Chris Pronger - Born to be a Flyer

The Flyers made a major move on Thursday night, acquiring Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle from the Ducks for Joffrey Lupul (Hey, Gary Bettman, it’s Joffrey, not Jeffrey), Luca Sbisa, two first rounders and a third. I absolutely love the deal.

Pronger brings a dimension of size, skill and nastiness to the Flyers’ blueline that they’ve been lacking for decades. He’s 34-years old and has one year remaining on his deal, I understand that. But one thing I’ve always loved about the Flyers is that they are never afraid to go for it. Remember the battles Derian Hatcher had with Sidney Crosby during the first two years of Sid’s career? Pronger will take that to a whole new level. Between Ray Emery and Prongs, I’m willing to bet Crosby won’t be scoring too many goals from inside the blue paint in the crease this season.

I understand that some people are upset that the Flyers gave up a lot for the big man. Honestly, the only piece I’m sorry to see go is Sbisa. Lupul is a nice player but very streaky. The Flyers also had six 20-goal scorers last season so he was expendable. Dumping his contract is also a plus ($4.25M for each of the next four seasons).

Sbisa will become a quality NHL player but I’d trade him for Pronger at any point in either ones career. The Flyers have traded away first round picks for veterans before and not regretted it. Dainius Zubrus for Mark Recchi, Mike Ricci for Eric Lindros, Maxime Ouellet for Adam Oates to name a few. The first round picks I can live without, especially since they are somewhere in the 20s.

And who remembers what the Oilers or Ducks traded away in order to acquire Pronger? The only thing people remember is that he played like a beast and took his teams to new heights.

In fact, in his only season in Edmonton, he led the Oilers to Game 7 of the Finals. And then in his first year in Anaheim, the Ducks won the Cup…I can’t wait to see how his first year in Philly plays out.

Besides Mike Richards, there was one guy I always thought was meant to be a Flyer and that was Chris Pronger….and now he’s in orange and black.

Here’s a description of Dingle from Philadelphiaflyers.com

Philadelphia also acquired young forward and prospect Ryan Dingle in the deal. Dingle, 25, posted 18 points (11G,7A) in 70 regular season games with the Iowa Chops of the AHL in 2008-09. He has a total of 25 points (12G, 13A) in 93 regular season games in the AHL with the Portland Pirates (2006-07 to 2007-08) and Iowa (2008-09).

“He’s a little spark plug,” said Pronger of Dingle. “He’s a skilled guy, very fast, competitive guy. In training camp last year he had a great camp with us and opened a lot of eyes.”

A native of Steamboat Springs, CO, Dingle was a member of the University of Denver Pioneers’ 2005 NCAA National Championship team with current Flyers defenseman Matt Carle.

“We had our choice of a couple different guys, and I like Ryan,” said Holmgren. “He’s a good young player. Certainly he’s not a throw-in per se, because he’s a guy that we do have some time for.”

Notes

  • Pronger was a teammate of John Stevens on the 1993-94 Hartford Whalers where his first pro head coach was….Paul Holmgren.
  • This is the second time Lupul and Pronger have been traded for each other.
  • Matt Carle will switch from #25 to #20, and Pronger will get to wear 25.
  • It will be interesting to see how the Flyers handle the salary cap (Danny Briere, Mike Knuble, Andrew Alberts, backup goalie, etc) with future moves this summer.
Published
by
Bill
on June 27, 2009
in Flyers
. 0 Comments

Amaro’s mound moves ain’t panning out

When Ruben Amaro was appointed general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies shortly after the team’s 2008 World Series victory, he knew the only way his inaugural season would be considered a success was if the Phillies managed to make it back to the World Series. Not an enviable position to be in considering the difficulties involved in repeating, let alone making it back to the World Series two consecutive years in a row.

So far, the only successful move Amaro has made is the signing of Raul Ibanez to replace Pat Burrell. But given former GM and current Senior Advisor to the GM Pat Gillick’s ties with the Seattle Mariners, you would have to be fooling yourself if you didn’t think Gillick played a key role in the Phillies decision to sign Ibanez to, at the time a very questionable, a 3-year, $30 million deal.

When analyzing Amaro’s three off-season moves made to bolster the pitching staff, you would need to give him a big fat F. Amaro never should have resigned Jamie Moyer as he passed over established top of the rotation starters like Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Brad Penny in order to resign the 46-year-old lefty. The Ronnie Paulino for Jack Taschner trade is looking worse by the minute as Taschner continues to struggle, while Paulino is successfully platooning with John Baker down in Florida. And Chan Ho Park has been a colossal bust as a starter and the jury is still out on him as a relief pitcher.

Let’s take a closer look at the players involved.

Jack Taschner has given up 25 hits and 17 walks in just 23 innings. His ERA is a deceiving 4.56 since many of the runs he has surrendered get charged to other pitchers. Other than Brad Lidge, he is the only regular relief pitcher on the team without a hold… and it’s not for a lack of opportunities. During Friday’s loss the Orioles, there was no hold on the line. Instead, he was just plain awful to start the 9th inning surrendering three more runs essentially eliminating any chance of a 9th inning comeback.

Ronnie Paulino was traded for Jack Taschner at the end of spring training after he failed to beat out Chris Coste for the back up catcher position. So far he has been great for the Marlins in a L-R platoon with John Baker.

Paulino - .290, 4 HR, 14 RBIs in 100 at-bats

Coste - .250, 2 HR 7 RBIs in 84 at-bats

Defensively, it’s not even close, as Coste is well below average with three passed balls already, not to mention his penchant for calling the wrong pitch in key late inning situations.

The Chan Ho Park experiment as a starting pitcher ended quickly as he was replaced by J.A Happ in the rotation following a string of ineffective starts. Overall he has given up 57 hits and 24 walks in 48.1 innings with a 6.14 ERA. Despite the struggles in the rotation, the South Korean righty has shown signs of life during his few appearances out of the bullpen.

Last but not least, we have Jamie Moyer. He has given up 93 hits and 18 walks in 72.1 innings with a 6.35 ERA in 13 starts. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning) is 1.53, highest among the starters. Perhaps what hurts the most is his inability to pitch past the 6th inning.

The Phillies are 36-29 and two games up on the New York Mets. However, the team has lost four in a row at home, and 6 of their last 7 to post a horrific 13-20 home record. The starting rotation statistically is dead last in ERA and next to last in innings pitched. With Brett Myers out for the season and the bullpen on the verge of imploding from overuse, it’s time for Amaro to be proactive and not wait until the trade deadline to make a move for pitching.

The starting pitching market has been analyzed to death so we don’t need to rehash it, but how about another late inning reliever with electric stuff such as San Diego’s Heath Bell. He’s cheap, reliable and can certainly be pried away from the Padres for a top prospect or two. Even a work horse like Arizona’s John Rausch would provide a huge boost to the depleted and overworked bullpen. Despite the surprising start by Clay Condrey (now on the DL), he has shown in his past two outings that he is in way over his head pitching in crucial situations that both Bell and Rausch are better suited for. Condrey needs to return to his role from last season as a long relief and/or 6th inning guy.

So far, Amaro has not shown the ability to make the right moves. Let’s be honest, Ibanez has turned out to be better than anyone could have imagined, but offense has never been this teams problem.  The Phillies’ chance at making it back to the World Series to try to defend the crown now lies in the hands of Amaro. Will he be as successful as his predessesor Pat Gillick, whose mid-season acquisitions of Joe Blanton, Matt Stairs and Scott Eyre all played key roles in winning the championship last season. Or will his moves turn out to backfire like his off-season moves of Moyer, Taschner and Park?

Published
by
Chris
on June 23, 2009
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Rod Barajas? Really?

Unlike the Eagles who never seem to get f’d by the players they dump, the Phillies sure are getting it up the rear lately.

Former Philadelphia pariahs, Rod “Block that plate” Barajas and Scott “P*ssy” Rolen came into town this week and wreaked havoc on the Phillies now tenuous hold on first place in the NL East.

Rolen had the game winning hit against the Phils on Tuesday, and Barajas hit the game-winning home run this afternoon on an 0-2 Ryan Madson fastball.

The two combined to go 10-for-23, with 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 8 RBI’s.

Rod freakin’ Barajas!

