It's Time to Panic

By Tim McManus

Yes, it's time to panic. But maybe for different reasons than you think.

Getting swept by the team you're chasing, in any month, is a blow. That becomes especially true when you look up after and see that your enemy has pulled ahead by nearly double-digits.

It is not the 9 1/2 game deficit that is most alarming, though, but rather a familiar sense of apathy that the Phillies exuded during the recent burial.

There are deficiencies in this team that have been thoroughly explored in this space throughout the season, and reasonable ways to fix the ailments in time to make a playoff run (Namely, exchanging a club for a gun).

You have to wonder, however, if there's a way to reverse the psychology of a team that can't identify a big moment, much less seize it.

This core group has followed a similar pattern since its assembly: A stutter in the early going, a surge that puts them on or near the top, followed by a series of critical letdowns that leaves them hung on the barbwire rather than over the fence.

(Actually, Thursday's loss serves as a perfect microcosm, with the Phils going down 4-0 early, battling back to move within one, then ultimately coming up short.)

This has been the modus operandi with both Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel at the helm, so calling for the skipper's head in this instance may be unwarranted.

Instead, let's focus on the rough in the diamond...

There are only four players in the entire organization that Philadelphia should deem absolute keepers: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. All of them are not only young, but hold an intangible that makes you feel comfortable when the game falls in their hands. And that is the very quality that needs to be further honed by this club.

The antithesis of such players include Mike Lieberthal and Jon Lieber. Lieberthal needs to be exiled from Philly, and replaced with a catcher that can both handle a staff and a bat. This needs to be done now. Lieber, meanwhile, must be demoted to a No. 4 by next season or sent packing. And David Bell should join them for the ride, not because he's mentally soft but instead because he's just not good enough.

Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell all fall into the next category of players who will often give you a lift, but are just as prone to let you down. I still contend that Abreu needs to be moved in the name of a pitcher, while Burrell stays so you can still have a right-handed power bat in the middle of the lineup. Rollins should not lead off another day in his life. The experiment is over with him. Let him swing for the fences in the seven-hole.

Aaron Rowand obviously possesses the kind of inner fortitude that this team is missing as a whole, so he stays. And Madson shows just enough promise to ride him out.

None of the aforementioned players, though, should be deemed too valuable to get rid of. It is clear as it has ever been that a shake-up is in order, if for no other reason than to prove that a lack of urgency will not be tolerated.

It is time to mold a winner.