2000 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2001 Topps Set)

This is an index to postings related to the 2000 Topps All-Star Rookie Team which was honored with cards in the 2001 Topps set. The Set includes 2008 World Champ Pat Burrell.

2001 Topps #144 Pat Burrell 

91    2001 TOPPS MIKE LAMB
144    PAT BURRELL
271    BENGIE MOLINA
278    TERRENCE LONG
293    JAY PAYTON
319    RAFAEL FURCAL
514    ADAM KENNEDY
653    MARK REDMAN
720    KAZUHIRO SASAKI
721    MARK QUINN

2008 Topps TASR 50th Anniversary #AR81 Pat Burrell

ANNIVERSARY: 10 Years Ago Today the Phillies Win the World Series

Just wanted to post a couple of pictures to remember a great night from a decade ago.

Game Ticket 2008 World Series Game 5. 2008 OCT 27 & 29

 Pat Burrell prior to the last game he would ever play with the Phillies

Harry Kalas on about to perform his final World Series Broadcast.

 Ryan Howard

Jamie Moyer carrying the rubber from the CBP pitchers Mound

 Jimmy Rollins

Don Zimmer

One of my more common avatars

Links and Sources

2008 World Series Game 5 index

2008 World Champion Phillies Player Indices

2008 World Series Champions

Game 5 - Index to posting related to Game 5 of the 2008 World Series

Charlie Manuel

Cole Hamels
Carlos Ruiz
Ryan Howard
Chase Utley 
Pedro Feliz
Jimmy Rollins
Pat Burrell
Shane Victorino
Jayson Werth

Jamie Moyer
Joe Blanton
Brett Myers
Brad Lidge
JC Romero
Ryan Madson

Matt Stairs
Greg Dobbs
Geoff Jenkins
Eric Bruntlett
Chris Coste

Harry Kalas

Happy Birthday Matt Stairs 2009 Topps #139

Matt Stairs celebrates his 50th Birthday on February 27th. Of course Matt will always be remembered for one of the biggest Home Runs in Phillies history.

Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS Playoffs:

2009 Topps #139 Matt Stairs (image swiped from topps card db)

In the 8th inning of a 5-5 tie Stairs came in to pinch-hit and blasted a 3-1 pitch from Dodgers pitcher Jonathan Broxton deep into the Dodger Stadium bleachers. It is one of the hardest hit balls I have ever seen. The homer capped the scoring as the Phillies won the game 7-5 and took a 3-1 series lead. 

2009 Topps #139 Matt Stairs (b-sides /image swiped from topps card db)

The back of the card has a similar synopsis as we have written above along with the RHE box. Fumy how it is unlabeled bit all baseball fans know what it means. Stairs line for the game consists of his single PH AB - 2 RBI nobody Left on Base!


Pix

2008 Oct 13 Matt Stair Home Run in Game 4 of the NLCS

I was able to find the original image but it there is no associated photo credit in the accompanying Philly.com article. Notice that on this 2009 card the umpire has been digitally removed. Of course this meant that something had to be added in the umps absence. It looks like Topps took a crowd from a different game and inserted them in the space vacated by the ump. Check Stairs head then move to the right. The first guy is a match, Kid in orange shirt missing, Blue shirt w/ blue cap and shades over cap also missing. Same thing on row below - matches end with the person in the maroon shirt. ahh The joys of Photoshop.

UPDATE: I have found the source photo, it was taken by Chris Carlson and can be found here.  

Matt Stairs Index
1991 ProCards #259 (Swag)
2007 Topps #UH119 (Gold / Canadian Baseball HOF induction)
2009 Phungo #12

Sources & Links
2008 World Series Champs
Game Dated Cards Index
Topps Card DB
Baseball-Ref
Philly.com
AP Images

Update:
2018 0228: AP Image found
 

#tbt 2008 October 31: a Phillies Parade

There is a big parade happening in Philadelphia today. A decade ago Team Phungo got to attend a parade similar celebration.

