It's very convenient that the Phillies wore throwbacks during the game depicted on this card. Not only are the throwbacks awesome, but the time they're throwing back to is very similar to the current timeperiod in Phillies history.
Let me splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
Right now the Phillies are rebuilding. Sure, they still have the stars that made them great when the won the World Series, and when they were the best team in baseball (in 2011). But these guys aren't performing as well as they did when they won it. It's similar to the Phillies teams in the years following their World Series in in 1980. They had respectable years, had a year where they brought in a bunch of huge stars (1983), a year where all those huge stars left (1984), and a year where they brought in youth with no real avail (1987).
And if we're making this comparison....
Roy Halladay is like Steve Carlton. Some people may call this a stretch, but hear me out. Both have won multiple Cy Young awards. Both made a name for themselves with the Phils. Both had one or two okay years, while still retaining a good reputation. Both are heading into the near-end of their careers, yet are still pitching well in inconsistent years.
Chase Utley is like Mike Schmidt. Once again, hear me the bleep out. Both members act as nothing more than a constant. When the team is good, they play well. When the team sucks, they still play well. When they're needed, they hit. When they need to field, they field well. Age slows them down a little bit, but they're still pretty good.
Darin Ruf is like Von Hayes. The young, hard-hitting, well-playing star who comes in toward the end of the dynasty, tries very hard to clean things up, and ends up carrying too much of a burden. Knowing what happened to Hayes, this does not bode well for Ruf, as much as I love him as a player. Still, both can get their team out of any situation, as Ruf has done in the past.
Jonathan Papelbon is like Steve Bedrosian. More known for their exploits on more successful teams. Both did actually pretty damn well with the Phillies, despite naysayers. Both do their best as closer to a team that doesn't get the opportunity often. Both end up leaving for a better team, though I don't know where Papelbon thinks he's going.
Ryan Howard is like Juan Samuel. Great players, in consistency, speed, and hitting ability, yet toward the end of their run with the Phils, they begin to show early signs of age, and begin to stop performing well. As great as they were, they're now just kinda there in the lineup. Eventually signed for 50 seconds by another team (and we all know it's coming with Howard).
J.A. Happ is like Dickie Noles. Spent 30 seconds with the team to win a World Series ring. Has since been with 7 other teams, and hasn't done very well since.
Jimmy Rollins is like Greg Gross. As great players as they are, after a while people just seem to forget they're still there, which says a lot about how far they've come.
Cliff Lee is like Shane Rawley. Spent a lot of time with different teams, but are defined by their performance in Philly. Have a few decent seasons, but can't seem to perform the same after a while. Still generally good pitchers.
Jonathan Pettibone is like John Denny. Has one good year. One.
See? The similarities are more similar than you might have thought. I'm not saying they're bound for the bottom, but they're probably gonna rebuild with younger stars and try again soon. I hope the Jays aren't there to stop them this time, though.
Coming Tomorrow- Ooh, this is gonna be an iffy one. The Yankees' starting third baseman. Yeah, that one.
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