This is certainly the low point of the 2009 season, and I can only hope we look back at this at September and are able to say “Hey, remember when Barajas killed us in June? Man I thought they were done. Boy was I wrong.”

Published
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Jared
on June 18, 2009
in Phillies
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The Pros and Cons of Bringing on Ray Emery

The Flyers reportedly will sign goalie Ray Emery to a one-year contract as soon as the free-agent period opens on July 1. No financial terms were available as of yet.

Playing for Atlant Mytischi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) last season, Emery posted a 2.12 goals against average and .920 save percentage with a record of 22-8.

Talks with Marty Biron continue, but it is believed he is asking for too much money and a long-term deal that the Flyers are not willing to accommodate.

Emery, a Hamilton, Ont. native, is 71-40-14 lifetime with a 2.71 GAA and eight shutouts in 134 NHL games. The Senators waived him after a rocky 2007-08 season despite having two years left on his deal.

Emery helped lead the Sens to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, but then a wrist injury and a series of issues led to dissension within the dressing room. His goals-against average ballooned to 3.13, with a lowly .890 save percentage in 31 games in ‘07-08.

There are two ways to look at this….

The Positive
Philly is his kind of town, and he’s our type of player. He fights and battles like Ron Hextall. Maybe Biron took the Flyers as far as he could go….it could be time to move on. The current Flyers team is lacking in personality and Emery certainly could provide some.

He once ate a cockroach in the locker room to win a $500 bet from Daniel Alfredsson. He is covered in tattoos, has a pet python, drives fast cars and once had Mike Tyson painted on his mask.

The Negative
He’s been pulled over 30 times by his count during a two-year span…Had a road rage incident with a 65-year old motorist. He’s been a notorious night owl who has been late for practices and missed team planes. Depending on who you ask, he is either a good teammate or a clubhouse cancer.

Biron was one of the most popular players in the room. Ottawa is a franchise similar to the Flyers in that goaltending has been their achilles heel over the last ten years, and aside from the ‘07 playoff run, Emery was not the answer there.

But the big question is…Can he play?

Fans in Philadelphia seem to be far less enthusiastic about this than when the Sixers hired Eddie Jordan to a chorus of crickets and tumbleweeds blowing through South Philly.

The fact remains that the franchise has not had a consistent stud goalie since Hextall. Biron may not have been the reason the Flyers lost in each of the last two playoff years, but he certainly didn’t carry the team on his back.

Interestingly, Emery may be best remembered for his fight with Biron a few years back…and this year he went after a trainer…

The Flyers are strapped by the cap. Mike Knuble is a free agent that the club wants to re-sign. Rumors remain that Jay Bouwmeester is still on their wishlist. Where will the cap space come from?

Biron and Antero Niittymaki are both UFAs this summer. Biron made $3.5 million last season, while Niittymaki earned $1.225 million. Emery is a cheaper alternative which would free up space to concentrate on the blueline and/or adding a faceoff man.

If Emery does become a Flyer, one thing is for certain…it will be interesting to see how it plays out, one way or another.

Just for fun, here are the contracts of some other goalies rumored to be on the move or free agents this summer…

JS Giguere
Making 6.0M next season and 7.0 the year after

Kari Lehtonen
Restricted free agent after making $3.0 Million in 08-09

Nik Khabibulin
UFA after making $6.75 this season

Josh Harding
Restricted free agent after making $750K this season

Craig Anderson
UFA after making $575K this season

Roberto Luongo
1 year remaining on deal at $7.5 million

Scott Clemmensen
UFA after making $500K this season

Jaroslav Halak
Will make $800K in 09-10 before becoming RFA

Carey Price
Will make $850K in 09-10 before becoming RFA

Source: NHLNumbers.com

Published
by
Bill
on June 8, 2009
in Flyers
. 0 Comments

For once, Phillies’ post-World Series future is bright

The Philadelphia Phillies future is brighter than ever. With one championship already under their belt, Cole Hamels wasn’t kidding when he said he expects to be able to have a parade year after year after year.

With the bulk of the current core of stars all signed through the 2011 season this team is a legitimate threat to make another run at a World Series for years to come.

But that’s not what makes the Phillies future so bright necessarily. Just as they did with the current team of homegrown talent that includes everyday players Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz as well as pitchers Cole Hamels, JA Happ and Ryan Madson, the team looks like they have a second wave of core players emerging in the minor leagues.