In 2008 the Phillies Parade ended at the Stadium, On our way there we crossed the parking lot that is located where Veterans Stadium once stood. There are markers for each of the bases there, This is team Phungo at Home Plate. Pretty cool to have that pix taken the date the Phillies celebrated their World Championship.

Within the Ballpark the Phillies road around the ballpark in convertible and later spoke. This is Charlie Manuel. I blew this up a bit and used it for an early Phungo Card.

The Celebration concluded with the Phillies raising the 2008 Banner next to the American Flag.

Beutiful Day for a great celebration. I hope that the fans at the Eagles parade get to enjoy the day as much as I enjoyed the Phillies party 10 years ago.

2018 HOF Candidate: Brad Lidge

We made it!

Somehow after barely posting for the last year, we were able to get through all 5 of the Phillies related HOF Candidates - and for some reason I am happy about that

2009 Allen & Ginter's Baseball Highlights #AGH23 Brad Lidge

Other than a terrific DayF original this is my favorite of the many cards that have been dedicated to Brad Lidge closing out the 2008 World Series. 

I am not as big a fan of A&G base as other folks, but I do love the highlight cards. For me the attraction is honoring the games great moments, and it is cool to have a card dedicated to a Championship won by your favorite team. 

Lidge was a perfect 41/41 in saves during the regular season and then went on to complete 7 additional saves in the postseason.

Baseball-Reference snippet of Brad Lidge 2008 Saves (regular season)

The above is how Baseball-Reference sums up Brad Lidge's 2008 save efficiency. Nothing like looking at perfection.


Flip

2009 Allen & Ginter's Baseball Highlights #AGH23 Brad Lidge (b-side)


Clear and concise, the card mentions the 41 saves of the regular season, followed by the most important one of the postseason - The Phillies 4-3 World Series Clincher versus the Rays. We have posted a few times about this game, check here if you would like to read more.

Verdict
Brad Lidge got the final out in one of the best games that I have ever had the chance to attend HOF !!

Sources and Links
2018 HoF Candidates
Brad Lidge Index
2008 World Series Champions
Baseball-Ref

2018 HOF Candidate: Jamie Moyer

Today's HOF Candidate has a bunch of local ties Souderton HS Alum, St Joe's University Alum, and Starting pitcher for the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

2008 UD WS #PP-7 Jamie Moyer (image swiped from trading card database)

To me Jamie Moyer is a baseball hero just for pitching until he was 49 years old. I will spare you the suspense - to me Jamie Moyer is an absolute Hall of Famer.

Deep down inside I realize the mans numbers are just to mediocre. His big number is his 269 victories, 56 of which came for the Phillies. Of course that is an accumulation in a stat category that is going out of vogue. Regardless his 50+ WAR is very respectable ranking 110th all-time, better than a handful of Hallers most notably Sandy Koufax. Of course Moyer doesn't have the accomplished Postseason of Koufax who was twice voted World Series MVP.

2008 Upper Deck World Series
The above card honors Jamie Moyer's only World Series appearance. With the series tied 1-1 Moyer took the mound in the Phillies first Home World Series game in 25 years.

The rain delayed game did not start until after 10pm and would not end until nearly 2 the next morning. Moyer the Veteran and True Professional did not let the inhospitable conditions bother him. He put together 6.1 innings leaving the game with a 4-2 Phillies lead. A lead the bullpen would relinquish, however the Phillies eventually won the game 5-4 on a crazy finish - Reserver Eric Bruntlett reached via Hit By Pitch, moved to 3rd on a throwing error by Rays Catcher Dioner Navarro, and scored on a Carlos Ruiz dribbler.  The Phillies scored the winning run without hitting a ball out of the infield. 
 

 

2008 UD WS #PP-7 Jamie Moyer (b-side)

The flip side of the card gives a brief synopsis of the game 3 of the 2008 series. 

For more information Upper Deck's 2008 World Series Box check out Cliff's posting over at Capewood's Collections. 

Verdict

As mentioned above Jamie Moyer is an Hall of Famer to me. YES

Sources and Links

2018 HOF Candidates

Jamie Moyer Player Index

Game Dated Cards 

Capewood's Collections

Trading Card Database 

Baseball-Ref

Phillies 2014+ Cole Hamels 2009 Topps #299

We are a half decade removed from the spring of 2009. That spring Cole Hamels was 25 years old coming off a World Championship and a World Series MVP award.

