Beat writer recounts banner year in Baseballtown

Double-A Reading was home to the best young talent in the chain and was a stepping stone for eight rehabbing Phillies, including Pedro Martinez, who packed FirstEnergy Stadium with a record 9,953 fans. Mike Drago, who covers the R-Phils for the Reading Eagle, puts the finishing touches on his yearly coverage with his season in review and counts down the top 10 moments of a very memorable year, featuring a return to the postseason, the league’s best attendance and successful stops by several top prospects, including Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek and Domonic Brown. [Review] [Top 10]

Comments

[mvptommyd]

From end of last thread:

Joe: Yea no kidding. Even the always entertaining Ibanez vs. Burrell argument has been so one-sided, it isn't fun to debate anymore.

HH: Cliff Lee's birth name is Clifton Phifer Lee. Not much better.

[mvptommyd]

Reading was home to best young talent during their regular season. Now the best talent resides in Lakewood.

SWEEP THE LEG RUBE!

[NEPP]

Everytime I hear Mike Drago's name I think of Rocky IV..."If he dies, he dies."

Great year for Reading and a stunning turnaround for them. All in all, a great year for our minor-league system.

[bay_area_phan]

From the last thread:

The thing about lawyers and Latin phrases --oh, never mind. How 'bout Cliff Lee?

[ZT]

Drago is the only good part about Rocky IV. There is a talking robot in it for cryin out loud.

[J. Weitzel]

ZT: Two words: James Brown.

[R.Billingsly]

Fish score three in the top of the first. Not a good start.

[Kutztown Fan]

I live halfway between the Reading Phillies and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen either team play this year. Mea culpa. (Couldn't resist throwing in that Latin.)

Oh, and now I know why the debates get so heated on Beerleaguer. Everyone's a freakin' lawyer.

[NEPP]

****Drago is the only good part about Rocky IV. There is a talking robot in it for cryin out loud.****

"Happy Birthday Paulie!"

Rocky IV is one of the greatest movies of all time. It is so ridiculous that its funny. I mean, Rocky single handedly ended the Cold War by boxing for no money in an unsanctioned fight in Moscow on Christmas Day. How is that not a good plot???

[J. Weitzel]

Gotta love a film with two montage sequences: One after Apollo dies and one juxtaposing Rocky's clean training sequence with the Russian's tainted one.

[MG]

Went to more Reading Phils games this year than I probably had since high school including the Pedro game which actually was electric for a change instead of most of the people just eating and socializing with their friends and paying sporadic attention to what goes on the field.

It was nice for a change for the overall talent level to actually live up to some of the hype this year instead of Arbuckle's running joke the last few years about how deep the talent level was at AA in the spring only to find the team with a weak record and a bunch of journeyman and retreads by August.

[NEPP]

****Gotta love a film with two montage sequences: One after Apollo dies and one juxtaposing Rocky's clean training sequence with the Russian's tainted one.****

Exactly. That 2nd montage was particularly brilliant. I mean this is a movie that was less than 1.5 hours long to begin with and it had two fairly long montages to further take up time in it. Rocky outrunning his KGB escorts (who were in a car) and then climbing the tallest mountatin on earth were two key features of it.

[ZT]

NEPP: Don't forget the part where his opponent is more juiced up than Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Bane from Batman combined. They said Drago could punch harder than a shotgun blast. And yeah JW, James Brown was definitely another highlight.

"Living In America!"

[J.R. King]

Anyone else getting an ad for the Rocky-themed Phillies T-Shirt in the Blogads section now that the discussion has turned to Rocky IV? Textual advertising!

(Side note: I wonder if Blogads is ever going to upgrade their design. It looked bad in 2002 and now it's plain awful.)

[joe]

Oh, I only hope that if/when the Phils make the playoffs, that every TV station runs the damn "Rocky" theme for every commercial break.

[Hitman]

Here's a question for BAP. Suppose you are a convict rotting in San Quentin, hoping that you win your appeal, only to learn that your attorney spends half his day on BLer, obsessing over the most minute, esoteric details pertaining to our national pasttime? Should that convict be bothered by this?

