Damage Control: Labor Day Weekend

With Labor Day weekend upon us, do not expect to read the sad, depressing news regarding the Phillies lining teams up in their scopes and then shooting their own dick off three nights in a row.

We're going to talk about beer, football, and everything else, but the Phillies. Also, expect the post counts to improve once school gets into session and I work less late nights.

First, college football is upon us and the city of Philadelphia may have a D1 team to root for this year...at least against marginal opponents. Temple opened their season by routing Army 35-7.

Who's going to be cut tonight? Two writers at Comcast Sportnet debated the roster. Andy Schwarz feels that Tony Hunt will be the fullback because of long-term reward, but Jordan Raanan feels Jed Collins will be on the roster. Both men agree that Jerome McDougle will make the team and that Winston Justice will bid farewell. Wow, we're actually not holding onto one of Andy's "prize picks" for long this time.

Talk about a draft. Many of the Eagles picks from this year are expected to make the roster. The Eagles will likely keep 5 safties instead 5 corners because of Quinton Demps ability to play both positions. Oh, and goodbye Ryan Moats.

Oh, ESPN also rates us the fourth best fans in the NFL.

I hate to break the news to you, but the Eagles will never have Chad Johnson...but maybe, just maybe, Chad Ocho Cinco. Chad officially changed his legal name.

The _ _ _ _ _ Rays clinched their first winning season ever yesterday. It only took them 11 years.

And lastly, guess what? WE HAVE THE BIG TEN NETWORK! Finally, I get to watch Penn State play a shitty team! They'll face Coastal Carolina at noon today. Let's hope the senior wide-outs finally live up to their potential.

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What's a Set-Up Man?

For the second night in a row, the Phillies blew another 8th inning lead. On Wednesday it was a 4-run eigth and last night was a 5-run eigth. Their overworked bullpen has become marginally shittier from game to game.

Instead of going out and overpaying for a real set-up man, something we lacked even when Tom Gordon was here, they acquired Matt Stairs. I did not see the game last night (and I won't be able to watch until Sunday), but if this team doesn't win the next three, the season will be virtually on life support. Everyone is using last year as the comparison, but they don't realize that the situations are exactly the opposite.

Last year, the Phillies were the team rising and not dying come September. Last year, the bullpen was great in the end and the Phillies saw timely hitting. This year, the season gets harder and harder to watch for even the most obsessed Phillies fans.

Oh well, Phillies face Rich Harden today. The last time the Phillies faced Rich Harden he owned them. Completely owned them and the entire Phillies team looked absolutely pathetic at the plate.

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Are the Eagles a Super Bowl team?

I am making this out of complete boredom. I'm sitting here looking at my Sports Illustrated, which the cover is graced by Donovan McNabb by the way, and I couldn't help but take curiosity in the predictions for the NFL season made by SI.

1 predictions I feel is very realistic is the fact Philadelphia can rightfully take back what is theirs: the NFC East. They have them up seating Dallas, who makes the playoffs despite a 10-6 record. Philly's final record: 12-4. Yes this is a very realistic prediction.

Now onto they 2nd prediction: the Super Bowl. SI has New England defeating the Eagles 26-23 this upcoming February. Really? After an 8-8 season and an above average off season, you think we will go all the way? Well bravo SI. Your prediction may not be as bold (and hopefully not the same outcome) as your picking the Dolphins to win it all 2 years ago with the simple addition of Dante Culpepper but it does show that you have balls.

Now I bleed green and I will love to see this happen but I have to let the realistic fan in me come out. The Eagles WILL win the division, and the Eagles WILL win at least 1 playoff game, and they WILL not only make it to the Super Bowl but be crowned.

This team has a few flaws that make me weary of picking them to represent the NFC. The wide receivers may not be the best in the league, especially with a hurt Kevin Curtis. Our line backers and defensive line may not be as amazing as other teams, and the play calling can be suspect at times.

But this is nothing new to us. Stepping in nicely for Curtis is Desean Jackson, who I feel will be very, very fucking scary in the NFL. He is a Steve Smith type WR with more explosiveness and hes is becoming McNabb's favorite go to guy. He is a very dangerous deep threat and he knows how to avoid the big hit. He won't run you over but he sure can make guys miss.

Jackson's effectiveness in punt and kick returning can be very helpful, even when the ball isn't in his hands. He could force teams to kick the ball out of bounds, giving them better field position. And if they do kick it to him, watch out because open field for Jackson is almost guaranteed 10-15 yards on the return, at least.

With our defense, Trent Cole, Juqua Thomas, Broderick Bunkley, and Mike Patterson are a good 4-some. They all have the ability to stop the run and can create sacks. Cole is one of the elite sackers in the game, now.

Our linebackers are young and suspect but I am confident that Omar Gaither will have another good season and that Stewart Bradley will boom into a very good MLB. Chris Gocong as the OLB rounds off the starting trio.

Our secondary is amazing. 3 corners in Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown that could be number 1's on 3/4 of the league and Brian Dawkins as the free safety. Don't forget about Quinton Mikell who is getting the playing time he deserves.

I really like this team. There's always been a resiliency in this corps. A Super Bowl is not ridiculous this time. There are definitely other teams in the conference that will challenge but there is no reason Philadelphia can not come out on top.

I leave you Birds fans with one more thing:
E
A
G
L
E
S
EAGLES!

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We are nearing Labor Day weekend and the boys of summer are transforming into the boys of October, but are our Phils? After blowing the lead last night to split with the Mets, the Phillies fell back to .5 game behind the Mets in the division. Because of Tuesday night and a lethargic bullpen, Manuel's hand was forced to put in Rudy Seanez. I understand he was handcuffed, but the move I hated was replacing Pat Burrell for So Taguchi. Someone has to tell Charlie that Taguchi is simply not even better, so the move is worthless.

With only 29 games left, I am going to give you three different viewpoints on how you can look at the Phillies over the final weeks.

The Good (Optimism): The Phillies and Mets both have lost 60 games this season. The Phillies have one less win because they've played one less game. If the Phillies somehow take 3 of 4 from the Cubs and the Mets even take 2 of 3 from the Marlins, we'll still be tied from the division. Fans, we can tie the division up tonight and we'll be looking to Cole Hamels to do so against Ryan Dempster. We worried about setting up a Hamels-Santana match-up, but it might be better off that Hamels is pitching tonight. Kendrick pitched well enough for the team to get the win. Also, the Phillies may have found that left-handed reliever they needed earlier in games as Scott Eyre has pitched very well since coming over from the Cubs.

