Gordon Pushed Madson’s Improvement

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, June 16, 2009 11:00 AM

MadsonPaul Hagen uncovered the secret behind the added velocity to Ryan Madson’s fastball: Tom Gordon. Sort of.

In a well-done story for the Daily News, Hagen revealed that the former setup man drove Madson in a “getaway car” to a sports clinic in Tempe, Ariz., where he very quickly worked on his mechanics, starting the process that led to him being the almost unbeatable pitcher he is today.

So, no, it wasn’t PEDs:

“I could never think that way. Early on I said, ‘If I’m going to make it, I’m going to make it the right way. And I don’t care what anybody else is doing.’ It’s one of those things where it’s kind of refreshing. Fans can say, ‘Hey, this guy’s doing it and he’s doing it the right way.’ Who knows how many guys did or didn’t? I don’t know. Because I never paid attention. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I’m not going to risk my body.”

But the money quote is about Flash:

“I give Flash a lot of credit. He didn’t have to do that. He rented a car. He said, ‘We’re going at 9 o’clock in the morning. Get up and you’re coming with me.’ I’ve got chills right now, just thinking about how he took care of me.”

Incredible. Tom Gordon really set the Phillies up more than we thought.

Permalink Comments (10) | Trackback (0)

10 Responses to “Gordon Pushed Madson’s Improvement”

  1. Richie Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    I have a crazy idea to throw out there….what about Ryan Madson as the missing starter that we need. He was a starter, but needed this development to have his stuff come to fruition. If Lidge is back and is throwing well. You have Romero and Condrey to set him up. Use Madson in the Rotation. We have so many good bullpen guys. Romero, Eyre, Madson, Condrey, Lidge. Park is showing signs of life. Why not get rid of one, or use Madson.

  2. Richie Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:26 am

    Don’t give me the whole you don’t wanna mess a good thing up B.S. or his arm has to adjust. It will over time adjust. Myers did it, Smoltz did it.

  3. NJ Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    No way, the Yanks would be the best team in baseball if they’d left Chamberlin setting-up. A bullpen can unravel quickly when it doesn’t have the right guys in the right role and a set-up guy that only gives up a handful of runs in a season is one of the most ignored areas of a team.

    Anyway Tom Gordon was a talisman of the Phils success, like Moyer he gave the other guys in the staff a reason to want to take their game to the next level by doing the little things. What a pro.

  4. Albert Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Madson was a very ineffective starter. His role is way to important in the pen to have him starting.

  5. christopher Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    FLASH!!
    AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
    saviour of the bullpenverse!!

  6. Mike D Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    Thanks, Flash.

    Madson shouldn’t start. He’s clearly excelling as a reliever. And he wants to relieve.

  7. Manny Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Thanks Flash for the extra 4 mph

  8. Michael N. Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    is it 4mph or is it like 6mph still devastating when his changeup is at 82!

  9. Dave Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    Nice, christopher.
    Anyway, to me, that’s the mark of a good team. The older guys helping the younger players, even when the younger guys could be perceived as a “threat.”

  10. Lewisauce Says:
    June 16th, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    Do not move him to the rotation. Ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

    I know Smoltz and Myers did it, but Smoltz always said it was way, way more difficult than it looked. And he’s one of the more level-headed (i.e. not crazy), disciplined guys in the game. We all know what happened when Myers got moved around. He lost his head, went to AAA. Came back great, but it still messed with him pretty bad.

    I’m not saying Madson is as crazy as Myers. But he has found the thing he was meant to do all along. Let him keep doing it.

Leave a Reply

Ashburn Award


2009 Philadelphia Phillies

Partner

ad:

Harry Kalas Tribute:


Share your memories of Harry with fellow fans of the great man.

tickets:

Buy MLB baseball tickets online for the best seats in Philadelphia! Find Phillies tickets, Flyers tickets, Eagles tickets, 76ers tickets and great deals on World Series tickets at Coast to Coast, as well as popular concert tickets, theater tickets, NASCAR tickets, baseball playoffs tickets and NCAA tickets right here. We're your source for Philadelphia events!

phillies tickets:

Looking for Philadelphia Phillies tickets? We have tickets to every Philadelphia Phillies game at home at Citizen’s Bank Park and on the road. We also have tickets to other Philadelphia sporting events, including the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Flyers. In fact, we are your source for sports tickets, concert tickets and theater tickets.

tickets:

Philadelphia Phillies Tickets
Nationals Tickets
World Series Tickets
Red Sox Tickets
Yankees Tickets
White Sox Tickets
Braves Tickets
Orioles Tickets
Padres Tickets
Philadelphia Eagles Tickets
Citizens Bank Park History

advertising:

Philadelphia Phillies Tickets
MLB Tickets
St. Louis Cardinals Tickets
Philadelphia Ticket Broker
Philadelphia Flyers Tickets
Villanova Wildcats
Basketball Tickets
Chicago White Sox Tickets
Boston Red Sox Tickets
New York Yankees Tickets
Concert Tickets

bladvertising:

