GaryMrMets
07-06-2004, 01:36 AM
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/s070304a.htm
Home runs fly out of Citizens Bank Park; McGrady is dealt; and the Eagles? Well . . .
Saturday, July 3, 2004
For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, especially in sports.
Action: Phillies set franchise record for homers in a month with 43 in June.
Reaction: It wasn't just the six games against the Montreal Expos.
Although that helped.
Or the stat-fattening feasts on some suspect pitching from the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota, Kansas City and Detroit in interleague play.
Although that helped, too.
It was Citizens Bank Park.
Quick - turn on the TV. Somebody probably is going deep at the new stadium, or there's a highlight of last night's upper- deck shot.
It's too soon for any hard conclusions, but three months into the first season, this much is clear: That squabble over the nick- name of the new joint was premature.
Pretty soon, folks are going to start referring to the new stadium as the "Play Pen," or the "Launching Pad" or "Coors Field East."
It's not even deep into the summer, when the baseball really flies in South Philadelphia. Just watch in late July and August, on hot nights when would-be pop-ups land three rows into the seats.
And how long before traditionalists - and antsy managers who can see their bullpen imploding before their eyes - begin to complain about the way the new stadium is changing the dynamics of the grand old game?
A: Several national magazines pick Eagles to win NFC East but not the Super Bowl in preseason predictions.
R: Oh, sure. Lose three NFC title games in a row - the last two at home while scoring a total of 13 points - and all of a sudden everybody thinks you can't come through in the clutch.
A: Carl Lindros calls the New York Rangers "dysfunctional" and compares the organization to a "pee-wee hockey team coached by a father."
R: Consider that expert testimony. Because when it comes to dysfunction, petty pee-wee stuff and stage-fathering, the man is E.F. Hutton.
A: Houston Rockets acquire Tracy McGrady in a blockbuster trade, touting the combination of reigning NBA scoring champion and 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming as the new dynamic duo in the sport.
R: How do you say, "I'm open underneath so how about throwing me the (insert colorful colloquialism here) ball" in Chinese?
A: First baseman Ryan Howard hits 31st home run for Reading Phillies and needs just three in the next 63 games to set a franchise record.
R: Maybe it's the Double-A pitching. Maybe it's the thin air in Reading. Maybe that team has been playing some of its home games at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa.
But homegrown power is homegrown power, and the Phillies have historically lacked homegrown power.
This guy might be a natural first baseman, and that position might be occupied through 2009 by a guy named Jim Thome.
Can Howard play left field? Pat Burrell play third base? Dave Montgomery push for the creation of the designated hitter in the National League?
Because 31 homers in early July is 31 homers in early July, and homegrown power commands a position in the hometown lineup.
A: 76ers insist the fact that rookie No. 1 pick Andre Iguodala averaged just 12 points per game at Arizona is not an issue since it's indicative of his unselfishness and ability to impact a game without taking a lot of shots.
R: Sounds good to Allen Iverson.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/images/s070304a.jpg
Phillies slugger Jim Thome (left) and Tracy McGrady, now of Houston.
Home runs fly out of Citizens Bank Park; McGrady is dealt; and the Eagles? Well . . .
Saturday, July 3, 2004
For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, especially in sports.
Action: Phillies set franchise record for homers in a month with 43 in June.
Reaction: It wasn't just the six games against the Montreal Expos.
Although that helped.
Or the stat-fattening feasts on some suspect pitching from the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota, Kansas City and Detroit in interleague play.
Although that helped, too.
It was Citizens Bank Park.
Quick - turn on the TV. Somebody probably is going deep at the new stadium, or there's a highlight of last night's upper- deck shot.
It's too soon for any hard conclusions, but three months into the first season, this much is clear: That squabble over the nick- name of the new joint was premature.
Pretty soon, folks are going to start referring to the new stadium as the "Play Pen," or the "Launching Pad" or "Coors Field East."
It's not even deep into the summer, when the baseball really flies in South Philadelphia. Just watch in late July and August, on hot nights when would-be pop-ups land three rows into the seats.
And how long before traditionalists - and antsy managers who can see their bullpen imploding before their eyes - begin to complain about the way the new stadium is changing the dynamics of the grand old game?
A: Several national magazines pick Eagles to win NFC East but not the Super Bowl in preseason predictions.
R: Oh, sure. Lose three NFC title games in a row - the last two at home while scoring a total of 13 points - and all of a sudden everybody thinks you can't come through in the clutch.
A: Carl Lindros calls the New York Rangers "dysfunctional" and compares the organization to a "pee-wee hockey team coached by a father."
R: Consider that expert testimony. Because when it comes to dysfunction, petty pee-wee stuff and stage-fathering, the man is E.F. Hutton.
A: Houston Rockets acquire Tracy McGrady in a blockbuster trade, touting the combination of reigning NBA scoring champion and 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming as the new dynamic duo in the sport.
R: How do you say, "I'm open underneath so how about throwing me the (insert colorful colloquialism here) ball" in Chinese?
A: First baseman Ryan Howard hits 31st home run for Reading Phillies and needs just three in the next 63 games to set a franchise record.
R: Maybe it's the Double-A pitching. Maybe it's the thin air in Reading. Maybe that team has been playing some of its home games at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa.
But homegrown power is homegrown power, and the Phillies have historically lacked homegrown power.
This guy might be a natural first baseman, and that position might be occupied through 2009 by a guy named Jim Thome.
Can Howard play left field? Pat Burrell play third base? Dave Montgomery push for the creation of the designated hitter in the National League?
Because 31 homers in early July is 31 homers in early July, and homegrown power commands a position in the hometown lineup.
A: 76ers insist the fact that rookie No. 1 pick Andre Iguodala averaged just 12 points per game at Arizona is not an issue since it's indicative of his unselfishness and ability to impact a game without taking a lot of shots.
R: Sounds good to Allen Iverson.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/images/s070304a.jpg
Phillies slugger Jim Thome (left) and Tracy McGrady, now of Houston.