The Phillies have won 8 of 10 games and inched 2 games closer to the Mets in the past few weeks. Even with blowing yesterday's game, the Phillies are not going to win every single night. Jimmy Rollins is starting to heat up and that might trigger the rest of the lineup to stay hot. Whenever he slumps, the whole team slumps. Howard has homered in back to back games and even homered off the left-handed hitting Santana. That is good news as well. Also, Pedro Feliz is back in the lineup and he will provide some pop along with some much needed, great defense on the hot corner.

Also, outside of Moyer's bad start, the starting pitching has been doing well. Yesterday's bullpen debacle was more or less an effect of the night before. It is hard to say the bullpen is slumping now because frankly, everyone was tired and just about everyone was unavailble. If the game happened after September 1st, the Phillies would have likely held onto the win with expanded rosters.

Speaking of expanding the rosters, virtually everyone who could add to the Mets is already up. Guys like Murphy and so forth have been up with the Mets for awhile because they're depleted with injuries. The Phillies on the other hand will not have much to bring up, but we'll never have to see Carlos Ruiz play third base again this season. As of right now, the Phillies can call up: Joe Bisenius, TJ Bohn, Fabio Castro, Mike Cervanek, JA Happ, Adam Eaton, Brad Harman, Jason Jaramillo, Oscar Robles, and RJ Swindle. If any of their 5 players currently on the DL are moved to the 60-day, then the Phillies can replace them with another player. Sorry, if you were looking for guys like Marson, Carrasco, Golson, and Donald. The Phillies did not feel they would be ready at this point this season to place them on the 40-man roster. Zagurski has been moved to the 60-day DL, so it'll be interesting to see who replaces him on the 40-man roster.

Some of the pitchers may help the bullpen because Manuel will be able to use guys to get just one out and so forth. I would not expect much from the position players. There is still a full month of baseball left and hopefully the call-ups provide a sudden boost to this team. It's not over yet.

The Bad (Realist Outlook): If the Phillies do not take 3 of 4 from the Cubs this weekend, it is going to be tough. The Phillies could probably live with a split, but if they lose 3 or get swept, it is hard to see this team continuing to stay close in the division for much longer. The Phillies schedule is harder than the Mets at the end of the year like the Phillies schedule was easier than the Mets to start the year.

Sometimes it seems that like when the starter's pitch well, the bats die. When the bats are alive, the starter's struggle. When they both do well, the bullpen has a tough time lately. For the Phillies to continue to compete, they need to find some form of consistent unity among the three. Realistically, we've still won 8 of 10, but yesterday was a huge must-win. We can avenge the loss next weekend by taking 2 of 3 from the Mets at Shea, but if that does not happen, it might be tough to come back from it. The Mets have been rising in the second half, not dying like last year and they'll have September call-ups as well. Their role players have become key to their success this season, while everyone off the bench except Dobbs and Coste have provided little if anything.

Sometimes I feel that we're just wasting roster spots by holding onto So Taguchi and so on. They got rid of Andy Tracy thankfully as he was just another waste of a roster spot or dead weight on the team.

The bullpen has been very good this year, but they're getting very tired. Charlie Manuel needs to do a better job of managing the pen down the stretch or he is going to kill some arms. Sometimes he leaves pitchers in a lot longer than they should be. If you're going to try and stretch arms, stretch the starters who are used to throwing more pitches, not the pen.

Also, Charlie, don't pull Pat Burrell anymore. His bat in every inning is far more important than not having his defense...but wait, don't you want the guy in the game when he's among the leaders of outfield assists?

I am no fan of Pat Gillick or Charlie Manuel. I think as fans we could live with one or the other, but both of them together compounded with the rest of the front-office is devastating at times.

The Ugly (Pessimist): Even if the team somehow wins the division, it is hard to see this team doing much in the playoffs. The inconsistency factor plagues this team from top to bottom and their peaks and valleys are far too high and low. At times it seems like one long roller coaster waiting to derail at the bottom. I think Charlie Manuel is a guy that could be a good bench coach, but he has managed 97 win Cleveland teams out of doing well in the playoffs. He's an instinct manager more than a guy that uses his brain. Sure, you like a guy that feels good about the move he is making, but I'd also like him to go over the idea in his head a little more often.

If Manuel has a better supporting cast around him, I think the Phillies could be better off at this point, but with guys like Dubee and so forth it seems like one big 'pick a move out of a hat and hope it works' situation.

Currently, the Phillies have a lot of dead-weight on the roster. Carlos Ruiz and So Taguchi have offered little offensive OR defensive support this year. The only reason Ruiz is still here is because Coste is that much worse defensively.

The Phillies have only one hitter hitting over .300 and that is Greg Dobbs. However, as a starter he only has a .765 OPS. Most of his .300 average has come from him hitting .396 in pinch-hit situations. Thankfully with Feliz back, Dobbs will be regulated back to that role.

To be honest, if the Phillies make the playoffs, they're probably not going to win anything. There are too many flaws and holes with this team that do not exist with Chicago and Milwaukee. This weekend will be a true test. The good news however is that if we do make the playoffs, we are guaranteed home-field.

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Fightin' Phils!

Hey Pedro, I guess the Phillies are your daddy. After trailing 7-0 in the 4th, the Phillies were able to beat the Mets 8-7 in a 13 inning thriller.

After the poor start by Jamie Moyer, the Phillies started their slow climb. In the bottom of the 4th, Pedro Feliz hit a sac fly to score in Shane Victorino. They then tacked on 4 runs in the 5th with 2 run homers by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.

In the 8th, Carlos Ruiz scored on a J-Roll single and in the 9th, Eric Bruntlett came through with the clutch pinch hit double that drove in Jayson Werth from 1st. The bull pen did amazing all night to keep the Mets from taking the game back.

After scoreless innings through the extra frames, Shane Victorino led off the 13th with a triple. New York immediately walked both Werth and Bruntlett to get to pinch hitter Brett Myers. It was obvious the Phillies didn't want him swinging to chance hitting into a double play so he struck out looking with a full count.

With one out and the bases loaded, Chris Coste comes up after pinch hitting in the 8th to stay in. He was 3-3 at the time coming in and he made it 4-4 with the game winning base hit that sailed way over Carlos Beltran's head.

