I’ll start by announcing that I understand competition within a unit, like a pitching rotation. In the 80’s I was part of a six-piece band that had talented members, and every single musician, singer and songwriter lived up to their endowments. The music is divided into parts: lead crooner and instrument, rhythm section plus backing vocals. A team is also divided: starters, regulars, the bullpen and the bench. It is human nature to perform at maximum potential when others are doing that. When I reviewed the 9 three-ace staffs, I found that only 1 historic hurler had a down season in their biggest season, but the other 26 excelled that year. I had the same experience in music when original songs were introduced, as everybody performed to the level of the material.
The question of supremacy arises when your have the first 4 number ones in history, which has to equal something. I’ll call them the Apocalyptic Horsemen until something sticks. There was only one middle of the lineup etched in hardball lore: Murderer’s Row during 1927 for The Yankees. The Gods are presenting the pitching equivalent to the 4 hitters from New York. The reason I suspect that this is a magical summer: There is something unique, the talent surrounding this is formidable, the self belief is off the charts, and the catalyst is present in Cliff Lee. I don’t believe you must have a team of HOF’ers to achieve jaw-dropping results.
You do, however, need talent to reach the upper stratosphere of achievement. I see the ability in C Chooch Ruiz, 1B Ryno Howard, 2B Chase Utley, SS J-Roll Rollins, 3B Polly Polanco, LF Raul Ibanez, CF Shane Victorino and LF Dom Brown. An older J-Roll has entered camp, realizing now he has to work harder at remaining important. Utley has bulked up in the off season, and Rynosaur is almost back to 100% ankle-wise. Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras fit the skill level. Lidge learned how to pitch last year, and this year he’s worked on arm strength, which will get him some fastball giddy up. J.C. Romero is seeking advice from Lee about control to make himself relevant this year. My conclusion is that the capacity is there, the desire is present, and 5 of the 7 regulars are not at the end career-wise. I don‘t anticipate a totally anemic offense except for Chooch and Polly.
The competition in 1910 and 1929 featured 7 opposing franchises with 22 contests apiece, which breaks down to 132 games against the 6 other clubs besides New York. The 2011 Phillies will play 61 ballgames against 8 strong opponents in their first 154 opportunities before clinching, and 64 total for the year. Those teams are: The Braves (18), The Reds (11), The Cards (9), The Giants (7), The Brewers (7), The Dodgers (6), The Red Sox (3) and The Rangers (3).
The August-September stats from Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels were spectacular, which is what happens when players rise to their ability benchmark. Using August 1 as a starting date for serious stretch-drive competition, this is their track record, which does not include postseason tune-ups. The collective went 21-6 with a 2.28 ERA for 225 complete, managing 176 hits, 57 runs (all earned) and 41 walks plus 216 punch outs. They fired 6.1 frames or more in 29 of 33 outings. I covered those numbers last year on a per start basis, and will do so again this season with 1 addition. These performances are exhibit A when everybody brings their A game, and that occurs in this exact type of interaction.
The 1980 Phillies will always be beloved, and most of the headliners from the 2008 squad are on this team: Hamels, Lidge, Madson, Blanton, Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ruiz and Vic were on that championship roster. This is the best of the 3 ball clubs, and the only Phillies favored to win The World Series in February. On Monday they drew the type of media buzz we only see from The Yankees or Red Sox, and that is really saying something. When was the last time you simultaneously viewed an entire rotation at a press conference?
The Philadelphia Athletics had huge summers: 1910, 1911, 1929, 1930 and 1931. These are basically 2 different units: The 1910-11 and the 1929-31 corps. The dead-ball-era 1911 franchise played during a time of overused baseballs. The hardballs were in play until the stitching came loose, they became soft, fouls were returned from the stands, they were dark with tobacco stains, pitchers threw spit balls, and they scuffed them to influence the break on their throws. The white elephants went 102-48, 4-1 in the 1910 World Series, and they won The AL by 14.5 games. The 1911 club was 101-50 (13.5 ahead) and 4-2 in the series.
In ‘29 The A’s finished at 104-46 with an advantage of 18, and then won The WS 4 to 1. The next two seasons were 102-52 (8 ahead) with a 4-1 World Series victory (’30), and 107-45 (plus 13.5) before a 3-4 loss in The Fall Classic. A lot of fans strongly suggest that the ‘29 squad defeated the ‘27 Yankees, which is considered the best team in the sport’s history. For argument’s sake the ‘27
The two years that stand out are 1910 and 1929; each of those rosters had 4 HOF’ers during their best years. The 1980 Phillies had 10 All Stars, who had 42 selections after ‘79, and the 2011 corps has 26 named. The Pete Rose addition in 1979 did not produce a mentality of World Series or bust. The 2008-11 Phils will present their best this season; Doc, King Cole, and Chase would have the best shot at Hall Of Fame entrance down the road.
I initiated this article with a bar of 110 wins and an 11-0 postseason run to even be considered in the same stratosphere as the elite. I’ve reached the conclusion that the ‘11 Phillies might win 105 contests and The Fall Classic, putting them in the mix. If they pull that off, they would be among the premier clubs with the 1910 and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics, meaning 1 of the 3 all-time top teams for Philly baseball.
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