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!

J.C. Romero has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games for negligence regarding the use of a banned substance.  This penalty has been rendered despite that fact that Romero was guided by the players union that the supplement he purchased and used in August was not on the MLB list of illegal substances.  He also checked with a trainer of the Phillies team and his own nutritionist, both whom confirmed to him that it was not an illegal substance.  The team trainer sent a sample of the supplement to MLB which then told the Phillies that the substance should not be used, Romero stopped using the supplement at that time.

What is odd here is that all parties agree that they were negligent in the instructions given to the player, Romero, but only the player is being penalized!  This has the same stench as the “steroid era” of baseball where MLB turned a blind eye while the likes of Bonds, Sosa and McGwire used supplements to bring the game back to national prominence but when push came to shove MLB placed all the blame on the players!  I realize that the game was embarrassed by Congresss in regards to lack of policies or enforcement regarding performance enhancements and that indeed the game has strengthened the rules and compliance thereto but this is a case where a group mistake was made and it seems that once again the player is being made the sole scapegoat.

J.C. Romero is not a player that purposedly used steroids to enhance his performance and attempted to hide such usage  but rather a player who purchased and used a supplement that he inquired about being within the boundaries of acceptance and was told he was compliant!  Where is the justice to penalize him ?   There is no appeal process here so Romero must sit out the 50 games he has been suspended albeit an unfair justice.

Chatter

The Phillies have signed Marcus Giles to a minor league contract.  Giles sat out last season after failing to make the Colorado Rockies opening day roster.  If he makes the Phillies roster he will be asked to help fill in for Chase Utley while he recovers from off season hip surgery.  In regards to filling the roster spot for Romero the team indicates it will do so within rather than spend on a free agent.  While some fans like me would like the team to pursue and sign Derek Lowe I doubt that they are in play to do so, Lowe is a Scott Boras client which means the endless pursuit of money, money and more money…… with the Fightins tasked with major arbitration settlements forthcoming I don’t see them in the mix to offer Lowe what his agent Boras thinks he is worth….. my guess is that he will end up with the Mets at some point.

No better offseason than this one being a Phillies fan as we continue to bask in the glow of a World Series Title! This article, however, is a list of Christmas wishes as we approach Spring Training of the new baseball year in a couple months.

1. Wish the Phillies would sign Derek Lowe. Albeit they seem to be set with a rotation of Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer and either Carasco, Kendrick, Park or Happ no team ever has enough starting pitching, especially quality starters like Lowe. I think that the market for Lowe is not as great as it once was and his price is down. It sure would be sweet to add him to the rotation this year…. plus it would keep him from the Mets!

2. Wish that Chris Coste gets an opportunity at the big league level next year. Rumors are that the Orioles are interested in trading for him. The Phillies have Carlos Ruiz, Lou Marston and recently traded for Ronny Paulino so Coste will have a battle to make the roster. He is used to it though and is a genuine team player, if not on Phillies roster I hope he gets a shot with another team!

3. Wish that Pat Burrell gets a fair deal somewhere else now that the Phillies have moved on to Raul Ibanez. Rumors are that Tampa Bay is very interested in him as a DH. That would be a great spot for Burrell as he owns a home already in Clearwater, FL and could live there year round. Burrell got what Philly is all about and seems to be a genuine good guy and hard worker. I hope that he does well but would like to see it in the American League so that it does not bite the Phillies!

4. Wish that Chase Utley has a speedy recovery. Utley is a tough tough man to have played thru the hip injury and pain that he did last season. He is a throwback player and is a core part of the Fightins team. I have no doubts that Eric Bruntlett or Jason Donald should be able to fill in short term for him but the team will struggle if he is out for more that a short time.

5. Wish that the team has the same energy and desire that it had last season to win the championship. With new blood like Raul Ibanez hopes are that he is the locker room leader that I read about and that his desire to win combines with the defending champions to keep the drive alive. Don’t want to wait another 28 years to have another parade!

6. Wish that my new book “ 2008 Philadelphia Phillies – A Poetic season” does well on the market. It will be released soon and available on www.authorhouse.com for 19.99 (hardback) and 12.99 (soft cover). It is the story of the season as told by a fan. I think it is a great read and hope that others will find so as well.

7. Wish that Ryan Madson and Brett Myers have big years on the mound as they work towards big contracts in thier free agent years. Myers wears his emotions on his sleeve and if focused is a very good starter, hope that he harnesses that more this year. Madson at the end of the year seemed to finally trust the heater and was popping it at 95 + consistently. I hope that he continues down that path and along with Brad Lidge continues to make games only 7 innings long for the Fightins!

