Flyers Ink Jones and Cote?

FlyersCap is reporting that the Flyers have signed two of their restricted free agents to deals in principle. Randy Jones has signed on for 3 years, 4 million (with an annual cap hit of 1.333) and Riley Cote has signed a 3 year deal worth between $1.7 and $2.4 million. *see the updated cap numbers.

Randy Jones improved immensly throughout the year and led all Flyers defensemen in +/- for the playoffs (+6). In the regular season, Jones had 5 goals and 26 assists for 31 points.

Riley Cote is an "enforcer" and has been labeled as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game, according to opposing players. Cote did not see much time during the post season, but he did lead all Flyers players in PIM with 202 in the regular season. He's a hard nose player and the type of player you'd like to have on your fourth line. He's definitely a fan-favorite in Philly.

In other news, the Flyers have offered Patrick Thoresan a qualifying offer. He will become a restricted free agent tomorrow.

Continuing reading...

Who Said Andy Doesn't Like Egos?

DeSean Jackson loves to talk about himself...

At least he later talks about wanting to help the Eagles after talking in third person and talking about he wants to make big money. We all remember how the last egotistical loud-mouth from a California school that we drafted faired. I like his confidence, but seriously, DeSean needs to make NFL plays before he calls himself a playmaker. After that, he can say whatever the hell he wants.

Continuing reading...

Wait? Another Blue-Liner?

The Flyers have acquired defenseman Tim Ramholt from Calgary for forward Kyle Greentree. The move has now boosted the battle for the final pairing to 5 guys in Ramholt, Parent, Eminger, Kukkonen, and the guy I forgot we acquired in Danny Syvret.

UPDATE: Janne Niskala has been traded to Tampa Bay for a 2009 6th round pick. What a waste of a trade. I'd rather have him than Ramholt.

Ramholt, 23, had four goals and 20 assists in 77 games for Quad City of the AHL last season. He played one game – and did not score – for Calgary.

Selected by the Flames in the second round of the 2003 draft, Ramholt (6-1, 194) had six goals and 30 assists in 144 career AHL games with Quad City and Omaha over the past two seasons. He also played two seasons in the Swiss-A league and one in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The 24-year-old Greentree had 24 goals and 24 assists in 72 games for the Phantoms last season. He was scoreless in two games with the Flyers, who signed him as a free agent in March of last year.

The Flyers definitely have no shortage of blue line depth like they had last season. Right now, the Flyers currently have 10 NHL or borderline defensemen under contract and they have an offer out for Randy Jones.

Kyle Greentree was not likely to see space on the NHL roster any time soon and he's not going to stay in the AHL forever. The Phantoms however have practically lost their top players from last year in Greentree and Potulny to trades.

Continuing reading...

Some small site updates

There have been some small updates made. I tried to develop a three-column layout for the site, but it just didn't work, so I had to pretty much restart from scratch. The site is best viewed in Internet Explorer.

Some new changes:
1. About Us - This section gives a brief description of what we're trying to do and who we are.
2. Team Salaries - To the right, you can see up-to-date estimates of our beloved teams' salaries and payrolls.
3. New Poll - What should the team do with Brett Myers?
4. "What I'm Reading" - Instead of posting the links to our favorite blogs and sites, we've decided to now post their most recent posts. Such a thing may possibly develop better site traffic for both their site and ours.

If you have any more suggestions, please e-mail us via the "Contact Us" button at the top or via a comment to this post.

I know this site has not been taken incredibily seriously in its early history, but we truly want to improve it and make it a site that you'd be interested in checking out on a daily basis. Spread the word to your friends and so forth.

I understand some of the things that we post are news updates and rumors that you can read in different papers and so forth, but we feel we can make it somewhat easier for you by putting them all on here so you only need one place to go.

With less work in the summer, there will likely be more updates and changes to the website in the near future.

Lastly, we're always looking for more writers, specifically someone who'd like to write about the 76ers because at times we feel that they get a little under-appreciated here.

Continuing reading...

Loveable, or not so loveable losers.

The Phillies are inconsistent. That's bad. They lost their sixth straight series. That's bad. Will they be in first place after 7 games against the NL East? I doubt it. That's bad.

Everything is bad in Philly right now. The hitting, the pitching, and the coaching. Don't even get me started on the joke of a front office that has once again looked like they've failed at putting a team together that can play a full 162 game season and the playoffs.

I can't wait for Ruben Amaro, Jr. to run the team -- a student of Wade and Gillick! Yay! It's never going to end. This will be the best year for anything to happen. If they sit with their thumbs up their asses like normal, expect another disappointing end of the season.

Fuck you Front Office and Ownership. Fuck you. We fill your seats, but what do you give us? Pat, you're living off players that Ed Wade drafted. Ed Wade for Christ's sake. The other guy that killed our dreams by failing to add any other pieces -- or trading them away.

I shouldn't get so frustrated over this team, but it's so hard not to.

Charlie should continue to bench players that fail to know the fundamentals of baseball. I'm looking at you Jayson Werth for not tagging up on a deep fly ball in the corner. That was about as dumb as your bases loaded bunt with 2 outs.

It sucks that the Phillies do not know how to play as winners. They must love the chase. They like falling behind early in the game and continually having to try and mount a comeback. However, they also love not scoring any runs when they have good pitching.

I know it's only the halfway point, but the entire team needs to wake the fuck up!

Continuing reading...

Flyers Sign D Steve Eminger

According to the Yahoo Sports and the Sports Network, the Flyers have signed recently acquired defenseman Steve Eminger to a one-year contract.

I'm happy to get the deal worked out and excited about being part of the organization," Eminger said. "I can't wait for the start of the season to get things going."

As mentioned before, Eminger will compete for the final defensive pairing with Lasse Kukkonen, Ryan Parent, and Janne Niskala. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but I'd assume he received some form of a raise over the $1 million he made last year, but likely not much if any. The Flyers now have 7 defensemen under contract and 1 left to sign in Randy Jones: Kimmo Timonen, Derian Hatcher, Braydon Coburn, Steve Eminger, Ryan Parent, Lasse Kukkonen, and Janne Niskala.

Continuing reading...

Down Goes the Spectrum!

I'm sure many of you have read the DelcoTimes articles regarding the nearing end for the Wachovia Spectrum. It's demolition will likely take place next summer.

The Spectrum will a go out in grand-style as Comcast expects to honor it all year. I have seen the Sixers play in the Spectrum, but I was never able to see a Flyers game until the Wachovia Center opened. I've heard the stories of how loud and amazing the atmosphere was. Expect me to be in line for when the Flyers and Sixers sell tickets to their one game in the Spectrum this upcoming season. It should be an amazing experience.

What are some of your favorite memories? Here is a video of probably the greatest moment the Philadelphia fan base has ever witnessed live in the Spectrum. There were a lot, but this tops them all. You know what it is already...

Continuing reading...

Everyone Point and Laugh at Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith's recent fall of his pedastal came at the NBA draft. Smith was moved from the main NBA draft desk to a side area to interview players. "Quite Frankly," we don't pity you Mr. Stephen A.

Well, the Stephen A. Smith hecklers over at Rockin' Steady have returned.

Take that loud mouth!

Continuing reading...

"Hamels will win 1 Cy Young... and 11 Cole Hamels"

In Cole we trust. Cole Hamels took the mound tonight and pitched extremely well after giving up a wind-aided home run to Michael Young in the first inning. Hamels pitched at times during pouring rain and only allowed 4 earned on 6 and 2 walks in 7 innings. Cole struck out 8 giving him 103 on the year. Hamels is now 8-5 on the year.

Offensively, the Phillies beat up on former teammate Vicente Padilla. Padilla came into tonight's game with a 10-3 record and a 3.74 ERA, but the Phillies had none of that. Once they got Padilla rattled, he started having the same mistakes he had in Philadelphia. The Phillies never trailed after Jayson Werth's game-tying single in the second and Pedro Feliz scored on a wild pitch.In the third, the Phillies extended their lead to 6-2 after 2 long home runs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, which you can watch below.

Later in the game, Jimmy Rollins tried to score on the inside-the-park-home run, but he was thrown out at home.

The Phillies bullpen made things a little scary in the 8th inning as 8 Rangers came to the plate, but only 2 scored. Brad Lidge closed out the 8-6 win, though he made it scary, to help the Phillies widen their division lead over the Marlins to 2 games. Hopefully, Jamie Moyer can help the Phillies win their first series in a long time -- like since we swept the Braves in Atlanta.

When the hell will we get another easy win?

Continuing reading...

Dear Brett Myers

Dear Brett Myers,

Please. No, seriously, pretty please make up a fake injury so the the front office will be forced to put you on the DL - 15-day, 60-day, even the Eagles' PUP list for all I care. You make $8 million a year, so we all know they're going to "wait it out" rather than pay someone else to pitch in your spot of the rotation. You owe it to us. We watched you beat your wife up and down the streets of Boston. We have stood behind your attempt to patch things up there, so you definitely half to stand by our stance that you really suck right now. I mean, you're really, really bad. Adam Eaton is somehow outperforming you. Adam Eaton. I'm sorry that I had to go there, but you've left me no choice.

Why should we have to sit through your terrible starts on every fifth night? We're coming to the stadium at a franchise record-breaking pace this year and you're making us want to gouge our eyes out. You're 1-9 in your last 10 decisions. I'm going there again, even Adam Eaton didn't get that bad.

You've allowed 24 home runs this year. 24! Who comes in second? Paul Byrd with 20. So now Brett, you're in the class of an Eaton and a Byrd. Are you proud of that? Opposing batters have a .551 slugging percentage off of you. A .907 OPS! You're making shitty batters look like Chase Utleys or Ryan Howards.

