Dodgers Sweep Lifeless Phillies Out Of First

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, August 15, 2008 09:18 AM

The Phillies were swept out of Dodger Stadium, clean and without much of a fight, in a 3-1 loss to Los Angeles Thursday night.

Hiroki Kuroda made it look easy against the Phillies lineup, but then again, who hasn’t? He went seven innings, giving up just one run on two hits. The Phillies never walked. The run was from a sac fly by Ryan Howard (congratulations on forgetful RBI 103, Ryan), not from a hit by anyone.

The actual hits came from Jayson Werth (who scored the run) and Chase Utley. Both hits were doubles, keeping the Phillies 40+ game extra-base hit streak intact.

Really, is there any more pointless, sad statistic than that?

The inept offense gave an unfortunate loss to Brett Myers, who mostly held the Dodger offense in check. He did surrender three runs, but threw pretty well in his seven frames. He struck out eight, mixing everything from his repertoire into his outing.

I won’t mercilessly kill the already dead horse, so I’ll just say the problem here and now: Offense. They should know why it’s a problem.

Oh, and the Phils are no longer a first place team. The Mets took care of the Nationals with — ahem — offense, and are now a game ahead. Good job, “good guys.”

Associated Press photo

Permalink Comments (185) | Trackback (1)

185 Responses to “Dodgers Sweep Lifeless Phillies Out Of First”

J Giuliano Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:21 am
This team has gotten me to the point that it makes me sick to watch them play…and for me, it’s been a LOOONG time since I’ve felt that way.
Griffin Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:27 am
well, last year was fun!

Let’s go Brewers (in the playoffs…vs. the Muts)!
Mackey Sasser Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:30 am
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!! F*ck you, what? Hahahaha, Philly. Keep crying. LETS GO METS! LETS GO METS!
Dennis Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:38 am
It’s funny how Mets fans come out of the woodworks every time they get into first place. F-ing cockroaches! They are just like Cowboy fans. Remember when the Mets got into first place a few weeks ago? How that work out for them? Don’t jump ship yet Phils fans! Hang in there…
Greg V. Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:38 am
At this rate, I’ve lost all hope of winning the division. I’m actually hope we have a winning season.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Dennis.. they are scumbags.. and I actually asked a couple of them to post on here regularly and we could keep intelligent conversations going about what each team needs to do etc.. but they all disappear and then come back.. and then the Muts will fall out of 1st again.. and their fans will go away.. its a never-ending cycle.

If we don’t make the playoffs, I actually want to see the Marlins get in, because it amazes me that they are still hangin around
BeatWitUgglaStick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:53 am
lol you are ridiculus Don M … ripping on mets fans why? becasue a few of them come on your blog and say stuipd things? well go check out Metsblog and we get the same thing … stuipd phillie fans doing the same thing. So met fans are scumbags and phillie fans are all so great and grand. I will admit there are stuipd met fans out there but there are just as many if not more stuipd phillies fans out there. Are you in NY? If so then you would see that the marjority of mets fans support there team first or last.
Anthony Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:00 am
First things first, I’m a huge Mets fan. Please, do not think the d-bags like “Sasser” are like all Mets fans. For the most part, we are a very intelligent bunch, who will always welcome a heated and smart discussion, just like most Phils fans. As for my opinion, I’d bet a lot of money that the Mets and Phils will flip flop at least 5 more times before the end of the season. Both teams are just way too inconsistent right now. Every Mets fan is saying a novena when the bullpen comes in right now. And the Phils hit a little slump at a bad time. And I think the Fish are pretty much done, especially if they lose to the Cubbies this weekend. So don’t let a stupid, juvenile, rogue Mets fan ruin what has been a decent season so far.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’m not on Metsblog.. and if I was.. I would expect people to talk smack on me too… ESPECIALLY if I only posted things when my team wins games.. they were obnoxious on here last time the Mets grabbed a share of 1st… then we didn’t hear from them.. but now that they are in 1st again, hear they come.. crawling out form the woodwork.

But really the Mets don’t scare me at all, the Marlins at least have the pitching to contend
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Tim, I’m going to bed. I want to apologize to you, Brian, Rob, and the rest of Philliesnation for making a fool of myself. I do not suggest doing it to anyone, I was just trying to lighten the mood because I was in a giddy mood. I would really appreciate it if noone on this site holds it against me, and I’d appreciate it if you took down my few posts. I’d also like to thank truth hurts for making me realize how dumb I was for posting on here. I also want to let everyone know that I do not abuse drugs besides beer and pot, and I don’t even “abuse” them. I was just doing something as a bon voyage to summer. Once again I give my sincere apologies.
BeatWitUgglaStick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am
lol and the mets dont have pitching to contend? I guess you have missed how Santana, Perez, Pelf, Miane back and looked great, and Pedro pitching good of late have been doing … Wagner coming back …. yes you are right we have no pitching …. so are bullpen is not that great right now well last time I checked the philles blew 2 games this week why? becasue there bullpen …. and your not scared of the mets who have dominated your team this year …. whats the phillies record against the mets this year don M?
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Phil… sleep it off brotha.. and then get like a cheesesteak or some kinda heavy food in your system.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:12 am
hahhahaha I take it you’ve been there done that? You know what sucks? I have work at 5. I’m just starting to feel tired now. Ugh.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Luckily I’m an insomniac so lack of sleep shouldn’t bother me anyway.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:14 am
You want to talk about frontrunners…here come the coachroach slime met fans oozing out of the foundation. worst fans in baseball, or maybe any sport i think. total double-dealing trash. can you thnk of worse fans? even the really really really negative eagle fans arent as bad as met fans.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
yeah man you definitely need to get some sleep or you wont be making it to work. ive notced that people are usually out of commission for a day afterwards anyway.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am
honestly, nobody cares about the mets. even if the mets win the world series somehow, and there is a ZERO percent chance of that happening, still nobody will care about the mets.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Geoff, last time I did it was New Years eve a couple of years ago. I came home, slept for a few hours, then went and partied on 2 street all day. It was actually really epic.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Anyway, bed time. Goodnight guys. Thanks for no hard feelings Don M and Geoff. Don M, I know we don’t always agree, but I do think you’re one of the best posters on here. I just usually can’t deal with your optimism. I’m a pessimist by nature. Luckily I’ll be a little more optimistic after last night, for at least a couple of weeks.
BeatWitUgglaStick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Yes I can think of worst fans … hmm well Phillies fans lol they are front running bastards …. Eagle fans boo McNabb when he is drafted the guy is a one one team with only one option westbrook gives his heart and soul to the eagles but yet he is booed and hated in Philly. But yea mets fans are worse you are right.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:20 am
They are rocking us this year.. but we only play them a few more times.. Just wait and see.. if the Mets make the playoffs, and the Phillies don’t.. you are officially my daddy.

Pedro is done.. he’ll definitely get hurt again this season.

Santana and Maine are awesome…

Perez is a mess, and if he can hold it together for the whole season, i’ll be impressed…

Pelfrey is a glorified Kyle Kendrick..

If pitching was supposed to be the Mets strong point, just as the Offense was going to the Phillies strong point, both teams are in trouble… but I’ll take the team with better pitching, in this case.. my guys…
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
i gained a new level of perspective after reading chapter 4 of the watchmen. the one that focuses on the dr manhattans ability to shift his primary consciousness to any point in time of his life and experience things over again. that was quite interesting. highly esoteric
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am
no trips, ever… i was the typical college guys with the beers and the smoking though.. I just know that a good cheesesteak always cures everything.

BUT.. regarding your earlier post.. if me, you, and Geoff didn’t always have differing views.. this site wouldn’t be much fun now would it?? Somewhere along the line, I just started to realize the “business” side of sports, and tried to stop taking it so personally.. I want me team to win, but Im not going to cry when they lose..
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Yeah, I’ve been esoteric all night Geoff.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I actually decided I’m going to shower and shave now so when I have work I don’t have to do as much when I wake up. I’ll be back in like 20 minutes, hopefully more tired.
PSU Fan Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:25 am
As we all know, Phillies management will be sending out their annual interest free loan request (aka. post season ticket invoice to season ticket holders, like me). Hopefully this year I don’t add another set of World Series tickets to my wall (along with the 2007, 2006, and 2005 tickets that already adorn this memorial to “what could have been”). I say we start a boycott for people to not purchase the post-season package (unless, for some act of Jeebus, they are up by 5-10 games by that point early next month).
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:26 am
somebody get that video of “all the Eagles fans booing McNabb” and then count the fans… I think it was probably about 20 guys… most of whom had their faces painted… if you are 40 years old, and you paint your face.. you are a nerd, regardless of what team you cheer for..

