Power Rankings: 5 Things To Love and Hate About the Philadelphia Phillies
"Love" and "hate" are strong words. This past offseason, Phillies fans loved the astonishing acquisition made by Philadelphia Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to sign starting pitcher Cliff Lee, keeping him in a Phillies uniform until at least 2016 (with the exception of trade).
Now I'm sure there are many baseball fanatics that can think of countless reasons, practical or not, to hate the Phillies. Here are five things to love and hate about the Phillies through the eyes of a diehard Phillies fan. Hope you enjoy!
Reason To Love, No. 5: R2C2
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This past season, the Phillies possessed a three-headed beast called H2O that consisted of pitchers Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. This threesome dominated baseball since the day they were assembled, but their days as the Big Three soon spiraled to an end.
This offseason, the Phillies robbed the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers of prized starting pitcher Cliff Lee, because of a love affair that existed between the Phillies and Cliff Lee ever since he pitched them to the World Series in 2009. This costly acquisition gives the Phillies an even more intimidating four-headed beast more popularly known as R2C2.
Although the four aces have not pitched a single game on the same team yet, it is nearly impossible for a Phillies fan not to love this foursome. If, however, one is a fan of the Texas Rangers or New York Yankees, there's a slide for you later in the article.
Reason To Hate, No. 5: The Offense Is Streaky
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The Philadelphia Phillies, over the past few seasons, have had one of the most productive offenses in the majors. This offense, however, is also a very streaky one.
In one game the Phillies would score 10 runs, then the next game they would score just one run on three hits. The Phillies played in this fashion for all of the 2010 season and it ended up costing them greatly in the playoffs, as their offense hibernated in the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants.
It was a disappointing finish to a season filled with hot and cold streaks. When the offense is hot, the Phillies can be the most exciting team to watch in baseball, but the excitement is only to be followed by feelings of grief due to a lasting slump.
Reason To Love, No. 4: Charlie Manuel
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Charlie Manuel began his coaching career as a minor league manager for the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians. In his time as a minor league manager he led his Cleveland team to victory in the Pacific Coast League and International League championships. He won the Manager of the Year Award three times during his minor league coaching career.
Manuel had gained major league managing experience when he became the Cleveland Indians hitting coach, leading their offense to a historic season in 1999 when they broke the franchise record for team runs in a season by scoring an overwhelming total of 1,009 runs.
In 2005, the Philadelphia Phillies were seeking a new manager and Charlie Manuel, who had just been fired as the Cleveland Indians manager over a contract dispute, seemed to fit the bill.
Over six seasons with the Phillies, Manuel captured the hearts of the fans as he led the team to a Golden Age that consists of four NL East titles, two NL pennants and one World Series title.
Manuel is currently in the last season of his contract and we all hope the Phillies give him an extension that keeps him in a Phillies uniform for many seasons to come.
Reason To Hate, No. 4: Lack Of Small Ball
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The Phillies offense uses a certain strategy to score runs—swing the bat as hard as I can and hope I make contact.
Most teams in the majors use a tactic called "small ball." This strategy involves bunting, sacrifice hitting and good base running to score a small, but sufficient sum of runs.
This past season, the Phillies had a stellar rotation that needed only a couple of runs to fuel them to a victory day in and day out. The strategy of "small ball" could have been an efficient weapon for the Phillies, but unfortunately, everybody wants to be the hero.
Reason To Love, No. 3: Citizens Bank Park
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Since it was built in 2004, Citizens Bank Park has been like a second home for all Phillies fans. Last season, the stadium held an attendance of 3,647,249—the most in franchise history.
Citizens Bank Park is not just the stadium where the Phillies play their 81 home games, it is the hitter-friendly ballpark that rings an oh-so-familiar Liberty Bell when the Phillies' hitters crush a homer.
The ballpark attendance on its own is enough to prove the love of the fans for Citizens Bank Park and it also proves the love of Citizens Bank Park's most prized attribute, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Reason To Hate, No. 3: Raised Ticket Prices and Difficulty Acquiring Them
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Phillies tickets this year have been quite a nuisance. For those who enjoy going to games and getting decent seats, the rise in ticket prices have become a bit of a road block.
Ticket prices have risen as much as $5 since last season which is not such a large number, but the money adds up.
Season tickets have also become very difficult to acquire. There are currently no 2011 season tickets available and there is a waiting list for 2012 season tickets, although current season ticket holders get first dibs on the 2012 season tickets.
The prices are not such a big deal if one only goes to a single game, but for the fans that like to see a few games every season, then this is something to hate.
Reason To Love, No. 2: Most Losses All-Time
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Just like the poster says, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" (Thomas Edison). Actually, the Phillies found 10,232 ways that will not work.
So why is this "accomplishment" something to love?
Nobody ever hates the little guy. No one ever hates the guy that always loses but keeps trying. That guy is the Phillies. They have established themselves as the historic underdog, so now that the Phillies are getting bashed for being a big-market team, there is always those 10,000 losses to remind Phillies fans, "So what, it's our turn to win."
Reason To Hate, No. 2: The Fans Throw The Players Under The Bus
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Now I'm a Phillies fan, but even I cannot deny that Phillies fans love throwing players under the bus.
When the Phillies traded away Cliff Lee for mediocre prospects, they threw Ruben Amaro Jr. under the bus. The end result—we re-acquired Cliff Lee and no harm was done. The trade probably even led to the acquisition of Roy Oswalt.
When Raul Ibanez struggled during the first half of the season, the fans wanted Ben Francisco to play instead. The end result—Raul Ibanez finishes the season in left field and bats .307 with 10 homers and 47 RBI.
There were points in the past few years where we wanted to throw Jimmy Rollins, Brad Lidge and even Jayson Werth under the bus, but Charlie Manuel kept everything as is and it all turned out fine.
Reason To Love, No. 1: The Phillie Phanatic
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He's a chubby, fluffy, feathery, aardvark-like creature. The Phillie Phanatic was first seen in 1978, after the Phillies decided they needed a mascot.
The Phillie Phanatic is one of the most popular mascots in the sports world and it was voted best mascot ever by Sports Illustrated for Kids and by Forbes magazine. In 2005, the Phanatic was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame, which was created by David Raymond.
Since 1978, the Phillie Phanatic has been entertaining fans and creating smiles and it is easy to see why people love the thing—just look at it!
Reason To Hate, No. 1: The Large Payroll
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This slide is for those that are not Phillies fans. Recently, the Phillies' payroll has increased significantly, especially with the costly acquisition of Cliff Lee.
According to baseball-reference.com, the Phillies payroll currently sits at $158.1 million, the largest in franchise history, and is estimated to be at $164.6 million by the beginning of the 2011 season. They currently have the second highest payroll in the majors and the largest in the National League.
Baseball fanatics hate when teams spend a lot of money for players, especially when other teams do not spend nearly as much. The Atlanta Braves, who came in second place behind the Phillies in the NL East in 2010, currently have a payroll of $85.6 million, a much lower payroll than the division favorites.
The teams that have the most money and buy big market players are the teams that are the most hated. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies are just one of those teams for now.
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