Rowand should be going, going, gone.
Pitching, pitching, pitching.
Who would have guessed that 8 runs isn’t enough for a win. But I can tell you right now, that game was lost in the top of the 2nd. When Rowand dropped that ball, it was as if the team came out of their winning trance and started playing like the team that made me give up on them a week ago. All the momentum that came with the 2 bombs seemed to just vanish. And I blame that error on Rowand, not Burrell. Yes it was Burrell’s ball but Rowand, being the centerfielder, has the right to call it. When he called for it, the blame went along with it.
It’s no surprise if I tell you that the Phillies biggest weakness is pitching. Whether it is the starting rotation, bullpen, or closer. They have a great hitting lineup and many of the players are young and should be here for awhile. The one player that will probably be leaving soon is Aaron Rowand. As his contract is ending, now is the time to trade him away for a solid #3 starter or a reliable bullpen arm. We can all agree that this Phillies team is not capable of a World Series. Possible playoff appearance via wildcard, but they can’t compete with a healthy Mets or a majority of the AL teams. Instead of keeping Rowand for the rest of the season then getting nothing out of him, trade him now.
The bullpen is starting to come around, only a few parts are needed in order to make it solid. Myers can take over the closer role. Madson is starting to come back to old form. Geary has seemed to calm down. And as of late, Zagurski is doing what he is asked to do. Grant it this rotation is also pretty bad. Hamels is the only reliable one. Moyer is probably the #2, but how long can you rely on him before his old age catches up with him. The other two, Lieber and Eaton, are way to inconsistent but I’ll take the good with the bad as good starting pitchers are hard to come by. What I’m trying to say is that the Phillies are a few moves (and a couple $10 millions) from having a great team. Step one is using Rowand for trade bait. If that can be achieved, step 2 is for this management to realize that they are running a BASEBALL TEAM and not some type of corporation. making money isn’t important, winning World Series titles is the primary goal.
Last words . . . how long do we have to put up with Barajas?
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Posted on June 15, 2007 by Soss | Filed Under Baseball, General, Philadelphia, Phillies, Philly Sports, Professional Sports
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I’m glad we have Aaron Fence-Face Rowand on our club, but he makes dumb decisions and is defense is greatly over-rated. Many people describe him as ballsy or aggressive, but that’s a substitute for saying “stupid”. His play in CF last night was horrible, and so was his getting thrown out by 10 feet at 2nd while trying to stretch a single into a double.
The only thing is, if you were another team’s GM, what would you actually give up for Rowand? I wouldn’t give up much.