My Sports Tees And Miscellaneous Caps, Part Last!

...I should add an asterisk to that title. I may have pics of every last tee and cap I currently, but I may be getting rid of some soon because of how they've aged over the years (sweat stains, etc.) or just to make more closet space -- but at the same time I'll buy new stuff. In fact, a t-shirt is already being shipped as we speak. So there may be an update here and there.

Or maybe I'll just post them on Instagram.

P.S. Some of these pics aren't so great due to the lighting and the current difficulties in my left hand which make it tough to hold the camera steady...and fold the clothes so they look pretty.

Oh, this is one of my absolute favorites! The 2007 NL East Comeback/Collapse!

An example of the lighting messing with the colors..

Gotta love giveaway tees with giveaway advertising...

Meanwhile, which of these is NOT an official locker room edition?

Wait, I actually went to a 76ers playoff game? In THIS century???

From the night the AHL Phamtoms won the Calder Cup -- with the NHL lockout for the entire season this is all we had, and over 20,000 poured into the Wachovia or whatever bank had the name on the building..

And we conclude with my remaining Flyers garments...

More playoff giveaway with more giveaway ads.. 

At least this sponsor's slogan sort of fit...

And the one below came from Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals (with Tampa Bay up 3-2 in the series)..This was the GREATEST HOCKEY GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN, IN PERSON OR ON TV, including the two Stanley Cup clinchers and the game vs. the Russians in the 1970s. Keith Primeau at his finest. Jeremy Roenick. Simon Gagne. And I was just a few rows from the OT game-winner.

By the way, what idiot uploads video of an incredibly dramatic game from 2004 -- and puts an Ed Sheeran song from 2 years ago on it???? What a dumbass!

Finally, jersey time!

Both conferences had very cool, retro designs for the 2004 All-Star Game. The pic doesn't show the lace-up front too well.

The first of the three that I bought belongs to the Flyers' newest inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame!

My Miserable Night At The Phillies

Tonight the Phillies rolled to a 7-0 lead over the New York Mets after 3 innings, only to see that lead disappear in the next two Mets at-bats against Joe Blanton. Then the Phils regained the lead and went on to a 10-7 win. If only there had been that kind of excitement last night, when I was at the game. Or any excitement at all, really. More on that in a moment. First, this public service announcement:

Dear Snapple: please don't give away free samples of your product outside a subway station near a stadium which doesn't allow glass bottles inside. As for you, people of America, you don't have to take every free sample someone offers you. I didn't take a Snapple before the game because I knew I couldn't take the bottle inside. I didn't take a free Powerade (outside the ballpark) after the game because I was frozen. I didn't take a Sun Drop (again, at the subway) after the game because, besides the cold, I had no idea what the hell it was.

So the game was pretty dreadful -- Cole Hamels gave up 6 runs in the third inning and was removed to a chorus of boos as the Mets went on to a 7-1 win. The volume of the booing was a real surprise, considering it was his first start of the year. And it wasn't like he was really crushed -- the Mets basically had a bunch of singles, with a couple of walks mixed in, and a number of them were softly hit and found a hole. One was a bunt single. Unfortunately, the first and last hits of the inning were by the Mets' pitcher, Chris Young. That's a big no-no.

But what was worse was the cold.

MixBlog 2-26-11

I've got a couple of movies to write about, and I want to see another if I get up early enough (it's 1:36 am now). But I've got a couple of thoughts first.

For one thing, this commercial (well, it's actually the full music video version) is a lie. Oh, Megan Mullally, how could you?



Okay, let me clarify. The original version, the light version, the Mediterranean Blend version, they're all fine. However, the other day I picked up a fat-free version which has only 5 calories per serving. It tastes awful! I think it tastes worse than old-fashioned margarine (which, granted, I haven't had in a long time). I'm almost suspicious that I got a bad batch or something, it's that bad. I've hardly used it and I think I'm just going to throw it away.

On a happier note, the 76ers have climbed all the way back to the .500 mark. Even though my interest in the NBA is so low, as I mentioned in my last post, I still want the Sixers to do well, so it's a nice thing. This is a testament to the job Doug Collins is doing as head coach. Too bad they didn't go after him a year earlier. Imagine how much more improved they'd be.

Oh, and guess which baseball team is a Mess off the field as well as on?

Hounded by a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by the trustee trying to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, the New York Mets acknowledged Friday that they received a loan in November to help cover expenses.

