I changed the name of this little segment to Bunts and Bloopers in deference to Balls, Sticks & Stuff, which I noticed the other day has had a category called “Base Knocks” for a lot longer than this little site has been around. I suppose great minds think alike, right?

Charlie Manuel got the contract extension he richly deserves. As we discussed here earlier, Manuel is poised to go down as the greatest all around Phillies manager if he manages for at least 3 more years. Even if he has just the one World Series on his resume when he retires, he trumps Dallas Green based on the longer career managing the Phils.

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Francisco Rodriguez, who I refuse to refer to as “K-Rod”, signed with the Mets, which I think is great. It’s just another reason to hate the Mets. Adding Rodriguez’s overblown histrionics to the already egomaniacal Mets roster will have Phillies fans spitting fire all year long. I agree with the theory that the closer role is overrated, and Rodriguez is a great example of why. He was the beneficiary of plenty of save situations, and he has converted the vast majority of them (Based on a quick review of his season, it looks like 12 of his saves were in games where the Angels won by at least 3 runs). Granted – his ERA, adjusted ERA and WHIP numbers are impressive, but I’m still not shaking about this. By the way, why did Rodriguez have so many more saves than Brad Lidge? Because the Angels scored less runs than the Phillies and gave up more runs than the Phillies in 2008, resulting in more games where the traditional closer gets the call on the bullpen phone.  With the Mets atrocious middle relief and penchant for severe choking after Labor Day, I don’t think this does anything but plug a gaping hole for the Mets and make them part of the conversation again. This doesn’t wrap up the division for them. The Phillies place in the NL East Standings in 2009 will be more a function of what they do this offseason than what the Mets do. Gerry Fraley from FoxSports doesn’t think this makes the difference for the Mets.

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Major League Baseball is getting serious about fixing the broken bat issue that is an accident and lawsuit waiting to happen. New standards and tracking system sound like a good start.

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For my fellow Pat Burrell fans, say it with me – Pat is not coming back. Pat is not coming back. Talk therapy is helpful in situations like this. We’ll get through it together. Credit the Phillies for being classy enough to feign interest out of respect for Burrell, but if there was mutual interest to bring Pat back, it would be done by now, or at least they would be talking on some level.

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The Reading Eagle covered a speaking engagement of Mike Schmidt’s last week in Wyomissing. Schmidt touched on a bunch of topics, including the much discussed email he sent to Charlie Manuel in early September when he correctly stated that the Phillies were better than the Mets, and the Mets knew it. The Mets went 10-12 after the email. The Phillies finished 16-6 after the email was posted and then went 11-3 in the playoffs, a .750 winning % in all. Yeah, the email helped. On another Schimdt-related topic, I wonder he and Jim Bunning voted for the Hall of Fame. Both were teammates of Dick Allen – Bunning during the 60′s and Schmidt during Allen’s second stint with the Phils in the mid 70′s.

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I know that Derek Lowe is a sinker baller and he would be well-suited to Citizens Bank Park (except against Utley and Burrell who both took him deep in Game 1 of the NLCS), but I don’t like the idea of signing this guy to a 5 year deal for upwards of $80 million when it sounds like they are just $4 million apart over a 2 year deal with Jamie Moyer. Let Lowe go to the Bronx, re-sign Moyer, and use the money saved for other burning issues. Like re-upping Jayson Werth and/or Ryan Madson, or wiping out the rest of Cole Hamels arb years and showing him the love and the money.

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Bill Conlin wrote a surprisingly lucid piece about the continued layoffs occurring in print media and the impact that it is having. I love newspapers, and subscribe to the Inquirer. I enjoy reading the online opinions and impressive reporting and commentary from the Philly sports blogs, but I don’t feel like the reading experience is complete until I’ve also read Phil Sheridan, Rich Hoffman, or any one of the other local columnists. Sure, there are plenty of times when they are off base or downright stupid, but that’s part of what makes reading the paper enjoyable – sometimes you yell at it. I hope the folks at the top of the house of the newpapers can figure out how to profitably manage their papers in a changing environment that does not favor print media.