SB Nation User Blog: FuquaManuel

Charlie Manuel on Brad Lidge, who blew his sixth save of the season today in LA: "He'll always be...

FuquaManuel — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:13:57 -0000

Charlie Manuel on Brad Lidge, who blew his sixth save of the season today in LA: "He'll always be my guy."

"Always" is a really long time. Is he delusional? This kind of idiotic loyalty could very well be our undoing.

Road Record Madness

FuquaManuel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:42:20 -0000

With the Phillies win tonight they moved to 20-6 on the road for the season. Of course this pace is completely unsustainable and they have, for the most part, faced weak competition on the road. However, the Phils' victory tonight knocked the Dodgers' home record to 20-7. At this mark, the Dodgers still have the best home record in baseball, but with the win the Phillies' 20-6 mark is momentarily the single best record, HOME or AWAY, of any team in the majors. I repeat: THE PHILLIES ROAD RECORD IS BETTER THAN THE HOME RECORD OF ANY TEAM IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

Truly remarkable.

Poll

The Phillies' road record is

Awesome!

9 votes

Da Bomb

4 votes

An anomaly

4 votes

The result of supernatural forces

2 votes

Insulting to residents of the Philadelphia area

5 votes

All of the above

9 votes

Cheeseburgers

9 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

The Phillies have been scary good with the bases loaded this season. They are hitting .519 (14 for...

FuquaManuel — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:13:16 -0000

The Phillies have been scary good with the bases loaded this season. They are hitting .519 (14 for 27) with three doubles, four homers, 11 walks and 46 RBIs. They also have a .625 on-base percentage and a 1.074 slugging percentage.

The Zo Zone

Wow.

A Confession...

FuquaManuel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:18:11 -0000

Okay fellow TGPers, I have to get this off my chest. I have been waiting to make this confession until I thought the time was right. Given the impending A-Rod hysteria and the current Michael Phelps weed frenzy, I thought now would be as good a time as ever as I will remain out of the media spotlight.

During the 2007 season, I knowingly took performance enhancing drugs while posting regularly on The Good Phight and other related Philadelphia Phillies blogs. During October of that season, I tested positive for at least 3 banned substances. The specific details of the substances I used will not be revealed until my agent and the WPUA (Weblog Poster's Union of America) decide on an appropriate time. I would like to stress that I only took the substances to recover from various posting-related injuries that inevitably arise over the course of a season of game thread commenting. In a 162 game season, the pressure to perform on a day-to-day basis sometimes forces one to take extreme measures to remain competitive. Unfortunately, I made a decision that was criminal and immoral.

I would like to take this time to apologize to my fellow posters. I don't know what hurts you more, the fact that I cheated or the fact that I was caught. In any case, I only hope that you forgive me. To my fans -- the hopeful young game thread posters of the future to whom I am a role model -- I would strongly encourage you not to give up on your dreams because of my misdeed. Furthermore, I urge you to remain true to yourself and the game, and never resort to illegal, dangerous substances to get an edge over your peers. Finally, to the owners of this blog -- Dajafi, WholeCamels, and Jonk -- there are not words to describe the regret I feel for polluting your game threads with my behavior. You do your best to maintain a level playing field in your comments sections and I repeatedly violated your trust. I place myself at your mercy and will accept any punishment you decide is appropriate.

Once again, I am sorry.

Signed,

FuquaManuel

Mark Teixeira’s agreement with the New York Yankees on Tuesday clears the way for the New York Mets ...

FuquaManuel — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:42:03 -0000

Mark Teixeira’s agreement with the New York Yankees on Tuesday clears the way for the New York Mets to sign Derek Lowe, the free-agent pitcher who had been on the periphery of the Yankees’ shopping list. The Mets and Lowe are deep in negotiations, according to a source, and while an offer has not yet been made, the 35-year-old sinkerballer is the Mets’ prime target.

The Mets have rebuilt their bullpen with the signing of free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, but general manager Omar Minaya is still in the market for starting pitching to supplement incumbents Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine.

The Boston Red Sox had mild interest in Lowe, and losing out on Teixeira might prompt them to strongly consider bringing back Lowe for a second tour of duty in Boston. But indications from Red Sox sources point to less costly options than Lowe, who originally sought a five-year, $90 million deal but has scaled back his demands in recent weeks.

The Mets’ bargaining position also is enhanced by the fact that rehab coordinator Chris Correnti, who was brought on board to work with the Pedro Martinez, has trained Lowe for the last 11 years.

