Phillies Nation

34 Responses to “Top Moment No. 16: HK’s Last Call”

1. Ben Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 9:39 am

   thanks for the audio, that was awesome.

2. BDPhils Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 10:34 am

   Great audio

3. Billy Craig Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 10:42 am

   Great audio. I also have to comment on RAJ. I am not a fan of this guy. The Polanco signing is horrible. 18 Million for this guy over 3 years. Are you crazy. We think he is 34 but who knows. Nobody was even bidding against us. Why 18 million. Even though Raul was great in the first half last year, he did NOTHING in the second half. We will be crying over that contract. Then all the money he gave to Moyer. That was just plain horrible. You wonder with all of this they could not keep Lee. He does not make the trade for Halladay last year then turns and make a good deal for Lee. Then gives up 3 more much BETTER prospects and gets rid of Lee for garbage. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. We gave up Taylor, Drabek, Knapp, Marson, etc. Bad Bad Bad. Then we pick up Jimmy’s option so soon. Why not wait and see what type of year he has. No rush. He could be on a decline. Halladay is a ground ball pitcher and you get rid of a good defensive third baseman for a guy that never plays third. We still have no bullpen and you cant trust Lidge anymore. Should of kept Lee and tried like heck to sign him. Kept Drabek. I just dont get this guy. Sorry to vent.

4. Johnny Snowden Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 10:52 am

   Billy, your right, how in god’s name could you give a guy with the 16th best active career batting average, former batting champion, having never hit less than .285 since 1999 18 mil over 3 years. i mean what the hell was rubes thinkin?! We should have signed david bell for his defense … oh wait Ed Wade did that and it worked out so well.

   Come on man … give the guy some credit. he got lee in the first place … AND Halladay and a pennant and as long as we can get another reliever with some late inning experience, all signs point to winning another.

   Actual comment: thanks nick. I now have a new voice mail greeting. i cant think about baseball without missing harry.

5. Johnny Snowden Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 10:53 am

   and when i think about losing all those “prospects”, I think about Galvin Floyd. A lot actually.

6. Bill Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 10:58 am

   Great point Billy! I agree that the Polanco signing was horrible. Major league scouts reported that his bat speed slowed down in 2009. Will it speed up again at 34? 35? I think he hits .270 at best and has a hard time making the throw from the hole at third base.

   http://www.phillysportscomplete.com

7. Johnny Snowden Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 11:00 am

   though its a much shorter sample size …. Palanco did commit 0.046 errors per game @ 3rd base over 322 games … whereas Pedro Feliz committed 0.091 per game over 822 games … half as many errors and a .982 (vs. .964 for Pedro) fleiding percentage doesn’t scream “Oh my God we’re gonna loose every game” to me. I personally, feel pretty good to have him around.

8. Georgie Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 11:03 am

   Thanks Nick, it’s great to hear Harry’s voice again, always brings tears to my eyes….

9. Billy Craig Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 11:08 am

   Johnny your wrong. Polanco’s numbers are on the decline. Mlb rumor.com is calling it the worst signing of the off sesaon. Read there article. He might even be 35 for all we know. He is not the same player. We let him go as he was peeking. I agree Ruben did a great job on the Lee deal. The 3 guys he gave up, it was brilliant holding onto taylor and drabek. Then he turns around anyway and gets rid of them for Halladay. Then gives away a guy that was a stud who shut down the Yankees for nobody. Are you kidding me. Atleast shop Lee around on the market. Instead he swept it under the rug very fast. Not smart. You could of gotten some major bullpen help for a guy that just had one of the great postseasons in the game. I agree Halladay is great but we gave up 4 very good talents for him.

10. Johnny Snowden Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Billy … im sorry but thats rediculous. A guy who’s hit for average over almost his entire 11 year career suddenly stops because some website thinks so? or because we could have signed an injury prone Beltre or part-timer Derosa or a 35 year old Feliz whose career defensive statistcs are worse than Palanco?

    I would also argue that picking up Rollins option at what was it 8 mil? for arguably the BEST defensive SS in the national league AND former MVP … seriously?

    Third, Ibanez did have a rough second half … totally true. Because he frekkin ripped his ab muscles …

    I admit that I would hae liked to hold on to some of our prospects, especially considering the depth at cather should something happen to ruiz god forbid … but here’s just a few prospects we had over the years that come to mind that proved maybe less than helpful … Adam Eaton, Marlon Byrd, Rico Brogna, Galvin Floyd.

    Prospects are just that.

    I’m just sayin, I’m going to wait and see how the team performs in 2010 before I start running to the hills begging Pat Gillick to stop spending time with his family for once in his life to come back.

