Phillies Lack Hitting Discipline (Yet Somehow Still Win)

I'm watching this ridiculous 13 inning marathon between the Phillies and the Mets right now. And while I do credit the Phils for making an incredible comeback after an ugly 7-0 deficit to start the game thru four innings, this game should have been long over. And what it comes down to, in my humble opinion, is the hitters not having discipline and being smart hitters.

I don't know how many times in this game (and many other games) where I've seen men on base in crucial situations and the batter-- be it Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and probably others-- either strikes out terribly or pops out weakly to the infield. This is terribly frustrating.

So the moral of the story is not only did the hitters NOT get a hit in a crucial situation and bring home a big run, but they didn't even move a runner over when they made an out. These are the things that this team too often fails to do to squeeze out extra runs and, subsequently, extra wins. Sure, other teams around the league have this problem too, but I have to think that with so many talented hitters on this team, the Phils should be all means be more disciplined and smart at the plate.

By the way, thanks Chris Coste for finally ending this craziness!! Ahh, first place...

Phillies Power Tickets: A Sham

Twice this year I've gone to Phillies games where I had a "Power Ticket", which is a cute way of saying I have a $10 gift card. And twice this year I've realized that they're a waste of money. If you're considering buying this type of ticket, think again. Here's why:

-For starters, you can ONLY use the $10 voucher on the day of that game. So if you have a couple bucks left over, it goes right back into the Phillies' pockets rather than being able to use it at another game. For example, what if you have to leave the game early before you can cash it in? Sorry, you lose.

-In reality, you're either going to not spend exactly $10 (meaning that the leftover money goes right to the Phillies), or you're going to go over that $10 to buy food, merchandise, etc. in which case why bother with the Power Ticket anyway?

-My feeling is that they call it a Power Ticket rather than reminding fans that there's a $10 credit built into the ticket thinking that they'll forget they have this money available and thus the money will go unspent (read: free money for the team!).

So save your money and avoid the Phils' Power Tickets. It's a no-win situation for the fans.