The Phils continued their series with the Astros this afternoon. Cole Hamels got the start and pitched pretty well for a while before the Stros touched him up for 4 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings. Meanwhile, the Phils continued to struggle to score runs. Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff homer in the top of the 1st, Ben Francisco slugged a solo shot in the top of the 4th, and Jayson Werth tomahawked a solo homer into the seats in the top of the 8th to cut it to 4-3, but that was it for the Phils on this day. Jimmy Rollins had a chance to save the day in the top of the 9th, but he popped up with 1 on and 2 out to end it. The Phils hitting was much improved again with 9 total hits and with everyone in the starting lineup except Pedro Feliz registering at least 1 hit. They just couldn't put the hits together at the right times. So they're not far off they just have to figure out how to string together some hits for a change instead of spreading them out and they'll be fine. Yes the bullpen performed well again, as Chad Durbin did all the work himself this time, with scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th. Fortunately for the Phils the Marlins lost today as well in Washington, as the Nationals held them off with a walkoff homer. So the Phils stay 6.5 games up despite dropping to 77-57 overall.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles surprisingly released A.J Feeley today, leaving them for the moment with just 2 active Quarterbacks. To take the spot vacated by Feeley the Eagles acquired 6-3 222 LB rookie DT Antonio Dixon off waivers from the Redskins. Dixon will obviously just be defensive line more depth for the Birds, particularly against the rush where they were going to be a little thin without superb run stuffing MLB Stewart Bradley for the rest of the season. So I guess Dixon is good pickup. I just really thought the Eagles would at least trade Feeley for some defensive line help, rather than just releasing him.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Astros tonight. Joe Blanton got the start and was decent allowing 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5 in 6 innings. Roy Oswalt was just that much better for Houston allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 8 in 6 and 1/3rd innings. Thus despite back to back RBI singles in the 7th by Ben Francisco and Carlos Ruiz, the Phils trailed 3-2 through 7 innings. Then in the top of the 8th Ryan Howard tripled in one run and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz to put the Phils ahead 4-3. Thanks to Brett Myers impressively getting through the bottom of the 8th in his long awaited return, the Phils took that lead into the 9th. There Brad Lidge came in for the save and after a one quick out he suddenly lost control of his slider, loading the bases. Next he got ex Phillie Micheal Bourn to ground into a fielder's choice for the 2nd out, but there was no way they were going to double up Bourn, leaving the bases loaded for Kaz Matsui. After a long at bat and the with the count full, Matsui lined a Lidge fastball just past Jimmy Rollins for a game winning RBI single, giving Lidge his 10th blown save of the season and the Stros a 4-3 win. This may be it now for Brad Lidge. There is still time for him to get his act together but I am not sure the Phils can afford to wait any longer. I am not sure Myers is quite ready to replace him yet but he may have to be soon. It was a great night for Miguel Cairo who filled in for Chase Utley at the 2nd base, and racked up 2 hits and an RBI and made a great tag of Lance Berkman as he attempted to steal 2nd in the 8th inning. So anyway the Phils drop to 77-56 overall and now lead the NL East by just 6.5 games.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles made their final roster cuts today and there were a few interesting final cuts. RB Eldra Buckley made the team, beating out Lorenzo Booker for the 3rd and final slot at running back. WR Brandon Gibson did make the team as did perhaps a bit surprisingly Reggie Brown. It is possible though that he is just trade bait. A.J Feeley remains on the roster as the 3rd string QB for now, as Micheal Vick is not permitted to play until week 3 and didn't yet look like he was ready to play QB again during the preseason. Feeley too could be trade bait. Since he won't play until week 3 Vick was put on exempt status meaning he is not allowed to practice with the team until he is added to the active roster. In the meantime a roster spot will left open for him. Tony Curtis did make the team and will be Brent Celek's backup and apparently only backup, as Matt Schobel was cut from the team, and rookie tight end Rob Myers will probably be added to the practice squad. The last defensive lineman to make the team was not surprisingly Jason Babin, leaving Dan Klecko and Bryan Smith out in the cold. The draft pick Moise Fokou did make the team as well as one the final linebackers to make the squad, along with Tracy white. Lastly in perhaps the biggest surprise Dmitri Patterson took the last CB spot ahead last year's draft pick Jack Ikegwuono. Patterson got the spot thanks to his superb special teams skills. Ikegwuono will also probably be on the practice squad and perhaps next year with his knee one year healthier he'll make the team.
Friday, September 04, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Houston tonight to begin a weekend series. Cliff Lee got the start and was roughed up again allowing 6 runs on 9 hits in just 3 innings of work. Meanwhile, for the 2nd time in 3 games the Phils were shutout. This time it was Houston's Wandy Rodriguez who shut down the Phils allowing just 7 hits while striking out 7 in 7 scoreless innings. Still, as he tough as he was, the Phils had their chances against Rodriguez tonight, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 out in the 3rd, and the bases loaded with only 1 out in the 7th inning. They simply didn't take advantage of them. Oh yeah and once again the bullpen performed pretty well, as Jamie Moyer, Tyler Walker, and Jack Taschner combined to allow just 1 run on 3 hits in the final 5 innings. As for Lee I don't know what to say. He did get a bit unlucky early on with some weak hits dribbling through the holes in the infield or flying just over the infield, but he just really didn't pitch well again. He just didn't hit his spots. Perhaps most embarrassingly for Lee was that in the 2nd inning, it was Rodriguez himself who provided the big blow for Houston with a bases loaded double. Going back to the lineup the Phils actually didn't hit that poorly on the night with 8 hits alltogether and with everyone in lineup except Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz, accumulating at least 1 hit. They just couldn't get the hits when they needed them. Anyway so the Phils drop to 77-55 overall and now back down to 7.5 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Giants tonight. Pedro Martinez got the start against reigning NL Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum and surprisingly Pedro outdueled him, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 9 in 7 innings. Meanwhile, Jayson Werth crushed a monster 425 ft home run in the bottom of the 2nd, and Ryan Howard slapped an RBI double in the bottom of the 6th, to lift the Phils to a 2-1 lead through 7. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Brad Lidge came in and the got the save in the 9th, forcing a groundout with 2 on and 2 out. So it seems Pedro may be in the rotation to stay but I think still he'll need to make 1 more start like that to lock up his rotation spot for good. I hesitate to say it for fear of jinxing him, but it seems Brad Lidge has finally turned the corner and gotten back at least somewhat to the guy he was last season. Hopefully he'll keep it up the rest of the season. Werth's homer today was his 30th of the season, giving him 30 homers and 80 RBIs so far this season. What an effort from a guy whose best season before now was the 24 homers he jacked last season. How good do the Phils look now for giving him another chance to play regularly in the big leagues after the Dodgers had given up on him? Over the last 3 games the Phils have scored a total of 3 runs, and yet they managed to take 2 of 3 from the Giants. That is just incredible and is something that has not happened for the Phils since 1963. Still, you would rather see them score more runs, because 3 runs in 3 games won't work all the time. Anyway so the Phils move to 77-54 overall and now 8.5 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles played their final preseason game tonight in New York against the Jets. They nearly put together another late rally for the win, before a 73 yd TD pass from Erik Ainge to David Clowney sealed a 38-27 win for the Jets. This week especially, with nothing but backups in the game, that outcome obviously doesn't matter. So let's talk about what does. Kevin Kolb got the start at QB and looked pretty good completing 8 0f 16 passes for 110 yards and a TD. Micheal Vick was the 2nd string QB for the night and came in a few times to run the ball while Kolb was in the game. As a QB Vick completed 7 of 11 passes for 26 yards, and as a rusher, he carried the ball 7 times for 35 yards and a TD. Lesean McCoy looked pretty good again with another rushing TD. running back Eldra Buckley had another solid night with 33 rushing yards, a 1st down reception and a tackle special teams. You have to believe he's going to make the team. Newly signed tight end Tony Curtis had 4 catches for 40 yards and I suppose there is a chance he could be Brent Celek's backup, especially since he is considered to be a very good blocker. Finally Brandon Gibson had another solid performance with 4 catches for a team leading 45 yards. I would be shocked if he doesn't make the team. As for the defense there's not much talk about there either. Jason Babin registered the Eagles only sack of the night. Moise Fokou led the way again with 7 tackles and Victor "Macho" Harris was a close 2nd with 3 tackles. Also Jack Ikegwuono got an interception and returned it 22 yards to set up an Eagles score.