# The Philles are atop the NL East -- FOR NOW! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671 "2001-06-13T14:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/21 "2001-06-13T23:11:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > > > [@](#): > > > > I don’t see why not. I remember all the Braves’ names! 🙂 > > Thank you for proving my point. Was your point, then, that the team has a lot of B-level players on it? > [@](#): > > No, I don’t remember that far back. When was it that Philly was last in the Playoffs? Oh yeah, 8 years ago? Hang on to those glory days, my man. Hang on dearly. We’ve won the NL pennant thrice since then. Aha! Perjury! If you do not remember that far back, then how do you know it was 8 years ago? Hm? Hm? And I did notice that even though you guys won division after division, you choked an awful lot in the postseason. Let’s see. 1991 the Twins beat you, in 1992 it was Toronto. In 1993, it was the Phillies in the LCS. Then in '95 you beat the Indians, right? In 1996 New York beat you. In 1997 FLORIDA beat you out. And in 1998 and 99, New York again. Last year, you didn’t even make it to the WS. Sure, Phi hardly made it the postseason at all, but - surprise! - the idea is to win the whole thing, not brag about how you won division titles. :rolleyes: Sheesh, with all the talent you guys have bought, you should have at least twice as many world championships! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/22 "2001-06-14T03:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > You gotta wonder about any team that has a third baseman who - as a grownup man - insists on being called “Chipper”… I mean geez, it’s usually the other way around; boy has dorky nickname as a youngster, changes to “normal” adult name when he’s old enough. Not the other way around. Sounds like your boy forgot yer s’posed to chew that tobaccky, not swallow it. Hell, he can insist that we call him Binky the wonderdog if he hits 45 homers and drives in a helluva lotta runs in a season and singlehandedly beats the mets in a 3-game series. And let’s not get into nicknames, shall we? I’m sure there a Phillies who’ve had embarassing ones:) dantheman, you can tell us how many times we’ve lost in the playoffs, but what were the phillies doing so many of those years? Watching on tv, wishing they were there? Andruw Jones alone has more playoff experience than half your lineup! Welcome, BobbySuezQ. One can never have too many Braves’ fans:) ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/23 "2001-06-14T10:14:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > **Mike Remlinger is establishing himself as on of the best setup men in the bigs.** _choke_ I like Remlinger, think he’s having a great year. Best set up man in the bigs? Guys like Jeff Nelson and Paul Quantrill (to name two guys just offhand) might dispute your contention. I do agree that the Braves are making things interesting! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Hey, his name’s **ROLEN** , you buttwipe! 🙂 🙂 > > Roland, indeed! > > (snip) > Still, I think SR will level out to a 30-120-.300 hitter, with a Gold Glove potential each season. \*\* Yeah, Rolen’s a damned good player in his own right. A few years younger than Chipper. Not quite the threat with the bat, at least, not yet, but he’s better defensively than Chipper. He’s damned good defensively. AS far as **dantheman** ’s prediction, I agree (don’t know about the 120 RBI–that depends on the hitters around him). I do, however, have a mild caveat about Rolen’s back problems. If they recur, Rolen might never reach that level. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/24 "2001-06-14T12:20:32Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by iampunha \* > [@](#): > > Hell, he can insist that we call him Binky the wonderdog if he hits 45 homers and drives in a helluva lotta runs in a season and singlehandedly beats the mets in a 3-game series. And let’s not get into nicknames, shall we? I’m sure there a Phillies who’ve had embarassing ones:) Name one! We’ve had The Sarge (Gary Matthews), The Secretary of the Defense (Garry Maddox), Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose), Lefty (Steve Carlton), Tugger (Tug McGraw), Bedrock (Steve Bedrosian), etc. etc. etc. 🙂 > [@](#): > > dantheman, you can tell us how many times we’ve lost in the playoffs, but what were the phillies doing so many of those years? Watching on tv, wishing they were there? Andruw Jones alone has more playoff experience than half your lineup! Seeing how badly some of your players screw up in the playoffs, I’d almost prefer to be home and therefore avoid the indignation of losing yet another playoff series. And if you guys are satisfied with how well you’ve done since 1991, you’re not true baseball fans. True baseball fans, you see, want to win the World Series and are not satisfied with less. With your lineup and pitching, you should have won far more. > [@](#): > > Welcome, BobbySuezQ. One can never have too many Braves’ fans:) Don’t listen to her. She’s a transplant. Oh, yeah **DRY** , 120 RBI is a bit much. Gotta love hyerbole! But he should be a 3-4-5 kind of hitter, even more so than he is now. I see him improving, not regressing (I don’t think he’s peaked), unless (as you pointed out) his back problems are irreversible. The new stadium might help. Sadly, the Braves are making it more than interesting. But hey, for a team that’s had one winning season in over a decade, the Phils aren’t doing too shabbily at all. They’re slumping, and this is a true turning point. Rally the troops or fall over? (Sounds a lot like the Sixers, come to think of it.) ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/25 "2001-06-14T12:31:41Z")
DRY, You’ll notice (with my typo) that I said “One of the best”, not “the best”. He’s got 47 K’s in 35 innings, and while his ERA (3.28) is higher than I expected it to be, he has been very good in the clutch for us this year. I haven’t seen too many other guys (Nelson I would, of course) that I’d trade him for. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/26 "2001-06-14T16:23:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*For starters, **BobbySuezQ** , Welcome to the boards. Can’t ever have too many Braves fans 'round here. Thank you kindly. I’ve already had this tired ol “discussion” with our man dan on a previous occasion. Though he is delusional, I have to give him credit for being more than a fair weather fan. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Don’t listen to her. She’s a transplant. So? At least I have a hometown team, with an awesome ballpark, to root for. 😛 Though I am wondering what’s up with Glavine’s performance this year, I am confident that we will indeed be the Boys of October. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/27 "2001-06-14T16:48:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobbySuezQ \* > Thank you kindly. I’ve already had this tired ol “discussion” with our man dan on a previous occasion. Though he is delusional, I have to give him credit for being more than a fair weather fan. Ha. Show me where I’m being delusional. I’ve never said Philadelphia was the bestest, greatest team out there. They are what they are, and if they can catch the cliched lightning in a bottle, they can win this. Not will, can. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > Don’t listen to her. She’s a transplant. > [@](#): > > So? At least I have a hometown team, with an awesome ballpark, to root for. 😛 Well, I have half of that. But we’re getting a new one! > [@](#): > > Though I am wondering what’s up with Glavine’s performance this year, I am confident that we will indeed be the Boys of October. Me too. Could it be that he just sucks now? 😃 And you guys aren’t the Boys of October. You’re the Boys of April-September. You guys choke so much there’s a poster of the Heimlich Maneuver in the home team’s dugout at good ol’ Turner Field! By the way, loved the near-brawl between Toronto and Atlanta last night. On SportsCenter, the anchor asked rhetorically, “Who would win in a fight between Raul Mondesi and John Rocker?” This is hysterical. Mondesi would stomp the hell out of Rocker without breaking a sweat. The biggest problem the Braves have is that they lack heart. This is why they’re good enough to make the playoffs but usually find a way to lose once there. They have the talent, but their drive to win isn’t up to par. This makes it easier for a less-talented team, such as the Phillies, to take command. (This is, btw, how the Phillies beat Atlanta in the 1993 LCS.) [And where ARE the other Phi fans on here? Suddenly, I feel so very alone…] ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/28 "2001-06-14T17:33:09Z")
From where are you transplanted, BobbySuezQ? And dan, as much as most people think Rocker needs to have his ass kicked (I’m one of them – Love him as a reliever, hate him as a person) – I wouldn’t be so sure that Mondesi would tear him up. Rocker’s a very big, very strong boy and he’s got a lot of loose screws. I’l pay PPV prices to see those two go at it. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/29 "2001-06-14T19:40:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*By the way, loved the near-brawl between Toronto and Atlanta last night. On SportsCenter, the anchor asked rhetorically, “Who would win in a fight between Raul Mondesi and John Rocker?” This is hysterical. Mondesi would stomp the hell out of Rocker without breaking a sweat. Well thank goodness you aren’t a Blue Jays fan or I’d have to rip you a new one on this comment. It was bad enough that Helms was ejected when he should not have been. He was SAFE. Then Cox goes n gets ejected too. (no biggie I don’t much care for him). But Mondesi? The pansy gets hit in the calf by a Glavine pitch and he tries to challenge him? Get real. Glavine was obviously struggling with control all night. An inside pitch hitting the batter on the leg is absolutely NO cause to clear the benches. He should have been tossed! And dear, my money would have been on Rocker. He’s a big rock solid Bubba. 