With the team being involved in just about every trade rumor involving a top flight pitcher the Phillies minor league system is being analyzed as much as it’s ever been  lately. Out of nowhere, the Phillies have rapidly developed a group of top tier, blue chip prospects that scouts are labeling as potential stars at the major league level.

Outfielder Dominic Brown, 21, is currently the Phillies top prospect, followed by starting pitcher Kyle Drabek, 21, outfielder Michael Taylor, 23, catcher Travis D’Arnaud, 20, and recently promoted starter Antonio Bastardo, 22. All five have been described as having the potential to make an impact at the major league level.

That none of these players were widely known at this time last year to but only the most die-hard Phillies fans says a lot about how far the minor league system has come in such a short time. It wasn’t too long ago when the team had virtually nothing of interest for potential trading partners when it came time to discuss possible mid-season trades. Hence the Jamie Moyer’s, Kyle Lohse’s, and Joe Blanton’s of the world (although they all seemed to work out).

Infielder Jason Donald, 24, catcher Lou Marson, 22, and pitcher Carlos Carrasco, 22, once the Phillies most prized minor league prospects, have all become expendable.

Last season’s emergence of D’Arnaud has given the Phils hope that Marson’s talent could be replaced. Carrasco, who is struggling mightily at Triple-A, has been surpassed by both Bastardo and Drabek.

Donald unfortunately is caught up in a numbers game. He certainly isn’t going to replace Utley or Rollins anytime soon, and with Pedro Feliz playing at such a high level this season, it seems more and more likely the team will pick up his club option for 2010.

The fact that we haven’t even mentioned outfielders John Mayberry Jr., 25, Anthony Gose, 18, Zach Collier, 18, infielder Anthony Hewitt, 20, or pitchers Joe Savery, 23, Tyler Cloyd, 22, Vance Worley, 21, and Jason Knapp, 19, is a testament to how strong the Phillies minor league system has become.

In a perfect world, the Phillies hope they can acquire a top flight pitcher with some sort of combination of Donald, Marson and Carrasco, but in reality, the team may have to part with one or more of the organization’s “new” top five prospects.

The timing of the future Phillies expected arrival in the majors also seems fortuitous.

Taylor is on schedule to be major league ready at the time Jayson Werth’s two year deal expires in 2010. Brown is on schedule when Raul Ibanez’s three year deal ends in 2011. Bastardo is already getting a chance to show what he can do, and Drabek was just promoted to Double-A Reading where he pitched 7 shutout innings in his debut. Their impending arrivals coincide with Brett Myers potentially leaving as a free agent after this season.

No Phils World Series team has been positioned so well to continue their success than this iteration.

The 1980 team was the culmination of years of strong minor league development - Mike Schmidt, Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Lonnie Smith, and Keith Moreland - but the coffers were dry by 1981.

The 1983 team was a over-the-hill gang with little help coming from the farm. The early 80’s drafts were rife with Henry Powell, Johnny Abrego, and John Russell-type talent.

The ‘93 surprise was built on toughness, career years, and, lets face it, steroids. Youngsters like Tyler Green, Mike Williams, Mike Lieberthal, and Kevin Stocker were rising to the majors, but even at the time none were really considered future cornerstones.

While baseball history is replete with stories of bright prospects never panning out, the fact the Phillies are even in the position to be disappointed by bright prospects is a phenomenom we haven’t seen in this town for decades. And it gives Phils fans hope that last year’s magical season won’t our last for another 28 years.

Published
by
Chris
on June 4, 2009
in Phillies and Phillies Prospects
. 0 Comments

Eagles and McNabb working out a new deal

According to Derrick Gunn of Comcastsportsnet.com rumors are swirling that Donovan McNabb and the Eagles are working on a contract extension.

McNabb, signed through 2010, will make $9.2 million in 2009 and $10 million in 2010.

If this is true the Birds have finally come to their senses. McNabb is the best quarterback this franchise has ever seen and is coming off one of his top seasons despite not having the weapons other top QB’s usually have at their disposal.