BeatWitUgglaStick… are you a Mets fan or a Marlins fan??
BeatWitUgglaStick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:26 am
and no one cares about the phillies outside of your town. We have more mets fans at mets phillies games in philly then you …. we have more mets fans in florida, washington, calie but yea no one cares if we win
BeatWitUgglaStick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:28 am
How is Utley doing on the MVP this year? I mean come on you have the last 2 MVP’s on your team and they dont even want to be there they rather be somewhere else. Great origanzation your team is running over there.
Tim Malcolm Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:30 am
To get through college (everyday life at a college paper, work, girlfriends, classes) I drank a lot of 40s.
Ben Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:36 am
As a Phillies fan living in Mets area, Mets fans are pathetic. Just as quick to throw stones at their players, but no one cares enough to go to games when they suck. Mets fan only care about the team when they win even if they really care then. All the Mets fans I know barely even follow their team. Listening to Mets fans whine and complain is always a treat.
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Don M, & Geoff

I don’t mean to attack you guys personally, but I will respond critically to your remoreful remarks against Mets fans.

I know several Mets fans come in here and basically mock your team when they lose; they are cowards. Where were they when our team lost to the miserable Pirates in embarrassing fashion, at home nonetheless? The point is, if you decide to attack a Mets fan, make it a singular attack. Likely, these spiteful Mets fans should only comment if they have something interesting and thought-provoking to contribute. I comment on this blog-site because it is simple and convenient, unlike the non-user friendly format of Metsblog.com.

I wonder why your team is experiencing an offensive slump. I always purchase MLB Extra Innings so that I could watch my fellow NL East team plays, especially if my Mets plays a 7PM ET game and another NL East team plays a 10PM ET, West Coast game.; or vice versa. Mr. Vin Scully, broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was ripping your team throughout your four game series in L.A. How do guys/women feel about his demeaning attitude towards your team?

I still say that your team should have invested in Rowand, who’s hitting .286, 11 dingers and 62 RBI. Wouldn’t you agree?

P.S. I have tickets to the same day you guys have your “Take Over Shea Day” outing. I’ll see you there! Let’s keep it civil.

David
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Im trying to go up to Citifield next year when the phillies go up there for a series. anyone else small a bus trip coming?
Mr. Met Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:48 am
You ask for intelligent conversation yet you Sy-Phillies fans bring nothing to the table other than, “No one cares about the Mets outside of New York”. How about a little respect? I know the season isn’t done yet.. 41 games left! Your offense will wake up, probably with a vengence! The line up is too stacked with talent to stay in a slump for long. But when your MVP SS calls you fans “front-runners”, time to readjust your attitude. You are (for the time being) only one game out of first and some of you are ready to tune out and start praying for the NFL season to start. Where’s the love?
What you need is consistant offense, just like every other team in the NL. And a bullpen that won’t cough up the lead, a’la the Mets bullpen of late. This will be an amazing finish from here on out.

Let’s go Mets!
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Gotta love Mets fans that want to keep it civil. I like that. It’s nice to talk baseball with a fellow rival sports fan, I just hate the trolls. Why are MEts fans throwing Wright under the bus this year anyway? That guy is a tremendous player.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:51 am
vin scully is trash.

the phillies are slumping because, to an extent, theyre overrated, but theyre not focused on playing simple baseball at all. the longball offense has devolved into an anemic offense. theyve relief on the honerun so much that they cant hit anywhere and are worse at home. well there are a few sensible met fans, i suppose.

if i had children, i wouldnt take them to shea stadium though ill tell you that much.
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I don’t want to throw a red herring out there, but do you guys feel that the Eagles v. Giants rivalry is more popular than a Jets v. Eagles rivalry? Are the Jets and Eagles even rivals? Pardon my NFL ignorance, as I am a NBA / MLB type of guy.

P.S. Is Tom Gordon done as a Phillie?
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Considering Victorino and Rowand have very similar offensive numbers this year, and I think that VIctorino is as good, or better than Rowand defensively.. I think it was a very smart move not be be paying Rowand close to $10 M per season.. Victorino makes like $9,120,000 less than Rowand this year..

IF.. they spend that free money on a pitcher in the offseason, Its a great move to let Rowand go.. if they don’t get a pitcher, then it goes back to them being cheap
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Not at all. Jets are in a different division. The JEts and Eagles are no more of rivals than the Yankees and Phillies.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Agreed Don M. Unfourtantely there were no good pitchers on the market last year really. A lot of pitchers don’t want to pitch here because of the fans and ballpark. I read that a couple of years ago. It is probably just a cop out excuse, although it makes sense. Maybe the front office was looking to 09 with this team?
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Who the hell are the Jets?? No, they aren’t rivals at all… I think the biggest actual rival for the Eagles is the Cowboys.. though the Cowboys and Redskins consider themselves rivals.. which means the Eagles and Giants are?? I can’t wait until their new football stadium opens, i hate watching games on TV that are at the meadowlands.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Don M, the Eagles/Cowboys rivalry is actually deep routed into something political. I forget what off the top of my heads. Let me look it up and get back to you.
Rob Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Would we even be having this stupid argument over fanhood on our blog if the Phil’s didn’t get swept last night? I think not. What does that say? I mean, unless all you mets fans regularly check/post on Philliesnation, I can’t really tell.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:57 am
its alright Phil.. i don’t especially care about it that much.. now that the T.O. thing is the main story there its pretty crappy to watch anyway cause thats all the announcers talk about
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:00 am
True. I don’t like football anyway.
Alex Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Two pathetic hits is all they could muster. They made Kuroda look like the second coming of Walter Johnson. Go back and look at the schedule, the offensive statistics, and the W-L record since Friday, June 13. They scored 20 runs in St. Louis that night. (The second time in less than 3 weeks they scored 20.) Conlin was writing that this was the greatest offense in team history. They have not been the same team since that 20-run outburst. They ended up losing that series, and have been in a downward spiral since. Had it not been for road sweeps against the pathetic Braves and Nationals, in July, they would be in an even worse predicament than they’re in now. To sum things up, the bullpen is leaking oil, two of the starters are inconsistent, and the offense can’t do jack! October baseball seems more-and-more out of reach with each passing day.
Rob Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:01 am
does it have to do when the eagles tried to charge the cowboys city wage tax on their game salary when dallas played in philly on year?
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:02 am
True Alex. I wonder if the true slump came after that Red Sox game, and the rest of the games against the AL just put the nail in the coffin?
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Why did you guys let go of Barajas? He’s hitting a pedestrian .257, but has 10 dingers and 40 RBI. Meanwhile, Ruiz is hitting .218, 2 dingers and a sad 21 RBI. The age difference as only 4 years!

I know that Barajas had a terrible year last year with a .230 average, but he didn’t even play 50 games.

Why the hype with Ruiz? I’ve never understood that.

Likely, do you feel that your bullpen guys are starting to develop dead arms? Is it mental?

Why don’t you guys bring up someone like our team’s Daniel Murphy? Are there any possibilities of a decent catcher you could call up?
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am
If it happened in the 70s it may have been, but I think it had something to do with a specific player.
Phil Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Lou Marson. He’s going to be the saving grace to this team in Sept. He’s in China right now though.
Rob Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Saving grace? You think? I mean, he’s still yet to play a major league game and catcher is clearly the most taxing position.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:15 am
The bullpen is definitely leaking oil. They need one, mayb etow more arms in there just to get through the season. They need to put marson in the lineup ASAP. we know about ruiz, but coste is useless up there at the plate. you need something from you catcher. look at russell martin.

also, rod barajas was worse than these two guys last year. he was that bad. im prepared to start playing jason donald every other day when he gets back. jimmy rollins isnt cutting it out there anymore and i need to see if donald is capable of anything.

they need to just use this time to figure out if lou marson, jason donald, greg golson, carrasco, castro, etc. are really ready to get it done next season. if the teams plays well and makes the playoffs, fine, thats great but dont keep sending the same trash lineup out there every night when it hasnt produced anything in TWO MONTHS> the first game of the slump was a tuesday night game i went to against the red sox. moyer got the loss. they won the first game of the series and then went flat. they havent been the same since then. two or three good performances since then and tahts about it.
Georgie Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:21 am
hey guys, just catching up on posts from last nite and this a.m., at 50+ years of age, I need my sleep, just couldn’t get myself all wound up again. I never expected that they would get swept in lala land, what a disappointment! Phil, you’re excused (by me, at least) for your little journey last nite. While I was living in West Halls at PSU many, many years ago, I accidently dumped my bong water out of my window onto an unsuspecting Joe Paterno.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:26 am
David… its a common thing that good athletes come to Philadelphia and die… but once they leave town, they are reborn.. it happens ALL THE TIME. Barajas and Helms were supposed to be good bench guys.. as was Taguchi. $1,000 says that Taguchi hits .300 as a pinch-hitter wherever he plays after Philadelphia.