😛 Now that I’ve gotten completely of the topic at hand … > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*From where are you transplanted, BobbySuezQ? The BSQer grew up at Anaheim and Dodger Stadiums, bleeds Dodger blue, and knows one day the Angels will dominate October. (hopefully in my lifetime) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/30 "2001-06-14T21:12:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobbySuezQ \* > Well thank goodness you aren’t a Blue Jays fan or I’d have to rip you a new one on this comment. It was bad enough that Helms was ejected when he should not have been. He was SAFE. Then Cox goes n gets ejected too. (no biggie I don’t much care for him). But Mondesi? The pansy gets hit in the calf by a Glavine pitch and he tries to challenge him? Get real. Glavine was obviously struggling with control all night. An inside pitch hitting the batter on the leg is absolutely NO cause to clear the benches. He should have been tossed! He didn’t challenge him. He glared at him. If your wussy boy Glavine was intimidated by a glare, he’s got some problems. Maybe he could talk to Rocker’s shrink. > [@](#): > > And dear, my money would have been on Rocker. He’s a big rock solid Bubba. 😛 The bigger they are, the harder they fall. He’s big and stupid, is what he is. He’s the Tie Domi of baseball. > [@](#): > > The BSQer grew up at Anaheim and Dodger Stadiums, bleeds Dodger blue, and knows one day the Angels will dominate October. (hopefully in my lifetime) 😃 There ya go! Now you got it. Back your home team, you bandwagon-jumper! ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/31 "2001-06-14T23:45:12Z")
Y’know, I’ve had a busy week with work, so I haven’t been able to Dope as much as I wanted to. I’d love to keep up in this thread, but… after the sweep by the Devil Rays, I think I’ll just go in the corner and sulk. Go Eagles, anyone? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/32 "2001-06-15T16:46:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > The BSQer grew up at Anaheim and Dodger Stadiums, bleeds Dodger blue, and knows one day the Angels will dominate October. (hopefully in my lifetime) 😃 > > There ya go! Now you got it. Back your home team, you bandwagon-jumper! \*\* I have two hometowns, so why not enjoy the teams from those towns? Bandwagon jumper indeed. 🙂 Baseball season is a magical time in Atlanta. I would venture to guess anyone who enjoys the game would be sporting a “fi dolla brazes cap” after just two games. Your tommahawk is in the mail 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/33 "2001-06-15T17:09:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobbySuezQ \* > \*\*I have two hometowns, so why not enjoy the teams from those towns? Bandwagon jumper indeed. 🙂 Baseball season is a magical time in Atlanta. I would venture to guess anyone who enjoys the game would be sporting a “fi dolla brazes cap” after just two games. > > Your tommahawk is in the mail 😛 \*\* Nuh-uh. You can have only one hometown; the one you’re born in. The other is just a rental. Besides, baseball time in Atlanta merely means time to chaw down on grits and corn dogs. Didn’t you notice the empty stands during last year’s playoffs? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/34 "2001-06-16T03:31:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Besides, baseball time in Atlanta merely means time to chaw down on grits and corn dogs. Didn’t you notice the empty stands during last year’s playoffs? 🙂 \*\* There’s a simple answer for that. Our dear friend Selig and MLB set the prices outrageously high for the world series. And SRO is the best deal at $25. Two people will spend about $600 for one game ($500 goes for seats). When you know your team is good enough to make it to the world series, I at least, make the decision to not go to the NLCS so I can go to the WS… why? 'cause a night watching the World Series is all that, AND a can of Pringles! So post season is taken for granted and that plan didn’t quite work out last year. There’s always this year. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/35 "2001-06-16T05:40:25Z")
Well, I hope tonight’s game starts a warming trend in the middle of the lineup, because they sure as hell needed to beat the shit out of a team. Since the Braves bullpen exploded (whoo!) the lead is back up to three games, and the magic number count continues at **95**. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/36 "2001-06-17T22:32:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobbySuezQ \* > \*\* > There’s a simple answer for that. Our dear friend Selig and MLB set the prices outrageously high for the world series. And SRO is the best deal at $25. Two people will spend about $600 for one game ($500 goes for seats). When you know your team is good enough to make it to the world series, I at least, make the decision to not go to the NLCS so I can go to the WS… why? 