Conditioning And The Stretch Run

This morning, Phillies fans woke up to find they’re in first place by a half a game and a few points ahead of Milwaukee’s winning record. It looks like they’re back on track and headed to the second season. With less than a month to go, will they sustain the winning record?

Or is it going, going, gone? Are we all going to watch the Philadelphia Phillies melt down or find the rhythm to carry on through another month with a winning record. I wish I knew the answer.

But, these are points that need to be examined and discussed so that the team can find a winning formula for next year.

The Phillies led the division through the spring and the best part of the summer, swapping the lead with the Mets since then. Leaving men on base, giving up late inning runs, just not converting hits into runs, it seems like they’re slowing down. Why?

I think it’s off-season conditioning. The Phils came out of the gates last spring strong, setting records with their bats compensating for a very young pitching squad. We hardly noticed Jimmy Rollins’ injury because everyone else was doing so well with hits, steals, and scores.

But, it’s a long season. Six months of playing every day takes it’s toll on the player who only starts to get in shape in the spring after a winter of bellying up to the beer. What has happened to Utley’s compact, strong swing? Where has his ability to put the ball over the fence or past the fielders into the outfield. Has fatigue thrown off his timing. Why is he tired? I think it’s conditioning.

Cal Ripkin, the iron man of baseball, said that the season never ended. He made conditioning part of his daily life. We’ll never know if it was genetics or determination that made him play so successfully for so long, but the Phils need to be stronger next year when they carry their division through the entire season.