phrustrated philly phan

Lets start with a brief history. As many of you know, I am a college student so that means I don't remember the great teams of the late 70's and early 80's. My first memory of the Phillies is attending a game probably in 1991 or 1992 with my dad. It was a great time and I have been hooked ever since. I barely remember the 1993 season when the Phillies lost a heartbreaking World Series. Since then the Phillies have seemed to be in repeat mode. The mid and late 90's were a bad time to be a Phillies fans. Players like Ricky Otero (only 5'7") were common and so was losing. Ed Wade stumbled his way through being a GM and did relatively little positive other than trading Kevin Stocker for Bobby Abreu. With the hiring of Larry Bowa, the culture of losing changed and the team became a consistent over .500 team but still could not reach the postseason. Wade was still routinely critized and deservedly so. Scott Rolens, Jim Thome, and Billy Wagner were the big names during this period yet they could never reach October baseball. One of Ed Wade's final big move was replacing Larry Bowa with Charlie Manuel but was repeatedly critized. After a season when the team finished only 1 game out of the playoffs, Wade was canned because of fan discontent. Then Pat Gillick was hired and now a new history will be written.

Gillick made his first big move by giving first base to Ryan Howard. He subsquently traded Jim Thome for hard-nosed Aaron Rowand and prospects Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood. Haigwood was later flipped for Fabio Castro who has not yet allowed a run as a Phillie. Gillick did not hesitate to promote Cole Hamels even though he took some lumps. Wade's policy of never taking a risk is dead. Gillick knows that to be successful, a person must takes some risks whether in life or baseball. Gillick is a winner and he has brought that attitude to Philly. He gave the Phillies the first half to try to prove themselves then when he realized they were not adequate, he acted decisively. Good-bye to Bobby Abreu, Cory Lidle, Ryan Franklin, Rheal Cormier, Sal Fasano, and David Bell. He let Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Howard become the team leader. He made space for Victorino and Delluci to get more playing time and this entire team has gelled and is playing well. This team is exciting and agressive and have been fun to watch the past month. Gillick was not afraid to make some moves when the Phils played themselves back into the wild card race. Besides the Yanks acquiring Abreu and Lidle, Gillick acquiring Jaime Moyer was probably the biggest move. A solid, reliable pitcher who knows what postseason baseball is all about. This is the present and the Phillies are making a run at the postseason and I'm confident they will be in the race till the end and wouldn't bet against them. Now a look into the future.

Eventually Ruben Amaro Jr. will replace Gillick as GM so hopefully Amaro is soaking up everything he can from Gillick. Cole Hamels will be a staff ace and pitcher from the minors like Gio Gonzalez will be at least solid pitchers for the Phillies. They have many pitching prospects from Double A down so Gillick's plan of developing pitching from within looks to be on track and should be able to keep the Phillies in the race for many years. Utley and Howard will be here, hopefully, for a long time. The offense should be fine as it is easier to sign a hitter than a pitcher.

In conclusion, it is a great time to be a Phillies fan. In a season where they were left for dead, the Phils have been revived and are fighting for a playoff spot. The future looks bright with players like Utley, Howard, Hamel, and Gonzalez. Pat Gillick has begun a new era and changed the culture. No longer the culture of the 90's where the Phillies were a sad excuse for a big market team. Now they are establishing themselves in the upper echelon of clubs and Gillick is responsible for that. Even though all of Gillick's moves this past offseason may not have worked out, he has a long-term plan and it is on-track to make this team a contender for years to come. I am excited as should everybody be. This is a new era. No longer look to the losing past of the Phillies but ahead to the winning.