WIP Sports Blog
|
WIP has tapped Joseph Santoliquito, an Emmy Award-nominated writer who writes for ESPN.com to provide us with his take on Philadelphia sports on a regular basis. All of the comments expressed in this column of those of Mr. Santoliquito and do not reflect the thoughts and beliefs of 610 WIP and CBS Radio.
 He can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
Enjoy his posting.....
April 27, 2007
And the NL’s 2007 Manager of the Year … Howard Eskin?
Imagine the scene: A sea of red filling Citizens Bank Park in mid-October, with a slight chill on a sun-drenched weekday afternoon. A stage set up on the infield filled with the giddy 2007 Phillies, and Phils manager Charlie Manuel holding aloft the World Series championship trophy in between head bobs, as the throng continues to pour in from the Broad Street parade route.
Manuel is the first to take the podium, speaking in his folksy, Southern accent as he congratulates his team on its wondrous season, Phillies management on providing the parts to accomplish the great feat, the fans in supporting the team, despite some early troubles … and then Manuel takes a step back as a grin creases his face… as he makes sure to thank … Howard Eskin?
You can’t really see that happening, can you? Neither can I. But what does earn merit is that this team that was so filled with promise at the start of the season is currently playing well. It’s been playing well since MEB (the Manuel-Eskin Blowup). Yet you won’t see anyone giving Eskin any credit for stirring the pot—and the Phillies clubhouse, it seems.
The players like Manuel. There’s no questioning that. They play hard for him. They like his even demeanor and approachability. When they sensed their skipper taking some heat and being under attack, they defended him with a five-game winning streak, Granted, it was against the shoddy Cincinnati Reds and the pathetic Washington Nationals, this stretch may have rescued the Phillies season.
But the streak correlates with Manuel’s flip-out (while possibly blowing off some misdirected frustration, too?) on Howard last Tuesday after the Mets’ 8-1 victory, over what seemed to be an innocuous question. I found it humorous that Eskin was described by some as a “media member,” or as a “local radio personality,” as anyone but Howard Eskin.
When I asked Howard about his blowout with Manuel on Monday night during the Astros-Phillies make-up game, in conjunction with the Phillies’ recent success, he sat up in the pressbox and pointed down to the beat guys that cover the team, asking “You think they’d give me credit for anything? They didn’t even use my name when it came to a question one of them should have asked.”
In fairness to Manuel, he does have a temper, a famous temper that he’s tried to control most of his life. He’s by no means stupid, either. In fairness to Eskin, anything he does seems to stir passion, which in a way is his job. No one does it better. Some in the local media don’t like it. Partly out of jealousy (ask any beat reporter in the city if they wouldn’t trade places with Eskin, and they’d be lying if they said they wouldn’t), partly because he’s just Howard.
So when the Phillies win 92 games, take the National League East, crush the Padres in the divisional playoffs and beat the hated Mets in the National League championship series, then outlast the Los Angeles Angels in the World Series, what seminal moment will the Phillies recall that changed their season around, who are they going to thank for their good fortune?
Howard Eskin, the Phillies de facto manager? Eskin might be blamed locally in some circles for everything including the Kennedy Assassination. But giving a foundering team in April a little nudge … don’t hold your breath for that to happen.
Virginia Tech, The Nation’s School
I knew about Virginia Tech and its football success under Frank Beamer, but I never really took a serious look at the school until local high school star Kevin Jones signed on to play for the Hokies. I honestly didn’t know much beyond that, but through visiting the Blacksburg, Virginia campus a few times to cover Jones, I began to take a real liking to the area and noticed the genuine feeling the VT students had for their school.
So when the tragedy struck, it hit home with me a little. That’s why I found it commendable what Penn State and Ohio State’s football teams did during the spring games, what Phils Manager Charlie Manuel did, donning a VT cap, and what Allen Iverson did, etching VT on his elbow brace.
The nation’s sports teams and athletes adopted Virginia Tech for a day. Let’s hope it helps the healing.
