Utley, Lidge Make All-Star Team, Burrell Makes Final Ballot
As expected Chase Utley and Brad Lidge made the NL all-star team. Cole Hamels and Pat Burrell did not, although Burrell has a chance in an online ballot.
Utley, Lidge Make All-Star Team, Burrell Makes Final Ballot
Todd Zolecki
Chase Utley and Brad Lidge made the National League all-star team.
No surprise there.
Cole Hamels and Pat Burrell did not, although Burrell still can make the team if he wins an online vote at mlb.com. Phillies fans might recall that's how Bobby Abreu made his first all-star team in 2004. So if you're a Phillies fan and you want Burrell to make his first all-star team, it's ballot stuffing time. Burrell's competition is Brewers outfielder Corey Hart, Astros outfielder Carlos Lee, Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand and Mets third baseman David Wright.
There are two ways for fans to vote: online at MLB.com or their cell phones. Fans can text the word "VOTE" to 36197 to have the candidates sent to your phone. To vote for a specific player, simply reply with your choice.
Comments (48)
Totally agree with everyone's points about Burrell, Coste and Ruiz! brettg......Really agree with your point about leaving Pat in if we're trailing (by a couple of runs), or tied. I bet Charlie was kicking himself for pulling Pat early. Once we tied it up, we really could have used his bat. Like we all know, he's been the only consistant hitter lately. Wonder, if Pat doesn't make the final All Star vote, if Hurdle can name him DH? As far as I know, it's still TBD.— Norma- Taguchi needs to go back to Tokyo and Jenkins should be shuttled back to the land of beer and sausage.— mondonj
- JEFF: Saying that Howard needs to learn to field(and throw) is an understatement. You are right that we don't rag on Rollins for not hitting 40hrs. Quite the opposite. We rag on Rollins when he gets his uppercut swing going and tries to hit home runs that turn into unproductive fly outs. We have always ragged and will continue to rag on Rollins for swinging at the first pitch too often, for not being patient and selective, and for not drawing more walks. Through all of that ragging, however, Rollins has been stellar in the field. I realize that Howard gets paid predominantly to hit the ball out of the park and to drive in runs, but he just cannot continue to be a butcher in the field. He's got to be embarrassed by his defense. If for no other reason than pride, he's got to improve. Like the saying goes, you can't let what you do on one side of the ball affect you on the other side.— bski
- John, Lets get this straight. I am not saying he is an allstar this year. I agress he needs to learn how to field. What I am saying is that you don't expect teh same from your lead-off man as your clean-up man. No one rags on Rollings for not hitting 40 HR, he's not suposed to hit for power. Howard isn't supposed to hit for average and he will strike out more then others. What he does do, better then anyone else in teh history of the game (so far) is hit HRs and knock in runs. That is what he gets paid to do, and it's what he does.— jeff gross
- Jeff, obviously his 1980 numbers were better, that's a complete package - and if we were talking about Howard hitting .280 instead of .310, no one would be complaining at all - but .220 is a far cry from .280. He is leaving a lot of men on base and killing rallies.— Gary Varsho
- Jeff just learned to cut-and-paste. Impressive. Hide behind your Elias info. Or maybe watch a few games. Ks matter. BA matters. Fielding matters. Getting 5 RBI in 15-6 wins inflate numbers. Going 2 for 9 with 1 HR and 3 RBI on Sat and Sunday may seem great to you. Now add the 6 Ks and throwing error that led to 2 runs. See, that's the whole picture.— John in LA
- Jon in La, my point was that numbers change. you can't relate to the stas from years ago today. They go up and down based on too many factors. Compare today's players to today's players. Who cares if 37 HR used to lead the league?— jeff gross
- sorry for that. Was trying to paste Michael jack's stats for '80 and '81. In '80 (MVP) he hit 48 HR 121 RBI and .286. in '81 he hit 31 HR 91 RBI and .316. Which year was better? His job is to drive in runs, not get on base. Same as Howard. He gets paid to knock in Rollings, Vic and Utley, not to get on for Pat— jeff gross
- year G 1980 150 548 104 157 25 8 48 121 12 5 89 119 .286 .380 .624 171 342 0 13 10 2 6 SS,MVP-1,AS 1981 31 PHI NL 102 354 78 112 19 2 31 91 12 4 73 71 .316 .435 .644 199 228— jeff gross
- year G 1980 150 548 104 157 25 8 48 121 12 5 89 119 .286 .380 .624 171 342 0 13 10 2 6 SS,MVP-1,AS 1981 31 PHI NL 102 354 78 112 19 2 31 91 12 4 73 71 .316 .435 .644 199 228— jeff gross
- year G 1980 150 548 104 157 25 8 48 121 12 5 89 119 .286 .380 .624 171 342 0 13 10 2 6 SS,MVP-1,AS 1981 31 PHI NL 102 354 78 112 19 2 31 91 12 4 73 71 .316 .435 .644 199 228— jeff gross
- year G 1980 150 548 104 157 25 8 48 121 12 5 89 119 .286 .380 .624 171 342 0 13 10 2 6 SS,MVP-1,AS 1981 31 PHI NL 102 354 78 112 19 2 31 91 12 4 73 71 .316 .435 .644 199 228— jeff gross
- Jeff, maybe you didn't hear - he was MVP 2 years ago. He wants to be paid like one. He gets held to a higher standard. Sorry.— John in LA
