Before we get carried away with the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series’ triumph, let’s put it in perspective. Yes, the 2008 Phillies deserve credit for winning, and yes, it’s nice that the Phillies’ fans can finally celebrate the second World Series championship in the team’s history. But as long overdue as the championship might be, it only emphasizes the failures of the franchise and the reasons for those perennial failures.

Start with the inept way the Phillies have been run. For years, the Phillies cheated their fans. In recent decades they were a big-market team operating like a small-market team. There was no legitimate excuse for it. Ownership just didn’t want to spend the money to give the fans a winning team.

That is not to say the Phillies should have been spending the gobs of money that made the Yankees and Red Sox winners. But the Phillies play in the fourth largest market in Major League Baseball, and they either weren’t generating revenue commensurate with their economic status or they were stuffing money in their pockets instead of spending it on improving the team.

And improvement is what the Phillies needed.

In the 14 years between their last two World Series appearances, 1994 through 2007, the Phillies had eight losing seasons and appeared in the playoffs only once. After they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, they endured seven straight losing seasons.

In contrast, during that period, the Oakland Athletics made five post-season appearances, the Minnesota Twins four, and both are legitimately small-market teams. Their payrolls were small but their player moves were big. They didn’t have the money to spend lavishly on players, but they figured out another way to win.

During that time the Phillies didn’t win any awards for spending or spending wisely, and they didn’t figure out another way to win. Maybe they fooled themselves by getting to the World Series in 1993 with a payroll that ranked 19^th out of 28 teams. But for the next nine years their payrolls were in the lower half of all payrolls, and they had losing records in eight of those years.  

When they finally climbed into the upper half of the salary stratosphere, they pieced together three successive winning seasons, 2003 through 2005, and finished second to the perennial division champion Atlanta Braves the last two of those seasons.

The experience, however, was apparently not a pleasant one for the Phillies. Whereas they shockingly climbed into the top five in payroll standings in 2004 and 05, breaking the $90 million barrier both seasons, they went back under $90 million in payroll expenditure until this year.

Winning isn’t all about spending money. The Rays, with the next-to-smallest payroll this year, just played in the World Series. The Phillies, whose approximately $105 million payroll was smaller than five of the other post-season teams, just won the World Series. But the Phillies paid in all of those losing years for not paying for players.  

On the other hand, the Phillies did not pay nearly as much for their winning season as the Mets paid for their losing effort. The Mets are the answer to this question: In the aftermath of the Phillies’ World Series triumph, who looks worse, the team they beat in the World Series, the Rays, or the team they beat during the regular season, the Mets?

Some of the Mets’ weaknesses vis a vis the Phillies were obvious. The Phillies had a better bullpen generally and a better closer specifically, even before Billy Wagner went down for the season.

Brad Lidge had a perfect season, demonstrating graphically the bizarre on-and-off nature of closers. When general manager Pat Gillick obtained Lidge from the Astros a year ago, he had no idea that Lidge would have a 48-for-48 year. But knowing the pattern of relievers, Gillick figured it was Lidge’s year to be consistently effective again, and he was.

Lidge wasn’t the only difference between the Phillies and the Mets. The Mets don’t have a Jimmy Rollins on their team. The shortstop fell well short statistically of his 2007 most valuable player performance, but he nevertheless had a knack of coming through when the Phillies needed him to.

They also had Shane Victorino, who produced a bunch of big hits and defensive plays and provided intangible contributions that the Mets didn’t get from any of their players. Jayson Werth did some of that, too.

When the 2008 season began, the Mets were faced with overcoming their sordid September collapse of the year before. They didn’t. They led the Phillies at the start of this September, and they led them halfway through the month. They didn’t make it through the second half.

They will begin next season faced with overcoming the two-time division champion Phillies. That burden will loom large enough. If Jerry Manuel had to do some fancy talking when this past September arrived to get the Mets psychologically beyond the previous September, what will he need to come up with next September?

Last year the Mets squandered a 7-game lead with 17 games to play. They lost 12 of the 17 games. This year they had a 3-game lead with 17 games to play and lost 10 of the games.

No matter what Manuel may tell the players, is there any chance the Mets could avoid a third such episode next September if they reach the final 17 games as the division leader? Sure. They’ll just need to have an 18-game lead.

