By Steven Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine
I had one of my patented snazzy ledes ready to go about how Chase Utley should bat fourth and Ryan Howard should bat fifth during this upcoming Phillies season.
But after hearing about Vuk's passing, it's tough to write about the Phils without mentioning him. I remember when I was 10 years old and Burger King was giving out Phillies trading cards from the 1980 championship team.
I got Vukovich's card and, besides his 1970's porno mustache, I realized I didn't know too much about the guy. But over the next 25 years, especially the last 10, it was comforting to know that Vuk was manning the third base coaching box every inning for the Fightins.
Thanks for the years of service, Vuk. May you rest in peace.
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If the Phillies are as worried about Pat Burrell protecting Ryan Howard in the lineup as much as the fans are, perhaps they should consider batting Howard fifth. With Utley batting fourth, Howard will see way more pitches than he would if Burrell were behind him.
Let Howard protect Utley.
In my world, here's the Phillies 2007 opening day lineup: Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Aaron Rowand, Wes Helms, Rod Barajas and whomever is pitching.
Burrell, despite all his shortcomings in recent years, should provide enough pop to protect Rollins. With Utley batting behind him, Burrell is sure to see more pitches he can rake. But Burrell just isn't good enough to hit behind Howard.
If Burrell had lived up to his predraft hype, he'd be the perfect fit to hit behind Howard in the five hole. Instead, it's almost like Charlie Manuel has to hide him in the lineup. Essentially, Burrell is the wrench that's messing up the clockwork.
At least in the beginning of last season, Manuel had Howard batting sixth, which was an egregious mistake. Leaving Burrell in the five hole going into this season would be just as bad.
Hide Burrell in the three hole, move Utley to clean-up and let Howard drive everybody in. Now only if Rowand can get his bat up to speed, the Phillies might be dangerous.
Think Karim Garcia should bat fifth? Email Lienert at slienert@phanaticmag.com
1 comment:
Wow, when they talk about Philadelphia fans being knowledgeable, they sure dont mean this guy. I dont know where to start. You want Victorino to lead off? He's just as impatient as Rollins, only slower, and doesnt steal bases. Victorino stole 4 bases last year. 4. Rollins nabbed 36. Nice thinking.
Now, on to your ridiculous idea of putting Burrell up 3rd. So let's get our slowest runner up 3rd, thats brilliant thinking. So anytime one of the top two guys gets on, the other one gets out, and Burrell and Utley get on base, we're screwed. If Howard hits for extra bases, Utley - the best baserunner on the team - can't score, because he's stuck behind Burrell and his bad wheels.
You know, just because you're balding and wear glasses doesn't necessarily mean you should be sportswriter.
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