of trouble following Lee's departure, stranding two Braves base runners in the fourth.  Antonio Bastardo struck out six straight Braves in his two innings of work, tying a franchise record for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever.  Jack Meyer (1958) and Willie Hernandez (1983) had both previously performed the feat.

Featured Card:  Victorino will probably be the first guy to tell you he should have caught Chipper's ball.  This 2010 Chachi Highlight card celebrates the Flyin' Hawaiian's defense in an attempt to cleanse the palette following the botched play in tonight's game.  Ironically, the photo I used for this card is from a game against the Braves last year in which Victorino made a spectacular, leaping catch to take away a Troy Glaus home run.

Other Stuff:  Chipper collected his 2,500th career hit in the sixth inning off Bastardo . . . Cool piece of trivia from Todd Zolecki's blog - "[Wilson] Valdez went 4 for 4 with three runs scored in yesterday's 11-0 victory over the Mets. He is the first No. 8 hitter to have four or more hits and score three or more runs for the Phillies since Steve Lake on June 30, 1991, against the Mets."

2010 Chachi #58 ERA Leaders - Roy Halladay & Cole Hamels

If you (or anyone else) had said to me in June last year that Cole Hamels would be the Phillies' fourth starter to start the 2011 season, I would have been very confused.  Maybe an injury pushed back his first start?  Maybe he had an awful spring and Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick had jumped him in the rotation?

I would not have guessed that Hamels was the team's fourth starter because of their acquisition of Roy Oswalt in July and the signing of free agent Cliff Lee in December.  And that's where we are today.  Following an off-day today, the Phillies face off against the Mets for three games with Hamels - their number four starter - pitching the series opener on Tuesday night.

Halladay and Hamels finished one-two in most major pitching categories in 2010, and ERA was no exception.  Using a qualifying mark of 162 innings or more, the four pitchers qualifying last year for the Phillies were Halladay (2.44 in 250.2 innings), Hamels (3.06 in 208.2 innings), Kendrick (4.73 in 180.2 innings) and Blanton (4.82 in 175.2 innings).

2010 Chachi #54 Home Run Leaders - Ryan Howard & Jayson Werth

For the Phillies to be successful this year, they'll need to piece together innings similar to yesterday's ninth inning.  Without the benefit of an extra base hit, the team scored three times to win the game.  Too often in recent years, the Phillies seem to sit back and wait for one of its big boppers to come up with a long ball.  I'd like to see more bunting, more stolen bases and more station to station baseball this year.

Of course, I'd also like to see a ton of Phillies home runs.  I kind of want it all.

Last year, Ryan Howard (31) and Jayson Werth (27) led the team in homers, as memorialized on this 2010 Chachi Leaders card.  (It's actually one of the scariest-looking Chachi cards I've ever made.  I wouldn't want to bump into either of these guys in a dark ally.)  Werth is gone, so either someone else is going to have to pick up the power production this year, or the Phils will need to rely a little more on small ball.

Rounding out the Phillies top 10 home run hitters last year - Shane Victorino (18), Chase Utley (16), Raul Ibanez (16), Carlos Ruiz (8), Jimmy Rollins (8), Placido Polanco (6), Ben Francisco (6) and Ross Gload (6).

2010 Chachi #49 John Mayberry, Jr.

Phillies 5, Astros 4
Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, April 1st in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Capped by John Mayberry, Jr.'s drive to center, the Phillies strung together six singles in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three times and walking off with a 5-4 opening day win.

What It Means:  It means it's a great way to start a season!  Before the heroics from Mayberry and Wilson Valdez, the story was going to be how former Phillies Brett Myers (7 innings, allowing two runs on three hits) and Michael Bourn (2-run triple in the seventh) exacted revenge on their original team.  Valdez' single in the ninth tied it and Mayberry's won it.

What Went Right:  In the ninth, the Astros brought in closer Brandon Lyon to hold a 4-2 lead.  Lyon would retire just one batter as Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco, Carlos Ruiz, Valdez and finally, Mayberry, all reached on singles.  Roy Halladay only pitched six innings as the Astros showed a knack for working deep counts and fouling off a ton of pitches.  He left after 102 pitches having allowed a run on five hits while striking out six.

