Ryan Madson Fought A Chair....And The Chair Sent Madson To The DL

This is something straight out of the page of bizarro world and/or the 2009 New York Mets. Or a combination of the two. After blowing a save in the 10th inning of that crazy game against the Giants, Ryan Madson was a very angry person. He wanted to destroy some shit. His method: kicking a folding chair. But what young Ryan did not realize was that folding chairs do not like getting kicked. When you kick them, they tend to make you instantly regret it. Ryan Madson will now attest to that statement for his misplaced anger at innocent metal folding chairs has resulted in him being placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a broken toe. From CSN Philly.

Angry after blowing a save for the second time this season in Wednesday’s game against the Giants, the reliever exited the dugout, slipped and then drop kicked a chair. Admittedly it’s not the smartest act of Madson’s career.

“I let down my teammates. I let down the fans that want us all to be out there playing hard for them. I feel terrible about that,” Madson said, before gimping around the clubhouse in a calf-high protective boot. “I've done it before. Not kick stuff, but I've gotten upset before and never broken a bone. It's just one of those things. I learned from it. I won't do it again. I realize how much I'm letting my teammates down.”

Still, if one act can describe the way things have gone for Madson this season, it’s the TKO with the metal chair in San Francisco. In nine appearances this season, Madson is 1-0 (the win came in the game for which he kicked the chair) with four saves in six chances. His ERA is a robust 7.00 while opponents have batted .333 against him.

If there is a silver lining in this it’s that the timing was not awful. Madson was placed on the disabled list just as the team’s usual closer Brad Lidge was activated. Instead, the Phillies will have to make some adjustments for the seventh and eighth innings without Madson in his regular role.

“It’s one of those things that happened,” Manuel said. “He told me how he did it and he’s very embarrassed by it. He was very apologetic.”

Oy ve. I can't.......I can't even......oy ve.....thank goodness for the Flyers tomorrow.

You want something that I did not think I would be doing now back in March? Saying oy ve about the Phillies and eagerly anticipating the Flyers. Shouldn't the 2 be reversed?

Rejoice Again, Philadelphia! Ryan Madson Is Going To Be The Interim Closer!

All I'll say is that it's about damn time! Once again, from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Madson is the Phils' new closer. He inherited the job when Brad Lidge gave in to the obvious yesterday: Power pitchers who don't have full use of their push leg are no longer power pitchers. They're batting-practice pitchers.

[....]

Benefiting from improved conditioning and dedication to his craft - not to mention many pep talks from Lidge - Madson went from a solid reliever to a spectacular reliever late last season and in the postseason. His fastball jumped 3 or 4 m.p.h. and hit 97 m.p.h. on occasion. That made his already excellent change-up that much more effective.

In short, Madson showed closer's stuff during his emergence as an eighth-inning shutdown man. He seemed to be lining up to be a very attractive closer possibility on the free-agent market after this season, but he opted instead for the financial security of a three-year, $12 million deal - good money, but not top closer money.

Now we get to see how much Madson left on the table.

Now we get to see if he really has closer's stuff.

Oh, the arm and the stuff are there. There's no question about that. But does Madson have the stomach to close for who knows how long? Can he close in big games against the Mets and the Red Sox (this weekend) and the Blue Jays after that? Can he close in a pennant race? The Phillies hope that question becomes irrelevant. They hope Lidge returns, in top form, by that time. But you never know, especially with a knee that's been operated on twice and continues to swell.

The Phils are fortunate that J.C. Romero is back from his suspension to help fortify the back end of the bullpen with Lidge out and Madson elevated. If Madson fails, Romero could close. He certainly has the stomach to do it.

But for now, the job belongs to Madson. He has earned the opportunity.

Like I said, it's about damn time! With the way that Lidge has been struggling and the way that Madson has just been lights out as an 8th inning set-up man, here's hoping that Madson can win the job permanently in the next 15-days. Madson had a chance to walk away last off-season and sign as a closer with another team, instead he stayed with Philadelphia and settled for a smaller amount of money than he could have gotten elsewhere. And as far as the pressure goes, Madson says that he is ready.

"This year, yeah, more than the previous years, just because in the playoffs and World Series, every inning was big," Madson said before the Phillies opened a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. "I'm more prepared this year than I have been in the past."

With a searing fastball that frequently reaches 96 m.p.h. and a paralyzing change-up, Madson leaves little doubt that he has a closer's arsenal. He has had three save opportunities this season, blowing one. Overall, though, he has been outstanding. Madson went into last night's game with 12 straight scoreless appearances covering 102/3 innings. He had inherited five runners and allowed none to score. He had not allowed a run since May 16 and had given up only seven in his 29 appearances. Madson was 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA.

"I could have just done my thing in the seventh and eighth innings for the next couple years and been happy with that, but now I have to get it done so [Lidge] doesn't feel the pressure to rush back because we'll need him," Madson said.

Madson said the main difference between being a setup man and a closer is that a closer knows he is definitely going to pitch in certain situations.

"I guess it's nice to know when you'll definitely be coming in for one inning," he said.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel sounded confident that Madson could do the job.

"He's definitely got the talent and I think he's earned a shot," Manuel said. "If Brad can't go, he's definitely the guy I want to put in there."

And Madson is definitley the guy I want in there, more so than Lidge. Whenever Lidge comes in anymore, I get tense and nervous, but when Madson pitches an inning, I feel relaxed, knowing that any damage done to the Phillies on the scoreboard will be minimal. This is Madson's chance to make it big. Go get 'em kid, the whole city is rooting for you.