"What is losing?
Losing is a disease... as contagious as polio.
Losing is a disease... as contagious as syphilis.
Losing is a disease... as contagious as bubonic plague...
attacking one... but infecting all.
But curable."
Losing is a disease... as contagious as polio.
Losing is a disease... as contagious as syphilis.
Losing is a disease... as contagious as bubonic plague...
attacking one... but infecting all.
But curable."
BY SCOTT LAUBER
OK, so who remembers the scene in "The Natural," when the team shrink comes into the clubhouse and talks to Roy Hobbs and the slumping New York Knights about losing?
Well, Raul Ibanez put his own twist on that philosophy today.
Ibanez has only been with the Phillies for a few months, but he already has raved about the offense, which, generally speaking, had been rolling along until about a week ago. But after today's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers, the numbers have gotten downright ugly. Over the past five games, the Phillies are 27-for-153 (.176) and have scored only 14 runs. Jimmy Rollins is 4-for-25. Shane Victorino is 1-for-27. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are both 3-for-23.
So, I asked Ibanez how an entire lineup, especially one as potent as the Phillies', can go into a funk at the same time. It was a problem that plagued the Phils last summer when they went into a 10-week, team-wide offensive malaise.
"It's like a yawn," Ibanez said. "One person yawns in a room, and all of a sudden, everyone starts yawning. I'm not smart enough to explain that. I don't know why it happens. But it's a gifted group of hitters. It's inevitable this team will hit."
Losing is a disease ...
***
Charlie Manuel made an interesting -- and, I'm sure, intentional -- observation after the game when he said, "I know what our guys can do. We can talk about it. We talked about how we played last year, and we talked about bringing it every day. We've got to get back in that pattern, and guys have to start getting after it."
A manager doesn't merely drop phrases like "bringing it every day" and "getting after it." I think Manuel has some concerns about the Phillies resting on their laurels early in the season. Keep in mind: They have rallied to win the NL East in each of the past two years. Howard, Jayson Werth and others often have talked about how the Phillies play their best late in the season. But Manuel knows late-season rallies can't be counted on. If you don't play well enough in April and May, September can be a lost cause.
***
On the bright side, Cole Hamels finally is looking more like Cole Hamels.
***
Talk to y'all tomorrow from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Any messages you want me to deliver to President Obama?
OK, so who remembers the scene in "The Natural," when the team shrink comes into the clubhouse and talks to Roy Hobbs and the slumping New York Knights about losing?
Well, Raul Ibanez put his own twist on that philosophy today.
Ibanez has only been with the Phillies for a few months, but he already has raved about the offense, which, generally speaking, had been rolling along until about a week ago. But after today's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers, the numbers have gotten downright ugly. Over the past five games, the Phillies are 27-for-153 (.176) and have scored only 14 runs. Jimmy Rollins is 4-for-25. Shane Victorino is 1-for-27. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are both 3-for-23.
So, I asked Ibanez how an entire lineup, especially one as potent as the Phillies', can go into a funk at the same time. It was a problem that plagued the Phils last summer when they went into a 10-week, team-wide offensive malaise.
"It's like a yawn," Ibanez said. "One person yawns in a room, and all of a sudden, everyone starts yawning. I'm not smart enough to explain that. I don't know why it happens. But it's a gifted group of hitters. It's inevitable this team will hit."
Losing is a disease ...
***
Charlie Manuel made an interesting -- and, I'm sure, intentional -- observation after the game when he said, "I know what our guys can do. We can talk about it. We talked about how we played last year, and we talked about bringing it every day. We've got to get back in that pattern, and guys have to start getting after it."
A manager doesn't merely drop phrases like "bringing it every day" and "getting after it." I think Manuel has some concerns about the Phillies resting on their laurels early in the season. Keep in mind: They have rallied to win the NL East in each of the past two years. Howard, Jayson Werth and others often have talked about how the Phillies play their best late in the season. But Manuel knows late-season rallies can't be counted on. If you don't play well enough in April and May, September can be a lost cause.
***
On the bright side, Cole Hamels finally is looking more like Cole Hamels.
***
Talk to y'all tomorrow from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Any messages you want me to deliver to President Obama?
No comments:
Post a Comment