Phillies Do It Again: Another Talented Pitcher Slips Away

Who is that ace pitching for the National League champions’ Washington Nationals?  Is his name, Gio Gonzales, the same Gonzales that the Phillies traded to the White Sox a few years ago?  The same Gonzales the Phillies thought he was too emotional on the mound to be a successful pitcher? What an irony. 

Don’t make me laugh; the Phillies have proved time and again that they are incapable of recognizing talent. Maybe, it is because they are not interested in winning as much as they are interested in filling the seats at Citizens Park.

Because, why would they trade a proven pitcher in the name of Cliff Lee to acquire a marquee pitcher in the name of Roy Halladay. I do not care much for labels, what I do care is for substance, ability and on-the-field performance. These are the qualities that allow a lowly team as the Oakland Athletics to be in the American league championships while the Phillies are spectators like the rest of us.

The Phillies would rather spend money to get people in the seat rather than recognizing talent and keeping that talent where it belongs, in the Phillies’ organization.  The Phillies are masters in this endeavor because now that the 2012 season is over, they are at it again when they are trying to sell us the same lame story as before by bringing back Ryne Sandberg, the future hall-of-famer whom the Phillies let go many years when they did not even receive proper compensation when they sent him to the Chicago Cubs as a throw-in.

What a joke! Of course, we all know what Sandberg did in Chicago. He went out and played as the champion that he was and probably will be in Cooperstown as a Cub when he should have been a member of the Phillies. But, this is the lame story of the Phillies year after year. I have seen it and witnessed it for more than 40 years and it is a very sad commentary because I love the Phillies. They are my team no matter what the organization does. 

I remember Dave Cash, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Dick Allen, Garry Maddox and many others. I even remember that playoff game against the Dodgers in the 1970s when they played in a soaking rain for more than three hours only to lose a heartbreaking game and the chance to advance.  I remember Danny Ozark’s agony about losing that critical game.  

Do I hope a return to the World Series in 2013 for the Phillies? I do not know what changes the Phillies will make in the off-season. But one thing I will say, Mr. Amaro’s job should be to recruit the best players who can play the game and stop worrying about marquis players. Because when you win, people do not care about labels or that you have a marquee player in the lineup.

Gio Gonzales has proved that.  Who ever thought that a kid in the Phillies had under their control, would wind up in the 2012 World Series with the Washington Nationals.

And yes, the Washington Nationals with Gonzales and Werth will win the World Series in 2012. Make no mistake about it.