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Giants tonight. J.A Happ got the start and pitched well, allowing just 4 runs on 6 hits while striking out 7 in 6 innings of work. Unfortunately, the Phils could give him no run support at all, as Brad Penny, in his 1st start with the Giants, tossed 8 scoreless innings, and for the night the Phils were shutout on just 5 hits. They had their opportunities to score with Jimmy Rollins leading off the 4th inning with a single, Ryan Howard singling and Jayson Werth walking to lead off the 5th, JRoll singling with one out in the 6th, and finally Carlos Ruiz singling with 1 out in the 8th inning. Each time though the Phils just couldn't take advantage. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, and Pedro Feliz were all hitless on the night and you just aren't going to win much when that happens. The bullpen looked good for the Phils tonight at least, as Chad Durbin, Jack Taschner(recently called back up to the big club while Kyle Kendrick was sent back down), and Tyler Walker combined for 3 scoreless innings. Sure they went for naught, but they were nice to see nonetheless. Anyway so the Phils drop to 76-54 overall now, but remain 7.5 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the San Francisco Giants to the bank tonight for a 3 game series. Cole Hamels got the start tonight and out dueled San Fran's Jonathan Sanchez, tossing a complete game shutout, while allowing just 2 hits and striking out 9. Meanwhile Ryan Howard slapped an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th to put the Phils ahead 1-0 and that's how it ended. I thought Cole's last start was one of his best of the season but this was even better. He just kept the Giant's hitters ,who aren't that great to begin with, completely off balance all night. This was the Cole that showed up in the playoffs last season and you can only hope he sticks around for another couple of months. I don't know what it is about the month of September but it always seems to bring the best out of Cole and Ryan Howard, aka "Mr.September" for that matter. A lot was made of this game possibly being a playoff preview with the Phils leading the NL East and the Giants tied for the wildcard lead. If that is case and the Phils and Giants do meet in the playoffs I like our chances a lot more now. Anyway so the Phils move to 76-53 overall now and 7.5 games up in the NL East.
Monday, August 31, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils are off today so it is time to continue our list of the top 25 most memorable player nicknames, No.s 15-11.
15. "Mr.T" aka P Al Holland.
Yet another scary Phils closer who left town too soon. Let's just say you pitied the fool who had to face Holland at the end of a game. He was as sure a thing at the end of games for the wheez kids in 1983 as Brad Lidge was last season. That year as the Phils closer he went 8-4, with 25 saves, a 2.26 ERA and 100 strikeouts. Hitters that year hit just .188 against him. He was so good that he received both Cy Young and MVP votes. Then he carried it into the playoffs, getting the save in game 1 and closing out the decisive game 4 of the NLCS. He then got the save in game 1 of the world series, and tossed 2 scoreless innings to finish game 3 but it wasn't enough to lift the Phils to a title. Incredibly in the playoffs Holland appeared in 4 games without allowing a single run for a combined postseason ERA of 0.00. After that he had one more glorious season in red pinstripes in 1984, reaching his first all star games, and saving 29 games, but his ERA went up to 3.39, his strikeouts dropped to 61, and he was gone after just 3 appearances with the Phils in 1985. Ironically like Steve Bedrosian after him, he was never as good after the leaving the Phils as he had been with them. Ultimately, he goes down as perhaps the nastiest closer in Phils history.
14. "Chooch" aka C Carlos Ruiz.
Ruiz was given this nickname by teammates reportedly due to his apparent striking resemblance to Cheech marin, the Cheech of the famed 70s and 80s comic duo, Cheech and Chong. While no one can vouch for whether or not Ruiz is regularly in possession of any suspicious and perhaps illegal substances, or that he is under the influence of any while on the field, if he is he's sure fooled a lot of people. While, not greatest hitter in the world, he always seems to be that guy who gets the hits when it matters most. Take your pick. There's the solo homer and the game winning dribbler in game 3 of the 2008 World Series, there's the 5 hits and 2 RBIs in the 2008 NLCS and 6 hits and 3 RBIs in the world series, and heck even the 2 run double last night. In addition no one handles a pitching staff like Ruiz. He also excels in most if not all defensive facets of the game, blocking balls in the dirt, blocking the plate, throwing out basestealers and baserunners, and catching the rare pop fly behind the plate. He earns the respect of fans and teammates the old fashioned way, by the playing the game the way it is supposed to be. You can't argue with the results so far.
13. "JRoll" aka SS Jimmy Rollins
Why is JRoll a fitting nickname? Simple. When he's on a roll so are the Phils. When things are going well for the Phils they aren't said to be rolling, they are said to be Jrolling. At no time was this more evident during the 2007 season when he won the NL MVP While leading the Phils into the playoffs for the first time in 14 years and and rolling, er Jrolling through a season for the ages. All told that he year, using a rare combination of speed, power, and athleticism, he put up 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homeruns, and 41 stolen bases, making him just the 2nd man in Major league history and the 1st in NL history to have 20 or more in all 4 categories. He'd already had 10 or more in all 4 categories 4 times but this was a different animal. He also put up a 139 runs scored and 94 RBIs that season just for good measure. Moreover, along with the MVP award he also won the silver slugger and gold glove awards for his position. Somehow despite all that, like Lenny Dykstra in 1993, he was left off the all-star team, a membership he had already enjoyed 4 times in his career. Much was expected of him 2008, but thanks to injuries his numbers dropped. Still he won another gold glove award and was a key cog on the world champions, as his leadoff homer in game 6 of the NLCS sparked the Phils to a pennant clinching victory. As good a hitter as he can be at times he might be even better with the glove. In fact he is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the NL right now. Few make plays look routine as often he does and he rarely misses a game. In fact he played all 162 of them in 2007. For a while it was a struggle for him this season and late in the first half of the season the Phils began to struggle right along with him. Then he caught fire to start the 2nd half, as did the Phils, and together they remain on a Jroll.
12."Hollywood" aka P Cole Hamels
This was one was given to Hamels by teammate Ryan Howard when they were both still in the minors. Howard saw Hamels at the beach with sunglasses on looking all Hollywood, not a surprise considering Hamels is from California. While not the most flattering happenstance from which to create a nickname, the name has stuck with Hamels for a different reason. He simply is Hollywood cool under pressure, particularly when the stakes are the highest. In the 2008 postseason he was a perfect 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA, and 30 strikeouts. He won game 1 in all 3 of the Phils playoff series and copped the NLCS and World Series MVP trophies. He would actually have been 6-0, the first pitcher ever to win 6 times in a single postseason, if game 5 of the world series had not been rain-delayed for 2 days. Still, his performance in the 2008 postseason stands as perhaps the greatest in ML history. However, Hamels has long way to go to surpass the Phils original star Lefty . You know who I am talking about. So far he has to very good seasons to his name, with 15 wins and 177 strikeouts in 2007 and 14 wins and 196 strikeouts in 2008. This season has been tough to watch at times, as he recuperates from going over the 200 inning mark for the 1st time in 2008. At this point he has kept his composure just enough to tough out 7 wins and another 126 strikeouts and he could be well on his way to another masterful postseason.