2014 Topps #299 Postseason Highlights Cole Hamels

2009 ended up being Cole Hamels worst season....to date. 2014 is full of uncertainty for the now 30 year old Southpaw. He has a mysterious injury the Philllies remain mum about, Scheduled throwing sessions have been scratched, Hamels has described the issue as arm fatique and minor. None of this is comforting to Phils fans as Cole's 2014 Debut keeps getting delayed.

2013 Cole
This makes Hamels new season tough to predict. It may be true that Hamels was a victim of poor run support in 2013, but his overall performance was quite average. Whils his WHIP, H/9, BB/9, K/9, and K/BB numbers each were off only slightly, the cumulative effect of the averages was that his ERA+ dropped to 106 well below his career average of 123. This is in a season when the rest of the leagues pitchers were putting up unprecedent strikeout numbers. It could very well be that Hamels was suffering from his present arm issues last season.

Sim Scores
To gain some insight into what Cole Hamels season may 2014 season may look like we took a look at his age 29/30 similarity score matches in Baseball-ref. Of Hamels top 10 matches 2 are active in his class (Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke) and Juan Pizarro was a reliever. This leaves us with seven comparables:  



Yellow = Age 30 seasons of the 7 pitchers that comp with Hamels
light grey line 1 = average of all 7 pitchers
light grey line 2 = average of the bottom 5 pitchers on the list
Grey = Team Phungo 2014 Projection

Four of the 7 pitchers pitched full seasons. Jake Peavy had an unprecedented back/torso injury midway through his age 29 season. During the winter prior to 1990 Kevin Appier had an off the field injury. Sid Fernandez missed about half a season due to a series of  knee injuries.  I created two lines of averages, the first line is all 7, the second line excludes Peavy and Appier due to the timing/type of injuries. I kept Fernandez because his injury was basically in season and not season ending. 

Those odds would give Hamels a 4 of 7 chance of getting 200 innings (57%) for the full set. 4 in 5 (80%) if you exclude Peavy and Appier.

Those are fairly frightening numbers for the Phillies who likely need many things to go their way to be competitive. Hamels looks to be gone for at least part of April which jeopardizes any chance he has of getting 200 innings. 

Beyond that 2013 for Hamels was an average major league season. Among the comps Bob Welch and Fernandez's abbreviated season were the two that could be considered significantly above average. The rest were slightly above average and sadly I think that is the best we can hope for from Mr Hamels.    

2014
I see Hamels 2014 Numbers roughly matching his 2013 averages, which slightly lest output due to missing a month of the season - 8-10, 3.65 ERA with 185 innings. His 2013 WAR was 4.6 - for 2014 I am penciling Hamels in for 3.8 WAR.
 
2009 Topps Postseason Hightlights
 

2014 Topps #299 Postseason Highlights Cole Hamels (b-side)

Minor quibble with the flip side of this 09 PSH card - As the card mentions in the text, the 2009 Series included an unprecedented 2 day rain delay. This meant the Series ran through October 29th, not the 27th.

Phillies 2014+ Index
Cole Hamels
Ryan Howard

Sources
Baseball-ref
New York Times
Rory Costello @ Sabr.org - Sid Fernandez
ESPN Chicago
MLB.com
Larry Stone @ Seattle Times

Farewell: 2009 Phungo #37 Chad Durbin

On Monday we go the news that Chad Durbin retired. Durbin may have only been a middle reliever for the Phillies, but he performed that job for the 2008 World Champions. That season was among Chad’s best,  He had a 2.87 ERA (152 ERA+) in 87+ innings for the Champs. He was a member of three of the Phillies recent postseason teams (2008-2010) prior to moving on to Cleveland and Atlanta then returning to the Phillies for one last stretch this past season.


2009 Phungo #37 Chad Durbin

This will always be one of my favorite Phungo Cards and I have featured it a number of times. Partially because I like the card, and partially because there really aren't many Chad Durbin cards.

