Rich Dubee Blames David Herndon for all that David Herndon

“…and we’re going to see some action in the Phillies bullpen,” Tom McCarthy will say, shortly before they cut to a shot of somebody/ies warming up.

Maybe this is preempted by Danys Baez presenting the other team with a bouquet of carefully plucked game-tying RBI.  Maybe its caused by Roy Oswalt’s missing his spots and getting froot-looped past the infield.  Maybe Doc has lost most of his arms and legs out there for some reason, and is still pitching a 4-hit shut out, but Charlie is feeling a mite cautious because there’s an awful lot of blood on the mound.

When it becomes apparent that “some action” is “David Herndon looking for his glove,” there are far more groans than in response to anybody else, almost.

But not anymore!

The Phillies have freed us from Herndoning in our pants any further, as the “young” pitcher was crammed down into the minor leagues when J.C. Romero rejoined the roster.  But Rich Dubee tells us that Herndon’s head is home to a frantic, eternal inward struggle, rather than the off-key marching band walking in a circle like I assumed.

“He’s fighting himself right now,” Dubee explained, taking pity on a human creature for the first time in his coaching career/life.  Why he selected Herndon for this groundbreaking development has yet to be determined.

I always assume that Phillies management knows something I don’t–most things that I don’t, really–but this Herndon-Kendrick-Baez triangle is like waking up from a nightmare inside a sinking ship that is also wired to explode.

Let us allow David’s 9.28 ERA serve as a reminder for what the least helpful member of the bullpen brought to the table; that he could make no lead feel safe and that his warming up in the pen was always reason for groans.  Finally, this age of doubt is over.

"“We like David.  He’ll be back.”–Charlie Manuel"