Philadelphia Phillies fans like myself don’t have as much reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving as we did a month ago. Thanks to the NLDS, we have new reasons to be upset towards the likes of Ryan Howard(notes), Cliff Lee(notes) and Charlie Manuel after worshiping them for years.

However, there are a few Phillies we can still feel thankful to have around even during this offseason.

Roy Halladay(notes)

If the Phillies had just gotten one run for Halladay in Game 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, his legend would have grown even more in Philadelphia—if that is possible. As it stands, Halladay remains the ace of aces in the National League after two years here, and may be the primary reason why the Phillies still have an open window for another title.

Cole Hamels(notes)

Hamels is a throwback to the old days when the Phillies could win a World Series and when the team only had one ace. Now that his problematic 2009 season seems to be fully behind him, Hamels has become as reliable as ever—which he showed when he gutted out six shut-out innings in Game 3 at St. Louis. Right now, he is one of the few veteran Phillies who isn’t a question mark; perhaps because he is one of the younger veterans.

Jimmy Rollins(notes)

If Rollins remains with the Phillies heading into 2012, it will give fans all the more reason to be thankful. While we can debate whether he has enough left in the tank to earn a five-year deal—especially with all the other improvements the Phillies need to make—few will argue that he doesn’t deserve to end his career in Philadelphia.

We may be clinging to the old days when Rollins was an MVP and the Phillies were still pennant winners. Yet if he and the team can agree on one more deal, it will make fans appreciate him all the more because he will be a Phillie for life, after all.

Carlos Ruiz(notes)

Ruiz was one of the many Phillies who had nothing to offer on offense in the NLDS. But we had no choice but to put up with it because of the catcher’s invaluable service behind the plate. Considering the work Ruiz has done with Halladay, Hamels and Lee over the years—including a no-hitter and playoff perfect game with Halladay—it is worth a few offensive slumps.

Hunter Pence(notes)

Until October, Pence looked like the missing piece of the puzzle for the Phillies offense. However, since he made such an impression on Philadelphia before the postseason, the right fielder is one of the few players that can be safely let off the hook. The hope is that Pence will stay on our good side during his first full year in a Phillies uniform next season.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Jim Thome(notes) and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a
$1.25 million, one-year contract.

The 41-year-old Thome hit .256 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI in a combined 93
games with the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians last season. He batted .350
with runners in scoring position and .424 over his final 11 games of the season.

Thome played from Philadelphia from 2003-05 and has remained close with
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, his hitting coach for several years in
Cleveland.

Thome hit .260 with 96 home runs and 266 RBIs in his first stint with the
Phillies.

Thome has a .277 career average with 604 homers and 1,674 RBIs. He is one of
just eight players to hit more than 600 homers.

The Philadelphia Phillies made their first notable signing of the 2011 offseason. As it turns out, it’s not the signing that will make the team an offensive force in 2012. However, the Phillies did bring back a familiar face. The Phillies agreed to a one year deal with former slugger Jim Thome. The move brings Thome back to the Phillies for the first time since 2005. As a Phillies fan, I’m happy with this signing. I just hope it is the precursor to something bigger.

Bringing Thome back comes with little risk and a lot of potential for the Phillies. Thome is getting a one year deal worth just over a million dollars. That’s not a lot of money to pay a guy that could be a pretty solid pinch hitter. The Phillies lacked any pop near the bottom of the lineup. Thome will certainly give them that. There is also a chance that he could play first base early in the season while Ryan Howard(notes) recovers from his Achilles injury. That might be a little dicey since Thome hasn’t really played in the field in six years. However, there is a decent chance that Thome could fill that spot. Once Howard returns, the Phillies have a nice pinch hitter on the roster.

Brining back Thome is also exciting for the fans. He was a fan favorite while he was here. Moreover, the signing of Thome is significant because it throws back to when the organization first started turning around. The signing of Thome before the 2003 season sent a message that the Phillies weren’t afraid to spend money. Since that time, the team has been built to win every year. This move also reunites Thome with Charlie Manuel, his former coach with the Cleveland Indians. Manuel and Thome have had a strong relationship for years. Thome will be a hard worker and will definitely help this team.

The signing of Thome is nice, but the Phillies still need to do a little more to improve the offense. If they fix other areas, this will be a signing that everyone loves. But if this winds up being the biggest move they make, it will be pretty disappointing for the fans. Fortunately, the Phillies are far from finished this offseason.

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Philadelphia Phillies fans are still in shock over their team’s early exit out of the Major League Baseball playoffs.

For the second year in a row the Phillies came into the playoffs with baseball’s best record and exited before reaching the World Series.

Understandably there’s plenty of blame to go around. The Express Times’ Brad Wilson points his finger at Charlie Manuel while Josh Folck showers criticism on Cliff Lee.

Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco and many others have also faced the fans’ angry pitchforks.

lehighvalleylive.com reader quitcomplaining thinks that the blamers are both right and wrong. How’s that? quitcomplaining believes it was a collective team failing and writes:

“Instead of pointing fingers, how about this… the team as a whole got too cocky and their over confidence was their downfall. They thought they were unbeatable. The cards obviously wanted it more, were more focused on the prize, and worked a heck of a lot harder for it.”

Do you think the Phillies fell short of the World Series because they were too cocky? Were they not mentally prepared to face the Cardinals? Or would you rather shower blame on individuals? Share your thoughts and comments below.

AFP

Two of Major League Baseball’s most successful teams, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, own a home-field edge in the playoff fight that begins on Friday and ends with the 107th World Series.

The Yankees beat Philadelphia in the best-of-seven championship showdown two years ago and captured their record 27th World Series title by dethroning the defending champion Phillies.

But a possible rematch has plenty of obstacles, starting with the best-of-five first round playoff matchups.

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In the American League, the Yankees start at home Friday against Detroit while the Texas Rangers, who dropped their World Series debut last year to San Francisco, will play host to Tampa Bay in the other first-round series opener.

Philadelphia, who led the major leagues with 102 victories, will open the National League playoffs on Saturday at home against St Louis while Arizona will visit Milwaukee in the other NL first-round series.

The Yankees and Tigers meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, when New York won the opener at home before dropping the next three games and the series as Detroit reached the World Series, losing to St Louis.

“We did all right that year,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

“It’s not like everybody’s lining up to play the Tigers.”

The Yankees, who have not played Detroit since May 5, boast a powerhouse batting lineup that helped win 97 games, including ex-Tiger Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

The Tigers, coming off their first division title since 1987, boast sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez and a solid leadoff man in Austin Jackson.

On the mound, the Yankees will open with CC Sabathia, who went 19-8 with a 3.00 earned-run average, while the Tigers counter with Justin Verlander, who was 24-5 with a 2.40 earned-run average, in a showdown of ace pitchers.

The key might be game two, where Detroit’s Doug Fister, unbeaten in the final six weeks of the season, faces 16-game winner Ivan Nova, a rookie.

St Louis charged into the playoffs by closing the season 23-9 to book a first-round date with the Philles, whom they went 6-3 against this season.

But Philadelphia offers the deadliest pitching lineup in baseball with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels and the Phillies bring plenty of confidence they can reach the World Series for the third time in four years.

“You can’t be scared and you can’t look to dodge nobody,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “Bring ‘em on. Let’s get ‘em. Champions can beat anybody.”

The Philadelphia Phillies snapped their eight-game losing streak Sunday afternoon with a win over the New York Mets.

It was the longest slump for the Phillies since Terry Francona was managing the squad in 2000.

But what do the recent struggles mean for a team that was dominant much of the year?

Not much of anything.

The Phillies still have a fifth-straight division title wrapped up and know that they will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In fact, they still have a shot to play a huge role in eliminating one of their biggest challengers to a National League pennant from the playoffs when they travel to Atlanta for their final three regular season games. 

Losses to teams like the Washington Nationals and New York Mets don’t really have much significance when you have absolutely nothing to play for and many of your regular starters are shuffling in and out of the lineup.

All the losing streak really did was cost the team a possible team-record of 102 wins. The Phillies still have a chance of breaking the record of 101 (set by the Phillies teams in 1976 and 1977) if they can sweep Atlanta to end the season. The team could also gain a share of the record if they took two out of three from the Braves.

But what does a team record in wins really give you? It certainly doesn’t guarantee a championship. Just ask members of the 1976 and 1977 Phillies if you don’t believe me.

The most surprising thing to me over the last week was how much action regulars saw on the field. If I was in Charlie Manuel’s position, I would limit my starters to cameo appearances and do everything possible to prevent any chance of somebody getting hurt. How awful would the manager feel if one of his key contributors went down with an injury in a meaningless game? I know baseball players need their daily dose of swings and pitches to stay fresh, but isn’t that what batting practice and bullpen sessions are for?

When everything is wrapped up, that’s when the likes of John Bowker, Brandon Moss and Pete Orr should be on the field. Get Joe Blanton, Justin De Fratus and Michael Schwimer plenty of work on the mound too. Heck, sit down the Phillie Phanatic for the last few home games and bring up Ferrous and FeFe. You don’t need the Phanatic pulling a hamstring in a meaningless game.

So don’t fret Phillies fans, the recent losing ways shouldn’t get you down about the team’s postseason chances. If the team takes care of business and brings Philadelphia another World Series Championship, nobody will remember the team’s hiccup to end the regular season.