Cliff Lee photo taken from Google Images

Now that the Phillies have blown up their payroll by adding Cliff Lee, the total payroll looks to be over $160 million in 2011. Once regarded as greedy Gremlins who lurked in dark alleys, all of a sudden this Phillies ownership group is “committed to winning.” But just how committed are they?

I thought it might be fun to watch the progression of the Phillies payroll in recent years. The chart above shows the progression of the total payroll since 2001.

Once referred to by Bill Giles as a “small market” in 1994, the Phillies payroll lived up to Bill’s claim as recently as 2001 with a payroll of just $41.66 million. Ten years later the Phillies total payroll has skyrocketed to around $160 million.

Have the Phillies owners finally decided that winning is more important than making the most profit? The answer is no. As the charts below will indicate, the Phillies owners are no more or less committed in 2011 than they were in 2001.

You see, as much as Phillies fans don’t want to admit it, the owners weren’t paying because the fans weren’t going. Bill Giles was right when he called Philadelphia a small market because at the time fans were not attending games. The next chart shows that the payroll went up at nearly the identical rate of the attendance.

As fans, we want to have an owner like a George Steinbrenner who is willing to pay whatever it takes to put a winner on the field. It sure would have been nice if the Phillies ownership group decided to forgo a little profit during some of the bad years to help build a team that fans wanted to see.

But the next chart shows that the Phillies ran the team no differently than any other club. They ran it like a business and their spending mirrored the attendance. It would have been nice if winning was the most important factor.

The moral of the story is this: the Phillies ownership group was not lining their pockets any more or less than the other owners. I am like many fans who crucified the owners when they weren’t spending the way I hoped they would spend. For better or for worse, the Phillies owners let the books decide how much they would spend and they closely followed the bottom line.

But there might be a wrinkle to this tale. The Phillies maxed out the attendance last season, yet they increased the payroll close to $20 million this year. Are the rumors true that John Middleton took his profits from the $2.9 billion sale of his cigar company and decided to break the bank to get Cliff Lee? Or are they just running business as usual?

Thursday Afternoon Edition

@IanMBrowne: Morning Red Sox news. Atchison makes team; Schoeneweis, Nelson fight for final spot. Tazawa to undergo Tommy John. http://bit.ly/cwKmf3
@mlbtraderumors: 2010 NL Rookie Of The Year Predictions http://bit.ly/bsV5t2 #mlb &  I agree with Schilling…Phils trading Lee was a really bad move. I don’t think Amaro did it to cover himself though. http://bit.ly/beLvs2
@MLBHomeRun: Lugo dealt from Cardinals to Orioles http://bit.ly/bQawc1 #MLB #Baseball &  Joe Blanton on DL, Out 3-6 Weeks http://bit.ly/99LarR #MLB &  Taveras to platoon with Harris http://bit.ly/cBHAYH #MLB &  Yanks will start Granderson in CF, Gardner in LF http://bit.ly/c1FOsg #MLB &  Reyes destined for DL http://bit.ly/cxBAhj #MLB
@philliesnation: Joe Blanton Hits the DL http://bit.ly/cEeEUn
@GrillCheese49: So proud of this kid! Missing my season, but grateful of such inspiration from an 11 year old who gets it! http://bit.ly/Elliot11 &  Definitly going to see this movie – http://www.letterstogodthemovie.com/the-movie
@PeteAbe: Is money slowing a Lowell deal with the Rangers? http://ow.ly/16X8YI
@prorumors: Cardinals Rumors: Could Hank Blalock fit in St. Louis? http://goo.gl/fb/7Fhxr &  Mike Lowell Trade Rumors: Not going to the Mets http://goo.gl/fb/cx5cK
@insidethepark: CamdenChat.com: Source: Ripken to Join Orioles Front Office http://bit.ly/c5fX2j &  ESPN Insider: Troy Glaus has re-emerged as a fantasy option with strong spring http://bit.ly/bDJxaV &  OverTheMonster.com: Scott Atchison Makes Opening Day Roster; Alan Embree Does Not http://bit.ly/dvP2qm &   ESPN Insider: Mike Jacobs gets opportunity to shine with New York Mets http://bit.ly/bDJxaV
@sbnbaseball: Cody Ross and Brett Carroll DL bound?: It seems that Cody Ross and Brett Carroll may start the season on the DL. C… http://bit.ly/9nnuF8 &  Braves Heyward to Start in the Minors: Because of the worsening condition with Jason Heyward’s shin splints, the B… http://bit.ly/amDNoQ
@ducksnorts: New at Ducksnorts: Latos Makes Rotation, Geoff Makes a List http://bit.ly/cDYP96 #padres #mlb #in
@StatsGuru: New post: Red Sox Renovations http://bit.ly/bvQUgw #bostonredsox
@WriteField: Metsgrrl: BOOK REVIEW: MAPLE STREET PRESS METS ANNUAL 2010. http://bit.ly/bbmlgy