PHILADELPHIA – Bud Selig had the right idea but the wrong target. When rain forced suspension of Game 5 of the World Series after 5½ innings, Commissioner Selig, recognizing the forecast of bad weather for Philadelphia, said the remainder of the game would not be moved to Florida.

“No,” he said, “we’ll stay here if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving here.”

A nice thought. Celebrating Thanksgiving in Philadelphia would be patriotic, linking the Pilgrims with the United States Constitution and the founding of the country. As we prepare for the election of a new President, a patriotic nod from baseball would be apt.

I have a more appropriate idea. Thanksgiving and patriotism would be nice, but it would be better if baseball recognized one of its own. The Phillies, the Rays and the commissioner can stay in Philadelphia until nine days before Thanksgiving and celebrate Jamie Moyer’s 46^th birthday. Better to have cake and ice cream than turkey and cranberry sauce.

Moyer, after all, just may be responsible for putting the Phillies in command of this rain-interrupted World Series, providing the pivotal pitching performance in Game 3. The second oldest pitcher to start a World Series game, Moyer followed the Rays’ 4-2 second-game victory by limiting them to one run in the first six innings of Game 3, leaving in the seventh with a 4-1 lead.

The resilient Rays had thoughts of winning Game 3 and taking control of the Series themselves, but Moyer thwarted those plans and propelled the Phillies in the Series-winning direction.

I must admit I did not think Moyer had it in him to stage such a performance. In fact, as he pitched in Game 3, which began at 10:06 p.m., the latest Series start ever, I watched from the press box and was concerned that Moyer might fall asleep in the middle of his windup. Older people have a tendency to fall asleep involuntarily as the evening wears on, and this evening wore on.

Moyer will turn 46 on Nov. 18. Jack Quinn was already 46 when he started Game 4 of the 1929 World Series for the Philadelphia Athletics. However, Quinn allowed the Cubs six runs (five earned) in five innings.

Moyer not only pitched more effectively than Quinn, but he also pitched later. Quinn pitched in the afternoon. Moyer threw his first pitch at 10:06 p.m. and was still pitching after midnight. More impressive, he was still wide awake.

“He’s come off two rough starts for us and I think he knew this was a key game for him,” said Dallas Green, a senior adviser to general manager Pat Gillick. “It obviously was for us as a team but moreso for him as a person and as a pitcher, and he responded. But he’s been that way all year.”

Green has spent his life in baseball, serving in his post-playing career as a manager and a general manager. A pitcher himself, in the 1960s, mostly for the Phillies, the 74-year-old Green knows something about the art of pitching. He loves the way Moyer practices the art.

“He paints and he battles,” Green said. “He puts his heart and soul into his pitching. He studies the game. He studies what he has to do and he goes out there and executes. I just love the guy. I always have. I signed the guy.”

Indeed, Green was the Cubs general manager in 1984 when the Cubs drafted and signed Moyer out of St. Joseph’s University. Twenty-four years later, Moyer has seven children and an impressive 246-185 won-lost record for a career .571 winning percentage. He spent more than half of his 21-year career with Seattle, earning the name the Ancient Mariner.

“He’s one of the hardest workers we have on the team,” Green said. “He’s a workaholic and he takes care of himself. He’s as sound fundamentally as any pitcher we have. He was taught well and he takes pride in what he’s doing. I just love the guy.”

The left-handed Moyer doesn’t throw hard, but that aspect of his pitching is deceptive.

“He knows how to keep hitters off balance no matter what,” said Scott Kazmir, the Rays’ admiring left-handed pitcher, who was born the year Moyer was drafted. “He’s throwing 81-82 and hitters who haven’t seen him are licking their chops. He likes that. He wants them to get a little overanxious and swing at pitches out of the zone. That’s how he gets the job done.”

Moyer gets batters out, Green explained, “because guys are home run happy today and they’re going to swing at everything. He makes them work every time at bat. He throws everything you can name, but his bread and butter is changeup and command.”

B.J. Upton had a single in three times at bat against Moyer in Game 3. “He mixes his pitches well,” Upton said. “He’s been doing it for a long time. He throws a lot of balls off the plate and if you’re not disciplined enough to lay off of them, he’s going to do what he did against us.”

Like Upton, Carlos Pena took a third strike from Moyer. He walked in three at-bats.