Philadelphia Phillies tickets, Boston Red Sox Tickets, NY Yankees Tickets, Chicago Cubs Tickets, Baseball Tickets, Philadelphia Ticket Broker, Jimmy Buffett Tickets, Shakira Tickets, Dave Matthews Tickets, Eric Clapton tickets, Bruce Springsteen Tickets, Rolling Stones Tour, Philadelphia Eagles Tickets, Chicago Bears Tickets, Football Tickets, Super Bowl Tickets, Theater Tickets


the googles:

tags:

Phils news:

MLB.com: Phillies Update
Phils Trade Rumors
ESPN News
MLB Trade Rumors
Inquirer Phillies News
Phillies Transactions
Phillies Free Agent Tracker
Scout.com - Phillies

academic:

Baseball Diplomacy
Baseball and the American City
Gospel on the Mound: Our National Pastime and the Culture of Religion

Mitchell Nathanson
Economic Issues in Sports
Business of Baseball Data and Documents
Baseball Hall of Fame Research Department
Phillies Wikipedia

tickets:

2009 salaries:

Charlie Manuel - $3 million
Ryan Howard - $19 million
Chase Utley - $15 million
Roy Halladay - $15.75 million (Toronto pays $6 million)
Brad Lidge - $11.5 million
Raul Ibanez - $11.5 million
Jimmy Rollins - $7.5 million
Jayson Werth - $7 million
Cole Hamels - $6.65 million
Jamie Moyer - $6.5 million
Placido Polanco - $5.25 million
Joe Blanton - $5.475 million
Ryan Madson - $4.5 million
J.C. Romero - $4 million
Shane Victorino - $3.125 million
Chad Durbin - $1.635 million
Greg Dobbs - $1.35 million
Ross Gload - $1 million
Brian Schnieder - $1 million
Juan Castro - $750,000
Clay Condrey - $650,000
Chris Snelling - $450,000
Kyle Kendrick - $445,000
Carlos Ruiz - $425,000
Chris Coste - $415,000
Francisco Rosario - $395,000
Mike Zagurski - $392,500
Fabio Castro - $383,000
J.D. Durbin - $380,000
Anderson Garcia - $380,000
Scott Mathieson - $380,000
J.A. Happ - $380,000
Yoel Hernandez - $380,000
Scott Mathieson - $380,000
Chris Roberson - $380,000
Brian Sanches - $380,000
Zach Segovia - $380,000
Matt Smith - $380,000
Joe Thurston - $380,000

Phillies Contracts and Salaries

advertising:

Front Row USA has premium concert tickets for your favorite artists - The Eagles Tickets, Madonna Tickets and Robert Plant Tickets. Check out our inventory of Philadelphia Phillies Tickets, Florida Marlins Tickets, Miami Dolphins Tickets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tickets and Orange Bowl Tickets.

advertising:

Ticket Brokers is your premier ticket broker for Broadway theatre tickets, baseball tickets, football tickets, basketball tickets and concert tickets. Buy Cubs playoffs tickets behind home plate, or enjoy an afternoon in the Cubbies bleacher seats. We are also a Super Bowl Ticket Broker, with a large inventory of Bears Tickets.

advertising:

Phillies tickets
Pirates tickets
MLB All Star Game tickets
Cubs tickets
Yankees tickets
Steelers tickets
Eagles tickets
Patriots tickets
Giants tickets
Chargers tickets
76ers tickets
Flyers tickets,
Penguins tickets

tickets:

AC Milan Tickets
Real Madrid Tickets
Rugby Tickets
Ashes Tickets
Six Nations Tickets
O2 Arena
Michael Jackson Tickets
Theatre Tickets
Killers Tickets
Concert Tickets

advertising:

Live Football Tickets.com is the premier website for UK football tickets. Buy Champions League Final tickets, Community Shield tickets, FA Cup final tickets and Carling Cup tickets. This brand new website also offers England football tickets, World Cup 2010 tickets and Real Madrid tickets for La Liga.

advertising:

Looking for Football tickets?
1st4footballtickets.com has top Premiership tickets available such as Manchester United tickets, Arsenal tickets, Chelsea tickets and Liverpool tickets. But also international tickets such as Real Madrid tickets, Barcelona tickets, Champions League tickets and FA Cup tickets and much more!

advertising:

Carroll's Sports Cove, for all your Phillies merchandise

bladvertising:

Sports Tickets
Football Tickets
Cricket Tickets
Corporate Hospitality
Grand Prix Tickets
Six Nations Tickets
Jimmy Carr Tickets
Boxing Tickets
Concert Tickets
London Theatre Tickets
Killers Tickets
Depeche Mode Tickets
Rugby Union Tickets

bladvertising:

In search of the best football betting website? Sportsbetting3.com has it all, including great reviews and coverage of the annual NFL betting season. If casino games are more your thing, be sure to have a look at the top online casinos at Jaxcasinos.com

Text Links:

Credit Counseling - Credit Card Consolidation - Debt Consolidation - United Specialties

Baseball Games:

Ever wondered what baseball and slots had in common?

advertising: