Ankle just fine, thank you

Jim Thome left yesterday's game after his homer in the 6th, thanks to a sore ankle. According to Thome, and an article by the Inquirer's Todd Zolecki, the ankle pain is nothing to worry about.

"Really, it'll be fine....Every now and then it gets achy. It's hard to explain."

No explanation needed if he stays in the lineup, which I expect he will. But it is something to keep an eye on as the playoff race heats up.

5 of 6

Bowa's tirade...players-only meeting. Who cares what sparked this team? They are winning again, and that's all that matters.

Kevin Millwood worked his way through a shaky first inning that saw him not get some close pitches, saw him try to adjust and give up a three-run homer, and saw Larry Bowa get tossed for the sixth time this year; and ended up working eight very strong innings for his 14th win on the season.

Millwood got two quick outs in the first before some close calls started going the other way. He walked Jose Vidro on a full count, and then carefully pitched to Vladimir Guerrero, walking him on five pitches. Millwood then worked another full count -- with a very questionable ball three -- to Wil Cordero, who then launched the 6th pitch of the at-bat over the left field wall for a 3-0 Expos lead.

At this point in the game, Millwood was as frustrated as I have seen him all season. Bowa went out to talk to him and calm him down, and in the process, got himself booted. Did this wake up the team? We won't know if it was the spark, but Millwood did proceed to get out of the inning and, other than two 2nd inning hits, stayed out of trouble for the rest of the day.

While the Expos got an early start to the day, the Phillies needed a little time to get going. Through one out in the third, Montreal's T.J. Tucker had set down the Phillies with barely a whimper. Then the Tank rolled up. Todd Pratt saw a pitch he liked, his eyes got big, and his bat got through the zone -- the result was the ball ending up in the Expos bullpen. Still 3-1 Expos, but a wake-up call for the Phillies. After Millwood popped up, Marlon Byrd grounded to third. Byrd busted down the line, causing a hurried -- and errant -- throw from 3B Jamie Carroll. Byrd was safe, and the floodgates opened.

Jimmy Rollins doubled, scoring Byrd. Bobby Abreu beat out an infield single. Jim Thome singled, scoring Rollins. Pat Burrell doubled, scoring Abreu. And Chase Utley singled, bringing home two more runs. 6-3 Phillies; five runs unearned; end of the day for T.J. Tucker.

The Phillies added another run in the fourth when Byrd led off with a double and Abreu singled him home, and one more in the sixth on Thome's 39th home run of the season, a towering fly to center.

Meanwhile, Millwood was on. Hitting 94 or 95 on the radar with his fastball, he was challenging Expos hitters...and winning. He finished the day going eight innings, giving up seven hits (only three after the second inning) and the three first-inning runs. We walked two batters -- both in the first -- and struck out eight on the day. He had good stuff all day...it just took him an inning or so to get it under control. But when he did, the Expos were done.

And with the game, also done is the season series. The Phillies get the short two-game sweep, and take 11 of 19 from Montreal this season. After sweeping the Phillies in Montreal last week, and virtually tying for the Wild Card lead, the Expos have lost six straight, and now sit five games back. Just like that, the playoff race can change.

Elsewhere in the NL, Florida finally found a way to beat Pittsburgh behind a gem from Josh Beckett, and the Marlins remain tied with the Phillies for the Wild Card lead. Houston defeated LA, knocking the Dodgers to 2 1/2 back, and combined with a Cardinals loss, moved the Astros back to first in the NL Central. Slipping back to second, the Cards fall to 2 1/2 back, while the victorious Cubs stay three back. The Expos and D'Backs sit five back, barely above .500.

So what the Phillies and Marlins created in the way of an 8-team race late last week is slowly stretching out again. The Expos, embarrassed by the Marlins and Phillies this week, head home (to San Juan) to try their luck again with the Marlins. The Phillies, meanwhile, welcome the Mets to town for four games, starting with tonight's Randy Wolf - Tom Glavine matchup. The Phillies, of course, swept the Mets at Shea over the weekend, but we remember what happened last time the Mets came to the Vet...

Pitching matchups for the series:

Tonight, 7:05: Wolf (13-9) vs. Glavine (9-12)
Friday, 7:05: Padilla (12-9) vs. Seo (8-9)
Saturday, 7:05: Myers (12-7) vs. Griffiths (1-1)
Sunday, 8:05 (ESPN2): Telemaco (1-2) vs. Leiter (14-7)

Phils To Implode Vet In February

From an AP report:

PHILADELPHIA -- After months of engineering studies, the Philadelphia Phillies decide that a big bang is the best way to take down Veterans Stadium early next year.

