Posted: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 1:13 PM | 19 comments |
 

Happ pitches in Dunedin
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The Phillies play the Pirates in Bradenton today, but the more newsworthy game may well have occured on a minor league field in Dunedin, where J.A. Happ pitched (Jamie Moyer starts in the Grapefruit League game, and he seems pretty much assured of a spot in the rotation).

It wasn't Happ's finest outing, but most of the damage came in a three-run first inning.  Here's the line: 5 1/3 IP, 5R, 3BB, 4K, 6H.  He threw 94 pitches, 54 for strikes.

Pedro Feliz went 0 for 6 in that game.

 

***

If there were an award given for Best Discussion in the Comments Section of a Blog, yesterday's answers to the Thomas Jefferson:John Adams::Charlie Manuel :? would at least win a nomination.  You gotta love talking baseball and Federalists in the same post.  Of the many interesting arguments, this one deserves to be highlighted. Though bski declined to offer an answer, his reasoning wins the day.

Posted by bski 03:51 PM, 03/27/2009
OK, let's see if we can't clear some of this up. JEFFERSON/MADISON: the reference to the generalissimo and the general is accurate, as Madison was, without question, a Jefferson devotee. As such, when talking about an analogy to Charlie Manuel, we should be looking for exactly that, a disciple. Short of that, I guess we'd be looking for someone of like mind. However, we cannot discount the fact that although Madison was not, strictly speaking, a Federalist, he did indeed want a stronger central/national government and collaborated closely with Hamilton on The Federalist Papers. He also worked tirelessly both in the creation and in support of the constitution and it's ratification. His falling out with Hamilton had more to do with their differing opinions as to the scope of power vested in the national government. Hamilton interpreted the constitution more loosely (the necessary and proper clause) and wanted to impart broader powers, whereas Madison wanted a more limited government, only giving it the powers expressly stated in the constitution. Hence the problems over the assumption of state debts, the formation of a national bank, and other broad, reaching, national economic plans...............As far as JEFFERSON/ADAMS, even though they were close friends early in their careers, especially during their years together in Paris, the inevitable Federalist/Republican schism is undeniable. Beyond that, however, I would say that another key difference between them would be that Jefferson was more of a philosophical thinker who dealt in lofty ideals without much concern as to the "real world", whereas Adams was much more a "cold hard facts" realist and, as such, much more pragmatic in his views. I would say that looking for an analogy to Manuel, whom I see as more of a pragmatist, would mean that we are searching for more of a dreamer/idealist.
Posted by Andy Martino @ 1:13 PM  Permalink | 19 comments
19
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:27 PM, 03/28/2009
    So who in baseball would qualify as a dreamer? Ed Wade for thinking a never ending group of 6th inning guys brought in over the years would get us over the hump? Nah, that was just foolish thinking. How about a guy like Tony LaRussa who thinks a pitcher can hit better in the 8 hole? It certainly isn't practical in a traditional approach. Perhaps Joe Madden would be another choice since he is constantly looking for new and different ways to manage a team.
    — phillygreg
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:13 PM, 03/28/2009
    I've been underwhelmed by our pitching performances of recent days, but I don't know how much to care since it's preseason. But I did see that CC went 8 innings to allow Rivera to pitch the 9th, and I see that the Angels have a terrific W-L record this spring, and those make headlines perhaps largely because that's all there is to report on. So - How would you rate the Phillies' performance this spring? And how much does it matter?
    — gbrettfan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:46 PM, 03/28/2009
    Thanks, Andy. I didn't give an answer because I couldn't really think of one. In the first instance, we're looking for a disciple of Charlie Manuel, but I don't know that he has had any lifelong coaches/assistants that have stayed with him over the years. In the second case, we're looking for an opposite. On the plus side, Jefferson and Adams were opposites in many, many ways (temperament, political thought, and physical dimensions to name a few), so we could just go with an opposite to Manuel, like someone very tall and slender or a computer/stathead/moneyball centered manager.
    — bski
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:09 PM, 03/28/2009
    wow!,thought i was reading a conlin article!
    — thekruker
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:00 PM, 03/28/2009
    I enjoyed yesterday's blog because it proved that baseball has the smartest fans of any sport (most of us, that is). Keep up the good work, Andy. It's tough being the new kid on the block.
    — spinmeister
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:17 PM, 03/28/2009
    Watched Moyer pitch today. What a master of his craft. He exemplifies the cerebral side of the game.
    — spinmeister
