Rain and Raul
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Rain and Raul
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Growing up in the Poconos, we used to get our weather on a station called WNEP, channel 16 on your television dial. WNEP had a forecaster named Tom Clark, who used to stand out in the backyard behind the station in Moosic, Pa. and read God's mind for us. The picture to the left is not an actual picture of Tom Clark, but it is the closest representation I could find on a quick google search.
Now, I tell you all of this only to say that I am not Tom Clark. I am not Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz either. As a matter of fact, I have never even owned a bow tie.
The moral of the story is that I do not have much experience predicting the weather. But I am looking outside right now and seeing that there are tiny droplets of water falling from the sky. And I am looking at a radar map and seeing a giant mass of green spreading over southeastern Pennsyvlania like that slime from You Can't Say That on Television. And I am looking at the hour-by-hour forecast and seeing that there is 100 percent chance of rain with the chance of Thunderstorms at 7 p.m. So I am going to go ahead and say that tonight's game looks like it might be in jeopardy.
So, everything that you've been reading from me about the Phillies have two weeks worth of games without an off day might turn out to be fallacy. If I'm Charlie Manuel -- which, like Tom Clark and Hurricane Schwartz, I am not -- I am hoping that the skies clear and ball is played. Because it seems like every time the Phillies get a little bit of momentum on the field this year, something happens to take it away. The only time they have played four straight games, they won the last three. . .and then had to sit for two days thanks to a scheduled off day and a rainout in Washington, D.C.That isn't the biggest reason they are 5-6 (a pitching staff that has allowed 26 home runs has that dubious distinction), but it certainly has contributed to the prolonged feeling-out period.
In about three hours, I'll steal that nifty little rain jacket off that cat and head down to the ballpark and give you an updated forecast.
^
In today's paper. . .
Throughout spring training, folks back home would routinely ask me what I thought about Raul Ibanez. Like almost everyone else in the Delaware Valley, I didn't have much first-hand knowledge about him when the Phillies signed him to a three-year deal in the offseason. Everything I heard from players who had played with him and personnel men who had watched him play was positive. But on the surface, the Phillies were replacing Pat Burrell with a left-handed hitting 37-year-old outfielder whom the metrics said was not a huge upgrade as a fielder.
Well, it didn't take long in spring training to realize that Ibanez would be an excellent fit for this line-up. You just had to watch him play. He was much faster on the basepaths, yes, but more importantly he was a much different hitter at the plate. That's not to diminish what Burrell accomplished here in Philly. But it was evident last year that the Phillies were in dire need of some consistency in the middle of their line-up. And if I could pick one word to describe Ibanez, it is consistent. Other than Chase Utley, I'm not sure I have encountered another ballplayer who is as locked in to the next-pitch, next-at-bat, next-game mentality that is required to put together a consistent season at the plate. So it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that Ibanez gave props to Utley yesterday after he hit his game-winning home run against the Padres.
Eleven games does not a season make. But the Ibanez you are seeing right now is the same Ibanez we saw all spring. As I've said all along, I think some hesitation about the length and size of the Ibanez deal is warranted. It's hard to dismiss someone who thinks the long-term ramifications of the deal are risky. Nobody can predict what is going to happen next year or the year after. But I think that right now, Ibanez is exactly what the Phillies hoped he would be for this line-up.
^
Ryan Howard, flashing some leather.
The only way there'd be a game tonight would be if it were the World Series :) Raul's been terrific. Hope he continues this way!— gbrettfan- Ibañez is very serious out there, especially in the batter box. He doesn't take a pitch off. His concentration is unbelievable. I wish Jimmy and Victorino pay more attention to his Abs. They could learn something. I wonder if Feliz is taking advantage of watching Ibañez up close from the on-deck circle. He is having a nice season so far, putting the ball in play and not swinging at that breaking ball in the dirt like last year.— EL Zorro
- It's going to be difficult to postpone the game tonight unless is really bad. This is the last day of the series (no chance to play a next day doubleheader) and this is the only Padres visit to Philadelphia.— EL Zorro
- I agree, Ibañez is a gamer and a true talent in the batter's box. I especially loved the look on his face as he waited to hit in in the 9th. He had a scowl of concentration, a serious expression, like someone about to get into a fist fight. You knew his badly misplayed ball in LF had bothered him but looking into his eyes in the 9th you also knew it wasn't going to affect his final AB. Love it! He's a real pro.— xfactor
- "You Can't Say (Do) That on Television" - nice reference Murph ! Ibanez looks great and Howard has really picked up his D game.— MrMayhem
- You are certainly NOT Cecily Tynan either. Her hair is nicer and she has excellent "highs". (a weatherperson term)— mick314
- FYI, Tom Clark is still there, still standing in the backyard and still trying to read God's mind. But, so am I.— freyday17
- I don't know?— bsaw
- Dave, I thought you were from the Scranton Area. You should have been watching WYOU. Don't you remember, "Vince said it would be like this"— vetlincbank
- So whats up? Why is the webmaster limiting comments on this blog?— Wally 24
- because you comment too much Wally.......just kidding. My guess is that they're bored at Phila.com.— jeff gross
- Ibanez life time BA is 30 points higher than Burrells which essentially is the direct result of Pat striking out approx. 500 more times than Ibanez. All the rest of the numbers close are enough that they may as well be called identical. Its no secret that the Phils needed to reduce the overall number of strike outs and Raul seems to have given them that. Now if we can just get Marson (.500) hitting in front of Utley, Howard, and Ibanez we might have something. If we can't sit Jimmy then move him down in the line up. Right now I'd even take Ruiz as the lead off hitter over Rollins. (Rollins .152, Victorino .222 combine for .187)— Wally 24
- What's going on with the comment function? Also, I did indeed watch Vince every now and then, although I thought he was on 28 WBRE and not 22 WYOU. Regardless, I hated the man everytime I got that stupid song stuck in my head.
- The day just wouldn't be right without a shot from Jeff Gross.— Wally 24
- I've been out of touch for a while (COmputer at home died) When I'm finnaly able to "watch" a game, it's going to be rained out. Just my luck. Wally, if I didnt value your comments I wouldn't rag on you. I'm only obnoxious with those I enjoy reading....— jeff gross
