Monday's Bunts and Boots--Junior, The Phillies, and Cards

Having just returned from Philadelphia, I saw members of the Philly media begin to sow small seeds of panic over the Phillies' recent struggles. The Phillies didn't win a single game during my recent visit there--covering Wednesday through Sunday--thereby stretching their losing streak to five games. Much of the media and fan focus has centered on Chase Utley, who was enduring a career-worst 0-for-24 slump before finally breaking out with a base hit on Sunday.

Utley's woes have certainly posed a problem, but they're just one of several deficiencies that have sprung leaks at Citizens Bank Park. The high-octane offense as a whole has struggled of late, particularly with runners in scoring position. Ryan Howard's season-long swandive has drained the middle of his order; his .220 batting average, .318 on-base percentage, and 107 strikeouts (putting him well on pace for over 200 K's) have short-circuited far too many rallies. If neither he nor Jimmy Rollins play like an MVP candidate, the Phillies will struggle to win the NL East. They also need much more from journeyman Geoff Jenkins, who has played too much like Milt Thompson and too little like Bobby Abreu.

Then there's the starting pitching, which remains questionable beyond lefty ace Cole Hamels. Brett Myers has been borderline awful. If he pitches up to his potential, the Phillies can boast a 1-2 pitching punch as good as any team in the East. If Myers' ERA continues to hover near five and a half, the Phillies will have a dogfight trying to fend off the Mets and the Braves. They simply don't get enough innings from Jamie Moyer, or enough quality from backenders Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton.

Still, the Phillies have plenty of weapons that make them one of the teams to beat in the East. Their offense is capable of cutting a huge swath, especially if Utley, Howard, and Rollins find their strokes the way that Pat "The Bat" Burrell has. They also have a surprisingly good bullpen (where Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, and Chad Durbin all have ERAs below 1.50) and a terrific bench, headlined by the versatile righty/lefty duo of Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs, and a superb backup catcher in Chris Coste...

Over the weekend, Ken Griffey, Jr. created a stir when he was asked to name his favorite memory of Yankee Stadium, now in its final season. Griffey's response? "Leaving Yankee Stadium." It seems that Griffey is still angry with the Yankees because of an incident that happened in the mid-1980s, when Yankee skipper Billy Martin threw "Junior," the son of then Yankee outfielder Ken Griffey, Sr., out of the clubhouse.

When I worked in radio, I made a small cottage industry out of criticizing the younger Griffey. He gave me plenty of material to work with during his early days with Seattle, from his proclaimed ignorance of Jackie Robinson, to his unwillingness to promote the Mariners at a time when the franchise was in danger of being moved, to his refusal to accept an invitation to Bill Clinton's White House. And then, slowly but surely, Griffey began to show maturity. He played hard and didn't complain, becoming an upbeat, positive force for baseball. Heck, I had actually jumped onto the Griffey bandwagon.

Just when Griffey had made me a believer, he stirred up this old grudge. As a former president once said, "There you go again." This ridiculous, never-ending grudge against the Yankees is just so silly and petulant on so many counts. Here are a few:

*Billy Martin didn't like kids in the clubhouse, whether they be players' kids or the general manager's kids. Griffey wasn't the first child to be given the heave-ho by Billy the Kid, and he almost certainly wasn't the last.

*Martin is now deceased. In fact, he's been gone for 19 years. Therefore, he no longer works for the Yankees. Joe Girardi and the current Yankee players have little or no connection to Billy Martin.

*How many years ago did this incident occur? It had to have been more than 20 years ago since the elder Griffey last played for the Yankees in 1986. Is this the worst thing that has ever happened to Junior in his life? If so, he has led a charmed existence.

Enough already. It's time to move on. Find something new to complain about...

Finally, we'll be taking your baseball card suggestions for our home page for the rest of Monday and Tuesday. Just post your suggestion and give us a short reason (a paragraph or two) explaining why you'd like that card to be featured here at "Cooperstown Confidential." Thanks in advance for your recommendations.