So what's the deal? We all know you're a head case: see wife beating/dragging by the hair incident. Is it because your mechanics are poor and you're out of shape or is it something deeper? Do you need to see professional help again? After you spent a month in counseling with the wife, you were a phenomenal pitcher down the stretch in 2006. Absolutely phenomenal. Where did all of that go? Man the fuck up. No one is going to pity you anymore.

A continually heart-broken Philadelphia fan,
Justin Evans

Continuing reading...

Carter Officially Signs; A Cap Outlook

According to TSN, Jeff Carter has officially signed the deal that was mentioned a week ago for 3 years, $15 million. Carter's annual cap hit will be $5 million. When Carter's deal is up, he will still be a restricted free-agent, so the short time frame turns out to be the better move for the Flyers.

I'm very excited to be staying in Philadelphia,” said Carter in a statement. "We have great group of guys on this team and I can't wait to get back on the ice and continue where we left off last season."

After the deal, the Flyers cap number is at about $52.292 million (see actual numbers after the jump). The league-wide cap is $56.7 million, so that leaves the Flyers with about $4.402million left. The above number does include Denis Topelko, Claude Giroux, and Ryan Parent. I've also gone ahead and put Mike Rathje on LITR. It does include Derian Hatcher as if he will be on the roster and playing. So, the flyers have about $4.4 million to sign new acquired defenseman Steve Eminger and re-sign Randy Jones and Riley Cote. The Flyers will also ponder whether or not they want to re-sign RFA Patrick Thoreson or Jim Dowd. The Flyers at whether Stefen Ruzicka or Kyle Greentree will be up with the big club or with the Phantoms as they are both RFAs.

Here's a look at the current cap numbers via NHL Numbers:
Forwards
Daniel Briere - 6.500
Mike Richards - 5.750
Simon Gagne - 5.250
Jeff Carter - 5.000
Scott Hartnell - 4.200
Mike Knuble - 2.800
Joffrey Lupul - 2.312
Scottie Upshall - 1.225
Claude Giroux - 0.850
Steve Downie - 0.822

10 Forwards = 34.709
Update: Denis Topelko was removed because he is returning to Russia. My mistake. All the numbers are updated.

Defensemen
Kimmo Timonen - 6.333
Derian Hatcher - 3.500
Braydon Coburn - 1.300
Lasse Kukkonen - 0.875
Ryan Parent - about .850

5 Defensemen = 12.858

Kukkonen, Parent, Eminger, and Niskala will all likely compete for the 5th and 6th defensemen spots, so these numbers could fluctuate. Eminger would be more than Parent and Kukkonen, but Niskala contract will likely be substantially less. The Daily News has reported that Jones is nearing a contract that would likely be for 2 years and at about 2.75 million per year, which would really limit their eligibility to sign any FAs.

Goaltenders
Martin Biron - 3.500
Antero Niittymaki - 1.225

2 Goaltenders = 4.725

16 skaters and 2 goaltenders = 52.292

If the Flyers do sign Randy Jones to that expected contract, their cap would be at $55.042 million, which would give them about $1.658 million in cap space. However, they will have a little more room depending on which AHL/NHL players they decide to carry on the Flyers roster. If Hatcher does indeed retire, the Flyers will have about $5.158 million in cap space or $7.908 million before the Jones deal.

Continuing reading...

I like the New GM: Sixers Draft Marreese Speights

I must say that I like how the Ed Stefanski era has started. An immediate turnaround for the team, making the playoffs, and financial stability to make a move this offseason. Last night, it was Stefanski first 76ers draft and they saw the need and filled the need. 76ers felt they needed a big man and they drafted the "not-so-poor-man's" Elton Brand in Florida power forward Marreese Speights. The youngerster I wanted them to take all along. Speights is a 6'10" 245 lb forward who can run the floor and seems to fit very well with our system according to Stefanski and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo. His conditioning has come into question, but that should be something that they'll be able to fix. If he was able to run the floor the way he did for Florida with poor conditioning, imagine him at full strength. Since this was the 76ers only pick, and they were actively trying to trade back into the first round, I give the Sixers an A. Below, DiLeo explains why they liked Speights [Comcast Sportsnet]:

▪ “First of all, we’re a running team, and he’s one of the best running big men in the draft,” DiLeo said.

▪ “Second of all, we need a post-up presence. Even though he’s not developed fully yet, he can score with both hands around the basket, and he will be, we think, a good post-up player.

▪ “Third, we need some outside shooting. Not only can he score inside, but he can go outside.

▪ “Fourth, we like versatile players. We think he eventually will be able to play both positions – the power forward and the center position.

▪ “Fifth, he’s a good person. He fits in with his character into our team. We’ve done a lot of research on him. He really fits us like a glove.”

To see videos of Speights click the jump.

Continuing reading...

Harden Shuts Down Phillies

3 hits? 3 f****** hits. I would have rathered they gotten no hit so their pathetic performance would be worth something to someone. But no. Their effort was so bad that I can say that Rich Harden deserved to throw a no-hitter with the way he handled the Phillies offense.

Harden (5-0) looked like he was pitching to little leaguers. Hell, my little league team full of 9 and 10 year olds could have managed more base runners. In his 8 innings pitched, Harden threw 95 pitches. He gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and struck 11. Alan Embree pitched the 9th, giving up the 3rd hit.

Now to talk about Adam Eaton. Eaton pitched another quality start, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 6 in 7 innings of work. His efforts were not backed up again by this dismal offense.


Shane Victorino was the only Phillie with 2 hits. Pat Burrell had the other hit, his 2nd triple of the year. Victorino stole his 20th base in the 9th. Before taking off, he stumbled a few pitched prior and looked like he aggravated his groin. Hopefully it wasn't anything serious.

Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth struck out 3 times and Geoff Jenkins added 2. Chase Utley, Victorino, and Carlos Ruiz made up the other 3. It was an all around bad game for Rollins as he made an error in the field as well.

The Phillies remained 2 games ahead of the Marlins. The Mets and Braves move half a game closer to the Phillies, being down 3.5 and 4 games respectively, with their day off.

The Phillies travel to Arlington to play the Texas Rangers in that sweltering Texas heat. In their ball park and in that heat, the ball should fly. This could be a good series to get back on pace. But they need to score because the Rangers know how to put up runs, especially with Michael Young and Josh Hamilton.

Probables for the series in Texas:
Friday: B. Myers (3-9, 5.51), K. Gabbard (2-3, 4.96)
Saturday: C. Hamels (7-5, 3.27), V. Padilla (10-3, 3.74)
Sunday: J. Moyer (7-5, 4.09), E. Hurley (0-1, 4.24)

Continuing reading...

Teams Can Start Talking to Jeff Carter

According to Hockeybuzz, teams can now begin to talk to Restricted Free Agents. The Flyers most prized RFA is centerman Jeff Carter. Teams cannot offer a contract to Jeff Carter until July 1, but his salary demands may rise (or fall) with his conversations with other teams.

Preliminary reports suggested that Jeff Carter signed a 3 year, 15 million contract, but that seems to be the minimum on terms of years of the contract. The Flyers better work fast to get a deal done before July 1, next Tuesday.

Continuing reading...

Phillies by the Numbers

The Phillies go into their final game of the series against Oakland with a 43-36 record. They are 22-18 at home and 21-18 on the road (one of the best road records). Already, we can see that is clear that the Phillies need to win some more home games, but their record is largely deflated due to their recent interleague debacle against the Red Sox and Angels. It took their 21-13 home record to what we see now.

So, with all this talk about the team's record, I figure we should take a look at how they fair against the rest of the playing field, simply divided by American and National league teams over and under .500.

Vs. NL Teams Above .500 - 9-9
Vs. NL Teams Below .500 - 31-19
Vs. AL Teams Above .500 - 2-6
Vs. AL Teams Below .500 - 1-2
Interleague Play - 3-8

The only AL team they played below .500 is Toronto. As you can see, the Phillies have been dominated by American League opponents, something they used to their advantage last year. However, during the life of interleague play, the Phillies have always been considerably poor. ESPN has recently tried to turn Major League Baseball into some form of College Basketball with RPI and strength of schedule. Currently, the Phillies are 13th in RPI and their .490 SOS ranks them at about 21st. Also, according to Bill James' Pythagorean theorem of baseball, the Phillies expected win-loss total puts them at 48-31, 17 games over .500 compared to the 7 they are now. His theory shows the relationship between the team's runs scored and allowed and their win-loss record.

The Phillies have only played 5 National League teams over .500: the Cubs, Marlins, Cardinals, Brewers, and Diamondbacks. The Phillies have even series with every team, but they lead the Cubs 2-1 and are behind on the Cardinals 2-1. There is good news though, Phillies fans. We have fed off the bottom feeders of the National League and because of the lowly National League. When we return to seeing those teams, the play we enjoyed seeing shall return.

Now it is time to dig a little deeper into the offense and pitching numbers, with a small amount of fielding as well.

Offense
Totals:
Runs: 404 (4th in Majors)
BA: .259 (19th in Majors)
OBP: .338 (10th in Majors)
SLG: .440 (5th in Majors)
R/G: 5.11

Home:
BA: .255 (24th in Majors)
OBP: .334 (16th in Majors)
SLG: .439 (13th in Majors)
R/G: 5.05

Away:
BA: .263 (8th in Majors)
OBP: .341 (3rd in Majors)
SLG: .441 (2nd in Majors)
R/G: 5.18

Totals (No Home/Away Splits)
No one on: BA-.228 (26th), OBP-.311 (19th), SLG-.412 (15th)
Runners on: BA-.282 (7th), OBP-.372 (1st), SLG-.478 (1st)
Scoring Position: BA-.273 (8th), OBP-.381 (2nd), SLG-.461(3rd)
Scoring Position, 2 outs: BA-.238 (14th), OBP-.378(4th), SLG-.378 (9th)

Vs. Finesse Pitching (9 G): BA-.238 (21st), OBP-.287 (22nd), SLG-.376 (20th)
Vs. Power Pitching (47 G): BA-.281 (6th), OBP-.360 (3rd), SLG-.486 (2nd)

Phew, now that we have all of the offensive data, it is time to analyze it. First, for hitting in such a "hitter's ball park", the Phillies have actually performed better away from home. Of course, some of that is deflated by the offense's trouble against the Red Sox and Angels. Overall, the Phillies need to improve their team batting average and that should improve once they break this pitiful slump. Last night, they showed some signs against Greg Smith, a pitcher who allows just under 8 hits a game.

