This is going to be the last baseball-related post for the next few days. Next week this space will hold nothing but the scene and the scenesters from Clearwater so it's good to diversify. You know... goof on other goofiness for a while.
In the meantime, I'm going to go see There Will Be Blood [1] before my wife's annual Academy Awards extravaganza at the house on Sunday night. From what I'm told this year's menu will include a new red lentil soup recipe as well as baked brie with raspberries and almonds[2].
Once again my suggestion to serve a six-foot hoagie with a pony keg was ignored.
Anyway, this effort is hardly going to be an effort at all. In fact, it's essentially going to be recycled from last February when the Phillies announced their Wall of Fame ballot. This year the club added Doug Glanville, Greg Gross, Jim Fregosi and Lancaster Countian Gene Garber to the ballot, though it seems unlikely that anyone from that group will gain election for enshrinement, in which the criterion is:
Phillies players with five or more years of service are eligible. Managers and coaches need four or more years of service.
In addition to a player's statistical record, consideration is given to longevity, ability, contributions to the Phillies and baseball, character and special achievements.
This year the 15 players on the ballot are:
Pitchers: Larry Christenson, Jim Konstanty, Gene Garber, Rick Wise Catcher: Darren Daulton Infielders: John Kruk, Fred Luderus, Juan Samuel Outfielders: Lenny Dykstra, Von Hayes, Greg Gross, Doug Glanville Manager: Gene Mauch, Jim Fregosi Coaches: Mike Ryan
Out of the 15 eligible, I cast my three vote(s) for Jim Konstanty, Darren Daulton and Gene Mauch.
Konstanty gets the vote simply for the 1950 season. During that year, as a relief pitcher, Konstanty appeared in a then Major League-record 74 games and was National League's MVP. When the Phillies got to their first World Series since 1915, Konstanty took the ball and started Game 1for his first start in approximately four seasons.
Ultimately Konstanty only won 51 games and saved 54 in 6½ seasons for the Phillies, but he was one of the pioneers in the game as a true relief specialist, yet was also versatile and strong enough to pile up more than a 100 innings.
Don't tell me the Phillies wouldn't like to have a relief pitcher to toss 70 or so innings this season.
I don't think I have to get too into why Daulton should be enshrined. Simply, he may have been one of the most important players - for his time - the franchise ever had. Importance of a player, of course, belies simple things such as numbers on a stat page and in that regard Daulton is both simple and complex. He led the league in both RBIs and knee operations... then moved to the outfield after two decades of squatting.
Better yet, he was the straw that stirred the drink in '93. Go ahead... ask anybody.
Mauch, on the other hand, was regarded as one of the best baseball minds as well as the most star-crossed. He has managed more seasons without reaching the World Series than anyone else. Worse, Mauch had come so excruciatingly close to getting there so many times only to fall through a trap door.
There was 1964, which people around here remember, but then in 1982 he guided the California Angels to 2-0 lead in the best of five series only to drop the final three games to the Milwaukee Brewers. That was the first time that had ever happened.
In 1986, Mauch's Angels were one pitch away from beating the Boston Red Sox in five games of the best-of-seven ALCS before Donnie Moore served up the famous home run to Dave Henderson. The Red Sox went on to win Game 5 and then games 6 and 7 to further extend Mauch's curse.
Yet for the Phillies, Mauch turned a laughingstock into a contender by winning 646 games in a little more than eight seasons. From 1962 to 1967, Mauch's Phillies finished .500 or better in every season, which was a rarity for the franchise.
There it is... go vote online at the Phillies' web site.
In the meantime, here are my Oscar picks [3]based on no knowledge whatsoever:
Supporting actress: Cate Blanchett, I'M NOT THERE Supporting actor: Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Actress: Ellen Page, JUNO Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, THERE WILL BE BLOOD Director: The Coen Bros., NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Best picture: There Will Be Blood
[1] Again. [2] Yeah, we're doing alright. [3] Yes, I know there is no way to judge art or acting unless all of the actors play the same part. I also know that the Academy Awards are inherently a big pile of BS.