An implosion will bring down the much-reviled ballpark.

The home to the Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles for the past three decades will come down in one fell swoop in February.

The Phillies, who are responsible for demolishing the Vet, decided that a quick implosion is a better approach than demolishing the stadium over the course of several weeks with a wrecking ball.

The implosion will do less damage to nearby homes and to the Broad Street subway line, which runs near the stadium, said John Stranix, who is helping oversee the Vet demolition and construction of the Phillies' new ballpark.

"It's not the same impact and duration as using a wrecking ball," Stranix said. "It happens relatively rapidly, with very little vibration, and no impact on the surrounding facilities and communities."

Now the Phillies have to decide who will get to push the plunger.

Oh yeah...

Forgot this one this morning...

P Terry Adams, on the DL with a pulled muscle, was charged this weekend in New York with "two counts of third-degree assault and single counts of second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child" (ESPN.com article). The charges stem from his alleged attack on his wife in a New York hotel seven weeks ago. The child endangerment charge comes from the fact that their 4-month-old son was in the room.

I won't get into the rest of the details, and to be honest, their problems are none of my business (and I wish I had not even read it, much less written about it). I am wondering two things, however:

1) Was this incident just before Adams took that unexplained leave of absence earlier this summer?
2) When will we be able to put this off-field crap aside and talk about the on-field stuff again?

Speaking of #2...anyone noticed that while the batting average remains subpar, Pat Burrell's slugging numbers are .500 since the All-Star break, and .551 in August?

Other moves

In addition to the release of Tyler Houston this weekend, the Phillies made a number of other moves:

P Mike Williams was reinstated from the bereavement list. To make room for him, Geoff Geary was optioned. With Scranton's season over, Geary was sent to Clearwater. Geary was then recalled when rosters were expanded.

With Houston gone, INF Nick Punto was recalled.

C Kelly Stinnett was acquired from the Reds for a player to be named later. I'm not sure I understand this move, to be honest. If you have a clue, fill me in. The PTBNL was named in the last 24 hours: disappointed OF Eric Valent. Cincinnati is becoming the new home for underacheiving Phillies outfielders (see Taylor, Reggie).

Yesterday, the Phillies acquired RP Valerio De Los Santos from Milwaukee for the infamous PTBNL or cash. De Los Santos has been an effective reliever for the Brewers this season, appearing in 45 games with a 4.13 ERA. His WHIP is 1.25, which would rank third in the current Phillies bullpen (Cormier, 1.00; Plesac, 1.16).

With the expanded rosters, the Phillies have called up Ps Josh Hancock and Ryan Madson, as well as 3B Travis Chapman. I wouldn't expect to see the pitchers get much action, but Chapman may get some decent time with David Bell still out, Houston gone, and Placido Polanco fighting a nagging injury.

More fun and games

First off, I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I took an extra day yesterday to relax and do a lot of nothing; thus, no posts yesterday. But, as with every short vacation I take, I seem to have missed quite a lot.

Since Larry Bowa's outburst on Thursday afternoon, the Phillies have won four of five, including a sweep in New York and an 8th inning comeback last night. The Phillies finally got to Javier Vazquez, who came in to the game with 26 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Chase Utley's 8th inning, bases-clearing triple -- coming on the heels of a poor throw allowing the Expos' go-ahead run to score -- gave the Phillies the late lead and eventual 5-3 win.

So, four of five. Must be due to Bowa's tirade, right? Not necessarily.

I kept an eye on the Phillies news and transactions over the weekend, and one of the many moves they made really caught my eye:

Activated pitcher Mike Williams from the bereavement list; designated infielder Tyler Houston for assignment; recalled infielder Nick Punto from Scranton of the International League (AAA); optioned pitcher Geoff Geary to Clearwater of the Florida State League (A).

The bolding is my own doing, highlighting the part that threw me. Tyler Houston -- he of the .278 average in a part-time role; he of the .448 average as a pinch-hitter, his main role on the team -- designated for assignment. My first thought was that it was a numbers thing, and he would be recalled on Monday when the rosters expanded to 40 players. Then I found out it was to give him his release.

What?!? Why?!? What did I miss?!?