The Phillies K/BB ratio isn't terrible, but there is some room for improvement. The Phillies have struck out 531 times, which puts them at the 14th highest total in the league. Truthfully, they really just need to improve their batting average of balls in play. With such a stat, luck comes into play, but the Phillies need to do a better job of swinging at pitches that they can make good contact on. One specific example is when So Taguchi swung at a 2-0 curveball to end one of the game against the Angels when he had the bases loaded.

The Phillies need to do a better job of getting on base to lead-off innings or with no one on. Currently, they are near the bottom of the league in that category. When do they do have runners on and less than 2 outs, the Phillies do a good job of getting on and knocking runners home. A few more rallies can be started if the lead-off hitters do a better job of trying to reach base rather than trying to knock themselves home. They need to improve their pitch-selection and discipline.

Their home offensive numbers should heat up a little when they return home against the Mets, Cardinals, and Arizona at least we hope so. During 10-game homestand, if the Phillies want to be in first by the all-star break, they need to find a way to win at least 2 of those series. I'd expect the Arizona series to be a little tough because of the possible pitching match-ups.

Lastly, the Phillies loves to beat up on Power pitchers with good fastballs, but they have done poorly in 9 games against finesse pitchers (guys like Greg Maddux). It is a small sample size, and those numbers should improve. ESPN does not clarify whom they considered such finesse pitchers for those stats. Now, onto pitching.

Pitching
Totals:
ERA - 3.84 (8th)
K/9 - 6.46 (21st)
BAA - .256 (9th)
WHIP - 1.33 (11th)
HR - 84 (23rd)

Home:
ERA - 3.71 (13th)
K/9 - 6.68 (18th)
BAA - .249 (12th)
WHIP - 1.29 (11th)
HR - 44 (26th)

Away:
ERA - 4.08 (9th)
K/9 - 6.22 (20th)
BAA - .261 (11th)
WHIP - 1.38 (9th)
HR - 40 (16th)

Starters: 26-27
ERA - 4.43 (17th)
K/9 - 5.99 (19th)
BAA - .266 (17th)
WHIP - 1.35 (13th)
HR - 72 (30th)

Bullpen: 17-9
ERA - 2.58 (1st)
K/9 - 7.45 (17th)
BAA - .230 (4th)
WHIP - 1.30 (9th)
HR - 12 (1st)

So, the offense is worse at home, but the pitching is better. Again, I question the "hitter's ball park" mentality. Sure, the park gives up home runs, but a lot of the home runs that the Phillies starters give up are no doubters. The bullpen has done a very good job at minimizing the home run ball thus far, but yeah, the starter's...not so much. The Phillies rotation has allowed the most home runs in baseball (72). A good way to cut that down is just to make better pitches. I'm looking at you Brett Myers!

Another area where the Phillies pitching needs to improve is their K/9 ratio. Their strike-out to walk ratio isn't terrible, currently at 2.00, but their starter's K/9 ratio is down considerably from 2007 (6.37) and 2006 (7.09). Are the Phillies getting luckier with the balls put in play or are they not chasing strike-outs and mistakes, but worrying more about hitting their spots. We'll see if their luck changes, because their starters ERA is down considerably from 2007 (4.91) and 2006 (5.08). Their rotation still needs to improve if they want to become a contender however, as they are average to below-average. A good way for this to happen is to have a guy like Brett Myers go a little deeper in his games. He has showed signs here and there, but he has a long way to go. A long way.

What can we say about the bullpen other than that they've been great. Holding the most wins among any bullpen (17), the bullpen has helped the Phillies maintain their first place stature. The bullpen currently leads the majors in ERA, but is also in the top 10 for home runs allowed, opponent's BA, and WHIP. Their ERA is also considerably down from 2007 (4.41) and 2006 (3.79). The bullpen numbers could improve even more with more strike-outs. Who has been their most valuable reliever? Most would say Brad Lidge because of the way he has shut down games, but I feel it is Chad Durbin. Durbin has done a great job of keeping games close to help the offense come back, but he's also helped bridged the gap to get Brad Lidge. For a guy that wanted to be in our rotation, he might find himself earning a nice contract extension as a reliever. We are only paying him $900,000 for this season.

What's left? Fielding! After a very poor start, the Phillies have improved their defensive numbers and now sit at 15th in Errors (48) and 14th in Fielding Percentage (.984). The Phillies outfielders currently have 14 assists. A little down from last year's pace. Who deserves recognition? Pedro Feliz. The man has been such a great defensive third baseman for this team and he's done an alright job at hitting 6th or 7th in our lineup. So far, three of Gillick's offseason moves have paid great dividends in Chad Durbin, Pedro Feliz, and Brad Lidge. Let's hope Gillick's replacement works hard to re-sign Durbin and Lidge.

Sure, I could have waited 2 more games to give the 81-game mid-season analysis, but after the Phillies finally ended their losing streak, I felt it was better to take a look at their positives and to see where they could improve now.

Continuing reading...

Finally! Phillies Snap 6 Game Skid

Kyle Kendrick looked phenomenal as the Phillies beat the A's 4-0, ending a 6 game losing streak. Chase Utley helped his cause with a 4 hit game.

In 8 innings, Kendrick (7-3) only allowed 4 hits and 1 walk. He also struck out 4. JC Romero pitched the 9th to earn the Phillies the shut out. Greg Smith for Oakland got wacked around pretty bad in his 5.2 innings pitched.

Utley looked like he's officially out of his slump with his 4-5 performance. He had a double and triple. Pedro Feliz also added his first triple of the year. Chris Coste also had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins both failed to hit the ball.

The Phillies introduce a bizarre line up tonight with Jayson Werth leading off, Utley batting second, Rollins third, Burrell 4th, and Howard 5th. It earned them the win but I hope it's not a permanent line up.

The Phillies last won Monday, June 16, versus the Red Sox and it took them over a week to win again. In that span, the allowed the Marlins to gain ground but they were able to get a game back, giving them a 2 game advantage on Florida.

Pitching tomorrow is Adam Eaton (2-5, 4.94) for Philadelphia and Rich Harden (4-0, 2.44) for Oakland.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Add More to the Blue Line

Yesterday, the Flyers acquired defenseman Janne Niskala in exchange for penalty-minute accumulating forward, Triston Grant.

Niskala is a 6 foot, 200 lb defenseman who had 44 points in his first season of hockey in North America. Niskala's 19 goals tied him for second among AHL defensemen.

Niskala is a little on the older side for a prospect because he is already 26. However, from 2000 to 2007 he was playing in Europe with 3 different teams during that span. In 2006-2007, he led the Swedish Elite League defensemen with 19 goals and 30 assists, totaling 49 points.

Niskala was also a member of the bronze-winning Finland team in last month's IIHF World Champships. According to the Tennessean, Niskala appeared ready to play for the NHL, but because of Nashville's blue line depth, he was caught in the numbers game.

I like the moves that Holmgren has made at more and more depth to the blue line. Last year, the Flyers saw plenty of injuries at the defensman positions and they need every little piece of depth they can find. Who's to say that Steve Eminger or Janne Niskala do not become some diamond in the rough type of player? Well, I suppose a lot people say that.

Continuing reading...

Offense Dissapears Again

The Phillies offense failed to show up again as the lost 5-2. They were only able to manage 2 runs. Jamie Moyer looked great until he gave up a 3 run homer in the 7th to Emil Brown. The A's tacked on 2 more in the 8th with a home run by Jack Cust.

Moyer went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits (technically one hit) and one walk. He also struck out 9. Cust's home run cam off of Romero in the 8th. This just shows that the Phillies lack of offense hurts them again.

On the hill for Oakland was Joe Blanton who went 7 strong, holding the Phillies to 1 run on 4 hits. That run came from a solo home run by Pat Burrell in the 2nd. Houston Street pitched a perfect 9th for his 14th save.

The Phillies added an RBI single in the 8th by Ryan Howard. Shane Victorino was the only batter with two hits. Burrell's home run was the only extra base hit.

The Phillies have now lost 6 games. With every team in the NL East losing, the Phillies had the opportunity to get a game back on everyone but failed to do so. The Phillies continue the road trip in Oakland for two more nights and then travel to Texas. This trip can make or break their first half.

Pitching tomorrow is Kyle Kendrick (6-3, 5.06) for the Phillies and Greg Smith (4-5, 3.51) for the Athletics.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Rumors: Carter, Cote, Jones, Eminger

According to Paul Holmgren, the Flyers are nearing the completion of contract extensions for Jeff Carter and Riley Cote. They also hope to negotiate with Randy Jones and Steve Eminger before July 1st.

Holmgren said the Flyers are very close to finalizing a multiyear deal with Carter, are also close with Cote, and are confident they can get Jones on paper before free agency opens July 1.

Eminger, acquired along with a third-round pick (which was used to draft goalie Jacob DeSerres) from the Capitals for the 27th pick overall, is also going to be without a contract July 1, but Holmgren said it will not be a difficult negotiation. Eminger made $1 million last season.

[Daily News]
Yes, we did jump the gun a little bit on the Jeff Carter deal and will make sure we wait to post any real numbers until the deal is official. Signing Cote would be a nice move because the Flyers still need that style of player on the 4th line. Steve Downie can do it, but he is more valuable on the ice using his offensive ability, rather than throwing punches and landed in the box for 5 minutes at a time.