Makes sense. Because, after all...

Phillies Win Win Win Win NL East!

Editor's Note: I've failed in my mission to complete a blog post while inebriated after the Phillies clinch the NL East title. Like the New York Mets in 2007, I came close and then collapsed. Like Donovan McNabb in the Super Bowl, I came close and then threw up. (And unlike McNabb, I candidly admit it.) The following was written last night during the night, however:

Okayyyyyyyy...here we are again. But first, let's reminisce. First, let's go back to 2007, when the New York Mets had a 7-game lead in the National League East with just 17 games left in the season. After a few near-misses from 2001 through 2006, it looked bleak for the Phillies once again. Yet, they kept winning, and the Mets collapsed. The Phils and Mets were tied going into the final day of the regular season, and then the Mets fell behind the Florida Marlins 7-0 in the first inning before the Phils even took the field for their game. The Phillies finally broke through and won the NL East title. I had a bottle of "champagne" that was sitting since 2001, and on that day I opened it and drank. All of it. And then I wrote this post on the Outsports blog.

Let's move a bit forward. 2008. The Phils had been knocked out in the 2007 playoffs, but went back to work. On the next-to-last day of the 2008 regular season, circumstances allowed me to get a ticket to the Phillies-Nationals game at Citizens Bank Park, and I was rewarded. A spectacular stop by Jimmy Rollins resulted in a game-ending double play, clinching the second straight NL East title for the Phils. I went home and drank. And posted this.

(Okay, I'm kinda getting woozy now from the alcohol...gotta fight on and finish this!)

Poor, Pathetic New York Mets

Here's a little bit from this blog post by Todd Zolecki, who covers the Phillies for MLB.com:

The Phillies were upset with the Mets for calling time when Brad Lidge was in the stretch, ready to deliver a 0-1 pitch to Jesus Feliciano with runners at the corners and two outs in the ninth inning. The Mets were upset with Utley for a late slide into second baseman Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning.

"I think that was terrible," Manuel said of the timeout in the ninth.

Seconds before Lidge threw a pitch to Feliciano, the Mets got third base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt to call timeout because they wanted Luis Castillo to pinch-run for Josh Thole at first base. Why the Mets waited until Lidge had started his at-bat with Feliciano is unknown, but Manuel did not like it. He got into a heated conversation with first base umpire and crew chief Jerry Layne before returning to the dugout.

"Terrible it was allowed and when it was done," Manuel said. "He's in a stretch. He's in the process of throwing the ball. They're over there screaming time out."

Lidge eventually got Feliciano to strike out to end the game and pick up his 27th save.

"It's a little ridiculous, I think," Lidge said. "That's an interesting freeze-the-kicker type move, I guess. I actually haven't seen that done in baseball. Hopefully that won't be a trend. Hopefully that's a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing."

Utley slid late into second base trying to break up a double play in the fifth inning. He started his slide almost as he reached the bag.

Tejada was not upset afterward, but his teammates were angry.

"I think it's a little dirty because I think he slid right on top of the base," Jose Reyes said. "He doesn't need to do that there in that situation."

"If he wants guys sliding like that into him then it's perfectly fine," David Wright said. "He knows how to play the game and if doesn't mind guys coming in like that when he's trying to turn a double play, then we don't have any problem with it. ... He knows the difference between a good, clean slide and a slide that's late. That's a better question for him."

Here's some video of the Mets players' postgame interviews.

To All The Parks I've Loved Before...

Apologies to Willie and Julio for the title...

I thought I'd dig up something from the archives of the Outsports discussion board. A thread was started in 2002 about favorite major league ballparks. At the time, I had only been to six. I ranked them thusly: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Veterans Stadium (I made a note that the Vet ranked ahead of the others because of good memories as much as anything else), Qualcomm Stadium and Candlestick Park.

From 2003 through 2008 (during those happy years when I still had spending money) I managed to get to a lot more parks, and updated the list each time. So I thought I'd share my current rankings here on the blog. Ballparks listed in italics have been vacated by the teams that once called them home. Some have been torn down and replaced, others still stand.

Phils' w000000000000000000000000000es

Yes, there are 27 zeroes in the title of this post. That represents the zeroes put up on the scoreboard by the Phillies the last three nights in getting swept by the Mets. This is par for the course for the Phils -- when they open up a bit of a lead in the NL East, instead of pouring it on and blowing the division wide open, they inexplicably stumble and allow the rest of the teams to hang around.

