Let the Off-Season Begin
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Let the Off-Season Begin
Todd Zolecki
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. (still got to get used to that) was in Philadelphia yesterday morning, but could be found in Dana Point, Calif., last night for the GM meetings.
What are the GM meetings?
They're kind of like the winter meetings, only more sitting around in the hotel lobby and less action.
Mike Jensen gives Phillies fans an idea how Amaro got there.
Bob Ford talks about Pat Gillick riding off into the sunset, and how Amaro has a tough act to follow.
And how can he follow it?
Amaro talked about his ideas for 2009, and it starts with strengthening the rotaton.
"It continues to be pitching," he said. "I think it's important for us to solidify our rotation. We won with pitching this year. We were a team built on offense, but we tweaked it enough to get to the point where pitching became the thing that carried us. If you were to ask . . . if pitching would be the thing that would carry us, probably we wouldn't have been that sure. We probably would have to bang them to win. But we know that it's the same deal - you've got to have pitching to win this thing."
Pat Burrell? I don't expect him back, but Amaro hasn't ruled it out yet.
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Gillick is staying on as an advisor to Amaro. That's a good thing.
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Some people have wondered why Davey Lopes wasn't at the parade. I'm told he is fine, but returned home for personal reasons.
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Frank Fitzpatrick talks about needing a decade to recover from the World Series. I agree. As much as Phillies fans would love to see their team win the World Series in 2009 or 2010, it wouldn't feel the same as how it felt this year. Twenty-eight years builds up a lot of anticipation and excitement.
That said, a repeat wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
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Thanks to everybody who has visited this blog daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or whenever. The Phillies Zone was the most read sports blog at philly.com in October and the most read sports blog at philly.com this year. Of course, we got a head start on the Eagles, but I just want to say thanks to everybody who checks us out every day.
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Because nobody can get enough highlights from the World Series. Here's Charlie Manuel's postgame interview on the field. At the 1:20 mark you can hear Manuel utter an "I hear ya!" at the sight of the Inquirer. That's funny to me only because that's something Manuel says all the time. It goes something like this:
"Charlie, looks like it's going to rain."
"I hear ya."
"Charlie, what is up with your bullpen?" (A question that would have been asked before 2008.)
"I hear ya."
My kudos also for a great blog, no surprise it is the most read. Mostly I appreciate your constant updating, even at times I'm sure you would like to pack it up and go home after a long night. Myu congrats also for the job you and Jim Salisbury did on coverage all year, top rate. Keep us posted on your book, looking forward to it.— jimmymack- I'll send my thanks to you as well, Todd. Great job and a great forum, aforementioned technical glitches notwithstanding. I agree with several others who have suggested that you participate in the discussions a bit more. While I admit that remaining above the fray is good as a general rule, your input could add a lot at times. One suggestion would be for you to oversee things a bit more and hold people accountable for what they say as a way to limit people coming on here just to spout off or saying things just to say them.— bski
- I sure hope Lopes is well. He was a blessing to the running game. I also hope Amaro will go after another reliever like Gregg of the Marlins. Fla. papers say he is for sale and cheap. A rightie OF could also be a nice choice ala Cameron.— KGKoons
- I know when I get a double post by mistake it is because when you hit submit the first time, it often seems like it did not go through causing me to hit submit again. I hope this can be fixed. Great blog Zo! Keep it up.— James TL
- The Phillies Zone rules because of its regulars. Zo gets to simply sit back, throw the dogs a bone, watch them go at it, and then gets all the credit... :) That other blog, well, I am not a fan of its patrons...as far as information and insights, heck, I read everything in and around the city, as well as all the major national sports media outlets, so, I guess everybody plays their part.— RollinsWasRight
- A long-time lurker and first-time commenter here. I've been a fan since the days when Whitey & Robbie were playing. This blog gives me the real deal on the team and the comments routinely add to the experience. My baseball reading wouldn't be the same without it!— russneff
- Todd congrats......you blow that bum Murphy out of the water dude. Not only is Murpha an ex-St. Petersburg sportswriter but I have intel that he has a mini-shrine in his house dedicated to the Tampa Rays.— rockinrob
- Zo, let me echo what's been said here. The reason this is the most read blog is that YOU do an awesome job keeping it informative, opinionated (that's not a bad thing), and up to date. Thank-you for putting in so much time and effort for us fans. I would like to see more updates/responses from you on what we write in the comment section. Oh, and Fitzpatrick is loony. How about we try to win EVERY year, and be insanely grateful if we win in 10 years. Here's to you, Todd and The Zo Zone, "Blog F'n Champion"!— Sully
