As the season opener rapidly approaches the Fightin’s have made a few shuffles in the roster to finalize the opening 25 man crew.   Outfielder Geoff Jenkins was given his unconditional release, the Phillies still owe Jenkins $8 million for the second year of his contract and will eat that amount.  Jenkins was a good team man and I am sorry to see him go but do realize that with Jayson Werth established as the everyday right fielder that Matt Stairs is better suited than Jenkins as a left handed bat off the bench.  Jenkins should catch on somewhere as I believe he still has good baseball left in him.

The team also designated John Mayberry Jr. to minor league camp as well as Carlos Carrasco. Both are young players and will most likely be future big leaguers.  Chan Ho Park was told that he has won the fifth starter’s job over J.A. Happ.  I have a good feeling that Park is going to have a decent year and am glad to see him win the starting job.  I hope that Happ can adjust to a bullpen role as I don’t think another minor league assignment is in his best interest mentally.  If the team does assign him to Triple A I think they are doing so with the intent of eventually moving him in trade. 

Robert Mosebach was reclaimed by the Angels.  He was a rule 5 draft choice of the Phillies this winter and had to remain on the big league roster or be offered back to the Angels.  Reports are that the Fightin’s are attempting to work out a trade to keep him, he has very good velocity and would be a good insurance policy at Triple A.   Recently acquired Jack Taschner will most likely make the roster but if indeed Happ does as well that will give the team 3 lefties in the pen!  Last season they went almost the entire season with only one before acquiring Scott Eyre.  It would appear that Gary Majewski might be optioned to Triple A but that hinges on the team’s opinion of Happ and whether they want to play with his psyche and send him to Lehigh.

Chatter

Gary Sheffield was released by Detroit, he officially clears waivers at 1 pm tommorrow and apparently the Phillies have interest in signing him as a right handed pinch hitter and part time outfielder.  I think Sheffield is a very good player but do have concerns on his locker room impact, this is a good crew of men that gets along well, not sure we need a Kenny Lofton like influence.  I only know what I read of Sheffield and perhaps the negative reports in this regard are inaccurate.  If the team signs him then Miguel Cairo would presumably be out of a roster spot.  It has also been rumored that the Fightin’s have interest in Andruw Jones but it seems that he will indeed make the Texas Ranger’s opening day roster.   Lastly Marcus Giles was given his outright release, it would appear that his baseball days are over at the major league level but one never knows, perhaps he catches on elsewhere.   Brett Myers will start the season opener as Cole Hamels slight elbow injury will push his first start back to later in the season against Colorado.

Can’t wait for opening day!  Thanks to the folks at Nuemann College for affording me the chance to do a book signing yesterday, did very well with sales and met alot of interesting folks!

Non roster invitee Jeremy Slayden led the FIghtin’s offense in their Spring Training debut as he stroked two hits, one a double, in his two game at bats.  Slayden was the mid game sub for starting left fielder Raul Ibanez who stroked a RBI single in his Phillies spring debut.   Jimmy Rollins, Geoff Jenkins, Gregg Dobbs and John Mayberry Jr. had the other Phillie hits in the contest.

Jamie Moyer started the game on the hill and threw two scoreless innings. Joe Blanton pitched one inning and gave up a run.  The Pirates scored the other seven runs off middle relievers Joe Bisenius and Scott Nestor.

Chatter

Last year’s # 1 draft pick Anthony Hewitt saw action at third base and went hitless in two at bats.  Chris Coste, Ronny Paulino and Lou Marson split duty behind the plate.   According to Todd Zolecki of mlb.com the Fightins are still in the hunt for Nomar Garciaparra but GM Ruben Amaro said there is a less than 50% chance of him signing.   They are also still open to signing an additional left handed reliever if possible.    Hearing rumors that fan favorite, Mr. Coste may be traded to the Mariners if Paulino proves worthy of a major league spot……. still think the team may carry three catchers if Nomar does not sign, guess if folks like Marcus Giles, Mayberry  or perhaps Miguel Cairo have decent springs they could serve as the right hand bat off bench….. we will see.

