2008 Woodie Awards
Phillies open 2005 season
Matt Smith
Issue date: 4/5/05 Section: Athletics
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The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping to start from scratch in the 2005 season. With new manager Charlie Manual at the helm, the team looks to rebound from a mediocre 2004 campaign, and make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
General Manager Ed Wade made it a necessity in the off-season to bolster a pitching staff that was plagued by injuries and inconsistency in 2004. In December, starting pitcher Jon Lieber signed a threeyear, $21 million contract to play for the Phillies. Lieber, who was 5-0 in September last year for the New York Yankees, will be counted on to be the team?s ace.
Randy Wolf played through many nagging shoulder injuries last season, finishing with a 5-8 record: a significant drop off from his all-star year in 2003 when he won 16 games.
Vicente Padilla will likely start the season on the disabled list due to triceps tendonitis, the same injury that cost him two months of action last season. Top prospect Gavin Floyd will replace Padilla temporarily in the rotation, and Brett Myers and Corey Lidle will round out the starting five.
Starting pitching was a determent in 2004, but the team chose to pass on top free agents in the off-season such as Carl Pavano, Tim Hudson, and Pedro Martinez. Although Lieber will be touted as a number one starter, fans still are frustrated that the team didn?t choose to go after a better option.
"The Marlins and Mets improved their staff and took chances in free agency," said senior Jim Fiore. "But all we did was sign Jon Lieber, and that isn?t good enough."
Wade, who in recent years has spent money in the off-season, proved during last season that starting pitching wasn?t much of an issue "Ed Wade showed how incompetent he really is last season at the trade deadline," said sophomore Kevin Timlin. "A team is built around its starting pitching, and we needed it last year. When [Wade] didn?t want to fix that, I gave up on the team for good."
There?s no denying that the nucleus of the Phillies has mostly remained the same over the last few years. It?s formula that just isn?t working, according to Timlin. "I?m not going to sit and watch the games knowing that this is basically the same underachieving team that goes out there each year," said Timlin. "They did absolutely nothing in the off-season that makes me want to look forward to opening day. Nothing at all."
General Manager Ed Wade made it a necessity in the off-season to bolster a pitching staff that was plagued by injuries and inconsistency in 2004. In December, starting pitcher Jon Lieber signed a threeyear, $21 million contract to play for the Phillies. Lieber, who was 5-0 in September last year for the New York Yankees, will be counted on to be the team?s ace.
Randy Wolf played through many nagging shoulder injuries last season, finishing with a 5-8 record: a significant drop off from his all-star year in 2003 when he won 16 games.
Vicente Padilla will likely start the season on the disabled list due to triceps tendonitis, the same injury that cost him two months of action last season. Top prospect Gavin Floyd will replace Padilla temporarily in the rotation, and Brett Myers and Corey Lidle will round out the starting five.
Starting pitching was a determent in 2004, but the team chose to pass on top free agents in the off-season such as Carl Pavano, Tim Hudson, and Pedro Martinez. Although Lieber will be touted as a number one starter, fans still are frustrated that the team didn?t choose to go after a better option.
"The Marlins and Mets improved their staff and took chances in free agency," said senior Jim Fiore. "But all we did was sign Jon Lieber, and that isn?t good enough."
Wade, who in recent years has spent money in the off-season, proved during last season that starting pitching wasn?t much of an issue "Ed Wade showed how incompetent he really is last season at the trade deadline," said sophomore Kevin Timlin. "A team is built around its starting pitching, and we needed it last year. When [Wade] didn?t want to fix that, I gave up on the team for good."
There?s no denying that the nucleus of the Phillies has mostly remained the same over the last few years. It?s formula that just isn?t working, according to Timlin. "I?m not going to sit and watch the games knowing that this is basically the same underachieving team that goes out there each year," said Timlin. "They did absolutely nothing in the off-season that makes me want to look forward to opening day. Nothing at all."
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