- A. Men. Somebody tell Phil Sheridan. And Jeff, you use 3 examples over the last 100 years. Looking as bad/overmatched/pathetic as he does the VAST majority of his ABs, Howard's production is not due to overwhelming skill. Sorry, dude. Not buying it. If that was the case, he'd be all over the shift. He's not. His BA has dropped 50 points the last 2 years, Ks have gone up - that's pretty amazing. And historic. Usually players get better. Howard hasn't. What's worse, he's defiant. Now I sound like a broken record. Hey, where's Truth?— John in LA
- While I agree that this year Howard isn't an all-star, it's time to stop beating up on him. Yes, if he hit 250 he'd have more RBI's, unless he hit 250 by hitting only singles. Remeber, most power hitters have low averages. The ones who hit 300, with 40 HR and 140 RBIs tend to win MVP awards— jeff gross
- Howard's RBIs are a direct result of having men on base when he is up to bat, which there almost always are.. If he was batting .250, he would probably have another 30 RBI's. Or if he struck out half as much, he would have more RBI's because putting the ball in play scores runs. Anyone who thinks he is all-star worthy is delusional, he is an awful fielding first baseman, and you can't be an all-star if you are hitting .220 and leading the world in strikeouts.— Gary Varsho
- I'm with everybody here on the Burrell thing. It's time to let him go the full 9 innings(and beyond). I realize Charlie is trying to give Jenkins and Taguchi every opportunity to turn themselves around and contribute. Also, if gives up on them, you've got two dead spots on the bench, leaving you with just Bruntlett and Dobbs. That severely limits your options and flexibility. I can't see the Phils just admitting that they are next to worthless and cutting ties with them, but I also can't see us going very far if we keep them.— bski
- I agree that the numbers in the 80s were lower, but remember, some guy had 180 rbis one year (forgot his name-was a cub I think), some fat Yankee hit 60 hommers, and in the 60's some guy even hit the tripple crown. Numbers go up and down, but you still need to score runs to win. Better knock in a run then get a hit (especially if you bat cleanup)— jeff gross
- Just spent 10 minutes stuffing the box for Pat the bat. Vote often and early. Agree that pulling Pat is getting old, would have liked to have his bat in extra innings yesterday and couldn't agree more on the Coste comment. Plus the pitchers are shaking off Ruiz constantly. I like Carlos but he is in a terrible slump, and while I don't think Coste is an everyday player. And if Ryan would just make SOME contact on occasion, he would have 20 more RBI's.— jimmymack
- Can Todd or somebody anwer this - why can't Manual's rule for Burrell simply be that if the Phils trail or are tied - in other words - MAY NEED HIS BAT - they leave him in? I can't recall a situation this year where removing Burrell actually paid off, yet there are countless times that whomever took his place in the lineup batted and failed in key situations. Yesterday was no exception. Ninth inning, up by a run or two - fine, bring in a defensive replacement. But wouldn't it have been nice to see Burrell up there in the 12th with a guy on instead of Jenkins?— brettg
- Please. All the numbers are inflated these days. 37 HRs used to lead the league.— John in LA
- Why use Coste as a pinch hitter when ruiz is stinking the joint up so bad. he should only be used to pinch hit for ruiz. Also its who else is sick n tired of them pulling burrell?? i am tired of wasting his offensive skills so they can strand a runner on first. dont pull the guy cause he is slow running the bases or maybe a bad fielder i mean you leave howard in there striking out 4 times. sorry i love chalie but he needs to get things going. also fire milt thompson i thought he was an avg hitter and this team swinging on first pitches is killing us. victorino on with wagner pitching and ruiz first pitch swings, WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— mondonj
- guys, let's remember the object of the game. You score NO points for Ave, none for hussle, none for making an out, no matter how, but you get points for scoring more runs then the other team. I'll take an average of .001 if he drives in 140+ runs a year. Even Michael Jack rarely had that number.— jeff gross
- Again, why pull Burrell - he's been the most consistent hitter in the line-up all year. I'll take my chances with him, any day. And to Rollins and his ridiculous comment the other day about "needing pitching" - it's not the pitching that is losing these games, it's you guys, the hitters. Have some pride. Stop whining.— John in LA
- Random thoughts from a watterlogged fan...LOL. Hey Norma, I bailed about an hour into the 2nd rain delay, had a 5 year old grandson who had hit the wall by then, but he was fascinated watching them take tarp off and on. Other than Werth's homer, watching the guy slide on the tarp and hiding in the tube was best part of game. Why is it that Gordon always goes on DL AFTER a few lousy outings? Why do they send him out there if he's hurting? Bullpen is hitting rough spot, not to surprising after being used so much, they have been so good, I'll give them a pass for now. And no way Howard is an all star, even if they had a DH, really want to watch him strike out 3 times? Good news on Lidge and I agree that it sends a strong message to our "rock star" in Reading. And a word to the Phillies fans, especially season ticket holders....stop selling your tickets on whatever to these stinking, foul mouthed Mutts fans. Do they know any other words than Fxxx, m-fxxx, etc.? It's like a Jerry Springer audience at a ballgame. Hope Eaton gives them a good outing tonight, Mutts are palying well, don't waat them to gather any steam.— jimmymack