The Phillies open the home spring schedule in Clearwater tommorow against the Blue Jays. This first game was in Bradenton which is about an hour’s drive south of Clearwater.  Regular players are allowed to drive to the games rather than ride the bus if they so choose, apparently Jimmy Rollins was a bit late for the  pre game warmups as he got lost and his teammates gave him a  good natured razzing for it.

As spring training approaches GM Ruben Amaro and staff are still in search of a right handed bat off the bench for skipper Charlie Manuel.   Rumblings are that Nomar Garciaparra is still the primary target but Nomar is uncertain that he is in physical shape to warrant a position.  He must decide whether he will retire or attempt to play another year.  Rich Aurillia is also an apparent option that the club is considering.  If neither of those two are signed then perhaps Marcus Giles or Jason Donald might earn the spot.   In any regards adding a right hand bat would mean that either Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs would be dispositioned from a roster spot, rumors are that the team has marketed Jenkins but has found no takers due to the size of his contract.  Worst case scenario is not so bad in that the Phillies bench might just have three lefties, Jenkins, Stairs and Greg Dobbs.  All are proven hitters so it may work out in that regard.

Notes

My book ” The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies – A Poetic Season” has been purchased by the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs for sale in the stadium store!  Bravo to the Iron Pigs merchandise staff for giving me a shot!  The book is also available locally in the Philly area at Chester County Bookstore in West Goshen Shopping Center , Kennett Bookstore in Kennett, Brothers Pizza in West Chester, Caln Pizza in Thorndale, Giordanno’s Sports Bar in Kennett Square, Neumann College Bookstore in Aston  and soon in three Big League Haircuts establishments in West Goshen, Exton and Drexel Hill!    Please patronize these fine businesses!

I will be doing a book signing at the Kennett Bookstore on April 4th from 11 to 3, if in the area please stop in and lets talk baseball!

As spring training approaches in February General Manager Ruben Amaro and his staff are hard at work regarding filling out the bench for the defending champs.  The team is top heavy with left handed bench strength as Greg Dobbs, Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs all swing from the left side.  Eric Bruntlett and either Chris Coste or Ronny Paulino would represent pinch hitting potential from the right side.   The team did recently sign Marcus Giles to a minor league deal but he is coming off a year of inactivity.

Rumor has it that the team is at least discussing the possibility of Nomar Garciaparra or Gabe Kapler as potential right hand hitters off the bench.  Kapler could also spell either Raul Ibanez or Shane Victorino in the outfield as needed.  Garciaparra would have to accept a far more limited role than he has even had in recent years with the Dodgers.   Personally I would be pleased with either option and am glad to see the team is working on giving skipper Manual some right handed options to consider.

Chatter

Derek Lowe apparently has met in recent days with the Atlanta Braves who appear to be very interested in his services especially in light of John Smoltz going to the Red Sox, previous reports stated that the Mets were also seeking to sign him.  Depending on what you read the Phils are also at least interested in Lowe and monitoring the situation.   I would love to see Lowe in the Phillies rotation next year and if they were able to sign him would put them, at least on paper, in clear control of winning their third straight division title!  Having him sign with either the Braves or Mets is not a show stopper in that regard but having him with us would be a definite plus!

NFL Chatter

I know this is a baseball blog but being a Philly fan I can’t help but put my two cents in on this weekend’s playoff games.  I am strongly rooting for my Eagles to stomp those little Giants from New York!   I don’t know why but I have a feeling that the Arizona Cardinals will beat the Carolina Panthers tommorrow night.  I also think the Ravens and Steelers come out victorious however I don’t discount those San Diego Chargers to provide a potential upset over those Stillers!

It is not the Mets or Yankees and their mounds of money, nor the Red Sox and their boisterous nation. It is not the Angels and their perfection of execution nor the Cubs and their abundance of talent. It is not the Dodgers and Manny-mania nor the Brewers and their C.C. Ride. It is not the Tampa Bay Rays and their worst to first very good young team. “We” are the 2008 champions of MLB Baseball, the “World” Champions of the game!! “We” are the Phillies which is not just purely defined as the core baseball team. “We” represents the players, coaches and front office, the ticket takers, concessionaires and announcers……….. the writers, sports talk hosts and security guards…….. the janitors, traffic cops and police. “We” are the fans both those who are life long die hards like myself and yes even those who have jumped onto the bandwagon with the success of a winner! “We”, baseball world, the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 World Series Baseball Champions!!!!!