Randy Jones is a must sign for the Flyers as he improved mightily throughout the season. He led the Flyers in +/- throughout the playoffs and he was one of their leaders for the entire season.

Steve Eminger is a former first round pick, was traded for a first round, and we'd hope he plays like a first round pick. Eminger has welcomed the opportunity to come to Philadelphia and likes how they are physical. He was honored to be traded for a first round pick and he is excited for the challenge. Eminger is still only 24 and he showed some bright spots during the playoff series against the Flyers -- which seems to be what really made Holmgren interested in him. Eminger is the third first- round pick on the Flyers roster from the 2002 NHL Draft. The other two are Scottie Upshall and Joffrey Lupul. The Flyers used their pick in that draft to select Joni Pitkanen.

Continuing reading...

Phillies Rumors: Fuentes, Sabathia, etc.

Currently, the Phillies seem to be the front-runner to land 32-year old left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes.

The Mets and New York Yankees are among the five major suitors for Colorado closer Brian Fuentes. The Red Sox, Phillies and A's also are vying for Fuentes, who entered the weekend with 13 saves and a 2.05 ERA.

Philadelphia has indicated it would include 22-year-old righty Fabio Castro in a deal, which makes the Phils the early front-runners.

[New York Post]

It should be noted that Castro is a lefty and not a righty. I have a feeling that the Phillies are going to really and try and push for a World Series try this year, even if it depletes their farm system. Acquiring Fuentes would likely move him into the set-up role and it'd shift Gordon to the 7th and JC Romero would become the lefty specialist...making $4 million a year. Since 2005, Fuentes has been a very good reliever for Colorado and he has racked up 94 saves during the four-year span. He'll be a free agent in the off-season.

Fabio Castro is only 22, but he is 5'7" and has been getting rocked as a reliever this year. In his 9 starts for Reading, Castro was 3-0 with a 4.12 ERA and a 40/20 K/BB ratio. As a reliever, he was 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA and a 13/11 K/BB ratio in 15 innings. Phuture Phillies do not even rate him as a top 30 prospect, so it would be a good move for the Phillies. Castro has some years to improve, but they're not giving away the farm in him.

Also, it appears that the Phillies to feel that this year is one of their prime opportunites to make the World Series and their name will be involved in every top pitching name available. From the Boston Globe,

Phillies: A team official said they are beating the bushes for one more starting pitcher. They'll be in on just about anybody who becomes available, perhaps a No. 2 or No. 3 type. They would also be in on a No. 1 such as C.C. Sabathia if the Indians are serious about peddling him or Erik Bedard if the Mariners rip things apart. They are also taking a good look at A.J. Burnett, who has an opt-out, as well as Bronson Arroyo and Derek Lowe. The official said the Phillies see this year as a prime opportunity to make it to the World Series.

Does ownership finally feel like they owe us something. Trading for Sabathia or Bedard would be a great move, especially because they'd have to move Carlos Carrasco, their #1 or #2 prospect for either trade to happen.

John Perrotto from Baseball prospects has also named the Phillies to be one of Sabathia's suitors, along with the Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels.

Continuing reading...

Carter Deal Not Official

I just want to clear things up that the Jeff Carter signing is not official and apparently 3 years is the minimum they will sign Carter for, but they would prefer to extend him for longer. 5 years, 4-4.35 million per would be perfect and it'd be a steal if he played like the guy that went to the net at the end of the year. Earlier in the season he spent too much time around the perimeter of the zone and he'd disappear.

So, just to clarify, the Jeff Carter deal is not official, but I'd expect something in the coming days.

Sorry for jumping the gun.

Continuing reading...

0 for Their Last 5

The Phillies failed to score 3 runs again. They failed to do it against a pitcher who lets up nearly 5 runs per 9. They took shitty swings, outside of Rollins and Howard. They left runners on. The Marlins now have less losses than the Phillies. Oh, and the Mets are not far behind. Chase Utley did finally come out of his slump today, but looked fairly bad in his other at-bats.

There isn't much else to say.

We cannot consider the Phillies a contender until they beat good teams, especially a home. Something they truly have failed to do all year. The team really needs to get their act together because lets face it, they cannot expect a few guys to carry them all year or full the bullpen to continue to pitch considerably well. Cole Hamels pitched well today, but he was another victim of the LONG ball. A 1-5 homestand is downright pathetic, even for a bad team.

The Phillies travel out west to face Oakland and Texas. We'll see what happens. I guess. As for now, the team is a pretender.

Continuing reading...

Sunday - A Day On the Links

NFL in talks to form a partnership with ESPN [Wall Street Journal]
Quite Frankly, Stephen A. Smith has been booted from the main NBA Draft desk. [Miami Herald]
Vote for Eagles Mascot Swoop. Though Chief Zee does scare me. [CBS Sportsline]
Phillies are a front-runner for Adis Portillo [Phuture Phillies]
After the jump, watch a video of something we hope Charlie Manuel never takes part in. Beware...

Rap
by bsap11

[Awful Announcing]

Continuing reading...

Sixers: Go Big or Go Home

It's hard to believe that the Sixers will not try to improve their frontline with the 16th pick in the draft. Now, there will likely not be an immediate contributor at that draft slot, but they will likely be able to draft a guy they can groom for the future -- or they can get lucky a find a player like Thaddeus Young who improved dramatically over the year. They will likely look toward free agency to add an immediate contributor at the Power Forward position. Many suggest Elton Brand, but he first needs to opt out of his contract. He has come out and said that he'd be interested in playing in Philly.

Syracuse's Donte Green, Neveda's JaVale McGee, Florida's Marreese Speights, and Ohio State center Kosta Koufos are all players that the Sixers will look to draft at that spot.

For me personally, scratch Donte Green off the list. Green is more of a wing player and he will not be able to play Power Forward successfuly in the NBA. He also does not have the needed lateral quickness to defend NBA small forwards. He also fails to give consistent effort, which is something we tend to hate in Philadelphia. The Sixers will be making a huge mistake if they waste a pick on Green.

JaVale McGee, nicknamed "The Big Secret" is a 7 foot center has the potential to be a decent NBA center, but he also has been tagged with high bust potential. He's been labeled as an atrocious defender, having poor fundamentals, being extremely weak, etc. Must I go on? He has upside because of his height and his offensive range, but in the NBA, he'll need to play more like a center to be an effective starter. However, he could be a decent role player off the bench when a team is trying to spread the court and bring the opposing big man outside.

Marreese Speights is the likely first round pick for the Sixers. The Sixers love the fact that Speights trained with Joakim Noah and Al Horford during his freshman season and they've even compared him somewhat to Horford. Speights is a big body, coming in a 6'10" 245, who can not only finish at the basket, but he can also hit the jump shot. His biggest question marks are his motivation, conditioning, and his focus, but these things all tend to improve with maturity. This problem seemed to exist with almost all the Gators players last season. If the talent is there, you can work with the mind. Speights is beginning to rise a little and many people feel that he could be a starting power forward sooner than later.

Lastly, the Sixers might look at Ohio State Center Kosta Koufos. They were not yet able to get a private workout with him, but they did see him when he worked out for the Nets. Koufos is more of a finesse center as his low post moves tend to fade away from the basket. Koufos is a pretty solid defender, but he ddid not play much man-to-man coverage is freshman year because of Ohio State's 2-3 zone. However, in those rare occurences, Koufos played well and used his length to contest shots. He's a solid defensive rebounder, but is even better on the offensive end.

I'd expect the Sixers to improve the power forward position before the 5 spot, but we'll see. Koufos will definitely need at least a year to develop.

Continuing reading...

Phils Lose 4th in a Row

Last night, the Phillies lost their 4th series in a row, their 4th game in a row, and their second straight to the Angels, losing 6-2. The Phillies are currently 1-4 on their current homestand they hold only a 1 game lead over the Marlins, a lead that was once 4.5.

Brett Myers actually pitched well, but allowed 3 home runs including a tie-breaking home run in the 8th to Erick Aybar. Chase Utley was given the day off, but it's not like it mattered anyway because the offense continued with their undisciplined at-bats. In a game where the Phillies offense failed to score at least 3 runs again, they battled back in the 7th to tie the game at 2, but Myers allowed a 2-out eighth inning home run to give the Angels the lead for good. The Phillies may have been able to take the lead, but Steve Smith (worst third base coach ever, not sure how he has a job) held up Pedro Feliz at the last second on a base hit by Eric Bruntlett. Eric Bruntlett thought Feliz was running on the play, so he tried to take second, but the throw was cut off and Bruntlett was tug at second.

I don't know what is wrong with this team, but it seems like whenever things are going wrong, they sit there and sulk instead of trying to make adjustments. The Phillies have some very good players, but it seems like only one or two guys can make the real adjustment.

Ryan Howard has been better as of late, but he is still absolutely pathetic in the late innings when the game is close. He is now 7-50, with 25 strikeotus. 25! Every single time, it is a breaking ball. Learn to hit a curve ball big guy. Please.

Cole Hamels will pitch tonight and hopefully he can end this losing streak. We'll see though. The way the offense has been, Hamels may need to allow "negative" runs to push the Phillies to a win.

Continuing reading...

Right now, the Phillies Stink.

I am not even going to give a recap. I stopped watching after the Angels made it 6-0 to go and play beer pong.

The game by the numbers. Angels 7 runs, Phillies 1. Angels 17 hits, Phillies 2. Angels LOB 16, Phillies 7. 11 Phillies swung and missed or looked at a third called strike. The Phillies 3-7 in the lineup went 0-17 with a sac fly, a walk, and 8 strikeouts. The Phillies are an all or nothing team anymore. They're doing a very good job of letting the Marlins and Mets back into the division race, especially when the two of them were slumping as well.