In game 3, the Phillies 45 year old starter Jamie Moyer pitched better than anyone thought was possible against the Rays Matt Garza (MVP of the ALCS). He pitched 6.1 innings and allowed only 3 runs in a 5-4 9th inning win by the Phillies.

This one wasn’t pretty as each team had late inning errors and bad calls by the umpires once again. This time it was on a bang bang play at 1B where the nearly 46 year old pitcher dove and flipped the ball to Howard at 1B who caught it barehanded before the runner’s foot hit the bag. At least that”s what the replay clearly showed. By the way, kudos goes out to FOX for their new picture in picture instant replay that showed this call as an error in a freeze frame. This runner came around to score the game tying run at 4 all in the top of the 8th.

In the bottom of the 9th, you saw defensive replacement for LF Pat Burrell, Eric Bruntlett get hit by a pitch, then with the Flyin’ Hawaiian, CF Shane Victorino at bat looking to bunt the runner along only to see the new pitcher Grant Balfour throw a wild pitch inside that almost hits the Hawaiian. Bruntlett scampers to second and then to third on an errant throw by Navarro (Rays catcher) that landed in CF. Victorino is then walked as was pinch hitter Dobbs who hot for 3B Feliz. Then with the bases loaded and no on out, up stepped hot hitting Phillies catcher, Carlos Ruiz. Rays manager Joe Maddon then brings in RF Ben Zobrist (the Rays SS a year ago who became a super utility man in 2008) to play as a 5th infielder directly behind the 2B bag. When play resumes, Ruiz hits a slow chopper half way down 3B that Longoria barehanded, but has no chance to get Bruntlett who scored from 3B. What a finish and a bold and correct move by losing manager Joe Maddon none-the-less.

Game 4 is the only blowout of this series as the Phillies won 10-2. The Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine was just a little off his game, but the Phillies bats came alive with a thunderous series of blasts off the bats of Howard (2), Werth and Blanton (yes, the Phillies starting pitcher). This was Blanton’s first career HR and the first by a pitcher in the World Series since Ken Holtzman of the A’s hit one in 1974. He hit it off of Edwin Jackson who came in after Sonnanstine.

The Rays just haven’t played up to the hype they built for themselves this magical year. BJ Upton has cooled off and their pitching hasn’t been as effective as it was in the LDS or the LCS. Not to mention that the biggest part of the Rays offense, their number 3 and 4 hitters, 1B Carlos Pena and 3B Evan Longoria have yet to get their first hits of the series. At least one of these two has to get hot if they are going to have a chance in beating the determined Phillies. So far, the Rays just haven’t played well enough, all around, to win this series.

Game 5 is tonight in the city of brotherly love and if the Phillies win, it will be their first World Series victory since 1980 and I believe, only the third such victory in franchise history. The match up is a repeat of game 1 between the Rays Scott Kazmir who pitched well, going up against the Phillies Ace of their staff, Cole Hamels. Hamels is 4-0 in the playoffs this year and the Phillies have not lost at home this post season. This may be all she wrote as the fat lady get’s ready to possibly sing tonight in Philadelphia.