High Heels On The Field

Cliff Lee A Symbol Of Phillies Cool Demeanor

In the post-game press conference, you all but expected Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee to ask for a martini. Shaken, not stirred.

His performance as the Game 1 starter for the Phillies seemed a breezy, effortless victory over a powerful New York Yankees lineup. The Phillies came out on top 6-1, in what was also a two-run home run night for Chase Utley.

But despite the baffling numbers- no walks, 10 strikeouts- it was Lee's unfazed disposition that seemed unbelievable. Guys just don't do that. Pitchers don't just come along everyday and post a 0.53 ERA in the postseason. Lee now ranks seventh in the post-season in ERA. And when accomplishing such a thing, do you act like you just took a stroll through the park? If you're Cliff Lee you do. He told reporters, no, he wasn't nervous before the game. This is what he does.

Lee has only been a Phillie since August, but he's exactly the kind of Phillie that fits in with the current crop.

This is not your Macho Row of 1993.

This is Macho Row on ice.

They don't get emotional, they don't get too upset or too pumped up. Every player tends to stay within themselves, no one gives too much away. Jimmy Rollins gave the media a good bit to chew on, but that's been it. The proof is in the actions. It's how that team operates.

Cliff Lee was the Game 1 top smooth operator, every pitch appeared to have good movement, even when he wasn't locating. He was working both sides of the plate, doing different things. He had to. Those Yankees hitters will make you pay for small mistakes.

The Phillies may not have a clear leader, but in Cliff Lee they have a shining symbol of everything they stand for.

Phillies, Yankees: Tops At Short In Their Own Way

There are a number of exciting variables about the Yankees Phillies World Series, but when you look at the middle of the infield, behold the skill.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter may have decidedly different personalities, but they are a show unto themselves.

Their role on their teams is also very defined, though Jeter stands as the designated captain. Still, it's no secret that the Phillies is Rollins team, his status not only due to his being a farm grown Phillie, but also for his ability to rile the teammates and the masses.

Not every player wants to put themselves out there in the media the way Rollins will. His fearless proclamations have angered or inspired a roll of the eyes, but you have to appreciate his confidence. If the Phillies were "the team to beat", he must've known it. Or at least he wanted to believe it and hoped his teammates did, too.

Rollins appears to be the flashier player. Has Jeter been more celebrated because of the uniform? Perhaps. But that shouldn't be a problem for any baseball fan when the fact is, the teams he helped lead to the World Series three years in a row were the best in the game. He made his name doing extraordinary things in October and November, when players must be better than they have all season. He proved his ability in high pressure situations early on. Rollins didn't get that chance until 2007.

As the all-time hits leader at his position, it's hard to argue who the better hitting shortstop is. 

But Jeter's defensive abilities have been a major debate for years. No one questions Rollins skill level at short. Jeter's range has been questioned, to the point that the University of Pennsylvania released a study finding him to be the worst defensive player in baseball. In 2009 he finished the regular season with a .985 fielding percentage. And in an interesting statistic created by John Dewan, Jeter was first in "Revised Zone Rating." The stat counts how many times a player gets a ball into his zone and converts it to an out.

Rollins in comparison, finished with an only slightly better fielding percentage of .990. In his 10 year career he has an overall fielding percentage of .983. Jeter? In fifteen years, he's posted a fielding percentage of .976.

Some glaring differences exist, though. Rollins has made just 41 career throwing errors, while Jeter has made 99. Still, it's a difficult comparison, considering Jeter has played five years longer. But with a 99 career total in errors, Rollins trumps Jeter who has made 213 overall errors thus far. As an aside, Barry Larkin made 235 in his nineteen year career.

Jeter may not be the best defensive shortstop, but he's the best hitting shortstop and that's the meat, the stuff fans sink their teeth into. It's why he's the leader of his ball club. It's why he's "Mr. November." 

