Philadelphia Phillies: best MLB player of all time, 4 options

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies hit 58 bombs during his first full season, which puts him in the paragraph with 2 superstars. Who are those 2? I’ll give you a brief appraisal before a 1-question poll. Howard is definitely not in this small circle and no active major leaguers are either.

TAL'S HANDY CAPS

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT:

Penthouse Occupancy for the 4-0 triumph: 3

The Crystal Champagne Toast is a salute to Joe Blanton.

Kentucky Joe Working Some 8th-Inning Magic At The Ted

He hurled a CG SO 3-hitter with only 88 bullets. He was joined on the top floor by Laynce Nix and Shane Victorino. Nix launched a 7th-frame missile over the dead centerfield wall near the 400’ sign, which is the deepest part of a big yard. It put him in the Animal House, as well. Vic added a 2-run insurance bomb in the 9th that allowed Kentucky Joe to relax for the final outs.

Jimmy Rollins (dunk single), Juan Pierre (bunt hit) and 2 sac flies grew a 1st-inning tally for Greenhouse Cholley.

Big Joe lost track of the 8th-frame outs and was easily doubled off 1st, which proved to be decisive in the Kangaroo Courthouse.

WELCOME, NEWCOMERS:

I will publish after every battle that is not washed out. The Phillies finished last summer 42 games over .500, which equaled a year of many positives. I will have many season-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats.

SPECIAL REQUEST:

If you were directed here by a feed and this review does not mention yesterday’s contest, please go to my author archives or Phillies page for my most recent coverage. (Early morning readers may arrive before the latest post.) Scroll down to Tal’s Handy Links at the bottom. Thank you.

The Sultan Of Swat

NITECAP INSIGHT

Ruth Or Mays:

There are two standouts: The original monster in the middle versus the 5-tool natural. I’ve heard Willie Mays mentioned the most in this comparison. Considering that Babe Ruth was a number one and the premier slugger in MLB history, he is a solid candidate for the top of the 100-year-old+ mountain. On the other hand, the Say Hey Kid, who could swipe bags at will, hit for average, power plus production; and he was a solid glove man. He was not only the pure player but he also put on a show: He deliberately slid to snare low liners, wearing his cap in such a way that it would fly off simultaneously. He achieved at least 20 stolen bases 7 times and is known for The Catch (see photo).

STAR	AVG. HIGH	HR HIGH	RBI HIGH	.300+	40 HR+	100 RBI+
Willie Mays	.347	52	141	10 Yrs.	06 Yrs.	11 Yrs.
Babe Ruth	.393	60	171	15 Yrs.	11 Yrs.	13 Yrs.

Hey Man, Say Hey Man

Both have contributed to 2 of the 3 most indelible moments in the Fall Classic. The other was the only perfect game, which occurred in 1956 by Don Larson during the 5th contest. In 1932, the Bambino called a centerfield 3-run blast on a 2-2 count after taunting from Cubs fans. It broke a 4-4, 5th-inning deadlock in game 3. Mays’ defensive gem occurred during the first battle of the 1954 World Series with 2 on in the 2-2, 8th-frame stalemate. It was a twisting, over-the-shoulder snag of a 460-foot rocket.

Southpaw Babe Ruth:

YEAR	W - L	ERA	INN.	GS	SHO
1915	18 - 08	2.44	217.2	28	1
1916	23 - 12	1.75	323.2	41	9
1917	24 - 13	2.01	326.1	38	6

The Southpaw

The Babe pitched during the dead-ball era, which was a huge advantage for hurlers. That said, even adding a half run to his ERA, he would still be at: 2.94, 2.25 and 2.51. That was my equalizer to compare stats from studs before 1921 and after, which was when the lively-ball epoch began. From 1921 to 1973, there was a basic equivalence among the sticks for statistics. The pluses for Willie were his fielding and speed, while Ruth was an ace turned homerun king. Who was the best: Ruth, Mays or someone else?

Kyle Kendrick Twirls A 3rd-Inning Sinker Against The Cubs At The Bank On April 29

PRECAP PITCH

























Kyle Kendrick:

He settled down in his 2nd appearance and he is stretched out to around 100 darts. You can expect a competitive effort, but he might only be limited to 6 full, if a pinch hitter is needed in a close battle.