11."The Bat" aka Pat Burrell
Okay so this one is pretty stupid. This was literally given to Burrell bynhis U of Miami teammates because he was one of the all-time great collegiate hitters and well Bat rhymes with Pat. Still, the Philly fans took to it after a while, and began chanting "Pat the Bat" fairly regularly, sometimes to mock a slumping Burrell and sometimes to cheer on a red hot Burrell with a chance to knock in some runs. With usually about 20 homers and 80 RBIs a season, those runs would often get across the plate. For a while he was looked at as a dissapointment though for the Phils. When they drafted him numer 1 overall in 1998 he was supposed to be the team's next all-time great. He never quite met expectations, with only a .256 career batting average and routinely suspect defense , mostly in left field, a position he was never supposed to play. In fact 3rd base was his natural position but it never materialized, because the Phils already had Scott Rolen at the hot corner, when Burrell was rushed to the bigs in 2000. So he wound up in left field and for a while it worked before leg injuries slowed him down, to the proverbial big bat in lineup, who gets replaced late in games for defense. Still despite his many ups and downs his Bat connected enough times in enough in key spots over the years to turn Burrell into a beloved figure as his tenure here came to close in 2008, but not before his bat connected one more time for a leadoff double in the 7th inning of game 5 of world series, to set up pinch runner Eric Bruntlett to score what would be the winning run in the world series. If not for wind gusting in from left field, it would have been a solo homer and even more unforgettable memory. As is stood, it was Burrell's only hit of the series and biggest of his career. Long live the Bat.
10-6
15. "Mr.T" aka P Al Holland.
Yet another scary Phils closer who left town too soon. Let's just say you pitied the fool who had to face Holland at the end of a game. He was as sure a thing at the end of games for the wheez kids in 1983 as Brad Lidge was last season. That year as the Phils closer he went 8-4, with 25 saves, a 2.26 ERA and 100 strikeouts. Hitters that year hit just .188 against him. He was so good that he received both Cy Young and MVP votes. Then he carried it into the playoffs, getting the save in game 1 and closing out the decisive game 4 of the NLCS. He then got the save in game 1 of the world series, and tossed 2 scoreless innings to finish game 3 but it wasn't enough to lift the Phils to a title. Incredibly in the playoffs Holland appeared in 4 games without allowing a single run for a combined postseason ERA of 0.00. After that he had one more glorious season in red pinstripes in 1984, reaching his first all star games, and saving 29 games, but his ERA went up to 3.39, his strikeouts dropped to 61, and he was gone after just 3 appearances with the Phils in 1985. Ironically like Steve Bedrosian after him, he was never as good after the leaving the Phils as he had been with them. Ultimately, he goes down as perhaps the nastiest closer in Phils history.
14. "Chooch" aka C Carlos Ruiz.
Ruiz was given this nickname by teammates reportedly due to his apparent striking resemblance to Cheech marin, the Cheech of the famed 70s and 80s comic duo, Cheech and Chong. While no one can vouch for whether or not Ruiz is regularly in possession of any suspicious and perhaps illegal substances, or that he is under the influence of any while on the field, if he is he's sure fooled a lot of people. While, not greatest hitter in the world, he always seems to be that guy who gets the hits when it matters most. Take your pick. There's the solo homer and the game winning dribbler in game 3 of the 2008 World Series, there's the 5 hits and 2 RBIs in the 2008 NLCS and 6 hits and 3 RBIs in the world series, and heck even the 2 run double last night. In addition no one handles a pitching staff like Ruiz. He also excels in most if not all defensive facets of the game, blocking balls in the dirt, blocking the plate, throwing out basestealers and baserunners, and catching the rare pop fly behind the plate. He earns the respect of fans and teammates the old fashioned way, by the playing the game the way it is supposed to be. You can't argue with the results so far.
13. "JRoll" aka SS Jimmy Rollins
Why is JRoll a fitting nickname? Simple. When he's on a roll so are the Phils. When things are going well for the Phils they aren't said to be rolling, they are said to be Jrolling. At no time was this more evident during the 2007 season when he won the NL MVP While leading the Phils into the playoffs for the first time in 14 years and and rolling, er Jrolling through a season for the ages. All told that he year, using a rare combination of speed, power, and athleticism, he put up 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homeruns, and 41 stolen bases, making him just the 2nd man in Major league history and the 1st in NL history to have 20 or more in all 4 categories. He'd already had 10 or more in all 4 categories 4 times but this was a different animal. He also put up a 139 runs scored and 94 RBIs that season just for good measure. Moreover, along with the MVP award he also won the silver slugger and gold glove awards for his position. Somehow despite all that, like Lenny Dykstra in 1993, he was left off the all-star team, a membership he had already enjoyed 4 times in his career. Much was expected of him 2008, but thanks to injuries his numbers dropped. Still he won another gold glove award and was a key cog on the world champions, as his leadoff homer in game 6 of the NLCS sparked the Phils to a pennant clinching victory. As good a hitter as he can be at times he might be even better with the glove. In fact he is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the NL right now. Few make plays look routine as often he does and he rarely misses a game. In fact he played all 162 of them in 2007. For a while it was a struggle for him this season and late in the first half of the season the Phils began to struggle right along with him. Then he caught fire to start the 2nd half, as did the Phils, and together they remain on a Jroll.
12."Hollywood" aka P Cole Hamels
This was one was given to Hamels by teammate Ryan Howard when they were both still in the minors. Howard saw Hamels at the beach with sunglasses on looking all Hollywood, not a surprise considering Hamels is from California. While not the most flattering happenstance from which to create a nickname, the name has stuck with Hamels for a different reason. He simply is Hollywood cool under pressure, particularly when the stakes are the highest. In the 2008 postseason he was a perfect 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA, and 30 strikeouts. He won game 1 in all 3 of the Phils playoff series and copped the NLCS and World Series MVP trophies. He would actually have been 6-0, the first pitcher ever to win 6 times in a single postseason, if game 5 of the world series had not been rain-delayed for 2 days. Still, his performance in the 2008 postseason stands as perhaps the greatest in ML history. However, Hamels has long way to go to surpass the Phils original star Lefty . You know who I am talking about. So far he has to very good seasons to his name, with 15 wins and 177 strikeouts in 2007 and 14 wins and 196 strikeouts in 2008. This season has been tough to watch at times, as he recuperates from going over the 200 inning mark for the 1st time in 2008. At this point he has kept his composure just enough to tough out 7 wins and another 126 strikeouts and he could be well on his way to another masterful postseason.
11."The Bat" aka Pat Burrell
Okay so this one is pretty stupid. This was literally given to Burrell bynhis U of Miami teammates because he was one of the all-time great collegiate hitters and well Bat rhymes with Pat. Still, the Philly fans took to it after a while, and began chanting "Pat the Bat" fairly regularly, sometimes to mock a slumping Burrell and sometimes to cheer on a red hot Burrell with a chance to knock in some runs. With usually about 20 homers and 80 RBIs a season, those runs would often get across the plate. For a while he was looked at as a dissapointment though for the Phils. When they drafted him numer 1 overall in 1998 he was supposed to be the team's next all-time great. He never quite met expectations, with only a .256 career batting average and routinely suspect defense , mostly in left field, a position he was never supposed to play. In fact 3rd base was his natural position but it never materialized, because the Phils already had Scott Rolen at the hot corner, when Burrell was rushed to the bigs in 2000. So he wound up in left field and for a while it worked before leg injuries slowed him down, to the proverbial big bat in lineup, who gets replaced late in games for defense. Still despite his many ups and downs his Bat connected enough times in enough in key spots over the years to turn Burrell into a beloved figure as his tenure here came to close in 2008, but not before his bat connected one more time for a leadoff double in the 7th inning of game 5 of world series, to set up pinch runner Eric Bruntlett to score what would be the winning run in the world series. If not for wind gusting in from left field, it would have been a solo homer and even more unforgettable memory. As is stood, it was Burrell's only hit of the series and biggest of his career. Long live the Bat.