8. Wish that the Phillies would lock up Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels for the long term. Players with the talent of these two don’t come along all that often and albeit both are under contract long term it is harmful to egos and perhaps performance to continually go to annual arbitration. I would think it prudent that the Phillies make these two young stars happy with deals so that they are secure and can excel without concerns over thier deals.

9. Wish that Cole continues to be the big game pitcher next season. Last season I had my doubts that he didn’t take the ball when needed but the playoffs and series proved different. He seems to be a guy that needs the extra days rest so it will be up to Charlie to work out the rotation so that Hamels can go on a full four or five days between starts.

10. Wish that Jayson Werth has a real breakout year. I think he has the talent to be a 30 + home run and 100 + RBI guy and seemingly will be given a chance next season to play every day from the start. Also hope that Shane Victorino can continue to excel like he did in the second half of the season and be injury free the whole year.

11. Wish that the lefties hit lefties consistently! Raul Ibanez gives us three lefties in the middle when coupled with Utley and Howard. I am not a big proponent that left/right matchups make a consistent difference but there are key points late in games where it will matter. I hope that Ibanez can come thru as advertised and that Howard/Utley pick it up a bit in those spots for 2009.

12. Wish that J-Roll leads like he can as he is indeed the true key to our team. If J-Roll has the success he is capable of then indeed we might have another party next October/November!
Ultimately I wish that could happen again!

Those are the 12 christmas wishes of this Fightin Phils baseball fan! I hope that all have a great holiday season and that all experience a similiar joy we Phillie fans felt when our team won the title……..yes even you Met fans out there! Have a great holiday season and God Bless the U.S.A.!!!!

Less than 24 hours now till baseball free agents are allowed to negotiate with other teams directly. Not sure who the Phillies will pursue if anyone. I have seen rumblings that they have been in contact regarding trades with the White Sox and Rockies. The Sox are dangling Jermaine Dye supposedly, he is signed for two more years at around 11 million a year. The only problem with that is the rumblings are the Sox would want Shane Victorino in return and I hope that the Fightins would not depart with the flying Hawaiin!

The Rockies rumblings come from a Denver newspaper where the story says that the Phillies have strong interest in 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins. Not sure why they would be going after Atkins with Pedro Feliz signed for another year but maybe a funnell effect in mind of getting a new third sacker………e.g. Feliz to be traded somewhere as well to acquire pitching ?

Jamie Moyer has not signed yet and most certainly will draw offers from other teams if allowed to hit the free agent waters. Scott Eyre was resigned to a one year deal, good move as he solidified the pen by becoming the second lefty out there with J.C. Romero as the primary.

Pat Burrell has not been contacted yet by the team, they may be waiting to see what kind of offers he gets, I think perhaps Tampa Bay will go after him with a sweet deal.

I am in Tampa this week playing in a baseball tournament, it is neat to get on the spring training fields the big boys use! Not alot of rumbling here when I wear my Phillies “world champions” stuff around! The economy has put a hard hit on things around here as many of the restaurants have been forced to close due to lack of tourism this past year.

In a perfect world would like to see the Phillies go after Manny and C.C. but new GM Ruben Amaro is hand tied a bit as he has 10 players eligible for arbitration and all have winning cases to get raises. Victorinio, Jason Werth, Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard are all in that mix so the team has some major money to put out to keep core intact.

Worse case scenario is to just keep what we have, not so bad………..we are “world phreakin champs” you know!

Lets see what cooks up on the hot stove!

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 blundering Bud Selig administration added another to their long list as World Series game number five was suspended after five and one half innings of play.  The game was started at 8:30 and by all local weather accounts it was well known that rain would be constant and in fact heavy at times albeit the heavy stuff was predicted for closer to midnight.

Once the game started though the issue was at hand.  The Fightins scored two runs in the first as Shane Victorino singled with the bases loaded to score two runs.  Starter Cole Hamels was cruising early on until Carlos Pena doubled off the right field wall and was plated by Evan (Eva) Longoria in the fourth inning.  The rains continued to get heavier as the game went on, the game became official after four and 1/2 with the Phillies leading and MLB was indeed in a quandry.  NO ONE  wanted to win a World Series with a rainout yet that was the predicament we were in!

MLB hoped and prayed the Rays would score so that the thing could be suspended, those prayers were answered in the top of the sixth as Carlos Pena singled with two outs to score B.J. Upton.  Shortly thereafter the game was called.  I truly believe they would have kept playing till the Rays either scored to tie it or it went nine!  Conditions were deplorable and with modern day radar capabilities there was no excuse why this one was allowed to start!

