Now Darlene, you know that doesn't help. JR is fragile. While he knows what it is like to constantly root for a team that can't get anywhere, he is only slowly learning to watch a team that has great potential but constantly blows it. I have years of practice, so I will have to have a good talk with him.

First JR I need you to breathe. Talk a nice deep breath and let it out. Then I need you to settle down for a few minutes and try to listen to me. I need you to trust and believe me. I have experience in this particular baseball situation. You may have to give me a little time to gather my thoughts, plus I am trying to complete a few things that are on my desk. So just stick with me here.

Thank you fuzzy You understand.

Dylan, WILL he play? Or will Mr. "As long as I'm breathing I'll never admit I'm wrong" Yost stubbornly continue to stick with Weeks?

He almost cost us a game last week too but was fortunate enough that Bill Hall saved his butt with a game winning home run.

Yost said in his press conference last night that Rickie works on his defense very hard every single day, and has since he came up three years ago. As if this somehow is an excuse.

I'd say, if this "professional" has worked hard at it every day for three years and still can't make a routine double play or field a routine ground ball, MAYBE IT'S TIME TO ACCEPT THAT HE JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE SKILLS!

Okay. Let's start with a very basic sports principle. No matter what we believe or try, we can not and do not affect the outcome of our team's games.

Give it a minute and think about it. We scream, yell, cheer, jeer and can be superstitiuos. Yet, none of it depends upon us and helps our team in no way, shape or form.

Now, I thought Weeks was going to be a good, young player. He has the speed. If he gets on base you have to be aware. His offense was a bit slow. I thought that would develop as he got his at bats. I knew he defense was suspect, but at this point how can he still suck? Although, I say the same thing about Ryan Howard. His defense sucked, but he got better and quickly. Unfortunately, this year he has gone backwards and badly. His errors at crucial time have cost us a few games this year.

If Weeks is struggling so bad offensively, I think you have to drop him in the lineup. Maybe if there is less pressure he will start to produce more. Pitchers may see him as an easy out to start the game. There is a reason you have a lead off man and that is usually because he has a tendency to get on base. His speed can help him, but if he isn't on base it is useless. There is always that option of sending him down to Triple A for some work. That smack upside the head should help.

Your manager has already proved to be a bonehead. If he keeps Weeks in the lead off spot, then he deserves whatever Weeks doesn't give him.

You know, as well as I do, that there is no explaining why pitchers do what they do. Some can handle the pressure, some can't. Relievers especially. For some it is an experience thing, others just suck. They have to trust that if a pitch is put into play that the team behind them can make a play. You would think that as long as they don't throw the ball in the middle of the plate, they could pitch effectively. Pitchers should have an understanding of guys making outs. After all, how many guys actually hit .300 or better? Not many. Hence your comment of not hitting 70% of the time.

For the past couple of years I couldn't stand that Charlie Manuel thought he had to use the same three guys every game in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. We lost quite a few games because he was stupid like that. I also think it is stupid to throw a reliever back into a critical situation the next game after them blowing it the night before.

And seriously, you are going to whine about pitching to me. Hello, I am a Phillies fan. We never get any pitching. We get one guy who seems to have to do all the work. Look at Hamels, granted he got lit up the other day, but he has how many games where he gave up a run or two and he loses the game sbecause suddenly there is no offense. He should have at least 15 wins by now and he doesn't even have 10. We have had Wagner and Gordon blow a gazillions games of the last four or five years. By our pitchers not blowing at least two games the last five seasons, we make the playoffs. Last year the Phillies got lucky. Don't expect an implosion by the Mets or Marlins to give the Phillies the division.

As I said, I have been experiencing this mess for years. They pull us in only to break our hearts. I am not sure what is worse - being 10 games out or missing the playoffs by one game, which is what they did three or four years in a row.

