Monday, April 24, 2006

Missing Fan Rescued...For Now

Things could be worse, I guess. We could be Marlins fans.

The Fish are a mere shadow of their former intimidating selves, a testament both to owner Jeffrey Loria’s naked desire to get out of south Florida by driving away the few remaining fans there and to Commissioner Bud Selig’s complicity in achieving that objective.

So, the Phils beat up a team comprised of a bunch of AAA players with a few major league veterans sprinkled in. But a win is a win, especially for this Phillies club and especially at home.

Most teams would have smacked their lips at the prospect of playing so many games at home to start the season, especially against the weakest members of their division. Interestingly, owner David Montgomery was quoted recently as saying that the preponderance of early-season games at the Bank meant, ironically, less money in his branch due to the relatively cool and rainy weather at this time of year and the fact that school was still in session for young fans. Given the way the Phillies respond to home cooking, maybe they should start next season on an extended road trip.

This Phillies club has shown precious little life thus far, resembling the moribund teams of the late ‘90’s. They don’t seem to have much fire at the plate or in the field. Worse, they seem absolutely DOA on the bench, a problem exacerbated by Charlie Manuel’s poor handling of his reserves. Alex Gonzalez and Shane Victorino have been buried. Dave Dellucci might as well be. Fans could have filed a missing person’s report on Abraham Nunez before yesterday.

After nearly three weeks of baseball one thing is clear: these guys are not much fun to watch.

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