Evidently, a lot.

Depending on who you believe, Houston was either a clubhouse problem child -- unhappy with his role on the team -- or the fall guy for the failing relations between Bowa and his players.

Houston also suggested that he had become a fall guy for a perceived predetermined snub of Bowa by Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell after he hit a two-run home run against the Mets. According to the Inquirer, Bowa moved to the front of the dugout to greet Burrell after the homer, only to have the player head to the middle dugout entrance and engage his teammates, bypassing Bowa altogether. (ESPN.com article linked to above.)

So let me get this straight: Bowa, unsurprisingly, is rubbing his players the wrong way. With the added stress of a playoff race and poor play, Bowa's emotions have overloaded, and the players are tired of the crap. There is some sort of issue between Bowa and Burrell, who chooses to celebrate with his teammates and not his manager, and because of that Houston was let go.

Everyone follow that? There's a quiz later.

Bowa and general manager Ed Wade explained the surprising release of Houston, one of the top pinch-hitters in the majors, by saying that Houston was unhappy with his role on the team.

Houston told the paper that the Phillies were "covering up" the real reason he was let go.

"I fully accepted my role as a pinch-hitter," he said to the Inquirer. "I was trying to be the best pinch-hitter in the league. This is the way they want to say it went down, because they can't run their own clubhouse."

So who is making this up as they go along? I don't have an inside source on the team, but I am leaning towards believing Houston on this one. Throughout everything, Pat Burrell has been one of the strongest Bowa supporters, at least in the public eye. So if this weekend's incident was in fact intentional, that says that there are serious problems between Bowa and his players. In responding to Houston's claims, Bowa sent the press to Jim Thome, expecting some support. He couldn't have liked what he got:

Thome, however, refused to endorse Bowa.

"Let's talk about the game," Thome said to the Inquirer.

When asked a second question along the same lines, Thome replied "We won the game ... We're in the wild-card race. That's what it's all about."

Trouble in paradise, indeed. So now, there are serious issues between Bowa and his players, and the team's top pinch-hitter was cut for...well, just for the hell of it, apparently.

Amazingly, this team has survived a 1-9 stretch, discord in the clubhouse, and the season-long slump from Burrell, and still enter today's games tied for the Wild Card lead. 24 games remain, including six with the Marlins; anything could happen from here on out. But win or lose, what happens to the make up of this team?

Obviously, there are problems internally. The players have issues with Bowa; Bowa has problems with some of his players. There may be issues between Bowa and Ed Wade; remember, Wade thinks he has put together a team capable of getting to the postseason. If they don't, and Mt. Bowa continues flowing lava, how much longer with this homecoming last? Or better yet, who will be shipped out of town? The manager who is so beloved in town, or the players that the organization has invested so much time and money into and built the team around?

Exactly...bye, bye Bowa.

The Inquirer's Bill Lyon expects something to happen this offseason, barring a World Series trophy. He says that while Bowa was what this team needed three seasons ago, the fit no longer works. It's time for a change, and it is always easier to change one part than 25.

So the month of September should be an interesting one, on many fronts. The Phillies are in the heat of a playoff race, and the next 24 games should be fun, albeit important and close all the way. It's a shame we don't have that one go-to pinch-hit guy on the bench...

On a lighter note...

There were plenty of articles this morning about Bowa's blow-up yesterday. But Frank Fitzpatrick, from the Inquirer, had a rather humorous suggestion for fixing the Phillies: Fab Five fans, this is a must-read.

Tick...tick...tick...

That's either the sound that preceded Larry Bowa's blow-up yesterday...or the sound counting the time until he gets escorted out the managerial door. You decide.

The aforementioned Bowa explosion came after yesterday's listless loss -- the first four-game sweep of the Phillies by the Expos in team history. A six-game losing streak. A 1-9 start to a pivotal road trip. I think the outburst was called for, don't you?

Actually, from the sound of it, outburst might not be a strong enough word. Todd Zolecki of the Inquirer writes that

Larry Bowa's emotions finally boiled over into a tirade behind clubhouse doors that one veteran player described as an all-timer, one of the worst explosions he has ever seen from the manager.

Amaury Telemaco asked if the reporters could hear Bowa through the closed doors. Jim Thome said that he had never seen his skipper so upset. And who can blame him? This team left home on a five-game winning streak. They went into Milwaukee and got swept. They left enough runners on in St. Louis to sell out Busch Stadium for the rest of the year. And Montreal was a trip in itself...

