'Disappointed' Lidge says goodbye to Philly
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'Disappointed' Lidge says goodbye to Philly
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
The lasting image will always be of a man on his knees, reaching up toward the glowing sky, teammates swarming and fans cheering as entire city spun on his axis. Brad Lidge says he will always have that moment: will always remember the sound of the crowd, the feel of the grass bleeding through his pants, the incomparable high that comes with being a world champion.
"I enjoyed the hell out of my time there," Lidge said yesterday from New Orleans, where he was scheduled to take part in a Triple-A Hall of Fame banquet. "I'd thank every fan personally if I could."
He was professional to the end, saying only that he was "disappointed" that the Phillies decided not to offer him a contract to remain with the club for a fourth season. Lidge said that at the end of the season, he talked with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and left the meeting with the impression that if he could not find an opportunity to close, the Phillies would be ready to offer him a modest contract to help set-up for newly-signed Jonathan Papelbon.
"We thought it was probably going to happen," Lidge said. "Basically when the season ended, I talked to Ruben, and he said, 'We understand you'd prefer something else, an opportunity to close,' but he said 'we'll be here if you don't have the opportunity to close."
A couple of weeks ago, Lidge said he returned to Amaro but was informed they no longer could offer him a deal.
"It was fairly surprising and disappointing," he said. "We were upset about it for a little bit. It's frustrating but its part of the business. They used their judgment and wanted to move on and I respect that, but obvious I thought we'd be able to come back."
Which brings a close to the most memorable part of his career. Lidge signed a one-year deal with the Nationals, which means the Phillies could be seeing plenty of him in 2012.
"It's going to be more emotional when we do actually pack everything up and leave town," said Lidge, who has seen two children born while living with his wife in Haddonfield. "We've spent a lot of our lives here. There's a ton of memories. It will be emotional. I'm real attached to the city. I've grown to love it, so yeah, it will be tough, but it's part of the business."
@sidewinder7.. Obviously because its not your money. The Phils have about 10 young guys vying for the last couple bullpen spots that can do the job better and at a fraction of the cost.— FABER- I hope he saves every games against the Phils and Jayson Werth has the game winning hit in every game Lidge saves.— sonnybuoy01
Comment removed.- it was time for him to go. Yes, he's a big reason philly brought home the trophy, but he hasnt been close to the same since. Good luck in 2012, Lidge.— krh66
- My bleeding ulcer started healing the day his contract was finished.....a nice guy to the end, but his end was atleast two years ago.— Mark1npt
- I'll miss him like a mole on my skin.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- ...and I will miss you, nor your posts at all, Von Dimbulb. Working at the Bureau allows me to profile types like you. You were schooled at Shibe Park as Von Dimbulb Sr. spewed venom at Del Ennis. Am I right? PS: Arte Johnson called. He wants his pointy helmet back. — Special Agent Fox Mulder
- doggy, I have to agree with you here......— Mark1npt
- I've been missing the 2008 Lidge since 2009.— drog
- 2008 was awesome! It's now 2012...it's a business...move on already.— Phillyfan666
- So Ruben is paying Kendrick $3.6M this year, when he could have paid Lidge $1.0M + incentives? Really???— dankil13
- 1. a stand up guy. 2. apparently highly respected by his teammates. 3. amazing year in '08. 4. injuries et al have diminished his fastball greatly...and his command continues to come and go...5. w/o throwing fastball for consistent strikes, his ability to get experienced hitters to chase his "good" slider are diminished greatly 6. team needs to get younger and the bullpen is the ONE area where they have depth of young albeit inexperienced arms 7. since he cant hold runners on, he is really best suited to start innings which is less than ideal unless he is 8th or 9th inning guy which leads to 8. thanks for your years Brad...wishing you all the best.... time for a change.— TheLon
- Thanks for the memories, Brad. You were always a class act. You'll be remembered with fondness and gratitude by Phillies fans forever!— SteveS11
- Could some of you please read the actual article before you comment. The article states that the Phillies did offer him a position as a set up man and he wanted the role of the closer. The Phillies even held out hope that if he did not find a position as closer they held the door open for him as a set up man.— Larry Byrd
- Thanks, Brad, for the championship. That said, I no longer have to suffer from that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I saw Lidge warming up.— iceman