The bullpen is definitely tired.. or as Durbin said the other night.. his pitches just weren’t doing what they normally do.. it happens throughout the season.. just sucks that its happening to them all at the same time
Alex Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:26 am
The AL is just so much stronger than the NL. This has been the case for a few years now. The pitching they faced against the Red Sox, Angels, and A’s was much superior than what they face in the NL. That just put the bats into an even deeper slump. Not only are they not hitting, but when they get runners into scoring position, they don’t bring them home or make productive outs. How many times recently, have they had a runner on third with less than two outs and he doesn’t score. This team is just not fundamentally sound. Here is an example. Look at the offensive talent on the Phillies and then compare it to the Twins. Denard Span, Nick Punto, Jason Kubel, Carlos Gomez, Brendan Harris, Delmon Young. I could go on and on. The Twins have a certain way of doing things. Ron Gardenhire and Mike Scioscia teams ALWAYS play fundamental baseball. Since 1986 the Twins have only had two managers. They’re almost always in the bottom third in payroll but they always compete and they’ve won two World Series since 1987. It all comes from the manager. The two teams in MLB who play the most fundamental baseball are also the two teams with arguably the two best managers. They pitch well, play great defense, and move runners along. Do our guys do that? When we had a manager that demanded they play the game right (Bowa) there was a near player revolt. CASE CLOSED!
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:27 am
the way these guys are going, they couldnt hit a beachball with a tennis racket.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:30 am
oh yea.. and with Ruiz.. he was never really going to be counted on to drive in runs. they have said many times that they want him to focus on calling a good game, and playing good defense (he does both)

He hit .300 in the minors, so I don’t think they expected his offense to be this bad, but when he’s the #8 hitter on the team, its not really something that should be an issue.

Marson can hit (at AA-reading).. so I don’t know how well he’s going to do in the Majors.. I’m willing to bet that he gets a strong look at Spring Training, and he’ll have to hit close to .300 in the spring to start the year with the Phillies, otherwise he’d probably go to the AAA-Iron Pigs
Rick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I think as soon as Marson gets back from China the Phillies have to bring him up! They need a productive bat to shake up this order along with some young blood and energy. How is he defensively? Anyone know?

The team just seems so lifeless right now. They don’t seem together. They need another Colorado tarp incident or something! Anything to bring them together and get them playing like a team!
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:31 am
my favorite line for lack of hitting..

“He couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a Fcuking BOAT!” ..not sure where its from though
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Yeah taht really bothered me. bowa demanded fundamentals and was adament about it and they whined about it. you know what? you cant take that, get out, all of them. everyone who bitches about being yelled at can leave the team now.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:34 am
damn , yea i forgot about Sept callups… Golson is a def.. Marson should be too, so they can pinch-hit for Ruiz when they need it, and not have to use like Werth or someone if they ever needed to.

I wonder what pitchers they might bring up.. I heard that Sept rosters go up to 40 guys.. but what is the real deal with that, they obviously dont add 15 players to the bench.. how many can they really add??

I think Marson has twice as many errors as Ruiz.. but also twice as many hits.. which is why people wanted him up so badly.. if he works on defense over the offseason, he’ll make himself that much more valuable
Dennis Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:35 am
The fact is, right now the Phillies or the Mets can’t compete with the other NL playoff teams! Even if one of them make it they are not going to win a series. Neither team did anything at the deadline and it’s just unacceptable. The two most underacheiving(outside Tigers) and possibly overrated teams in baseball. I hope Mets fans would agree with me on this….
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:36 am
David, the only sensible Mets fan,

Keeping Ruiz over Barajas was for his defense/ ability to call a game. There really is no hype over Ruiz’s offense at all and the only reason we have him now is his chemistry with our pitchers which is alot more valuable than a couple more home runs from a catcher.

Bringing up Marson would be just boneheaded right now, dont kill his development and bring a 3rd catcher in only to split time at most. Maybe a Sept 09 call up, now is wayy to early.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:39 am
the pitchers? carrasco and castro seem obvious. carrasco will be the only starter. i think theyll audition a few relievers. they need solid relief help BADLY even with eyre and walrond pitching well in their last outings.
Rick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Believe it or not, I think Kendrick’s on a short leash right now with Benson, Carrasco, and Happ all pitching well. I know he has 10 wins, but. . .I still think Charlie is going to have a very quick hook with him. He does still need an out-pitch. If he can develop one in the offseason look-out next year.

As far as Marson’s defense, I wonder how pitcher’s like him as a receiver. That was one of the main things that helped Coste get up. Cory Lidle liked pitching to him. I just know that from reading his book. I like Coste, but I think his fun in the sun is dwindling. It’s been a great story, but all great things must come to an end eventually.

So 40-man callups will be:

carrasco
marson
bohn

Who else? I think one thing to keep an eye on is Dobbs’ and Vic’s injuries. They’re going to need another infielder. Can we…uhhh…get….uhhh….Constanza back????
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:48 am
yeah. donald has to be the man there. you HAVE to find out if he can play. if you can, that means that he or rollins are expendable in offseason dealings. if not, then youre stuck with an unhappy j-roll and a prospect that isnt reayd yet or that noone wants.

i like coste, but he got a lot of PT this year, and showed that he cant hit too well. shame, great story though.

i do think kendrick needs to get an out pitch. he MUST have one by the start of next season or he may not last long in the majors before being demoted. if he gets hammered again, they might make a move there. ive been on kendricks side, but you CANT get hammered once every 4/5 times out. maybe its ok once every 7-9 starts from a 4/5 guy whos going to give up 4 runs half the time anyway. if you can get his ERA in the mid-low 4’s then youve got a decent back end guy there.
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Thanks for your insightful input TJ & Don M…

As I’ve mentioned several times before, Dennis hit the nail on the head. Sometimes I begin to think to myself, “Who cares? The Mets or Phillies won’t make it past the NLDS.” Then again, look at what happened to my Mets in the NLCS in 1988 and 2006. Both the Dodgers and Cardinals won those two years. Apalling…

I wonder where Ollie Perez will go after this year. You know he’s going to want big cash, considering who his agent is. I wonder if the Phillies will make a run for him. Marlins? Braves? We all know the BoSox and Yankees will go after him, but I wonder if an NL East team besides the Mets will give him some money.

What’s going on with Happ? Is he turning out to be a Lastings Milledge-type player, where he is overly hyped and is having a mediocore season in D.C.? Maybe he needs time.

What do you guys feel about our bullpen? Let’s be objective here, and not too gruesome.

P.S. What was it that ticked Phillies fans with Wagner? It completely forgot. That was the year that we let go of Mike Jacobs. If only we’d kept him.
Rick Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Wagner was pretty much just a jack@ss! He ran his mouth and isn’t much of a team player.

I don’t believe he was well liked among his teammates while in red pinstripes. In particular, he and Pat Burrell did not get along. Pat called him a rat hence the nickname Billy “The Rat” Wagner. He probably isn’t well liked among his Mets teammates either. He’s just an abrasive personality.

If the Phillies are tied in the bottom of the 9th against the Mets at CBP, the person I want batting is Pat Burrell. Burrell seems to have an uncanny knack for getting to Wagner.

Heilman is a ticking timebomb everytime he pitches it seems, right?

There’s nothing wrong with JA Happ. There’s just nowhere for him right now. He needs to be pitching every five days so they sent him back down. He should be a fine 4 or 5. He might even project as a 3 at some point, but I’m not really sure?
Georgie Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Didn’t Wagner also throw the team under the bus by saying in a post-game interview that some of the team didn’t care if they won or lost, can’t remember if he mentioned names, but it was all downhill from there.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I think the mets bullpen is trash, wagner can still get it done but not nearly as reliably as before. without him, theres a lot of junk there. heilman, schowenweis, wasnt joe smith supposed to be good?, duaner sanchez, i like ambiorix burgos but i gues he isnt reayd yet? i dunno there. the need 2-3 new arms in that bullpen next year.

perez wants carlos silva money. he wont get it, not consistent enough. but you never know. the phillies wont give him that. if youre going to spend 11-12mm on perez, why not just spend 15-18 on ben sheets? or some trendy japanese starter who no hitters have seen yet?
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
JA Happ has been mismanaged recently, but hes righted himself in AAA again. waiting for the call up, again. they found out you cant put him in the bullpen at least, but hes good insurance in case kendrick craps out a few more times. or like, once more.

Im still nervous abotu butting kris benson in a major league game. i kind of feel hed still last about 3 inning and get shelled for like 8 runs.
Richie Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
This whole season is like a goddamn nightmare. I reall y wish I could just wak up when september ends and not deal with this agony.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Not that we are the Cardinals… BUT… look at some teams that won the World Series.. the Cards won 83 games that year.