[phils and nova]

lets go fish, lets go pirates

[Kutztown Fan]

I think I'd rather hear the "Rocky" theme than the "This Is My Country" Chevy ads.

FWIW, Brigitte Nielson's "acting" in Rocky IV was the highlight. She makes Pia Zadora look like Meryl Streep.

[joe]

I'll see your "This is my country" ad and raise you:

I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was younger.

[NEPP]

****FWIW, Brigitte Nielson's "acting" in Rocky IV was the highlight. She makes Pia Zadora look like Meryl Streep.***

"He is like your Pop-Eye...he eat his spinach."

[goody]

You're never going to win your appeal with a name like Hitman.

[Kutztown Fan]

Those Geico commercials ("I always feel like... someone is WAAAAATCHING MEEEEE...") make my ears bleed. If I had my insurance from them, I'd cancel it.

Although Brigitte Nielson did her best acting in "Rocky IV," her stint on "Celebrity Rehab" elevated her to almost mythical status in my book.

Back to the Phils - I hope Blanton can add to the starting pitching gems we've been getting.

[danger lad]

I sure hope they don't let Kentucky Joe exceed 118 pitches though...

[bay_area_phan]

Hitman: No. He should be happy because a lawyer who spends a lot of time on Beerleaguer is a lawyer who is committed to fine-tuning his arguing skills.

[Hitman]

Hitman would be a great nickname for Eric Bruntlett, assuming that you added an S at the beginning.

[denny b.]

"I sure hope they don't let Kentucky Joe exceed 118 pitches though..."

Country Joe needs to throw at least 135 pitches tonight, to show he is a man and not get shown up by Pedro and Clifton.

With him, that might get him through 7 innings.

I hear Madson is already warming up in the pen, 3 hours before gametime.

[mvptommyd]

"I hear Madson is already warming up in the pen, 3 hours before gametime."

I literally laughed out loud at work.

"I sure hope they don't let Kentucky Joe exceed 118 pitches though..."

More importantly and not shocking is that I see the complaining about what will happen in the game has started 3 hours before gametime.

[Jonesman]

Dobbs has been activated. They should give him a start soon to help him get in the groove for the stretch run.

[kart racer]

I happen to love all geico commercials, and it just further reinforces my desire to stay with their auto insurance.

[Pete Happy]

http://www.philebrity.com/2009/09/16/readers-cameraphone-modells-also-giving-up-on-brad-lidge/>Readers Cameraphone: Modell’s Also Giving Up On Brad Lidge

[Reverend]

The Geico add on MLB.TV is horrible and it plays every commercial break. I don't want to hear the same 3 doors down song every half inning. Also the MLB Umpire camp commercial is crazy loud and annoying.

[bob]

Pete Happy - a good opportunity to arbitrage?

[rob J]

My wife is a paralegal (the ones that work harder than their bosses) and she says Geico is notorious for not paying claims or VERY slow if they DO pay them.The cavemen have lost ALL their humor and replaced it with maddening repetition

[ftljohn]

I see your Geico commerical, and raise you T-Mac reading the Phillies "Quote of the Day" or the Citizens Bank 'Green Fact."

[Old Phan]

They should pull Blanton out when he hits 100 pitches or his arm may turn into a pumpkin.

[The Gecko]

I've heard Geico agents can't hit leftys.

[EastFallowfield]

In the 'Who Do We Root For' Series finale in St Louis, Marlins up by 4 in the bottom of the 9th, but Cards have loaded the bases for some Pujols guy...

[EastFallowfield]

Marlins' Nunez has hit two batters in a row, including Pujols, to make it a 5-2 game, bases loaded, 1 out.

[Old Phan]

Albert gets plunked

[EastFallowfield]

And Holliday grounds into a game ending DP. We gain ground on the Cards but not the Marlins.

[Old Phan]

Cardinals announcers are shocked, shocked that the Cards lost today.

[Rob J]

Holliday grounded into a DP.. Phuckin Phish win.. My question is-- Cards fans booed right after the last play.. firstly< dothey boo? secondly, why Holliday-- a guy that rescued their season ?