10-6
Sunday, August 30, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Braves tonight. Joe Blanton got the start and was brilliant allowing just 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 7 in 7 innings. Meanwhile, Chase Utely slugged a solo homer in the bottom of the 4th, and Carlos Ruiz slapped a 2 run double in the bottom of the 7th to give the Phils a 3-1 lead heading into the 8th inning. There Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre almost combined to give it away. With the score 3-2 and runners on 1st and 2nd, the Braves seemed primed to pull the comeback. Instead off a groundball by Brian Mcann, Jimmy Rollins helped turn a huge double play, with the rare 2nd to short, to 3rd base play and the lead stayed 3-2 heading into the 9th. There, in came Brad Lidge to get the save and he did again, with a perfect 1-2-3 inning. Hopefully this means Lidge is finally headed in the right direction because the Phils are going to need him down the stretch, especially if they keep leaving runners on base like they did tonight. In fact they left the bases loaded just an inning before Ruiz's double. Sure they're not really contact hitting team so that is prone to happen at times, but you just wish it would happen less often. Speaking of Ruiz, he was incredible tonight going 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs, and sparkling defense as always. Anyway so the Phils move to 75-53 overall now and back to 8 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Braves tonight. Cliff Lee got the start and for the first time as a Phil, he was touched up big time, allowing 6 runs on 10 hits, 3 of them HRs in just 5 innings of work. He simply missed a few of his spots and the Braves jumped all over him. The Phils actually had the early 1-0 lead as Chase Utley slammed a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st, but it was all Atlanta from there. They scored 6 off Lee through 5 innings and then another 3 runs and 2 hits off Chad Durbin in the 6th inning. The Phils blew a couple good opportunities to score runs in the next couple of innings. Finally with the score still 9-1 in the bottom of the 8th a heavy rainstorm suddenly moved in washing out the rest of the night and putting the Phils out of there misery. Sometimes it just isn't your night and tonight just wasn't Cliff Lee's night. You have to Credit the Braves for not backing down after the loss on Friday. They've just been a very resilient team this season. Anyway so the Phils drop to 74-53 overall and now 7 games up in the NL East.
Friday, August 28, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight on a rain-soaked night to begin a series with the Braves. Thanks to the rain Pedro Martinez was forced to leave another start early, but not before Ryan Howard slammed a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Then the rains came. After an hour and 7 minutes, the game resumed only to go back into another delay after the completion of the 2nd inning. After which Pedro was done for the night and Jamie Moyer was in to pick up the pieces for him again. Moyer went 4 and 1/3rd innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits. Meanwhile, Howard slammed a 2 run homer in the 4th inning and later in the 7th inning Raul Ibanez tripled and scored to pace the Phils to a 4-1 lead through 7. In the 8th Moyer got the 1st out, and then was replaced by Ryan Madson who preceded to allow a run and 3 hits. Fortunately, he still managed to get the game to the 9th with the score 4-2. There in came Brad Lidge for the save and this time for once he was flawless pitching a perfect 9th to close out the 4-2 win. Lidge really did look as well as he has all season tonight and you can only hope he keeps it up. Apparently he got a hair cut before the game, so maybe the new cut will be his good luck charm the rest of the season. What a night for Ryan Howard. In addition to the 2 homers and 3 RBIs, he also collected a walk and a single. He was just on fire, and is now 3rd in the NL in homers with 37 and 2nd in RBIs with a 111. So anyway the Phils move to 74-52 overall and now 8 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Pirates tonight in yet another close game. J.A Happ got the start and pitched well, allowing just 1 run through the 1st 7 innings. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard hit into a fielder's choice for 1 run in the top of the 1st, and Paul Bako slammed a solo homer in the top of the 2nd, to put the Phils ahead 2-1. It stayed that way until Happ ran out of gas in the 8th inning and served up a 2 run homer to Garret Jones to put Pittsburgh up 3-2. Then in the top of the 9th Bako singled to get the tying run aboard with 1 out, but Matt Stairs struck out and Jimmy Rollins grounded out to end another crushing defeat. Well you can't blame this one on the bullpen, because they never took the field. It was just a case of the Phils not being able to score at PNC park. They really never seem to score too many runs in Pittsburgh for whatever season, and every game of this series was no exception. Fortunately they're headed back to Bank for the weekend so hopefully they'll get back to scoring like they usually do. Anyway so the Phils drop to 73-52 overall but remain 7 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles played their 3rd preseason game tonight at the Linc against the Jaguars. Thanks to a David Akers field goal with under 20 seconds to play the Birds pulled out a 33-32 win. Of course that's really not important. The big news tonight was the long awaited debut of Micheal Vick. He didn't play all that much and as excepted was basically inserted into the game for some gadget plays and a few plays at QB. As a QB he completed all 4 of his passes for 19 yds. Running the ball out of the backfield, Vick gained only 1 yard, so the Birds still need to firm up exactly how they're going to use him in games and they probably still need to practice some of the plays they used with Vick in game. Moving along, aside from Vick, the offense was able to move the ball up and down field effectively, but they struggled in the red zone. In fact it wasn't until early in the 3rd that Lesean Mccoy finally got the ball across the goal line. Still, Mcnabb had a pretty good night completing 21 of 36 passes for 244 yards and a TD. Kevin Kolb was also impressive completing 10-18 passes for 102 yds and a TD. As well as leading the Birds on the game winning drive. The defense on the other hand struggled a bit, allowing some long pass plays early on. They were much better than last week though, holding Jacksonville to just 64 rushing yards and 166 passing yards. Asante Samuel had an interception and Mike Patterson registered the Eagles only sack. Jason Babin was also impressive with 3 tackles and 7th round pick out of Maryland, LB Moise Fokou, had a game high 5 tackles. Lastly there was still quite a few Eagles' mistakes with another 8 penalties for 62 yards, 2 fumbles, and a safety after Kolb was called for intentional grounding from inside the 5 yard line.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with Pirates tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and delivered his 1st quality performance in some time, going 8 shutout innings, while allowing 7 hits and striking out 7. Meanwhile, Chase Utley slammed a solo homer in the top of the 1st for a quick1-0 lead. Thanks to a perfect 8th inning by Ryan Madson and the Phils blowing a golden opportunity to tack on runs in the top of the inning, it was still 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th. Unfortunately Madson couldn't hold the lead, as Brandon Moss slugged a 1 out game tying homer, for the Phils 2nd blown save in a row. This time however, Madson got out of the inning without further damage. Then in the top of the 10th Ryan Howard provided the saving blow with a 1 out 3 run homer to put the Phils up 4-1. Madson then closed it out in the 10th inning for the 4-1 win. So as I said there just isn't anything the Phils can do about their closer situation right now. Not even Ryan Madson can close games for them right now. Ryan Howard continues to impress with yet another clutch hit. Hopefully this start will be the beginning of Hamel's resurgence because the Phils are going to need him to continue to pitch like this down stretch. Anyway so the Phils move to 73-51 overall now and still 7 games up in the NL East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Pittsburgh tonight to begin a series with the Pirates. Joe Blanton got the start and was decent allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings of work. Thanks to solo homers by Jimmy Rollins in his 1st 2 at bats on the first pitches he saw, that performance by Blanton was good enough to leave the Phils trailing 3-2 heading into the top of the 9th. There Ben Francisco doubled in 1 run and the "Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino tripled to score Francisco and clinch an apparent 4-3 Phils win. Except Brad Lidge couldn't close it out in the bottom of the 9th. First Luis Cruz singled to leadoff. Then Lidge threw a wild pitch to move the tying run into scoring position. Next Brandon Moss singled to right field, right to a charging Jayson Werth, looking to throw the runner out at home, but he bobbled the ball and threw wide of the plate, pulling Carlos Ruiz just far enough away from the plate to allow the run to score. Finally Andrew McCutchen lined a 2 run homer into