So once you get to the Playoffs you never know who can win what… MOST experts last year picked the Phillies to beat the Rockies… NOBODY had the Rockies going to the World Series even with how great they were down the stretch.. so the goal is to make the postseason, and then you just take your chances from there.. I don’t need them to win 100 games if you only need 86 to win the NL East… But i would feel more confident going into the playoffs of course
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The only thing they could do with Happ is have him take the place of Kendrick.. and I’ve said before, I trust Kendrick more than I do Happ…

Kendrick just needs to be more consistent.. but when he is on, he’s very effective (I know you can say that about every pitcher, but you know what i mean).. he’s good more than he is bad..

They did not think Myers was going to come back this strong and that is definitely the reason that Happ was called-up in the first place…
Jonathan Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I’m getting to the point now where I’m starting not to stress over each individual loss. Jimmy and Ryan said it–they feel the fans are too much frontrunners, much unlike the Cardinals fans who support their team no matter what. The truth is, our division sucks, and even with this inconsistent play or inability to beat good teams, we might still have a chance to win the division. And then. . . who knows? Funny things can happen in October. Think of the Cardinals who won the World Series a couple years ago, essentially just getting by with inconsistent play after the all star break.
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Jonathan,

You’re making a valid point, similar to the one I stated several blogs ago, but keep in mind that this “cinderella” type story in October is rare, and can currently apply to many teams in both the NL and AL. One tends to cling on to these hopeful aspirations when the stretch is very close, but as you know, whomever gets hot in September can ride it through October. Believe it or not, the Marlins can get hot in mid-September and ride it through. It’s more than plausible.

I’m just glad there is finally a rivlary that isn’t restricted to, “Team NL EAST versus Atlanta.”
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Im on board with you about kendrick. happ had 2 decent starts, better stuff, but worse control. eh, hed be ok if you put him in but theres no room for him and theyre not the pirates who can try out 5th starters like nad nfl teams try out kickers. just bring in a guy for the sake of bringing in a guy and see if he can pitch as the 5th starter.

kendrick went 8 shutout inning against the A’s, which was pretty impressive. i think he just needs to be able to get the ERA down half-3/4 of a point and be able to go one more inning per start on average. usually he goes 5-6 and when hes on he goes 6-7 except the one 8 inning win. if he can give you 6-7 innings consistently at low 4’s era thats pretty good from a 5th starter.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
This team just has to make you feel bad this year and being in first for much of it just makes me feel like an unappreciative ignorant fan, how can you not support your team when their in first place…

Well this team is running on fumes and luck, there’s no passion and no sings their prepared and going out ther playing solid fundementals to break out of the slump, we’re a team of presser and hackers who’ll win games when they connect deep and loose games when they come up empty. Where’s the passion? The hustle? The fundementals? The swagger?

I don’t care if we get swept because we’ve come up against a team that are just better or they jump on the bullpen etc. But we’re getting beaten because the team is lifess. The FO couldn’t make deals after months of time to scout and prepare, the offense can’t sustain itself and many outs are automatic in many games. What the hell is going on? A team in first place doesn’t wing it unless they don’t intend to be in first place for long.
doubleh Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I don’t think the Phils will take a run at Ollie Perez; our pitching coach isn’t talented enough to handle two mental cases (Myers and Perez) on one roster. I bet the Yanks go after him hard, since he always kills them.

Happ is just blocked by a surprisingly effective rotation. He’ll be the first one called up should anyone drop off. I think, maybe, that’s why the rotation has been so good. There’s competition that’s driving the starters. Our offensive lineup doesn’t have the same sense of urgency because, let’s face it, none of their jobs are in jeopardy. Only guys in their walk years are having notable seasons.

The Mets bullpen is beyond awful. It’s what’s holding you back from leading the division. Every time the Phillies have beaten you this year (or taken you extras) it was due to a BP implosion. Heilman is esp. bad. As bas as our GM is at not addressing our inconsistent offense, Minaya is culpable for not addressing the Mets’ pen, in the off-season or on the waiver wire. How many games has Santana lost because of the BP?

Wagner was well liked while he was here, regardless of what he says. He left for the Mets for more money and talked smack about the fans and organization as he was leaving–and talked to the media about the goings on in the locker room (big baseball no-no) which led to bad blood between Wags and Burrell, among others. Oh, and then there’s the key games in the WC race to the Astros that he blew saves in…b/c as we all know, he has a problem saving games against his former teams.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Sub 4 ERA with 7IPs is more than pretty good from a 5th starter. Remember Peavey only goes 7 most outings.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Geoff,

Just read this on CNNSI.com kinda backing up my point that just because we didn’t have what they were looking for, doesn’t mean our guys were “sleeping”

“Matt LaPorta, OF, Indians. The ex — Brewers farmhand was worth giving up CC Sabathia — a disciplined middle-of-the-order bat for the next decade.”
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Missing Sabathia was because the Indians didn’t like the deal, missing a LH reliever was sleeping because the FO made it clear they wanted a 2nd LHP in the pen since they gave up on Castro in ST. Our FO for some reason feel compelled to play by their own rules making reaches instead of sensible deals or just going quiet and hoping the problem irons itself out if they can’t make the deal.
David, The Mets fan from Queens Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
In essence, the breakdown of the NL East is a follows:

Mets: Terrible bullpen. And I mean TERRIBLE.

Phils: Slumping offense; signs of a tired bullpen for now.

Marlins: Bad fundamentals, especially when fielding.

Braves: They have no starting rotation and lost their hottest hitters (McCann & Larry) due to injuries for a big chunk of the season. Their best hitter Teixeira was traded for a mediocore one, Kotchman.

Nats: Well, you know.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Sometimes you just dont have what the other teams were looking for… we’ll be able to trade major-leauge testest, and major-league ready pitching this offseason if we want too, which not many teams can say.

Hamels, (blank), Blanton, Myers, Moyer… Carrasco, Kendrick, Happ…. (damn, I left out Adam Eaton, sorry about that)

But if they add someone legit that gives us amazing depth and still gives Carrasco, and Savery, etc.. lots of time to get themselves ready
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
The Braves deal for Kotchman was as good an attempt at damaged limitations as you can get. Teix was gone and very well could end up in Baltimore leaving his last team with only a sandwich pick. Kotchman is a very solid consistent bat who plays 1st very well and could develop 30 HR power and he’s still young and under team control. Can’t fault that deal one bit.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
You know how there are all those fan clubs in the park…

what about:

Rollins’ DOESN’T HUSTLE THIS YEAR..(dress up like couch potatoes)

Eaton’s TERRIBLE… (dress up like bank robbers)
Bruce Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Don M ask…”I wonder what pitchers they might bring up.. I heard that Sept rosters go up to 40 guys.. but what is the real deal with that, they obviously dont add 15 players to the bench.. how many can they really add??

Don’t be surprised if Eaton joins Happ in Sept. callups. (chuckle)
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
PHIL….

Remember how we were talking about TEX contract yesterday.. and I said that he’s going to get something close to Soriano’s $136 – 8year deal..??

CNNSI.com has him reported as rejecting a deal from Texas last summer $144 – 8year deal… he was seeking a $200 M contract.. but, Heyman thinks he will sing about a $168 million – 8year deal. ($21 million per season)…
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Very simple on Rollins point about the fans: you play like a professional who cares about the game and the fans will shut up (they have to), you stop hustling and the fans have every right to shout from the stands.

I don’t think anyone here really cares Rollins is having an average year far below what was expected, we care about the fact the guy stopped hustling and doesn’t have a problem with that attitude.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I think eventhough they “promised” Eaton a callup… they’ll tell him he’s just not good enough. Or at least that is what I hope and pray.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Sorry to anyone that doesn’t care about this.. its from CNNSI.com’s Jon Heyman.

Below is an early rundown of the top seven free agents to be in terms of likely total contract, listed by projected free-agent haul (the dollar figures are mine):

1. Teixeira, Angels, 1B
The Angels traded a young player they loved in Casey Kotchman (and generally speaking, no one loves young talent more than them), to get Teixeira basically for the month of October since their playoff ticket is already punched. They should have some competition, though, likely from the even-richer-than-usual Yankees, who not only have $88 million in contracts coming off the books but a new stadium bringing in untold riches, plus the hometown Orioles, Mariners, and possibly the Mets and several others. Teixeira reportedly rejected a $144 million, eight-year offer from the Rangers last summer, so the baseline is probably set there. The goal is to sign baseball’s third $200 million deal (Alex Rodriguez signed the first two.) Best guess: $168 million, eight years.