- Gordon was placed on the 15 day DL. I think we all knew it was just a matter of time.— bski
- I started thinking.......I read on espn.com, that the NL DH is TBD. Pat would be perfect!!!!— Norma
- Doctor "K" Howard, a perfect example of how numbers lie..There used to be a second basemen from the Chicago Cubs back in the 60's. His name was Ron Hunt, he always led the league HBP, had a career batting average about .250. But it was a hard hitting average. man on 2nd (2)outs, you wanted him at the plate. Over the years since, it's made more and more sense. Howard power numbers, hard or soft? Be honest people...— pat h
- PAT HAS NO SHOT...he doesn't play for a NY team, he hasn't run thru a wall, he has never had a top 40 hit and he won't get the Latino vote, each of the other guys have one of those things going for them. THAT BEING SAID, I'M VOTING FOR HIM......A LOT.— phillybob
- Once again the vaunted Philly offense delivers......we mustered all our measly 2 runs on 1 hit , the HR by Werth......it was sweet coming off Wagner (the new Mr. Gopherball)....but really, no other runs for 11 other innings? That's hard to do and even harder to believe....4 more Ks for the Big Slug.....more mounting evidence that he still doesn't have a clue....this team is flatter than a Delaware Bay flounder.......PG better do something and fast.....— Mark1npt
- What's tulsabravo's opinion on all this? Anyone have a pillow for him to bite?— jrquixote
- All I've got to say about anything anymore about the Phils is send down Ruiz and call up Marson. Nothing else matters.— ronin32
- It's so easy to stuff the ballot for Burrell. I just voted about 35 times in 5 minutes. Go to the site! mlb.com— tarik255
- A tough, tough loss. The only consolation was Wagner blowing the save. Quite a long day for the fans & players. Eaton pitches tomorrow and I think he pitches pretty well against the Mutts. Hopefully we can split the series.— KarenA
- Howard has no business being considered for the all star game. too many errors, too many fielding mistakes, too many strike outs. That unbelievable article about his "production" was a joke. I'd take him 60 points better in BA and 25 fewer RBIs. That would be better for the team overall. How many times have we had a guy on 2nd or 3rd this season with one out and howard has struck out or not delivered (or not been the guy on base). It puts ridiculous pressure on Burrell not to make an out (if howard could hit better, many of those would still be 1 out situations and burrell could hit an SF), and to instead deliver a clutch hit. Anyone in howard's position could have 50+ RBIs. He's a $10MM guy - he should have a lot more than he has right now. Here's looking at you Ryan "Dave Kingman" Howard— diehardphan
- Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo— Clinton, NJ
- THIS OFFENSE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!— Clinton, NJ
- Richard S did you watch today's game. Your guy, Ryan, was 0 for 6 with 4 strikeouts with 5 LOB. He is a terrible hitter whose only justification for being in the big league is his strength. If anyone was not listening to the end of the game they missed hearing him whine about how long the game was and that he was hungry. Well, the game us over. Hope you have a good meal Larry.— dbris41
- jimmymack......Did you stay for the whole game?— Norma
- I'm disgusted with this team's offense. over the last month they have had a chance to put this division AWAY and done absolutely NOTHING. When they are looking outside at a playoff berth come October, we all need to remember this month and the listless, passionless baseball they played.— KMG
- Glad to hear the Brewers - and not the Phils - got Sabathia.— John in LA
- Absolutely, Norma (though I want a win)!— John in LA
- No matter what the outcome of this game......There's always drama involved when we play the Mutts! And what's better than watching Wags blow another save?!— Norma
- Richard, you forgot Ks and errors. Pujols, Lee and Hernandez are having better overall years. For some reason, BA matters. Kind of like a pitcher with wins. Wierd, huh?— John in LA
- EVERYONE VOTE— eagles11
- A little surprised that Cole didn't make the team, 'til I heard everyone else's win/loss ratio. And how come the NL doesn't get to pick a DH since we're playing in an AL stadium? Howard would fit that role perfectly.— Norma
- While his stats aren't overwhelming, Burrel deserves to make it simply because he's been the most consistent batter of a 1st place team. As for the Phils, I'm conused as to why Charlie opts to bat Utley second and Rollins third...I can't remember too many times this season when that lineup has worked. If he wants to break up the lefthanded bats (Utley and Howard, which is a good idea) why doesn't he simply flip Burrel and Howard? I still think he is afraid to hurt Ryan's feelings, although he did bat him 5th earlier for a game or two.— MrPhillie
- Ryan Howard has 76 rbi and he doesn't make the team? Outrageous! I don't care if he's hitting .225, the guy leads the NL in homeruns and rbi!— Richard S
1
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
