RIP 2009 Phillies

Their loss to the Yankees, while disappointing, should be kept in the proper perspective...

-The Yankees had a monsterous advantage with the DH for three of the games. And Matsui was named MVP, batting over .600, while beating the Phillies by himself in the clinching game.

-The Phillies, beyond Cliff Lee, had no reliable starter for the entire postseason. They squeezed every last drop out of Pedro Martinez and got next to nothing from 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels. And Joe Blanton is Joe Blanton.

-Their bullpen was not capable of holding up against the Yankee lineup, and yet they were still able to take two games. You couldn't trust ANYONE coming out of the pen except for may Chan Ho....nuff said.

-the Phillies will be back in the World Series next year...noone else in the National league is really even that close to the Phillies. The Dodgers are a gutless, heartless team with a declining Manny and suspect starting pitching. The Cardinals showed against the Dodgers that they clearly are not ready to step up. The Giants can't hit and the Rockies can't pitch. This nucleus has many more defining moments in front of them.

That being said, there is still plenty to complain about after the loss..

1. Why in the world did Pedro pitch to Matsui in the 4th inning? It was clear from the very beginning that he had nothing. His fastball averaged around 84-85 mph and he wasn't able to pitch inside because he did not have the velocity to do so. So the hitters were able look away and sit on his pitches. He should have been removed at the first sign of trouble. Happ should have been brought in to face Matsui with the bases loaded.

2. Ryan Howard did his best Pat Burrell impression with his homer in the 6th inning to bring the Phillies to within 4 runs. It was far little too late for the NLCS MVP. He did not see the ball well the entire series, even though he said he wasn't pitched any differently. He came up real small against the Yankees.

3. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino did not get on base in front of Utley and Howard throughout the entire series. The majority of Utley's homeruns were solo shots and oppsoing pitchers will take them all day. Their speed wasn't a factor and their inability to reach base really crippled the Phillies offense.

Despite the loss, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, although this probably isn't one of them. Onto the Eagles....full preview on friday.