Bringing Bobby Back?!

By: Cotton Honeycutt

If there’s one thing that mandates that I return to write a new post on here, it’s the Phillies bringing Bobby Abreu back in the fold.  Sorry for the extended hiatus, but life’s been pretty hectic lately.  Fun, but hectic.  Had a wedding, got a new house, having a baby – all the good stuff going on right now.  But in the middle of it all, Ruben Amaro goes out an brings Bobby Abreu back into town.  I won’t sugarcoat it – I cannot stand Bobby Abreu.  What I can’t stand is what he represents.  Mediocrity. Averageness. Adequacy.  But what really bothers me about this signing is that it solidifies that RAJ doesn’t understand this city.  I usually cringe at the “fire that guy’ bandwagons that go around in this city.  But Ruben has to go.  There’s clearly a disconnect here and we need to turn the page.  Somehow, this guy has been in the front office for about 15 years and he still doesn’t get us.  If you can’t get us in 15 years Ruben, I think we need to end this.  And, really, it’s not us… it’s you.

Bobby Abreu embodies a Phillies era that we need to forget.  I assumed the Phillies wanted to forget it as well.  Not long ago, there was period when the Phillies weren’t exactly the most fan-friendly of organizations.  There was little to no communication between management and the fans.  Year after year was mediocre – not terrible – but consistently average results.  Year after year of being OK, but not good enough.  The players were underwhelming and we relish the fact that we don’t have to think or talk about them anymore.  We had to pretend that Mike Lieberthal was some sort of franchise anchor.  Dave Hollins. Travis Lee. Tomas Perez. Ricky Ledee. Jason Michaels.  I cringe just thinking about these guys.  And these were the guys were supposed to be the good ones.  Well, not Tomas; he was only good for pie-ing someone after a walk-off.  Aside from mascots, no one got paid more in professional sports just to boost morale than Tomas Perez.  But there was no player that embodied this era better than Bobby Abreu.  Above-average hitter.  Undeniably talented.  Impressive stats.  This all looked good for those on the outside, but here in Philly, we knew the truth about Bobby.  He was a chronic underachiever.  Empty stats.  No clutch hitting.  There’s one word that defines Abreu more than any other – lackadaisical.  Bobby just never seemed to care.  Slow walks back to the dugout after a pathetic strikeout.  Jogging in the outfield.  Just a blatant lack of effort.  That’s a vibe you don’t want permeating through your dugout.  Finally, in 2006, the Phillies moved on and sent Abreu to the Yankees.  We eventually put Jason Werth out in right field and the rest is history – 2008 World Series Champions.  No coincidence.

First Ruben brought back Placido Polanco in 2010.  Depressing, but forgivable for most (not me).  Then Ed Wade gets a job in the front office.  Ok, I can rationalize that Wade lined up our young core back in the day and sent us multiple pieces while in Houston.  Fine, give him a job.  Ruben started this off-season by bringing back Marlon Byrd.  Another reminder of our past that we’d rather not have in our face everyday of the 2014 summer.  Now Ruben decided he still needed a left-handed situational hitter and we assume he figured he’d pick Bobby off the 40-year-old-not-yet-retired pile.  On the ledger and on the roster, this signing indeed comes with very little risk.  What Amaro risked, however, was alienating his fan-base.  There’s a few players that are not welcome back in this town.  If the Sixers lost every big man on the roster, we’d rather they start MCW at center than bring back Andrew Bynum.  Same goes for Kwame Brown.  Jason Babin? Stay the hell in Jacksonville.  It’s safe to say that Ilya Bryzgalov fits the mold as well.  Sure, during any given year, in theory these guys could offer something on paper.  But it’s not worth it.  They represent something we need to keep in the past.  Mediocrity. Disappointment. Frustration. Underachievement.  Philly’s not exactly the lunch-pail and hard-hat town it used to be in the 70s and 80s, but we still have that blue-collar blood running through our veins.  The heart remains the same.  You earn your respect here by giving your all.  Bobby Abreu never seemed to do that.  He seemed to end every game with a lot left in the tank.  His uniform never seemed dirty.  That’s why he never endeared himself here, despite putting up respectable numbers.  It felt good to move on from Bobby Abreu.  I don’t appreciate Amaro bringing him back into our lives.  I’m not intrigued by the plot.  I’m not willing to accept the reasoning that for the dollars, he may be the most practical signing out there.  He’s bad for the culture of the club.  Ruben has been on thin ice with this fanbase as of late.  This may just be his ticket out of town and as long as Bobby goes with him, I’m all for it.