If this deal finally goes down I hope it puts to rest any Kevin Kolb speculation. Whether the kid can play or not I don’t know, but McNabb is heads and tails better, and like it or not haters, the Birds’ best chance to win a Super Bowl.

Published
by
Jared
on June 3, 2009
in Eagles
. 0 Comments

Remembering Peter Zezel and the Greatest Flyers Game of All-Time

Hard to believe it’s been 22 years, but May 28, 1987 is a special date in Flyers’ history. The orange and black returned home to The Spectrum after overcoming a 2-0 deficit and defeating the Oilers 4-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Philadelphia fell behind 2-0 again in Game 6 before Lindsay Carson got the Flyers on the board seven minutes into the second period.

The game remained 2-1 Edmonton until Glenn Anderson took a high-sticking penalty on Peter Zezel with 7:39 remaining, and the struggling Flyer power play (1-for-22 previously in the series) converted when Brian Propp put one high over Grant Fuhr’s glove into the top corner to tie the game at two with just under seven minutes remaining.

Only 84 seconds later, Zezel gathered a loose puck in the Flyers zone and carried it across the blueline where Jari Kurri interecepted a pass and threw it off the boards where J.J. Daigneault raced to keep it in, and in one motion blasted a shot past a screened Fuhr and bedlam erupted in South Philly.

I can honestly say I’ve never heard an arena louder. Any city. Any sport. Ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUohOgRfFTU

The goal was Daigneault’s only career playoff point in a Flyer uniform. The story was that as Zezel rushed up the ice, Daigneault tried to come onto the bench and Mike Keenan waved him back on which is the reason he was late getting into the zone. Destiny.

The remaining five-plus minutes were mayhem as Ron Hextall and the Flyers tried to hold off the Oilers’ offensive machine.  With 10 seconds remaining, Hextall tried to clear the puck high up through the middle. Mark Messier jumped up and caught it and had an empty net to shoot at before Hextall somehow scrambled back into position. Amazing.

Minus Tim Kerr, their 58-goal scorer, this banged up group of grinders, role players and character guys was heading to the NHL’s first Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in 16 years, against one of the greatest teams of all-time. Think of the names…

Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson, Coffey, Lowe and Fuhr. Wow.

To this day, I still watch this game from start to finish 10 times a year, and can quote Gene Hart word for word throughout like people do with movies. Some of the notable aspects of this game included the crowd in a frenzy for the full 60 minutes, the organ music, the homemade signs throughout The Spectrum, no ads on the boards visible to the TV cameras, the undisputed two best teams in the league battling in the Final.

Despite the outcome of Game 7, this remains my most cherished Philadelphia sports moment. This team embodied everything great about sports and our city.

Classic signs in The Spectrum that night:
Who needs a great one? We have a great team
No Retreat No Surrender
Craven the Cup
Thank you Flyers You’re so great…Thanks to you I’m up real late
Oilers: Did you enjoy your parade?
Flyers Parade June 3

I couldn’t do this post without noting the passing of Peter Zezel this week at the young age of 44. Peter was a solid two-way player and fan favorite at The Spectrum during his career in Philly, but was even a better person. I was lucky enough to meet him as a 12-year old kid and he made me feel like the most important person in the rink. After his passing, many people shared their stories of Peter and they were all similar to mine, which goes to show the type of guy he was.

Published
by
Bill
on May 29, 2009
in Flyers
. 0 Comments

Coste should shoulder some of the blame for Yanks’ loss

OK… after reflecting on what would have been a great win for both J.A Happ and the Phillies, I’ve thought about it some more and now lay only part of the blame on Brad Lidge.

Yet again, Chris Coste shows me another reason why he doesn’t belong in the big leagues. Calling for a 3-2 fastball to Alex Rodriguez was a horrendous error in judgment to say the least. Throw another slider. If you throw a good one and he still hits it, more power to him. If you miss in the dirt and walk him, so be it. That just means you face Robinson Cano with a possible double play in order.

You may think I’m just second guessing, but when is the last time you’ve ever seen any closer challenge Ryan Howard with a 3-2 fastball with the game on the line? Never. You know why… because only Coste is stupid enough to think A-Rod is not going to crush the ball if it’s anywhere near the strike zone. Honestly, can anyone who was watching the game not see that home run coming?