The shame of the matter is that the game was indeed allowed to start, don’t tell me TV revenue streams did not sway why play begant!  Fox has a big TV lineup scheduled for Tuesday night and has constantly been promoting it throughout the series, they did not want to give that up!   Somehow this baseball administration was hoping these two teams could play thru the rain!  As a result both teams best pitchers are done with nothing decided!  

The game is scheduled to resume tommorrow night but high winds are forecast and god forbid that “House” isn’t shown on Fox !  Watch for the thing to be pushed to Wednesday night!  Disappointed at best tonite but still hopeful and anticipating a Phillies trophy! 

Lets Go Phils! 

Joe Blanton is a very unassuming young man. He stepped into a very assuming role however as he took the ball for game four of the 2008 World Series. Blanton stepped up big time by pitching six plus strong innings only allowing two runs and even belting a home run to earn his first world series win!

Jimmy Rollins got things started offensively for the Fightins as he usually does when they succeed with a lead off double in the first inning. Rollins advanced to third on a ground out and was actually out in a run down on a ball hit back to the mound by Ryan Howard but was called safe by the ump! Rollins scored on a bases loaded walk by Pat Burrell. The Phillies went up two to zero as Pedro Feliz stroked a two out single to plate a run. The Rays scored their first run on a Carl Crawford solo home run in the third inning.

Ryan Howard put the Phillies up by four with a three run home run in the fourth inning. The big man took a curve ball out to the left field seats! Pinch hitter Eric Hinske took a Blanton fastball out to center field in the fifth to make the score 5-2 but Joe Blanton the hitter got it back by turning a Edwin Jackson 95 mph fast ball into a left field tater in the Phillies fifth ! It was Blanton’s first ever major league home run!

The Rays threatened in the seventh putting two runners on but skipper Charlie Manuel played bullpen shuffle bringing in Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson in to get out of the inning with no damage. Madson pitched a perfect eighth striking out both Carlos Pena and Evan (Eva) Longoria in the midst.

Jimmy Rollins got his third hit of the game in the eighth as he doubled off the wall. He could have been credited with four but the official scorer gave the Rays second sacker an error on a ground ball in the hole earlier in the game. Pretty simple equation for the Fightins, J-Roll gets on they win!! Jayson Werth belted a home run to score Rollins and put the Fightins up by six! Ryan Howard belted another bomb after teammate Chase Utley reached to make it 10-2 Fightins. Howard ended up with five RBI’s in the game! J.C. Romero pitched the ninth to finish the game.

Chatter

Cole Hamels goes in game five in a rematch of game one as Scott Kazmir throws for the Rays. Jamie Moyer’s performance in game three was even more remarkable considering he was battling a three day stomach virus that had kept him up most of the prior night! The man is a real pro! One win away boys from being known as the best of 2008 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, kudos to the Phillies advance scouts in supplying the team with a great advance plan on these young Ray hitters. The game plan has been perfect thus far……….one more big one to go !

Jimmy Rollins started game three in a different way, he stroked a single to center! Rollins advanced to second on a walk to Jayson Werth, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Chase Utley to put the Fightins up by one. The Rays tied the score in the top of the second as Carl Crawford scored.

Carlos Ruiz hit a solo home run in the Phillies second to put the home team back ahead. That score held till the bottom of the sixth when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back to back home runs to make the count 4 to 1.

The Rays scored two in the seventh to chase Phililes starter Jamie Moyer. Moyer was outstanding and gave the young Rays a schooling by hitting spots consistently. He actually made a great play on a bunt by Carl Crawford in the seventh but the first base umpire blew the call. Crawford would score one of the runs.

Ryan Madson was touched for one run in the eighth as the speed of B.J. Upton scored the tieing run. Upton beat out an infield hit, stole second and third and scored on a errant throw to third by Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz.

The Phillies won the game in the bottom of the ninth as Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Shane Victorino was attempting to bunt Bruntlett to second but a wild pitch did it for him as Bruntlett went to second and even advanced to third as the Rays catcher threw the ball into center field! Rays skipper Joe Maddon then elected to walk both Victorino and pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to load the bases. He brought his right fielder in behind second base and dared hitter Carlos Ruiz to be able to hit a fly ball! Ruiz hit a squibber down the third base line and Bruntlett scored the winning run!