With that win, the Phillies leap frogged the Mets to take a .5 division lead. They play tonight as Kyle Kendrick and Johan Santana face eachother. I'll be at the game tonight cheering hard for the Fightins'.

Game note: Rollins continued his hot bat going 5-7 with 3 RBIs, a double and home run.

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Payback's A Bitch

After going to LA and getting swept by the Dodgers last week in 4 games, the fans in Philly feared a repeat or another dismal performance versus LA. Well the outcome was much different. The Phillies capped a 4 game sweep at home of the Dodgers with a 5-0 win Monday night.

Taking the mound for the Phillies was Brett Myers, who followed up his shut out win versus Washington with 7 scoreless innings against LA. He went 7, giving up 9 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 8. His curve ball has truly become nasty again and the velocity on his fastball is back. He is now freezing and fooling hitters with both pitches, something Phillies fans are happy to see again.

Jimmy Rollins, who entered the game batting .087 (4-for-46) since calling Philadelphia fans "front-runners", had a single, double and triple, and drove in two runs. He showed a lot of hustle scoring on a double play and on an infield grounder from 2nd.

Jayson Werth also had a great game as he drove in a run himself. But that was over shadowed by his great plays in the field, including him running down a line drive hit by Manny Ramirez in the 7th with bases loaded and the Phillies only up 3-0. He basically saved the game.

The Phillies open tonight's 2 game series with the Mets. The Phillies can come out of this series either 1.5 up or .5 and 2.5 games back. I would love to see the first out come. But it won't be easy as tonight the Phillies be facing Pedro Martinez (4-3; 4.97) tonight and Johan Santana (12-7; 2.64) tomorrow. The will be putting Jamie Moyer (11-7; 3.54) and Kyle Kendrick (11-7; 4.87) on the mounds for both nights.

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Vote for Pedro!

In a come from behind win tonight, the Phillies beat the Dodgers 5-2 in 11 innings. Tonight's hero off his recent return from the DL was Pedro Feliz who did not even enter the game until he was part of a double-switch in the 7th. In the bottom of ninth, Feliz knocked in Shane Victorino with an RBI single to tie the game at 2.

And then, after the Phillies found themselves having two men on and no outs to having 2 outs quickly, Pedro Feliz stepped up and hit a bomb into left-center for the game-winner. However, Pedro's offensive heroics were not the only impacts he had. In the top of the 10th with the bases loaded. Casey Blake grounded one to Feliz who touched third and threw it to home to get the double play.

Chad Durbin got the win improving to 5-2 on the year. Joe Blanton gave up 1 earned in 6 innings of work, though at times he struggled with control. In 7 starts, he recorded his 6th no decision and has pitched well enough to keep the Phillies in the games after his first two starts.

Though the top of the order did struggle tonight, I really like the new lineup, especially have Shane Victorino batting 5th or 6th. Victorino puts the ball in play a lot and it is nice to have his speed in the bottom of the order, especially when he's batting in front of Feliz or Dobbs. Feliz and Dobbs are both fastball hitters and with Victorino on the bases, Feliz would be more likely to see fastballs as opposing teams will not want to allow Shane to swipe bases left and right.

Thumbs up to you Charlie for finally making this type of line-up shift. Next up? Move Werth to lead-off and drop Rollins in the order. He has the worth OBP in all of baseball when leading off the inning at a dismal .242. Yes, that is his on-base percentage in such situations, not his batting average. He's hitting below .200.

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An LA Ass Kicking

This is a picture of Ryan Howard's home run swing. I know I'm good.

The Phillies beat the Dodgers 8-1 last night. Kyle Kendrick woke up finally. Yes his pitch count was high and he only lasted 5.2 innings but he pitched well. He kept the Dodgers off the bases, and the only run he gave up was an early solo shot from Andre Ethier.

I was at the game and yes I enjoyed watching the offense heat up and manufacture runs. Also the 3 long balls were nice to see as well. The first came from Ryan Howard, a 2 run bomb in the 4th, Chris Coste capped a 4 run 6th with a 3 run show, and Chase Utley lined a shot to dead center in the 7th. Howard's homer was his 34th of the year and he now has 106 RBIs for the season. Utley is at 31 and 85.

Greg Maddux, known as a Phillie killer in the prime of his career, was looking just as that until he started getting whacked around. After 3 innings, he only threw a little over 20 pitches. He left in the 6th after Coste's shot.

The game today is at 4 EST on FOX. Pitching for the Phillies is Cole Hamels (10-8; 3.22). He is facing Clayton Kershaw (2-3; 2.39).

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One Big Ginormous Update!

Sorry, today I was helping my sister move into Manayunk and I was unable to post any news until now, so instead of making multiple posts, I am just going to post one rather large post today mentioning everything from the Phillies to the Flyers.

First, the Eagles were dealt a substantial blow today when they learned that starting WR Kevin Curtis would require sports hernia surgery and will be out indefinitely. I've heard his time table ranges from a few weeks to nearly two months. Some have even said 8-10 weeks with October 26th as a likely return date. Andy Reid has said he has no desire to bring any other wide receiver in for competition. [Comcast Sportsnet]

Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett will split time in Curtis' spot on Friday and DeSean Jackson will start for the Eagles other injured wide receiver, Reggie Brown. Oh...boy. We're slowly inching toward the days of where the average fan could not name one Eagles wide receiver. There isn't much really available right now, but I'm sure the Eagles will be "interested" in every wide receiver who is upset with their current contract. Jordan Raanan has wrote about his opinions of what the Eagles could do.

It's not all bad news in Philly though because Andy Reid also announced that pro-bowl guard Shawn Andrews will make his first start on Friday for the Eagles. The starters will play the first three quarters.

In other news, the Flyers reportedly have interest in Mats Sundin. It's a stupid move and I really do not want to expand on it. The Flyers have absolutely no salary cap space and for the move to happen the Flyers would likely have to move Carter, Gagne, or Briere. Definitely not worth signing an aging center.

And then we have the Phillies. Brett Myers pitched a complete game shut out tonight to help the Phillies win their third straight game after Jayson Werth played hero with a late home-run to cap a comeback last night. Myers curve ball was downright filthy tonight and he is leaving hitters off-balance with movement and better velocity with his fastball. Great defense and one run was all they needed, but the offense provided four, including a two-run home run from Greg Dobbs.

