Grotewold wrote:Typical pollyanna JFLY

Always.

I know I'm generally viewed as pessimistic around here, but that's not really the whole story. I've been a Phillies fan for a long, long time, so bad teams don't faze me. Everybody wants a winner, but these things go in cycles and i've been lucky enough to have witnessed two WS winners and some other great teams, so I can take the lean years.

What has bothered me as much as anything about these last few years has been being deprived of hope. There was no good reason to expect that the Howards, Utleys, Rollinses and Chooches of the world were going to get better or even maintain production as they crept into their mid-30's. Even if Rube never wanted to admit it, it was obvious (at least to me) that we were witnessing a slow-motion train wreck.

Guys like Galvis, Hernandez and Ruf will likely never approach the prime-years production of the guys they're replacing, but at least with them there's hope that, unlike aging, sometimes injured veterans, their performance might actually improve with age and experience, so there's hope. With the vets it's been hopeless, cynical, stupid, ridiculous and counterproductive. Frankly, as painful as it may have been, it would have been better all around to let go of the vets a bit too early rather than holding on to them for too long. At least then we'd all have our great memories of them, rather than cringing while we watch them get worse and worse.

Back in the Stone Age before the Internet Bill James used to actually write books, which were published in hard copies. I've probably written this before, but one year he wrote something about constructing, de-constructing and reconstructing a team which I'll always remember. He wrote that the way to evaluate your team is to look at each position on the roster and ask yourself: "Am I going to win my next World Series with that guy at that position?" If the answer is "no," then you need to go about finding a replacement as soon as possible. It may take years and multiple players to find the right one, but the longer you wait to start the process, the longer you're delaying your next world championship.

Now with Franco and Hernandez showing they could actually develop into stars at their respective positions and guys like Nola, Crawford, etc., nearing the majors, the ship is finally being turned around. This is the beginning of the process I love: Watching a team coming together and developing (hopefully) into a contender. In a lot of ways it's even more satisfying than the end result.

Damn good post JFLY.

Nicely written. I agree that the ship has turned. We just need to sell the rest of our goods for some seeds and make Ruben walk the plank.

Thanks.

Here's a question-

Once all the bad contracts are off the books (Lee, chooch, Howard, etc) then do you start dipping your toe in free agency? If so, stick mainly to pitching?

Middle relievers and plenty of them!

Aging sluggers

I always did think you resembled Ed Wade

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:Here's a question-

Once all the bad contracts are off the books (Lee, chooch, Howard, etc) then do you start dipping your toe in free agency? If so, stick mainly to pitching?

Well, you do eventually , course. I don'r even think it's a matter of whether the b ad contracts o are off the books, as to whether you've got a sufficient core of talented players that adding free agents will make a difference. Even the "model" t. Louis Cardinals have free agents like Mark reynolds and Matt Holliday playing major roles.

Free agency isn't what it used to be, but it's still a necessary way of filling in holes on the roster. The reluctance the past few years has been more about the compensation rules than money anyway, as they seek to rebuild their system. I think it will continue to be that way, but if they're in a position where a certain player is looked on as a difference make they'll jump in, though probably not for a couple of years.

what swish said

FWIW the current list of FAs after the 2016 season looks pretty crappy. Strasburg and Carlos Gomez are the only ones worth considering. Chapman maybe, but hopefully Giles is dominating by then so we don't need to blow another $10M+/yr on a closer

Grotewold wrote:Not on the chow line

and they called JFly's post good (I do too, but let's spread it around to all the deserving)

I don't think I would go anywhere near Strasburg. That arm is waiting to fall off.

I guess throwing 120 pitches a game in college didn't work out so well.

JFLNYC wrote:...painful as it may have been, it would have been better all around to let go of the vets a bit too early rather than holding on to them for too long....

No more 5+ years contracts for me, short of publication of the well-thought out plan for harvesting genetic material with a clear design for reconstructing the worth-it player from the heels up

...This is...the process I love: Watching a team coming together and developing (hopefully) into a contender. In a lot of ways it's even more satisfying than the end result.

Yes, and it seems the Phillies way is fated to be that of the Phoenix, rather than the cardinal.

Ah, fuck it, heaven is a bore anyways

To be fair, they didnt have a whole lot to replace the vets with.

iladelph53 wrote:We're not going to get good until 2021? Dear God, help us all.

2021 is a bit optimistic

Morosi says Pirates want to trade for Frenchy omg yes please