Joseph Santoliquito is an Emmy Award-nominated writer based in the Philadelphia area who writes for ESPN.com. He can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIPblog
By Joseph Santoliquito
April 20, 2007
Aaron Hits Another Homer
Hank Aaron has delicate hands for such a large, retired power hitter. Those hands are the same that crushed 755 career homers, making him the all-time home run king at least for the moment. Aaron was a gracious, beloved figure during his drive to eclipse Babe Ruth, at least by those of us who are able to praise talent and accomplishment. By those of us who don't begrudge a man his achievements by his skin color, ethnicity or religion.
Aaron received hate mail and threats on his life during his record-breaking campaign. Yet he persisted with the same dignity then as he carries now. He continued forward with a placid demeanor.
I like the trail Aaron is blazing today, the path away from Barry Bonds and his current assault on Aaron's mark. The San Francisco Giants slugger asks why Aaron won't call or acknowledge him. Bonds blames the media for why Aaron won't visit, or wants any part of Bonds.
Bonds is delusional. He always has been. He thinks he’s good for baseball.
He isn’t.
Aaron is and always has been.
Aaron made it clear that he doesn't care much for Bonds. Maybe it's the reason Aaron won't be anywhere around when Bonds eventually breaks the sacred 755? Won’t give Bonds a call. Maybe it's Bonds' alleged steroid use that Aaron doesn't want to be associated with? Maybe it's the Hall of Fame surliness that Bonds exhibits in the clubhouse, dugout, outfield, or everywhere else he goes?
Ask anyone who ever played with Bonds: Bad guy. Ask anyone who covered Bonds: Bad guy. Ask anyone whoever dealt with Bonds: Bad guy.
In other words, the antithesis of Aaron.
"I have no intention of trying to get in contact with him or doing anything with him in regard to his [chasing the record],” Aaron has said publicly. “Nothing. Why should I?" said Aaron, "It's really not a big concern of mine. I don't know why I should have to do anything."
Aaron was told about Bonds’ displeasure through Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who’s been very tight with Aaron since the all-time great played in Milwaukee. It was Selig who told Aaron that Bonds had been inquiring about him.
.“The commissioner told me that [Bonds] has asked him several times about why I haven't contacted him,” Aaron said. “I don't talk to anybody, really, and I've never talked to Barry, outside of that commercial we did together a few years ago, and a few other short times.
“I’m 72 years old, and I'm not hopping on a plane and flying all the way to San Francisco for anybody."
Good for you Hammerin’ Hank. If Bonds wants to reach Aaron, how about calling him? It’s an easy process of picking up the phone and punching a speed-dial button. But then again, it’s likely Bonds doesn’t have Aaron on speed-dial. Aaron has never gone out of his way to kiss Barry’s ass—like Bonds expects.
Sounds like a big ego problem. We’re talking about Barry Bonds here.
Not surprising.
So Bonds can get his record. He can enjoy the moment. But he’ll do it without the fanfare and adulation the record deserves. He’ll do it without the delicate class of Hank Aaron.
Some in the media have called it a richly deserved snub. I call it another home run by Aaron.
Phillies and A-Rod
I find Alex Rodriguez’s April-To-Remember ironically spliced with memorable Phillie Aprils. How about that? A team that can’t seem to do anything right in April linked to someone who right now can’t seem to do anything wrong in April.
A-Rod’s 10th home run this month on Thursday night to beat Cleveland gave him 10 in 14 games. The only player in Major League history who happened to reach 10 homers faster was Phillie Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt, who slammed 10 in 12 games back in 1976.
Another Phillie link to A-Rod’s Cleveland homer—to deep centerfield, which capped a remarkable four-run, two-out Yankee ninth-inning rally—is believe it or not, Pat Burrell. The last time a Major Leaguer poked two walk-off homers in April was Pat Burrell in 2002—in the first nine games. That seems a lifetime ago, and may be the only time Burrell’s name is ever mentioned in the same sentence with A-Rod.
Joseph Santoliquito is an Emmy Award-nominated writer based in the Philadelphia area who writes for ESPN.com. He can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I am innocent. Reade Seligmann is innocent. Collin Finnerty is innocent. Every member of the Duke lacrosse team is innocent. You have all been told some fantastic lies, and I look forward to watching them unravel in the weeks to come.” –David Evans, after being charged with rape, sexual offense and kidnapping, May 15, 2006.
