Conlin writes:
"What if Ryan Howard's 2007 home run output suffers a 25 percent drop from 58 to 44? What if he goes from a club record to a total that would merely be the fifth best in the 124-year history of the franchise?"
"Will the phans phreak out? Will the media maul the big guy?"
"This is Billy Wagner's Philly, after all."
Conlin feels the Phils bullpen will be their demise after the 7th inning.
For those who don't know, Wagner had this to say about the fans in Philly:
"People there expect you to perform, and when you do perform, they're
still on your ass. In Philly, you can't have a good enough year. It's
different in other places. In Philly, you should never give up a run or
you should hit a home run every time up."
I agree with Conlin and it's refreshing to hear an objective viewpoint come out of Philly. A wild card spot is well within reach for them, but I still pick them to finish 2nd to the Mets IF they can hold off the Braves who will be scrapping to get back to the top.
I think the Phillies themselves are more cocky than the fans are based on what a few of them have been saying. Maybe they're the ones who should be targeted in this article.
Baseball Prospectus writes in their Hope & Faith series how the Phillies can win the World Series. They touch on how the Phillies may be the team to beat in the NL East but that a break or two could mean the difference between a division title and a playoff miss. Membership needed to read it unfortunately.
