I have almost no doubt that, at some point, Shane Victorino snubbed Howard Eskin and that, now, Eskin will rip him every chance he gets. I mean, what else could explain these vicious, pointless Tweets during the playoffs:

Voila_Capture401 Voila_Capture400 Voila_Capture399

Voila_Capture403

He’s actually not basically a .220 hitter. He batted .294 this year, the highest of his career.

Yeah, I’ve been rooting against Victo. But I think most of you realize that’s because I can’t stand to see yet another former Philly athlete succeed while we flounder in Ruben Amaro’s and Paul Holmgren’s (and maybe even Howie Roseman’s) stink. I’m being serious. It’s really bothering me. But I don’t hate the guy.

Eskin’s alleged issue with Victo – that fans overvalue him and he’s not that good – is just wrong. Victo has always been a decent player and, SABR folks be damned, he’s gotten a ton of clutch Postseason hits, for two teams now. I can rattle off a few– grand slam off Sabathia, only run in 2007 NLDS loss in Game 3, Game 4 2008 NLCS home run to tie game before Matt Stairs, grand slam to send Red Sox to World Series, 4 RBIs to win them World Series. His success with the Red Sox is making me positively miserable, but there’s no denying that he’s been a good player and is, and should be, well liked in Philly. Eskin, however, is just a jackass.