The players of this team will live forever in our area as being recognized for their championship efforts. Charlie Manuel will be forever the man who led us to our second “World” title in history, J-Roll, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Hamels, Lidge, Moyer and the other members of this team will be forever heroes in this city regardless of where they might go in their remaining careers! Pat Gillick will be forever remembered as the GM who put us over the top! By becoming champions these boys have become immortal and lodged in the memories of “Phillies” young and old forever in time!

Pedro Feliz is forever the guy who got the winning hit! Geoff Jenkins is forever the guy who led off the sixth with a double! Pat Burrell is forever the guy who got the key double to stage the winning run! Brad Lidge is forever perfect as was this team when leading after eight innings! God Bless the Phillies………all of us, we are the “Phreakin” Champions!!!!!

As a long standing Phillie fan I have seen my share of disappointment, comes with the territory when you cheer for the losingest franchise in pro sports history………..but for this year and this off-season there is no sadness in “Phillie-vile” because …………one more time baseball world……………… “We”, the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 “World” Champions of baseball…………..sounds so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh by the way if you didn’t figure it out…………. Phillies won game five by a four to three count!

The NLCS kicks off tommorrow with Cole Hamels taking the hill for the Fightins against the Dodgers Derek Lowe. The NLCS is a seven game series and the format is 2-3-2 in regards to home field advantage. If the series goes seven games the Phillies will have four games in their home ball park. The way the schedule lays out it would appear that Hamels would only be enabled to pitch two games since doing otherwise would require pitching on three days rest and he has never done that before. That being the case the depth of the Phillies staff will come into play.

The two teams split this season in the eight games played but Dodger shortstop and leadoff hitter Rafael Furcal did not play in any of the games. Furcal brings added punch to the Dodger offense as he is the ignitor much in the manner Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are for the Phillies. I doubt that either team will allow either Manny Ramirez or Ryan Howard to beat them, that is, it is highly doubtful either slugger will be given any pitches within the zone therefore both must be very patient and hit the mistakes!

I like the auxiliary bats to the core slugger in the Phillies lineup more than those of the Dodger blue. Rollins, Victorino, Greg Dobbs, and Chase Utley all will swing left handed against a predominantly right handed Dodger staff, L.A. has only two lefties in the bullpen so left on left matchups against Howard and the like will be very limited by Joe Torre. Right handed hitters Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth have had big roles this season and must also come thru. Offense from Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz is a bonus as they provide most impact by defensive play. Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs could have big impacts as left handed pinch hitters since the Dodgers are limited from the southpaw side on the mound.

 The Dodgers counter with Casey Blake, Matt Kemp, Jeff Kent, Furcal, Russell Martin and Nomar all swinging right handed and are lighter on lefthanded hitters with first baseman James Loney and Andre Ethier being the lone core starters swinging from the left side. Juan Pierre is available as well.
like the depth of the Phillies starting pitching when compared to the Dodgers. Brett Myers is a key to the series as he needs to pitch late into games for the team to succeed. Joe Blanton will get a start in the series and must pitch like he did in the NLDS. Jamie Moyer and Hamels will need to continue to excel. The bullpen is an advantage to the Phillies, the Dodgers have a good pen but the Phils have a closer who is perfect thus far in Brad Lidge and he shows no account of not continuing that streak.

 Dodger Manager Joe Torre has many rings to his credit and is an advantage to the Dodgers but Phils skipper Charlie Manuel knows his personnel very well and was very good in strategic moves against the Brewers in the NLDS.

 Overall my heart tells me Phillies in Four! My baseball mind tells me a slightly different story with the key to the series not being any player on the field. I truly feel that Phillie fans in the home park can sway ballgames with their perception and reactions to the game. That being said I see this series going at least six games, more likely seven but a win for the Fightins on the home turf and the fans having an impact on the deciding game.

Unfortunately I will not be able to see most of the series as I have a work assignment in China for the week! I will check as much as I can on the internet and be pulling for the Fightins from afar, sure hope my prediction comes true and we advance to the big show, the 2008 World Series!

