Phillies News and Discussion 2025 Season

[Philsmania]

The Bonds 2001 Rule? I remember watching a September 2001 Giants-Astros game in Houston when the Astros kept walking Bonds. Even the Astro fans were booing.

Sure, but which team won those games?

Interesting. Coming out of the 9/11 layoff, the Astros swept the Giants at Pac Bell. But, then in that series down an Minute Maid (the one that got postponed by 9/11) and which featured Astro fans booing their own manager's actions, the Giants swept.

[VoteForKalas]

nteresting. Coming out of the 9/11 layoff, the Astros swept the Giants at Pac Bell. But, then in that series down an Minute Maid (the one that got postponed by 9/11) and which featured Astro fans booing their own manager's actions, the Giants swept.

Ok, I stand corrected

Or maybe, in the end, IBB the best hitter is not enough to swing things one way or the other, pun intended

[zambonir]

I was at that series in Houston. My friends are all Astros fans but yeah, we wanted to see one. It's kind of funny in retrospect because sure, history, but it's not like Barry was a popular or likeable player even before the subsequent revelations. I don't even dislike him myself! And I think Giants fans disliked him as much as any opposing fan base.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

I would likely IBB Judge a high % of the time with no one on base

Be careful, because Bellinger has been heating up. His July OPS is 1.023, with more HRs (6) than any previous month this season.

[VoteForKalas]

Be careful, because Bellinger has been heating up. His July OPS is 1.023, with more HRs (6) than any previous month this season.

Very true, I'd still force anyone else but Judge to beat me and take my chances.

[LoneStarPhan]

First inning tonight, Judge Ks and Berlinger hits a first pitch home run.

[VoteForKalas]

Baseball has a habit of making idiots of us all lol

[Docs]

Sources: Harper cussed out Manfred in meeting

Harper doesn't like the idea of a salary cap

[zambonir]

Good for him. Regardless of how people feel about a cap and whether it's a good idea this is a time-wasting PR campaign by Manfred to try and influence the next round of collective bargaining, for which he's also begun employing ex-players to join him, including Rollins and Howard. He's trying to sow dissent in the MLBPA, which is obviously not without its issues.

Harper said the players are ready to lose an entire season, but that's really just a response to Manfred admitting he's already planning to lock them out.

[julio]

Manfred is, IMHO, the definition of "sleazy lawyer." Another one who saw law school ethics as a discussion of "how much you can get away with."

[flyers19rw]

I have some respect for the way that Castellanos got involved in this situation.
Here's Yahoo's article on the exchange;

Bryce Harper reportedly told Rob Manfred to 'get the f*** out of our clubhouse'...

[Dirk41]

Him yelling and cursing at the most famous player in the game since Jeter sure is a look

[DurhamBull]

Him yelling and cursing at the most famous player in the game since Jeter sure is a look

It doesn't say anywhere in the article that Manfred yelled. (Nor Castellanos, although I think your "him" refers to Manfred.) As for cursing, Manfred just repeated what Harper said to him. There might be additional reporting somewhere that says that Manfred yelled and used some salty language other than what's reported in the Yahoo article; that's possible. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't know anything about Manfred. Maybe he often acts like an immature cowboy, or a calm, reasoned, tough negotiator who is used to dealing with the huge, unruly egos that are hard to avoid in young men with high testosterone who spit on the floor, have staff to clean up after them, and already have more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes. I'm not trying to make excuses for Manfred, just trying not to read more in the article than is there.

[zambonir]

I don't know anything about Manfred. Maybe he often acts like an immature cowboy, or a calm, reasoned, tough negotiator who is used to dealing with the huge, unruly egos that are hard to avoid in young men with high testosterone who spit on the floor, have staff to clean up after them, and already have more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes. I'm not trying to make excuses for Manfred, just trying not to read more in the article than is there.

But this is also why Manfred should not be unofficially lobbying or negotiating with the players directly. They have union reps [though I believe the Phillies' rep currently plays catcher for the Iron Pigs] and union exec committees for that.

[allentown]

The commish has always carried water for the cheapest, low-life owners, who take a lot of league $ and extra draft picks and don't try to win, while also ripping of the cities where their franchise resides. If he wants more competitive leagues, what he really needs is a team salary floor. He has also trashed minor league towns in order to save peanuts. Baseball has over-expanded, driven away younger potential fans with teams harder to follow on TV and in-person costs up big.

[zambonir]

It is sort of surprising that the Manfred era doesn't feel that different from when the conflict-of-interest commish looked out for his fellow small-market owners, except I don't think that is who Manfred is carrying water for anymore. The mega-rich private equity hedge fund algorithm types believe in squeezing every bit of ROI out of every asset and tax break and real estate deal and piece of human capital. I think that is the place the minor league squeeze came from [if memory serves the Astros came up with it and while they've always behaved like a small-market team, that tracks with their analytics-forward approach.

They might not say it loud because they've got Manfred to do it for them but the Mark Walters and Steve Cohens would love to have a cap just as much as the Reds or Brewers, even if the Reds and Brewers don't want a salary floor, and those rich owners still don't want to revenue-share (with each other or with the players, truly].

They are all making more money than ever and the teams are worth more than ever.

[zambonir]

After Bryce Harper-Rob Manfred confrontation, Mark DeRosa warned Phillies of...

After Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper got in the face of Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred during a heated meeting last week, Mark DeRosa, a former big leaguer who now works for Manfred, said something some players took as a threat, according to four people who attended the meeting or were briefed on it.

“The commissioner’s a powerful guy, don’t f— around with him,” was the tone of DeRosa’s message.

Some players were angry at his implication that a commissioner, who has oversight of so many on- and off-field personnel and processes in the sport, could retaliate if they didn’t fall in line with what a commissioner wants, the sources said. After DeRosa’s statement, a player in the room raised the possibility of MLB using the drug-testing program as a means of retribution.

However, DeRosa, an MLB Network broadcaster and 16-year major-league veteran, said he was just joking when reached by The Athletic.

[allentown]

Not the time for a joke and the tenor and comment is certainly not jocular. Threatening is the correct description. I can only assume the commissioner told him he went too far and needed to walk it back. But calling it a joke?

[flyers19rw]

That was no joke. Players ought to ice DeRosa. No interviews

[LoneStarPhan]

Almost seems like the commissioner is setting up a hostile atmosphere and plans a lockout to force the union to make concessions to the owners.