I think that with the NLCS in full swing now is a reasonable time to evaluate the Phillies major offseason aquisition - Raul Ibanez. Many critics looked at his age, and thought he would not be an improvement over his replacement Pat Burrell (who had a strong first half last year but was worn out by the all star break). I will admit that he showed some signs of age midseason, and after a persistent groin injury he has not been as stellar as before the break. However, last nights three run homer, and his 5 RBI's in the NLDS is a huge postseason contribution. Not to mention that he is a mildly faster outfielder than Burrell, and doesn't comically boot line drives as often (apologies to Matt Holliday).
Similar ``Go Phillies'' sentiments apply to Brad Lidge, who although retched in the regular season, has two saves in the postseason (when it matters) and Chan Ho Park, who came in throwing 97mph last night for three outs after having been on the DL for a month. Yankees here we come. Wooo hooo!
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