Cole Hamels pitches a no- hitter

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Please don't get offended by my opinions...

No offense taken. I certainly could have explained myself better. I tried to sum up the beginning of the Phillies' collapse in far too few words. Along the way, I made my post difficult to follow. My apologies.

"Cholly" is a reference to the Phillies former manager, Charlie Manuel. While he did some great things here in Philadelphia, he made a monumental mistake in 2011. Heading into the final three games of the regular season:

- The Phillies had 99 wins, already secured the NL East Crown, and were mathematically assured of having the best record in the National League
- The Atlanta Braves had 89 wins and a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card race
- Up to that point, The Phillies were 9-6 against the Braves and 3-6 against the Cardinals

Instead of resting his starters, coasting into the postseason, and ensuring a much more favorable matchup, the Phillies swept the Braves. This eliminated Atlanta (who they handled rather easily that year) and allowed the Cardinals (who they struggled against) into the playoffs.

St. Louis knocked the Phillies out in the Divisional Series and then went on to win the NLCS and World Series. Had Charlie Manuel eased off the gas pedal just a bit in the regular season's final series, things would have been much different.

- For starters, St. Louis would not have made they playoffs. Clearly, then, they wouldn't have won the World Series
- Phillies would have drawn Atlanta in the NLDS. While that would not have guaranteed a series win, the Phillies would have more likely than not advanced to the NLCS. Could they have handled the Brewers or Diamondbacks? We will never know
- There is a good possibility that Ryan Howard would not have injured his Achilles. I realize nobody can predict injuries; however, feel that Howard's case was situational and not just dumb luck. He tried too hard to run out a grounder to preserve the season. Simply put, I don't think he gets hurt if the Phillies weren't down to their last at-bat of the season.

So, anyway, that's my take on Charlie Manuel and the 2011 Phillies. Things got worse after that...much, much worse. Again, I tried to convey this in too few words before. Sorry about that.

I agree that Halliday was spectacular during his stretch with the Phillies, and certainly wasn't blaming him for anything.

Hope this all made sense. To turn the conversation back to Hamels, I attached another image here of the Phillies' (soon-to-be former) ace. Enjoy!

Best regards,

Eric