The photo was taken looking down into the Phillies Bullpen following the clinching W in the 2008 World Series. I met Chad Durbin at a card show in 2011 and told him about the picture, he mentioned that he remembered being in the bullpen celebrating. He said it was like being in a movie with all the bright lights shining down and people cheering.

By an account I have ever read Durbin is a really decent guy and seems to understand how lucky he has been. He also seems to be prepared for life after baseball. I read via twitter yesterday that he is working with a bat company and if I remember correctly even during his playing days he had an online project that helped connect prospects with scouts. I hope Durbin finds a post playing career with the Phillies or another organization. He's a good guy for the game to have around.

2008 World Series Champs

With the Durbin retirement announcement it felt like a good time to Where are they Now the 08 Champs:

Carlos Ruiz - With Phillies, Just signed to stay on through 2015.
Ryan Howard – With Phillies contracted forever for lots o $$
Chase Utley – Resigned with Phillies during 2013 through 2016ish
Pedro Feliz - Out of MLB appears to have last played with Camden Riversharks in 2012.
Jimmy Rollins - contracted with Phillies thru 2014 and possibly 2015
Pat Burrell – Retired after winning another World Series with the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Currently scouting with the Giants.
Shane Victorino – RF for the reigning World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Selling his beard for charity.
Jayson Werth – playing RF for megabucks with division rival Washington Nationals

Cole Hamels – Phillies current Ace.
Jamie Moyer – Retired in 2012 at age of 49.
Brett Myers – pitched as reliever for Indians in 2013, Released on 8/29 and is currently a Free Agent.
Joe Blanton – was 2-14 for the 2013 Angels.
Kyle Kendrick – was in Phillies organization in 2013, but may be a free agent this winter.


Chris Coste – Retired, last played MLB in 2009. Has done pre-/post- on Phils Broadcasts.
Eric Bruntlett – Retired last MLB appearance 2009
Greg Dobbs – with the Marlins in 2013.
Geoff Jenkins – Game 5 of the 2008 World Series was Jenkins last MLB game ever.
Matt Stairs – Retired, last played MLB with 2011 Nats.
So Taguchi – Returned to play in Japan, retired in 2012.


JC Romero – Pitched in Indians and Nationals Minor League system in 2013
Scott Eyre – Retired after 2009 Season with the Phillies
Brad Lidge – Retired as a Philie in 2013. Last pitched in 2012 with Nationals
Ryan Madson – Has not pitched in the Majors since left Philadelphia as FA in 2011. He is currently a FA was last seen in the Angels org.
Clay Condrey - Last pitched in the Twins organization in 2010.
Chad Durbin – See Above

Sources
Baseball-ref.com 

Updates
2013 11 27 - added Jimmy Rollins and Clay Condrey 

Happy 5th Anniversary 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies: 2009 Topps #278 Post Season Highlights

Tempus Fugit - 5 years ago This blog was in it's infancy and the Philadelphia were World Champions.  A lot has happened in those five years.  The Phillies aren't nearly the same squad but it is fun for a day to look back at that magical 2008 run.

2009 Topps #278 Post Season Highlights (black parallel)

I like the cards that commemorate the great moments in the game, and this is also a game that I was lucky enough to attend - it is a card that I will always love.  There are several other cards that commemorate the Phillies run including this DayF custom.

More Phungo 2008 World Champions Postings
2008 10 29 - 10th anniversary with some Phungo Pix and a game ticket
2008 10 30 - Our initial celebration posting, the photo is quite blurry, yet I love it.
2008 10 31 - Series Recap
2008 11 03 - Cole Hamels World Series MVP


DayF original 1/1 

The Winningest Manager in Phillies History

Team Phungo will miss you.

2007 Topps Heritage #368 Charlie's Young Sluggers

Links

Chase Utley Player Collection Index

Happy Trails Brad Lidge

Last last night I heard the news that Brad Lidge is retiring. 



DayF Original Brad Lidge 1/1

This is one of  the favorite cards in the Phungo collection.  And Why not - it is a 1/1, marks a great moment in Phillies history and it is an original work of art by one of my favorite card bloggers DayF the Cardboard Junkie.

