Okay, I'll admit that after spending a week at Spring Training, I have been in complete Phillies mode for the past month, and I'm pretty darn excited about opening day on Monday!
I bought a six-pack of games, which includes opening day and two bobblehead nights (I'm sure I will also hit up a few Dollar Dog Nights and about a dozen other games this year), and I bought a new Phillies hat, a new Phillies shirt, and even a Spring Training monkey.
I'm even taking my "[Bleep] the Mets" shirt up to Shea on April 9 to support our Phightins against the New York Chokers.
So far this spring, I have written a few columns about why I am certain that the Phillies will successfully defend their National League East crown, so what could possibly go wrong?
Well, and I'm completely playing Devil's Advocate here, the Phillies could face a few stumbling points this season.
Through free agency, the Phillies addressed the black hole at third base by signing Pedro Feliz, but they lost a team leader when they let Aaron Rowand sign with the San Francisco Giants. Rowand isn't worth $60 million, and won't repeat his All-Star season, but his clubhouse presence has already been missed.
Charlie Manuel called out his current team leaders during a Spring Training slump (apparently, he actually cares about the final score of those games played within walking distance of the Gulf of Mexico), saying that the team missed the fire that Rowand brought to the locker room.
Does the fact that Rowand immediately became the locker room leader mean that Jimmy Rollins, despite MVP statistics, wasn't ready or willing to assume command in 2006? So, when this team goes through the inevitable five-or six-game losing streak, who is going to call the "players only" meeting and put a stop to the slide?
Does Chase Utley have the veteran clout yet to do such a thing? What about Ryan Howard or Cole Hamels? Despite having two of the oldest pitchers in the majors in Jamie Moyer and Tom Gordon, the Phillies really are a very young team. At some point this season, one of the young players in the Phillies championship nucleus will have to take over as the emotional catalyst.
In the rotation, the Phillies don't have a fifth starter. Very few teams do have a quality fifth starter, and I have a lot of faith that Kris Benson is going to get healthy and provide a nice boost for the Phillies in six weeks, but what do they do until Benson is healthy?
Or what if Benson suffers another setback and Freddy Garcia's away the season? Sadly, the Phillies still are banking on Adam Eaton to pitch 180 innings this year, which means, as fans, we have to suffer through 180 innings of Adam Eaton pitching.
As good as these Phillies should be, I don't think they can overcome another season of Adam Eaton and still make the playoffs. Eaton either needs to transform into an actual Major League pitcher, or be locked in the clubhouse every fifth day.
What about the ace of the staff? I know Cole Hamels looks like a Cy Young candidate, but he whines more than a 5-year-old (or a 23-year-old writer) staring at a plate of vegetables. He said that the $500,000 contract renewal was "a low blow." What if Cole lets his ego and temper get the best of him this season and he blows up like John Smoltz did in 1991 after his contract was renewed?
Speaking of young potential pitching letdowns, what if Kyle Kendrick goes through a sophomore slump? Kendrick won 10 games for the Phillies last season, posting a sub-4.00 ERA along the way.
I don't think he will win 70 percent of his decisions like last year, but I think he could contribute 13 or 14 wins, but what if he doesn't? How quickly will Pat Gillick and Charlie Manuel be to pull the plug on Kendrick if he falters early, and more importantly, besides Carlos Carrasco who hasn't pitched above Double-A, who can replace him in the rotation?
That leads to the final concern: Does Pat Gillick have any wiggle room when it comes to adding talent at the trade deadline? The Phillies payroll will surpass $100 million this season, but how much higher are the owners willing to go to improve the team?
Last year, when the Phils needed a boost, Gillick went out and added guys like J.C. Romero and Kyle Lohse. Will Gillick have that ability to call on the reinforcements this year, or are these 25 guys all we have?
I still think the Phillies are going to win the division, but all of these thoughts have made a home in the back of my mind and that's before I see Chase Utley and Ryan Howard go lefty-lefty against Johan Santana.