Cole Hamels pitched magnficently in his second chance at the playoffs unlike last season when nerves got the best of him.  Hamels pitches eight shutout innings striking out nine brewers.  The Phillies gave Hamels a lead in the third inning as Carlos Ruiz led off with a singleand advanced to second on a sacrfice bunt by Hamels.  Hamels reached first base himself as Milwaukee second baseman Ricky Weeks erred by dropping the throw from third baseman Bill Hall while covering first base.  Chase Utley then smoked a double over the head of Brewer center fielder Mike Cameron to score both Ruiz and Hamels.  Consecutive walks were then issued to Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino to score a third run.

Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo did not pitch bad and kept the Brewers in the game thru four.  The Milwaukee bullpen did an excellent job after Gallardo as they did not allow the Phillies to score another run. 

Brad Lidge came on to pitch the ninth inning and struck out the side albeit he struggled. Ryan Braun knocked in Ray Durham with a double with one out.  Lidge then struck out Prince Fielder and walked J.J. Hardy, both Braun and Hardy advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.  Lidge then struck out Corey Hart to close the game.  Lidge ended up striking out the side.  42 saves in 42 tries!  80 and 0 when leading after eight!

Chatter

Skipper Charlie Manuel most surely will be second guessed for taking Hamels out after eight as Lidge struggled with the ninth.  Hamels had thrown less than 100 pitches and was dominating the Brewers.  Lidge needed over 30 pitches to get thru the ninth.  Ryan Howard was walked three times and would have been four but he got impatient and swung at a high pitch.  It seems the Brewers have decided that he will not be the man to beat them in this series.  Getting the first win is key as in the previous 26 NL series that were five game sets the team winning the first one has prevailed in the series 23 times.  Brett Myers goes at it tommorrow against C.C. Sabbathia,  I feel a very good outing coming on from Mr. Myers, we just need to get him some runs to work with!  

Phillies kept lefty J.A. Happ on the playoff roster along with both left hand hitting outfielders Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs.  Pitcher Rudy Seanez was kept off the roster, the Fightins are going with 11 pitchers and 14 position players at least for this series.   The win was the first post season victory for the Phillies since 1993 when they won game five of the World Series.   Cole Hamels was working on six days rest, if he can pitch like this with that type of rest maybe the team should invest in a six man rotation next season!

Rookie J.A. Happ took the starting assignment on the hilll for the Fightins and his teammates staked him to a four run lead before he even threw a pitch!  Ryan Howard continued his torrid hitting as he singled to knock in a run, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz also singled to collect RBI’s, Ruiz had a key two out two run stroke.

Happ pitched six solid shutout innings for the Fightins allowing only three hits.  Geoff Jenkins pinch hit for him in the seventh.  Happ’s performance was much more than expected as the young lefty came up big to fill the fifth starter’s hole, it most likely will earn him another shot next week!

The Phillies added a run in the eighth as Braves second basemen Kelly Johnson had a brain cramp on a dead double play ball with runners on first and third as he forgot the outs, looked home and was then forced to go to first.  He was obviously very embarrassed afterwards! 

Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless seventh with little trouble but after getting two outs in the eighth ran into some trouble as two runners reached base.  Skipper Manuel went to the pen once more bringing lefty J.C. Romero in and he got Brian McCann on a pop out to end the inning with no damage done.    Matt Stairs hit a pinch hit home run in the ninth inning, his first as a Phillie, to lead off the inning.   Clay Condrey pitched the ninth to close out the game and gave up a run.  Final count: Phillies 6, Braves 1

 Chatter

Right, wrong or indifferent it is undeniable that skipper Charlie Manuel has been the calm throughout all occassions this season.  When the Fightins were down by four earlier in August Charlie remained confident that his team would prevail, in fact was almost “chatty” during his after game press conference which is a task he does not seem to enjoy.  He displays the kind of confidence that makes guys want to play for him,  talk shows and fans can question all they want in game moves but this guy is a proven winner and in my mind is a keeper.  He is very much like Coach Andy Reid of the Eagles in his calm and somewhat “in your face” media nature of display that it is his way or the highway!   If the Phillies make the playoffs he deserves alot of credit and it is not despite of him as some might say!   Bobby Cox has managed forever in Atlanta with that positive attitude approach and as we know has been very successful.

