Red Sox at Phillies, June 28, 2011

As a Red Sox fan in a National League city (Philly), I like to take advantage of the Red Sox coming to visit. They seem to make the trip every year, and I’m not complaining about it. Tonight I had standing room only tickets, which basically lets the home team say, sure, we’ll take your money, but you don’t get a seat. So, me and my buddy Ryan got to the game early enough to get front row out on the centerfield patio.

The Phillies won 5-0, and I’ll just leave it at this – Cliff Lee is a very good pitcher. And the Red Sox National League line up isn’t very good. Put those two together, and it doesn’t bode well for the team I want to see win.

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First Snow of the Season

The first snow of the season hit Philadelphia just in time for rush hour today. It’s been frigid here lately, so the snow actually stuck to the road. Apparently, when snow sticks to the road, NO ONE REMEMBERS HOW TO DRIVE. You would think that with the record amount of snow that fell last year, drivers in the area would have learned a thing or two about driving in the snow. Well, if they did, it has all been forgotten by now. My drive to job #2, which usually takes 40 minutes, took a whopping TWO HOURS for me to make today. The drive home/to Dayna’s, which normally takes about 25 minutes, took nearly an hour. As of 7:45 P.M., there was still traffic on 295, presumably left over from rush hour.

To the drivers of the Philly area: I know driving in snow, and the ice that it turned into, isn’t an easy task. But that doesn’t mean it’s all of a sudden okay to jam up at lights, block the box, and generally wreak havoc on the roads. You’re probably in a rush, but oddly enough, have a little patience and you’ll probably end up where you want to be faster. And for those of you that insist on causing problems, thinking your four wheel drive is invulnerable to the conditions, I hope you end up like this guy:

At least the snow makes everything look nicer, and means winter is truly here, otherwise I would have lost my mind. Apologies for the caps lock.

Red Sox vs. Phillies – Positional Breakdown

With the Red Sox signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez, and the Phillies signing Cliff Lee, clear favorites have emerged in the American and National Leagues. With all due respect to the Yankees (read: eff them), the lineups and rotations the Red Sox and Phillies have are the class of their leagues. I personally can’t wait for the season to start (or for their match up June 28-30), so I wanted to take a look at how these two teams stack up against each other.

First Base
Phillies: Ryan Howard
Red Sox: Adrian Gonzalez
Edge: Slight Edge Red Sox
Both of these guys are fairly even in what they bring to the table, but I’ve got to give a slight edge to the Red Sox on this one. Gonzalez’ power numbers came in spacious Petco Park, and he hits for a better average, along with bringing better D to the table.

Second Base
Phillies: Chase Utley
Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
Edge: Slight Edge Phillies
Two perennial MVP candidates, but I have to give the edge to the Phillies, with Pedroia coming off of such a major injury.

Third Base
Phillies: Placido Polanco
Red Sox: Kevin Youkilis
Edge: Red Sox
When you have a guy who could win a Gold Glove at two positions, hits for power and average, and gets on base with regularity, they get the edge. No, I’m not talking about Polanco.

Shortstop
Phillies: Jimmy Rollins
Red Sox: Marco Scutaro
Edge: Slight Edge Phillies
Neither guy was a huge asset last year, but also not a detriment. Rollins hurt the Phillies only because he hit leadoff, but if he gets back to form, he’s a better player than Scutaro.

Left Field:
Phillies: Raul Ibanez
Red Sox: Carl Crawford
Edge: Red Sox
Not too many players in the league can get you 25 home runs and as many stolen bases as RBI. In fact, Crawford may be the only one. Edge Sox.

Center Field
Phillies: Shane Victorino
Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury
Edge: Phillies
I give it to the Phillies, since Ellsbury missed all of last year. If Ellsbury comes back in full force this year, then it moves back to even, but at this point, Victorino gets the nod.

Right Field
Phillies: Dominic Brown/Ben Francisco
Red Sox: J.D. Drew
Edge: Red Sox
A platoon or J.D. Drew. A weak spot for both. It’s never a good thing when J.D. Drew is the better option.

Catcher
Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
Red Sox: Jarrod Saltalamacchia/ Jason Varitek
Edge: Phillies
The Red Sox don’t know who their starter will be come April, and I think Carlos Ruiz is the Phillies most underrated player. He really stepped it up last year, especially in the playoffs.

Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton/Kyle Kendrick
Red Sox: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Dice-K
Edge: Really?
The Red Sox have a great starting rotation. Their top four would be an ace on the majority of teams, and Dice-K can be brilliant at times. But the Phillies, just wow. That’s a historic starting rotation. They could conceiveably not have a losing streak reach three games. You’re just not going to go through that rotation without at least one of them winning a game for you. All four are potential 2o game winners. It’s incredible and I’m actually excited to see where this rotation could get them. In the regular season, at least.

Bullpen
Phillies: A bunch of guys and Lidge
Red Sox: A bunch of guys, Bard and Paplebon
Edge: Slight Edge Red Sox
Middle relief is always iffy – could be great one year, and horrendous the next, even with the same guys. Papelbon can’t possibly be as bad as he was last year, but there’s always Bard waiting as a back up plan. Lidge has a history of being great; he also has a history of collapsing. Both teams will more than likely add to their bullpens before and during the season, so judgement will have to wait on this one. At the moment, however, I have to give it to the Red Sox.

