Utley going to the HOF?
Hyperion
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in Sports Talk
only if he buys tickets, the obvious answer to some.
this generations best secondbaseman?
dunno, but Im certainly glad he plays for us, win or lose.
for the record, here's Mrs. Utley. that should count for something...
this generations best secondbaseman?
dunno, but Im certainly glad he plays for us, win or lose.
for the record, here's Mrs. Utley. that should count for something...
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it's almost like utley or howard (if they continue pace) vs. the mussina and palmieros of the world.....
I know Im getting apples and oranges here... for many different reasons.
The ironic thing is that Howard will not make it either. He and Sexson will be sitting at a bar(a rich one of course) drinking together and toasting a similar career value.
What is left to wait for is how soon he falls off the table. He is just a hair loss of bat speed away from making this World Series performance the norm...and becoming what happened to Richie Sexson.
Patience.
He is very good. Richie Sexson was very good for a time too.
Howard has also gotten extra credit because he has excellent teammates.
As I stated above, it will be ironic if Utley fails to gain HOF recognition because of the lack of MVP votes or 'fame' that was thrust upon a less deserving Howard.
Actually, Utley has been disrespected by many of the Phillies fans on here. Disrespected by neglecting him in praise, and some outright disrespecting him like in another thread laughing that they would be up 3-0 on the Dodgers without him.
I think those guys lost their right to claim Utley as their own
I hope they are happy when they are stuck with Howard looking like Richie Sexson did his last few seasons, and was finished by age 33.
He and Richie Sexon can play some golf after the season.
As for Howard being compared to Sexson that is a ridiculous comparison.
Last we heard Howard was supposed to be on the down side of his career this year and for some reason
he did better than last season.
Yes he strikes out a lot, he does however play a better first base then many give him credit for.
Steve
Patience.
He is still in his prime. That prime will not last long. Once that swing loses a fraction of speed, his performance in the World Series will be the norm. Patience. It WILL happen before age 35 where he turns into Sexson type, and is worthless, and is either gone from MLB or just plain sucks. Phillies fans need to hope it doesn't happen as quick as Sexson.
His OPS+ the last two years were 124, and 139. Yes, he did better than the previous year, but neither years are HOF worthy. He basically had one or two HOF worthy years. People who are painting him as Koufaxian for this stretch are waaaay off. His lineup was Koufaxian, but not him.
Winpitcher, I think you chimed in on the 'clutch' Howard thread.
Why isn't he calling upon that ability instead of striking out all the time in the World Series? Seems to me if somebody has some clutch ability, don't you think they would put it to use in the World Series instead of looking over matched every at bat?
Yeah, even if he does hit a home run or two the next two games, if he had a clutch ability, don't you think he would have called upon it by now?
And did Arod all of a sudden learn how to be clutch this post season...after knowing it already with Seattle and his first series with the Yanks...then 'forgetting' how to be clutch....and now remembering again????
<< <i> if he had a clutch ability, don't you think he would have called upon it by now?
>>
didnt' he get a NLCS MVP already? no clutch hits driving in runs to tie ballgames last series? or maybe you're talking about his incredible numbers each september the last 3+ years?
If he owned a clutch ability, then he should have called upon that ability already. Unless he is pshycic and knew that Utley would hit two home runs to extend the series, and then is saving it for game six and seven.
The fact is, he doesn't own a clutch ability. He isn't, nor is any other MLB baseball player, really any better or worse in the post season, then in what they have already established as a level of abilty in the regular season.
The highs and lows you witness in the post season are simply the natural ups and downs of what always occurs in high level MLB baseball. Given time, they move toward that established level of play.
Is Ryan Howard dumb? If he were capable of raising his game in September, why only do it in September? Why not do that every month? Because that type of act is simply out of his control.
This 'post season' player tag is simply another myth.
Howard has been a very good player, lucky to be in an outstanding lineup and good team. His play, when isolated from the impact of the lineup, is very good, not HOF caliber(as established by the typical HOF slugger). His 2006 season WAS HOF caliber, no question. His other seasons were good, and 'look' better to the average fan due to a high RBI total. BUt RBI only tell part of the story of a hitter, and he was presented with a lot of opportunities to achieve those RBI. If he were elite, he should have been driving in 165 runs a year given his amount of opportunities.
His age and skill set will preclude him from putting up any counting numbers, that even the ignorant writers won't be able to say, "HALL OF FAME."
His drop off will be quick, and it will be before age 35. Don't count on those 25 home run type seasons from age 35-39 that most HOF sluggers achieve.
and Howard is in a slump and now Howard is a bust. I never understood the Howard bashing here, sure he isn't God, but he has produced like no other
person in the bigs with the possible exception of Pujols, that is amazing. Are the Phillies even in the WS without Howard's bat?
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Howard produced better than everyone except pujols???? There is the the stuff that is simply incorrect. Yeah, he was part of a lot of RBI, but a good share of those RBI go to the excellent hitters and base runners ahead of him. With the talent around him, he should be getting 165 RBI a year.
Figures more indicitive of HIS ability, and not his lineups ability, tell a more clear story.
His top OPS+ finsihes in the NL only are 2nd and 9th
His top Batter runs finishes in the NL only are 2nd, 10th, and 10th
So basically, he finished in the top ten in MLB in those two very telling measurements only once each! Hardly dominating, especially coming from the 1b position.
I recognize that Howard's slump is simply bad timing, and that he isn't choking. However, I also recognize that a couple of hot streaks in the post season are simply good timing, and that he doens't have some mythical 'clutch' ability. Many Phillies fans conveniently brush off the slumps to bad timiing, yet cling to the hot ones as truth of clutch. It can't be both ways... and it isn't.
P.S. Well put Grote. It needs to be written about while it is ongoing so that it can be seen and felt better. If Howard goes on to hit a game winning HR in game 6, yeah, clutch moment...but not meaning a clutch ability...and watching the first five games can attest to that. Just enjoy the moment, and that 'you never know' stuff is what makes the games exciting.