Most managers, and even some players, spend a great deal of time claiming they don't pay attention to what's being said or written about them. Not Larry Bowa. When the rumblings started in June that a Philly slide was inevitable, Bowa countered: "It's still early." And when his team seemingly snapped out of a funk by completing a five-game sweep of the Marlins, Bowa all but said "I told ya so."
First-half MVP: A pair of relievers -- Wayne Gomes (4-2) and closer Jose Mesa (24 saves) -- deserve a lot of credit for the team's success so far. However, rookie shortstop Jimmy Rollins and starting pitcher Omar Daal have been exceptional. Rollins has been called the Allen Iverson of Veterans Stadium because he's the spark plug on offense. In addition, he leads National League shortstops in fielding percentage. And Daal (9-2) has been the key on the mound. Even though he has an 4.69 ERA, the Phillies are 15-3 when he pitches.
Biggest surprise: Doug Glanville's power surge has already led to a career-high 11 home runs, but the transition of rookie catcher Johnny Estrada in Mike Lieberthal's absence has been incredible. Not only is he hitting .269, but the pitchers have seemingly gotten comfortable with him behind the plate. Not bad for someone who played only 32 games in Triple-A in his career.
Biggest disappointment: Randy Wolf has been up and down so Bowa has sent him to the bullpen hoping that he can get his act together. Wolf won one of five games in April and posted a 6.46 ERA. He was 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in May, but then floundered again in June -- going 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA. There has been talk of trading for another starter, but general manager Ed Wade doesn't sound like he wants to force the issue if there isn't a great opportunity available.
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Phillies first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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39-47
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50-37
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HR leader
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Rolen, 16
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Abreu, 17
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BA leader
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Abreu, .327
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Abreu, .283
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ERA
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Person, 3.17
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Daal, 4.69
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Second-half goals: Keep listening to Bowa. When the team got swept at home by Atlanta in late June, he told them to play like they did in April and May. Bowa believes the Phillies can hold off the Braves in the NL East and his players must continue to buy into his thinking. If they can get some consistency on offense and get the good pitching they got early on, the Phillies will be vying for a postseason spot in September.
Minor-leaguer to watch: The Phillies have been forced to call up starting pitcher Nelson Figueroa and so far, he's looking quite good. In late June starts against the Braves and Marlins, Figueroa allowed two runs and 11 hits in 14 1/3 innings. He got his first major-league win against the Marlins.
Grade:  Aside from the stretch in June when the team lost 16-of-24 games, Bowa and Wade really have nothing to complain about. They were fortunate because the Mets and Braves got off to bad starts, but Philly has had plenty of time to falter and refuses to stay down.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
We told you what we thought of the Phillies' first-half performance, now you can tell us what you think.
James C. Black is an associate editor at ESPN.com
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