Your hopes and expectations have been raised for the past couple of years. Only to be knocked down. I am used to it. Granted, it doesn't make it any easier to take. I just think it is going to affect you more this year because it is late July and your Brewers are in a serious race. And who wouldn't be excited to see the way they climbed out of third and tied for first place in about a week's time? The Phillies either held or were tied for first place for about two months, even with an absolutely terrible June. It was almost as if they switched their normal April and June records. Now they are struggling again for some offense. They must right the ship and beat the two teams they are competing with in the division. My thought early on this season was if they could win most series (not necessarily sweeps), they would be okay.

Boy Fuzzy, you hit it on the head with the manager thing.

Yost does the same thing as Manuel. His "formula" is this guy in the 7'th, this guy in the 8'th and this guy in the 9'th. Doesn't matter if one part of that equation is slumping, you plug him in there anyway because THAT'S the formula.

Why risk that one of those three is going to have an off night? When the 7th inning guy comes out and is lights out, LET HIM PITCH THE EIGHTH! Nope, that's not the formula.

I long for the old days when a starting pitcher would pitch 6 innings, leave in trouble, and some guy would come in and finish the game for a 3+ inning save.

These days of specialty pitchers, and overdoing the lefty/righty match up stuff drives me nuts.

I was telling Dylan, the difference between a team being 16 games over 500 and looking like world beaters and being 500 and looking average is just 8 games. EIGHT LOUSY GAMES. If eight of those wins were lost instead, you'd be at 500.

Conversely, when Ned Yost says dumba** things like "well, you rather you blow a game like this in May as opposed to Septmeber" or any number of the other excuses he makes up for sticking with a guy that's shown he's got nothing it drives me crazy.

If he had just stopped using Gagne, Turnbow and Mota after their THIRD screwup in two weeks (I'm not being unreasonable here, give em' 1 or 2 screwups, no ones perfect) we would easily be able to have turned 3 -5 losses into wins, which is a 6 - 10 game swing in our won/loss record.

Ned Yost was an excellent manager for this team when they were young and learning to play at the major league level. Lou Pinella never could have managed them. He'd have lost his temper too much and destroyed their confidence.

But now Ned Yost is the exact wrong manager for this team. He's a coddler, an enabler. He protects his players to a fault. He still treats them like they're rookies that need time to grow and mature. NOW we need a Lou PInella type, someone who holds is players accountable and makes changes when needed.

Argh.

I didn't know you guys had such a similar situation on your end Fuzzy. But at least you guys smell post season now and then right?

Thanks fuzzy

I'm back off the ledge.

It also helps to read the forums from all the others teams fans.  A lot of them go through the same things.

There's only so many good managers to go around.

Jeremy Riggs wrote:

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 But at least you guys smell post season now and then right?

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15 years between appearances my friend. 1993 World Series - game six blown by a pitcher with a tired arm. The Phillies were winning that game and were looking to go home tied at 3 until Joe Carter did what ever little kid hopes he has a chance to do - hit a walk off homerun to win the World Series. And as much as I would like to count last year, I am not sure I can. They worked hard, got lucky and then got swept by the Rockies. Unacceptable. They spent the four previous seasons missing out by a game or two.

Jeremy Riggs wrote:

There's only so many good managers to go around.

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I often wonder if Joe Torre is a good manager or if he just had the talent around him all those years and they were producing.

Many of us they would get rid of "Bobblehead Charlie". Instead, most likely since they made the playoffs last year, they gave him an extended contract. Before that, he hadn't done anything that Larry Bowa didn't do while managing here, meaning just falling short by a game or two. Sometime if you ever get to see a Phillies game when Manuel changes the pitcher, watch him shuffle out from the dugout. His head bobs. Seriously, he looks like a bobblehead doll.

One other point. It may not seem like it, but there is still a lot of baseball to play. Probably around 60 games. Two months. If teams are going to make a push, now is the time to do it.

Go Phillies!

Don't forget -

Go away Marlins!

Go away Cardinals!