the seats and just like that it was game over, 6-4 Pirates. I just don't know what has happened to Lidge this season. He still has the same stuff, he's just not using it as efficiently as he did last season. If the Phils bullpen were a little more healthy right now he would probably be done for a while, but at this point, with Clay Condrey, J.C Romero, and Brett Myers still on the DL, there just isn't anyone who can fill in for Lidge, so we'll just have to hope he gets it back together after this. Anyway so the Phils drop to 72-52 overall, but remain 7 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Mets this afternoon. Cliff Lee got the start and rolled to another easy win, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard blasted a 3 run homer in the top of the 1st, and a 2 run homer in the top of the 3rd, and Raul Ibanez slapped an RBI double in the top of the 9th, to push the Phils to a 6-2 win. It was just another dominating performance by Lee and another game filled with mistakes by the Mets, as they committed 3 errors. Although it was a non save situation with the Phils ahead by 4 heading into the 9th inning, Brad Lidge came in to pitch the 9th and was pretty impressive working a 1-2-3 inning. Perhaps the triple play was just the sort of lucky turn he needed to get himself back on track. Ryan Howard continues to impress with his bat, but he always does this time of the year. Still, at present with 34 HRs and 104 RBIs he's 3rd in the NL in both categories. Not bad huh. It was also nice to see Ibanez hit that double. He really had been scuffling lately, but that double was about the best swing he's had this month. Hopefully it is a sign of the things to come for Ibanez. So anyway the Phils move to 72-50 overall now and back to 7 games up in the NL East.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Mets on a wacky sunday afternoon, in which Met's starter Oliver Perez was lifted from the game in the 1st inning, with 2 outs and a 3-0 count against the pitcher, Pedro Martinez, The Met's Angel Pagan, led off the bottom of the 1st with an inside the park homer, after Shane Victorino lobbied unsuccessfully for the umps to call a ground-rule double with the ball lodged underneath the padding on the outfield wall, The 3rd base umpire correctly over-ruled the 2nd base umpire on a fly-ball in the top of the 9th inning, on which Jeff Franceour made a diving catch so spectactular that the 2nd base umpire thought he had trapped it under his glove, and finally the game itself ended on an unassisted triple play by Eric Bruntlett, the first time that's ever happened in a NL game, and after he had committed an error, and failed to properly field another ball, to start the inning and put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out for Franceour. The weirdness pretty much overshadowed Pedro Martinez' return to New York, which was only okay as he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings. Thanks to hot hitting for the Phils, and despite the wacky stuff, Pedro's 6 innings were enough for the win, but realistically proved nothing, other than that he'll get 1 more start and we'll see after that. As for the Phils bats they were smoking right off the bat. In the top of the 1st, Jayson Werth and Carlos each slammed 3 run homers for a 6-0 lead, which is why Perez was on such a short leash. In the top of the 3rd, Martinez helped himself with an RBI single, and Jroll lined a sac fly to push the Phils ahead 8-2. New York just wouldn't go away though as Angel Pagan's 2nd homer of the day, this time a real one, helped the Mets cut it to 8-4. It was down to 8-5, when Matt Stairs walked, moved to 2nd on a wild-pitch, move to 3rd on fielder's choice, and then scored on another wild pitch in the top of the 8th inning, for a 9-5 lead. By the time the bottom of the 9th rolled around it was 9-6 and Brad Lidge was in for the save. First, Pagan tripled right through Ryan Howard's glove. Then Bruntlett booted a groundball off the bat Luis Castillo, allowing Pagan to score and Castillo to reach 1st. There should have been 2 out and nobody on, but just like that there was 1 on and nobody out with the tying run at the plate. Next Daniel Murphy grounded a ball right back up the middle but Bruntlett couldn''t field it cleanly and it was safe all around, allowing Francoeur to come to the plate as the winning run. He smashed a line drive up the middle, a sure RBI single at least to cut the lead to 9-8 and put runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Instead as luck would have it, Bruntlett was covering 2nd and the ball when right into his glove for 1 out just at the exact moment he was streaking across the bag for the 2nd out, and Mets perhaps foolishly, had the runners going on the play so Murphy was right at 2nd for Bruntlett to tag out for the the 3rd and final out. Believe it! So anyway the Phils move to 71-50 overall and still 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Mets tonight. J.A Happ got the start and produced yet another stellar performance, working out of jams to keep New York to 1 run on 8 hits through 7 innings. Meanwhile, Chase Utley slammed a 2 run homer and Pedro Feliz smashed an RBI double in the top of the 6th, and Carlo Ruiz lined a sac fly in the top of the 7th to help the Phils build a 4-1 lead through 7 and 1/2 innings. From there Ryan Madson pitched a perfect 8th inning and Brad Lidge was perfect in the 9th inning, sealing the 4-1 win while registering the 700th strikeout of his career. It was encouraging to see Lidge pitch so well and you can only hope he'll be able to pitch like that in every situation from now on. I remain impressed with Happ and his uncanny ability to get out of jams. It just seems as if nothing fazes him. Tomorrow afternoon's game will be particularly intriguiging as Pedro Martinez returns to New York for the first time since the Mets released him. I think this will be the day we find out what we really have in Pedro. Anyway so with the win the Phils move to 70-50 overall and back up to 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Friday, August 21, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to New York tonight to begin a 4 game series with the Mets. Cole Hamels got the start and struggled a bit allowing 4 runs on 10 hits in just 5 innings of work. Meanwhile, while they collected 10 hits, the Phils could only come up with 2 runs, an RBI single by Ryan Howard in the top of the 1st and an RBI single by Pedro Feliz in the top of the 6th. Thanks to the bullpen the game stayed 4-2 right up until the end, but despite getting a runner on base in every inning, from the 6th on, the Phils just couldn't put together enough of a rally to steal this one from New York. They came close in the top of the 9th, as Jimmy Rollins doubled and Shane Victorino singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out for Chase Utley, but he struck out. Ryan Howard followed with another strikeout and that was it ,4-2 Mets. As well as the Phils had been playing, that they could only tally 2 runs on 10 hits, is a little disheartening. More disheartening is the play of Cole Hamels right now. He just has never really gotten it together completely this season. There's still time for him to turn it around, and considering there have been times this season when he has looked like the old Cole, I would say it is still conceivable that he could turn things around in time to contribute this season. I am just not sure if he still has enough left in the tank to do so. Anyway so the Phils drop to 69-50 overall and now just 5.5 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Diamondbacks tonight, looking to complete the sweep and boy did they. Joe Blanton got the start and went 8 innings, allowing just 3 runs on 10 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils exploded for 12 runs on 12 hits for an easy 12-3 win. In the bottom of the 1st, Ryan Howard slapped an RBI double, and Ben Francisco(Raul Ibanez got the night off) lined a 2 run single for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 4th, a fielder's choice allowed the Phils to push across a 4th run for a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 5th Jayson Werth slammed a 2 run homer to dead center for a 6-3 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Carlos Ruiz slugged a solo homer, Chase Utley lined an RBI single, and Howard just obliterated a 3 run homer to right center into the visitors bullpen to push the lead to 11-3. Finally in the bottom of the 7th another fielder's choice allowed the Phils to score another run to push the lead to 12-3. It was just yet another dominating performance by the Phils in every way possible. Not only did Blanton pitch 8 good innings, he also collected 2 hits, just like Lee last night and Moyer the night before. So it's been 3 nights in a row now that a Phils pitcher has at least 2 hits and I don't know if that has ever happened before. Who needs a bullpen when your starters never leave the game? Maybe that will be the key for the Phils to repeat this season, long outings from the starters and lots of runs. Yeah that's the ticket! Anyway so the Phils move to 69-49 overall, that's 20 games over .500, and now back to 6.5 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles played their 2nd preseason game tonight in Indianapolis against Peyton Manning and the Colts. The Eagles ultimately dropped to 0-2 in the preseason, falling 23-15 after failing