The Greatest Ever…Unfortunately

It’s time to face it. Barry Bonds is easily the greatest hitter in the last 25 years. And if you turn a blind eye to any off the field controversy, he’s also the greatest ever.

Let’s run down the resume he’s racked up over the course of his career:

-He demolished Ted Williams’ single season OBP by over 50 percentage points (.609 to .553). He was 39 at the time.

-He is first, second, and third on the list of single season walks. He holds the record at 232, the next closest (other than himself) is George Herman, at 170.

-At this point, Bonds more than doubles Aaron (in second) for career intentional walks. He needs only 7 to reach 700. Aaron hasn’t even reached 300.

-Bonds is the only player in the 400-400 or 500-500 club (home runs – RBI’s).

-He holds three of the top five spots for single season slugging, including the top spot, which he got at age 36.

-For his career, Bonds is 1st in long balls, 2nd in runs created, 3rd in runs, 4th in OPS, 5th in RBI’s, and 6th in OBP. He could easily improve upon those numbers before retiring.

Bonds stats don’t even tell the whole story. For basically five seasons (2000-2004), pitchers couldn’t throw the guy anything over the plate. He averaged 61 intentional walks in that span. Not only did pitchers have to pitch around him, they simply couldn’t pitch to him at all. He nearly tripled Willie McCovey’s intentional walks record as Bonds racked up 120 in 2004.

During that same five year period, Bonds won the MVP four times. From 1990-2004, Bonds won 7 MVP’s, finishing second twice, fourth once, and fifth twice.

Bonds, for all intents and purposes, should be recognized as the greatest slugger ever.

But not respected for it.

Let’s continue to overlook the steroids. As a man, Hank Aaron was respected by his teammates, the media, and the fans. Bonds can’t say that. Babe Ruth brought life back to the game after the Black Sox scandal. Bonds can’t say that, either.

Rick Reilly wrote an excellent article in 2001, in which he described the Giants clubhouse as 24 teammates and Barry Bonds. He wrote “When Bonds hit his 500th home run, in April, only one person came out of the dugout to greet him at the plate: the Giants' batgirl. Sitting in the stands, you could've caught a cold from the freeze he got. Teammates 24, Bonds 1.”

And finally, there’s the steroids. The evidence against him has become overwhelming. The team’s writers and Bonds’ former teammates have helped document his alleged steroid use. The fans have also demonstrated their belief that Bonds cheated, as oversized syringes and large asterisks are seen in every park aside from Pac Bell.

So although my generation gets to see the greatest hitter of all-time, we also may be watching the biggest jerk, too.

Luckily with each new season, hope strings eternal. Let’s just hope that A-Rod, or someone else, has enough in the tank to eclipse Bonds. Because although I know that Barry’s the greatest hitter thus far, I just hope it doesn’t stay that way.

Philly Fan Hypocrisy

"For who? For what?"

Ricky Watters' infamous line following his first game as an Eagle as came to define everything that Philadelphia fans claimed to despise.

The whole idea that Philly fans are 100% about "playing hard" and "giving it your all," is complete BS. While this has always been a tough, blue collar city, with the recent rise in 24/7 sports (ESPN, WIP), the typical Philadelphia fans' attitude has been blown out of proportion so much that we have begun to believe it ourselves. When Aaron Rowand was traded here after the '05 season, it was said that he would be a perfect fit for Philadelphia, even called "the prototypical Philly fan favorite." Well what the hell does that mean: prototypical Philly player?! He wasn't our favorite only a year after the trade, when we were begging Pat Gillick to trade the hard (broken) nosed centerfielder for some bullpen help. Yeah, you heard it right; the "fan favorite" was on the block for middle relief after hitting .262 as the Phils fell short of the playoffs for the 12th straight season.

Our recent history is full of these types of players - the ones perceived to be a perfect fit for the city - but instead of continuing the "play hard" tradition of Philly, all they have done is extend the city's record of futility.

Doubting me already, eh? Some think we would rather lose with hard-nosed players than win with aloof stars? Let's look at a few examples.