What Went Wrong:  The offense managed just four hits through the first eight innings.  In the seventh, J.C. Romero failed to retire the one batter he came in to face and then David Herndon coughed up a single, Bourn's triple and a sacrifice fly to give the Astros their 4-2 lead.

Featured Card:  I'm still putting the finishing touches on Mayberry's 2011 Chachi card, so here's his 2010 Chachi card, which I failed to post during the 2010 season.

Other Stuff:  Ryan Madson pied Mayberry during the latter's post-game interview. . . The Phillies wore a black "B" on the front of their jerseys in honor of brothers Jim and Whip Buck, two long-time owners who passed away this past winter.

2010 Chachi #72 Roy Halladay HL

This post has been in my draft folder since November, back when my PC starting flaking out on me.  I didn't actually create the card until this past weekend.  The best part is the final sentence.  Little did I know at the time that the Phillies would be signing free agent Cliff Lee in a little less than a month, and I'd make a 2010 Chachi card to commemorate the signing.  The checklist card would have to wait until card #74.

On Tuesday, Roy Halladay was named the 2010 National League Cy Young award winner.  It was an unanimous decision by the voters.  It was Halladay's second Cy Young award, as he first won the award back in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays.  He became the fifth pitcher in history - along with Gaylord Perry, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez - to win the award in both leagues.

In 33 starts, Halladay compiled a record of 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA.  He led the National League in wins, complete games (9), shutouts (4) and innings pitched (250.2) and he threw the game's 20th perfect game on May 29th.  He was second in the league in strikeouts (219).  His teammate Roy Oswalt finished sixth in the voting while, surprisingly, Cole Hamels did not receive any votes.  Former Phillie Brett Myers received one fourth place vote.

Halladay became the fourth Phillies to win the Cy Young, joining Steve Carlton (1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982), John Denny (1983) and Steve Bedrosian (1987).  He receives card #72 in this year's Chachi set, meaning that the 2010 set is just about wrapped up.  Barring some huge Phillies event between now and New Year's Eve, the final card in this year's set will be #73 - the all-important checklist card.

2010 Chachi #57 Victory Leaders - Roy Halladay & Cole Hamels

Phillies 6, Braves 1
Spring Training Game 32 - Sunday Afternoon, March 27th in Lake Buena Vista

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies went to Disney World and came away with a win against the Braves, thanks to a fine performance from Roy Halladay and home runs from Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard.

What It Means:  It means Halladay is ready for the season to start.

Top Hitters:  Ibanez, Howard and Ben Francisco each had two hits a piece and Halladay contributed a two-run single in the second.  The man is just amazing.

Top Pitchers:  Halladay pitched three more scoreless innings, ending the spring with a 4-0 record and a 0.42 ERA.

Featured Card:  Halladay's spring is done and he'll begin his quest to defend his National League Cy Young Award this Friday afternoon against the Astros.  In 2010, he led the league with 21 wins.  Cole Hamels was a distant second on the team with 12 wins, although he should have had at least four or five more.  Rounding out the top five on the Phillies were Kyle Kendrick (11), Joe Blanton (9) and Jamie Moyer (9).

Other Stuff:  Injured closer Brad Lidge will travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday to have an MRI on his shoulder.

Transactions:  Three more players were re-assigned to minor league camp today - catchers Tuffy Gosewisch and Dane Sardinha and infielder-outfielder Josh Barfield.  Gosewisch and Sardinha are next in line for a recall should the team need a third catcher.  Barfield was squeezed out with the signing of Luis Castillo and his lackluster defensive performance didn't help much either.

2010 Chachi #74 Checklist

At long last, the 2010 Chachi set has been completed, and here's the final checklist to prove it.  Thanks to a loving wife and some free time on Saturday afternoon, I found the time to create the final cards for the 2010 set.  I hope to post the remaining cards between now and the start of the regular season on Friday.