Rollins has stood firm in his leadership. He's never backed down. Also the stuff of leaders. He's a five-tool player, with 20 bases stolen in every season of his career since 2001. In 2003 he hit 42 doubles. He broke a franchise record in 2005, when he went on a 36-game hitting streak, breaking Ed Delahanty's 1899 record.

What it all boils down to is October and November. Jeter has been there. A lot. Rollins has now been there, and been all the way, and he has another chance to prove his abilities in the Fall Classic.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriquez was asked about both men and he put it like this:

“...Two Hall of Fame shortstops, and two great leaders.”

There can be no debating that statement. (Oh, go ahead if you must...)

FUNNY FACT: Did you know that Rollins statement in 2007 about being "The Team To Beat" in the NLE, was followed by, "But, that's only on paper"?

Both Rollins and Jeter were named Rookie of The Year: Jeter in 1997, Rollins in 2001

Rollins is a three-time All Star, while Jeter has been voted in ten times.

Phillies And Yankees Fans Taste Their Destiny And Their Pasts

And so they meet again.

After 59 years.

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees will face each other in the ultimate east coast Fall Classic.

If you're a passionate baseball fan, this is a contest for the ages. Inevitably ugliness will rear it's head. This is not a World Series for the faint of heart, the weak in the stomach, the half-interested fan. This is a series for two of the most notorious and fiery fan bases in sports. 

These are fans with different complexions, different complexities. They each have their identities.

The Yankees fight to get their glory back, while the Phillies keep the all-time losers history at a safe, but still too close of a distance. Both clubs have something specific to tell their fans and the message has to be clear.

Yankees fans: We're back.

Phillies fans: We ain't going back.

It's not just about baseball, but the very rich history in both cities, in sports, and in general.

Philadelphia may be the birthplace of freedom, but New York knows it's the birthplace of nearly everything cool and exciting.

Devotion to sports isn't just about the sport itself, but how it defines families, neighborhoods and childhood memories. When I think of key moments as a baseball fan, I recall where I was and who I was with. You might have had a difficult relationship with a parent or sibling, but sports was where you bonded. Or maybe the friends you made for life, were made through a shared passion for a team. 

The identity of Phillies fans and Yankees fans is tied up in the identity of the cities and the lifestyle.

No athlete cares to live in the past, but fans stay mired in it and forever influenced by it, down to their core.

The identity of a Yankees fan has always been tied to it's past: Gehrig and DiMaggio, Ruth and Berra.

For Phillies fans this goes a bit different: 10,000 losses notched, 1964, Joe Carter...then there's 1980, Tug, Pete, Schmidty. And, well, last year.

Fans don't want to live in the past either, but they live there because it becomes part of who they are. The losses aren't about a career, but a direct line to their hearts. The heart doesn't forget. They don't switch uniforms. They live and die with that team.

The Pinstripes Series arrives and so do fans who know who they are and, also, who they want to be.

You aren't just going to be watching a World Series, but two cities with their hearts on the line.

2009 NLCS: The Wolf Pack Speaks Volumes About Phillies Fans

When a favorite player goes to a new team, he stops being a favorite player.

But in the case of Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf and his Philadelphia fan club, the Wolf Pack, it's a lot trickier.

In Game 4 of the NLCS, Randy Wolf's faithful friends were the very definition of class and dedication.

The Dodgers originally drafted Wolf in 1994, but he didn't sign with them. The Phillies drafted him in 1997. Wolf pitched for the Phillies his entire career until the Dodgers signed "Wolfie" as a Free Agent. The Wolf Pack includes brothers Patrick and John Wood. Along the way Wolf's former and current teammate Vicente Padilla's "Padilla Flotilla" also became part of the Phillies vernacular. Wolf became friends with the pack and formed a bond with his devotees. They were Philly guys, proud and passionate. Randy Wolf, while never an emotional sort, embraced the experience.

When he left, the Wolf Pack didn't stop being Randy Wolf fans, but they were first and foremost Phillies fans.