Now, more on Myers. Since returning on July 23rd, Myers has thrown 41.2 innings in 6 starts allowing only 9 ER for a 1.94 ERA. He's also had a 30/10 K/BB ratio, but he allowed 5 of those walks in his first start back. Myers has also been able to average 6.9 innings per start. One of the biggest reason for his better quality of starts is that the home runs allowed are way down. He's allowed only two home runs since coming back and a lot of that has to do with him being able to locate his fastball more.

Tomorrow, the Phillies will face off against Tim Redding as Jamie Moyer pitches for the Phils. Moyer won the last battle as the Phillies finally put some runs on the board against Redding allowing for a 8-5 victory.

In other Phillies news, Pedro Feliz was activated from the DL today and with Redding pitching, it may be likely that Dobbs will get another start tomorrow.

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Theooooooo

According to the Daily News, the Sixers have added to great offseason by signing center Theo Ratliff to come off the bench behind Samuel Dalembert. Ratliff is a very good defensive center and played for the Sixers during their finals run until he suffered practically a season ending injury.

With Jason Smith going down, the Sixers absolutely had to do something because there is nothing set in stone with regard to what Mareese Speights is going to provide. The Sixers would sign him for the veteran minimum, which is about 1 year, $1.4 million. The Sixers front-court and back-court are now very deep this year and Ratliff is the type of role player that all championship contenders look for off the bench.

Ratliff is now older at the age of 35, but he has still averaged 2.6 block per game for his career. He's not much of an offensive threat, but he will not have to be with Elton Brand playing the 4. Ed Stefanski has continued to shine this offseason and so far, the Sixers are looking better and better with each passing day.

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Let the Kids Play For A Change

I know this is all opinion and I'm probably wrong and missing some key details.

I think a new light should be shed on the Olympics. I know certain events have age restrictions and what not. But I feel that maybe they should at least have a sport in the Olympics that benefits a certain group of people.

I have 2 things to get across. First is this: I know the Chinese may be breaking rules with having under aged children perform in gymnastics but why? If these kids can compete then why not let them? I'm not defending China because they might be breaking a rule and if they are then fuck 'em. Rules are there for a reason.

But this leads to my 2nd point.

There are 2 great American sports that are seeing it's final Olympic competitions. They are baseball and softball. I know we may have an unfair advantage due to our dominant softball team but we do have competition is baseball with Japan and Dominican Republic.

But that isn't my entire point. My point is that if we are going to eliminate those two sports from the Olympics then I say we should add a relative of the game: Little League.

Yes, it may interfere with the Little League World Series but I'm sure you can dance around it some how. Starting the Series earlier or later than usual on the year of the Summer Games can be possible.

It shouldn't be stressful on the kids because each team is gonna have different kids playing from different teams in their country. Kids aren't too old to be affected by chemistry because you see it baseball with our college kids and in other sports. The only thing that would be stressful is the vast size of some countries and the expense of traveling and trials.

I feel that the LLWS should be early in the summer so that you can pick the best kids from the tournament. Again this is all very difficult and probably very rushed but it would draw so much around the world.

We can forget about our adult athletes and just enjoy a bunch of kids going out there and having fun on a greater stage than the LLWS. I bet you if you ask these kids playing in the LLWS right now, a majority would rather day they won an Olympic gold medal than the LLWS.

But that's just me. If you have any SERIOUS opinions, please state them. I really want to hear what others think of it as an idea and as a reality.

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Another shitty night but it's a win

Cole Hamels pitched fantastic as the Phillies won 2-1, beating the Padres. They remained 2 games back of New York as they shit out Pittsburgh. Hamels (10-8) went 8 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits. He also struck out 3. Brad Lidge came in to close his 30th game.

Pat Burrell hit his 29th home run to put Philly up 2-0 in the 6th and Jayson Werth drove in Jimmy Rollins in the first on a sacrifice fly after Rollins made it to 3rd on a throwing error. Nothing more to report because the game was fucking boring. Oh the Phillies struck out 8 times.

Thank God they are off tomorrow so they can figure out their shit when they come home to play Washington, LA, and NY.

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Back to Normal

These guys are pathetic. Phillies lost 8-3 to San Diego as Kyle Kendrick surrendered 5-run 4th inning. He went 3.2, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He is starting to show is true colors and be the below average pitcher he is. He lacks an out-pitch and it's catching up to him.

Jimmy Rollins continued to play like shit. I won't even get on his case because I exhausted my opinion enough. The Mets beat Pittsburgh to move 2 games ahead of Philadelphia.

Ace Cole Hamels (9-8, 3.32) is pitching tonight versus Cha Baek (4-7, 5.20).

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1 Run Actually Is Enough For A Change

Jamie Moyer pitched another magical game and Pat Burrell hit a solo home run. For once this year, that home run was enough for the Phillies to beat the San Diego Padres 1-0 at Petco Park. Moyer (11-7) went 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks with 2 strike outs. Ryan Madson and JC Romero combined to pitch the 8th and Lidge pitched a perfect 9th for save number 29.

Pitching opposite of him was Greg Maddux, the Phillie killer. Maddux (6-9) went 7 innings as well, giving up 5 hits and the homer to Burrell. He also struck out 4.

Even though they won, the offense was still embarrassing, striking out 9 fucking times. I am sick of their lack of production and consistency when they so produce. They still trail the Mets by one game as they beat the Pirates yesterday.

Tonight the Phillies play at 10 EST and have Kyle Kendrick (10-6) on the mound. He will be facing Chad Reineke, who is making his MLB debut for the Padres.

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L.A. Frustration

Another quality start, another poor offensive performance.

Myers: 7IP, 5H, 8K, 3ER

Offense: 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K

The first time the Dodgers swept the Phillies in 4 since 1962.

I really have nothing else to say that hasn't already been said. Back in second place.

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The Kids Comeback!

The Eagles young kids stormed back for 24 unanswered points last night. Yeah, so what if it's preseason? Philly needs someone to follow that is winning right now. I mean, we are front-runners after all. All kidding aside, the rain-filled game was about as sloppy as the field until the fourth quarter when Tony Hunt's 52 yard run late in the game gave the Eagles the lead for good.