2. Sabathia, Brewers, SP
He could not possibly have enhanced his already winning hand any more than he has. By pulling a Rick Sutcliffe (Cubs, 1984), Sabathia has ensured he’ll at least equal Johan Santana’s record contract unless he limits the field geographically — and most think he won’t do that. While he’s a Californian building a home in Orange County (near the Angels), the Yankees are likely to reach deep into their even deeper pockets to try to win the heart of the Vallejo, Calif., native with no knocks against him unless someone wants to get picky about his … hmm … large size. Best guess: $150 million, six years.

3. Ramirez, Dodgers, OF
There will be those who say he shouldn’t profit from his deplorable behavior at the end of his stay in Boston. And it’s true there wasn’t too much of a trade market for him, as the Red Sox had to work things hard right until the last minute before the deadline to get it done. But not everyone’s memory is so long. Fresh in the minds of many folks will be how he resurrected the Dodgers’ hopes for an NL West crown. If the Dodgers wanted him when he was barely trying, the guess is that they’ll want him more now. I don’t believe he really wants to go home to play for the Yankees, and they may not go after him, anyway. But even though he loved Cleveland’s quiet, he did go for the loot last time in Boston, and that worked out OK except for the last few weeks. Best guess: $75 million, three years, but it could be anywhere from $20 million to $100 million.

4. Dunn, D’backs, OF
Sorry Adam. I don’t see a $100 million deal in your future. Too many folks (even well beyond Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi) see him as an all-or-nothing player who rarely comes through in the clutch. Still, he’s a major power threat, and there aren’t many of those. He wasn’t exactly coveted before the trade deadline, but eventually Arizona agreed to part with Micah Owings and two minor leaguers, which had to make him feel a little bit better. He probably should get J.D. Drew money. Best guess: $70 million, five years.

5. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels, RP
He’s apparently wants to meet or beat Mariano Rivera’s $15 million salary, and coming off what promises to be a record-breaking season, who’s to say he won’t? Bobby Thigpen was never the same after saving a record 57 games in 1990; he would save only 54 more games the rest of his career. But that doesn’t mean K-Rod won’t have more good years in him. The Angels’ offer last offseason was only for a reported $34 million over three years. GMs are impressed that he’s reinvented himself but that there are concerns about his drop in velocity, down to the low 90s. But on the mound, he’s been lights out. He deserves whatever he gets, and the guess here is that he’s a rare free agent who’ll hit his target. Best guess: $60 million, four years.

6. Ben Sheets, Brewers, SP
The upside, on display in his walk year, is fabulous. The downside is the injuries that have dogged him basically every year but this one. When healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. But when is he healthy exactly? Oh, now, right. Baseball people compare him to Jason Schmidt, who as a medical question mark signed a three-year, $47 million Dodgers deal. Best guess: $51 million, three years.

7. Pat Burrell, Phillies, OF
He’s come back nicely from a brutal year of a few years ago to reestablish himself as a pretty good offensive player. He’s had a lot of big hits this year. Of course, many of them have come in Citizen’s Bank Jokeyard. Best guess: $48 million, four years.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Teix wants a record settling deal for a 1st basement, a long time Boras fan who teams passed on in the draft because of Boras’s ludicrous demands is going to have just as ludicrous demands for his big FA deal, unless he A-Rod or Sheffy’s Boras in the negotations.
lilgartrn Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I don’t know if it’s the car accident I was in last night caused some brain trauma but I’m thinking to shake up this team,

Bruntlett – 1st base – bench Howard and see if he can rejuvinate his swing
Dobbs – 3rd base
Myers – closer or off to wife beater island
Happ – try and start; what’s the worst that could happen.
Anyone worth trading Taguchi for?
And reclaim 1st on merit….

Suggestions…..
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
um, laporta has barely done anything at the olympics at all. he had one good game against a horribel dutch side. marson and donald have done as much..
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Sounds to me like you hit your head pretty hard.. .I sincerely hope you’re alright though.. guessing you are since you’re posting on Phillies blog
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Simple stop allowing the players like Rollins and Howard to continue playing like they do, you don’t bench your star 1st basement to rejuvinate his swing you bench him to show his attitude at the plate won’t be accepted.

Charlie is not a hard manager, he may be a bull in the clubhouse but his repremands don’t have any affect on the field. A half game benching is not showing a guy that he has to change his attitude if he wants to play for you.
lilgartrn Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Thx – but talked to a baseball obsessed friend today – question: Does anyone know what our stats were this time last year? My internet is painfully slow, but I think by this point we were coming out of our July – August slump to sweep the Mets, but don’t know what, if anything we did differently, besides hope for the Mets implosion, which we can’t count on. I know everyone except for the Angels are in a tight race for their divisions, but can’t help feeling we’re not gonna blow out of this slump.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
thats 3 games… im just saying.. they were looking for something we didn’t have. Its like GO-FISH.. just cause you didn’t have it, doesn’t mean you were sleeping
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
dobbs and bruntlett are black holes at the plate. thats not going to be effective at all. if lidge is seriously hurt then myers gets moved back to close for a while. theyve been scared of using lidge lately, so maybe theres something actually wrong there. hope not. you cant trade so taguchi for anything, not even a bad prospect.
Dennis Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Love how that dick from SI called CBP the jokeyard! The people that talked about CBP are so stupid, F him too!
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
plus, you know im more upset about the rest of the guys than i am about sabathia. sabathia came down to what the indians wanted.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
i dunno, i kind of think out ballpark has hurt us a lot this year. they take careless hacks at home, worse than on the road. i think they need to make it as big as they can make it now. itll teach tme to focus on contact.

howaever, i really hate jon heyman. hes a douchebag.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
i know you hate him.. I just thought that point about what the Tribe was looking for, and what Tex might sign for related directly to things we all talked about on here
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Sorry Geoff but thats crazy, Lidge may need his workload reduced over the coming weeks but no way in hell does Myers go back into the pen right now. Myers has turned in solid starts since coming back into the rotation and looks as if he could contribute heavily down the stretch. Move him to the pen and we create a void in the rotation and you cannot expect Happ in the answer in the 3 spot, you suffer waiting for him to adjust to being back in the pen and you then waste his upside closing as Lidge is the closer, Myers isn’t going to be a set-up man and is a waste in that role. Do you really feel the Phils pitching staff will be stronger all-around with Myers setting up?
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
i know, but what if you lose lidge? not reduced workload, but outright lose him?

the only way we would not be totally F’d is if we moved myers in to close.

myers isnt going to be here next year anyway. he makes too much money for them to feel comfortable with him on the team unless hes an all star starter, which is doubtful.
benjamin franklin Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
IF you guys wat to trade Howard to the mets, we’ll take him
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’m not banking on Myers going anywhere especially now, it’s unlikely someone’s going to give value for him but if they do great, just don’t think it’ll happen.

If Lidge goes on the DL then I still don’t think Myers goes to the pen, it’s too much of a risk and I think you trust Durbin/Madson/Romero. I wouldn’t mind seeing Happ given a shot but I don’t see his minor league pedigree transfering to the majors to off-set the loss of Myers in the rotation.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
well, i just know that if they cant get to the playoffs with this lineup, im ready to blow it up. as much as i like and want to keep burrell, howard, utley and dare i even say rollins, i think the value of those guys is only going to DECREASE as their salaries INCREASE. maybe it wouldnt be such a bad idea to just, go out and and unload a few of them in the offseason. theyre all 29-30. i really like burrell but hes so slow and charlie will NEVER stop wasting substitutes on him as long as hes here. if we can keep him at a reasonable rate, im ok. howard, id rather keep but if someone knocks your socks off with him, utley, or rollins id probably take it. top young talent wouldnt hurt.

they need speed, contact hitting, patience at the plate. then youve got ruiz, coste, jenkins, taguchi, bruntlett, dobbs: what is all that? its garbage, throw it away because those guys are worthless and theyre all black holes up there.

hamels? stay
myers? get out unless willing to act mature and take starting seriously
blanton? stay, at the back of the rotation
kendrick? send down to minors next season if he hasnt yet developed a changeup. bring back when he does.
moyer? you know what? great career, but retire.

lidge? stay
durbin? stay
romero? eh, reduced role, but stay
condrey, seanez? get out
gordon? retired, shame, great career
eyre? get out
madson? get out

trainers? gone
amaro, gillick? gone
farm director? gone
owners (i wish): gone
scouts? gone

ballpark? make it bigger, even if its only by a little
logo, colors? gone, change back to 1980s uniforms, keep two alternate uniforms (current day alternate, plus the red spring training-style shirt that some teams wear a lot like the braves, mets, and marlins).
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
grilled hot dogs? gone, only hatfield beef hot dogs should be allowed in the ballpark, those or hebrew national (awesome) hot dogs.
VASteve Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Two words ……. Aaron Rowand.