to recover an onsides kick with about 30 seconds to play, but that really doesn't mean much. As he always has, Manning picked apart the Eagles starting secondary completing 10 of 14 passes for 167 yards and 2 TDs. Donovan Mcnabb played well too completing 5 of 7 passes for 77 yards and a 39 yd td pass to Desean Jackson, but that was about the only positive for the Birds tonight in a mistake filled game. All told the Birds committed 12 penalties, or at least 12 that were accepted, there were probably 12 more that weren't, for a total of 87 yards. The Eagles also fumbled 4 times, and lost 2 of them, leading to 6 Colts' points. Honestly it seemed like every time it looked like the Eagles were about to do something positive, a penalty or a turnover got in the way. The fact that they were even able to pull within a score at the end show how well coached the Eagles are. The Eagles o-line, now without 4 of 5 starters really struggled all night and committed most of the penalties, but you just have to hope they'll be healthy by the time the season starts. While the first string defense struggled for the Birds, the backups actually looked just fine and there is still plenty of time for Sean Mcdermott to get things figured out on D. Ultimately the team has plenty of time to fix the mistakes they made tonight, and it's probably good they happened now and not in the regular season. One other interesting thing to see in this game was the play of QB Adam Dimichele, former starting QB at Temple. With Kevin Kolb still out with an injury and Vick not eligible to play tonight, Dimichele stepped in as the Birds 3rd string QB and actually looked pretty good completing 14 of 22 passes for 130 Yds and a TD plus a 2 point conversion. This will probably be the only time he'll get to play for the Eagles at all, with Vick debuting on Thursday, but hopefully what he did on the field tonight will be enough for another team to take a chance on him. If not then I feel fortunate to have seen his only NFL TD pass. Go Owls!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Diamondbacks tonight. Cliff Lee got the start and was incredible again, taking a no-hitter into the 6th inning, while going the distance and allowing just 1 run on 2 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils pounded out 8 runs on 13 hits, with a 2 run homer by Chase Utley in the bottom of the 3rd inning, a 3 run homer by Ryan Howard and a solo homer by Jayson Werth in the bottom of the 5th inning, an RBI double by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, in the bottom of the 6th inning, and finally a solo homer by Werth in the bottom of the 7th inning. In short it was a dominating performance by the Phils and their 3rd straight win. I still cannot get over how well Cliff Lee has performed since coming to the Phils. He is now 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 2 Complete games in a phillies uniform. He has even batted .385 since coming to the Phils and he collected 2 more hits tonight and scored a run. Is there anything this guy can't do. It is just amazing. I am running out of superlatives to associate with him. The only issue I can see with the Phils right now is that Raul Ibanez really seems to have slowed down. He's just not hitting with the same power he was before and he's not drving in runs like he was before. Eventuallly the Phils will need him to return to form if they hope to do anything in October this year. Anyway so the Phils move to 68-49 overall now and back to 5.5 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a 3 game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pedro Martinez took the mound for his 1st start in front of the home crowd, but it was spoiled by a rain delay after 3 innings, with Martinez having allowed just 1 run on 2 hits. After the rain delay ended, Jamie Moyer stole the show with 6 scoreless innings in relief, while allowing just 2 hits, and striking out 5. Meanwhile, the Phils scratched out 5 runs, thanks to Diamondback errors, and timely hitting, with an RBI double and a solo homer by Jayson Werth, an RBI single by Pedro Feliz, and an RBI single and a solo homer by Carlos Ruiz. All together it came to be an easy 5-1 win for the Phils, as it should have been against the lowly Diamondbacks. Moyer's performance was truly special, and while not totally unexpected against the young free swinging DBacks, it was probably his best game of the year thus far and it was his 11th win. Moyer also collected 2 hits in the effort and ran the bases effectively, although unfortunately no one could score him either time. It was also good to see Werth come through after struggling again for a bit. The same goes for Ruiz because it just seems like good things happen whenever he is hitting. So anyway the Phils move to 67-49 overall and still 4.5 games up in the NL East.
Monday, August 17, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils are off today so it is time to continue our countdown of the Phils top 25 most memorable player nicknames, No.s 20-16.
20. "The Dude" aka CF Lenny Dykstra.
When the stakes were at their highest was there ever a more cool calm and collected character than Dykstra. 3 times in his career he received MVP votes, despite never hitting more than 19 hrs in a season. No, instead he set the table for others as well as anyone ever has. For the Phils he had 2 great seasons and and then back injuries limited his career from there. In 1990 he nearly won the NL batting title with a .325 average. It was 1993 though that stands out as his best. He batted .305 with 194 hits, 143 runs scored, 129 walks, a .420 on base percentage, 37 stolen bases, 307 total bases, a.902 OPS, 19 HRs and 66 RBIs. It was arguably the greatest season any leadoff hitter has ever had, and yet he was left off the all-star team and finished 2nd in the mvp voting to some guy named Bonds. Still perhaps the most indelible mark of his cool under pressure was left that season, in game 4 of the world series, in which he delivered a performance that may never be forgotten, with 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored for unfortunately the losing team. Yes he simply was a cool "Dude" under pressure.
19. "Mr. Stats" aka RF Bobby Abreu.
What else do you call a guy who is his teams active leader in virtually every statistical offensive category and he was just a couple years ago. Even now He is still near the top in several categories. Unfortunately, for the all stats he put up he could never lift the team into the playoffs. He also seemed to always be simply trying to get on base, even in situations in which he could drive in runs. Also his defense, which should have been great, considering his strong arm and ability to cover a lot of ground, always it seemed a bit too lackadaisical. Thus the fans gave him an unfair rap as choker and labeled him as Mr.Stats as if to say he cared more about bolstering his stats then helping the team win. The truth is the game just came so easily to him that he didn't need to exert much effort at times and in fact he did come through in several clutch situations. If you look at his numbers they rank him as one of the Phils all-time greats, with a .304 average, 195 hrs, 814 RBIs, and 1474 hits. Sadly today though, most Philly fans don't see him that way.
18. "Dutch" aka C Darren Daulton.
The unquestioned leader of the 1993 Phils, Daulton was a triple threat. He could handle pitchers better than any Phils Catcher ever has, he could hit with a league best 109 RBIs in 1992, and he could the make the ladies swoon even though they knew he was married. As a 25th round pick of the Phillies in 1980, that he made it to the big leagues at all is a testiment to his work ethic. He instilled that in his 1993 teammates and would except no less than their best. Sure Jim Fregosi was the manager of the 1993 Phils, but it was Daulton who really managed his teammate's egos. If anyone stepped out of line, they were sure to hear from an angry Daulton. Dutch, which is slang for anger or temper, thus fits him perfectly because that's what he used to lead his teammates to the brink of a world title. Unfortunately, chronic sore knees ruined his career after 1994, and prevented him from building a longer, greater career. Still he is regarded by many as one of all-time great catchers and perhaps the best leader the Phils ever had.
17. "Sarge" aka OF Gary Matthews.
There is one reason and one reason only that Matthews earns this nickname, his big mouth. You can still hear it now every night during Phillies game telecasts and like the energizer bunny it just keeps going and going and just when you think it is going to stop it starts again. Like a sargeant addressing his men, you can always hear his voice above everyone else's. On other hand, Matthews liked to hit almost as much as he liked to talk, and his overall numbers are pretty good, with 234 HRs, 978 RBIs, and 2011 hits. So good and so clutch was his hitting at times that 4 times in his career he recieved MVP votes, finishing as high as 5th in 1984. He was also the Phils 1983 NLCS MVP, batting .429 and bashing 3 HRs in the series including the homers that sealed victory in games 3 and 4. Yet, he is mostly forgotten among Phils fans and baseball fans. So many players are mentioned as guys who should be in the hall of fame, but never Matthews although his numbers should receive some consideration. Of course as much as he talks someone will surely hear him someday.