I had fun using the designs from the 1974 Topps set as a template, and I was actually able to create backs for most of the cards in the set.  As revealed a few months ago, the 2011 Chachi set will borrow its design from the 1983 Topps set, and I'm happy to report that production is already well under way.

At least one insert set is planned this year, as I'll be making Super Veteran cards along the way for those players who have been around for a little while.  However, I won't be making backs for the cards this year, as making backs for each of these custom cards is both time-consuming and quite honestly, a little boring.

And yes, I am extremely excited about the start of the 2011 season.  Play ball!

P.S.  It's never too soon for the 2012 Chachi Planning Committee to hold its first meeting.  I don't want to start any rumors, but we've been looking through our 1971 and 1985 Topps sets a lot recently.

2010 Chachi #40 Mike Zagurski

I've been out of town for a few days for work purposes, so I haven't had a chance to comment on Jayson Werth's departure, or Pat Gillick's induction into the Hall of Fame or even Domonic Brown's dismissal from the Dominican Winter League after hitting .069 and looking "sluggish."

However, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to post lefty reliever Mike Zagurski's 2010 Chachi card. 

You may be asking, "What does Zagurski have to do with the Winter Meetings or $126 million over 7 years or the team's apparent pursuit of Dennys Reyes and Delwyn Young and Juan Rivera and Jeff Francoeur?"

And I would answer, "Absolutely nothing."  For some inexplicable reason, I had Zagurski's Chachi card saved to my work laptop.  I'm as puzzled as you are.

Zagurski pitched in only eight games for the Phillies in 2010 - five in June and July and three more after his call-up in September.  He threw a total of seven innings and his 10.29 ERA is a good indication of how things went for him.

2010 Chachi #50 Mike Sweeney

News broke that the Phillies had acquired Mike Sweeney from the Mariners as we were enjoying dinner at Ike's Famous Crab Cakes on the Ocean City boardwalk.  It was the first week of August, and the Phillies were in need of a temporary first baseman given Ryan Howard's bum ankle.  Sweeney came through a few days after his acquisition, adding a few key hits in a big inning against the Mets.

In his 26 games with the Phils, Sweeney hit .231 with two home runs and eight RBIs.  Although he was on the team's Postseason roster, he had just one at-bat during the play-offs, which resulted in a pinch-hit single against the Reds in NLDS Game 2.  Prior to his 2010 Postseason appearance, Sweeney had gone 16 seasons and 1,454 games without appearing in the play-offs, landing him fourth on the active list of such players.

I'll remember Sweeney mostly for this:  In times of celebration, Sweeney forgoes the high fives and goes right for a full-on hug.  His time in Philly was short (he's a free agent now), but he made the most of his time with the team.

2010 Chachi #44 Ryan Howard/Roy Halladay AS

The next All-Star card in the 2010 Chachi set features the two Phillies' players to actually see action in the Mid-Summer Classic.

Manager Charlie Manuel named Ryan Howard his starting designated hitter and batted his slugger fourth in the National League line-up.  (American League ballpark meant the teams used the American League rules.)  This was Howard's third All-Star appearance, as he had previously appeared in the 2006 and 2009 games.  In the second inning, Howard struck out swinging against American League starting pitcher David Price.  In the fourth, he grounded to second against former teammate Cliff Lee.  The Reds' Joey Votto pinch-hit for Howard in the seventh, and his night was done.

This was Roy Halladay's first All-Star appearance with the National League squad, and it was his seventh appearance overall.  Halladay relieved Hong-Chih Kuo to start the bottom of the sixth inning.  Derek Jeter led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Elvis Andrus.  A double play followed as Halladay struck out Paul Konerko and Brian McCann (the game's eventual MVP) threw out Andrus attempting to steal second.  Halladay allowed another single to Josh Hamilton, and Manuel summoned Matt Capps from the bullpen to record the final out of the sixth.

It wasn't a banner night for the Phillies' All-Stars, but at least they were on the winning side for the first time since 1996.