This is what happens when we don’t re-sign the spark plug from last year, and to a lesser extent, missing Vic from the line-up. They had life regardless, played the game like it was the 9th inning of the 7th game of the WS. The others ……….. just big fat bank accounts and fooling their customers (us).
Kennedy Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
The most obvious move for the Phillies at the winter meetings would be to try and trade for a 3B. Right now we have two young pitchers who won’t be eligible for free agency until they’ve played six years in the majors. Young pitchers are the #1 commodity that every team wanting to improve immediately without increasing payroll wants. The Phillies are in a great spot because they have Hamels and Kendrick locked up for years, Blanton is also here till at least 2 more years. Moyer probably has another two years in the tank, and it would be stupid not to sign him. The only guy who will probably go any time soon is Myers at the end of ‘09, and its pointless to speculate about his contract situation since by then he could have pitched himself out of baseball or become a true ace. Our farm system has good catching (Marson), a good middle infielder (Donald), and a lot of good young pitchers who are probably 4 or more years from the majors. We also have a glut of toolsy outfielders who would probably start on some teams.

I would make every prospect except marson available, and let it be known that we want a good young third baseman. There are bound to be some available, off the top of my head I think the Pirates, Rangers, and Rockies all have good depth at 3B in their system. A likely trade being something like Happ and Golson for Ian Stewart or Neil Walker.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Teams are usually really unwilling to trade their elite prospects and prefer making the veteran available like the White Sox have done. Pedro’s a solid contributor at third as he gives good D and he will be a 20/80 guy which he probably would have reached if healthy.

We need better contribution behind the plate but this year were suffering a case of lack of consistency across the board and particularly with the primary contributors who haven’t been consistent. We do though need to start finding younger internal solutions to replacing departing free agents so we don’t end up in the Eaton/Jenkins situation and the yearly bullpen saga.

We have to stop trying to play in the same league as the Yanks/Sox/Mets/Angels/Mariners and look at how we can do things better cheaper and that means a Danks and not Garcia type deal.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
yeah they do need that young 3B. im not going to assume that donald or anyone else can play 3b. i dont know why theyre trying to convert hewitt into 3B when his tools are better served in the outfield. id rather have a good young 3B too. thats a good call there. i think the phillies need to go younger in the offseason. doesnt have to be all the way but theyre too old for my likings in certain areas. need some fresh, young, eager people in there. they got too complacent and too lazy in the offseason. if they cant make it to octover this year, thats it. clear out some of that old trash.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
NJ..right on with the bullpen and jenkins things. thats what i mean. why bring in geoff jenkins at all? that doesnt make any sense. just get young players in there who have heart. they wasted millions of dollars on old trash free agents.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The Phils need a change in attitude on prospect development, from Costanzo to Jaramillo to Golson the Phils don’t invest in the draft enough financially and insist on continuing on a path of high risk igh reward prospects that don’t develop enough at the plate at the minor league level to be ready to fill the hole of the departing veteran. Marson is the first positional prospect in a while that’s been on the major league radar that has control of his bat.

Read up on what the Phils are investing into the draft and international recruiting, doesn’t make pleasant reading…
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I agree wholly and I WAS pleased with the Jenkins move orignally as I was the Barajas deal the year before, there’s a reason their previous teams let them go as the WS did with Garcia who loved the package they got for a player on the down turn.

You look around the league and it’s the teams who are developing their prospects with the right attitude who are having success. We’re going to have the same problem IF we get Golson up that we have with Howard, if you groom a hit or miss hitter don’t be surprised when he can’t control his bat. We’re too obsessed with finding the next Drew and Myers that we miss those type of players like Markakis and Bucholz.

We have an all or nothing attitude running through the entire organisation and it’s not a healthy baseball ethic. The team does not need money to go on a shopping spree, they need to better use their money at all levels of the organisation.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
NJ..i read up on that a while back. they are HORRID and way way way behind the curve in those categories. they dont spend JACK on draft picks so they go with these anthony hewitt players who they have too many of. those guys are so up in the air that they dont have a clue whether or not theyll succeed. when will hewit be ready, seriously? like 5-6 years? come on now…winning franchises spend money on the top talent in the draft, its that simple. everyones worshipping the phillies newer recruits, and you can hit on some guys once in a while, but where are all of our evan longiras? nowhere to be found

they dont spend JACK on international players either, nor do they know how to develop people.

everyone talks about hamels and kendrick and utley myers rollins howard. those guys have NATURAL TALENT. they got through the minors fast because they are good players on their own. kendrick has the composure needed to bbe a big league pitcher so he could handle the pressure on his own, but he has no stuff and no changeup and he has to DEVELOP it at the big league level. chase utley had to learn how to field properly IN THE BIG LEAGUES.

the 100mm payroll is, in actuality, more than enough to win with if you spend the type of money you need to spend on player development and scouting and drafting, etc.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
and thats what don m and other will not acknowledge and it pisses me off. get REAL BASEBALL PEOPLE in there who know how to find REAL BASEBALL PLAYERS, consistent pepole who act professionally. there are some they developed on their own, yes, but not nearly enough. this lineup would sure look nice with a markakis type in there.
Conor Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I’m a Mets fan, and just saw this site in the last few days…

Anyway, reading through the comments and stuff, I think its funny how similar a lot of the comments are here to what I read on Mets blogs when the Mets are going bad. There are still a lot of games left in the season; I agree with whoever posted above that the lead will probably flip 3 or 4 more times (I hope its an even number).

I do think its interesting that contrary to what most people would have predicted before the season, the Mets have scored more runs than the Phillies, but the Phillies have allowed fewer.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
(^meant that to be a general read up to those who haven’t, didn’t mean to make that sound condesending Geoff).

$100m is plenty but we haven’t handled Howard well, are still eating contracts. There’s a big difference between a natural talent guy like the fast track guys that have been prominent in the last 3 draft and the Golson type of raw athlete with little bat development. Why did the moneyball A’s who don’t spend big on re-signing players give Rickie Weeks brother over $4m in the drat this year and we’re still playing draft the high school athlete and hope for the best?

The FO needs to get some direction going, the Gillick era has had positives but it’s falling apart, we got lucky last year and have been complacent and ambivilent this year.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
yeah thats for sure. when the A’s know theyve got something they go after it in the youth scouting dept. they spent 4mm on michael inoa, a starting pticher who is like 16 years old. look out…
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
The Phils and Mets are so similar but at least we haven’t sadled ourselves with the FA deals Minaya has with the Mets.

Are the Braves in panic mode…? No, because they know what their working towards and their not running forward like headless chickens waiting for the other shoe to drop like the Phils and Mets are.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
yeah. am i ok with spending 15-17mm on sheets? sure. but you have to get all that garbage off the books. eaton, myers, all those contracts. jenkins’ contract is a bad one that we have to pay off now too. this team is going to be hamstrung by at least 20mm, at least, each of the next 2-3 seasons because theyll be paying off bad gillick contracts of players who arent around anymore. in that respect, gillick was just as bad as ed wade with some of those deals.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
When it comes to prospects the Phils are still reeling from the failings of their beloved Gavin Floyd and their inability to sign JD Drew out of the draft. Their too scared to groom a frontline pitcher or touch an advanced prospect in the first round of the draft. That said I do expect Savery to have success somewhere down the line and think a solid move was made at that point in the draft, but how can you make Travis D’Arnaud your 2nd pick in the draft when the farms was stocked with catchers with talent in A ball….
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
the easiest way, honestly, would be to blow the whole thing up and build around a tight 5-7 man core. blow out all the other junk, buy out bad contracts, etc. this malaise has to go. the whole organization acts like theyre the shit when thye havent won shit. if youre going to be cheap, then spend what money you do have on player development. otherwise, cough it up or get out. this gailes group is so bad they look like they are intentionally faililng. thats how bad they are.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
7. Pat Burrell, Phillies, OF
He’s come back nicely from a brutal year of a few years ago to reestablish himself as a pretty good offensive player. He’s had a lot of big hits this year. Of course, many of them have come in Citizen’s Bank Jokeyard. Best guess: $48 million, four years.

Timeout, “many of them have come in Citizens Bank”? REALLY?
Does he really consider himself a sports writer when he doesnt know the stats? Lets see this year of Pats 27 home runs only 9 of them have come in CBP and of his 28 doubles only 11 at home. This guy is a douche and Pat is clearly more effective on the road hitting .082 points better.

Feliz is a very solid all around 3rd basemen who can put up some good, not great but not bad, numbers at the Bank. I’m satisfied with him for now.

Stop mentioning Aaron Rowand. Stop living in the past. We are only one game out of first people, the Phillies will pull it off.

