We Need A Hot Start
April 1st is just 3 weeks away and players and fans are beginning to countdown the days, hours, and even minutes until opening day. Opening Day is beautiful because it brings a new season, a clean slate, and an opportunity for every club to win the World Series. Every team has a spotless record and there is a sense of hope and optimism in the hearts of every baseball fan. But for some reason, every year in April, it seems that I am let down, and any optimism I may have had before the season began is quickly replaced with a tremendous amount of frustration. Why? Because I am a Phillies fan, and the Phillies for as long as I can remember, have always gotten off to extremely slow starts. Now when I say extremely slow, I am being generous. I remember rushing home from school one year on Opening Day only to watch my beloved Phillies lose to the lowly Pirates. And who can forget 2004 when the Fightins lost the Inaugural Game at Citizens Bank Park to the Reds. Let’s take a look back at the team's records in the month of April in the past 7 seasons so I can show you statistically how the team struggles in the opening month. In 2004 the Phils went 10-11 in April, in 05 they followed by going 10-14, and in 06 they repeated that performance by going 10-14 once again. Should I even go on? In 2007 they improved to 11-14 during the month of April and finally in 2008 they had a decent record of 15-12. In 2009 they did just about the same as 2008 going 11-9 in April. Last year the Phils looked like they had finally cured the slow season starts by going 7-1 to start the season. But the Phils slowed toward the end of the month going 5-9 in their last 14 games to end the month with yet another mediocre record of 12-10. And in Opening Days in the past 7 seasons the Phils have a record of 2-5 winning in 2005 and last year in a blow out against the lowly Nationals. I could go into batting averages and pitching stats but I think you get the picture. Basically the Phils suck in the month of April. The slow starts that the Phillies have put together in the past few seasons have resulted in big holes that can take practically the entire season to dig out of. In 2007, after starting the season 11-14, the Phillies were working all the way into the last weekend to secure a playoff spot. That’s why to save us fans from any anxiety in September, the Phils need to get it going from the very first pitch. A hot start is imperative for the Phils because they are a team already looking ahead to October. A hot start not only helps in the win column, but it also helps boost the morale of the players and fans. I’m not saying that the Phils have to go undefeated in the opening month but if you look at the Phils schedule for April this year it’s not all that intimidating. The Phils open at home against the Astros followed by the Mets. They then travel to Atlanta which could prove to be a good test and then on to Washington to face the Nationals. The Phils then return home to face the Marlins and Brewers. Finally the Phils close out the month on the road against both the Padres and Diamondbacks and then at home to face the Mets. Providing there are no rain delays, the Phils will play 27 games in April this year. Is a 20-7 record really out of the question? If the Phils could get off to a 20-7 record it would make the rest of the year so much easier. The Phils always seem to turn it on in the later months of August and September, so having a solid record going into those months would just be the icing on the N.L. East Title cake. I think this team, with their stellar starting rotation is capable of starting out 20-7 or better and carrying that momentum with them throughout the whole season.
April 1st is just 3 weeks away and players and fans are beginning to countdown the days, hours, and even minutes until opening day. Opening Day is beautiful because it brings a new season, a clean slate, and an opportunity for every club to win the World Series. Every team has a spotless record and there is a sense of hope and optimism in the hearts of every baseball fan. But for some reason, every year in April, it seems that I am let down, and any optimism I may have had before the season began is quickly replaced with a tremendous amount of frustration. Why? Because I am a Phillies fan, and the Phillies for as long as I can remember, have always gotten off to extremely slow starts. Now when I say extremely slow, I am being generous. I remember rushing home from school one year on Opening Day only to watch my beloved Phillies lose to the lowly Pirates. And who can forget 2004 when the Fightins lost the Inaugural Game at Citizens Bank Park to the Reds. Let’s take a look back at the team's records in the month of April in the past 7 seasons so I can show you statistically how the team struggles in the opening month. In 2004 the Phils went 10-11 in April, in 05 they followed by going 10-14, and in 06 they repeated that performance by going 10-14 once again. Should I even go on? In 2007 they improved to 11-14 during the month of April and finally in 2008 they had a decent record of 15-12. In 2009 they did just about the same as 2008 going 11-9 in April. Last year the Phils looked like they had finally cured the slow season starts by going 7-1 to start the season. But the Phils slowed toward the end of the month going 5-9 in their last 14 games to end the month with yet another mediocre record of 12-10. And in Opening Days in the past 7 seasons the Phils have a record of 2-5 winning in 2005 and last year in a blow out against the lowly Nationals. I could go into batting averages and pitching stats but I think you get the picture. Basically the Phils suck in the month of April. The slow starts that the Phillies have put together in the past few seasons have resulted in big holes that can take practically the entire season to dig out of. In 2007, after starting the season 11-14, the Phillies were working all the way into the last weekend to secure a playoff spot. That’s why to save us fans from any anxiety in September, the Phils need to get it going from the very first pitch. A hot start is imperative for the Phils because they are a team already looking ahead to October. A hot start not only helps in the win column, but it also helps boost the morale of the players and fans. I’m not saying that the Phils have to go undefeated in the opening month but if you look at the Phils schedule for April this year it’s not all that intimidating. The Phils open at home against the Astros followed by the Mets. They then travel to Atlanta which could prove to be a good test and then on to Washington to face the Nationals. The Phils then return home to face the Marlins and Brewers. Finally the Phils close out the month on the road against both the Padres and Diamondbacks and then at home to face the Mets. Providing there are no rain delays, the Phils will play 27 games in April this year. Is a 20-7 record really out of the question? If the Phils could get off to a 20-7 record it would make the rest of the year so much easier. The Phils always seem to turn it on in the later months of August and September, so having a solid record going into those months would just be the icing on the N.L. East Title cake. I think this team, with their stellar starting rotation is capable of starting out 20-7 or better and carrying that momentum with them throughout the whole season. 
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