On Friday night in the 6th inning Jimmy Rollins singled and, running to first base, reinjured his calf and had to leave the game. Pinch-runner Juan Castro eventually scored. Rollins went back on the disabled list and the Phils have scored just three runs since -- all in the 9th inning Sunday, in a game they trailed 8-0 at the time. They've been blanked in 46 of their last 47 innings. With that lineup, even without Rollins, that should be impossible.

At the end of play Friday the Phils had a 4 1/2-game lead over Atlanta. Their five-game losing streak has allowed the Braves to gain 3 games in the standings since then.

From Protest To Party

Last night the Temple University Student Government and their Queer Student Union put on a production of "The Laramie Project" on campus. In case you aren't aware, it tells the story of the reactions of people in Laramie, Wyoming to the 1998 torture and murder of Matthew Shepard, the gay University of Wyoming student.

This did not please the Westboro Baptist Church, the extremist anti-gay organization led by Fred Phelps that holds protests at funerals of fallen soldiers and many other events, waving signs such as "God hates fags" and "Thank God for 9/11." The cult (let's face it, that's what they are) announced that they would hold a protest at Temple because of the production of "The Laramie Project" as well as a separate production of "Rent." A counter-protest was organized in response.

My friend Kurt (with whom I share a birthday, albeit 20 years apart) was in the cast of "The Laramie Project" so I went to see him in the first of two shows, at 4 pm, as did his friend Stacy from Virginia, and we then joined the counter-protest. The amount of people -- mostly students, but not entirely, and not all from Temple -- was impressive. The turnout was reported at over 1,100 at the locations where the two plays were being held, according to the report in the Temple News. (Neither the Inquirer nor the Daily News saw fit to cover this story, unfortunately.)

Phillies: NL East Threepeat!

Blogging under the influence is becoming a tradition for me.

On September 30, 2007, the Phillies won the National League Eastern Division championship for the first time since 1993. From 2001 through 2006 they came agonizingly close to winning the title numerous times, but in 2007 a strong September combined with an epic collapse by the New York Mets allowed the Phils to finally break through on the final day of the regular season. I had a bottle of "champagne" (technically, sparkling wine) sitting unopened. That day, I opened it and polished it off in short order. While drinking, I wrote this post for the Outsports blog.

That year, the Phillies were eliminated in the playoffs as immediately as possible, swept away by the Colorado Rockies. One year later, the Mets seemed poised to win again, but once again they faded late, and on the next-to-last day of the 2008 season the Phils clinched another NL East title. I was fortunate enough to be at Citizens Bank Park to see it in person. When I got home, I drank again to celebrate (this time, Southern Comfort and diet cola) and blogged again.

Unlike 2007, however, 2008 had a happy ending, as the Phillies went on to win the World Series. It was only the second Phils' championship ever, and it was the first title for the city of Philadelphia since the 76ers' 1983 title. Having to go 25 years without a parade, while seeing upstart teams with no history -- and, really, undeserving fan bases (the 2003 Florida Marlins, the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes) -- win championships, was painful. To finally see a Philly team come through was exhilarating. So, once again, I drank (rum instead of Southern Comfort this time) to celebrate. And blogged.

And so we come to 2009. The Phillies struggled early, mainly due to their starting pitchers. Closer Brad Lidge, who was perfect last year, has been far from it this year. The rest of the bullpen has battled inconsistency and injury. But unlike the last two years, the Phillies spent most of the season on top of the division and, despite the pitching conundrums and other issues (such as the horrendous slow start by Jimmy Rollins), stayed on top the rest of the season. Even with a late-season swoon shrinking their lead from 8 to 4 games, setting off some panic from fans old enough to remember the Phillies' historic 1964 choke job, this team kept its cool and reasserted itself in time to win the NL East crown once again, and gave themselves four games to rest their regulars and reset the rotation for the postseason.

What this means for the 2009 playoffs, as the Phils attempt to become the first National League team to repeat as World Series champs since the Cincinnati Reds of 1975-76? Who knows? What I know, right now, is that the Phillies reign over the National League East, and that I am surprisingly capable of writing a coherent blog post even after consuming quite a bit of alcohol. The Phils rock! And so do I!

Strange Days Part 1: Phils

The two Philly teams in action over the weekend had an unusual few days, so this is a two-part tale. We start with the Phillies, who had four games against the New York Mets, a team expected to contend with the Phils but instead find themselves trying to play the spoiler.