Now back to Lidge. I don’t care how many times the Phillies management say there is nothing wrong with his health, I just don’t believe them. We’re nearly two months into the season and Lidge still can not locate his fastball. If he’s not hurt, then something is seriously wrong with either his mechanics or psyche because he just can’t seem to throw a fastball for a strike, or throw one away when needed to get someone to chase. I would not be surprised at all if Lidge goes on the 15-day disabled list to rest his ailing knee once J.C Romero returns. Madson is more than capable of closing in place of Lidge if he is truly scuffling due to his knee.

There were some positives in spite of the loss.

Both Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin were extremely sharp. The movement on Durbin’s pitches reminded me of the Durbin of early last season. Let’s hope he continues to pound the strike zone with movement.

J.A Happ didn’t disappoint. I truly expect this kid to win 10 games this year as a starter, and will be a primary reason why the Phillies will win the NL East, despite all of their holes.

John Mayberry Jr. homering in just his 2nd major league at-bat would have been a great story had it not been for the 9th inning collapse. I don’t know how many at-bats this kid will see (other than interleague games in AL parks) until September, but the 25-year old definitely has a bright future whether it’s with the Phils or someone else

Published
by
Chris
on May 24, 2009
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

This is bad ass

I’ve seen this ritual a hundred times on tape and it’s still just bad ass. This is how to psyche a team out pregame.

I know this has nothing to do with Philly sports but the All Blacks’ Haka sure beats the heck out of Florida State-type pregame gangster talkin’. And who doesn’t like choreographed dance numbers?

Published
by
Jared
on May 21, 2009
in Very Cool
. 2 Comments

JA to help Happ-less rotation

The Phillies finally pulled the plug on the Chan Ho Park experiment.

No matter what they may say, the team signed the 15-year veteran last off-season to strengthen the bullpen, not the starting rotation. It was only after Park went public with his desire to pitch in the starting rotation did things get a little dicey. He told reporters he chose to sign with the Phillies because they promised him a chance to earn a spot in the rotation, and Park certainly earned his spot after being the Phillies most consistent pitcher in spring training, leaving the team no choice but to give him the nod over J.A Happ and prized prospect Carlos Carrasco.

I’m sure the Phillies would have preferred Happ in the rotation and Park in the bullpen from Day One, especially after the team acquired lefty reliever Jack Taschner at the end of spring training

Park was awful in 5 of his 7 starts, making his already awful 7.08 ERA a little deceiving - in a positive way. Take out the two semi-decent starts he had against the Mets and Dodgers and his ERA in his five other starts exceeds 10.00 which is beyond Adam Eaton-esque. In his last outing against the Nationals, Park failed to get out of the second inning, giving up five earned runs in just 11/3 innings.

Happ will step right into the fire, making his first start on Saturday at the new Yankee Stadium against the suddenly red hot Bronx Bombers - on national television no less.

No matter the outcome of that game I don’t think anyone expects Happ to relinquish his spot in the rotation for the rest of the season, and perhaps many years to come. The young lefty has shown extreme poise in his brief major league career, making his first two starts in the big leagues against the rival New York Mets in the heat of pennant races.

The Phillies obviously made the right choice here, recognizing the need to fix what has been, up to this point, the NL’s worst starting rotation. In addition to the much talked about league-worst ERA for the starters, the rotation also has the lowest number of innings pitched by any starting rotation. Failing to make changes now could easily result in a burned out bullpen during the stretch drive.

With Happ in the rotation all eyes will now be squarely on Jamie Moyer. The entire front office will be crossing their fingers hoping the rapidly-aging wonder will somehow turn it around, preventing the team from having to make another change in the rotation. A move that would not only be costly, but emotional as well.

Published
by
Chris
on May 20, 2009
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Lou Holtz claims retardation

In an age of hyper-sensitivity it’s nice to see an old school guy like former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz throw all that PC crap out the window.

In today’s Sporting News Today “My Profile” Holtz is the subject. It’s basically just a bland questionnaire they have a sports celebrity fill out asking things like “What are you reading?” and “Who is your dream date?”.

Riveting stuff.

But today Holtz took it to a new level when he answered the “What I’m up to these days” question:

Work at ESPN, play golf and do speaking events. I thought I was retired, ESPN found out I was retarded.

