Enter the Seanez

Remember that cold, rainy opening day, when the Phils bullpen (namely Tom Gordon) gave up a late lead and shook our early confidence to the core? We do (kinda). It's easy to forget now though, with sobriety taking hold and the bullpen consistently posting just about the best numbers in the NL since then.

In the immediate wake of that tragedy, the Phils made a great move in signing veteran 'penner Rudy Seanez. We knew at the time he'd likely be a nice piece to help stabilize what we thought was a scarily inconsistent bullpen, but what we didn't know, was that he was practically a ninja in his spare time.

Not once in the 17 years Rudy Seanez has pitched in the big leagues has he hit a batter who then came running at him wielding his bat.

The durable Phillies reliever has no idea what would have happened if a player actually had, but chances are one of them would have ended up with a black eye.

And it would not have been Seanez.

"Knock on wood - no, it has never happened," said Seanez. "But if someone else did, there would be trouble. If someone comes at me with a bat in his hand, I am not holding back anything."

"Anything" could be nearly everything, given the self-defense skills of Seanez, who has become a pretty fair hand at a variety of martial arts - including shootfighting, Muay Thai and both Brazilian and Japanese jiujitsu.

Jesus. Mark Kram, palindromic writer for the Daily News, put together a fun read on Seanez's martial arts training, focusing not so much on what kind of stuff he can break with his bare hands, but perhaps more appropriately, how his training has allowed him to keep pitching into his late 30s.

So, the obvious question is, who wins in hand-to-hand MMA between Seanez and Riley Cote, off skates?

>>Martial arts extends career for Phillies reliever Seanez [Daily News]

Comments

[Rosco]

Dear God, or Fate, or Powers That Be,

The Phillies will be playing a 4 game series agains the Mets over the July 4th weekend. Please see fit to a loow a bench clearing brawl, that sees Seanez "sweep the leg" of Cobra Kai wannabe Billy Wagner.