[EastFallowfield]

They were booing during the game I tuned in on on Monday night too. That's the one game they won vs the Once-Again-Red-Hot-Marlins.

[Old Phan]

Cards fans rarely boo, but they sure did today.

[Bay Slugga]

Anyone else think the cardinals announcers are terrible? Listening to them is like watching paint dry.

[Pete Happy]

The gecko's too short . . . . .

[Rob J]

The cardinals announcers are boring, but the unabashed homer award (hereby named the Steve Stone award) goes to the Marlins play-by-play douche.. I think Tommy Hutton actually reels him in" (pun intended)because he's so biased.

[king myno]

Rob J - HIS NAME IS...(in unison) DAN UGGLA!

I'd rather not watch Phils/Marlins games than listen to that crap.

[NEPP]

Everyone remember the "Dan Uggla is better than Chase Utley" discussion from last year. That was fun, wasn't it?

[Old Phan]

Now he is Saint Utley. How times have changed.

[clout]

Someone mentioned Utley for MVP in the last thread and if MVP was limited to secondbasemen, he'd win. But the MVP award usually goes to the guy who leads the league in one or more offensive categories.

Of the 35 categories listed by Baseball-Ref. com, Utley currently leads the NL in one: HBP.

[doubleh]

Old Phan: I prefer Super Chase (as nicknamed by Adam Dunn).

[Old Phan]

HH, I think Super Chase is more appropriate, but not as funny.

[Rob J]

Myno-- He never calls his name the 132 times he has whiffed or the many other outs that see his BA. at .244 Still-- Steve Stone's PUT IT ON THE BOARD EEEEEYEAH! after a Sox HR or "The score is 4 for them and 3 for us" is the gold standard

[danger lad]

MVP- If you couldn't detect the sarcasm in my 'I hope Kentucky Joe doesn't exceed 118 pitches' post, then it's official...

MVP stands for Most Vapid Poster.

[MG]

I get so tired of always hearing how Cards' fans are the best in the NL and how great it is to watch a game in St. Louis.

Been to St. Louis twice to watch a Cards game (one Cards-Phils) game at the new Busch Stadium and there are a bunch of newer stadiums that are clearly better (Philly, Seattle, SF, Pittsburgh) and it isn't any more knowledgeable a crowd than you see at any big sports town with passionate baseball fans.

[denny b.]

St. Louis's crowds are some of the most laid-back in all of sports.

They literally just sit there, like they are watching an opera or something.

They show up in great numbers and are loyal. But just a real quiet group, most of the time. Which is probably why, their announcers are the same way. Hawk Harrelson or Jon Sterling wouldn't play very well in St. Lou

I betcha you will never guess the Phils lineup tonight.... OK, I bet most can.

[danger lad]

St. Louis blows...even their barbecue.

[Seth.]

Wouldn't it be awesome if Cliff Lee's first name were Phil?

[bob]

JC threw a 25-pitch BP session and said he felt "outstanding." Steps to getting back to Phils: a total of 5 appearances, not including 1 BP session on Friday and a simulated game next week. It's like he's pulling a super-Pedro/Clemens - saving all of his bullets until the post-season, when he'll have a much fresher arm than any other reliever in the league.

And Lauber's blog made it sound as if Dobbs is being activated today DESPITE not being 100%. It sounds as if the calf didn't/isn't responding to treatment and that it's now a matter of playing through the injury for the rest of the season. That sucks.

[klaus]

@seth: yes.

[bay_area_phan]

I doubt Utley will ever lead the league in any of the sexy offensive categories, because he doesn't have the power of guys like Howard, Pujols & Fielder, and it's hard to see him ever hitting for high enough average to win a batting crown. I could, however, see him one year putting together a career season in which he hits .320 with 40 homers, 200 hits, 100 RBIs, and 20 to 25 stolen bases. So long as the Phillies are in contention and no one else puts together a monster offensive season, he could win MVP in a season like that. Certainly, his odds are much, much better than Shane Victorino's -- which was the debate earlier today.

[MSH]

Cardinals are the most overrated team in baseball.