Monday night their loyalties were tested.

"Not until the game started did we realize there would be some mixed emotions," Patrick told Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

While one Los Angeles Times writer called Phillies fans ugly, Tommy Lasorda expresses hate for a green furry monster and says his hometown is Los Angeles (Norristown , PA, actually), and legions of Phillies fans feel trashed by TBS and FOX announcers, the Wolf Pack walked the line and took no side easily. They faced a tough situation emotionally. Their team was in the contest. Their friend was the opposition.

While no one can agree if Phillies fans are lowly losers or mistreated champions, it's undeniable that the Wolf Pack are the kind of baseball fans a player doesn't attract everyday. And players don't form friendships with fans very often. Wolf, however, made sure that the Wolf Pack had tickets to Game 4.

Randy Wolf and his pack get a tip of the cap.

And hopefully from those with a P and an LA on it.

2009 NLCS: Heart Wins...And Loses

A 99 mph fastball is hard to hit.

But if you put it right in the middle of the plate, nice and fat, well, someone good is bound to hit it.

Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton served one up to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

And the Dodgers, a team that finished the regular season with the best record in the National League, lost 5-4 to the reigning World Champion Phillies.

What team has more heart?

Neither.

Which team has an unflappable bullpen?

Neither.

What hitter did Broxton want to avoid after a 2008 home run for the ages incident?

Matt Stairs.

And so...

One of those teams with heart, called on their unpredictable bullpen, holding the other team to a one run lead. This led to the man with the unforgettable bomb of the 2008 NLCS. Which led to a walk. Which led to a hit batter...double...over...

You could have gambled on either team. And it would have nothing to do with either having more or less heart.

Did the Dodgers have less heart when they cleanly swept the Cardinals in the NLDS?

No. 

The Phillies do not have more heart because they got to the Dodgers closer last night.

You've been watching the two best teams in the National League duke it out.

Phils first baseman Ryan Howard just tied Lou Gehrig's record for most home runs in the post-season.

Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez just happens to hold the record for most RBI in the post-season.

Who has more heart?

Neither.

We don't need to question players and teams and managers heart when they lose. Because, no, they do not want to find ways to lose.

But, inevitably, at some point, every team finds those ways.

On Monday night, Citizen's Bank Park shook beneath the press box after a thrilling comeback win by the Phillies.

The Dodgers left the field stunned, disappointed, and defeated. 

Heart didn't win.

Baseball at it's finest did.

It's just how it works.

The Darren Daulton Clever Joke Fest Goes On Another Tour

In 1993 the Phillies went to the World Series and lost in six games. The Toronto Blue Jays won their second in a row. Joe Carter became part of baseball history. And Phillies fans decades long nightmare continued.

There were a lot of factors in the Phillies making it there and one of them was the offense, defense and leadership of catcher Darren Daulton.

Over the past few years he's made headlines with his religious beliefs.

Some of them are likely people with religious beliefs. But Daulton's faith in things unseen and unexplainable has been the stuff of a million mediocre jokes.

The script is now in. We all have it. If you mention Daulton's name, we know you're going to attempt to impress yourself with some withering remark about how insane he is. 

When I read about athletes, I don't care what their religious beliefs are. I also don't need them to be humiliated for my reading pleasure.

Here's a story I always liked:

Darren Daulton was a catcher with the Phillies for more than a decade, the greatest clubhouse presence Curt Schilling says he's ever been around. Daulton resided on Macho Row in the Philadelphia clubhouse, whose other occupants were guys such as John Kruk and Mitch Williams and Lenny Dykstra, guys who played and lived hard. Schilling, who prides himself on going home every night, was cut from a different cloth, but always felt he had Macho Row's respect for how he went about his business.

Until the night Daulton called him out after a poor outing in St. Louis.

