24 October 2008

Say it ain't so, Joe

The New York Times has the story of the suddenly 'futile' Phillies in the Series:
The Tampa Bay Rays quieted the suddenly futile Phillies, 4-2, in Game 2 of the World Series at Tropicana Field. The Rays were excited to even the best-of-seven series, 1-1, while the Phillies were wondering if they should even bother shipping their bats to Philadelphia.
Obviously it was the players who used those bats, not the innocent hunks of wood, who doomed the Phillies on an exasperating night. The Phillies went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position, a brutal effort that was slightly better than their 0 for 13 in winning the opener. The only hit was an infield single that did not even drive in a run.
Almost every player had left the clubhouse when Milt Thompson, the batting coach, was asked if he was relieved to be tied in a series in which the Phillies are 1 for 28 in such a critical hitting situation. He paused and laughed his way through the answer. "Do you think that's true?" Thompson said. "You better believe it."
If the Phillies had executed and merely smacked a couple of timely singles, they could have applied a 2-0 headlock on the Rays and been thinking about a sweep. "It was a missed opportunity, no doubt about that," Jimmy Rollins said. "But we didn't get it done."
The Phillies are too good a team to continue hitting .036 with runners in scoring position. But, the longer this spell continues, the more it could creep into their craniums and make those at bats more nerve-wracking. Manager Charlie Manuel acknowledged that some players might be "trying a little too hard."
Because the Phillies are on baseball's grandest stage and there is more pressure to succeed, Thompson said they must "find a way to slow the game down and relax." The Phillies must keep it simple, Thompson said, by getting "a good ball to hit and don't miss it." So far, the Phillies have missed a lot.
Rico says he can't believe they made it to the Series and are going to drop the ball now...

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