*******EDITORS: I have fixed the format and can now edit the article without messing it up. I would still rather you not edit it just in case, but if you see something that absolutely needs editing, please do so. Just do not change my format or anything I said or one of the others said. One editor has already done both, and I was not happy.
(Photo courtesy of AP)
Take a moment to stop and smell the air around you.
Do you smell that? You know…that distinct smell that comes around this time each year.
It is the smell of freshly-cut grass. It is the smell of perfectly-groomed infields. It is the smell of pine tar on a newly-cut wooden bat.
How about that sound? The sound of the hide of the ball whipping into the fresh leather gloves. The sound of a ball soaring into a warm Florida day.
Every baseball fan knows these smells and sounds. It’s Spring Training.
Today the Philadelphia Phillies open their Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla. to pitchers and catchers. Last season, the Phillies brought home the title of World Series Champions. This year, the journey will be much tougher, as repeating in baseball is not a walk in the park. Not even close. Injuries catch up with teams eventually, and it is highly unlikely for a team to have two straight productive seasons by the same players.
But there is still hope for a repeat Phillies squad here in the City of Brotherly Love.
That is why I, Christian Karcole, and the Community Leader for the Philadelphia Phillies, have compiled a 2009 season preview. In this, I will be starting out with my personal views of this year’s team. It will not be too lengthy, based on the fact that this article is going to be full of all things Phillies.
Then, you will be reading a five-question question-and-answer session that six of the best Phillies writers will be answering to. The questions will be revolving around the offseason, players on the team. After the Q&A, each of the six writers — as well as I — will be introducing our predictions for the Phillies in ’09.
The six Phillies writers who will be featured in this piece are: Brian McCollum, Shay Roddy, Scott Eisenlohr, Bryn Swartz, Chris DiFrancesco, and Cody Swartz.
After the Q and A, I will answer a question each of the six writers asks me. Then I will be taking bits and pieces of other preview articles from other Phillies writers and including them into this whole bit.
I will finish this majestic piece of art with a speech I would deliver to the Phillies if I were Charlie Manuel.
So, I guess you could say this really is going to be a complete preview of the Phillies 2009 season. It is going to be long, so try and stay with me. Here we go, folks.
19 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete