As I was stuck in weather yesterday getting out of Philadelphia, I listened to the rain-delay show hosted by Jim Jackson. Most of the callers made me want to beat my head against the steering wheel.
It started with the guy who was very, very, very angry that Juan Castro was still on the team. Now that Jimmy Rollins was back (for all of three games and he didn't even play in one of them), the Phillies, he said, had to cut Castro immediately and get some bench players who could hit. He heatedly shouted for Cody Ransom and John Mayberry, Jr. Enough with the calls for Ransom, folks. Please watch these guys play before crying for them to come up.
Another guy was furious about the middle relief. Why was David Herndon on the team? When Jackson asked him how Herndon had ever cost the Phillies a game, the guy spluttered. If your problem with the bullpen is David Herndon, you've got bigger issues.
One guy was full of doom about Jimmy Rollins, sure that his walk-off homer the night before would propel him into a spate of popping up. Sheesh. Forget that Rollins was two games off the DL. Forget about the drama of that hit or the moment or the win, let's grouse about popping up.
Then there was the guy who called from Illinois to wonder what had happened with Greg Dobbs and Greg Jeffries? Jackson was flabbergasted but graciously explained that the long-retired Jeffries was probably now in his 40's.
There were, of course, the old-dog-chewing-on-old-bone calls. Why were the Phillies too cheap to do x, y, or z? I guess $140 million is just not enough for some folks. Why didn't they bring back Pedro Martinez (yawn) or, dare I mention his name, Cliff Lee?
Only one woman called, to ask why Halladay and Hamels had been flip-flopped for the Toronto series, which was a good question. One man called with a good question, too, about purpose pitches, or rather the lack thereof. Otherwise, it was just plain dumb, goofy, or embarrassing comments and questions one after another for almost an hour and a half. Entertaining in its way, but golly.
