Stop Saying it Ain't So

It's heartbreaking, it's inconceivable, it can't be-- and yet it is. On a muggy summer night in early September in Houston, Texas, the man who was invincible for an entire season and sealed the sweetest victory to cap an immaculate season of rebirth and redemption made his final pitch-- and lost, again.

It's time to close the door on the Brad Lidge era-- at least, for now. Let's tune in next year for the next installment. Perhaps it is his knee, perhaps it's his head. Chances are, time will heal both wounds. The lamenting fans and patient, supportive manager can't stop this bleeding. For the sake of his teammates, for the sake of the team, ultimately for his own good, the lights must go out on Lidge for 2009. What to do with him is difficult to define. Perhaps you use him in middle relief for the time being, while auditioning closers to replace him: Brett Myers (who pertinently pitched a scoreless 8th Saturday, his 1st Major League inning since May), Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson...

What has made it so difficult to retire Lidge is the lack of a clear-cut replacement. This is not a new problem. Lidge has been unsteady all year long. Baseball is a numbers game, and perhaps Lidge's most condemning number is his staggering 7.15 ERA, which hasn't bested 6.52 since April 17th. It is the story of his storied career. In 2005, Lidge posted a 2.29 ERA with 42 saves and 4 blown. Then, in 2006, his ERA ballooned to 5.28. It wasn't until 2008, his perfect year, the Phillies wondrously magic season, that Lidge regained his All-Star stature and superstar status.

I have crossed this bridge in detail: The Lidge Dilemma (8.12), Phils Must Again Take Action (8.16) and Closer Quandary (8.26). I want to reiterate a vital message, one which I hope Ruben Amaro, Jr. can see, perhaps more clearly and with a little more perspective from the glass than the dugout: The Phillies will not return to the World Series, let alone win it, with Lidge as their closer this year. I would love to be wrong-- and yet, not only my gut and my digestive system, but my intellect and reason and even my eyes tell me differently.

Lidge will always be a Philadelphia sports hero. Heck, he may even be one in the flesh on the mound in 2010. However, he is not that man today, and today is September 6th, less than a month from the end of the regular season. The time has past for the Phillies to turn the page and begin the next chapter of 9th innings of their season. They must act. For the sake of the team, for morale, for what they are ultimately here to do, win ball games.

Of all places for this to happen, for the final entries into Lidge's 2009 season as Phils closer to be written. Houston, where he first found glory. Houston, where he first tasted defeat. The team for which Lidge debuted his Major League career, rose to stardom and was sent packing after they had given up on his ability to control the game in its closing moments. On Saturday, Lidge stood on the mound with two outs, the lead, his brethren behind him. The guys he fought with all perfect 2008 season long, the same teammates he lifted up to glory, had clawed their way back from 3-0 down in the 7th to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th-- only to see Brad cough it up, one out away from victory. He single-handedly snatched victory from the hands of the team and converted it into the vicious jaws of defeat.

Now, imagine if, instead of signaling the difference between a 7.5 vs. a 6.5 game divisional lead, this had been Game 4 against the Dodgers in the 1st round of the playoffs, a month away. You're the manager. The series is tied, 2-2. Instead of advancing to the next round, which a save in Saturday's game would have provided, a deciding Game 5 is now necessary. All of the sudden, with the stakes high, the chips stacked, Lidge's follow-up to dreamy 48-48 is an unfathomable 0-7, 28-38 nightmare that sends your mind searching for answers.

Your heart thumps fast and your mind races in search of someone, anyone to take his place if Game 5 comes down to the 9th inning. Now, take a step back, breathe, remember: the Phils have a padded lead in the division and a month to play. The most important thing they've bought themselves is time. Now is that time, the only time to find that solve, implement and cement it. It's about winning baseball games, today and in October. Denial will only get you so far, and then a one-way ticket home, followed by a long, cold winter of what-ifs.


(above) Brett Myers recorded 8 saves in September and 21 total as the Phils closer in 2007. In his final 9 appearances, he allowed only 1 run with 10 S.O. and 1 B.B. He had hip surgery on June 4th, 2009.