Only 150 More Games!

Last night the Phillies dropped to 3-9 after loosing to the Mets at home. Overshadowing another poor performance is the post game hooplah between 610 WIP-AM's Howard Eskin and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, but I'll get to this later....

More importantly, prior to the start of the season, MLB analyists and myself included thought the Phillies would be a real contender. Now I am left with the question; are the Phils underachieving or are they just not good? Regardless of the answer, who is to blame? The players, management, coaches, or ownership? As of right now, I believe the team is not that good and most the burden should be put on the players. The coaches are not the ones hitting .200 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Howard alone is hitting 4-19 with RISP with an overall batting average of .238. The same flaws that plagues the team last year are present this season. Specifically, the inability to manufacture runs, unreliable bullpen support, and timely hitting. Our starting pitchers have been adequate this season, but our bullpen is huge liability.

The coaches and players stressed getting out to a good start in April, but the team is off to its worst start since 1997. With Philadelphia salivating for a team to get behind, the Phillies squandered a golden opportunity to give the fans something to embrace and set a tone for the rest of the season. Now the team is almost begging the fans to turn their backs and has cast a dark cloud over the season. The games have become unfun and as they enter a series with the Nationals tonight, the team has entered desperation mode. As opposed to routinely beating a bad team, now the sentiment among fans is that they better beat a bad team!

Now onto the "confrontation" between 610 WIP radio personality Howard Eskin and manager Charlie Manuel. Eskin was asking Manuel whether the team would benefit if he got more fired up? Manuel then seemed to take this personally, and then claimed he does get fired up and challenged Eskin to come in his office to see him fired up. So Eskin took him up and Manuel wanted to fight! See for yourself below.



Eskin is widely known to get be annoying, pompous, even a striking resemblance to the Burger King character,
but he also is a dam good journalist. I've listened to the audio of the exchange and I don't think Eskin was out of line. In fact, initially Manuel and Eskin seemed to be having a light hearted riff. Clearly Manuel snapped, and it almost seems as if Manuel used Eskin as a vehicle for lashing out. Charlie might believe that if he creates a stir anyway possible, the team will respond and play better? Its one thing to be pissed about your team a la Lou Pinella and the Cubs, but don't make an ass of yourself. This team does not seem to have any plan for the future and might be content with just being close each season. I truly hope the Phils can get out of this early slump and right themselves of their flaws.