Also, um, I think DeSean Jackson is going to be pretty damn good. 7 receptions for 71 yards and his game should likely increase more and more as he gets more experience. With regard to the return game, Jackson had some okay runs and than a big one, which he fumbled on. Special teams from what I've read as a whole was not very good (Sorry, I was working). Lorenzo Booker had a hell of a lot of trouble fielding kickoffs last night and it looks like Quinton Demps will be getting more looks. Some other positive special teams news: Sav Rocca nailed 5 punts inside the 20.

Tony Hunt is also going to make it hard for the Eagles to make some decisions. It is hard to believe that the Eagles will keep more than 3 running backs and 1 full back for the backfield, but Hunt ran well last night and played extremely well on Special Teams. It is hard to believe that the Eagles will be letting go of either Booker or Buckhalter, so Hunt needs to somehow push the decision of the Eagles keeping four running backs, which could be spiral effect for many other positions, especially wide receiver.

The first team offense did not fair too well and a large part of the ineffectiveness was due to drops by the wide receiver and the lack of a running game to build a passing game off of. Reggie Brown's injury are becoming a cause for concern as he was held out with an ailing hamstring early in the game. He'll have an MRI today.

Also, Andy Reid reported that it is likely that Shawn Andrews will return to practicing with the team on Saturday. That should be a welcoming sign to the Eagles.

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Stevens Signs Extension

It looks as if the Flyers have their priorities heading in the right direction for the 2008-09 season. After signing defense men depth and a couple 4th liners that can play good physical hockey, the Flyers made sure they held onto the general.

Head coach John Stevens signed an extension that will lock him up through the 2010-11 season. He has built up a tight chemistry with the core of this team when he coached them to the Calder Cup with the Phantoms a few years ago. Now he is hoping to lead the same group to the Stanley Cup Finals.

“John is very deserving of this new contract,” said Paul Holmgren, the Flyers GM. “He is a very energetic coach who brings a lot of enthusiasm and passion to the game and we look forward to working together over the next few years.” [Comcast Sportsnet]

After a heart breaking loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Flyers and the fans will accept nothing short of a Finals berth. And with the improvements made and return of Simon Gagne, that doesn't seem out of the question.

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Be Positive!

We scored 6 runs in the first two innings! That's the only thing that mattered in the game. No one cares that the team only managed three hits in the final 7 innings. I don't give a shit that we struck out 12 times yesterday. It's not really important that Chad Durbin throw 6 strikes in 20 pitches and signs of him being overworked may be coming back to haunt us.

It doesn't matter that Pat Gillick was willing to overpay for Joe Blanton, but not a veteran reliever. As of right now, nothing matters.

Rollins, I'll support your team over this final stretch. Get your team together and light a fire under their ass. Let them know that enough is never enough. Though their hot week/cold week inconsistency currently lines us up for a cold final week, they're playing Atlanta and Washington at home, while the Mets hope the Cubs and Florida. A cold week for us against the Braves and Nats should at least mean winning 4 of 6.

We're back to square one. For what it's worth, we're now 0-0 to start the rest of the season. Be 5 games over .500 and we'll win the division.

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So, We're Front Runners?...oh, and peace Flash.

If you haven't heard yet, Jimmy Rollins called the entire city of Philadelphia "front-runners" as fans during his appearence on The Best Damn Sports Show. Watch the video here.

He compared us to St. Louis, really? Jimmy have you seen how many rings St. Louis has won? Ten to our one. 17 NL pennants to our 5. No wonder why Jimmy? The Cardinals have fucking won and made it to the big dance A LOT. No wonder they their fans are always supportive...they're always winning. The Phillies have 10,000 LOSSES!

Sorry if you have your panties in a bunch because people boo you when you don't run at a ground ball. You Jimmy, should just about never be involved in a double play, let alone being thrown out at first by a few steps in a double play. Remember that Philadelphia is always behind the team and the players who give their best effort, but when you're clearly not, you're going to get booed. We want perfection. We know everyone is human, but we do not want to see dumb fundamentals and dumb mistakes that even 12 year old little leaguers would not make night in and night out.

We don't want to see you give up and blow away the division. We're tired of watching the team strike out constantly night in and night out.

And speaking of imperfection, Tom Gordon is done for the year. The bullpen surrendered the loss last night and it has definitely not been good as they lack a real set-up man. Too many guys pitching out of their normal roles is going to kill this team in the long run.

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Sorry Cole, Our Team Sucks.

Another wasted quality start for Cole Hamels. The offense only managed to score 3 runs while striking out not once, not twice, but eleven times. The offense will never be good if they cannot even put the bat on the ball.

Hamels had superb stuff last night, but with the lead going into the eigth, it was the bullpen's turn to ruin another Cole Hamels start. It was great, Durbin gave up a single, a walk, and then he hit Manny Ramirez. Blake hit a sac fly to tie the game at 3. That was the point where I began closing my eyes for my nightly sleep knowing that the Phillies were not going to win. I later woke up to Romero hitting the leadoff batter on the foot in the ninth, and Martin would later score on an Andre Ethier base hit. Good work Phillies.

I do not understand this team and I am tired of seeing absolutely not fire from them. They're starting to look like their in the same daze the 2007 New York Mets experienced. I know they care, but they don't care. It seems like this team has far too many egos in the lineup. It's really a head-scratcher seeing that we're in first place. Oh, if it makes you feel any better, the Phillies "magic number" is at 43. However, now they're only up a game on the Mets and 1.5 on the Marlins

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Iguodala, a Sixer til he's over 30.

ESPN.COM is reporting that Andre Iguodala and the 76ers have agreed on a 6 year, $80 million deal. ESPN also feels that the 76ers will now become a popular pick to join the NBA's elite...well until Andre Miller leaves and the Sixers have to try and find a point guard. If he's willing to sign something like a three-year deal, the Sixers might try to re-sign him.

It is nice again to possibly have four contending teams in the city of brotherly love. When all four good teams are good at once, it only increases the chances of finally having a REAL parade, yet it also increases the possible heartbreak. AI2 is a special player and I think more and more people will start to realize it. Yes, he is never going to be their premier star, but he does everything you could ask for on both ends of the court.

Iguodala should also improve this year with a deeper bench, which will allow him to get more rest and not have to play well over forty minutes night in and night out. Let's face it folks, the Sixers will be fucking good this year.

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Kendrick Got Rocked

I don't want to write much because I'm getting Madden in a few minutes. The Dodgers beat the visiting Phillies 8-6 last night. Kyle Kendrick got shelled in the 3rd for 6 runs and 5 hits, including a 2 run double by Manny Ramirez, a 2 run single by James Laney, and 2 run homer by Casey Blake. He basically pitched like shit all outing, getting hit hard by everybody.