Allen Iverson. The definition of leaving it all on the court. The same man who would play through 12 injuries at once (yes, they counted), bang his 5'11, 165 pound frame against guys like Shaq and Ewing while driving to the hole, in a super-human effort to place another W on the board for his Sixers. But in the last few years, no matter how much heart has been shown, the fans have soured on AI. They say that, despite averaging over 7 assists since the '03-'04 season, his apparent lack of ability to act as a true point guard has hindered the Sixers offense. The problem is, with guys like Kenny Thomas, Eric Snow, and the fading prima donna formerly knows as Chris Webber as your second options, having 10 assists a game and simply starting the offense wouldn't make much sense. Despite the overwhelming evidence that AI had little to do with the Sixers' struggles, the fans proved the only thing that matters is the ring.

Terrell Owens. The definition of I. If unprototypical were a word, then T.O would be the unprototypical Philly player. All that is selfish and egotistical is Terrell Owens. But for almost two years, we completely overlooked the obvious, turned a blind eye, and enjoyed the times as the Birds marched towards the Super Bowl, and Owens towards a blow up. It wasn't until the end of Owens' tenure in Philly, after no championship was delivered, that the fans started accusing Owens of being the problem in the locker room and on the field. When the Eagles won, he was a savior; when they lost, it was his head on the stake.

I hate to say it, but we aren't that dissimilar from the fans in Boston, New York, or Chicago. Maybe we don't complain as much, aren't as annoying, and don't blame our futility on curses (i.e. we're smarter), but our views on the success of our teams and players are alike. We boo a Rowand strikeout, New Yorkers boo a Jeter slump, Sox fans call for a Foulke exile only a year after the curse was lifted.

Forget previous success. In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of sports, the desire for championships often puts unwarranted blame on teams' best players. The virus even spreads to the most knowledgeable Philly fans, some of whom accuse the supposed fan favorites Jeremiah Trotter and Brian Dawkins of failing to perform at a high level, while overlooking the effect the sub-par play of the D-line and strong safety would have on the two.

The views and feelings toward even the most blue-collared players of Philadelphia are trumped by the success of the team. And there's the hypocrisy. While fans everywhere would like to believe the Lombardi quote that "winning isn't everything, but the will to win is," that simply isn't true. The reason the city celebrated with the trade for TO wasn't because we were getting a clubhouse guy to make his teammates play harder, it was because we knew, no matter whom he was playing to please, Owens could bring us closer to a ring.

While Philly fans may have earned their image as some of the most passionate in the country, the notion that we would rather watch a mediocre blue-collar athlete than a pompous star is merely a myth. Perhaps another Lombardi quote best defines the mantra of fans in this championship-starved city: "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."

Wade vs. Gillick

"Win at all costs.” That was the motto of the once revered and highly valued Phillies GM Pat Gillick. It was said that Gillick would bring Philadelphia a championship like he did for Toronto in ’92 and ’93. It was said he would be a major upgrade over the much-maligned Ed Wade, who the fans basically ran out of town. Those same fans’ hopes ran high with the hiring of the veteran GM with the great track record. The abysmal image of Wade faded in the review mirror as Gillick began to take the franchise in a new direction.

Well now it is July 2007, and the Phils are currently a mere 2 games over .500. Gillick’s Phillies have the same number of playoff appearances as Wade’s Phillies (zero). In fact, the Phils in Wade’s last two years have a better winning percentage than the team under Gillick. No longer are people expecting the 68 year old to lead them to the promised land.

But exactly how bad has Gillick been? Even the most disgruntled Phils fans would have trouble saying Gillick has been worse than Wade. With that said, let’s look over some of Gillick’s moves.

The most sensational trade involved the unloading of the 9-year Phillie Bobby Abreu and middle of the rotation veteran Cory Lidle. In return, Gillick got a lefty reliever (Matt Smith) and three minor league prospects, including 2005 first-round pick C.J. Henry.

A year later, and the prospects’ projections don’t look so hot. Smith posted a Gavin Floyd-esque 11.25 ERA as the lefty out of the ‘pen, before being sent back down to Triple-A. Carlos Monasterios, the young righty with the live arm, has an ERA near 5 at Lakewood. First rounder Carl Henry’s name change hasn’t helped his average, still wallowing below the Mendoza line in Low-A ball. And 20-year old catcher Jesus Sanchez, the final piece of the deal, hit just .192 in the Gulf Coast League in ’06.

Still, the most important part of this move was the cut of salary, as Abreu and Lidle were paid a combined 32 million in ’05 and ’06. Along with the departure of Randy Wolf (9mil in ’06), Gillick’s trades opened up millions in payroll to be used elsewhere; hopefully towards an improvement in starting pitching and a middle of the lineup bat to be added in the ’06-’07 offseason.