Who’s Sorry Now?
Apparently no one was listening to Evans last May. A number of days have gone by and we’re still waiting. Some in the media, to their credit, have stepped forward. But that’s about it. We’re still waiting as to who will apologize to Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty? Will Rev. Al Sharpton? Will the Rev. Jesse Jackson? Will those learned Duke professors who rushed to judgment? Will former Durham, North Carolina D.A. Mike Nifong? Will the accuser who started this whole thing against them?
Who will apologize and give them back their lives?
Who?
If you’ve forgotten already, Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty were the three former Duke lacrosse players accused of raping a young woman at a party 13 months ago. If you’ve forgotten already, they and their Duke teammates were forced to forfeit their 2006 season over what essentially comes down to a lie. If you’ve forgotten already, they were the ones the nation—the national media included—pointed a collective guilty index finger towards, when the allegations first arose last March.
So I’d like to know who’s going to be held accountable for what three innocent student-athletes endured? Who’s going to organize a protest march on their behalf?
What I find interesting is how much the Duke case was pushed aside nationally. I find it surprising because lives were affected by the Duke situation. Do you think Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty can easily move forward from what they experienced? That this is behind them? I’d like to believe it, but I don’t.
After the nation pointed a collective guilty index finger at the trio, Duke, and the men’s lacrosse program there, how can they not feel resentful?
So who’s to blame?
Nifong, for one. The once-respected prosecutor, known as a stand-up guy in Durham and the surrounding area, is on the verge of being disbarred, and facing possible ethics charges by the North Carolina State Bar Association. He seems now that he withheld evidence. He made inflammatory statements about the Duke players. What’s worse is that he placated the African-American community in his electorate. He insulted them by patronizing them, playing the race card for the African-American vote.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper ripped Nifong during his press conference Wednesday, April 11 exonerating the former Duke players, insinuating that Nifong was a “rogue prosecutor.”
The missing someone lost in this sordid situation is the accuser. The college student/single mother, who was working as an exotic dancer, received a free pass. Lie and get off scot-free. Cooper stated that she may believe the contradictory accounts she made about what allegedly happened March 13, 2006, but she won’t face any charges.
“If she can keep herself out of the limelight, she can probably over a period of time regain her ability to live in and among the community,” said Woody Vann, a Durham attorney who once represented the accuser. “People have done worse than this.”
Huh? Not much worse? How about the lives impacted by her obvious fabrication?
Finally, the media who jumped to a conclusion without knowing all of the facts deserve blame.
Everyone with a microphone in their hand rushed to Durham for a juicy story involving sex, class, sports, and mostly the racial component. They made Durham the dateline of their nightly newscasts, often times it seemed, reporting inexactitudes.
Where are they now? Nowhere, because you’ll rarely find anyone in the media admitting they were wrong. That’s why you found the Duke case buried in some instances.
This was never a case of black-and-white. It was a matter of right-and-wrong. But many in both the media and politics tried making it a black-and-white matter.
Columnists, some African-American (though a number of African-American columnists such as ESPN’s Jamele Hill, the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock, and the Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon staunchly supported the Duke players, and Hill even went as far as apologizing in a column), played the trifecta—the race-gender-class card.
In the end, it didn’t work.
As for Sharpton and Jackson, will they organize a rally Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore, in support of Duke when it plays in the NCAA men’s lacrosse Final Four? I don’t think so. They suffer from selective reasoning and selective amnesia. They see things black-and-white, not right-and-wrong. Which is a shame.
As for me, Go Blue Devils!! I hope they win the national championship. I hope they get the backing of the nation after having their hearts torn out last year. This way, they can point a finger back at those who rushed to accuse them—and I don’t mean a guilty index finger.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 12, 2007
Phillies Philler
Will the real Adam Eaton please stand up. He looked great in going seven against the New York Mets in a 5-2 victory Wednesday night, after a subpar opening performance and a spring he’d like to forget. He kept the Mets off-balance, scattering four hits and yielding two earned runs.
What’s even more interesting is that the bullpen—for once—also did its job.