    Remember, Amaro is a REAL big league GM who probably knows more about what he’s doing that we do just because we simmed a few season of MLB 2k9

11. Billy Craig Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Sorry your wrong. Look at Polancos numbers over the past three seasons. He is on the decline. We dont know what kind of glove he will have at third. Please dont put drabek in that eaton catagory. This kid will be the real deal. We all know it. He is special and we should of never let him go. He stuck to his guns last season and did not put him in the deal. What happen to that. He saw Lee would cost more then Halladay. Halladay is the better pitcher but by how many games. 4

12. Billy Craig Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:39 am

    Polancos batting aver. .341 in 07, .307 in 08 and .285 in 09… DECLINE. On base perc. .388 in 07 .350 in 08 and .331 last season. DECLINE. He had 15 more at bats last season then 07 and had 82 runs scored compared to 105. I agree he is a good ballplayer but not worth 18 million at the age of 34.

13. Johnny Snowden Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:45 am

    yeah he’s a real deal with a real bunch of injury problems. and yes eaton wa a number one draft pick and a top baseball america prospect before we all learned that in fact, he sucked.

    as far as palancos “decline” … going from .303 to .285 means he hits around .270 … how is that so horrible … why because he oooonlly played 322 games @ 3rd base? So we have no idea what to expect? personally … i have him hitting at least .290 … hitter friendly park, nice gap in left center …. he’s gonna LOVE hitting @ citi field … i just don’t understand how you can be soooo convinced he’s going to hit like .180 and make an error every single play just because somebody on mlbrumors said so when he’s got 11 freakkin years of experience telling, at least me, otherwise.

    If .285 is a bad season … I’ll take it over Pedro’s .266 ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

    Everyday for that matter. considering no other 3B option won a BATTING TITLE, or can prove they can stay healthy and cost any less than 6mil a year.

14. James Kay Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:48 am

    The audio was the perfect tribute. Harry really sounds like he is straining for energy to express his final homer call. Harry Kalas is in the top ten of all time broadcasters for longevity, honesty, and form. He also holds the record for publicly crying unashamedly during Phillies post season celebrations.
    Given the money and variable talent available for manipulation in the National League, GM Amaro’s job is explosivley speculative. Johnny Snowden and Billy Craig both make valid points.

15. Johnny Snowden Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am

    so wait … when was it you applied for the GM gig over @ the phillies?

    Ryan Howard 45 HR’s conspired to 48 in 2008 = DECLINE
    Chase Utley: .282 compared to .292 in 2008 = DECLINE
    Shane Victorino: .292 compared to .293 in 2008 = DECLINE
    Jason Werth: .268 compared to .273 in 2008 = DECLINE

    good god man. ease up …. wait till the guy actually plays to decide how “horrible” of a signing that was.

16. Johnny Snowden Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Billy … i promise … if Palanco has a “terrible” season & hits any less that .270 @ years end … I will buy you a steak diner and even let you say “I told you so” as many times as you need to.

17. Don M Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Polanco is better than Pedro Feliz… and keeping Pedro would have kept us in the the 3b market NEXT offseason, when there would be less guys to choose from

    Mark DeRosa isn’t nearly as good as Polanco, but will also be earning $6 M per season

    and we didn’t have it in the budget to get Figgins… and Beltre isn’t worth the $8-9 M per year that he is seeking..

    MAYBE that 3rd year won’t be great.. but considering Polanco would be able to also play 2nd, or 1st, gives us options when Howard leaves in two years, but Utley is still here

18. Billy Craig Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    I will hold you to that. I dont think he is a bad player. I just think we overpaid for him at 18 million. We out bidded ourself. He is 34 years old. I dont like these contracts. Just like Moyers contract. We need pen help so bad. I really think Drabek will be special. I have watched him pitch. He also has a father helping him who was a great pitcher.

19. Billy Craig Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    peter gammons wrote…

    Placido Polanco, Phillies – three years, $18MM. Where was the demand for a 34-year-old second baseman coming off a .727 OPS? What other club would’ve offered even one or two years at $5MM per?

20. j reed Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    I don’t think the Polanco signing was bad not the greatest either, but is Beltre as injury prone as people think? He did suffer from shoulder problems but a ruputred nut sack after getting nailed in the nads by a hard hit baseball hardly qualifies him as injury prone. I wonder if the rise of Zach Grenkie affected alot of batters BA’s in the ALCS. Always that have cy young like years. Probably not.
    On Drabek, keep in mind that a kid of his pedigree who was probably afforded the best coaches and trainers shouldn’t have had to have tommy john surgery at his age. Something doesn’t add up.

21. j reed Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    whoops that’s
    “Always wondered if hitters’ BAs in divisions that have pitchers who are putting up cy young numbers are noticably affected “

22. j reed Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    Yeah, 18 million for 3 years at his age isn’t that great but he’s better than Feliz at least at the plate. Yeah the Moyer thing just makes me shake my head… if it was Tim Wakefield I could handle it. But a cutter and a change-up with an increeasing shrinking strike zone. UGH. Can Moyer become a knuckleballer in a few months?