- yea, i heard he was philly based too, can only be a good thing— robm0202
- agent is phila based it seems— jeff gross
- Ruben was reported to say, "I actually think Pat has changed agents.....Ed Hayes." Wonder if that will make a difference? Good or bad?— Norma
- a cage match in the making? murphy mentioned Zo on his blog. i think a blog off between the two would help fill the off season. they should make it interesting and not be allowed to use spell check......— timm2
- Great job Todd!! I flew back for the Parade, and it was the greatest sports experience with 2 million of my closest friends!! Jason- Los Angeles— JASON RINGLER
longing for another drought, what the hecks wrong with u?— potus
Todd, there are some quadruple posts under Elmer Smith's article today about the F-bomb, so it appears to be a Philly.com blog systemic problem, rather than just this venue. And oh yeah, thanks for the opportunity to opine on a daily basis.— RAS- Thanks, Todd!......."You ARE the man!"— Norma
- great job with the blog Todd, you always have something interesting to add— robm0202
- i said it last week but i will say it again, thanks Zo for keeping up with the Zone. for those of us living away from the city it is a great source of information and insight. its not all speculation and twisteed facts like most resources on the internet. anywho, how wierd is to read about pitching being a strength. for so many seasons it has been our week spot. hard to believe harry.........— timm2
- Todd, bobby makes a good point about the double posts. Assuming this blog is using ASP software, have your technical people check this feature out. It should be a simple adjustment. " Flood Control - To prevent flooding of the forums or double posts, the Administrator can turn on Flood Control. The Flood Control Time the admin specifies is the time a member has to wait in-between posts. If (s)he posts before the Flood Control Time has elapsed, a message will be displayed to notify the member of this. This feature does not affect Moderators and Administrators. "— RAS
- Bobby: if you only hit submit once, you won't double post. As for the other suggestions, I heartedly agree. Please add a spell check (or at least a THE check) and if you (Todd) could post your responses to our postings it would be really great.— jeff gross
Oh, and 3- Eliminate the double posts! I don't see this on any other blogs...— bobby- Todd, thanks for the blog this past season. Two suggestions, one of which I know is beyond your control: 1- A preview mode! I know spelling mistakes are not the end of the world, but for those of us who actually try to get it right, it's really frustrating to hit 'submit' and then discover that we got every other word wrong. Most blogs these days allow posters to preview before they post, and the Inquirer won't really ever have 'blogs' until they add that feature. 2- More posts from you in the comments area. I feel like in the old Zo Zone we got more posts from you in response to our questions and speculations, and that's always a plus. (For example, it was cool to see your response recently to how the players were approaching the suspended Game 5.) We know you're busy, but I think just a few more posts from you here and there would add to the experience for us. So that's it from me. I am not an off-season guy. Nothing bores me more than speculating for months on end what will happen next season. Thanks again, and to all my fellow posters... have a nice winter! ~bobby— bobby
- Todd, thanks for the blog this past season. Two suggestions, one of which I know is beyond your control: 1- A preview mode! I know spelling mistakes are not the end of the world, but for those of us who actually try to get it right, it's really frustrating to hit 'submit' and then discover that we got every other word wrong. Most blogs these days allow posters to preview before they post, and the Inquirer won't really ever have 'blogs' until they add that feature. 2- More posts from you in the comments area. I feel like in the old Zo Zone we got more posts from you in response to our questions and speculations, and that's always a plus. (For example, it was cool to see your response recently to how the players were approaching the suspended Game 5.) We know you're busy, but I think just a few more posts from you here and there would add to the experience for us. So that's it from me. I am not an off-season guy. Nothing bores me more than speculating for months on end what will happen next season. Thanks again, and to all my fellow posters... have a nice winter! ~bobby— bobby
- Thanks Todd for your daily postings (sometimes multiple). They always generated much discussion amongst us fans. We became an online community through this blog and look forward to continuing our discussions in the offseason and of course in 2009.— KarenA
- Thanks Todd for administering this blog. I hope your bosses give you a bonus for it's success. Do you kow if any of the Phillies' management or players ever popped in, or are regulars? It would be great if some of them were on this every once in a while. I hope you're continuing during the off season (baseball never ends, it just hibernates for a few months). What are your predictions for 2009??— jeff gross