I’ve been saying this for quite sometime this season, players need to put their egos aside when on the field. Myers seems to have done so and look what he is doing. I’m mainly talking about Rollins when I say this but it seems as if Chase has gotten a little caught up in himself. This team has no fight but they do know when to try and thats when we are in second in the division. As ridiculous as it sounds, the players get too comfortable in first and coast. Never enough to pull away from the division. Hate to use the term but this offense as a whole is pulling a Manny, playing when they damn well feel.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
you can make an awful lot of money off of intentional failure in business and sports, by the way, so dont think it doesnt go on.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Gillick’s made really suspect deals. I think the Blanton move was good and I think he’s one of the best guys to slot in at 3 in he league but we gave up Outman who Oakland love and Cardenas below what his value was likely to be down the line, we then manage to get Golson on other teams radars but hang on to him when we have similar guys in A ball, where does Golson fit in? He’ll be on the outside like Bourn was and his value will slowly drop like Jaramillo’s did.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Nicely points TJ
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
*Nice
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Geoff, you are the most radical person on this board and some of the stuff you say is ridiculous. Blow up the team, call up Donald and start him over Rollins, Marson right now. All of it, ridiculous. Do you realize that we are only 1 game off the pace? As much as you would like to blow up the team it will never happen. Sorry, I’m a realist. None of what you wish for will happen, maybe getting rid of Eaton but that is it. We can’t blow up the team in the offseason, we can’t do that unless we are bad like the Nationals. It would be more logical to go for it all than to start over.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
you can make an awful lot of money off of intentional failure in business and sports, by the way, so dont think it doesnt go on.

Manny Ramirez. ESPN had a great article ( surprise, I know ) on that exact perspective.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Tj..i hate to break it to you. theyre not winning shit, ok? even if they win the division, theyre still not winning shit.

if this team, with this talent, cant win anything, they you need to change your entire approach because obiously this all or nothing citizens bank park homerun shit is FAILING.

im glad you think im a radical. because radical means youre thinking outside the box and trying to come up with solutions that work, as opposed to some garbage re-hashed stale set of ideas. thats what the phillies do, they have no new ideas and wont change their approach.

THEY HAVENT WON SHIT SINCE THEY BOUGHT THE TEAM! maybe, just maybe, its time to change your philosophy and build an organiztion from the ground up that can develop good talent and bring it up to the majors and have them contribute AND replenish that stock REGULARLY with your own homegrown talent, win and SUSTAIN winning over time!

do you honestly, think theyre REMOTELY close to anything resembling that?

if you do, then you dont know anything about baseball.
NJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I though I agreed with you TJ but I’m starting to think we’re not going to be able to win with Rollins and Howard as the face of this team. Look at how the Sox turned things around and it was marked by moving on from Garciaparra, I’m not going to speculate who needs to go but this team needs to change their attitude with the FO making a show of direction more than they need to be freshened up.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Just saw my name and something about how will not acknowledge something about REAL BASEBALL PEOPLE or something.. but I dont feel like reading all the posts over the past two hours..

so uhm, what won’t I acknowledge??
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
yeah ramirez did use that tactic. i hate people that do that. thats what their doing in iraq to maximize profits off of contracts and its criminal. intentional failure applies in more than just sports…
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
that they wont spend money on the infrastructure needed to win. scouting, development, international academies, paying top-notch talent in the draft, etc.

thats really what gets it done, its where they are most defiecient as well.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I disagree with the idea that blowing up the team, except for 5-7 players would be the easiest way to WIN… we’ve been IMPROVING with the guys we have now.. IF they are worse at the end of this season then they were last year, they’ll know they need a stud starting pitcher, and an OF that can hit for average.. or at least a contact guy..

The point i’ll keep making is that owning a baseball team is the same as owning any other business… they are in it to make money..

In our eyes, they need to spend money to make money… and maybe overpaying for those 2 extra guys that MIGHT get us over the hump is well worth it.. but smart business won’t intentionally lose money to take a chance on gaining a little more in the future… they are content with making their $millions$ every year…

THAT drives me nuts, but its baseball, and I know how it works, so there is no point getting all crazy and hyped-up about it
J-Man Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
It’s sad sitting here watching this team sit here a fall apart and the organization just sits back and doesn’t do squat…Fucking Pat Gillick and his “B-list”players…It’s just flat out pathetic how cheap this organization is and they have the money to spend to bring in big free agents.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
See because if they have a couple guys in the Futures All-Star game, and the Olympic team, and most of their top-players are home-grown… then I think they do a fine job of scouting and development, etc..

They don’t spend money in Japan and in some Carribean countries like other teams do.. and they aren’t as good at picking-out top young pitching prospects as the Marlins (but who is??)

They pay their draft picks huge bonuses.. Gavin Floyd, Drabek, etc.. all got like $4 million or something crazy..

I completely understand your frustrations Geoff, I really do.. but I definitely think that you stretch for places to point the blame.. if there is one thing to blame, its that ownership should let them increase payroll to $130 Million and go get those 2-3 players that would put us over the top…

but like I said, you have to understand that they won’t want to lose money on moves that won’t gaurantee they win anything.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
yeah ramirez did use that tactic. i hate people that do that. thats what their doing in iraq to maximize profits off of contracts and its criminal. intentional failure applies in more than just sports…

The world has gone green, and Im not talking about recycling and saving the environment. We’re all guilty of trying to better our bankroll at the risk of the integrity of something.

Geoff, I see what your saying. I agree that we have no shot to win the World Series this year, and possibly not for another ten years. The AL is way too dominant. But I think we have a real shot at the NL when all gears are going. It would be a very bold move if they brought up any of the prospects and started them this year. You have to understand that this is a business and as long as we are in a race then the games will sell out. Thats the owners fault for being satisfied with the “just enough” approach. They are all about money and I think until the owner change than we will be looking at this same situation until they leave. I hope that in the offseason they are convinced that we need to add another piece to the puzzle.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
If Pat Gillick only has $3 million to bring in another player (due to ownership’s payroll restrictions)… how is it his fault for choosing “Player B”, out of a list of guys that consists of only B-players.. because A-players make too much money to bring in…
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Don M. Same stance. Its a shame but its how it works. The owners are so conservative it makes me sick. I really don’t know how Gillick convinced them to lock up Lidge, I really dont. Eaton off the payroll would be glorious.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
We are starting to improve within and its going good, I think. Happ and Kendrick are sytem products, Rollins, Howard, Utley, Hamels. Our core has come from our system.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
locking up lidge is way uncharacteristic for them, tahts a good point.

why go after eaton unless you really dont have any prospects ready to come up?

theyre well known for holding their young players back to “not start the clock” on them so they can not spend money.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
i still dont know about a lot of those prospects they have though. too many guys that are too far away. junk in AAA except for happ and carrasco. 4-5 guys in AA. but the AA team is one of the worst in AA baseball team wise…they suck ass
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Rollins was the only one that we timed great, with Howard and Utley a case can be made that we waited too long but Howard I think needed more plate discipline, which he still lacks. I dont know what the set back was with Utley. I would really like to see Donald up here sometime next year only if you can guarantee that he will be getting solid playing time and with a half hearted Rollins, there just isnt room unless he plays third.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
And still I dont see him coming up until Feliz’s contract has run out if thats the case.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
donald is 23-24. hell be ANOTHER guy they waited too long with if he comes up at age 26-27. another bad waste of talent. the goal is to have the quality peopel ready by 23-24. i hope hes reayd now…but youre wasting 2-3 or more years of cheap production out of them. freaking retard phillies.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I know what you mean Geoff, he should be up here but not starting over Rollins. I really dont see room for him though. We could dump Taguchi at the end of the year and possibly bring him up but the positions he plays we are set at.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
if feliz is still hurt and dobbs and bruntlett continue to be black holes, why not give him a shot?
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
at 3rd
Don M and Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
We are secretely gay lovers. Geoff is the catcher and Don M loves to pitch. We don’t get to love each other too much because we spend our lives on this website. We both want to say that we hate Mets fans because we are jealous of them. Back to staring at our ceiling poster of Chase Utley. Toodles.
Don M and Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Oh and we forgot to say

FIRST PLACE METS
Fred Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
donald = burntlett
marson = ruiz
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Geoff, I wish I could answer that but apparently management is content with the platoon of just filling space.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
At least i’m the pitcher…..
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
marson and donald are better than bruntlett and ruiz fred, sorry to inform you of that. they may not be all-world but theyre an upgrade for sure.

exactly TJ. the black hole platoons (bruntlett/dobbs & coste/ruiz) are just eating up space on the field. theyre platoons youd expect to see on the pirates, except the pirates are better at 3b and catcher than we are with feliz out of the lineup.

as for the other comments, i wont even dignify those comments. mets trash.
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Random Mets scum that refuses to use a name – What were the standings like last year at this point? We’ll see you guys the 26th. Haven’t you learned, stop talking shit when the season isnt over. You just jinx them.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
But geoff, if we agree that most top-prospects are in AA.. and the average age of AA players is like 25..

then its not realistic to expect them to have players ready to contribute at 23-24.. the guys that come up that young are superstars.. Ryan Braun, Tim Lincecum, Hanley Ramirez.. but its definitely not the normal thing.

