A star is born
At first glance, romance has suffered a slow death over the past couple of decades in American society. Album covers have been replaced by I-Tunes receipts. Long phone conversations have been replaced by 140-character texts. Games of stick ball have been replaced by games of Grand Theft Auto.
A star is born
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
At first glance, romance has suffered a slow death over the past couple of decades in American society. Album covers have been replaced by I-Tunes receipts. Long phone conversations have been replaced by 140-character texts. Games of stick ball have been replaced by games of Grand Theft Auto.
Covering baseball is no different. Deadlines are earlier, players are less accessible, and the powers that be won't even let you bring a flask of Jack Daniels into the press box anymore.
Ah, the good old days.
But really, weren't they saying the same things when flapper dresses replaced hoop skirts and the Beatles started playing that confounded Devil's music?
As the noted philosopher Hugh Grant observed in the opening scene of Love, Actually, "General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see it. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girl friends, old friends. . .If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspcion - love, actually, is all around."
Which brings me to a night in Clearwater two years ago, when a group of sports writers sat at a dimly-lit bar just west of the beach and drank beer and ate grouper sandwiches and talked about baseball. There was nothing newsworthy, and certainly nothing dignified, just a few scribes decompressing from a week full of meaningless at-bats and carefully-monitored pitch counts.
During the conversation, one unnamed scribe piped up with a question concerning a speedy little Hawaiian who was attempting to replace Aaron Rowand in center field. The spring had been full of many questions -- What will the Phillies get out of Adam Eaton? Will the bullpen thrive? Can Brad Lidge rebound from knee surgery? -- but few of them involved Shane Victorino's ability to slide into an everyday role. It seemed to the unnamed scribe that people were taking Victorino's performance for granted, that they were making the mistake of assuming that the .284 batting average and .345 on base percentage he had produced over the previous two-plus seasons as a part-time player would accompany him to his new role.
"What has Shane Victorino done to deserve the benefit of the doubt?" the unnamed scribe asked.
Two years later, I -- um, I mean the unnamed scribe -- has seen the light.
Despite Cliff Lee and Brad Lidge and Raul Ibanez, one of the most important story-lines of the Phillies season thus far has been the emergence of one Shane Victorino. Just under 2,000 at-bats into his major league career, it is now safe to say that what fans have witnessed over the past couple of years is the birth of a star.
Through 113 games, Victorino is leading the team with a .316 batting average and is second with a .380 on base percentage. He has already set career highs in doubles (31), triples (8) and walks (45), and his five RBI shy of the career-high 58 he set last season. He is hitting .302 against righties, .348 against lefties, .316 with runners in scoring position, .625 with the bases loaded, .375 with a man on third and two out, and .304 with runners in scoring position and two out.
He is also well on his way to a second Gold Glove.
In the Phillies' last seven games, against some darn good pitchers, Victorino is hitting .414 with nine runs scored. Of those seven games, he has had multiple hits in five of them. Victorino has been the team's most consistent hitter this season, which was the one aspect of his game that seemed to be lacking last year. He is tied for the team-lead in runs, and is second in at-bats.
Is it a coincidence that whenever something exciting happens, Victorino is in the middle? Remember the benches-clearing incident at Dodgers Stadium last year? The grand slam of C.C. Sabathia? The showdown with Julian Tavarez? The beer-dumping incident? If there was any doubt that Victorino deserved the final spot in the All-Star game, he has eliminated it over the past month.
There's no doubt that the vast majority of the 52 sell-out crowds at Citizens Bank Park this season have flooded the gates to guys like Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels and Chase Utley and Cliff Lee.
But Victorino has been worth the price of admission.
^
Some quick thoughts:
1) Where's Greg Dobbs? The Phillies' super-sub has not logged an official plate appearance since Aug. 11 in Chicago. But he has been more a victim of his starter's success than anything else. Thanks to a complete game by Cliff Lee, an eight-inning outing by J.A. Happ, and the combination of Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer two nights ago, the Phillies have not used a pinch-hitter in any of their last three games. Charlie Manuel tried to pinch-hit Dobbs on Aug. 15 in Atlanta against righty Kenshin Kawakami, but Bobby Cox responded by bringing in lefty Eric O'Flaherty, which prompted a switch to Ben Francisco. In the Phils' last seven games, they have used just four pinch-hitters.
