For the Phillies: There’s No Place Like Home

There were reports last night of a Charlie Manuel sighting after the game.  According to bystanders, Manuel was clicking his heels together, his eyes were closed and he just kept repeating the phrase:

There’s no place like home.

Can you blame him?  His Phillies finally broke their season high eight-game losing streak (all eight losses were on the road) last night with a 7-3 win against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park.

There’s no place like home.

According to Phils’ third baseman Michael Young, returning to the friendly confines of their home ballpark was just what this slumping team needed to ‘put one in the win column’ for the first time since July 19.

“Nice to get back and play in front of a home crowd .  They came out with some good energy; we fed off of that. There’s no way around the fact that we needed a win, so it was nice to get.”

There’s no place like home.

Ironically for Michael Young, last night’s win may be way too little, way too late.  The Braves, who had been struggling mightily, seem to have found their stride of late.  Last night was their fifth win in a row and the Phillies, who did not take advantage of the Braves post All-Star game slump, now find themselves 11 and a half games behind the Division Leaders.  (They are eight games back in the Wild Card.)

Trade Deadline speculation has been swirling around the Phillies third baseman although he has a no-trade clause, greatly limiting the Phillies options.  In fact, according to Young, who hit a two-run home run in last night’s win, his family is “a massive consideration in the decision-making process.”  The only place Young has agreed to go so far is to Texas where his family currently resides.

There’s no place like home.

Highlights of last night’s win included Carlos Chooch Ruiz’s first home run of the season.  That’s right, first.  But will Michael Young’s homer last night be his last as a Phillie?  The Trade Deadline ends at 4 p.m. today and it should be interesting to see who takes the field for game two tonight against the Giants.

But all this deadline speculation got me to thinking.  What if fans had their own Trade Deadline?  What if you could trade in your team and root for another?  What if…snap out of it!!!  If you find yourselves daydreaming about trading teams before 4 p.m., just close your eyes, click your heels together and  repeat after me.

There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…..