The Mets lost my favorite hot dog Fernando Tatis for the season when he dislocated his shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield.  I do not wish injury or hurt to anyone so hope that he recovers quickly and is back to “skipping” on the plate when he scores next season!

Shane Victorino must truly love playing in Atlanta.  He had three hits last night and followed that up with another three hits tonight.  In the previous six games at Atlanta Victorino has had multi hit games in four of them!  He gave us a scare in his third at bat when the ball hit his thumb while attempting to bunt, he did not come out of the game but did seem to favor it in his swing in the fourth at bat.

The Phillies have fared relatively well whenever they have been featured on Fox TV’s regional telecasts as today’s game was. Jimmy Rollins started the game off right for the Fightins as he led off with a single and scored on a double to right by Chase Utley. Jayson Werth scored Utley with a single and then scored himself as Shane Victorino knocked him in with a single. The Phillies added two more in the second as Ryan Howard plated both Rollins and Utley with a single. Both Rollins and Utley had collected thier second hits of the game to lead off the inning.

The Brewers scored two runs in the fourth as Jason Kendall was credited with a two out two RBI double that Pat Burrell misplayed. Cole Hamels was upset with the misplay and put his arm up in disgust, the young fella has to learn it is not a smart thing to show up a teammate on a mistake ! Just an inning before Burrell made an excellent play on a ball hit off the wall by Prince Fielder holding Fielder to a single, this allowed for Fielder to be doubled up when the next batter grounded into a double play. Hamels needed to pick up his mate the way Burrell had done for him on that play. It comes with experience.

Jimmy Rollins got the two runs back for Hamels with a two run home run in the Phillies sixth. Hamels pitched 6 and 1/3 innings of strong baseball to earn his 13th win of the season. The closing firm of Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge finished the game for the Phillies to put the team within 2 games of a tie for the wild card playoff spot!

J-Roll had three hits in this one, when he is on base and Mr. Howard is hot like he is this team is very tough. Why anyone would want to trade Ryan Howard is beyond me, especially when he gets in streaks like he is in now. Even what some perceive to be a subpar season for him he is still leading the league in home runs and RBI’s !!

Chatter

Since the game friday night was rained out there will be a doubleheader tommorow to make it up. It will be the same setup as last week with a day/night format. Joe Blanton will take the ball in the first game and Brett Myers will go in the second. Myers will be working on three days rest for the first time this year and like teammate Jamie Moyer did not hesitate to accept the assignment. He was even spotted in the bullpen during thursday nights game after pitching on Wednesday and stated he could go a inning then! Gotta love the guys desire to help the team in whatever way he can! The Brewers could have opted to play on Monday, an off day for both teams but given choice decided they would rather face Myers on short rest. Geoff Jenkins is off the disabled list and eligible to play but not sure what his status is in regards to effectiveness.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and mlbtraderumors.com both have rumblings of the Phillies being interested in outfielder Mark Kotsay of the Braves.  Atlanta has put Kotsay on waivers and will listen to offers.  Kotsay is a free agent next year so there is no obligation to a contract beyond this season.  He is a very good left handed bat and has been hot lately.  Speculation is that the Phillies could use him to replace injured Geoff Jenkins on the roster.  The Red Sox also are apparently very interested in Kotsay as J.D. Drew may be going on the disabled list soon.

Colorado has placed relief pitcher Brian Fuentes on waivers with the same concept in mind.  Fuentes is a free agent for the 2009 season and the Rockies are willing to deal him now but since he is a Type A free agent they would want value higher than the two first round draft picks they will get in return if they keep him for the balance of the season but then lose him to free agency over the winter.  Some team will most likely claim Fuentes to at a minimum block others from geting him.  The Mets would look awfully tough if they were able to obtain him at this point. 

In order for a player to be eligible for the post season he must be on the roster prior to August 31 so Sunday is another cutoff day if contenders want to add punch to the playoff roster. 

Kotsay might be had for a mid level type prospect but obviously Atlanta will hold out for the best deal, not sure if the Phils would dangle Olympian Jason Donald at the Braves but he might be a fit for them at second base next season as Kelly Johnson has been a disapointment at that position for them this year.