Friday's game found Mets' starter Nelson Figueroa giving up 9 hits and 5 walks in 5 1/3 innings, but only allowing 2 runs. The Phils wasted multiple opportunities, going 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and managed only a 4-1 lead going into the 9th. Phils' closer-for-the-moment Ryan Madson gave up a couple of hits, but the only run he gave up came on a double play, and the Phils held on for the 4-2 win.

On Saturday the first five Mets' at-bats against Jamie Moyer, starting again in place of J.A. Happ, went like this: double, single, 2-RBI single (David Wright), 2-run homer, single. Moyer settled down, lasting through the 7th and allowing just a 7th-inning run. The Phils' offense came to life, building up a 9-5 lead through 7. Brett Myers came on in the 8th, got an out, gave up a hit and then served up a 2-run homer (Wright again). The Mets got another run off Myers and Chan Ho Park to make it 9-8. Madson came on in the 9th, got two outs, gave up a hit, and got bashed for a 2-run homer (Wright yet again). The Mets went on to finish off the 10-9 win.

Sunday there was a day-night doubleheader. In the first game the Phils got an unexpected bonus: 7 1/3 fine innings from Kyle Kendrick, and took a 5-2 lead into the 9th. Deposed closer Brad Lidge was called upon, and gave up 3 hits and 2 runs, but managed to save the game.

In the nightcap, Charlie Manuel decided to let Pedro Martinez go as long as possible. Pedro ended up throwing an astonishing 130 pitches, the most he's thrown in a game since 2001, but gave the Phils 8 scoreless innings. He had 119 pitches in his last start. The two-game workload is somewhat insane considering his age, his inactivity for much of the year and his injury issues in recent years. Madson, trying again, got the save as the Phils made a first-inning run hold up. Depsite it all, the Phils took three out of four from the Mets.

With Florida losing two over the weekend to Washington and losing tonight at St. Louis, the Phillies' lead stands at 7 games with 20 games left, starting tomorrow against Washington. This is close to the Mets' 7-game-lead-with-17-left standing in 2007 prior to their epic collapse. The Phils of 2007, however, were playing much better than the Marlins of 2009, so a similar flop by the 2009 Phils remains very unlikely.

However, the continuing struggles of the bullpen -- much too similar to those of the Mets' pen in recent years -- do not bode well for the chances of another late October parade down Broad Street.

Phils leave DC with bad game, bad hair

The Phillies finished a strange road trip with a 2-5 record. After the 4-game sweep at the hands of Houston the Phils won twice in Washington, but looked less than impressive. They finally started scoring runs, but most of them were on solo home runs, and Brad Lidge has finally lost his job as closer (at least for now) after another near-disaster. But last night they failed to finish a sweep against the worst team in baseball. Jimmy Rollins, who hadn't made an error in ages, made two last night. Joe Blanton, who's been stringing together quality starts for the last three months, reverted to his April-May form. The offense got two runs in the first and then were shut down until the 9th, when the woeful Nationals nearly let an 8-2 lead disappear.

An error, an infield hit and a walk was followed by a pinch-hit grand slam by Matt Stairs that ended two streaks. Stairs broke an 0-for-30 slump with his first hit since July (or, as a caller to sports-talk station WIP put it the other day: "The last time Stairs got a hit I had two kids and now I have three" since his wife gave birth recently). The Phils also had hit 17 consecutive homers without runners on base before the slam.

A Rollins single, a wild pitch, a Shane Victorino double and a Chase Utley infield hit later and it was 8-7 with the possible go-ahead run on first. But Ryan Howard grounded into a double play to end the game. The Phils' lead is now down to 5 games over Florida. They return home for 4 against the almost-as-woeful-as-Washington New York Mets.

Speaking of Victorino, what is he thinking with this hair?

Phillies-Mets: The thrill is gone

It's getting late here in August. The Phillies are headed to BrokeBank Field for a four-game series with the Mets. It's a crucial series that will help determine who will win the NL East.

Except, it won't -- at least not for the Mets. The injury bug, shoddy defense and assorted dramas on and off the field have destroyed their season almost before it got started. Going into tomorrow's game the Mets are 14 1/2 games behind the Phils. It's a stunning fall for a team that choked away the division in 2007, responded by acquiring ace starter Johan Santana, lost the division again, responded to that by getting Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to bolster the bullpen and Gary Sheffield to strengthen the bench, only to see everything fall apart.