16. "Bedrock" aka P Steve Bedrosian.
Solid as a rock in the back of the bullpen, Bedrosian goes down as one of the most beloved closers in Phils history, despite never having played for a winning team. He put together 3 of the best seasons from 1986-1988 that any Phils closer ever has, with at least 28 saves, an ERA under 4 and 5 wins every year, impressive numbers for teams that weren't very good. The best of those 3 seasons was 1987 in which he compiled 40 saves, a 2.83 ERA, 5 wins, and 74 strikeouts, and became one of only a handful of relievers to win a CY Young award. That same year he made his 1st and only all-star game appearance. Unfortunately, the last place Phils were forced to ship him away in 1989 to the Giants and he was never quite as good again. In fact he was only an okay pitcher before he came to the Phils and just so after leaving the Phils, which makes him one of the few players to have actually played better while with the Phillies than after leaving them. Maybe that's why the fans loved him so much, because he loved them too.
15-11
20. "The Dude" aka CF Lenny Dykstra.
When the stakes were at their highest was there ever a more cool calm and collected character than Dykstra. 3 times in his career he received MVP votes, despite never hitting more than 19 hrs in a season. No, instead he set the table for others as well as anyone ever has. For the Phils he had 2 great seasons and and then back injuries limited his career from there. In 1990 he nearly won the NL batting title with a .325 average. It was 1993 though that stands out as his best. He batted .305 with 194 hits, 143 runs scored, 129 walks, a .420 on base percentage, 37 stolen bases, 307 total bases, a.902 OPS, 19 HRs and 66 RBIs. It was arguably the greatest season any leadoff hitter has ever had, and yet he was left off the all-star team and finished 2nd in the mvp voting to some guy named Bonds. Still perhaps the most indelible mark of his cool under pressure was left that season, in game 4 of the world series, in which he delivered a performance that may never be forgotten, with 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored for unfortunately the losing team. Yes he simply was a cool "Dude" under pressure.
19. "Mr. Stats" aka RF Bobby Abreu.
What else do you call a guy who is his teams active leader in virtually every statistical offensive category and he was just a couple years ago. Even now He is still near the top in several categories. Unfortunately, for the all stats he put up he could never lift the team into the playoffs. He also seemed to always be simply trying to get on base, even in situations in which he could drive in runs. Also his defense, which should have been great, considering his strong arm and ability to cover a lot of ground, always it seemed a bit too lackadaisical. Thus the fans gave him an unfair rap as choker and labeled him as Mr.Stats as if to say he cared more about bolstering his stats then helping the team win. The truth is the game just came so easily to him that he didn't need to exert much effort at times and in fact he did come through in several clutch situations. If you look at his numbers they rank him as one of the Phils all-time greats, with a .304 average, 195 hrs, 814 RBIs, and 1474 hits. Sadly today though, most Philly fans don't see him that way.
18. "Dutch" aka C Darren Daulton.
The unquestioned leader of the 1993 Phils, Daulton was a triple threat. He could handle pitchers better than any Phils Catcher ever has, he could hit with a league best 109 RBIs in 1992, and he could the make the ladies swoon even though they knew he was married. As a 25th round pick of the Phillies in 1980, that he made it to the big leagues at all is a testiment to his work ethic. He instilled that in his 1993 teammates and would except no less than their best. Sure Jim Fregosi was the manager of the 1993 Phils, but it was Daulton who really managed his teammate's egos. If anyone stepped out of line, they were sure to hear from an angry Daulton. Dutch, which is slang for anger or temper, thus fits him perfectly because that's what he used to lead his teammates to the brink of a world title. Unfortunately, chronic sore knees ruined his career after 1994, and prevented him from building a longer, greater career. Still he is regarded by many as one of all-time great catchers and perhaps the best leader the Phils ever had.
17. "Sarge" aka OF Gary Matthews.
There is one reason and one reason only that Matthews earns this nickname, his big mouth. You can still hear it now every night during Phillies game telecasts and like the energizer bunny it just keeps going and going and just when you think it is going to stop it starts again. Like a sargeant addressing his men, you can always hear his voice above everyone else's. On other hand, Matthews liked to hit almost as much as he liked to talk, and his overall numbers are pretty good, with 234 HRs, 978 RBIs, and 2011 hits. So good and so clutch was his hitting at times that 4 times in his career he recieved MVP votes, finishing as high as 5th in 1984. He was also the Phils 1983 NLCS MVP, batting .429 and bashing 3 HRs in the series including the homers that sealed victory in games 3 and 4. Yet, he is mostly forgotten among Phils fans and baseball fans. So many players are mentioned as guys who should be in the hall of fame, but never Matthews although his numbers should receive some consideration. Of course as much as he talks someone will surely hear him someday.
16. "Bedrock" aka P Steve Bedrosian.
Solid as a rock in the back of the bullpen, Bedrosian goes down as one of the most beloved closers in Phils history, despite never having played for a winning team. He put together 3 of the best seasons from 1986-1988 that any Phils closer ever has, with at least 28 saves, an ERA under 4 and 5 wins every year, impressive numbers for teams that weren't very good. The best of those 3 seasons was 1987 in which he compiled 40 saves, a 2.83 ERA, 5 wins, and 74 strikeouts, and became one of only a handful of relievers to win a CY Young award. That same year he made his 1st and only all-star game appearance. Unfortunately, the last place Phils were forced to ship him away in 1989 to the Giants and he was never quite as good again. In fact he was only an okay pitcher before he came to the Phils and just so after leaving the Phils, which makes him one of the few players to have actually played better while with the Phillies than after leaving them. Maybe that's why the fans loved him so much, because he loved them too.
15-11
Sunday, August 16, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Braves tonight, looking to rebound from yesterday's heartbreaking loss. J.A Happ got the start and he like Cole Hamels was not at his sharpest, but he kept his poise and toughed out 7 and 2/3rd innings, while allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard singlehandedly powered the Phils to the win, with a solo homer in the 2nd inning and a 3 run homer in the 6th inning to give the Phils a 4-1 lead. Ryan Madson then took the baton from Happ and finished off the 8th inning by striking out Matt Diaz. From there Scott Eyre retired the 1st 2 batters in the bottom of the 9th inning and walked the 3rd, Greg Norton, prompting Charlie Manuel to call for Brad Lidge to get the final out. Thankfully this time it was no problem as he got Omar Infante to pop up to shallow right-center field, right into the glove of Chase Utley. So tonight at least Lidge was okay, as he always is when the Phils are leading by more than 1. August is turning out to be Ryan Howard's month as he has now homered 4 times in the last 3 games. Known for his 2nd half hot streaks, it seems Howard is picking it up at just the right time. It would have been nice though to see some of his teammates help him out, but hopefully they will join him again before long. So anyway the Phils move to 66-49 overall and now back to 4.5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Braves this afternoon. Cole Hamels got the start and again he wasn't very sharp, but he managed to get through 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits. The Phils meanwhile touched up Kenshin Kawakami for 3 runs on 7 hits, notably a triple by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino in the top of the 4th inning, a double by Raul Ibanez and a triple by Pedro Feliz, in the top of the 5th inning, and finally a solo homer by Jayson Werth in the top of the 7th inning to give the Phils a 3-2 lead. Thanks to good bullpen work by Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson the Phils took that lead into the bottom of the 9th and in came Brad Lidge to get the save again. This time he wasn't so lucky, but it wasn't totally his fault either. Chase Utley misplayed a groundball to leadoff the inning and put one on with nobody out. Next Matt Diaz bunted to move the runner over and Lidge failed to field it cleanly and then threw it away trying to get Diaz at 1st. Thus, allowing the runner on first, Garrett Anderson, to score the game tying run. Accordingly he went on to load the bases from there and the infield came in to try to get a couple forceouts. He did get strikeout but the next batter Omar Infante grounded the first pitch he saw just past a diving Jimmy Rollins to score the winning run. I am not to sure what to say about Lidge at this point. Although this wasn't totally his fault it wasn't pretty either. Unfortunately, there just isn't anyone in the Phils bullpen who can do any better right now so I think for now we're stuck with Lidge until, as Pedro Martinez would say "the cavalry arrives", and J.C Romero, Clay Condrey, and Brett Myers return from DL. Therefore I truly hope he figures it out again at least for a while, because we're going to need him for a little bit longer. The Phils lineup can also be blamed somewhat for this loss as they left 11 runners on base and 3 times failed to score with a runner in scoring position and 1 out or less. Considering how well the lineup had been performing you have to hope this was just the result of another superb pitching performance and not the beginning of another slump. Anyway so the Phils drop to 65-49 overall, and now 4 games up in the NL East.