 

Brad Lidge will always have a permanent place in Phillies history for his contributions to the 2008 championship 48 for 48 in saves and the moment captured in the DayF work above - The final out of the game 5 clincher.

 

 

Last season I was pretty nervous when Lidge went to the Nationals. I honestly thought he had a few good years left in him.  Obviously I was wrong. Immediatley after the World Series Championship Season Lidge had an absolutely miserable 2009. 2010 and 2011 were mixed with Lidge bouncing on and off the DL and in and out of the closer role.  This past season he really was unable to contribute for the Nationals at all.

 

 

Lidge will be 36 by the end of this month and sadly Light Out must turn the lights out on his career. 11 Seasons, 225 career saves, averaged 11.9K/9 innings for career.  1 World Championship, Pitched in 3 World Series (05, 08 and 09)  His Post Season Numbers include an ERA of 2.18 with 18  Saves.

 

 

Past Lidge Postings   

 

 

The Original DayF Brad Lidge Posting is here.  Includes a couple of other great WS Cards. 

 

Brad Lidge Phungo Card here

 

Phillies 2008 WSC puzzle - featuring Lidge

Last Card Show of the Year

I know I have been blasting Card Show posts repeatedly over the last month and a half, but other then a possible recap next week, this should be the last one of the year. 

On Saturday Team Phungo plans on hitting a new show - This is only in the interest of professional resarch - it isn't because we have a bad card habit or something like that. 

This is a show sponsored by Poppel.com at the Bucks Co Technical Institute in Bristol Twp PA.  I have only ever been to one previous Poppel show at the Granite Run Mall - which may  have had a dozen tables.  From what I understand the shows hosted at Bucks Technical are their bigger shows. 

2009 Phungo #37 Chad Durbin

There are a bunch of low-level autograph guests scheduled for the show including former Phils Chad Durbin, Greg Dobbs, Wes Chamberlain, and Ben Riviera.  Flyers Great Ed Van Impe and Phils Broadcaster Chris Wheeler are other notable guests. 

The Show runs 9:30-3:30 and admission is $3.  Autos are $10 and up.  for more information clikc here and then hit the Bucks Co Technical School Tab. 

On the Hunt

What will Team Phungo be looking for? 

1) My first priority will be completing my 1959 Topps set.  After a banner day at the Valley Forge Show last week and picking up a couple of cards on the Bay this week, I am down to the final 11 cards in this set.  Part of me thinks I am in the zone, the other part of me thinks the hot streak has got to be coming to an end.

2) Phillies Vintage.  I have been pretty busy working on getting my Phils vintage want list into a more user friendly form.  This will get it's dry run at the Poppel show. 

3) At each show, I try and add something to my Type Collection.  Last week I picked up my first 1963 Fleer Card. 

4) Would like to add to list of Hall of Famer's whom I have cards from their playing career collection.  I have been looking at Kiner, Rizzuto and Bobby Doerr cards recently, but haven't found anything suitable in my $$ range. 

5) knocking out a few checkers from my various want lists of recently issued sets.

Hall of Fame Day - Congratulations Pat Gillick

The Baseball Hall of Fame welcomes Pat Gillick today.  Gillick was the reigning GM when the Phillies won tghe 2008 World Series.  His key acquisitions for that club included Jamie Moyer, Jayson Werth, and Joe Blanton.

2008 World Champions

Gillick was also involved with The Toronto Blue Jays teams that won World Championships in 1992 and 93 as well as successful teams in Baltimore and Seattle. 

In addition to Gillick Philadelphia area Baseball columnist Bill Conlin will also be inducted into the Hall today.

As you likely know the big time inductees today are Bert Blyleven and Robert Alomar. 

The Hall of Fame Welcomes Pat Gillick!

He is a Hall of Famer to Team Phungo and Phils fans Everywhere.