I certainly think player injuries are unfortunate, but beyond that, I can't say I'm the slightest bit upset by the Mets' downfall. ;-)

The defending World Series champion Phils, meanwhile, are rolling again. A three-game sweep at home over Arizona puts them at 69-49, a season-high 20 games over .500, and gives them a 6 1/2-game lead over Florida and Atlanta. Pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Cubs game out west, the Phils are now just a half-game behind LA for the best record in the National League. Ryan Howard, as he's done throughout his career, is heating up right in time for the stretch run. The starting pitching has been greatly improved -- in large part because Cliff Lee has been an absolute beast! Check out the stats here. If they can get Brad Lidge straightened out (or replace him...Brett Myers?) they'll really be primed to repeat.

This weekend could have been incredibly tense. The games may still entertain, but it just won't be the same.

MLB 2009 at the halfway point

Before the season started I previewed both the National and American Leagues on the Outsports blog. The All-Star break is the unofficial midpoint of the season, as teams have actually played a little more than half their games. The pointless (despite that crap about deciding which league gets home-field advantage for the World Series) exhibition game is now over and the season is about to resume. That got me wondering, how well have I done so far? Here's how I called each division, and how things have actually turned out so far:

AL East: Tampa Bay, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto, Baltimore
The Red Sox and Yankees have the two best records in the AL, with Boston up by 3 games, thanks to a surplus of starting pitching and their 8-0 record against the Yanks. The defending AL champion Rays are in third, trying to recover from a poor start. The Blue Jays and Orioles are living up (down?) to my expectations, although the last-place O's are only 8 games under .500 -- probably because they gave up pretty quickly on Adam Eaton. Toronto is now contemplating trading ace pitcher Roy Halladay (to the Phillies, pleasepleasepleaseplease!).

AL Central: Minnesota, Cleveland, Chicago White Sox, Detroit, Kansas City
The Tigers are one of the AL's surprise teams and hold a 3 1/2-game lead over the White Sox and a 4-game bulge over the Twins. A win on May 7 gave the Royals an 18-11 record; since then they're 19-40. The Indians have been a big disappointment, falling to the cellar with the AL's worst record.

AL West: LA Angels, Oakland, Seattle, Texas
The Angels also got off to a slow start but now have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rangers, who have unexpectedly gotten better pitching. Maybe even more of a surprise is that the Mariners are just 4 games out. The A's sit well out of the race, and presumably will trade Matt Holliday for prospects.

NL West: Arizona, LA Dodgers, Colorado, San Francisco, San Diego
Despite losing Manny Ramirez to a 50-game suspension because he was trying to get pregnant -- hey, why else would he take a women's fertility drug? -- the Dodgers have baseball's best record. However, the Giants (7 games back) and Rockies (9 out) have been better than expected and could make it a race if LA falters, or at least challenge for the Wild Card. The Diamondbacks have been the biggest flop, while the last-place Padres started well but quickly sank to the bottom of the division.

NL Central: Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh
The top five teams in the division (Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Astros and Reds) are within 5 games of each other. The teams aren't very far over .500, if at all, with the Cubs seriously underachieving. The Pirates were in the pack for a while, but what may be the worst ownership in baseball doesn't seem to give a damn about trying to win, as they continue to make bizarre trades, sending away talented players just headed into their prime for even younger, more raw and undeveloped players.

NL East: Philadelphia, NY Mets, Florida, Atlanta, Washington
It's been a bizarre season in this division. The Phillies had a poor home record and a stellar road record, their starting rotation was hideous early and only somewhat improved since; they then hit interleague play and hit a wall, only to return home and get hot against weaker NL teams. The defending world champs have pulled 4 games ahead of...the Marlins, who have a poor bullpen and shaky defense but otherwise have been strong. The Braves have the best starting pitching in the division but their hitting is severly lacking. Still, it's been enough to put them ahead of the Mets. The Mets' injury woes, shoddy defense and lack of power are making New Yorkers miserable. As for the Nationals, the worst team in baseball, well...just read this post on Outsports.

Sweep the Mets, sweep the Mets...

...always fun to sweep the Mets!