If you missed the awful mess, you can see highlights below.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Trade Umberger, Later Acquire Eminger

Early into the draft night, the Flyers traded the rights to R.J. Umberger to Columbus for the 19th pick overall. It was a move the Flyers clearly needed to make because of the salary cap. They basically had to pick Carter or Umberger and they chose Carter, which is the right decision. Well, we think they chose Carter, but they have declined everything about signing him.

With the 19th pick, the Flyers drafted Luca Sbisa, an offensive-minded defenseman who can also play forward at time. It has been said that he doesn't make too many mistakes in his own zone. He was the 10th defenseman drafted at the time. Central Scouting had this to say:

Strengths: Luca is a poised and, sometimes, too poised a defenseman. One would say that a lot of times his calmness with the puck is misinterpreted as either slowness or laziness; that's not the case with Luca. He is a smart player who moves the puck at the right time and carries the puck correctly, supports the rush and is adjusting very well to the North American game."

Areas to improve: "He needs continued adjustment to the North American game, he isn't afraid under a forecheck but sometimes under a hard forecheck of one or two players of the opposition, he will tend to throw the puck away too early. As much as the poise comes in to play with the puck on his stick, when the puck isn't on his stick I think that will be an area that will get better with time."

Pogo will go into greater detail discussing all of the Flyers picks after the draft is complete.

Later in the draft, the Flyers traded the 27th overall pick to Washington for D Steve Eminger. With the Flyers lacking a 2nd round pick, it would have been smarter to hold onto the pick and draft a goalie. Let's face it Biron and Niittymaki are FAs after this season. The Flyers haven't had a top goalie prospect in awhile.

Last year, Eminger was often a healthy scratch for the Washington Capitals, but he did see time in 5 playoff games against the Flyers. Holmgren had this to say,

Steve is a player we’ve always liked," said Holmgren. "He’s a former teammate of Mike Richards in Kitchener, so we those two have a connection. He’s still just 25 years old. I don’t believe he’s reached his peak yet and still has a ways to go. We think he’s going to be a nice fit."

I'm really not a big fan of the trade.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Resign Carter

According to Sportsnet.ca, The Flyers have resigned restricted free agent centerman, Jeff Carter to a 3 year deal believed to be worth no less than $15 million.

Sources are telling Sportsnet that Carter has agreed to a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers that is believed to pay him no less than $15 million.

Should the deal be completed, the Flyers remove the risk of Carter -- a Group 2 free agent on July 1st -- getting any offer sheets from teams wanting to scoop up the Flyers centre.

Well, at least we know that one of our restricted free agents will be back. However, with little cap space left, I'm almost positive that R.J. Umberger will not return to the team unless Paul Holmgren starts creating some more financial magic. The buyout of Derian Hatcher or his retirement is starting to look more and more set in stone. The Flyers definitely need to sign Randy Jones because they're very thin at the blue line.

If I was the Flyers, I would have at least tried to lock up Carter for a few more years. Only 3 years and high price tag will put them in a bind in a few years if they play to re-sign him again because he'll expect a raise. Hopefully, he proves the worth of his contract. More on the deal once it becomes official.

Continuing reading...

Throw Duracells at the Phillies Ownership

Via Deadspin, Philly Mag posted a nice ten-page article discussing the patheticness of the Phillies ownership over the years. In the article, author Richard Rye goes into great detail to discuss how the ownership could not care any less about producing a consistent winning organization, but care more about dollars and cents.

They also pointed out who is to blame for the JD Drew fiasco.

What the Phillies owners want everyone to forget about the J.D. Drew debacle is that it was completely avoidable — before he was drafted, Drew, and Boras, made it clear he expected a staggering $10 million signing bonus. The Phillies figured they could strong-arm the two once Drew was picked. But Wade vs. Boras was an epic mismatch, and although Boras reportedly cut his demand in half, the Phillies refused to go above $2.6 million — right where the league wanted them to stay. Drew ended up in St. Louis, and the Phillies wasted an elite draft pick. Drew’s first appearance at Vets Stadium led to the infamous battery-pelting incident, but the fans should have aimed their Duracells at the owners’ box.

It's a shame that we finally have a team that is so close, but their front office lacks any courage to do what is right for the team or the city. Year after year, we hear the same old story. We hear about how the 5th largest city is a small-market team. We hear about how we were in the running for certain stars, but we just can never sign them.

Each year, the league estimates the size of the signing bonuses teams should award to each of their draft choices; last year, the first pick was slotted at $3.6 million, number two was $3.15 million, and so on. The most promising pitcher on the market, right-handed stud Rick Porcello, was still available when the Phillies selected at 19, most likely because Porcello’s agent is Scott Boras — king of the record-breaking contract, Satan in a suit in the eyes of MLB. Boras had already burned the Phillies with J.D. Drew, the second overall pick in the 1997 draft, whose contract demands the team deemed outrageous and whose name is still a source of anguish within the organization. Montgomery passed on Porcello, drafting a less-heralded lefty and paying him $1,372,500 — precisely what the league slotted as the bonus for pick number 19. Porcello fell to the Detroit Tigers, one of those renegade teams, who signed him for $3,580,000, more than $2 million above what the league wanted them to spend.

This is what happens with our team. They don't care about building a championship driven franchise at all. Their motto seems to be: "Winning would be nice, but it's not the ultimate goal." The only one who truly seems to care is part owner John Middleton, the man who sold his cigar company for $2.9 billion. He's has been quoted as to have wanted to be like the Yankees and just buy everyone. The problem is that is stake is too small to have majority control. So, we get stuck with the likes of Dave Montgomery, who's timid caution is something we've all grown to hate as Phillies fans.

The Phillies were selling NL East Championship hats and tees as fast as they could make them last fall, but months later, they rewarded All Star Cole Hamels with a paltry $100,000 raise, and strong-armed Ryan Howard into arbitration that they lost. In an eyeblink, fan optimism gave way to portentous nightmares of Howard jacking home runs in a Red Sox jersey and Hamels no-hitting for the Yankees in the next few years. Who will be held accountable if this team is a shell of itself by 2012?

The answer is, no one. If you stop buying tickets, they’ll simply lower the payroll. If the Phillies fall into the MLB cellar, the league’s revenue-sharing plan will keep them afloat. If a newspaper columnist or sports-radio provocateur leads a campaign against them, Gentleman Dave will take the heat, smiling all along, while the owners he protects stay silent, hoping everyone will focus on something besides wins and losses and a 1,600 percent increase in the value of the team since they bought it. That’s the way the business of baseball is done in this town. Dare to dream of the day when change will come, Phillies fans. But as always, don’t get your hopes up.

There isn't much that we can do as fans, but it has gotten to the point where we have to voice our displeasure someway, somehow. It took the Phillies nearly 100 years to win their first World Series and they have continually looked like a pretender more than a contender ever since. This year's team has some swagger, but they don't have the ultimate consistency or pitching talent to make a deep postseason run. It almost seems rare that the Phillies click on all cylinders with both dominate hitting and pitching. Adam Eaton and Cole Hamels lead the league in quality starts where their offense has failed to score more than 3 runs. I don't want to bash the players. They are what they are. I don't even want to be negative with a first place team, but the things that Richard Rye said needed to be said. It has been going on for far too long and a change of complete ownership control might be the only difference maker, especially when Gillick's replacement will likely be an understudy of Ed Wade.

Continuing reading...

Eagles Tickets? Training Camp Schedule

Is there anyone out there that was able to snag some Eagles tickets for the season? I tried for 3 different games @ 10 AM and the only ticket I would have been able to purchase was one single ticket against the Cowboys. Needless to say, I did not make the purchase. I regret it now because I could have probably sold it and made a few bucks -- or gone by myself.

Were you able to get any tickets? Also, below is the training camp schedule and autograph sessions.

July 21 - Rookies and Selected Vets Report - 8:45 AM & 3:30 PM
July 22 & 23 - 8:45 AM & 3:30 PM
July 24 - 8:45 Only Vets Report
July 25 - Closed Practice
July 26 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (LB Autographs)
July 27 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (WR)
July 28 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (QB/TE/K)
July 29 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10) (DB)
July 30 - 8:15 AM & 2 PM (Special Teams) (OL)
July 31 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (RB/LB)

August 1 - 8:15 AM & 2 PM (Special Teams) (WR)
August 2 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10) (DB)
August 3 - 8:15 AM & 2 PM (Special Teams) (DL)
August 4 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10) (QB/TE/K)
August 5 - 8:15 AM & 2 PM (Special Teams)
August 6 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10) (OL)
August 7 - Closed to Public
August 8 - @ Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
August 9 - Off Day
August 10 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10) (RB)
August 11 - 8:15 AM & 2 PM (Special Teams) (DL)
August 12 - 8:15 AM & 2:45 PM (10/10/10)
August 13 - Closed to Public/Camp Ends

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Hope to see you there whenever I plan to go.

Continuing reading...

1980-1981 : I wish I was alive

The period of 1980-1981 is considered the best year for any sports city ever -- or the worst year depending on how you look at it. The debate came about after Boston's great success this year. Man, I wish I was a live because it's been heartbreak since I've been born.

On the whole, we'd rather be in Philadelphia from the spring of 1980 to the following April. Despite its reputation for losing teams, Philadelphia is the only city to have its teams reach the finals in all four major sports. In a 12-month span, the Flyers and the Sixers reached the Stanley Cup and NBA finals (each lost in six games), the Phillies won their only World Series in franchise history, the Eagles went to Super Bowl (but lost to Oakland) and Philadelphia hosted the Final Four. (Plus, Villanova and St. Joseph's all reached the NCAA tournament, with St. Joe's upsetting No. 1-ranked DePaul). Is reaching the finals in all four sports the greatest year a city's fans have ever experienced? Or does losing three of those championships make it the worst year ever? The answer probably depends on whether how much money you bet on the local team. Though we opt for the former because it's still one hell of an accomplishment.