23. Sarah Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    Billy, just because Polanco might be a bad deal doesn’t mean they should’ve kept Feliz. Polanco was worth over 3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) the past three years, Feliz’s highest WAR was 2.8 back in 2007 when he was still in San Fran. In fact, you could say Feliz was on a decline too- and he’s older than Polanco.
    Polanco:
    2007 WAR: 5.2
    2008 WAR: 3.0
    2009 WAR: 3.1
    Feliz:
    2007 WAR: 2.8
    2008 WAR: 1.5
    2009 WAR: 1.3
    Plus Polanco had better batting stats last year in all the basics except home runs and RBI’s.
    I think Polanco’s worth the extra half million over Feliz.

24. Jeff Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    You guys are not getting what I am saying We overpaid for Polanco. Bottom line…He is not worth 18 million. We still need bullpen help. Moyer makes me want to throw up. That money could of been used to keep Lee here. I just wish they made the trade last year for Halladay. Would of cost alot less. Charlie didnt even use Happ in the post season. Our best pitcher behind lee

25. Chuck Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    Doesn’t really matter if we “overpaid” a little for Polanco…..he’s still an upgrade over Feliz…

    And…PLEASE….can we just stop with the “If Moyer wasn’t signed” and the “I wish Halladay was traded for last year” and “If all that happened then Cliff Lee would still be here” (paraphrases) talk…..

    The bottom line is we have a BETTER team as a WHOLE than we did….Will we win the World Series?…maybe, maybe not….but I like our chances to be right there….how many fans of the 30 other teams can say that?…

26. Don M Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    If the RED SOX or YANKEES were the team that signed Polanco, Gammons would’ve called it the greatest move in baseball history…

    Mark DeRosa = $6 M
    Placido Polanoce = $6 M
    Adrain Beltre = $8 M???
    Chone Figgins = $9 M

    who is the best value of the bunch??

    I’d say Polanco, hands down

    …

    “If Grandma had balls… she’s be Grandpa”

27. Don M Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    son of a b!tc… I try to be witty.. and of course I mistype the phrase.

    If Grandma had balls… she’d be Grandpa

28. Chuck Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    And that value is STILL the best of the group you mentioned…even if Polanco is a bench player in his 3rd year…

    It’s just not the “sexy” choice for a 3rd baseman…so everyone is of course acting as if we signed Wes Helms or somebody like that..

29. Don M Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    people just like to bitch… they bitched about Ibanez, they bitched about Pedro, they bitched that we got Lee not Halladay

    and then bitched that we got Halladay not Lee

    they bitched about Polanco

    …… i look at this as the best Phillies roster, maybe ever .. I’m happy!

30. j reed Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    The Lee Fiasco or as I call it “Randolph and Mortimer Duke betting you $1 that they could screw Philadelphians out of their best rotation since the 1929-31 A’s without anyone being the wiser” can not be connected with Moyer. No one had anyway of predicting that Myers would go down which was what got the whole ball rolling. And even if Myers hadn’t gone down most of us in our wildest dreams never thought Lee or halladay would be here. The Moyer signing was bad but not because it prevented us from keeping Lee. That was the ownership. Even if the books were open and the budget claims could be confirmed then you still can’t blame the Moyer signing on not having enough clams for Lee. I would say you could if the demand for starting pitching wasn’t so high, sometimes you take what you can get. The wild card in all of this is injuries. What if the Haloes lost Jared Weaver last year…they cetainly could have put together a prospect package for Lee or Halladay. Too many variables to balme present action on future pain. What made the Moyer signing dumb is he has no real value to other clubs. It’s a sunk cost unless he puts together one amazing year for a number 5 guy.

31. Chuck Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    We live in a nation of complainers….we bitch, we complain, we second-guess….just so happens that we also live in Philadelphia….which is ABOVE the national average for people that bitch and complain…

    Go Phillies!!!….I LOVE our chances in 2010!!!

32. j reed Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    at least we don’t have to worry about jason bay on the braves now that he’s on the Smets

33. JJFritz Says:
    December 30th, 2009 at 11:33 am

    Wow… with all due respect to you guys… this post was about the late, GREAT Harry Kalas!! Why would you disrespect him like this?! Show some class. I was at the game in Washington when/where he died. I saw the medivac chopper take him from the stadium, and I heard it first when they announced it later in the game that he had just passed. It truly was the most heart-wrenching thing I heard, in a sports-fan’s perspective. He will truly be missed and loved. But, I know he did not die in vain. His memory will live on in all of us and his legacy has been planted in the hearts of true baseball fans for all of eternity. God bless you HK!

34. Top Moment No. 6: The Day That Harry Died | Phillies Nation Says:
    January 17th, 2010 at 7:31 am

    [...] Harry’s Final Call [...]

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