The way the season has gone, it's probably still premature to say the Phillies have finally righted the ship after today's 2-0 win to finish off a three-game sweep of the reeling, injury-riddled New York Mets. They've had good stretches before and then slipped, but once again a lot of things seem to be falling into place. They got three consecutive strong starts -- today it was Joe Blanton with 7 1/3 shutout innings. The bullpen didn't allow a run all weekend, with Brad Lidge getting two saves by striking out five of the six batters he faced. Jimmy Rollins homered to lead off the first today, also singled and walked; in the last 4 games he's batting .467 with a .556 on-base percentage, a slugging percentage of .867, 5 runs batted in, 2 runs scored and 3 walks. And it's the first time the Phils have won a series at home against a team other than the pitiful Washington Nationals.

And while the Phils' defense was sparkling all weekend, the visitors' wretched sixth inning yesterday (two dropped foul pops and a horrendous throw from the outfield that wasn't cut off, allowing a run to score) tells you all you need to know about the New York Mess. Even their ace, Johan Santana, couldn't save them today.

My fave t-shirt speaks to Mets fans!

After watching the Phillies beat the Mets 4-1 (for their second win in a row; Jimmy Rollins* had another hit, a key 2-run double, and walked twice -- can he keep it going?), I headed to center city Philadelphia to get a bite to eat and hang out before the July Fourth fireworks show on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

On my way to the Parkway I passed by the Westin Philadelphia Hotel on 17th Street, and a small group of Mets fans were outside. One of them noticed my 2008 World Champions cap and said, in a snide tone, "Oooh, champions, oooh..." So I stopped and said, "Well then, you'll really like the back of my t-shirt." I then turned around to show it to them:



They were not particularly amused as I walked away. I, on the other hand, was very amused.

*Edit to add: as a tribute, Rollins is using Michael Jackson songs, including "Billie Jean" and "Smooth Criminal," as his intro music before his at-bats.

Phils almost phaded out of first

With tonight's 5-2 loss, finishing off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies have now lost 14 of 18 games and are in a virtual tie for first with the Florida Marlins. They wasted a good 7-inning start by J.A. Happ, with Ryan Madson giving up 3 in the 8th for the winning margin. Madson's been a mess recently, even after returning to his setup role when closer Brad Lidge returned from the disabled list.

While the hitting hasn't been good lately (but hey, Jimmy Rollins got 2 hits!) it's the pitching that's been poor night after night after night. Some nights it's a bad start, other nights (like tonight) it's a lousy bullpen, some nights it's both. No trades are on the horizon yet as very few teams consider themselves out of the playoff chase and, thus, willing to be a seller. Even when that happens, lots of teams need pitching. The bidding will presumably be high.

The Phillies have to somehow stay afloat until some team makes a quality pitcher available, and the way things are going, the only reason to think they can stay afloat is that most of the National League is as mediocre as they are. The Phils are back home starting tomorrow night. Of course, now that they're losing road games maybe they'll win home games. (For those who don't know, this paragraph is an example of "grasping at straws.") The Mets are in tomorrow; they're only a game out of first place, and the Braves are now just two back.

Talkin' 'bout my Phillies

The first real post here (not that the first one isn't real, but...) just has to be about your defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. It has been a surreal season thus far. It began with all of the attendant pomp and ceremony commemorating the 2008 champs, which was tempered by the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas. The starting rotation, a strength down the stretch and in the postseason last year, got off to a horrendous start. It's gotten better but was weakened by the likely season-ending injury to Brett Myers. The bullpen was strong at the start but stints on the disabled list by Brad Lidge and Scott Eyre (and, as of tomorrow according to reports, Clay Condrey) caused a cascade of role adjustments and a series of lousy performances.

The offense kept the team afloat for much of the year despite a season-long slump by leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins. Raul Ibanez has been a godsend, putting up MVP-like numbers, but is now on the DL himself, and since then the team hitting has really taken a nosedive. Strangest of all, the Phils have a 23-9 record on the road, best in the major leagues, but are only 13-22 at home, second-worst in the majors (ahead of only the woeful Washington Nationals), after a just-completed 1-8 homestand, among the worst in team history.

Despite all of this, the Phils are in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East. It makes for a glass half-empty/half full debate: despite their many issues the Phillies are still in first place; or, despite all of their problems the Mets are right in the hunt -- and since both teams have struggled, the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves are not far behind.

With all of this going on, especially lately, it would be easy to be outraged. I've been more annoyed than angry, though. I guess coming off a long-awaited championship will do that. Besides, I've figured all year that it will come down to September, and we all know what's happened to the Mets the last two Septembers.

Next up for the Phils is a road trip (what a relief) that starts with a World Series rematch against the Tampa Bay Rays.