Wow. I’m sure ESPN has no policy against hiring the mentally-challenged (see Emmitt Smith), but I’m pretty sure looking old and lisping terribly doesn’t constitute retardation.

Published
by
Jared
on May 20, 2009
in Humor
. 0 Comments

Phils’ slide starts with Rollins

It’s time for Jimmy Rollins to show some pride.

We’re now halfway through May and he’s still hitting a paltry .200. He continues to roll over ball after ball, essentially playing pepper with the second baseman. Never can I remember a time in which he gave away so many at bats by swinging at bad pitches and flat out missing the good ones.

Perhaps winning the World Series sapped him of the edge, fire, mojo, or whatever you want to call it that led to Rollins making bold predictions the previous two seasons - something he failed to do this past spring.

Let’s face it, the pulse of this team is, and always will be, Rollins. As he goes, the Phillies go. The win-loss record is staggering in the games Rollins scores a run compared to those he doesn’t. Compound Rollins’ struggles with Victorino’s inconsistency and are you really surprised the Phillies offense has vanished over the past week and a half?

Always steady in the field despite how he’s hitting, Rollins carried his struggles into the field today, flat out booting a ball while trying to backhand it, leading directly to an unearned run.

A lot of people are going to point to the starting pitchers as the reason for the Phillies recent struggles, but the truth is that in 3 of the 6 previous losses, Phillies starters pitched at least 6 innings and giving up 1 earned run or less. Joe Blanton, despite giving up 6 runs on Saturday, pitched 8 serviceable innings - the deepest any starter has gone so far this season. So in 4 of the 6 losses, the Phillies starters have done their job, with the Jamie Moyer being the exception.

Yes, the bullpen has struggled as well, but once J.C. Romero returns the first week of June, every one will then fall into their customary roles, and hopefully lead to some much needed consistency from the relief corps.

Which takes us back to the offense. Yes, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth virtually disappeared this past home stand, but it all starts from the top. Only when Rollins decides to show some pride and play the way he is capable of will this team have a chance to string a few series wins together, and hopefully separate from the pack heading into the All-Star break. But until then, they have to somehow keep their heads above water and hope neither the Mets, Marlins, or Braves get their respective acts together.

The Phillies are very fortunate to be 16-16 and just 1.5 games out of first place pending the results of the Mets - Giants game tonight. It’s time for Rollins to step up and help lead this team to some much needed W’s in what, up to this point, has been a division of mediocrity.

Published
by
Chris
on May 14, 2009
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Does Moyer need to be replaced?

Going into the 2009 season Chan Ho Park was the big question mark in the Phillies rotation. But seven starts into the year it’s Jamie Moyer, the 46-year old who just signed a 2-year contract, who is now the weakest link in a terrible starting five.

Moyer lasted only 4 1/3 innings tonight, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs. He’s just not fooling anyone with his grab bag of slow slop. The days of feasting on “over eager” hitters just isn’t valid anymore.

The Phillies aren’t going to be able to win the division, let alone repeat as champs, rolling Moyer out there every fifth day. Giving up 55 hits in a mere 35 1/3 innings is Adam Eaton-like, and if you’re not striking guys out - Moyer has only K’d 19 - outs are becoming pretty rare in his starts.

So let’s lay off Chan Ho and start looking in Moyer’s direction when JA Happ’s name is finally called to the rotation.

Published
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Jared
on May 13, 2009
in Phillies
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Chan Ho sticks to the strike zone

It’s amazing what pitching to contact can do for a starting pitcher. For the second straight week, Chan Ho Park was aggressive in the strike zone and went 6 strong innings, allowing just 2 earned runs. The most important stat of the night was Park not walking a batter en route to his first victory of the season. His ERA dropped from 6.67 to 6.00 with the win.

For just the second time all season, the Phillies win a game in which they did not hit a home run.

‘Ra-ullll’ Ibanez drove in two more runs with an opposite field line drive to raise his RBI total to a team leading 25 on the season. All the naysayers from when they signed Ibanez please step forward.

