Hindsight & Highlights: The Second Half

November 07, 2005
Highlights of the second half of the 2005 baseball season through the eyes of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff's readers and myself. You can read the first half here. [Feel free to play Green Day's "Time of Your Life" or 10,000 Maniacs "These Are the Days" in the background.]
- Hindsight is 20/20, but the Phillies would be in better shape now had they been more creative in order to get some deals done at the trading deadline.- Knockin' down a beer or two with another Philly sports phan, Rhea Hughes.- Banning my readers from using a cell phone and waving to people while on TV.- The Phillies were in such a gray area at the trading deadline that it caused me to waffle a little bit.- The transcript of a telephone conversation and the GM of another team.- The Repressively Coping Chase Utley.- Eventually, the Phillies season made me turn green and queasy.- While simul-live-blogging the Battle and the Bridges and a Phillies/Astros contest in Houston, I reach the conclusion that John Daly looks more withchild than Jeannie Zelasko.- Imploring the Phils to trade Wagner.- What was up with Ryan Madson?- Robinson Tejeda chased cars [but in no way do I mean he was a dog...he stepped up big for the Phils when Randy Wolf went down].- While there were few deals at the trading deadline, the Braves managed to solidify their team enough for another NL East title.- Rafael Palmeiro tests postive for steroids.- "Waving the White Flag", one of the season's better posts if I do say so myself. At that point, I couldn't take anymore.- And then, the very next night, Jimmy Rollins reminds us why we can never throw in the towel on our team by stealing home and the game.- Foo Kin Cooperstown.- Are the Phillies too passive at the plate?- Were David Bell and Mike Lieberthal just unlucky all year?- Is Shane "The Hawaiian Punch" Victorino the Phillies centerfielder for '06?- The Phillies climbed back into the Wild Card hunt, but no one cared.- Remember when Chase Utley flattened Preston Wilson?- Though the bullpen was beginning to wear, the Phils gained the lead in the Wild Card.- Rocket Science and Jeff Franc(aeiou)r.- The key to Vicente Padilla: don't let anyone get on base.- Cheeseteaks in Paradise: Jimmy Buffett at Citizens Bank Park.- How much did losing Jim Thome hurt the Phillies?- For the 9,834th time, the wheels began to come off the Phillies season.- If Jimmy Rollins had stepped on first, would the Phillies have made the playoffs? I couldn't say his name for weeks after this.- If David Bell had cleanly fielded the ball in the final game against the Astros, would the Phillies have made the playoffs? I was really worried about Harry the K after this loss.- Open mouth, insert foot.- The Phils drop ten on the Marlins in the ninth for a W.- After an appearance by Rheal Cormier, I felt that the only thing that could save the Phillies was MacGyver.- The case for Ryan Howard over Jeff Franc(aeiou)r for Rookie of the Year.- Shane Victorino's turn to be a hero.- As I read over these posts, it just amazes me how the Phillies refused to die and how much fun the 2005 baseball season was.- MacGyver's not available? How about Davey Crockett and William Barrett Travis?- Foul language.- This reminds me, what happened to Frank Wren?- Phinally, the end. To me, this paragraph still resonates, even several weeks later:
There were stretches of this Phillies season that made us scream, sometimes in positive tones and sometimes in negative tones. There were times that made us shake our heads in disbelief, sometimes in a dejected way and sometimes in an incredulously elated way. Fist pumps and punched sofa cushions, it was quite a roller coaster year. I'll miss it.
I sure do.

Source: http://www.ballssticksstuff.com/