The offense sparked late but fell short. Ryan Howard went 0-5 but drove in the first 2 runs. Down 8-4 in the 9th, Shane Victorino beat out an infield single to load the bases and Utley hit a 2 run blooper into left field. Utley was hot all night as he finished 5-3 with a pair of doubles. Howard was the next batter and grounded out into the shift tot end the game.

Cole Hamels (9-8, 3.35) will be taking the mound tonight to face Clayton Kershaw (2-3, 3.71) for the Dodgers.

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Some Rain Delay Commentary

So sorry. I've been slow with updates this week as I was busy with work and other errands. My idea is to post my opinion on just about everything Philadelphia-related this week. I hope you're able to take the time to read this while the Phillies are stuck in a rain delay? By the way, is it still raining there? I was out fishing today off the coasts of Holgate and Brigantine. I saw the storms rolling in, it was a nice, yet miserable sight as it ended the trip early.

Anyway, first I'd like to post some news: Shawn Andrews will be reporting to the Eagles today. He and Reid talked extensively on the phone today according to the Eagles website.

This is good news for the Birds. Even if Max Jean-Gilles is having a great camp, it would be better for the Eagles to have Jean-Gilles playing over Herremans who hasn't been that great over the past two years and was sort of starting guard by default. He's better suited to be a tackle anyway. I prefer Andrews gets his situation under complete control before he returns to action. It definitely will not hurt to have a pro bowl guard re-inserted to the line.

Continuing with the Eagles, it was nice to see Brian Westbrook awarded. The guy has been a hard-worker and though he has voiced his displeasure with his situation, he has normally done it in the proper well and it was a lesson learned for Lito as Westbrook got what he deserved.

Lito on the other hand needs to understand that he has not been that good. Yes, he has stepped up against Dallas (7 of his 17 interceptions), but he's missed almost a full season of games over the last three years. He's been injured for 14 and played in 34. I'm really tired of the whining that he is starting to turn to. Shut up and play for once. He averages one interception about every 4.5 games. He averages .857 pass deflections a game. In comparison, because he wants to be paid "top corner" money, Asante Samuel has missed only two games over the past three seasons. He averages an interception every 3.4 games and 1.05 pass deflections a game.

Sheppard was an all-pro and pro bowler in 2004, along with making the pro bowl in 2006. He would have likely received a nice raise after the 2005 season if he maintained the same play as 2004, but he played in only 10 games it is hard for the Eagles to restructure the contract of an injured player. This is the main argument, Lito, you've been injured quite too often for the Eagles to sit there and restructure for you. You've been too injured for the Eagles to receive decent return for your talents in a trade. Man up, get in better shape, and then you get a better deal if you remain with the team.

Before we get into the Phillies' offensive mess, I'd like to take the time to discuss the Jason Smith injury for the Sixers. I really think this injury could be one of two things. A blessing in disguise because we'll see more of Mareese Speights and him seeing playing time will likely keep him more motivated, his one big knock. However, it does hurt because we knew what we'd get from Jason Smith. 15-20 hard minutes that may have rose this year. He would have added great front line depth behind Brand and Dalembert, but the Sixers will still have a deep rotation up front.

And now my opinions on the Fightins. I know the overwhelming response to Myers' actions last night have been negative. Most people feel that he should have just shut his mouth, handed Uncle Chollie the ball and walked into the dugout. While, he likely should have done that, I enjoyed watching him fired up. I loved it and I think it only inspires him more to prove more and more every night that the "animal" closer is back. It was "his fucking game" and he was pitching brilliantly. Our bullpen has been overworked at times this year and I'd like to see the starters get outside of their own mess, and it wasn't even that big of a mess. There were two outs and only a runner on second with a 4-1 lead. I can understand both sides of the fence here and I think the situation will only have a positive result.

Continuing, I do have one thing that really bothers me with this team. Up until this point in the season, we've rarely seen any fire with this team. Sure, you don't want your players getting completely upset over things, but you also hate seeing them going through the motions out there and accepting everything that happens. Sometimes, it seems like some players are not even trying to adjust and their approach to hitting is comparable to Vince Young's approach to the Wonderlic. If this team wants to survive the division race and actually win a game in the playoffs this year, someone needs to step up.

Sure, Rollins has set his preseason predictions, but when it comes to the season, it seems like no one ever speaks up mid-season. Sure, you don't want people pressing and so forth, but this teams looks like they lack motivation at times. Of course, we know they care and are motivated deep down, but by going by their mannerisms at times, it looks differently. With the Marlins currently holding a large lead on the Mets late in their game, the Phillies need this win before going out west to face LA for 4 and the Padres for 3. They need to try their best to go 5-3 or 6-2 in their next 8 games, including today. The starting pitching has been there, the offense and defense is what needs to step up.

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Eagles Lose Meaningless Game to Steelers

Yes Birds fans. Football season is officially here for your 2008 Philadelphia Eagles. And what better way to celebrate it is with a loss to in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-10.

Donovan McNabb looked very sharp under center as he went 10-13 and throwing 97 yards for a TD in a little over a quarter of play. His TD hit FB Jason Davis, a 3 yard score in the 2nd. Running back Brian Westbrook did not play, despite getting his new 3 year, $21 million deal.

Filling in at half back were Correll Buckhalter, Lorenzo Booker, Ryan Moats, and Tony Hunt. All 4 of those backs are fighting for roster spots. None of them did anything spectacular except maybe Buck, who had 3 catches.

Desean Jackson did the best of the receivers. He looked very good as he reeled in 5 passes for 51 yards. His longest reception came on a 19 yard pass. He showed great speed and good ability to get open up the middle.

On the other side of the ball, rookie Trevor Laws from Notre Dame had the teams only sack. The defense didn't look too great on the first drive, getting no pressure on Ben Rothlisberger and had a lot of trouble containing Willie Parker and even back up Rashard Mendenhall.

Lito Sheppard didn't look terrible but he did nothing to prove he is "deserving" of a new contract. He did, however, play tighter on the receivers, not giving them any cushion. He drew a personal foul for face masking on the first drive though, and obvious poor decision after allowing Parker to bounce outside.

The Eagles continue their preseason as they play the Panthers on Thursday, August 14.

