Myths Officially Dispelled (Add yours)

by **Drugs Delaney** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 14:41:33

I heard the stupid chants a couple times this year, but I vehemently disagree that Philly isn't a baseball town anymore. Sure, it's unquestionably a football town, but it's also a baseball town. Just look at the recepition this team is getting right now.

by **cartersDad26** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 14:52:23

phatj wrote:
cartersDad26 wrote:
Drugs Delaney wrote:Philadelphia isn't a baseball town anymore. Please.

if you can ignore the E A G L E S chants

I couldn't make it to many games this year, but I haven't heard that at a Phillies game since at least early 2007.

no - i mean the chants at the Parade that i heard. pathetic.

by **dajafi** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 14:58:12

Record attendance--which they'll break next year unless we go into a Depression--suggests it's a baseball town.

by **smitty** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:02:07

BuddyGroom wrote:Bullpen strength is overrated.

This is not a group of fungible relievers at the back-end. The Phillies invested in Lidge and Romero and it paid off. That said, Durbin and Condrey are indications that the fungible-reliever theory has some (but not complete) merit. I think the real answer is it's worth spending on quality for taking care of the 8th and 9th innings, but taking a fungible approach to the rest of the bullpen often can work out fine.

Good post Buddy.

The whole relief pitchers are fungible theory is based on fact but is a myth. I kinda think a lot of folks like writing the word fungible so it persists.

While it's certainly true that a lot of relief pitchers are up and down from year to year (i.e. much of the Rays bullpen), there are plenty of releivers who aren't fungible at all.

Lidge certainly isn't. Madson has been mostly good to very good in his career. Romero has now been excellent in 5 of the last 7 years -- that isn't fungible. Eyre has been good to very good for 7 straight years. Even Geoff Geary, a truly heroic figure, has been solid for four straight year.

Really, starting pitchers are at least as up and down as relievers. Kyle Kendrick, Eaton and guys like that are up and down and in Eaton's case mostly down. And there are a lot more Eatons and Kendricks around than guys like Hamels.

So while there certainly are plenty of relievers who are fungible -- like Clay Condrey -- I think saying relief pitchers are fungible is overstating things a bit.

by **smitty** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:04:36

The Joe Sheehan/Keith Law myths:

The AL is better than the NL so any AL team will win the World Series.

The Rays starting pitchers are miles better than all the non-Hamels Phillie starters.

The Rays bullpen is as good as the Phils' bullpen.

Ryan Howard is a platoon player.

Brad Lidge is pitching scared and will give up lots of home runs.

by **EndlessSummer** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:43:31

Cole will never make it through a season healthy.

by **phatj** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:47:15

cartersDad26 wrote:
phatj wrote:
cartersDad26 wrote:
Drugs Delaney wrote:Philadelphia isn't a baseball town anymore. Please.

if you can ignore the E A G L E S chants

I couldn't make it to many games this year, but I haven't heard that at a Phillies game since at least early 2007.

no - i mean the chants at the Parade that i heard. pathetic.

That pisses me off. I'm a big Eagles fan too, but not today.

by **The Red Tornado** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:48:17

The withdraw method is an effective way of birth control.

by **allentown** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:58:29

HRs are sexy but speed and put the ball in play smart small ball wins in the end.

You can't make it to WS without big FA signings.

The best umpires go to the WS.

The ever lengthening season is not a problem, there is no problem playing baseball during the last week in October.

Catering to every whim of the TV network will increase viewership, because they know how to best package the product.

Pat Burrell doesn't care about winning.

by **TenuredVulture** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 16:18:34

Howard is a platoon player.

by **TenuredVulture** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 16:18:54

45 is old.

by **TenuredVulture** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 16:19:21

Just about any poster on a message board would be a better GM than Pat Gillick.

by **BuddyGroom** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 16:31:02

dajafi wrote:Record attendance--which they'll break next year unless we go into a Depression--suggests it's a baseball town.

Not disspelling a myth with this post but citing a concern. I think there's a chance, a pretty good chance, that Philadelphia now will end up, at least in 2009, like Cleveland in the early years after their new park opened. With every seat for every game being sold before the season started.

I think Phillies tickets next year will be as hard to come by as Flyers tickets in mid-70s. I think the Phillies do have a policy of limiting season-ticket (and partial-season) sales and maintaining some tickets are available on a per-game basis. But I think such tickets are going to go very, very quickly.

by **Philly the Kid** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 17:02:00

Can't win without Juan Pierre leading off...

by **Philly the Kid** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 17:04:32

TenuredVulture wrote:Just about any poster on a message board would be a better GM than Pat Gillick.

uh... wait a sec there... i'm not sure that is a myth?! :-)

by **GrizzledVeteran** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 17:39:51

Chris Wheeler is not a tool. Oh wait.

by **VoxOrion** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 21:52:04

You can't stop a world series game and just finish it two days later.

by **21McBride** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 22:13:19

Polar Bear Phan wrote:SEPTA can handle the number of passengers that want to attend a Phillies parade.

although it allowed for a nice afternoon walk from Packer Ave to City Hall.

by **phdave** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 00:04:49

Opposing team power hitters love coming to CBP because all they have to do is hit a fly ball and it will be a HR.

by **nicedream** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:41:59

Chase Utley shows no emotion.

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Myths Officially Dispelled (Add yours)