Jayson Werth’s team record-tying 4 stolen bases in one game raises his team lead to 7 on the season. Rollins (2) and Victorino (3) have combined for just 5 total steals so far. Werth’s delayed steal of home was the most exciting play of the game, and maybe the season. Jacoby Ellsbury also had a straight steal of home a few weeks ago. Can anyone else remember seeing two steals of home this close together before?

For the second straight game, Chase Utley struck out with the bases loaded. After a red hot start to the season, Utley is 0-9 in the last two games, dropping his season batting average to .294.

Did anyone ever think that they would see Pedro Feliz walk 4 times in a game? Seriously… you have to be throwing pitches so far out of the strike zone to even walk Pedro to begin with. Feliz has averaged only 27.5 walks per season over the past 6 years.

Despite picking up his 5th save in 6 chances, Brad Lidge continues to struggle. Lidge gave up an earned run in the top of the ninth, making it 4 straight appearances in which he has given up at least one run. His command was better as he was ahead of just about every hitter he faced, but still either elevated his fastball in a bad way or left it over the plate to allow two solid base hits, and one very hard hit liner that almost sailed over Victorino’s head for the final out of the game.

Published
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Chris
on May 13, 2009
in Phillies
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Phils once again get that sinking feeling

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me…

In hindsight, is it really a surprise that Jamie Moyer got shelled in Thursday night’s game against the Mets? Moyer makes a living on hitters getting themselves out due to a lack of patience. If we learned anything from Moyer’s post season starts against the Brewers and Dodgers, it’s that if you wait him out, he is going to throw you something to hit if behind in the count. Having just seen Moyer last Saturday, Mets hitters displayed more patience by making Moyer throw strikes and we all know that if the umpire doesn’t give Moyer both the inside and outside strikes, he just can’t win. The Beltran, Wright and Reyes homers were all crushed, and Castro would have had a grand slam in just about any other park. This was Moyer’s shortest outing as a Phillie lasting just 2.1 innings and a line up like the Mets is not going to be fooled twice in a span of a week.

Once again, sunk by the sinker…

Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Jason Marquis, Braden Looper, and Mike Pelfrey times two. The Phillies always struggle against pitchers who throw hard sinkers. Of the 12 Phillies losses on the season, half of them have come against starting pitchers whose primary pitch is the hard sinker. Two more losses would have been on the books by hard sinker pitchers Jason Johnson and Aaron Cook had the Phillies not had late inning comebacks. In fact, only four starters whose primary pitch is something other than a sinker have wins against the Phillies. They are Shairon Martis, Dave Bush, Scott Olson, and Johan Santana. Kind of ironic that the Phillies have three fly ball pitchers (Jamie Moyer, Brett Myers, and Joe Blanton) in a home run park and no sinker ballers whatsoever.

Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result…

Three times now, the Phillies have seen K-Rod, and all three times Phillies hitters have chased balls three and four to get themselves out. This guy lives or dies by pitching behind in the count. The only way to beat him is to wait him out and let him either walk you, or give you something to hit. If you make an out on a strike, so be it. But at-bats like Pedro Feliz’ and Jimmy Rollins’ were absolutely terrible. Feliz first ball swinging and popping out and Rollins chasing both balls three and four to also pop out against K-Rod is getting old real fast.

Watching their approach to K-Rod is like a bad nightmare that just won’t end. If you think about it, the approach to K-Rod is very similar to Jamie Moyer. Make him throw you a hittable strike or take the walk.

Quick hits

Shane Victorino once again shows us why we love him and everyone else hates him with his intentional shoulder nudge into Jose Reyes during his 8th-inning rundown.

Only 24 more games until J.C Romero returns,  subsequently making games much less stressful by not having Scott Eyre and Jack Taschner pitch in big situations.

Favorable upcoming schedule…

The Phillies will avoid both of Atlanta’s sinker ballers, Lowe and Jurrjens, this weekend. Instead they’re facing Jo-Jo Reyes, Javier Vasquez, and Kenshin Kawakami.

Then the Dodgers come to town minus Manny Ramirez, followed up by a trip to the nation’s capital to face the Nationals.

Despite being only a half game in front of both the Mets and Marlins for the NL East lead, it would be both surprising and disappointing if they are not still in first following the next 9 games.

Published
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Chris
on May 7, 2009
in Phillies
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