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Sheppard "Hurt" By Lurie's Words

Often-injured corner back Lito Shepard is upset with his contract and has made the team known of that for a while. To make matters worse, he no claims he's "hurt" by owner Jeffrie Lurie's commitment to making running back Brian Westbrook happy. I guess it also won't help that Westbrook got his contract today.

In Lurie's "State of the Franchise Address" earlier this week, he said that Westbrook out-performed his 5 year, $25 million contract he received in 2005 and is considered one of Lurie's favorite players on the team.

Sheppard, on the other hand, hasn't played an injury free season since 2004, the same year he signed his 8 year, $26 million deal. But what irked the former Pro Bowl corner the most was that Lurie used a peculiar stat to discredit Sheppard, instead of his inability to stay healthy.

He said that Sheppard's YPA (Yards per attempt) was too high, a weak reason indeed. "I guess he has got to find something bad against me, huh?" said Sheppard. "If you have to dig that deep to find something I'm not good at than that shows you how good of a player I am."

Sheppard may be right. He is a very talented corner with play making ability. He is also a better athlete than Sheldon Brown. But he is injury prone. He can not stay healthy. He can not expect to be rewarded for being injury prone. If he played full seasons the last 3 years then yes he can complain.

It seems that Lurie and Sheppard both have no clue what they are arguing about for whether or not Lito deserves this deal. Lurie has always been cheap. He screwed T.O., almost pissed off Westy, and now has found a bull shit excuse to not pay Lito when he could have easily said, "Look. You get hurt too much."

Hey Lito. Play 16 games and perform the way you have when healthy and I can see that cheap son of a bitch actually rewarding you. But remember. You have to earn it.

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Quick News Updates

According to Pro Football Talk, the Eagles have restructured Brian Westbrook's contract. There has been no release of the numbers. Westbrook has told people that the agreement had been reached.

In other news, the Phillies dove into another dumpster and acquired Scott Eyre from the Chicago Cubs. [Todd Zolecki]

It's official. The Phillies have traded Schlitter to the Cubs for Eyre. The Cubs designated Eyre for assignment this week after he went 2-0 with a 7.15 ERA in just 19 appearances because of two stints on the disabled list. He had 14 scoreless appearances to start the season before he got rocked in his last five. In the official team press release, the Phillies mention that six of the nine earned runs Eyre has allowed have come against American League teams, for whatever that's worth.

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Do you want your fish grilled, filleted, or shut out?

Tonight, the Phillies evened the three game series with the Marlins with a 5-0 shut out. Kyle Kendrick pitched 6 scoreless, followed by Durbin for 2 and Madson for the ninth. Kendrick was not exactly stellar, with 5 walks, but he got a lot of ground balls, soft flies, and great defense to make it look easy even when he was in a jam.

The Phillies improved to 29-14 in Kendrick's starts and it all began with Utley's RBI double in the first inning. Eric Bruntlett and Kyle Kendrick each knocked in a run in the third to push the lead to 3-0 until Ryan Howard tied the major league lead with his 32nd home run and just missed his 33rd. Lastly, Mike Cervanek finished off the scoring with his first career hit and RBI in the 6th.

The Phillies won a must-win game. As the tail end of the season nears closer and closer, the "must-win" games become bigger and bigger. Today was a must-win because it pushed their division lead back to 2.5 over the Fish and hopefully 3 over the Mutts (they're currently losing).

Theoretically, the story-line plays out best for the Phillies tomorrow as their ace, Cole Hamels, will be on the mound. He rarely has poor back-to-back starts and it is highly doubtful that it'd be three in the row. A win would help push the Phillies "series-winning" streak to four in a row.

Bad/Good news, depending on which side of the fence you're sitting on, Tom Gordon was pulled from his rehab appearance today after feeling elbow discomfort in his throwing arm. He'll make a trip back to Philadelphia to get things checked out.

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Holy Phillies Girl

Remember the post about Phillies girls? Need I say more. This picture was submitted by Kel. I assume that is her Flickr account.

I am not sure who the girl is, but yeah. She solidifies the point I tried to make earlier regarding the hot girl fans -- Then again, who knows if she is even a fan and it is not just some girl posing in a Phillies uniform. Either way, she's a fan to me.

Editor's Note: Sorry Jane Doe if you didn't want your picture on this site.

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Whoa, 2 Sixers Posts...They Must be Good!

Even after the 76ers sign Andre Iguodala, they will not have to worry about the luxury tax. Currently, the Sixers are $5 million under the salary cap, not including Iguodala's $8 million tender offer. With 11 players equaling about $53.5 million, the Sixers will definitely fall short of the luxury tax threshold of $71.5 million.

According to Tom Moore, the 76ers are discussing a 5 year, $70 million deal with Andre Iguodala's camp. His salary this year would be $12 million, with an annual raise of about $1.25 million.

Personally, I think this is a good deal. Sure, it is a little more than Deng and Okeafor, but Iguodala has missed only 6 games in his career. 322 out of 328 games. His scoring average has gone up every year and it should improve with an interior post prescence from Elton Brand. Yes, Iguodala is not the greatest jump shooter, but when other teams have no one down low to consistently defend like they did in the past, they can roll coverage onto Iguodala.

Things look Sunny for both of Ed Snider's teams this year.

Hell, it's always sunny in Philadelphia...especially when there's not one, but two Sixers posts in a day.

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"Run With Them" in 2008-2009

The 76ers have released their 2008-2009 schedule. The 76ers announced that their lone game at the Wachovia Spectrum will take place against the Bulls on Friday, March 13th.

The 76ers open up with two games at home against Toronto and New York. Their longest homestand is 7 games in late January and early February and their longest trip is 6 games in late December and early January.

They have a very easy schedule to start the year and could start off the year with a 14-3 record heading into December. The 76ers franchise's 60th season should be a good one.

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I hate the fucking fish.

Poor pitching control + Poor hitting = Another Loss to Florida. Why do we beat teams outside the division and on the road, but when we come home, to a "hitter's park" our team forgets about the fundamentals of hitting and we just cannot beat the Marlins or the Mets.

Jamie Moyer lost his first game ever to the Marlins tonight. The Phillies "super bullpen" allowed 6 runs over the final 3 innings for a great 8-2 defeat. Also, our only 2 runs came off a "foul" home run by Victorino. Hard to win games when you're striking out 7 times and hitting into 3 double plays.