10 (tie) - New York 1986-87
10 (tie) - Boston 1986
9 - LA - 1971-72
8 - New York - 1969
7 - Pittsburgh - 1979
6 - Los Angels - 1984
5 - Baltimore - 1970-71
4 - Minnesota - 1991-92
3 - Boston - 2007-08
2 - Los Angeles - 1988-89
1 - Philadelphia - 1980-81

Continuing reading...

Prospal traded to Tampa

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded the rights to Vinny Prospal back to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2008 7th round pick and a conditional pick in 2009.
[Comcast Sportsnet]

Vinny really didn’t express much of an interest in coming back and playing for us next season,” general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement released by the team. “His heart is elsewhere.”

Prospal had 4 goals and 10 assists for the Flyers in 18 games. With Prospal's little desire to return to the Flyers, it was a good move for them to get rid of him. The Flyers had very little cap space to re-sign him anyway and it is now more likely that they will give their best attempt to sign both Carter and Umberger.

Continuing reading...

Phillies are getting cold, put them in the microwave now!

The Phillies lost 7-4 to the Red Sox. The Phillies have lost their third straight series against a team over .500. Why? The bats got cold and the bullpen was poor. Inconsistency plagues this team every year. Now I understand teams go through their ups and downs, but it is hard for me to believe this team can go far when they have an inability to truly beat quality teams.

I don't want to get down on them and rant about them, but they really need to show something over the next 9 games against the AL. If they fail to win 2 of the next 3 series, I have no confidence in this team for doing much in the playoffs...if they make it.

I'm not even going to bother going into statistics, right now. We've all watched the product of late on the field and it seems like their heads got just a little too big with their first place lead in the division. We learned last year that no lead is safe. The Phillies need to begin playing better AND smarter baseball in the coming weeks and months.

There have been positives though. Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Jimmy Rollins are coming back around, but Chase Utley has gone 0fer during the series and through much of the Cardinals series.

Lastly, this is to the Phillies fans at the stadium during the Red Sox Series:

1. Learn to chant, cheer, etc. Your team is a good team too, get behind them. Don't sit in awe over the Red Sox. Cheering and chants do more when the team is down, not when the team is up. Every player tells you they feed off the crowd. Give them something to be excited about. Your motive to chant should never be the rebuttal to the opposing team's chant. You should be starting the chants for YOUR team.

2. If you wore a Phillies jersey and Red Sox hat or vice-versa at the same time, please do not return to Citizens Bank Park. You're on one bandwagon or the other. Especially when your jersey and hat for either team look freshly bought or when you think Coco Crisp is Jacoby Ellsbury with a new haircut. Seriously, just don't come. Watch the game at your house or the hotel room, so you can constantly change shirts and hats whenever the Phillies or Red Sox take the lead. That was absolutely sickening to see last night.

3. If you bring your family there, show your kids the passion that Philadelphia fans generally bring. No, I am not talking about using vulgar language and starting fights, but I am talking about the loud cheers for your team. Why must we always wait for something to happen. Let's start the chants and cheers to help be the catalyst of a positive result.

Go Phillies. Time to get hot again.

Continuing reading...

Q&A - What do with Pat Burrell?

Should the Phillies keep Pat Burrell until the end of the season, sign him to an extension during the season, or should they trade him before the trading deadline? - Frank Troise, Jr.

Pat Burrell is in the final year of his contract and he is having himself quite the "contract year" -- though I still believe his success is solely based on his eye sight, the change of his stance, and him being more aggressive at the plate.

Coming into tonight's game Pat's Burrell's stats are as follows:
.289 BA, .433 OBP, .614 SLG, 1.047 OPS, 18 HR, 47 RBI, 40 R, 58/53 BB/K

His projections if is numbers were spanned out over a 162 game season:
Same averages, 41 HR, 107 RBI, 91 R, 133/121 BB/K

His career averages over 162 games:
.260 BA, .361 OBP, .489 SLG, .860 OPS, 31 HR, 105 RBI, 98 BB/158 BB/K

His numbers are pretty damn good and is worthy of a big contract in today's market, but he turns 32 in October and it seems as if he is getting slower by the game. He is somewhat of a defensive liability, but he still has a great arm, which can usually hold runners from getting that extra base. However, the prime for a major league player is about 28-32. It's hard to imagine him to continue to build off this year's success.

If you look at his career stats, there seems to be a distinct coincidence. During 2000 and 2001 he did not hit as well, but then in 2002 he exploded for the best season of his then young career -- the same season that rewarded him a big multi-year deal. So what happened next? Burrell had a poor 2003 and 2004, but rebounded with a great season in 2005 that resembled his 2002 season. It didn't happen again did it? You're damn right it is happening as we speak. After subpar 2006 and 2007 seasons, Pat Burrell is again hitting over .280 and is likely having the best season of his career, in the final year of his contract.

This year, Pat Burrell's pay checks will total a sum of $14.25 million. It's hard to believe that Burrell will accept much if anything less as a hometown discount, but he has noted that he enjoys playing here and he does not want to leave. I cannot see the Phillies looking to give him anything more than three years and I'd be surprised if they even offered him more than two years and because of that, I'm not sure if he will be around next year. His future likely consists of first base or an AL DH, but his outfield ability is still tolerable with the speed in the rest of the outfield.

So what should the Phillies do? First, they could attempt to try and move Burrell at the trade deadline, but Pat has a full no-trade-clause and last year, he emphasized that he'd only accept a trade to the Yankees or Red Sox. He clearly wants to win a World Series and those two teams generally have the best opportunities year in and year out. If David Ortiz is injured for longer than it seems, the Red Sox might try and make a move for Burrell. This time though, the Phillies cannot just give away a good player for nothing like they did with Abreu. There is almost no one left in the organization from that trade. If they decide to trade Burrell, the Phillies have the emphasize his ability to get on base, even if he isn't making contact. Even with his poor seasons, he has a career rate of reaching base at around 37%. In a Red Sox order where he could possibly bat sixth, that kind of ability is even more valuable.

Second, the Phillies could just let him play out the year and deal with him in the offseason. It is not worth trading Burrell if he is not going to warrant any players that could provide significant contribution in the near future. He's too valuable to the lineup, especially behind Ryan Howard. Pat Burrell is the Phillies only true right-handed power bat and because he bats behind Howard, it forces the opposing manager to work with his bullpen a little more.

Lastly, the Phillies could sign him to an extension sooner than later and hope the new contract leads him to continue his current success over the span of the rest of the contract. Is that likely, I don't think so. I think Burrell is currently having a career year and the season needs to at least reach the All-Star break and preferably later if the Phillies are going to consider signing him to a new deal.

It is well known that Burrell wants to remain in Philadelphia, so it is not as if he will be running to leave the organization or has his free agency papers just about completed. I think the best scenario for the Phillies would be to let Pat Burrell play out the season with the Phillies and waiting until the season ends to make a decision. The Phillies really have something good working right now and I think moving Burrell would damage the clubhouse more than help it. However, I cannot see Gillick passing up on a move that would improve the team overall significantly. There is no black and white answer to this topic.

We'll re-evaluate this question on July 31st.

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Mets Fire Randolph

I cannot say that I do not enjoy this. The Mets turmoil of a season grew larger after they fired Willie Randolph in the middle of the night. Minaya also fired pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto. It's pretty hilarious that the man who built the team of egos, Omar Minaya, gets to keep his job.

Minaya has depended largely on aging vets and has depleted their farm system. When Fernando Tatis is one of your call ups, you know there's nothing left. Now, Randolph has never truly been a great manager, but it's hard to put the blame solely on him. It is also believed that pitching coach Rick Peterson did wonders for John Maine and Oliver Perez, but he didn't make the cut either.

I love watching this unfold. Nothing like a good laugh to start the day.

Willie Randolph will be replaced by bench coach Jerry Manuel. Ken Oberkfell and Dan Warthen (pitching coach) will come up from Triple-A New Orleans to join the staff.

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Phillies Rip the Sox

The Phillies sent Red Sox nation home upset tonight after blew out the Red Sox 8-2 at The Bank. The big man, Ryan Howard, had a great game, going 3-5 with 2 home runs, a triple, and 4 RBIs. Jimmy Rollins also went 3-5 with 3 RBIs and a lead-off home run. Pat Burrell even added a triple himself.

Cole Hamels pitched well for 7+ innings allowing 7 hits, 2 earned runs (back-to-back solo home runs), and struck out 5. Chad Durbin pitched allowed only 1 hit over the final two innings and struck out 2.

Ryan Howard is starting to creep closer and closer to a respectable overall batting average, but his production has been insanely underrated, even by myself. Howard now has 19 home runs on the year and 62 RBIs, tying him with Chase Utley. They are both now tied for the National League lead. He still struggles against left-handed pitching as he continues to pull his front hip and shoulder out, but he starting to hit balls consistently hard off of right-handed pitching. Another positive sign is that both of home runs tonight happened because he went with the outside pitch and drove the ball to left field. His triple was a blast to dead center on another outside pitch.

Cole Hamels is becoming everything you could ask for in an ace. In his last 26 innings pitches, he's allowed only 4 earned runs and all of those runs came off solo home runs. He is now 7-4 on the season and gives the ball to 7-3 Jamie Moyer tomorrow.

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Tiger Woods = Best Ever?

On a hobbled leg, Tiger Woods forced a playoff round by making a great put for birdie on the 18th hole yesterday. Today, he birdied the 18th hole to force a sudden death playoff. Woods only needed one more hole to win the battle that he and Rocco Mediate had. Rocco Mediate's performance was amazing and he would have been the oldest player to ever win a Major Championship, but he fell just short.

It was Tiger's 14th career Major Championship and the 3rd time that he won the U.S. Open.