Final Judgement
Overall, with the rotation the Phillies have, I think they will end the season with the best record in baseball. They will feast on their division, especially the Nationals, Marlins and Mets. The American League East cannibalizes each other, with three of the best teams in the league playing each other 18 times. The National League as a whole is much weaker, and the Phillies will end the season looking like the best team in baseball.

A seven game series, however, is a different story. The Red Sox pitching, while not as stellar as the Phillies, wouldn’t have to go through as tough a line up. However, as the Giants proved this year, pitching can shut down a superior lineup. It pains me to say this, but at the moment, I’d have to say the Phillies pitching gives them the edge. The gap between the two teams is small, and the Red Sox match up well with the Phillies. If a team has what it takes to take down the Phillies, it’s the Red Sox, but the way things are looking now, the World Series trophy will be coming back to Philadelphia.

Edge: Phillies

Back! Maybe…

Alright, so I know I’ve slacked since putting up the moving post, but life gets busy sometimes. In Vermont, I would come home from work and have absolutely nothing to do until it was time to go to bed. It was kinda sad, I know, but it was also very conducive to writing since I had so much time to kill. Now, back in Jersey, I find myself constantly busy, or when I’m not busy I don’t want to be in front of a computer since I’m constantly in front of one all day. However, I do oddly find myself missing writing on here, and taking the time to reflect on what goes on in my life, or in the world in general. So, I will be trying to get back to this after a month hiatus.

A quick update of the bigger things that have happened. I was lucky enough to find a job in this economy, and am now the Media Relations Manager at a company in Philly. The main reason I’m so busy, however, is because I also picked up a second job in a snowboard shop. I left Vermont behind but still wanted to be involved in the snowboard scene, and I figured this would be the best way to do it. It means a lot less free time, but I’ve found that there’s actually a really solid snowboard scene in South Jersey, and I’m stoked to become a part of it.

The first Vermont trip of the year is tentatively scheduled for December 10 up to Killington. Hopefully everything comes through and we’re able to make that trip. I’m pretty jealous of the snow they already have up there and can’t wait to get back out on the hill. I’m also very happy with the decision I made to come back to Jersey – things are really working out.

Dayna and I on Halloween as Ash and Misty from Pokemon

The Hoagie Lives

Today I saw a sight that made me extremely happy – the word hoagie being used in Vermont. Granted it was just on a generic wrapper that they happened to have, but still, it made me very happy to see “hoagie” in reference to a sandwich up here. Which brings me to my next point. I’ll be heading back to Jersey for a long weekend tomorrow, catching 2 of the Sox/Phillies games this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. I really like what MLB has done, putting the Sox in Philly the past 4 years or so – gives me a legitimate chance to see the Sox, no matter how terrible they’re playing. A quarter of the way through the season, and sitting at .500? C’mon now.

Hoagie!

Follow me on Twitter @andrewensminger.

Phillies/Yankees World Series Graphic

Don’t Tase Me Bro!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Eagles have signed Michael Vick. According to the article, the Bengals had offered a deal to him first (fitting for the Bengals). He turned down their $2.3 million/2 year offer for the Eagles $1.6 million/1 year with an option for a second year deal. It seems like a good situation for him as far as staying out of trouble is concerned. He said all the right things at the press conference, saying he realizes he only has one chance and has to get it right. Tony Dungy has always been a role model throughout his time associated with the NFL, and him having Vick’s back says a lot. As far as where he fits in with the team, obviously McNabb is entrenched as the starting quarterback. I see Vick coming in as a running back type, with the Eagles running some direct snap plays for him, as well as lining him up in the slot. With Vick and Westbrook in the same backfield, and DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin at wideout, they could also run a pretty formidable Wildcat if they chose to. All in all, if Vick cleans up his act, I think this can be a good thing for the Eagles. Adding a player with a skill set like Vicks can only help a team. With that said, the Patriots still won, with Tom Brady coming back to go 10-15 with 100 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. Brady’s backkkkk!!!! There’s also audio of him talking about cuddling up with the ball, and wishing for someone to come and blast him. Here’s the audio, the fun begins about 30 seconds in. I gotta figure out how to isolate that, it’s hilarious.

In other football news, the Washington Redskins got running back Ladell Betts’ name wrong on his jersey. Sad, considering he’s spent his entire career with the ‘Skins, even rushing for 1,000 yards one year.

Michael Phelps was involved in a car crash Thursday night. Police have said alcohol was not a factor, and no citations were issued. Interesting life this guy lives. With all that money, why does he not have a personal chauffeur? You would think that people in his position wouldn’t risk even suspicion of drunk driving. He already has a driving while impaired on his record, too. I feel bad that all his normal growing up mistakes get so much coverage, but still, he has the means to be driven around, so why not do it?

A mom was tasered in front of her kids and is now suing the Onondaga Sheriffs Department. She was pulled over for talking on her cell when an officer saw her driving with her head resting on her cheek. He also claimed he paced her car at 50 in a 45, and was pulling her over for that. She got out of her car to check the tape (bad idea), and he told her to get back in the car. She hesitated and didn’t get back in her car, so he tasered her. She should have never gotten out of the car, but really, a taser wasn’t necessary. It is a great reason to show this video though, and who doesn’t love that? Don’t tase me bro!

A new study shows some people are genetically able to function with less sleep. I wish I were one of those people.

Peace peace.