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:49 PM, 03/28/2009
    Oops. Turned off the game in the fourth.
    — spinmeister
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:25 PM, 03/28/2009
    Does this guy get paid for 'writing' these things? Good lord.
    — Curse of Billy Penn
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:37 AM, 03/29/2009
    andy. keep raising the level of activity to a higher level. im from philly and live in the city. the provincial readers needs this challenge. they wont get it for years, but it's your duty not to conform to simplistic stuff. they will all rise for the national anthem, and yell and those with hats on, but they have no understanding of national history. full respect for using sports as a way to enlighten. rock on brother.
    — jb99
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:23 AM, 03/29/2009
    sorry I missed that thread, my two favourite subjects: Baseball and American history, what a blog, what fans. As for a disciple of Chollie: Perhaps Moyer when he begins his coaching career. Otherwise, I can't think of one
    — jeff gross
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:01 AM, 03/29/2009
    First, as a columnist, I would really think you would want to discourage any posts that are not topic - think- we the avid baseball readers are disinterested. [PS- and I'm a huge history buff]. I have a hard time wading through Conlin's articles because, most times, part of one side of his brain is only slightly functioning, so we get these really weird takes on the Phillies and Eagles. By my estimate, one in 10 of his articles are lucid enough to appreciate- the problem there becomes your credibility when you share the information: Listener: "Wow, where did you hear that?" Me: "Bill Conlin's article." Listener: "Oh, I thought you were serious." I repeat, I am a huge history fan, but that blog response was a little bit like me when pulling weeds in my front lawn and two guys in black suits on a hot July/August afternoon and ask me if I want to create a better relationship with God. Oh, that's right, there's a nut job who posts off-the-wall religion answers that the Philly.com webmaster doesn't screen, either. Just not your column-----yet. (PS: I's consider myself religious - just not enough to mix it in with every subject I'm dicussing). So no, I wouldn't encourage off-topic posts. Something is not entirely right with these people who post. That was a very well-thought out, misdirected position paper about the Federalists. I don't log on to Philly.com and scan the baseball posts for history lectures. Maybe you ought to consider reserving this space for Philly baseball fans. They probably want to learn more about the team. I know what kind of season Madison and Hamilton had in 1794. I'd like to find out what Chan Ho Park is doing right now. The article this morning did read "Trade Helps Settle Phillies Roster" and then goes on to not mention Chan Ho Park once. I figure there must be a sidebar somewhere, anywhere. Or do I have to go to the History Channel to find that information?
    — RichieAllen64
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:30 AM, 03/29/2009
    Nice article this morning, Andy. The trade for Taschner certainly does seem a clear indication that Happ will get the nod for the 5th spot. Park was in a tough spot all along. He was brought in on a one-year contract as more of a fall back option in case none of our in-house guys were ready (Carrasco, Happ) or able (Kendrick) to take the ball every 5th day. Park's injury history, the fact that he has recently been primarily a reliever and it was uncertain whether or not he would be able to consistently give us innings as a starter, and the concern that having him pitch a lot of innings as a starter could then lead to further injury has worked against him getting the 5th spot. Plus, Park is only a possible short-term solution. Happ, on the other hand, has been drafted and brought up through our system. We have already invested years in him and there is long-term thinking going on where he is concerned. Even though the Phils are in the business of winning, I'm sure they want take the course that will give them years of production from Happ, not letting Park's one year here interfere with that................BTW Andy, I'm sorry that you're catching flak for inserting other, non-baseball asides in your articles. I apologize that my long, off-topic history post added to it. I am enjoying your writing and I think you're doing a great job here.
    — bski
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:41 AM, 03/29/2009
    Hey bski, Don't apologize. You helped make that intelligent post and the intelligent comments interesting. I check a lot of sports blogs around the country, and ours here in Philly is typical. Most commentors add to the discussion, but you always get a few fans who enjoy lobbing anonymous shots. Whatever floats their boats. It's a free country and Philadelphia is where the free country was born. Let's all enjoy the season!
    — CenterCityPhan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:48 AM, 03/29/2009
    I think bski should land a job in the Phils system. Has the Clearwater manager's position been filled yet ? Good work by both A & B.
    — mick314


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