Video after the jump.

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Flyers Recap Video

The Philadelphia Flyers have released their season recap video:


I hope everyone enjoyed this spectacular season. The draft is next week and free agnecy begins shortly after. Expect to see a more experienced and better team in the orange and black next year.

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3 Letters: PFP

After the Cardinals blow the lead in the 8th with 4 straight walks to give the Philles 2 runs, Chase Utley and Tom Gordon failed to connect on 2 ground balls. The Cardinals wound up winning the game 7-6.

Not only did the Phillies blow the game defensively but a mental mistake by Eric Bruntlett and good hands by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina cost the Philles the go ahead run. With 1 out, Bruntlett charged home on a ground ball hit to first baseman Chris Duncan. He threw home to Molina, blocking a section of the plate. If Bruntlett would have slid around him, he would have been safe. But he chose to run threw Molina who made a blind tag and held onto the ball. Molina was hurt on the play, being put in a neck brace and carted off the field.


Brett Myers was scary on the mound again. He gave up 6 runs on 8 hits. He also struck out 3. He gave up 2 home runs to Skip Shumaker and Troy Glaus. Ryan Madson struck out the side in the 7th. JC Romero and Chad Durbin also pitched scoreless innings. Tom Gordon pitched the 10th, giving up 1 hit and 1 un-earned run.

Jimmy Rollins 2-5 today with 3 runs. He hit a triple in the 8th with 2 outs. He was followed by 4 straight walks. Ryan Howard went 2-4 with 4 RBIs and a double. His batting average improved to .217. Howard has 58 RBIs for the season, putting him in third in the NL. Pat Burrell added 2 RBIs, including the tying RBI walk. He has 47 total.

In the top of the 10th, Gordon got the first 2 batters out. Rick Ankiel hit a groundball to Chase Utley but his throw went wide. Glaus followed with a base hit to left field. With runners on first and second and 2 outs, Chris Duncan hit what looked like the third out. Utley fielded it and threw the ball to Gordon who completely missed the ball. Ankiel scored and the Cardinals won the game.

The Phillies finished the 9 game road trip 5-4. They are now 3 games ahead of the Marlins, who won today. The Phillies host the Red Sox with Cole Hamels leading off the series. Pitching probables are:

Monday - B. Colon (4-1, 3.41), C. Hamels (6-4, 3.27)
Tuesday - J. Lester (5-3, 3.43), J. Moyer (7-3, 4.12)
Wednesday - K. Kendrick, Masterson (MLB.com provided no probables for Wednesday)

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So it's been awhile. Happy Father's Day

First and foremost, I want to say Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there. It is to our father's, grandfather's and so on that we owe our thanks for guiding us to become Philadelphia fans. They've seen the parades and hopefully I will shortly. They've taught us how to play catch, shoot a basketball, and fish. They've been there for most of us and for the newer fathers out there, I'd hope you do the same for your kids.

Thanks Dad

On another note, so where have I been?...Well, last Saturday two of my friends were married and I was at the "Beach House After party" all week after. So yes, it was pretty much a week-long drunken mess and beach-going in Beach Haven, New Jersey with some work sandwiched in there. I wanted to provide some updates, but when I was home it was not for very long.

Between the Phillies amazing season, Euro Cup 2008, and the NBA finals, it has been a great week to drink and watch sports. The Phillies really impressed me with the current road trip and I was hoping for them to be around .500. A 5-4 or 6-3 road trip would be a great success, especially with Boston and Anaheim coming into town. I've been incredibily impressed with the back-end of the rotation thus far this year including Adam Eaton. It's also amazing how Kyle Kendrick finds way to win with his lacking stuff, but things could improve once he adds that change-up. Let's hope they close out the series today with a big win for Brett Myers.

We'll be back to running like normal tonight.

Go Phillies.

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Lohse Outpitches Former Team

Kyle Lohse (8-2) went 8 strong innings against his former team, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 3. The Cardinals went on to win 3-2. Ryan Franklin, another former Phillie, pitched a 1-2-3- inning for his 9th save. The last play of the game was a diving catch made by Ryan Ludwick on a ball hit by Geoff Jenkins. The ball bounced before it reached Ludwicks glove but it was ruled a catch. There was no review and the game ended.

Adam Kennedy homered for the Cards in the first, a 2 run shot off of Adam Eaton.

Eaton pitched well too tonight but got no support from the offense that produced a season high 20 runs the night before. He went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits and 1 walk. He also struck out 3.


Pat Burrel homered for the Phillies, his 18 of the year. He and Ryan Howard were the only position players to get a hit. Eaton helped his own cause with 2 hits.

The Phillies remained 4 games ahead of the Marlins for the NL East lead. Tomorrow's pitchers are Brett Myers (3-8, 5.34) for the Phillies and Mitchell Boggs (1-0, 3.86) for St. Louis.

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Red Hot Phils Burn Cardinals

The Cardinals got burned after the Phillies put up 20 runs on 21 hits to beat St. Louis 20-2. Kyle Kendrick pitched strong and the offense produced. The Phillies matched their season high in runs and set a new high in hits (previous was 19). Ironically, Aaron Miles, a 2nd baseman, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, the first of the night for the Phils.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell went back-to-back-to-back in the top of the first to give the Phillies a quick 3-0 lead. The 4th inning was filled with the most excitement with 9 runs and the Phillies batting around. Shane Victorino had 2 hits in the inning.


Ryan Howard impressed in his home coming, getting 3 hits. He had a solo bomb in the first and added a 3 run shot in the sixth. He finished with 5 RBIs and scoring 4 times. Reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins was the only starter to not record a hit tonight.

Kendrick (6-2) pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 runs and 1 earned on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 1. Rudy Seanez gave up 2 hits in the eighth and Condrey pitched the ninth.

The Phils expand their lead in the NL East to 3.5 games on the Marlins. The Phillies have also won 2 straight. Adam Eaton ((2-3, 4.62) will take the mound as he faces former Phillie Kyle Lohse (7-2, 3.92).

Notable Phils:
Victorino: 3-7; 2 runs; 1 RBI
Utley: 2-3; 2 runs; 3 RBIs; HR (22)
Howard: 3-5; 4 runs; 5 RBIs; 2 HR (17)
Feliz: 3-5; 2 runs; 1 RBI; double
Ruiz: 4-6; 1 run; 4 RBIs; 2 doubles (7)
Kendrick: 7 innings; 8 hits; 1 BB; 1 K; 1 HR

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We Appologize For the Lack of Updates

Justin Evans and myself apologize for the lack of doing the Marlins series, a key series as the All Star break is a month away. We were both extremely busy. I will continue with updates after tomorrows game in St. Louis.

After losing the first two games to Florida 5-4 and 6-2 (Dan Uggla's walk-off grand slam in the ninth), Jaimie Moyer took the hill for his 7th win of the year, beating the Marlins 3-0. He pitches 8 scoreless, walking 1 and giving up 3 hitters. His no-no bid was ended in the 6th with when pitcher Scott Olson singled off of Chase Utley's glove. Moyer also struck out 3. Brad Lidge got his 18th save, striking out 2.

Jayson Werth had the games only RBI and Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, and Pedro Feliz had 2 hits a piece. Feliz added a double, his 13th.

The Phillies are now 2.5 games ahead of Florida and with everyone else losing tonight, the Phillies are pulling further from everyone but Florida.

Probables versus the Cardinals:
K. Kendrick (5-2, 4.87) vs. T. Wellemeyer (7-1, 2.93)
A. Eaton (2-3, 4.62) vs. K. Lohse (7-2, 3.92)
B. Myers (3-8, 5.34) vs. M. Boggs (1-0, 3.86)

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Phils Lay the Tomahawk on the Braves

I had to mute the TV several times to avoid hearing that annoying Tomahawk Chop. The Phillies put the Braves tomahawks away as they pulled out their brooms to sweep Atlanta.

Shane Victorino does it again! He capped off a phenomenal series in Atlanta with the game winning RBI double in the ninth inning. The Phillies as an offense exploded that inning scoring 3 runs to beat the Braves 6-3.

Ryan Howard went 3 for 5 with 3 doubles and 4 RBIs. Victorino went 3-5 as well with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. Howard now has 11 doubles and he brought his average up to .214, a still struggling number.

Adam Eaton got the start but didn't get the decision. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 on a Mark Texiera home run, on 8 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 2. His ERA dropped slightly to 4.62.

Chad Durbin pitched 2 innings, striking out 2, to earn his 2nd win from the pen. Brad Lidge pitched a quick 1-2-3 ninth to record his 17th save.

The Phillies have now won 4 straight and are 15 and 4 in their last 19 games. They stay 3.5 games ahead of Florida and Atlanta drops to 6.5 games to the Phillies.

Next series probables @ Florida:
Tues 6/10 - Myers (3-7; 5.13) vs Nolasco (5-4; 5.05)
Wed 6/11 - Hamels (6-4; 3.36) vs Miller (4-5; 5.65)
Thur 6/12 - Moyer (6-3; 4.56) vs Olson (4-2; 3.44)

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Sixers Rumor: Elton Brand Interested

Comcast Sports Net:

If Elton Brand decided to opt out of his contract, he stated on ESPN Radio 950 that the 76ers are "without a doubt" on his list of possible teams. Brand, the Clippers power forward and the first pick of the 1999 draft, missed all but 8 games with an Achilles injury.

Brand would be a perfect fit for the Sixers. They need a low-post guy to get the boards and draw fouls and his 6'8'', 258 pound frame is exactly that.

Once the NBA free agency period begins on July 1, Brand can choose to remain with the Clippers next season – and earn $16.44 million – or he can opt out of his contract. If he comes to Philly, he will be reunited with Andre Miller. The two were teamates on the Clippers in 2003

“To opt out and make that big decision, you certainly have to look at teams under the cap,” Brand said. “And with a nucleus of young talent like they have, of course, you definitely have to look at them.”

