By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

No matter how we slice it, hating on the Mets is like beating a dead horse. This has been discussed time and time again, whether it be through scathing articles from the national to the New York media (who most times think they’re national) to television broadcasts. I mean, it’s so comical that Sportscenter and First Take on multiple occasions have aired the Top 5 (now up to 10 and I’m sure soon to be 15) boneheaded plays the Mets have committed this year. Usually at the top is Luis Castillo dropping a routine popup for a Yankees walk off win.

As a Phillies fan, I should be smiling with the biggest grin in the world looking at this. (Don’t get me wrong, I am, but it has gotten to the point where it is just sad now.) Part of the fun of picking on the Mets and having a rivalry is that both teams need to be good at the same time. That’s why it’s taken so long as it is for our geographically close cities to even develop a baseball rivalry.

I also have to admit, it was quite nice after hating on Ted Turner and those Braves all those years.

But dang, the flippin’ Pirates and Nationals are trotting out more Major League talent than the Mets are now. The injury bug didn’t spread through that clubhouse, it was fired at them with a blasted mini-gun. It’s hard to show sympathy, but really, what the Mets are putting out on the field right now is ridiculous. If I were a Mets fan, boy, would I feel ripped off. I don’t know if it was poor management (probably), poor trainers (possibly), or poor ownership and brass (most likely), but I think more people would’ve survived biting down on an electrified fence while doused in gasoline then sitting in the Mets dugout.

I recall back in the beginning of the season when everyone was on the Mets bandwagon, thinking that they’d reclaim the NL East crown. My how things have changed since then. Even sadder, much of their injured roster is under contract for a few more years. We’ll be seeing this injury bitten club for years to come.

I don’t wish the Mets much luck, so here’s the best I can muster up:

Keep doing what you’re doing, Omar Minaya!

By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

Has Philly gone soft?

Although I don’t buy into all the ridiculous urban myths about Philadelphia fans (see the Santa incident that happened some 40+ years ago), I still will admit that we are a tough fanbase to please. We appreciate hustle and hard work and we’ll let the athletes know when we don’t like something.  

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel came out with a rather interesting quote, though, that I scratched my brain over.  

“Our fans are still really into everything. They fill our ballpark up and they stay,” Manuel said. “I notice sometimes if fans are near our dugout and talking to our players, they always want to talk about last year. That’s good. I want them to keep coming to the games. But I want the fans to start telling them they want to win this year, too. Of course they love us and everything, but maybe they should get on them a little bit.”  

Has Philly lost that edge after the Phillies’ magical 2008 championship run? Take a look at the 2008 playoffs, when the Phils didn’t lose a home game during the postseason. It was a house of horrors for visiting teams. In the 2009 season, however, the Phils’ home record is abysmal, while the road record is one of the best in the majors. How can that be?  

I know that after 2008, I personally became slightly complacent. I’ve been hard at work shooting a new film most of the spring and summer so far and haven’t been able to pay as much attention to my Fightin’ Phils. I haven’t been getting angry or even that concerned over the poor starting-pitcher ERA and alarming number of home runs given up in the early going. Brad Lidge has blown several saves already and has an ERA over 9.00. Have I become so satisfied with the championship that I’ve granted the Phils a free pass?  

During the Eagles’ 2008-09 playoff run, I know that I wasn’t too happy with their performance (or lack thereof) in the NFC Championship game. I felt angry and betrayed, as usual, with the Birds. But I seem to have been forgiven the Phils for past, present and future boneheaded mistakes.

Maybe Manuel has a point. Part of what gives the Phils such an edge at Citizens Bank Park is the cozy confines of the crowd. We push them to perform with greatness while intimidating the opposition. It seems the opposition plays carefree right now and the fans are forgiving of the home team’s mediocre play.

I do wonder though if it’s smart, though, to invite the storm and clouds to return to Philly. The worst thing in the world is to awaken sleeping giants.

By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

Oh New York sports, when will you ever learn?