Friday, August 14, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Fresh off a sweep of the Cubs the Phils traveled down to Atlanta to begin an important weekend series with Braves, who came into tonight 3rd in the NL East, 5 games behind the Phils. With Jair Jurrjens ,who nearly no-hit the Phils in his last outing against them, on the mound against Joe Blanton, the game was billed as a pitcher's duel and it did not dissapoint. Jurrjens held the Phils to 2 runs on 5 hits, both on a 2 run homer by Chase Utley, while Blanton held Atlanta to just 2 runs on 7 hits, thanks to a spectacular play by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, robbing Brian Mcann of a sure RBI double with a leaping catch against the wall in the bottom of the 5th inning. In the 8th inning Ryan Madson quickly retired Atlanta in order to push the game to the 9th with the score still tied. There Ryan Howard slammed a solo homer to center field to put the Phils up 3-2. Then in the bottom of the 9th, in came Brad Lidge to close it out as usual, with the dreaded 1 run lead. First he allowed a 1 out single to Adam Laroche. Then he struck out Ryan Church for out number 2, walked Greg Norton to put 2 on with 2 out for Nate Mclouth. Mclouth took a pitches and then crushed a ball to deep right field, but it died just in front of the warning track, landing safely in Raul Ibanez glove for the final out. Thus, dropping the Braves to 6 games behind the Phils. While it was far from pretty it was nice to Brad Lidge to get through a save like this for once. Perhaps the karma that allowed him to stay perfect all last season, has finally returned just in the nick of time, or maybe he's still a liability. At any rate it's probably still a good idea to put Brett Myers in the back of the bullpen when he comes back just in case. It also seems that Ryan Howard has rediscovered stroke and that can only mean good things for the Phils going forward. I just hope tomorrow's game is so nerve racking because I am not sure my heart can take it. Anyway so the Phils move to 65-48 overall now and still 4.5 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Cubs this afternoon. Cliff Lee got the start and was electric once again, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 8 in 8 innings. NL hitters just don't know what to do against him and he just makes it look so effortless it's ridiculous. He doesn't even ice his arm down after games. He got another hit in the game as well. He's really a freak of nature I think. Anyway while Lee was mowing them down, the Phils bats continued to be hot. Ryan Howard slammed a 3 run homer, his 1st of August, and Pedro Feliz followed a couple batters later with a solo homer for a 4-0 lead in the top of the 4th. Ryan Howard walked, stole second and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz for a 5-1 lead in the top of the 6th. Finally in the top of the 7th "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino doubled and scored on a single by Chase Utley for a 6-1 lead and that's the way it ended with Ryan Madson closing it out in the 9th. Just as I thought the positives from yesterday did carry over. Ryan Howard got another hit, this time a homer, and walk, Pedro Feliz racked up a couple more hits and Utley had a couple hits as well. It also good to see Madson pitching well again, even if it is with a 5 run lead. The truth is he looked just as good on Tuesday when he came in with the Phils leading by 1. Hopefully he has returned to form and can makeup for Brad Lidge's struggles. So anyway the Phils are now 64-48 overall and still 4.5 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
After a long injury filled training camp the Eagles opened their preseason schedule tonight with a 27-25 loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots, after David Akers missed a 43 yd field goal with a minute to play .Admittedly it wasn't really his fault though, as the backup players blocking for him didn't do a very good job, and forced him to rush the kick. Of course the outcome doesn't really matter when it comes to the preseason, still for a preseason game it was pretty enertaining and there were several positives to take away from it. 2nd round pick Lesean "Shady" Mccoy was impressive with 10 carries for 55 yds and 2 catches for 12 yds. 1st round pick Jeremy Maclin looked primed to be an explosive weapon both in the return game and as a receiver. He had 2 catches for 44 yards, and returned 4 kicks for 100 yards and 2 punts for 21 yards. New starting fullback Leonard Weaver looks likes he'll be a keeper with 2 carries for 8 yards , 1 catch for 10 yards and some very good run blocking. Perhaps the most impressive offensive performer on the night was 4th string running back Eldra Buckley who had 6 catches for 56 yards and 8 rushes for 23 yards. In fact Buckley might even find himself a little higher on the depth chart after that performance, as 3rd string running back Lorenzo Booker did little that was impressive aside from one 25 yard reception. Ultimately the offense appears to be loaded with weapons, and that's without even having a healthy Brian Westbrook, who should be ready for the regular season if nothing else. The only real question for the Eagles offense on the night was the offensive line, but that's no surprise considering, starters Todd Heremans, Stacy Andrews, and Shawn Andrews all sat out with injuries. The only real concern with the line is that Shawn Andrews may not be ready to begin the season, but with Jon Runyan now apparently on the mend and available as a free agent the Eagles could always sign him back if need be. Ultimately, the line was fine run blocking, they just struggled a bit in pass protection, but Stacy and Heremans usually excel in that area so that shouldn't be a problem for long. Okay as for the defense there's not much to talk about. Trent Cole sat out with an injury so they couldn't really get pressure on Brady at all, but Cole is another guy who will be back before the season starts so there's nothing to worry about. Backup Jason Babin was pretty impressive with 3 tackles and a sack, Sheldon Brown had an acrobatic interception early in the game, and rookie CB Victor "Macho" Harris had a tackle and a sack and looks he could be kind of a Brian Dawkins type player in the future. Okay now for the big news. The Eagles have decided to give Micheal Vick. recently cleared to join a team, a 2nd chance at an NFL career, signing him to a 1 year 1.6 million contract with an option for a 2nd year. Obviously the Eagles already have 3 good quarterbacks and they are still Donovan Mcnabb's team, so Vick isn't going to replace anybody. Instead he'll mostly lineup in Wildcat formations and run the ball on trick plays 4 or 5 times a game. He won't be able to do so until November as he isn't permitted to participate in any games until then. Ultimately he is just another weapon for an offense that was already loaded with them. I will say I am excited to see what he will be able do for us and I believe he has served his time and everyone deserves a second chance. I don't pretend to know or understand what happened with those dogs or how much Vick knew about it and I won't say what he did was right. I tend look at it as just another example of young man with a lot of money getting involved with the wrong kind of people who were really more interested in his money than in him and that much at least was not totally his fault. Also a lot of very respectful people, particularly Tony Dungy have said that Vick has cleaned up and is ready to start to over again so I hope for the Eagles' sake Dungy knows what he is talking about.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have signed veteran forward/center Primoz Brezec who last played for the Raptors in 2008. This past season Brezec played in Italy so this is sort of a 2nd chance at an NBA career for him. He's has been a 20 and 10 guy at times in the past but for his career he is only averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game. I suppose he could be a valuable backup, but I am not really sure where he fits in with this team. For one thing the Sixers let Theo Ratliff sign with Spurs as a free agent so I guess Brezec fills his spot. Also Brezec is a 50% shooter for his career and considering Eddie Jordan's offensive requires good shooters I suppose he helps in that respect as well.
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