Around came the aforementioned offseason. Gillick made a splash at the winter meetings as he traded headcase Floyd and top-rated prospect Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for front of the rotation starter Freddy Garcia. The month before, Gillick had signed free agent Adam Eaton to a 3-year, 24 million dollar contract.

Thus far, it seems as if Chicago knew something Gillick didn’t. The 32-year old Garcia went on the DL with a shoulder that has been sore since spring training. The tandem of Garcia and Eaton currently sport a 10-12 record with a 5.88 ERA. In comparison, the Wolf-Lidle combo had a 31-22 record in the ’05 and ’06 seasons, along with a sub-5 ERA. They also made 5 million less.

To top it all off, Gonzalez is tearing up Double-A. Gio has over a K per inning, and an ERA on the verge of dropping below 3. Also, with the probable departure of Jose Contreras, there will be at least one open rotation spot, leading to the possible call-up of the 22 year old.

In a similar situation, Gillick decided to part ways with long-time Phil Mike Lieberthal. With the opening of almost 11 million dollars from the departure of Lieby and David Bell, Gillick made it public that he intended to sign a right-handed power bat to protect Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the middle of the order. Also, he needed to find a second catcher, preferably a veteran to help mentor the young Carlos Ruiz. These two players came in the form of Wes Helms and Rod Barajas. Helms was heralded as the guy to fit the hole that has been 3rd base for the Phils since Scott Rolen was traded to the Cardinals in 2002. Well, if one home run in the first 70 or so games counts as the pop needed, then Wes has filled that role. Otherwise, he hasn’t, as his .251 average often seems to match his fielding percentage, making Abe Nunez look like Brooks Robinson at the hot corner.

Barajas isn’t doing much better. When Pat Burrell is the only player you’re hitting better than, something must be wrong. Barajas’ weakness at the plate has forced Ruiz to mature much faster than the Phils’ coaches would have like. Thus far, Ruiz has started 5 out of every 8 games.

If fans are surprised by the lackluster play of Gillick’s free agent signings, they shouldn’t be. In his first year (’06), Gillick’s three acquisitions, Nunez, Ryan Franklin, and Alex Gonzalez, didn’t produce much better than those of this year. Nunez played the best of the trio, hitting .211 in 123 games. Gonzalez was possibly the biggest disappointment of Gillick’s offseason. Expected to be the primary utility infielder reminiscent of fan-favorite Tomas Perez, Gonzalez hit just .111 before retiring midway through the year. Finally, Franklin, who was brought in as a starter but eventually moved to bolster the ‘pen, ended with a 1-5 record before being traded to the Reds.

It’s not only been Gillick’s signings, but also his lack of action that has been questionable.
After trading Rheal Cormier in the 2006 season and releasing Aaron Fultz after it, Gillick hoped that his fill-ins, Fabio Castro and Matt Smith, could plug the lefty whole created by Cormier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the emergence of Mike “Honestly, I’m 24 years old” Zagurski (signed before Gillick’s hiring) that the fans stopped sweating as Charlie Manuel signaled for the lefty.

When you look at the heart of this Phils team, you have got to notice something. Utley, Howard, Rollins, Hamels, Myers, Victorino, and Ruiz we’re all drafted or signed under the Wade regime. Thus far, almost 70% of the Phils runs have been scored by guys brought in under Wade.

Granted, Pat Gillick has not even been here two years, and the Moyer and Rowand trades have been successful, but the numbers don’t lie. The outcomes of his moves haven’t matched the expectations of the fans; in fact, they haven’t matched those of Ed Wade. And in no way am I portraying Wade as Red Auerbach; when the highlight of your tenure includes Burrell’s $50 million, 6-year contract, it’s tough to make that comparison. But Gillick’s “stand pat” attitude at the trade deadline has been his downfall in the past, including the ’06 season. With the likely departure of Rowand, Lieber, and Garcia after the year (also, Jamie Moyer will be 45 in ’08) this season could make or break the legacy of Gillick.

Realistically, though, while Gillick has continued the Phils history of mediocrity, nobody can claim he’s been worse than Ed Wade. Wade never led the Philly to a postseason, screwed up the payroll by signing Burrell and Lieber to outrageous contracts, and finished with a sub-500 record. Not much of a legacy there, either. Hopefully five years down the road, towards the end of Gillick’s tenure, the several Phils playoff appearances will have helped us forget the Wade regime.

For as they say, there’s always next year.