	STARTER	RECORD	TM	STARTER	RECORD	DAY & TIME
1	RHP Kyle Kendrick	0-2, 6.59 ERA	@ Nats	RHP Stephen Strasburg	2-0, 1.13 ERA	Friday, Night
2	RHP Vance Worley	2-1, 1.97 ERA	@ Nats	LHP Gio Gonzalez	2-1, 1.82 ERA	Saturday, Day
3	LHP Cole Hamels	3-1, 2.78 ERA	@ Nats	RHP Jordan Zimmermann	1-2, 1.89 ERA	Sunday, Night

Stephen Strasburg Pictured In LA On April 28

Stephen Strasburg:

The ace of their rotation has returned with 3 plus pitches, but the Nats want to limit his workload. They are looking at 160 annual innings, which means he may come out after 6 complete. However, their closer and Brad Lidge are on the DL.

DELIVERY = PITCHER’S 2012	DEFINITION OF SEASON
Over The Top	Excellent
3-Quarter Sidearm	Good
Sidearm	Above Average
Short Arm	Approximately Average
Submarine	Below Average

Quality number of the pitcher: 1 – 5

Slot on his club: 1 – 5

Ranking is 1 to 5 & 15 for the less adventurous.

** Limited Resume

HURLER	Kyle Kendrick	John Lannan
NUMBER	A Five	A Five
CLUB SLOT	Four	Five
FOR 2012	Sidearm	Short Arm
'12 RANKING	3rd of 5 Categories	4th of 5 Categories
LAST START	Eephus Pitch	Slurve ***
LAST HIGH OR LOW	13th of 15 Categories	9th of 15 Categories

DISPLAY NOTE: Non-listed results can go up or down by

* 1 notch & ** 2 clicks (This note will only appear when it’s relevant.)

* 1 Tick UP

	PITCH	INN	ER - R- H		PITCH	INN	ER
1	Gyroball	9 (CG)	0 - 0 - 3	10	Screwball	6	4
2	Fastball	9 (CG)	0 - 0	11	Knuckleball	5	3
3	Cutter	9 (CG)	3	12	Forkball	0 - 4.2	Monstrosity
4	Split Finger	7	2	13	Eephus Pitch	0 - 2.2	Disaster
5	Curveball	7	3	14	*Palm Ball	Ejected
6	Sinker	6.1	3	15	*Spit Ball	**Ejected+
7	Slider	6	2		*Breaking Ball	Injured
8	Changeup	6	3		*Fosh	Rain Interrupted
9	Slurve	5	2		*Knuckle Curve	Pitch Count
	** = Suspended				* = A 2nd Pitch Also

MAC:

The program acronym is for Methodical Algorithmic Computerization or Mac. That is the feed system that has dogged me the entire month, but it allows me now to probe for a compatible solution. This only involves readers who were directed here from Fox Sports. The 2 links–Radar updated to May 2– in this section were recently passed over by a computer’s judgment. Does the national-and-all-major-sports machine understand Phillies commentary better than local fans? I discovered that the buttons and lights objected the most to the storyline when I submitted only that part. So, when the electrodes decide a Nitecap Insight isn’t to their liking, I’ll give my transferred readers a viewing opportunity the next day. I’ll keep score of acceptable to rejected commentary, because I don’t want a large readership excluded or my time wasted.

TAL'S HANDY SCOREBOARD

COMPUTER ALGORITHM VS. TAL:

Philadelphia Phillies storyline: under the radar

Philadelphia Phillies storyline: burn rate

ROUND ONE: TAL 1 – MAC 0

Philadelphia Phillies storyline: the opponent’s value is tomorrow’s review.

LINK-UP BELOW:

There are previews–time permitting–of my next storyline at Tal’s Handy Caps on Facebook. Join for notification of future glimpses, which will be almost daily. You’ll also know immediately when my isportsweb post goes up. It might be worth your while because I have seen delays of 2 hours on feeds.

Check out my previous publication (About Mac), and the 41 storylines–so far–for 2012 on the Phillies page or my author archives, where there is an excerpt photo. The Apocalyptic Horsemen Stats are in my previous review.

Tal’s Handy Stats is daily coverage. I am alternating the 2012 ERA For The NL East and the 2012 ERA For The MLB 5. Thank you, to all who bookmarked the Phillies page, because feeds are erratic at times.