"I'd gotten my butt kicked," Schilling said, "and Darren called me out in the paper. He said we had a lot of young guys doing stupid stuff. He was basically letting everyone know I was an idiot."

The reporters couldn't wait to see how Schilling would react.

"I told them, 'I'd love to say some nasty stuff, but he's right. I was stupid. I'm absolutely embarrassed by everything that happened.' We were on a plane that night, we always played cards on every flight, and Darren turned around and said to me, 'I want to kick your butt right now.' I said, 'You know what, I deserve it.'

"He was a tremendous leader. He knew what he needed from me. He knew how to push my buttons."

Today's Young Major League Stars Can Restore Baseball's Soul

If you fell in love with baseball in the nineties, you were probably impressed (or disgusted) by the offensive powers of Mark Mcgwire and Barry Bonds.

You watched Roger Clemens pitch his way toward a seemingly inevitable place in Cooperstown. You saw future New York Yankees stars Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez (then with Seattle) developing. You might have been watching, and even rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 World Series.

You were also watching players who would later be accused of using performance enhancers. Some of them would admit to using. Some, well, they'd say they were misheard. Who's telling the truth? It doesn't matter right now.

Because in the 2009 post-season, baseball seems to be renewing itself. Starting over, in a sense.

Maybe it's just me, but the slate seems to be cleaned- or at least less dirty- in regard to Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte's past steroid use. Admitting an error in judgment goes a long way with people. You know what else helps?

Playing really, really well. 

But mixed into the 2009 playoffs, are a number of young superstar players who can be a tremendous help in restoring fans faith in baseball.

Young players such as the Los Angeles Dodgers Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw, Phillie Ryan Howard, and the Yankees Phil Hughes, as well as veterans Derek Jeter and Jim Thome, are all part of an exciting post-season, that includes the New York Yankees once again.

Baseball's been on a long, strange trip lately. Manny Ramirez was suspended due to testing positive for a banned substance, and there was the Clemens debacle over what he did or didn't say to former teammate Pettitte about his steroid use.

In the age of much stricter testing and consequences, what baseball needs is a crop of young players  to emerge with force and make a statement with their abilities: This is what can be done without all that. They can remind wayward fans that awesome natural talent does exist.

But seeing the rebirth of players who've been outed for their decisions to use performance enhancers, is also important in the process. If they can be successful after proving they're on the straight and narrow, they make a point.

The 2009 Fall Classic is the stage for all that to begin. 

Perhaps the next decade sees America falling in love with baseball again.

Yankees/Phillies World Series? Imagine The Possibilities.

For one moment in the early nineties, the Phillies were America's team.

When the Toronto Blue Jays played the Phillies in the 1993 World Series, the beloved "Macho Row" Phils had taken hold of the hearts and imaginations of baseball fans everywhere.

But the truth is, the New York Yankees are considered America's team by and far.

Phillies fans and baseball fans in general, accept it or at least try to. Many resent it. Words like "evil" and "empire" clarify that, no, everyone does not accept it.

Think about the excitement (and bedlam) if the 2008 World Champions and the all-time champions faced each other.

Each team has something on the line: the Phillies are defending their title. The Yankees haven't won a World title since 2000. Both teams fans are impatiently parked on the frontline with clenched jaws and raging hearts, with the attitude that this must belong to them once again.

The Yankees are trying to return to glory and the Phillies don't want to give theirs up.

When you close your eyes and envision a Phillies/Yankees World Series, there are any number of dramatic and interesting scenarios to come up with.

...A home run parade, with Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez leading the way. Don't forget the unlikely home run hitter, Chase Utley, who'd be out of a slump and knock a few out.

...Two of the best defensive shortstops in the game, displaying their skills and command, their leadership and athleticism. Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins would make the ESPN reel. The panel would debate who made the better play. Perhaps we'd see something we'd never seen before. Wouldn't be the first time, with either guy.