Mets close to deal with Lowe

Repeats are difficult anyways...

So let's not fly into a forum and chat-room frenzy over all this Phillies' lefthandedness. Think of...

FuquaManuel — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:57:18 -0000

So let's not fly into a forum and chat-room frenzy over all this Phillies' lefthandedness. Think of all the righthanded pitchers who will have to face a lefthanded gantlet when Utley is back in a lineup that will include switch-hitters Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, Utley, Howard and Ibanez. That's a six-pack of dynamite.

Manuel will have some flexibility. You could see a lineup against a lefthanded starter that opens with the World Series alignment that flipped Victorino and Werth in the Nos. 2 and 6 holes. Ask CC Sabathia, now in Yankees pinstripes, how that worked out. With Werth establishing himself as a certified power threat, Charlie could bat Shane No. 2, Utley 3, Howard 4, Werth 5 and Ibanez 6. And please don't start with, "Don't tell me they're gonna pay $10 million a year to a No. 6 hitter." The Phillies just got through paying $14 million a year for a guy who hit .257, struck out a ton, clogged the bases, hasn't driven in 100 runs since 2005, has never scored 100 runs, and is a seven-inning player.

-Bill Conlin

Clogged the bases? Yep, Bill Conlin is still stupid.

A's send Harden and Gaudin to the Cubs

FuquaManuel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:01:25 -0000

In the second move of the week that sends an American League ace to the National League, the A's have sent Rich Harden to the Cubs for what looks at first glance to be marbles. Oh yeah, and the Cubs grabbed the serviceable SP/RP Chad Gaudin as a throw in.

Here's the report.

The Cubs sent Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and John Donaldson to Oakland in the trade that is clearly a response to the move that sent CC (no more periods between the letters) Sabathia to Milwaukee.

Of course, Harden is to injuries as Brett Myers is to homeruns--he has difficulty avoiding them. When he is healthy, however, he is one of the game's best pitchers as the Phillies learned a few weeks ago when he held them to 2 hits over 8 while striking out 11. If (and that is a big if) Harden is able to stay healthy, this move should solidify the Cubs' position as the top team in the NL.

What do you think? Could the Phils have put together a better package than the one the Cubs offered? Would it have been worth it for glass man like Hardin?

Sabathia headed to Milwaukee

FuquaManuel — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:26:23 -0000

The Brewers have traded for C.C. Sabathia. According to the report Sabathia, whose contract expires after this season, will be sent to Milwaukee for a package that includes prospect Matt LaPorta.

Not only does this mean that the Phillies--in need of starting pitching--will not be able to compete for the services of Sabathia, but also that the surging Brewers are now a threat in the NL Central. Considering the strength of the Central with 3 teams (the Cardinals, the Cubs, and the Brewers) all in the running, it appears as if the Wild Card team will almost certainly come out of that division. This means, in essence, that the Phils must win the East or expect to be doing something other than playing baseball in October. But you already knew that.

Dave Zirin on Sports Blogging...

FuquaManuel — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:13:31 -0000

Apparently sportswriter Buzz Bissinger said some pretty nasty stuff to blogger Will Leitch from www.deadspin.com on Bob Costas' show on HBO.

Well, political sportswriter Dave Zirin has chimed in on the Sportswriters vs. Bloggers debate...and he is on our side.

Some of you may remember Bill Conlin's little tirade back in November that really underscored the worries of Sportswriters in a world where information is flowing more democratically than it ever has before.

Myers Having Velocity Issues

FuquaManuel — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:43:27 -0000

Apparently, the coaches are concerned about Brett Myers' recent drop off in velocity.

Myers, formerly a pitcher who hovered around 92 mph with his straight stuff, has consistently been in the mid to high 80s this season - rarely breaking 90. This rather precipitous decline in velocity has been problematic for Myers as his ERA+ of 83, his ERA of 5.11, and his 10 home runs through 37 IP indicate. It is suggested in the article that the decline in velocity has also led Myers to change his approach on the mound by compensating with more cutters, some of which he has hung in the zone and...well...you know the rest.

Dubee has suggested that Myers begin playing long toss before his starts to rebuild arm strength; Myers does not like to play long toss.

Dubee has also suggested that Myers try and rely less on his cutter and more on his curve to change speeds and make his fastball appear faster; Myers has continued to rely on his cutter.

Stubborn? I wouldn't put it past him.

In any event, something needs to change. Our already suspect starting rotation cannot afford mediocrity from a pitcher who was widely expected to be one its two anchors.