There seems to be a growing trend in New York sports as the teams have been shooting themselves in the leg  both literally and figuratively.

It was just recently announced that the new Yankees Stadium will be slashing their ludicrously high ticket prices to moderately ridiculously high ticket prices. The reasoning? The common New Yorker isn’t dumb enough to pay them and therefore isn’t filling the seats.

First off, I still don’t understand why new Yankees Stadium was built. When I think of classic ballparks with legendary status, I think of Wrigley, Fenway, and of course Yankees Stadium. Apparently there just wasn’t enough box seats to rape people’s wallets with in the old one and that incoming cash flow is vital to keeping the game’s most storied franchise operating. I mean, come on, A-Rod’s diamond-stud, gold-plated steroid syringe isn’t going to pay for itself.

I buy why Citi Field had to be built for the Mets. Shea Stadium was a dump. At least their stadium was built with a sponsorship, as opposed to public funds like Yankees Stadium, right?

Wait, you mean the Citi Group received millions of our tax dollars in federal bailout yet still kept their $400+ million contract with the Mets? Oh well then nevermind.

Anyway, the Yankees haven’t exactly been off to a hot start this season. How many games have we seen with crooked numbers, giving up double-digit runs? How well has the ridiculously high payroll been panning out for the club? You think the fans are going to file into that stadium with a team playing so poorly? Think again.

The Yankees set these high prices on their $1+ billion stadium with a right-field porch that belongs on a little league field. It isn’t uncommon to find seats for the moderate price of $1,500 or even $2,500.

Sounds reasonable, right?

The Yankees set these prices because they think they’re God’s gift to baseball. They think because they’re the Yankees, people will pay those prices.

The Mets are facing a similar situation, but not to such an extent. The Mets’ reasonably priced seats (some less than $25, some more) sell out quickly and there’s far less of them than the expensive ones.

The Yanks just announced that ticket prices will now be slashed by upwards of 50 percent. Yet those who have already bought seats at such high prices won’t get a refund. Instead they’d be compensated with more seats.

So let me get this straight: The plan is to give more seats to people who probably won’t fill them, therefore leaving them empty?

Brilliant. Watch me as I clap sarcastically. I can only imagine how those who have bought tickets are feeling as they flip through the phone books, looking for a good lawyer to file a lawsuit.

This Yankees are learning a valuable lesson the hard way: You don’t screw with New Yorkers and try to rip them off.

By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

“We have lost our voice,” said David Montgomery, team president of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Words cannot describe the sadness that has overcome the hearts of the Phillies fans and sports fans alike. Whether you heard him through NFL Films or something as silly as the Puppy Bowl, Harry Kalas was special. To us Philly fans, he was not a voice — he was the voice.

Mike (front, in white) and Kevin (behind him, in blue) on Action News before Thome's 400th HR -- called of course by Harry Kalas

I’ll be brief as I sincerely fight back the impending tears. Harry was always there. He embodied every aspect of the Phillies. It wasn’t a Phillies game without hearing his voice. He had a soothing, calming effect, similar to that of a grandparent one would confide in.

You always knew that if the Phils were making a postseason run, Harry would be singing “High Hopes” loudly and proudly, no matter how off-key. And you know what? He somehow would rally fans and players alike into singing along with him.

Harry coined some phrases that forever live in the hearts of Philly fans. Whether it was “Number 500 for Michael Jack Schmidt!” (Harry always referred to Mike Schmidt as Michael Jack) or my personal favorite, “Chase Utley, you are the man!”

I don’t know how it is going to be watching home runs now without hearing Harry’s calls. We’re not going to hear him yell, “Watch this, baby!” with giddy enthusiasm. Never again will we be graced with “Long drive!” It will be most difficult not hearing Harry’s most well-known home run call: “Outta here!” As Phillies radio broadcaster Scott Franzke said, “Players come and go, but ‘Outta here!’ — that’s forever.”

