Revived for the sake of posterity, not to mention a little nostalgia, this apple lineup was the second one we created after the original lineup, the 2007 lineup (lost to the world) was such a hit.  Little did we know at the time that the 2008 Phils would go on to be "World Champions of Baseball!" (rest in peace, HK).  So take a nostalgic look back at the apple version of the 2008 World Series Champion Phillies!

Apple/Pear Varieties!

• Honeycrisp - Ryan Howard, 1b - So his average is down a little bit, the man collected 48 HRs and an eye-popping 146 RBI and played well down the stretch.  That makes him number one on our apple buffet!
• Jonagold - Chase Utley, 2b - Has to be a close second in terms of importance to the Phils success this year - great season all the way around driving in runs and collecting hits in bunches - Jonagold, also second most popular eating apple here at Three Springs
•  Jonathan - Shane Victorino, of - The Flyin' Hawaiian - perhaps the most underrated member of the '08 Phils, just as Jonathan ranks as the most underrated apple at Three Springs.  A Jonathan apple as a snack is almost, but not quite as clutch as that Grand Slam last week!  Woo-hoo!
•   Gold Delicious - Jamie Moyer, sp - Ya know, Golds have been around for ever.  You probably figure, "hey, I know Golds - it's nothing special".  But ya know what, people have been saying the same thing about Jamie Moyer for nearly 10 years and still nobody roughs him up!
•  Smokehouse - Brad Lidge, closer - The man throws smoke and, despite a little bit of excitement from time to time (like a zesty, tart apple), he was perfect in save opportunities in the regular season!
•  Grimes Golden - Jayson Werth, of - Finally living up to the billing that made him a high draft choice of my Baltimore Orioles (grumble, grumble), Werth transformed himself from platoon duties in '07 to appearing in 134 games this season and came up with a bunch of clutch hits along the way!  His likeness to Grimes Golden is based solely on the fact that my O's didn't hold onto him, making me a little sour (read: "tart").
•  Gala - Pat Burrell, lf - Pat, I believe, is the longest-tenured Phillies player just as Gala is the apple we've been bringing to market the longest.  It might make both the player and the apple easy to overlook, but biting into a Gala is still as exciting as a 3-run homerun to break open a close game, just like game 4 this past Sunday!
•  Bosc Pears - Jimmy Rollins, ss - After a roller coaster regular season, last year's MVP is leading the Phils in batting this postseason, tearing up Brewers pitching for a .375 clip thus far.  Sweet way to start up an offense if you ask me - just like a Bosc pear is a sweet pregame snack!  (yes, I'm reaching on some of these, but I just wanna pay homage to the Phils!)
•  Yellow Bartlett Pears - Cole Hamels, sp - Sure, let the sportscasters talk up how tough Sabathia is - there was no sweeter pitching performance in the playoffs than Cole Hamels, Game 1.  Relive that sweet performance on the mound with a sweet, yellow Bartlett pear (excuse me for that, the cheesiest entry yet)

Apples new for this week (Phillies new for this year)

•   Staymen - Geoff Jenkins, of - A guy who's been around awhile (Staymen, an older variety), but is new to the Phils.  A left handed slugger who can come off the bench and swat one out of the park!  Staymen are a big hit with late season apple eaters with a preference for crisp, juicy, and a mild tart flavor!  (you're asked to provide your own rimshots on these)
•   Mutsu/Crispin - So Taguchi, of - Mutsu are from Japan... So is from Japan.  Mutsu grow to be very very large... So... looks like he stopped growing in middle school, but he's more than meets the eye!  He's a heck of a ballplayer with postseason experience!  Mutsu look green and tart but are much sweeter than you expect, with a history of being a great eating apple!
•   Paradise - Pedro Feliz, 3b - Not a whole lot of juice in that bat this year, but he flashed some sweet leather!  You'll be interested to learn that this unique apple has a killer sweetness but is a little less juicy than most!
•  Granny Smith - Matt Stairs, of - A grizzled veteran from a foreign land who arrives late and puts some more pop on your bench!  Stairs hails from Canada and came to Philly in a late season trade.  Only Jamie Moyer is older than Matt Stairs.  So while Matt's wife may or may not be old enough to be a Granny, Granny Smith apples arrive late in the season and will provide a real punch of tartness right off the tree and come to us from the foreign land of Australia!
•   Canned Peaches! - Carlos Ruiz, c - Rugged and durable, Carlos Ruiz calls a good game and throws out would be base-stealers.  All of our fresh peaches have been sold or thrown out except the ones we put in these rugged, durable cans earlier in the year for when we'd "run out"!  "Good call", eh?!
•    Fresh Apple Cider - Scott Eyre, rp - Eyre deserves some recognition for posting a phenomial 1.17 WHIP down the stretch after the Phils acquired him from Chicago.  Good thing the Cubs were "so good" they didn't need him, right?!  Hahaha!  Ok, got that cheap shot in there.  Eyre has been really good... our cider continues to be really, really good!

2009 Phillies Lineup

2010 Phillies Lineup

2010 Orioles Lineup