A 12-1 pasting.

A 14-10 loss that included blowing an eight-run lead.

A 9-6 game that the bullpen coughed up after the offense woke up and fought back for the first time in two weeks.

And then a 4-0 stinker where the Phillies appeared to be anywhere but on the field at Olympic Stadium.

Don't know about you, but this doesn't look like a playoff-worthy team to me. Yet, they still sit in a Wild Card tie. Amazing...

The Bowa blasting isn't surprising; with the skipper's temper, I was shocked it had not happened sooner. What might be more disturbing is the screaming match that followed between pitching coach Joe Kerrigan and ace-of-the-future Brett Myers. Kerrigan is rather ticked off that certain pitchers seem to be ignoring his game plans. And the pitchers seem to think that Kerrigan isn't giving them enough room at this point in the season.

Kerrigan decided this week he had seen enough from his pitchers, who he said had strayed away from his game plans. Kerrigan and Bowa met with Vicente Padilla after Tuesday's 14-10 loss because Padilla had refused to mix up his pitches. Kerrigan held a meeting of pitchers and catchers Wednesday to speak his mind, and Kerrigan will now play a greater role in what pitches are thrown in certain situations.

One veteran pitcher later said that some of them have pitched long enough that they know what to do.

So the pitchers want more freedom, and the pitching coach said he'll start calling pitches. Is it me, or do we not seem to be on the same page here?

So what happens now? Does the tirade and venting of emotions wake this team up? Do they go into Shea Stadium and sweep a Mets team that swept the Phillies at the Vet last month? Or do they go in and lay another egg?

Better yet, does it even matter anymore?

What does matter is whether or not there is a rift between the manager and his players, or even the manager and his GM. There is no denying that Larry Bowa rubs some of his players the wrong way. They do not see eye-to-eye with his emotional enthusiasm, and the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve. After gathering the opinions of the players, GM Ed Wade asked Bowa to be a bit more positive in the clubhouse. Will yesterday's riot act burn some bridges? Does Bowa have any control in that clubhouse anymore?

Will Kerrigan regain the trust of the pitching staff that he turned around this season? Or are the players not giving the coach the respect he deserves for leading them to so many positives this season?

As for Bowa and Wade...Paul Hagen of the Daily News offers his two cents on their opposite positions:

the manager has pretty much been saying that things have to go right for the Phillies to win the wild card.

Meanwhile, Wade's bottom line has been that something would have to go wrong for the team he put together in the offseason not to.

And while there have been no outward signs of tension between the two - in fact, Wade has been staunchly supportive of the skipper - those are significantly different ways of sizing up the situation.

If the Phillies' monumental skid - which reached nine losses in 10 games yesterday afternoon at Montreal - ends up costing them their first trip to the postseason in 10 years, that basic division of opinion could come into even sharper focus.

Some will blame Bowa. It will be said that he lost the team, that he overworked the bullpen, that he didn't get the most out of the talent he was given.

Some will blame Wade. It will be said that he was too conservative, that he failed to recognize the shortcomings of the club, that he should have helped himself to any number of the players who were available in waiver deals.

All that really matters, though, is this: Will Wade blame Bowa if a team the general manager has said all along is good enough to make the playoffs, doesn't?

Questions, anyone?

Yeah, there are plenty of them floating about right now. The two at the top of my head are these:

1) How will the team react for three games in New York?
and
2) How the hell are they still in a tie for the Wild Card? Unreal...

Pathetic

I am listening to the ninth inning of the Phillies game, and the following thoughts have come to my mind:

This is beyond pathetic.

What kind of hold does Vladimir Guerrero have on the Phillies?

Better yet, what kind of hold does Javier Vazquez have on the Phillies?

What has to be done to shake up this team?

And most importantly...

Is that an actual crowd I hear? In Montreal??

Phillies Phuture

While I was buried under desk and computer cables, Bryan over at Wait 'Til Next Year took a look at the future of the Phillies. And let's be honest: the future looks a whole lot better than the present right now. Head on over and check out his article entitled Phor Phillie Phans. A teaser:

Ed Wade took a career gamble the last few years. He wanted Phillie Phield to open like Jacobs Field did, to a team with great potential. That will be true in 2004, whether Schilling or Millwood pitches Opening Day.

Enjoy!