...Closers? Well, hey, this is about the imagination right? We can mix that with some of the history of both Mariano Rivera and Brad Lidge. Or is it Ryan Madson? Would we be seeing a future great closer emerge on the biggest stage in baseball? Madson, getting the chance of a lifetime, to close out a game five...or seven...everything on the line.... Or Mariano Rivera could come in and put everyone to sleep. That's also quite possible.

...The managers, well, they'd have to answer some tough questions. They wouldn't be able to make everyone happy. No manager ever can. He's a genius if it works out. And the one to blame if a key decision fails. Will young Joba Chamberlain be off of Joe Girardi's post-season roster?** Will C.C. Sabathia quiet fans who think he'll flop in his post-season Game 1 start? Who WILL the Phils closer be? Was Charlie Manuel right to give Cliff Lee the ball for Game 1? 

There's a lot of exciting baseball to dream up in a Yankees/Phils Fall Classic, but there's still getting there.

Yankees and Phillies fans still have to imagine that.

**Hours after I published this, Joba Chamberlain was included on the final roster. He'll pitch out of the bullpen.

The Moment

Few things define a man, a manager, and a team, the way Charlie Manuel's handing the ball to Brad Lidge in the ninth of the NLE clincher did.

The man that Manuel is was clear. A father, a believer, a bit of a sentimental guy.

The manager wanted to see his team as it should be. As it was meant to be. As he hopes it will be, when he takes his defending champions to the playoffs. 

Lidge's teammate understood. Scott Eyre had no problem handing the ball to Charlie, to let Lidge come in and close the game. He's the closer. Embattled, failing, struggling, but beloved and respected. Eyre knew what it meant to Lidge.

That team knows and understands each other because many of them have been together since their bus league days. Many are farm grown Phillies . Guys like Lidge are bonded to the team by way of a World title. A shared boyhood dream, realized together in 2008. They are forever Phillies now. No matter where they go after they leave.

If you ask what was most memorable about the 2009 season, my answer will be that moment when Lidge ran from the bullpen to the diamond and took the mound. He recorded the final out against the Houston Astros. As it should be.

That's the 2009 National League East champion Phillies. There was a lot of great playing, but they were often embattled through the season, failing, struggling, but beloved and respected, always.

Brian Gump's Spirited Jump To Lakewood

No dramatic rain storm could dampen the spirits of Brian Gump.

Nor could teasing teammates or a recent struggle at the plate.

Nope.

His grin was unmistakable when I visited with him in the midst of the SAL playoffs.

"My playoffs have been great, statistically and even more so experience wise," he said.

He spent most of 2008 with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, the team's Rookie level affiliate where he hit .317 and knocked in 19 runs. He finished the regular season at Lakewood hitting .200, and a .317 OBP. 

The BlueClaws were a team with superb pitching, boasting a roster with guys like Jesus Sanchez  and Matt Way. Gump pitched a little (!): in one inning of work he gave up no runs and no hits.

To say 2009 was a full experience would be an understatement. The BlueClaws were a group of talented guys that Gump has the utmost respect for.

"As we have gone further and further into the playoffs, I have become more and more appreciative of how special this team and this opportunity is."

One week after talking to him, the BlueClaws won the SAL championship title for the second time in franchise history. They defeated the Greenville Drive in four games.

Gump chronicled his first professional season in baseball in a  very personal and entertaining blog. It got him local attention when Philadelphia Daily News writer Paul Hagen did a story on him. His genuine and warm personality comes through, but it would: this is a guy who lists "make people happy" as one of his goals. In meeting him you realize it's the real deal. He relates in a genuine way that translates on the blog and has let people get a true glimpse of minor league life. 

As most minor leaguers do, he returned to a winter job doing marketing work for UC Santa Barbara.

In describing the overall championship-winning experience, the English major doesn't get too literary.

"Words kind of fail, not surprisingly as they usually do in explaining great experiences, in describing the playoff experience," he says. "But it has been a hell of a lot of fun."