2) What's up with Cliff Lee? I was asked this question this morning on ESPN First Take. A few observations: First, Lee has been pitching well for most of the season, he was just the victim of awful run support in Cleveland. The Indians failed to score more than two runs in 10 of his 22 starts this season. It took him 14 games to reach four victories in Cleveland. It has taken him four to reach four in Philadelphia. Second, that run support, along with a great defense, has enabled Lee to do what he does best -- throw strikes. In his 22 starts for Cleveland, 67 percent of his pitches went for strikes. In his four starts for the Phillies, that number is 71 percent.
3) Also on First Take, I was asked whether Cliff Lee's performance has taken any attention away from Michael Vick. At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me that I would be asked a question involving both Lee and Vick, I would have figured that I was out of a job.
Shane is da man.All of the folks out here in L.A. were clamoring for Ethier,Manny, and Kemp to be in the OF for the all star game. Shane is way better than Kemp. This team is stacked and if Lidge can work out the mental aspects of the game, Repeat champs!! Phillies vs Yankees World Series.— phillyfunk- I honestly dont think he was referring to Conlin, EZ, but rather to himself. Remember, Rowland was not only a fan favorite, but a great player for the Phillies when he was here. He had a career year his last one in Phila. Can be expected that a new writer would wonder about a new CF and how he'd work out. COnlin wouldn't have had the brains to think about this— fan_in_jerusalem
- Shane is da man.All of the folks out here in L.A. were clamoring for Ethier,Manny, and Kemp to be in the OF for the all star game. Shane is way better than Kemp. This team is stacked and if Lidge can work out the mental aspects of the game, Repeat champs!! Phillies vs Yankees World Series.— phillyfunk
- To answer the question about Blanton's run support. He has faced Lincecum, Jurrjens (who kills the Phils) and Nolasco. It is not a lack of focus, just good pitching against Heavy B.— WiffleBall
- He excelled in the playoffs last year and carried it right over into this year. Keep it up Shane, you the man.— TheDude
- Odd that yours and Mr. Bill's pieces should run today. Last night (in between marvelling at what Mr. Lee was doing at times) I was thinking about our Flyin' Hawaiian. About what he is bringing to the team this year, and that he was my favorite player on this club. Without remembering too many stats, I was trying to remember the last time anybody ever tested his arm.......and I think it was the All-Star game. Sometimes you wonder if he'll make the catch, but you KNOW he'll at least get there. And I just don't remember if any have clanked off his glove....couldn't be more than one or possibly two. Mostly I think :"if it stays in the park, he will catch it." That seed he rocketed out to left field to score Lee without a throw was just magnifiscent too.....no wonder he is my favorite player.— TBear
- He had my vote for the post season MVP last year, from his grand slam off Sabathia, to the tying homer in L.A., to his two rbi's in the first half of the winning game of the World Series, and to top it all off he played incredible defense the entire time.— PhillySportsPhan007
- Victorino should have been the NLCS MVP last season. Guy really stepped up his game down the strecth last year and it just keeps getting better.— wtphillies
- Richie Allen ... You're comment wasn't any good the first time you posted. Why make us read it again? (a) Which sports writers don't like Victorino, and what's your evidence? (b) Curt Schilling was a tremendous big-game pitcher, but he's a borderline Hall of Famer. Never won a Cy Young award and had way too many mediocre seasons. I hope he gets in but won't be surprised if he doesn't. (c) Comparing Schilling to Victorino in any context is insane. Victorino is hugely popular with his teammates. Schilling was hugely unpopular. Victornio has the sort of energy that can lift up a team. Schilling had the sort of energy that could make a team wish he would stay home on the days he wasn't pitching.— phillyl0
- wtphillies ... MVP? Victorino hit .222 in the NLCS. He had a great NLDS, but there's no MVP for that series.— phillyl0
- Murph was just looking for a reason to wax poetic...sports writers don't get that chance very often.— fiyabear
- July 8, 2007 - Colorado. Tarp is flapping around during a crazy storm, wrapping up one of the ground crew members. First person off the bench, followed quickly by the rest of the team, Shane Victorino. I knew then, that the Phils had a special player. Oh yeah, he hit a homer that game, too.— Nova&PhilsfaninCT
- About time you posted a good piece. Good Job— Living_Legend
Comment removed.- Shane is great...and every day he shows why....but to put him ahead of Gary Maddox is a bit premateur....— nuggett