Original 2008 World Series Posting

CNNSI.Story

Farewell Davey Lopes

Davey Lopes, October 2008

Last week the Phillies announced that they could not come to terms with First Base Coach Davey Lopes on a deal for 2011. I have no idea what the salary of a first base coach is versus a hitting coach. The Philly Inquirer Reported that Lopes said he was not asking hitting coach money - well in my opinion he should of been and to me, he would of been worth it.

Lopes turned the Phillies raw players like Shane Victorino into a very efficient base running machine.

Perhaps he wore out his welcome with the players in Philadelphia, but the margin for the top teams in the NL East and beyond is very slim. I would hate to see Lopes go to a competing squad and flip what little edge the Phils have.

I could see Lopes returning to the Dodgers organization - They are going coaching changes and should be a lot closer to winning then they were in 2010. Lopes working with some of their young talent could be a very helpful.

Check here for a brief 2008 commentary on Lopes (and Victorino)

Happy Trails JA Happ

2010 Phungo #43 JA Happ

It is definitely a happy occasion as the Phils are bringing in the Astros Ace Roy Oswalt. But I will miss the quality player in JA Happ who is headed the other direction. Happ's numbers speak for themselves, As a Phil the young lefty has been a competitor, a winner and he will always be a member of the 2008 World Series Championship Phillies team.

This photo was taken during a game on Saturday June 20th 2009 in a game versus the Orioles. It was one of the better games that I have seen where the Phils lost. Happ Pitched well scattering 10 hits over 6 innings yielding 2 runs. The big moment was a pinch hitting appearance by Ryan Howard, who was suffering from the flu. On a night when a dozen ball died at the track, He hit one of the most majestic home runs I have ever seen. The Homer capped a 5 run 7th inning which gave the Phils a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately in one of his early test runs as a Closer Ryan Madson would blow a save in the 9th. The Orioles pesky second baseman Brian Roberts hit the game winner on a 2 run shot to the RF power alley.

Sometimes you see great games when your team loses. It's tough to take at the time, but I am glad I was there.

Happy Trails Geoff Jenkins

2009 Topps Chrome #13 Geoff Jenkins (Refractor)

Today Geoff Jenkins will retire as a Milwaukee Brewer. Jenkins spent 10 seasons with the Brewers but to me he will always be a member of the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Jenkins struggled most of the 2008 season and would eventually cede his side of a Right Field platoon to an emerging star, Jayson Werth.

But, Geoff Jenkins disappointing season was totally turned around by a single at bat.

Jenkins last career at bat was a pinch hit double in the 6th inning of game 5 of the 2008 world Series. He would then come around to score a critical run to help the Phils to a 4-3 victory in that decisive 5th game.

Geoff Jenkins has not picked up a bat in a Major League game since since that night in October of 2008. Despite his 200+ career Home Runs he has been unable to find a home since the end of the Phils incredible 2008 season, today he is hanging up the spikes.

2008 World Series Champion Manager Charlie Manuel

Charlie Manuel Bobble Head

Sports Card Info recently ran a contest and you didn't even have to do anything crazy like ID a scribbled autograph to win. You just had be lucky enough to be picked at random and I was!

Big thanks to Andrew over at SCI for running the contest. I have a small collection of bobble heads. I believe I only have 2 from the 2008 World Champs. Manuel and Brad Lidge - No Utley No Howard. They are not impossible to get but I generally only pick them up at games that I go to, but most bobble head nights are sold out well in advance these days.

2005 Topps #UH87 Charlie Manuel

Like many bobble heads I am not sure I could identify this one without a hint. Charlie Manuel as slimmed down a good bit from the photo above but even the slimmer version of Charlie doesn't quite match the bobble head. Perhaps it's because Manuel frequently looks a little bewildered out there, while the bobble head looks like the Charlie that just won a World Championship and he is wearing a genuinely happy smile.

Thanks SCI and Go Phils - less than a month till Pitchers and Catchers!

Bleck - The Mets have Signed Chris Coste

Chris Coste is not going to make or break a team, heck Paul Bako was an upgrade - regardless he will always be a Fan Favorite in Philadelphia. And he will always be a member of the 2008 World Championship Philadelphia Phillies.

I will hold of my best wishes for Mr Coste until after his time in New York is over.