The Phils pen recorded six-straight outs—that’s six straight—from Antonio Alfonseca in the eighth and Tom Gordon in the ninth, who notched his first save this season.
It was also nice to see some defense, thought to be a Phillies flaw. It wasn’t Wednesday night, as Chase Utley made a nice play on the smash from Moises Alou in the fourth inning. Utley knocked the ball down, flipped to Rollins and turned a much-needed double play at a crucial moment in the game.
It saved Eaton from a big inning.
What’s still troubling is that the Phillies continue to leave runners on base. Their situational hitting has been deplorable through eight games this season. Philadelphia has left 82 runners on base through its first eight games, which averages out to slightly over 10 runner left on base a game.
Joseph Santoliquito is an Emmy Award-nominated writer based in the Philadelphia area who writes for ESPN.com. He can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday April 6, 2007
WIP Sports Blog
By Joseph Santoliquito
PHILLIES
Maybe we’ve expected too much too fast. That this will-be-the-year attitude that permeated every corner of Citizens Bank Park during Monday’s season-opener against the Braves won’t come to fruition after all.
The problem with the ‘Fightins’ is that they may lack fight. The Phillies aren’t the standard of anything— yet Jimmy Rollins fired the first shot at the National League East declaring the Phillies as the team to beat in the division.
The Braves bristled at that notion, as did the NL East champ New York Mets. Atlanta came into Citizens Bank Park with an attitude. Chipper Jones reminded us in March, “As far as I can remember, I don’t think [Rollins] has ever won a division. We’ll leave it at that.”
It’s good that Rollins put it out there. It’s bad that none of the Phillies backed him up during the first three games of the season.
A certain type of team can inspire a cynical city. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, and Cole Hamels make it difficult to be cynical. The problem is this photogenic team has sold a city before it’s learned how to win in April, before it’s learned how to push back when shoved.
We the fans and the media are a little to blame. Expectations were high on Monday. We wanted to cling on to any faint glimmer that this team could break the 23-year winless skid this city’s endured that we were willing to overlook their deficiencies (except, it seems, for WIP personalities). This team, partially through no fault of its own, has been thrust to the popularity forefront before its ready to handle success. All the Phillies have proven with this nucleus is that they can win 85 games and finish second in the NL East each summer—nothing more. There have been no division titles since 1993. No wildcard berths. Just a sniff of the postseason, a tantalizing September tease. Nothing tangible.
Atlanta proved what winning experience is all about. The Braves came into April with a September demeanor and stomped on the “Promised Team.”
Still, there’s too much talent and quality starting pitching for the Phils to be an afterthought. They can win 92 games, and make another late-season push to the postseason. But Atlanta was able to raise its collective level. I don’t know if this Phillies team has the wherewithal to do that—to step forward when the glare is on them most. They certainly didn’t do it their first three games. And remember, this was a team that snuck up on everyone last year, when it appeared everyone had given up on them, including their own general manager.
Playing without any real intensity in April has led to the downfall of the Phils each of the last three years.
Let’s hope this young team learned something from the Braves. Let’s hope we’re not all standing around in early-October with the dull satisfaction of spewing a Philadelphia mantra to one another, “I told you so,” after an 85-win season again that ends one game short of a playoff berth.
All because this team’s intensity level couldn’t be jumpstarted in April. Even after bold words by its second baseman.
SOUL SUCCESS
One Philly team that’s floated just below the radar is the Philadelphia Soul. I know, I know, long-time sports traditionalists in this city sometimes scoff at Arena Football as a junk sport. I just ask you to give it a shot one time—especially with sports-minded kids in tow. You’ll be hooked. The Soul right now are 4-0 and are headlining a nationally televised game this Monday night at the Wachovia Center against the Georgia Force.
Philadelphia has the most potent offense in the Arena Football League—and its headed for a collision course with the undefeated Dallas Desperados in what appears to be a carryover rivalry from the NFL on April 16—in Dallas. Let the “Dallas Sucks” chants commence.
Joseph Santoliquito is an Emmy Award-nominated writer based in the Philadelphia area who writes for ESPN.com. He can be contacted at Jsantoliquito@yahoo.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