'cause a night watching the World Series is all that, AND a can of Pringles! \*\* When I saw the 93 series (plural), I really don’t remember incredibly high prices. As a season ticket holder, we got the chance to buy the tickets before they went to the general public, but I doubt very, very much if they were more than $30. I could be misremembering, though, since it was so long ago. So basically what happened is that the pissant Braves fans got all cocky and thought they didn’t have to go to the LCS (which is usually more exiciting than the WS, since there’s the added drama of playing familiar teams) and only go to the WS?? See, I hate to break it to you, but REAL baseball fans wouldn’t pull that shit. REAL baseball fans would actually go to those games, for the simple reason of **seeing an exciting game**. If you can name an LCS from either league from the past 15 years that was unexciting, I’d like to see it. Face it, Braves fans are frontrunners. They didn’t show up for those games because the Mets were giving them quite a fight - and eventually beat them. They won’t win this year, either. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/37 "2001-06-17T22:48:28Z")
Whoah whoah… saw this, and I can’t let this go by: > [@](#): > > The 1st Place Twins play the Cubbies June 15 - 16 - 17 in a WORLD SERIES PREVIEW. I’d like to know how the Twins plan on getting past the (as of today) 38-games-over-.500-and-.788-ball-playing Mariners in the ALCS. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/38 "2001-06-18T02:37:05Z")
With the Phils and the Braves each winning and losing last night and today, the magic number falls two spots to **93** , and the lead remains at **three games**. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/39 "2001-06-18T03:14:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by BobbySuezQ \* > > \*\* > > There’s a simple answer for that. Our dear friend Selig and MLB set the prices outrageously high for the world series. And SRO is the best deal at $25. Two people will spend about $600 for one game ($500 goes for seats). When you know your team is good enough to make it to the world series, I at least, make the decision to not go to the NLCS so I can go to the WS… why? 'cause a night watching the World Series is all that, AND a can of Pringles! \*\* > > When I saw the 93 series (plural), I really don’t remember incredibly high prices. As a season ticket holder, we got the chance to buy the tickets before they went to the general public, but I doubt very, very much if they were more than $30. I could be misremembering, though, since it was so long ago. > > So basically what happened is that the pissant Braves fans got all cocky and thought they didn’t have to go to the LCS (which is usually more exiciting than the WS, since there’s the added drama of playing familiar teams) and only go to the WS?? See, I hate to break it to you, but REAL baseball fans wouldn’t pull that shit. REAL baseball fans would actually go to those games, for the simple reason of **seeing an exciting game**. If you can name an LCS from either league from the past 15 years that was unexciting, I’d like to see it. > > Face it, Braves fans are frontrunners. They didn’t show up for those games because the Mets were giving them quite a fight - and eventually beat them. They won’t win this year, either. \*\* 1. Hmmm, guess you missed the news that MLB more than doubled the prices in 1998. Though since the Phillies haven’t been the boys of October for so long, I guess you wouldn’t know that. I misquoted the 99 series prices, they were $100 and 150, SRO was 25 (normally $1). A decent NLCS seat went for $60. A REAL fan goes to the games. So we fake ones watch them in big parties with all our friends or at sports bars. I gotchya. I am not a season ticket holder, nor will I ever be. It takes a person who is a FAN in every sense of the word to sit through summer ballgames here. Forgive me for enjoying a ballgame in comfort rather than sweating to deat and being eaten alive by skeeters bigger than hummingbirds. I never claimed to be that type of person. As for your little quip about the Mets games, sorry, it was just another game against the Mets to me, as was the DS and throughout the season. My personal preference is to skip them and go to the World Series. Perhaps I should stop a moment and ask you, how many Phillie’s games you been to this year Mr FAN. But I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671/40 "2001-06-18T03:20:27Z")
now back to the discussion at hand. Phillies fans (there’s more of you than just dan, right? RIGHT?), if your team is so wonderful and the Braves suck so much, how come y’all can’t break out into a lead of more than 3 games lately? While in the end all it takes is a 1/2 game to be on top, 3 games at this point in the season is hardly any cause to be breaking out the Moet. Let the woulda, coulda, shouldas begin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-philles-are-atop-the-nl-east-for-now/68671.md?page=3)