Written by Mike Mariano | 30 September 2009

The team meeting is the manager's universal sign for "I don't know what the hell you guys are doing out there, figure it out and win some games."  Before Tuesday's game, Charlie Manuel thought it appropriate to have one and refocus his team that has been stumbling down towards the finish.  Jayson Stark has some good quotes and thoughts about Charlie's meeting decision:

That Manuel chose to have the talk before the game with Houston, which beat ace Cole Hamels in an 8-2 Phillies' loss on Monday, was a considerable step because Manuel isn't typically a big fan of meetings. But he hasn't been happy with the way his team has approached the job at hand over the past week and he wanted to re-focus the club on the concept they embraced so well last October -- worry about winning each game as it comes along and not try to look ahead to clinching.

"It was a good time for it," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. "I think a lot of players actually enjoyed it, hearing Chuck talk. To be honest, some players wish he would talk more, but that's not Chuck's style."

Manuel expressed worries about his team not having the same hunger this year. When Rollins was asked about his manager's concerns, he said he'd seen the same thing at times.

"I think sometimes when you haven't won anything you fight for it more, but when you've won -- sometimes you expect things to happen rather than fight for them," Rollins said. "People aren't just going to let us win, just because we did it last year."

While I find it hard to believe that anyone in the locker room understood what Charlie said (he's a classic mumbler), he shows time and time again that he has a great feel for the mindset and psyche of his ballclub.  I don't mean for this to come off as "Phillies win, Manuel a genius", I think the statements from guys like Rollins are a much more telling sign of Manuel's capabilities as a manager.

From the 7-4 win over the Astros:

• Pedro Feliz got all heroic with a grand slam.
• J.A. Happ was effective.
• Jay Werth has 35 homers on the year, he continues to make this an incredible season for the former part-timer.
• Ryan Madson held it down for the save.
• The Magic Number is now 2.

Written by Mike Mariano | 29 September 2009

Here's a little something for the new forum section that no one appears to be interested in.  ForeverShea has joined us and contributed a great post about the Most Hated Phillie and what the title means to him.  I'm posting it here for two reasons: it's a good commentary and worth sharing, also if you write something interesting and insightful in the comments or forum area, I'll relay on here for more people to see and read.

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Trying to think of a Phillie I hate the most was actually harder than I had anticipated. I'm ashamed to admit though that the last time I watched any Philly/Met game of any sort of significance was last season and therefore the Phillie I hate the most comes off last season's roster:

Pat Burrell has 42 HR and 104 RBIs lifetime versus the Mets. Thanks Pat. Thanks that you usually look like a fool and strike-out 12 times a game versus everyone else in the league but pound the Mets. Pat is a Met killer but deserves his Philly boos against everyone else. When the Mets roll into Citizen's Bank Park he's all of a sudden the most popular jersey in the place. I hate that he'd be a Hall of Famer if only ever played against my favorite New York squad. I hate that stupid picture of him working out like he's the coolest thing to ever walk on the earth  (small side note, I did enjoy WS parade Pat leading the way, riding on his Budweiser wagon being pulled by Clydesdales- saying to Philly, you didn't think I could ever bring you a ring, now I did, now I get to ride down Broad Street like I literally own the place, forget my teammates, give me my beer, pick up my horses' poop, and kiss my ring).

Burrell's slaughtering of the Mets is second only to the extremely hated LARRY (Atlanta's Chipper Jones). At least he appeared to be a class act, ran hard, kept his head down, and even named one of his kids Shea in respect of how much he loved to play there. Not much can be said about Pat. He doesn't hustle, he makes dumb plays, he strikes out too much and he shows a genuine apathy while doing it all. All he does is hurt the Mets. I can't respect a guy like that. At least Larry has the Hall of Fame waiting an awards all over his shelves at home.

I'm glad to see Pat go. Enjoy the AL! Cool move going to the team you beat in the World Series the previous season, I wonder if he wears the ring in the locker room? Probably does. Sometimes watching Met/Phils games I still expect to see Pat in the on-deck circle, waiting to hit more game changing home runs off Mets pitching.

So yea, last Phillie player I've taken the time to strongly dislike is Pat Burrell. A lot. Still.