Harry captured the hearts of Philadelphia for his near-40 years with the Phillies organization. I don’t think he will ever be forgotten. Forever, we will always get to hear replays of Harry calling “Long drive, IT’S OUTTA HERE!”

Due to broadcast restrictions, Harry did not get to call the 1980 Phillies’ World Series win. After rule changes allowing local broadcasters to announce for radio, Harry got to call the Phillies’ 2008 postseason. It is appropriate Harry got to go out seeing his team on top, saying, “The Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball!” He went out seeing the Phils as the reigning champions.

Just as an example of what it meant to hear Harry call a game, Kev (Dr. Sports Fan) and I were at Citizens Bank Park for Jim Thome’s 400th home run. We got to witness it live and sat through several hours’ worth of rain delays. The very first thing I did when we got home was to check and listen to Harry’s call. This was true for any Phils game I went to.  If there was a big home run, walk-off win or big moment in the pitching, I had to hear how Harry called it when I got home.

We will miss you Harry. Deeply.

By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

As much as I love opening day and the return of baseball, Lord knows that the extensive amount of overreactions have soared to beyond ludicrous speed.

I’ve never been one for preseason predictions, especially in a sport like baseball. There are over 30 teams with 162 games each and only four playoff spots per league. That doesn’t exactly lend itself to accurate predictions for all the expert swamis out there. Case in point: Last year the Tampa Bay Rays were something like a 100-1 shot to win the World Series. I also remember how the Mets were going to bounce back after Epic Collapse Take 1 with the addition of Johan Santana (more on that in a bit).

Opening Day (or night, if you’re ESPN) was my beloved Phillies vs. the Braves. The Braves picked up Derek Lowe, arguably one of the top free agent starters on the market (outside of A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia, who were gobbled up by Galactus — geek moment for all you comic book fans out there who will get what I’m talking about). Lowe was in full-fledged, vintage form against the potent lefty-heavy Phillies offense. To see sinker balls in all their splendor, look no further then Sunday’s game tape. Maybe he pitched with a chip on his shoulder from last season’s NLCS, or maybe he really has just returned to form. There is no arguing that he was that dang good.

So the Phillies laid an egg on opening day — I’m used to that. They’ve lost opening days all but one (2005) since 2003. Many of those losses were completely embarrassing blowouts, like a 13-5 loss to the Cardinals in 2006 and a Tom Gordon-fueled 11-6 blowup last season. Please note that the Phils have played .500 ball or better in all of those seasons.

Opening Day is special, but people, it’s one game! All of the sudden the media, fans, and pan handlers sleeping on subway sidewalk vents are going crazy as if it is the end of the world. According to some, the Phillies’ 4-1 loss to the Braves was an omen that the defending champs are not a team to be watched this year.

On the flip side, you have the New York Mets, where Collapse Take 1 and Collapse Take 2 might have damaged the part of their brain that deals in short-term memory. They won their opener in Cincinnati, 2-1, behind the efforts of ace Johan Santana (who has coincidentally joined Jose Reyes in a battle of excessive Broadway-choreographed celebratory handshakes).

This offseason, the Mets went out and made some much needed bullpen acquisitions in the form of set-up man J.J. Putz (can someone please tell me how to pronounce this name without laughing or sounding lewd and offensive) and star closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, who I’m convinced thinks he is an angel who should ascend into heaven after each save.

The so-called “experts” have some kind of love affair with them because of these bullpen moves. So the bullpen got a little better — good for them — and apparently that is the surefire sign that they will not only win the NL East this year, but the World Series as well. Much like how the Yankees are guaranteed to win after their $430 million-plus shopping spree — but that’s another rant for another day.

The experts also see the Mets passing the Phillies because of Cole Hamels’ spring-training elbow flare-up, ignoring that Santana had the same elbow flare-up scare just a week before Hamels.

These “experts,” like the narcissistic and self-righteous Steve Phillips, also forget that:

• the Mets trot out the same lineup as the last two seasons,
• their starting rotation is a question mark, considering how poor Oliver Perez’s offseason was,
• the concerns about the health and effectiveness of Mike Pelfrey and John Maine,
• and the Tim Redding- Freddie Garcia-Livan Hernandez fifth starter experiment.