“Jamie is a great pitcher,” Pena said. “He’s unbelievable. He’s out there throwing outside corner, insider corner. Looking back at my game against him, I wonder how many pitches in the zone I got to hit. I can count one and that was the first one. It caught me off guard. As soon as I looked up he was coming and I said ‘o.k., just take it.’ That was the best pitch I got to hit all night.

“He was going off the corners, inside, outside, very effective, throwing a lot of strikes. Not only on me but I think on everybody else in the lineup. He pitched the game of his life.”

Kazmir said he watched Moyer closely to see how he worked hitters and adjusted from at-bat to at-bat

“He knows exactly what he wants to do,” Kazmir said. “He was working B.J. in all the time and got him looking and kept him off balance by throwing it away. It’s not that he has an overpowering fastball. He just gets the job done by locating.”

Upton was impressed by Moyer’s knowledge of pitching. Moyer, of course, has been around long enough to learn a few things. “He’s been in the league longer than some of the guys’ age in here,” said Upton, who was born two months after Moyer was drafted.

Speaking of Moyer’s age, Pena said, “It’s awesome; that’s a great story. It’s inspiring to everyone, an example of professionalism, tenacity, hard work. It’s an example for all of us to follow.”

Darek Braunecker didn’t place his right hand on a bible and take an oath, but he spoke clearly and sincerely. “We’re not going to be making an announcement during the fourth game of the World Series,” he said.

It was exactly one year ago, during the fourth game of the World Series, that Scott Boras or one of his aides leaked word that Boras client Alex Rodriguez was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. That unpopular episode was what Braunecker alluded to with his recent remark.

Braunecker is the agent for A.J. Burnett, the enigmatic Toronto pitcher, who has until 15 days after the end of the World Series to decide if he wants to opt out of his 5-year, $55 million contract with the Blue Jays.

Burnett, who will be 32 before next season, has two years remaining on the contract at a salary of $12 million a year. Having had the finest season of his nine-year career this season, Burnett will most likely opt out of the contract seeking more years and more money, and, with good pitching so sorely sought by many teams, including wealthy ones, he will most likely get both.

The Blue Jays could short-circuit his decision by negotiating a rich extension with him. “We had dialogue with the Blue Jays,” Braunecker said. “We had negotiations with them. We’re taking the information from the club and applying it to a decision. We still have not made a determination.  There are a number of things he is considering.”

If Burnett opts out of the contract and for free agency, he will be the second most attractive pitcher on the market. CC Sabathia will be No. 1.

Burnett had his best season in 2008, reaching career highs with 18 victories, 231 strikeouts and 221 1/3 innings. More impressive was his performance in the final 15 of his 34 starts. He had a 9-2 record and a 2.72 earned run average. He also won 10 of his last 12 decisions and 12 of his last 15.

Included in that period of pretty pitching were two starts on three days’ rest, one against the Yankees, the other against the Red Sox. He won both games, allowing one earned run in a combined 14 1/3 innings.

But even more impressive, Burnett did not spend a day on the disabled list. That was a remarkable feat for a pitcher who has been on the disabled list the equivalent of 3.2 seasons out of nine years. He has been on the list 10 times for a total of 589 days.

“You can discount the first four trips to the d.l.,” Braunecker said, “because they were all non-baseball related injuries. He had freak injuries unrelated to baseball issues. The only setback he had was the Tommy John surgery. He came back and pitched a healthy season. Two seasons later he had scar tissue like a lot of Tommy John patients have.”

A general manager had a different take on Burnett’s injury record. “He’s always had electric stuff,” the general manager said, speaking anonymously because he could be accused of tampering for talking about another team’s player.  “But when he can be a free agent, you don’t see him on the disabled list.”

Burnett has avoided the disabled list in only two seasons – 2005 and this year. He was a free agent following the 2005 season and signed his $55 million contract. He can opt out of that contract and be a free agent this year. The general manager knew what he was talking about.

As for the times Burnett has been on the disabled list, Braunecker said, “I think that’s something each club has to consider for itself.”

Besides Burnett’s injury-free season, the agent sees a more intriguing development.

“You’re talking about a guy who is finally on the verge of figuring it out for the first time in his career,” Braunecker said. “I’m not saying he’s completely figured it out, but he’s close to figuring it out.”

And what is Burnett figuring out? “For the first time in his career he didn’t go out and try to strike out every hitter,” Braunecker said. “He changed speeds more. Rod Barajas is the guy who is responsible,” he said of the Toronto catcher.

“Halladay has not struck out a lot of guys. Rod forced those guys to throw all their pitches. A.J. still didn’t throw a change. He had always been in the 95-98 range. This year he was 92. He elevated his fastball, elevated the eye level and threw breaking balls in counts where he never threw breaking balls. By taking two steps backward he’s taking a step forward.”
And staying healthy.

Where Have All the G.M.s Gone?

The World Series used to be a gathering place for all of the general managers. No more. This World Series is being played without the presence of a non-competing general manager.

“We were all set to go,” Frank Wren, the Atlanta general manager, said. “Then I called the commissioner’s office to find out the results of a memo they sent out, and they said we were the only ones going. So we decided not to go.”

Omar Minaya, the Mets’ general manager, had a similar experience. He had planned to go, then was told that he and Wren were the ones who responded affirmatively to a memo asking who was going. Not that Minaya had anything against a division rival, but it made no sense to go for business purposes.

“This used to be a great place to gather and talk trade, but it doesn’t happen anymore,” Minaya said. “Last year myself and Doug Melvin were the only ones there.”

Trying to find a reason for the change, Minaya said, “It used to be the World Series would end earlier and there would be separation between the Series and the general managers meetings. Now the World Series ends the last week of October and the g.m.’s meetings start the next week so that doesn’t happen anymore.”

The World Series, Wren said, was the first opportunity to lay the groundwork for trades later in the winter. “It was part of the tradition that we all go to the World Series,” he said. “It’s our crown jewel event. We enjoyed going.”

Wren, who is completing his first year as the Braves’ general manager, said his club had its organizational meetings last week instead to prepare for the general managers meetings, as did a lot of clubs. “It’s probably a better way to do it,” he said.

He watched the World Series games on television, Wren added, “and talked to every general manager on the phone.”

The general managers meetings begin Election Day (Nov. 4) in Dana Point, Calif.

Santana No, Sabathia Si

CC Sabathia will undoubtedly get the largest pay package among free-agent pitchers this off-season, but his destination is uncertain. Reports have said he prefers playing for a team on the West Coast, but that talk has circulated before offers start coming in, which can’t happen for a few more weeks.

When one general manager was asked which team he thought would get Sabathia, he said, “I’m guessing if the Yankees want him, they’ll get him. Nobody’s going to outbid the Yankees.

In the George Steinbrenner years, the Yankees have never been timid about spending. They seriously need starting pitching, and there’s no reason why they wouldn’t go after Sabathia. Unlike Johan Santana, whom the Yankees chose not to trade for last winter, Sabathia would not cost them young players. This winter they could get Sabathia and keep their young players, too.

Yankees Outspend Rays, $222M to $50M

How much did the Yankees spend on their payroll this year? According to data that the commissioner’s office sent to clubs, the Yankees spent $222 million, which placed them at the top of the payroll list, followed by the Red Sox $146 million and the Mets $143 million.

The payrolls are based on 40-man rosters of Aug. 31 and don’t include all earned bonuses. They include base salaries, pro-rated portions of signing bonuses, earned bonuses through Aug. 31, buyouts and cash transactions. In addition, they include the salaries of released players.

Here is the complete list:

Note that the Rays (29^th) are all the way down here, and the Phillies (10^th) are up there, as are the way-up Red Sox (2^nd) and the White Sox (9^th). The Rays defeated the latter two teams in the playoffs and are playing the other team.

Bowa Best? Says Who?

A club executive could almost be heard shaking his head in disgust over the telephone. “Bowa is the best third base coach in the game,” he said, scoffing at what he had heard was written.  “Who comes up with that? Who rates these guys? Because a guy blasts the players and gives you a quote, he’s the best third base coach?”

Larry Bowa’s name had come up in New York newspapers because the Yankees are looking for a third base coach, and Bowa had been the Yankees’ third base coach for two years before moving to Los Angeles with Joe Torre last winter. Bowa was popular with New York writers, who would welcome his return.

The executive wasn’t finished scoffing. “He’s a great coach because he’s giving you information and he’s blasting the players for you,” the executive said. “Come on.”