“I’ve been hearing a lot of talk from being in the barbershop, being on the streets,” Brand said. “They’ve been saying, ‘Hey Brand, come to Philly.’ I’ve been getting a lot of that lately, so that’s funny.

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3 Homers Boost Phils to Win

Kyle Kendrick made one mistake in his solid outing as the Phillies won 6-2 over the rival Braves. This time, no come back was needed and neither was a game saving play at the plate. The Phillies continued their hot streak, winning 3 straight and 9 of their past ll.

Kendrick went 5.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. He managed to strike out 3 batters but his control was off, walking 5. He gave up a 2 run home run to MVP candidate Chipper Jones in the 6th. He was then taken out by Charlie Manuel.


Kendrick was relieved by Ryan Madson, JC Romero, Tom Gordon, and Brad Lidge. Gordon and Lidge each went an inning and struck out 3 batters a piece.

The bats were at work again as Carlos Ruiz got the scoring going with a solo homer in the 5th, his second of the year. Pat Burrell hit a solo home run in the 6th to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins added a 2 run bomb in the ninth to cushion the Phillies lead.

In the 8th, with the game locked up at 2, Chase Utley came through again with the go ahead run and Ryan Howard's base hit made it 4-2. Rollins' home run capped off the score in the ninth.

After a rough start in the season, the starting pitching seems like it has finally found its groove. The bull pen has remained stellar, with Gordon, Romero, and Lidge shining bright. At this pace, I wouldn't be surprised if at least 2 of those guys gets an All Star bid.

Speaking of All Stars, Chase Utley is a lock and Cole Hamels and Burrell also have good chances. With a first place Phillies team, we should be seeing multiple All Stars.

The Phillies are still 3.5 games ahead of Florida and improve to 5.5 on the Braves. Pitching tomorrow for the Phillies is Adam Eaton (2-3; 4.63), who has been excellent his last 3 games. He will face Jorge Campillo (2-0; 1.79).

Both Rollins' and Ruiz's home runs were their only hits of the night.

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Have a Nice Weekend

I will not be around for much of the weekend because I have a wedding and a beach house after-party to attend, so John Russo will be taking care of any news, rumors, and recaps that go on until Sunday night. I hope all goes smoothly for John. I hope he has good things to write about regarding the Phillies.

When I return I will answer our first question from the "Submit a Question" bulletin posted on our Myspace. It'll be available for reading on Sunday night or Monday morning. See the question below.

The first question is about what to do with Pat Burrell. Should he be traded at the break? Kept until the end? Or Resigned?

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Phillies Win in Luau

With 2 outs in the Top of the ninth and Eric Bruntlet on second and Pedro Feliz on first, Chris Coste popped up what looked like the final out. All second baseman Kelly Johnson had to do was get under the ball and squeeze it with 2 hands. But his little league mistake allowed him to drop the ball, scoring Bruntlett. Feliz was thrown out at the plate by a mile but the Phillies tied the game at 2.

Chris Snelling lead off the 10th with a double into the gap. Rollins bunted him to third and Shane Victorino followed by driving in the go ahead run on a 1 out triple in the top of the 10th to give the Phils a 3-2 lead. Chase Utley added a RBI double to cushion the lead as the Phillies went on to win 4-3.

The bottom of the 10th wasn't a pushover either. Brad Lidge got into early trouble and was bailed out by the best arm in the outfield. With 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Yunel Escobar had what looked like the game tying hit. With 1 runner in, Gregor Blanco followed suit. Victorino, who was playing shallow, scooped up the ball and in one motion threw out Blanco with Coste applying the tag a split second before Blanco's foot crossed the plate. A furious Bobby Cox yelled and screamed but to no avail.

Victorino finished the night 2-3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Both hits were triples. Chase Utley went 1-5 with 2 RBIs, one off the tenth inning double and another in the 1st inning when the Phillies took the 1-0 lead. Geoff Jenkins and Chris Snelling also doubled.

Tim Hudson got the start for the Braves and pitched very well enough to win. Unfortunately for him, Johnson's blunder ruined the outing. Hudson 7.2 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks. He also struck out 3. For the Phillies, Jamie Moyer started, pitching 5.1 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4. He gave up a long ball to Brian McCann. Brad Lidge earned his 16th save.

The Phillies have been red hot as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 games. The Phillies also extend their lead in the NL East by 3.5 games on the Marlins and 4.5 on Atlanta. Tomorrow, Kyle Kendrick (5-2; 5.00) will look to earn his 6th win as he faces Jo Jo Reyes (2-3; 4.78).

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Flyers Trade Ryan Potulny

The Flyers have traded forward Ryan Potulny for defenseman Danny Syvret. The Flyers solely made the trade based on need, which is clearly defense. The Flyers are already extremely deep at forward, so there was not much room for Potulny who will now likely get a chance to play in Edmonton.

Syvret is a soon to be 23 year-old defenseman who has been stuck in the Juniors and the AHL. Syrvet is a little undersized, but he can be a decent player to come up if there is an injury or suspension. He's not likely to a full-time starter or stay up for long periods of time in a season. Below is the scouting report from Hockey's Future:

The worst thing you can say about Syvret is that he will never be 6’3 and 215 pounds. His strong skating is rarely noticed, as he doesn’t get caught out of position much and with a talented group of forwards in front of him, he doesn’t have to carry the puck up ice. He makes good passes and knows when to take the safe play off the glass. He didn’t have much of a shot in his first two seasons in the league and tended to pass the puck off to teammates, but in his final year in the league he has developed a strong one timer and has been excellent at moving off the point deep into the offensive zone and burying some chances. Syvret is not big, but has strong legs and takes care of his own end with his smarts, positioning and skating ability. Despite the knock on him for his lack of size, he has never missed an OHL game due to injury and he plays big minutes for London.

Future

Syvret has begun the 2006-07 campaign in Grand Rapids and will fight for every minute of ice time he gets.

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Phillies Draft - High Risk, High Reward?

Today was the first day of Major League Baseball's amatuer draft. The Phillies like to tell you that they draft well, but truthfully, they have not drafted an impact player since Cole Hamels was drafted in 2002, 6 years ago. So, with their core getting older, you'd think they'd like forward to drafting players that will be able to making an impact with the team sooner than later, right? Nope not these Phillies.

The Phillies felt this year, it'd be better to take high risk guys, including using their first pick on a player who has been quoted that it'll take a big offer for him to not goto Vanderbilt University. Oh, and they reached on him as well. So let's go over their picks: (Scouting Reports taken from MLB.com

#24 - Anthony Hewitt - SS/CF - R/R - 19 - Salisbury School

As the spring wore on, few players had more helium than Hewitt, a toolsy high school shortstop. He can run and should hit for power down the road. A terrific athlete with a good arm, most feel a move to the outfield is likely so he can just go out and develop his considerable offensive tools. As a Northeast kid, he's a little raw, but has shown good improvement this spring. His name had been climbing up charts everywhere and the only thing that could hold him back is signability due to a commitment to Vanderbilt.

So, not only did the Phillies take a prospect that they will likely not be able to sign, they also reached in the first round for him.

Edited: It seems like Hewitt does want to sign now and the Phillies have been reported to say that he is penciled in to be a third baseman. The pick doesn't look as bad now. He's still either a big star or a big bust.

#34 Zach Collier - OF - L/L - 17 - Chino Hills HS (CA)

Zach Collier is the player that many mock drafts predicted the Phillies going with in the first round.

Collier began the year behind other California high school outfielders like Aaron Hicks and Anthony Gose. He closed the gap with some strong performances this spring, showing some big-time power in some big games. He's still very raw, but with some more instruction, a whole lot could be unlocked.

#51 Anthony Gose - OF - L/L - 17 - Bellflower HS (CA)

Another high risk/possibly high reward type guy. Gose can also pitch, but he has pretty much made it clear that he wants to play in the field. However, his best interest is to remain a pitcher. His bat is not consistent or good enough for the pros.

Depending on how he develops, Gose could fit one of two types. He could be a Corey Patterson type, one who flashes brilliance and hits for power but strikes out a lot. He also could be a Juan Pierre type, a leadoff hitter who sprays line drives and steals bases. Either way, someone will draft the Urban Youth Academy product based on his projectability. Gose has also drawn plenty of interest for his ability on the mound, throwing as hard as 97 mph from the left side, but he's been fairly adamant about wanting to be considered an outfielder only.

#71 Jason Knapp - RHP - R/R - 17 - North Hunterdon (NJ)
Some scouts seem to feel that Knapp is the top prospect in New Jersey and has the ability to throw a 100 mph fastball in the big leagues, while others feel that Knapp is the most overrated New Jersey prospect. He's also another guy who has committed to a university already. From Phuture Phillies:

Late in the spring, Knapp was pitching at 94-96 mph in short relief outings, and he could add velocity thanks to his loose arm and projectable 6-foot-5 frame, which started to shed some baby fat this spring. But the rest of Knapp’s stuff needs work, as so does his delivery. He tries to throw a three-quarters curveball from a lower arm slot that might be better suited for a slider, but the pitch shows decent depth from time to time. His changeup is also a work in progress but has good arm speed and fade. Knapp has fundamental flaws in his delivery, yet for all that, he could go in the top three rounds—or even rocket into the first round—if a club falls in love with his upside. Like Quinton Miller, he’s committed to North Carolina but is considered an easier sign.

Three of the Phillies first 4 picks were high risk guys either with position confusion or with signability issues. The Phillies other picks so far today have been.
#102 Vance Worley
#110 Jonathon Pettibone
#136 Trevor May
#166 Jeremy Hamilton
#196 Colby Shreve

To read more about these players, head on over to Phuture Phillies. They devote their website to draft and our prospects. They do a very good job at it as well.

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