The point being that after Opening Day, someone reading all the blogs and watching ESPN would think the Mets were already anointed the champions. I mean, why play the other 161 games, right?

And if they’re not talking about the Mets winning the division and having their victory parade with a dance floor for Jose Reyes, then the Yankees should be panicking like there is no tomorrow due to CC Sabathia’s overpaid ineffectiveness against the Baltimore Orioles.

To the talking heads on ESPN who refuse to cut the umbilical cord to your incredibly obvious frontrunning allegiance: IT IS ONLY ONE GAME IN (probably two or three by time you are all reading this).

I’m just waiting for Epic Collapse Take 3.

By Michael Licisyn
MR. DUDE AND STUFF

Longer NFL Schedule?  No Way, I Say!

When I first heard word that Roger Goodell announced that he would like to expand the NFL schedule from 16 games to 18 games by decreasing preseason games, my reaction was, “This has got to be the doings of Bud Selig.  Who else could propose something so dumb?”  Low and behold, it was Goodell and he seemed dead serious.

There has been debate for a long time that the NFL Preseason is a little on the ridiculous side.  The NFL, and subsequently its franchises, promote and sell these games as they would a regular-season game, between the advertising and ticket prices.  I guess they didn’t pay attention to the fact that the fans clear out the stadium and turn off their televisions by time the fourth-team players are fumbling over each other on the field in the humid August night.

Now, as a sports fan, I can’t stand the NFL Preseason, as I’m sure most can’t.  Usually the first game is exciting because we see the starters for a quarter or so of football after it being absent from us for so many months.  However, I do understand the benefit to the coaches who are finalizing their rosters.  It is impossible to get a real sense of what unproven talent can do in nongame situations — no matter how perfect practice drills may be.

It is great business for the NFL, no doubt, to have two more meaningful football games.  There’ll be higher television ratings and more revenue at the stadiums; everybody will be happy!  I mean, it would make sense, because the NFL is apparently losing so much money that it had to lay off a huge chunk of its workforce due to the economy, despite showing little to no reduction in revenue.

I digress.  Full disclosure: Being a film and video guy, I remember that many people were laid off from NFL Films in Mt. Laurel (near my South Jersey home) as part of the layoffs.

Anywho, having 18 games for a fan — in the words of Dana Carvey’s version of George H.W. Bush — just wouldn’t seem prudent.  It would reduce how important each game is in the standings.  Part of the thrill of watching the NFL week to week is knowing that there has to be a “do-or-die” mentality because each loss stings.  It is much more difficult to overcome a two-game deficit in the NFL than in Major League Baseball.

We already have seen teams at 8-8 sneak into the playoffs.  With 18 games and 6 spots per conference, we could see sub-.500 teams make the playoffs.  That doesn’t exactly sound like fun, competitive playoff football to me.  Then again, it’d probably be a God send for some of those teams in the West, considering what a “powerhouse” they’ve been lately. (Please note sarcasm.)

As a sports fan, there comes a point in the season for every sport where I get sick of the regular season.  I want some playoff action, especially regarding hockey.  In baseball, when August and September comes, no doubt it is exciting, but you just want to get it over with and get to October.  In football, we want to get to January as soon as possible.  Win or go home!  Nose to the grindstone!  Winner take all!

As you can see, I’m running out of little cliché motivational sayings.

Not to mention that the most obvious problem in adding extra games to the NFL schedule: Injuries will play a much larger role.  Football is such an intense sport, and the injury bug plagues teams like the monkey from Outbreak.  Do we really want to increase the chances of good teams folding because the players drop like flies?

Long rant short (Editors Note: too late!), keep the system how it is.  It works, methinks.  I love my NFL season.  Don’t make it so that I stop caring until playoff time like other sports. 

Pretty please, Mr. Goodell.