Inside the Phillies: Lidge: I wish Phillies had been more honest

VIERA, Fla. - Nothing could ruin Brad Lidge's most vivid and treasured memory of Philadelphia. He will forever have that raw 2008 October night at Citizens Bank Park when he struck out Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske, dropped to his knees, and looked skyward, triggering a wild celebration after the Phillies ended the city's 25-year championship drought.

It was the perfect end to Lidge's perfect season.

Nothing was close to perfect after that for Lidge, including the separation from the Phillies that took place this offseason.

Lidge is now a member of the Washington Nationals and expected to serve as a setup man for Drew Storen, one of the game's best young closers. Given his druthers, which looked promising for Lidge at one point during the winter, he would still be pitching for the Phillies.

"People have the right to change their mind," Lidge said after the Nationals held their first official workout Tuesday. "They did that and I respect the front office. They've been nothing but unbelievable in my time there and it's a first-class organization, so I don't really have anything bad to say. I just wish they had been more honest early, so I would have known that I couldn't count on them later in the process."

Lidge's version of the story is that the Phillies told him shortly after last season ended that "they'd be crazy" not to have him back.

It's crazy to think that the Phillies cannot go forward without a 35-year-old reliever who has lost the life from his fastball. On the other hand, it would not have been a ridiculous move to re-sign one of the classiest players ever to pull on Phillies pinstripes, especially if the cost was the same $1 million plus incentives he will be paid by the Nationals.

The perception and the reality of Lidge's work out of the Phillies bullpen became somewhat distorted during his final two seasons.

Catastrophic was the only way to describe a 2009 season that included an 0-8 record, 11 blown saves, a 7.21 ERA, and a losing Game 4 World Series appearance in which he surrendered three ninth-inning runs against the New York Yankees. It's not at all a stretch to believe that the Phillies would have won consecutive World Series titles if only Lidge had been half as good as he was the year before.