Enough already about the binoculars
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Enough already about the binoculars
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The majority of e-mails from angered readers and Phillies fans in the last three weeks generally take the form of three themes: A) Fire Charlie Manuel / When will Charlie retire? B) Release Raul Ibanez and bench Chase Utley, and finally C) The Phillies haven't hit ever since they put the binoculars away in Denver.
Let's focus on Theory C.
Well, firstly, they did hit for a brief period. Over a four-game stretch beginning in Milwaukee immediately following the Rockies' complaint of Mick Billmeyer using binoculars in the visitors' bullpen, the Phillies scored 8.75 runs per game.
Of course, in the 19 games since then, the Phillies are scoring 2.16 runs per game.
After Monday's 3-1 loss to San Diego, a member of the media who is not regularly around the team asked Phillies manager Charlie Manuel if this is more than coincidence.
"That has nothing to do with it," Manuel said. "Let me say this, I cannot believe anyone would think we were stealing signs with binoculars and someone standing there in the bullpen. I hope someone would give us a little bit more credit for being smarter than that.
"I can't buy into that. I'm sorry. No."
Manuel, for his part, was able to laugh about the idea.
"If we're stealing them," Manuel said, "we've got them wrong."
In the ninth inning Monday, with Ryan Howard on second base and Jayson Werth at the plate as the tying run, the Padres had a meeting at the mound. San Diego closer Heath Bell had thrown six pitches, all fastballs, to Werth and had him at a 2-2 count.
On the Phillies' TV broadcast, it was suggested the Padres were changing their signs in case Howard was relaying location or pitch type to Werth from second base.
The seventh pitch to Werth was also a fastball. He struck out.
Manuel rejected the notion Howard was doing anything.
"I don't think he was," Manuel said. "He really didn't have to. He laid on him with fastballs. He wasn't tricking him. He went right at him."
And even if he was, well, it's legal. (As long as Howard didn't whip out binoculars while on second base.)
"Believe me, no we're not stealing signs," Manuel said. "If we were stealing signs, we wouldn't be hitting like that. But stealing signs is part of baseball. If someone is stealing our signs, that's our fault.
"Of course we would if we could. I've been trying to do that ever since I started playing this game. And I'm sure every team in baseball does that."
And that's the last we'll speak of the binoculars.
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It's is a pretty amazing coincidence that the hitting has gone down big time since Bino-gate. Where there's smoke there's fire...sometimes.
Move 1: Release Dobbs Move 2: Platoon Mayberry and Ibanez Move 3: Sit Utley for 4-5 games Move 4: Hit Ryan Howard in the 6th spot— Chewey- You make a good point Wolf
Comment removed.- Wow! This how you react to the team and staff that took the Phils to the World Series twice, and one one of them. They are having a bad stretch, and will get through it.— PhillyFanSouth
Can't worry to much about the Phillies right now. They are too good to be this bad for long. They will get it together. It's Flyers time..— delcodanno- I don't feel that it is one thing in particular,I feel the whole team needs to do something different.— osvala
- yes, FIRE MILT THOMPSON, werthless is clueless at the plate, and utley, and ibanez, need a break for 2 or 3 games, how bout giving dom brown and mayberry a shot???— mightyonk
- Comment removed.
- Haha, IHATEPHILLY is really getting his panties all bunched up.— MikePhilly
- No, Charlie, you aren't hitting becuase you aren't stealing signs anymore.— 76er
- Please get rid of Raul Ibanez he is terrible either Dom Brown Or Mayberry would be a better option at this point. He robbed the Phillies blind don't make the mistake worse by playing him everyday!— Cmac35
- All right folks.....we ALL know what the problems is: NOBODY is hitting...nobody. It's not Milt Thompson's fault...If you INSIST on blaming ...blame Abner Doubleday! HE'S the one that invented this game, where if you hit .300, you FAIL seven out of ten times! This game can make the best of hitters (and we have a few of them) look like high schoolers hitting against Nolan Ryan at his heyday! The curse WILL go away...but right now I'm not sure that it will be in time. This is STARTING to take on the feel of what this team really, essentially, IS this year...sad to say, and I hope to be VERY wrong!— TBear
Hey, it's possible the Phillies finish 3rd in the NL East this year. Next year they could be better contenders, and a couple more pennants in the next few years. Baseball...up and down seasons.— road515- Why don't the fans start blaming Chase Utley? He certaintly hasn't been playing like a all-star since 2007. Jason Werth is trying to hit home runs everytime he comes up,Raul Ibanez is over the hill. Charlie Manuel,Milt Thompson aren't to blame these guys are pro ball players.Enough said !!!!!!!— Jayjayhithard