2010 Chachi #43 Charlie Manuel/Chase Utley AS

As I ease into the world of off-season posting, the first order of business is to post the remaining 2010 Chachi cards.  I created two All-Star cards this year, using the All-Star card design from the 1974 Topps set.  In the original set, Topps featured each League's respective All-Stars at a certain position on the same card.  For my set, I decided to go with National League manager Charlie Manuel and second baseman Chase Utley on the first card, with Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard on the second card.

Manuel managed his second consecutive All-Star Game back on July 13th, becoming the first NL manager to actually win an All-Star contest since Bobby Cox won at the Vet back in 1996.  The 3-1 victory secured home field advantage in the World Series for the . . . oh never mind.  Manuel won't be back at the helm for the NL in 2011, as the Giants' Bruce Bochy will get a turn instead.

For the fifth consecutive year, Utley was voted in as the NL's starting second baseman, but his sprained thumb prevented him from joining the festivities in Anaheim.  The Braves' Martin Prado started at second in Utley's stead.

For the backs of these All-Star cards, I opted to pay homage to the originals by featuring a small puzzle of the Phillies actually in attendance for the game.  When placed together, the backs of the original nine 1974 Topps All-Star cards featured 1973 All-Star Game MVP Bobby Bonds.  Granted, the backs of my All-Star cards don't form much of a puzzle, since there are only two cards, but I thought it was cool nevertheless.

2010 Chachi #70 NLCS Game 6/Ryan Howard

Giants 3, Phillies 2
NLCS Game 6 - Saturday Night, October 23rd in Philadelphia

This one was tough. 

I've adopted renowned psychiatrist's Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' five stages of grief model to try to make sense of this loss and to prepare myself for the offseason.  In her research, Dr. Kübler-Ross claims these five stages don't necessarily need to occur in order, nor is each stage limited to just one turn.  The stages could occur rapid-fire, or one stage could linger longer than another stage.  This was helpful to know, as I believe I bounced around between the Shock, Anger, Bargaining and Pain stages several times throughout Game 6.  She describes this as a "roller coaster" effect in her research, and my notes below document my progress through the stages.

Shock
Wait . . . what?  Ryan Howard just struck out looking to end the NLCS?  Looking?  What do you mean we haven't been able to score since the first inning?  Where's the offense?  How is it possible that Chase Utley's double in the first inning was the first time the Phillies had a first inning hit all series?  How does Jimmy Rollins not score on Howard's double in the fifth?  But Ryan Madson has been pitching so well . . . I can't believe he hung that meatball to that meatball.  Is it really over?

Pain
The Giants are celebrating on our field.  Pat Burrell looks as happy as he did when the Phillies won in 2008.  This is awful.

Anger

But we have the best record in baseball!  We're supposed to go to the World Series again!  I have tickets to Game 6!  That closer's jet-black pirate lumberjack beard looks ridiculous!  How dare you drill Utley in the back and then have the gall - the GALL - to shout something in his general direction, Mr. "Knocked Out in the Third Inning" Sanchez!  Swing the bat, Ryan!  Swing the ratz-a-fratzin' bat!  AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!

Bargaining

They've got to be playing hurt, right?  I mean, there's no way this offense could have 55 strikeouts in the series or go just 8 for 45 with runners in scoring position.  If we just had one more inning to try again.  If Carlos Ruiz' liner was just a few inches to the left of Aubrey Huff's glove and if Shane Victorino hadn't wandered so far off second base, we could have avoided that double play to end the eighth and it would have resulted in a huge rally.  I call do-over.

Depression

This blows.

Acceptance

It's only a game.  The Big 3 will be back in 2011.  We're probably going to lose Jayson Werth to free agency, but the rest of the line-up will be back.  At least we're not the Cubs.  We'll be fine.  It would have been awesome to go to World Series Game 6, but now there's $300 towards my 2011 partial season ticket plan in my account.  Not to mention I'll actually get some sleep this week.  Is anyone on the East Coast actually going to watch this World Series?  Whatever.  Spring Training's not that far away.  Maybe we can sign Cliff Lee.

And repeat.