Halloween is good for lots of things. When you are a little kid, it's the candy. When you're an adolescent, it is acting horribly inapproppriate (vandalizing, destroying, stealing, beating up fat kids) and getting away with it just because it's a holiday. In adulthood, the candy thing comes around again. So, in honor of the greatness that is Halloween, this Saturday's Poll is dedicated the time honored tradition of Trick or Treat. Personally, my favorite treat is a case of Guinness and a cheesecake, and my favorite trick is this little Puerto Rican number that works 2nd street down in New Kensington. But forget about me, this a Phillies blog (mostly) and we here at WSBGM's want to know: In modern Phillies history (last 20 years), what is you favorite Phillies treat(something good,) and you're least favorite Phillies trick(something bad.) (Note: I'm excluding Free Agent signings, because that is a future poll and needs much more attention). Here are your choices:
Trick:
1) Joe Carter - by himself, Carter isn't a bad guy. Hell, he wasn't even the best player for Toronto that series. Spitty McAlomar hit .480, Paul Molitor hit an even .500 (FYI - cancer survivor and Carson punching-bag John Olerud hit only .235.) However, that SOB Joe Carter hit the game winning homer, crushing Phillies nation. Carson still cries when he sees the hilights. That moment, and that player, epitomize that series. For that reason, he has to be the biggest Trick in recent Phillies history. I won't even put picture of Carter playing baseball on this blog, so here is a snap of him satisfying some jungle fever.2) Charlie Manuel - file this one under gratuitous. I don't really think Charlie Manuel is that bad. Of course, I also think Helen Keller would be able to utilize the bullpen better. No, I just haven't said anything negative about Ol' Chuck in the last 8 or 9 days. Does anybody else think a young Charlie Manuel may have had a lot in common with Ralph Wiggum? Ehh, like I said, purely gratuitous and unneccessary, but it made me laugh, and that's kind of what I'm after here.
13 comments:
i had to vote for the '93 phils although the vet was a close second. i still have a framed picture of the vet hanging on my wall. it was a piece of trash but it was our piece of trash
Anyone who destroys the Phillies hopes is a trick...although Ed Wade is such a close second.
I voted for Young talent, they made it bearable to watch some of the tough games this year. & This one was close too. Wanted to pick Harry and Whitey as well. Harry is the greatest.
Great poll - I voted for Harry and Whitey, because even if the Phils sucked (which was usually the case), they were always soothing in a weird way.
ed wade and the vet -- i liked that place, it had a special charm, if nothing else. same as you, i would get 'general addmission' tix for $8 and sit anywhere i wanted, and for most weekday games i could blaze up all over the upper levels!
another good halloween treat when you're older is T & A!! chicks dress up as anything but always as a slutty version. slut nurse, slut zombie, slut-tastic!
"I don't mean to start another Abreu arguement here, but as good as he was and as great as people think he was, he NEVER EVER had two seasons as good as Utley's last two"
Abreu's OPS+ year to year from 1998-2004:
136, 149, 140, 141, 155, 134, 149
Utley's OPS+ the last two seasons:
130 and 127
So by my count, that means that Abreu had only 7 better seasons than Utley's last two. In fact, in 2006 Abreu finished with an OPS+ of 129...Utley finished at 127. Now OPS+ isn't a perfect stat or anything, but it's a pretty good indicator of a hitter's relative worth in the context of a given season.
"he NEVER EVER had two seasons as good as Utley's last two"
Yeah, sure.
Dane- I have a poster of when the Vet and CIT were both there...cheaper tickets too, because as my friend Ben would call me "Goldstine".
Those were some mighty bad tricks and very sweet treats. I voted Joe Carter for trick, because I weep when seeing that f'n hi-light. I voted '93 Phils for treat, because that's the only thing I have to hang my hat on as a Phils fan.
XXX- I believe Corey was looking at the overall stats like homeruns, runs, rbi's, batting avg...but you and I hold Abreu in a much better light than my compadre does.
~Carson
what i meant to say was "he NEVER EVER had two consecutive seasons as good as Utley's last two" - one word does make a difference. i know you can take abrue's two best seasons in his 12 year HOF career and they are slightly better than utley's only two full seasons. that wasn't what i based that phrase on. if you look at their best two year stretches, utley's numbers are better. have a look:
BA-R-HR-RBI
abreu:
00-01 - .302-221-56-189 or
04-05 - .293-222-54-209 (his AS years)
utley:
05-06 - .300-224-60-207
compre utley's two years to either of abreu's best two in a row and he takes 3 of the 4 categories each time. say what you want about ops+ or any other stat-head number, but in those years, he was a better hitter, and drove in more. and despite abreu's "claim to fame" stellar OBP, utley scored more runs each time. the numbers are close, but utley's are better. if you factor in the numbers relative to the position played, defense, and W-l record with and without each player, it's not even close.
also, abreu had a higher ops+ than utley this year. do you really think abreu had a better year? that shows how flawed stats like that can be.
anyways, i based my statistical relevance on runs, homers, rbi, batting average. there are so many stats in baseball, sometimes there aren't clear cut answers when examining stats and comparing players with them.
like i said, i didn't want to start another abreu thing. they used to call kevin youkalis the "greek god of walks", but he obviously isn't the only "base on balls deity" around baseball.
corey
Corey -
I pretty much don't agree with anything you say, but I do appreciate you laying out your thought process for me.
By the way, the line "Long one today kids, pack a snack..." is a fantastic opener. Well played.
Gotta love a blog where arguing is expected, but nobody's feelings get hurt.
We love XXX, keep coming back for more.
I hate Joe Carter!
~Carson
thank you xxx. i really do think this is an area where the line between right and wrong is as grey as bea arthur's pubes (sorry about that one...) we both have numbers that support our takes. who's right? who cares. all i know is the Phils haven't made the playoffs in 13 years so we have to fill our offseason time somehow. it makes for great conversation. it would be a lot better if it happened over a couple of pitchers of cold brew, but the internet is okay, i guess...
OT - first time Purdue has been shutout since Joe Tiller took over. i think i'm the only PSU fan here, but since carson freaking hates them, i have to include them here as much as possible.
corey
Temple won today too! Nearly 2 years since last victory.
Screw Penn State!
~Carson
Ed Wade was a bad trick. As well as a sack he looks like a grasshopper. He could have been included in the punch to the head poll for a few winning votes. Bad, bad man.
For treats, this poll was the toughest vote yet. I expect we will get to vote on some of our young talent in the phuture, they are so good. Harry and Whitey, Phillie legends, but the '93 Phils won it for one helluva treat. Expected to do nothing and almost doing it all. Great team, great year.
Utley v Abreu. You gotta consider the intangibles. Human nature counts. I dig Bobby, but Utley is Mr Motivator.
Utley and Abreu are each great players. When looking at players' value, sometimes stats aren't enough, especially when they play for your team. Corey isn't saying Bobby wasn't good or even great, he's simply saying Chase is off to a better start and will probably produce bigger seasons than Bobby did. Corey likes the gusto Chase plays the game with, and disliked the seemingly nonchalantness of Bobby's game...it's as simple as aesthetics sometimes.
I almost wish I could vote for every treat. Great poll!
~Carson
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