Carrasco is young and has a shot to be here next year… AND… I really don’t think Donald is ready.. there is nowhere for him to play, you guys keep overvaluing him, but his Carlos Ruiz hit as well in the Minors as Jason Donald is now.. and Donald is an error-machine at SS this year.. he had like 17 or something
bob ueker sez.......just outside Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Being a mets fan reading phillies nation since march, i have seen the best of mets fans respectfully posting and the worst of mets fans flaming and trolling. Especially after philly- met series and particular after the mets (briefly) regain 1st place.

Im not sure if the mets will win this year, as opposed to last year where if you had asked me before september, i would have bet my house they would have stayed in first (thank g-d i didnt).

Im not on here to rehash why they didnt win last yr, or even to argue they will this yr. I just wanted to know why does every philly fan think the phillies have a better pitching staff (starters) and why you guys cant play fundamental baseball. Ex: get em on, get em over, get em in.

(slogan from 2006 mets players). Manuel(Jerry) is talking about the quest for “unselfish baseball”. Bunting the runners over, hitting behind the runner, playning hit and run etc…

It seems that you guys only are interested in hitting 3 run homers all the time. Even on the road, where you cant hit pop up homeruns (not an insult) like at CBP.

Any takers. Im not interested in talking trash, just starting a discussion………
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Yeah AA is where the top prospects are. AAA teams are closer to MLB teams, USUALLY, so a lot of times it makes sense to keep people that are on the 40-man roster a few hrs drive away at most.

i hope we see donald and marson and carrasco ready soon.

my anger at rollins gets me to go overboard, at times, because ive nbeen pissed at him all year almost and now he decides to be an asshole about it. i still would trade him if we know we can replace him, thats why i want to find out whether or not donald can play.
Random Mets Fan Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
TJ, have you forgotten that the Phillies have not won a playoff game since…..? Um….. Let’s not talk about the past, Mitch Williams.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I don’t know that they TRY to play for the 3-run HRs and stuff.. but they are definitely having trouble playing small-ball… The way the lineup was supposed to work is that Rollins and Victorino get on and steal bags, Utley hits a double, Howard hits a 2 or 3 run shot, and Burrell goes back-to-back… Everytime through this lineup was supposed to earn like 1.5 runs (5 runs per game?) and that is usually going to win you some games
TJ Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
How far did you have to dig back to get that? Remember last year? Right.
Kennedy Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I don’t agree that this team can’t win it all. They could. Theres not really a very good chance though. You’d have to have Myers continue to pitch well down the stretch (has anybody else noticed Myers pitches much better after a 80 or 90 pitch outing then a 110 pitch outing), and you’d have to get Howard and Rollins hot. Thing is, if they don’t resign Burrell our offense is only going to get more anemic next year. My guess is they are going to let him go, bring up Golson, and watch Pat anchor someone elses team, then try desperately to get a RH bat at the deadline and give up way too much.

Anyway, when everybody’s hitting (woo-hoo) they have the best offense in baseball (barring the Rangers). They just need to get hot in September. To anyone saying blow up the team (Geoff), when are you going to have a better offense then this? Even if you sell everybody, you end up with a clogged farm system, and then some guys lose value, and then you have nothing left. The only guy I would sell is Howard, and then only if I got extremely high (like a young 1B and another big piece) value. Howards production is replaceable because a good young 1B and a good 3B would hit almost as many homeruns as howard and feliz combined, and get on a lot more.
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Mets fans are great.. all the recent postseason success and World Series parades they have.
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
the opne issue there, i have is…they have been WORSE offensively at home this season. theyve been shutout at home 6 TIMES!!!!!! tahts unacceptable. i think that ballpark has developed an all or nothing syndome thats gone WAY WAY ou tof control, and the managers and the coaches cant do anything to stop it. if it gets worse, youre going to need to rebuild the entire lineup outside of a few guys. i once thought victorino couldnt be fixed, but charlie’s strategy has worked on him. sometimes shance does retarded things, but hes a little bit of a retard anyway. but when hes on hes a really outstanding player and charlie has fixed him so taht hes really been performing well. i admit, i was wrong about him he has improved a lot.
bob ueker sez.......just outside Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Don M,

Getting tired of all the parades down Broad St this town has had?

I think the philies and the metsies are pretty even in most areas ( offense and defense) the phillies up until the last week have had the better bullpen… i dont think even goose gossage and the tugger would help the mets ‘pen) and the starters are pretty even.

I think the difference is the mets are developing a different style of playing. They are preaching small ball, and trying to develop more pitching (starters going deeper in the games) and fundamentals ( more targeted batting practice, fielding and bullpen sessions).
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Yea I have to take off form work when they have parades.. and i’m trying to save up my vacation time..
Doug Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Starting pitchers are too highly valued on the free agent market. The Phillies won’t overpay on a free agent pitcher for $15-20mil or more per year.

In that sense, I feel that we’re lucky that our pitching has come together so solidly this season. Between the rotation we have and Happ and Carrasco, I don’t think we’re hurting as badly for pitching as we are for solid, contact hitters who’ll hit for average and drive in runs. Compared to the FA market for pitchers, we’ll be more likely to get some solid additions to the field at better looking salary figures. Ibanez? Vlad?
Go Soul Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Actually we are enjoying the parades…
Doug Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Oh, by the way, I believe Bobby Abreu is a free agent in the off-season. Any takers?
Colt and Tum Tum Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Rocky LOVES Emily… Rocky LOVES Emily…
Don M Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Padres blow.. we’ll win tonight…
Geoff Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
if they cant take 2 of 3 from the padres, et alone sweep them, they have SERIOUS problem and might be done. the padres SUCK…
Tyler Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
2-0, Mets!
Fred Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Is that a score or their IQ?
lilgartrn Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Ok, gentleman, I’ve had an epiphany to save the season – we just need to watch “The Natural.” If we watch it every day for the rest of the season, we will get into the World Series…. That could just be the wine talking, but I’m feeling it……..
lilgartrn Says:
August 15th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I’m on a roll…. Ryan Howard needs to go out to Fairmount Park, find a tree branch that’s been struck by lightning, fashion it into the shape of a bat (never mind the league mandates maple that could take out someone’s eye), use it for every at bat, and then, in the pennant race, crack it, and utilize the batboy’s spare, self-carved bat, he hits a record # or homeruns, and presto, we win….
Ryan Says:
August 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Phils won 1-0 last night…chill out people
Katie Couric Says:
August 19th, 2008 at 9:25 am
That sweep in Los Angeles will bring a chain reaction in Philly sports.
First the Eagles will go 2-14 as Rush Limbaugh applauds McNabb’s ineptitude after the Eagles get blown out by the Steelers.
Then the Flyers, after being awful against the Penguins in the conference final (making a son of a slain Philly police officer a habitual liar in front of his friends and family at his dad’s funeral after he said the Flyers will win the Stanley Cup-Flyers lost in 5) will return to 06-07 form and have the worst record in the NHL.
Then the 76ers will be like the 07-08 Clippers with Elton Brand, while the Philly fans want Iverson back.
Hope that 4-game series in Los Angeles makes everyone in the Keystone State (including Pittsburgh teams) look bad.

Katie Couric, CBS News, New York, home of the 2008 N.L. East champion Mets.
Eric Says:
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
professional baseball teams names…

. (Blogger now has backlinks – very similar to the trackback feature in Movable Type. The term is used colloquially for any kind of Linkback….
dvd on wii Says:
November 30th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I gotta to say I agree with the majority of what is being stated here. I am gonna have to have to grab the feed so I can keep tabs. on what

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2010 salaries:

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$6.65 million
Jamie Moyer
$6.5 million
Placido Polanco
$5.17 million
Shane Victorino
$5 million
Ryan Madson
$4.83 million
J.C. Romero
$4.25 million
Danys Baez
$2.5 million
Chad Durbin
$2.12 million
Carlos Ruiz
$1.9 million
Jose Contreras
$1.5 million
Greg Dobbs
$1.35 million
(Geoff Jenkins)
$1.25 million
Brian Schneider
$1.2 million
Ross Gload
$1 million
Juan Castro
$700,000
(Adam Eaton)
$500,000
(Pedro Feliz)
$500,000
Kyle Kendrick
$480,000
Ben Francisco
$470,000
J.A. Happ
$470,000
Antonio Bastardo
$405,000
Drew Carpenter
$401,000
David Herndon
$400,000

Phillies Contracts and Salaries

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