What a shitty game. I'm going to sleep. Rebound to win the series, please. We cannot let these Florida and New York douchebags stay in this thing any longer.And here is the rest of it.

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Training Camp News - 8/5

Luckily for Shawn Andrews, his "depression" story has been taking a backseat to the circus in Green Bay. However, Andrews has opened up a little and discussed his depression. [Philadelphia Inquirer] Let's hope the "Big Kid" gets well regardless of playing sooner than later. They're people just like everyone else.

Jeffrie Lurie gave his annual State of the Team Address and explained that he hopes to reward star running back, Brian Westbrook. It'd be nice for the team to actually reward one of the players instead of pushing to a point where they want to leave. If the three-headed monster at corner works out, let's hope something is done there as well. Also, let's hope Sheldon Brown realizes he can be an all-pro safety after this year rather than a just shy of a pro bowl corner.

Andy Schwartz from CSN has given his Eagles Training Camp Stock Report. Some notable rising players have been Booker, Buckhalter, Jackson, Baskett, Jean-Gilles, Howard, McDougle, Klecko, Bradley, S. Brown, and Demps.

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To Kill or Be Killed

It's been a little while since I've been able to post. I got a new computer and wow, things are much faster than before. It's a shame John failed to do the post-game recaps he said he'd do. He didn't post any news either. Lazy.

Anyway, it seems that the Phillies have fixed themselves right before the entire city of Philadelphia hit the big red panic button on William Penn's face. Winner's of 7 of their last 8, everyone pitched well this week except for the ace, Cole Hamels. King Cole will surely rebound or make up an injury and find his way on the DL again only to say he'll pitch if we're in a playoff race. To be fair though, he is working up a lot of innings and may be feeling some fatigue.

The Fightins' are 11 games over .500 for the first time since June 17. Normally hot in August, the Phillies have to maintain an over .500 pace if they want to win the division. 11 games over .500 should not win the NL East and it likely will not.
The good news is that the bats are starting to heat up. For the Phillies to continue to win, they still need to improve their situational hitting. Howard and Utley are starting to heat up and they both should feed off each other. The Phillies have the Marlins and Pirates coming into town. Two teams that the Phillies should have series wins against, but we'll see. The Phillies have been pretty poor at home compared to the average division leader. They've been great on the road, however.

Moyer will square off against Josh Johnson in attempt to boost his record to 11-0 in 11 starts against the Fish. Kyle Kendrick will face Anibal Sanchez and Cole Hamels will pitch against Chris Volstad. This is a must win series for the Phillies as they need to continue to build on a division lead that is currently only at 2.5 games. The Pirates shouldn't be a problem, especially when they just traded away one of their best players in Jason Bay.

To Kill or Be Killed should be the Phillies motto for the next few weeks. Let's hope that they do the hunting.

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Blanton, Homers, beat Cardinals; Wagner Blows Again

Joe Blanton pitched very well to earn his first win as a Phillie. The Phillies won 2-1 as Blanton out dueled Braden Looper. He was supported by solo home runs from Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard (31). Brad Lidge came in the 9th to earn his 27th save in as many chances.

The Mets had a 4-0 lead on Houston last night but saw the lead diminish to 4-2 going into the 9th. Ex-Phillie and current loud-mouth Billy Wagner loaded the bases and surrendered a 2 run single to Geoff Blum, blowing his 7th save of the year. He got out of the inning. In the tenth, Pedro Feliciano gave up a sacrifice fly to Daren Erstad and the Astros came from behind to win 5-4.

With those 2 games, the Phillies now hold a 1.5 game lead on the Marlins and a 2 game lead on New York. Pitching today is Brett Myers ((4-9, 5.46) for the Phillies and Todd Wellemeyer (8-4, 4.13) for St. Louis. Myers will look to follow up his 8 inning performance with another steller start tonight at 8 PM EST.

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Phillies News: Seanez DL, Walrond Called Up, Carrassco to AAA

The Phillies made a few organizational moves today. First, the Phils placed reliever Rudy Seanez on the DL. He was placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation. He is also having some back problems.

To replace Seanez in the bullpen, the Phillies called up left-handed reliever, Les Walrond. Walrond threw a 17 strike out game against Louisville in July. He's been quite the journeman. Walrond has made 17 career appearances in the majors. He posted a 7.46 ERA and 1.93 whip in 25.1 innings with Kansas City and the Chicago Cubs.

In other news, Carlos Carrasco has been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. For Double-A Reading, Carrasco was 7-7 with a 4.32 ERA and 109/45 K/BB ratio.

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Cards Snap Phils Win Streak

Cole Hamels was bad again. But it was for one inning. Unfortunately that one inning was the one that decided the game. Hamels was shelled for 4 runs, including a 3 run shot by Joe Mather en route to a 6-3 win for St. Louis. Hamels did settle down as he went 6, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and truck out 5. Ryan Madson pitched the other 2 innings, giving up a solo shot to Ryan Ludwich in the 8th.

That Phillies offense did answer back in the top of the 6th with a 3 run inning but they couldn't tack on any more after that. Chase Utley drove in Shane Victorino on a ground rule double and Pat Burrell hit a 2 run homer. Geoff Jenkins then hit a double but was stranded.

Jimmy Rollins had a good day at the plate despite going 0-2 because he was walked 3 times. He showed patience, something he lacked that pisses off the fans. He needs to realize that he is valuable on base and can't get on if he's swinging at the first or second pitch.

Today's pitchers are Joe "Blow" Blanton (5-12, 5.13), who will probably get shelled, and Braden Looper (10-8, 4.38).

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Lou Williams on Board for 5 more!

The Sixers offseason gets better by the day. According to Phil Jasner, Louis Williams has agreed to a five year, $25 million deal to remain with the 76ers.

It's a good deal for Louis," Merle Scott, Williams' agent, told the Daily News. "It gives him a chance to grow with a team that's building and allows him to stay with the team he came into the league with."

This is such a great move for the 76ers who have pretty much solidified their depth in the front court and back court. Stefanski expects this team to run at least 10 deep.

Also, I was listening to Ed Stefanski today on ESPN1450 Atlantic City, and when he asked about new uniforms, he said that the 76ers will be moving more and more back to red, white, and blue uniforms. He pretty much laughed at the fact that they have included black in their uniform. Also, he said at some point they will likely return to their 1980s logo.

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