2024 Phillies Season Discussion

[zambonir]

It's kind of crazy we even had a chance to win that World Series when you look at the regular season win totals. But everyone bought into the idea that April and May didn't count (and last year too).

This slump is not going to end on this road trip. But hopefully soon after (the schedule will provide a six-game break before August finishes with juggernauts, including the Braves both home and away).

Right now the goal in front of their face is that they need to win one game in LA to clinch the potential NLCS tiebreaker for home field.

Of course nobody wants to see a wild card series or even a #4 seed. But how they are playing now or on September 15 still might not mean anything in October.

Not enough of a sample to really say but maybe those 100-win teams were more tired or injured. If the Phillies' injured guys have less wear on their treads the losses over the past month might have been worth it. They already made deliberate choices with Suarez and Wheeler, and if memory serves Harper and Schwarber didn't even want to go on the IL.

[andyb]

The chances of any single wild card team winning are still much less than the chances of the team with the best record in the majors or in either league. There are just 6 wild cards now and 2 always advance with recent history showing even more advancing when the 6 seed beats the 3 seed (often a mediocre Central Division team).

This is just what happens when you have a sport where there is little home field advantage and also smaller neutral advantages. In the NBA a 65-win team almost always dominates a 48-win team while in baseball the best 100-win team probably wins only about 55% of the time against the worst playoff team.

[billgtrman]

The Phillies got to get back with good patient AB’s, better pitch selection from our pitchers, BP guys need to tighten up (get ahead of opposing batters), better management from Topper. It seemed to flow earlier but they’ve got back to bad mannerisms and a lack of confidence

[flyers19rw]

The club has been on a slide but Turner is killing them. In the last fifteen games he's had ten hits; BA-.156; OBP-.217; SLG-.266; OPS-.483. The number two hitter in the l lineup has to do better than that. Then there's his defense....

[zambonir]

From June 29 to July 19 his OPS went from .823 to .948. Now it's .844. Baseball.

[Callison]

I don't mean to annoy anybody with my address "Big Rob". To me it is like a dramatic mob boss title, It is just the way I think of a superior that has the final say. When I was working, I called my superior "Boss" without his permission. He wasn't offended.

I'm trying to have some fun on the board here. I can't imagine how it's disrespectful. I can't even imagine why it's sensitive at all. But if you just can't bear to read it again, I'm willing to let go of it - speak for the board and tell me to never use it again. Must I?

[phillychuck]

I can't speak for the entire board.

Whether you continue to call him "Big Rob" is up to you. I thought you should know that some folks find it, uh, ...less than respectful, I guess. Maybe annoying...

BTW, I had a colleague who called our supervisor in upper level management "boss", too. He got promoted very quickly (with the same supervisor making the decision), but lots of folks thought him using "boss" was sucking up, and he had trouble dealing with his former colleagues thereafter. Probably never got the credit he deserved.

[EastFallowfield]

A day later, at 4 PM, Phils are in a best-record-in-MLB tie with the Guardians and Yankees, with the Orioles with 'only' the fourth best record.

[Philsmania]

Odd how the Dodgers don't seem to ever play midweek day games. Is it because LA traffic is really bad and they don't want the fans to be getting out of the game in rush hour?

[zambonir]

I don't find it disrespectful, just kind of weird and random when Thomson or Topper both do just fine. And there are some people who legit don't know who it refers to, since no one else on the board or in the world calls him that. But I feel the same when AF writes "TDL." And Julio feels that way about nearly every abbreviation!

I guess it does seem more disrespectful when it is accompanied by criticism, as if the nickname is meant to be facetious or (ironically) diminishing. One of the WIP guys refused to call Doc Rivers anything but "Glenn" and he was clearly being a jerk in doing so.

Plus Thomson is neither a big man nor a small man, so it doesn't seem to come from anything in particular, even ironically (as when a big man is called "Tiny").

"Boss" is one of those that can cut either way too. It can be obsequious or it can be sarcastic.

Odd how the Dodgers don't seem to ever play midweek day games. Is it because LA traffic is really bad and they don't want the fans to be getting out of the game in rush hour?

That's probably true. And they'd still be late on top of that. Attendance was apparently not great (whereas it seems to be excellent for the Phillies, at least lately). And the other team is usually going to another Western city so there's no travel rule forcing it.

I'm with you, I would like to watch a game today! I'm still jet-lagged so I watched the last couple on the DVR at 6am. This morning was well worth it.

[Austinfan]

"Big Boss Man . .. "

[zambonir]

Robert Feggans

[BostonRoss]

I am not bothered by "Big Rob"; I find it neither offensive nor annoying. I kind of assumed it went with Thomson's role on the team, like the big cheese, or big kahuna. If Thomson was stocky, I guess it would be inappropriate.

I never liked when people referred to Charlie Manuel as "Cholly." Maybe I misread it, but it seemed to be a swipe at his supposed lack of urban sophistication. But I never thought enough about it to complain.

[zambonir]

I never liked when people referred to Charlie Manuel as "Cholly." Maybe I misread it, but it seemed to be a swipe at his supposed lack of urban sophistication. But I never thought enough about it to complain.

Well, it was meant to actually imitate the way he said his own name, so you're not wrong even if the intent was affectionate But it was also widespread and mainstream (you can find it in the NY Times recently after the stroke, and Sports Illustrated back when it was real magazine).

People also used to call him "Uncle Charlie" and he hated that (implied he was too nice).

[VoteForKalas]

Cannot believe no one mentioned "The Boss", Bruce Springsteen. It is said with the utmost respect and admiration.

[MichaelJackSchmidt]

The difference is that everyone calls him "The Boss." I find it slightly unusual for someone to call Thompson "Big Rob," but I don't find it offensive.

[Aquapong]

Schwarbarian, what is best in life?

“Crush the Dodgers, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their fans.”

[zambonir]

And he never liked the nickname! (Even as he also stresses that his band is not a democracy.)

[andyb]

With Hays likely going onto the IL I assume we just go get Clemens and go with a 3-person rotation in LF. Wilson against LHP, Clemens or Rojas against RHP depending on the matchup. Might as well get Hays healthy for September.

[zambonir]

Put Marsh back in LF, let Wilson platoon with him, play Rojas more, and then do the occasional Clemens LF Marsh CF against RHP. None of these guys - possibly Hays included - are going to contribute more runs than Marsh in LF and Rojas in CF save.

And if they want to play Marsh a little more against LHP they still have that luxury,

So, rotation is just on its normal turns, Walker would have come back as the 6th starter or otherwise replaced Allard next time around. Allard today followed by Wheeler/Nola/Sanchez.