When it comes to real love department in the case of the Phillies the decision was very easy once a certain person came to the team. Now you’re gonna think it was Cole Hamels. Sure enough he’s my second favorite guy. He’s got everything going for him: he’s the best pitcher in the major leagues for starters and he’s quite good looking. But he’s very serious. Very modest. Self deprecating. That Chase Utley kind of thing. Never acknowledges that he is the best, while always expecting the next pitch to be a strike, the next game to be a win. While we all know he will win because he is the best. So what’s with that?The guy I love is 5 ’10. He has thick not too curly hair and the straightest most beautiful white teeth possible. He’s got golden skin with peaches in his cheeks. A short straight nose with slightly flaring nostrils and beautifully shaped full lips. Have you guessed who it is yet?
It’s Carlos Ruiz, but of course. He’s the most romantic and talented guy the Phillies have ever had. He’s the single player who made those Playoff World Series wins possible. Think about it! True, right? Right. He caught for everybody! All of those fantastic pitchers, including Joe Blanton. Omigod! Yes. And yes Cole was very valuable.
But you saw the games, the season, the Post Season – those Playoffs, the Series, that rain. What did Carlos not do? Answer: he did it All. And with aplomb, with smiles. What photographic image do we remember from Brad’s last strikeout? Carlos running to his embrace with that million watt smile, right? I do, and I know you do.
But what we fans do not know is what Carlos does for the team on the road, just a little caper to keep the boys amused. He plays Zorro on his horse and sings a little, too. Just thought you’d love to see him…..There’s the reason, and the real reason.Baby Come Back Department
As so many people know, Carlos Ruiz is Panamanian, a country that has born the terrible tragedy of then President Jimmy Carter’s decision, which Congress passed, to give the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1978. Carlos was born in 1979, amidst all the hopes that his parents and his country must have sustained only to have them sink into the mire of drugs, money laundering and graft that Panama has endured in all the years since we left.
