Thursday, June 30, 2011
Posted: 12:35 a.m.
By Jay Greenberg
CSNPhilly.com Contributor
Charlie Manuel says that when Raul Ibanez strides too quickly and his swing gets even longer than his 30 days between home runs, he looks every one of his 39 years. When Ibanez is staying on his backside, not meaning the one that its looked like for most of two seasons should be in a rocking chair rather than left field, the Phillies manager suggests Ibanez doesnt look a day over 35.
When he stays back the swing is short and quick, said Manuel. Like tonight.
Even shorter and faster than Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo went through the heart of the Red Soxs mighty lineup in the eighth and ninth innings Wednesday night, was Ibanez to a 0-1 John Lackey curveball. After the eighth inning leadoff home run cleared the right-field wall by as little as most nights it appears Ibanez has left, he didnt look a day older than 25 in running the bases.
The Phillies beat the Red Sox again, 2-1, to take the series to end all series, a mid-season clash between possible World Series entrants so apocalyptic that the end of the world may indeed come before Ibanezs contract runs out at the end of the season.
Maybe that would save the Phillies from again having their pitching matched and their bats shredded, as was done to them by the Giants last October. Then again, maybe this time the Phillies are going to win every postseason game 2-1. But with a leftfielder so long in the tooth, there is good reason to believe a lineup that is only 10th in runs scored in the National League needs improvement before the trading deadline.
MLB
Ibanezs RBI in the second was his first since June 12, the home run that won the game was his first since May 30. Having driven in only 34 runs in 81 games, he admits it isnt any easier to block out failure at age 39 than it was at 19.
No, you still stress out about it, he said. You would think it would get easier but like my wife said Its like you pull all these all-nighters studying and you keep failing tests. Thats not my line, its hers.
At the same time, he confesses his anxiety speeds up. He insists his bat speed is not slowing down, despite statistical evidence to the contrary. Despite long periods of struggle, Ibanezs 83 RBIs proved adequate last season until the postseason, when he failed to drive in a run. And this time there is no proven commodity like Jayson Werth at the other corner outfield position.
Ibanez says the best group of guys Ive ever been around have picked him up, so Wednesday night of course, it felt good to pick them up with the only two RBIs of a tight win. Nothing more inspiring than a ball clearing the fence, unless it was a Bernard Hopkins pregame speech.
Manuel invited the 46-year-old boxing champion into the clubhouse for a midseason pep talk about going the distance. Standard stuff about keeping your nose to the grindstone, but Ibanez didnt find the message any older than he is.
It was a great speech, he said. He definitely has a future when hes done knocking people around.
I can see a good book in there. Really, I found him to be an extraordinary guy who conveys his point really well. I liked when he said If you think second, youll be third. That was a really good line.
An even better line was Ibanezs box score line four hours later. But you take inspiration from where you get it, just like two RBIs from a struggling hitter that wins a game 2-1. At a major league-best 51-30, strong starting pitching, spotless bullpen work and timely hitting has become a Phillies story almost as old as Hopkins and Ibanez.
Bernard Hopkins in is world champion at 46, said Ibanez. If he can get in the ring with another man much younger than himself and still win, then you can still play baseball at 39.
Indeed, Wednesday night he could.
E-mail Jay Greenberg at jayg616@aol.com.