Chatter

Jamie Moyer was outstanding in this game and showed how a true professional plays the game. The game did not start till after 10 pm EDT due to heavy rains in the Philadelphia area all day and early evening Saturday. The game concluded around 1:30 AM!! Philly fans stayed thru the whole thing though and showed their faith in the Fightins! Joe Blanton will go for the Fightins on the mound Sunday night. Give the Rays credit, they are a very good team and have alot of fight in them………sounds like our Phililes! All three games thus far could have went either way, these two teams are matched very well!

Tampa Bay jumped out early in game two of the series as they plated two runs in the first inning. Akinora Iwamura led off with a walk, B.J. Upton then singled to right field and Jayson Werth kicked the grounder allowing Iwamura and Upton to advance an extra base. Two consecutive ground ball outs scored the two runs for the Rays. Tampa added the third run in the second frame on an RBI single by Upton. The Phillies continued to squander chances to score in the first four frames as they put leadoff runners on in both the second and third frames and two runners on in the fourth but could not score. The Rays added another run in the fourth on a safety squeeze by shortstop Jason Bartlett.

The Phillies made some bonehead plays early in the game, twice following walks by swinging at the first pitch to make outs, getting picked off first base on a fly ball to right field and making two fielding/throwing errors! Not playing smart usually leads to getting beat. Thru seven offensive innings the Fightins had left eleven runners on base without scoring. Brett Myers didy not pitch that badly and completed seven innings but with no support offensively was in a losing spot.

The Phillies finally scored in the top of the eighth as pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett slammed a solo home run off of David Price. Carlos Ruiz scored in the ninth as he led off the inning with a double, Jayson Werth knocked him in with what was scored an error on the Rays third sacker. Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch in the ninth but the home plate umpire missed the call which hurt as he would eventually fly out to shortstop. The Phillies can attribute this loss to too many squandered chances, hopefully in game three things turn around.

Carlos Ruiz had a very good game offensively as he belted two doubles down the left field line and also worked two walks.

Chatter

I believe there is a major adjustment for hitters in thier first at bats in the Dome that the Rays play in regarding the hitting background, the reason I say that is Phillies contact hitters like Greg Dobbs looked feeble in early swings almost as if they did not see the ball! I know that the Rays have some great young hurlers but I don’t believe that hitters that normally make contact would look so bad on thier hacks! The series shifts to Philadelphia for game 3, rain is forecast for Saturday night when the game is scheduled that puts it in doubt of being played, if rained out the series would finish on consecutive nights without a travel date allowance. Might actually be an advantage for the Fightins as Cole Hamels could go in game four on four days rest or in game 5 with an extra day of rest. He seems to thrive on the extra day off.

B.J. Upton dogged running out a ground ball again in the seventh inning as he hit into a 6-4-3 double play, the young man has alot of talent but needs to get the cadilac image out of his head!

Chase Utley set the tone early as he belted a two run home run in his very first World Series at bat to plate Jayson Werth in front of him in the first inning. It would be a lead that young Phils ace Cole Hamels would not relinquish as the Fightins won game one of the 2008 World Series.

Carlos Ruiz plated the Phillies third run in the fourth inning as he grounded out to score Shane Victorino who had led off the inning with a single and had advanced to third base. Carl Crawford scored the Rays first run on a home run to right field off a hanging curve by Hamels, the only mistake pitch he made in the entire game! The Rays second run was scored on a double off the bat of Rays second baseman Akinora Iwamura. Iwamura had three of the five hits that Hamels allowed in his seven innings of work.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth for the Fightins flashing a couple 97 mph fastballs! Madson has really stepped it up in the playoffs and is throwing as hard as I have ever seen him! Super closer Brad Lidge was lights out in the ninth to earn the save. Lidge struck out two of the three batters he faced in a dominating appearance. He got the Rays 3-4-5 hitters out without even a loud foul ball!

Big win for the Fightins to get the first one on the road. Back at them tommorrow with Brett Myers taking the ball. Brett is a big game guy so I expect a huge effort from the right hander! Cole Hamels is earning that “Hollywood” nickname of his as he is indeed performing like a star!

Chatter

Jimmy Rollins said this past offseason that this team would win 100 or more games this season, with this win the Philies have won 100 games! They captured 92 in the regular season and 8 thus far in the post season! Rollins struggled at the plate going 0 for 5 and looked bad in his last two at bats swinging at high pitches above his head to strike out. J-Roll just needs to calm down a bit and lead our team! Ryan Howard was punked by Rays skipper Joe Maddon as Maddon intentionally walked Chase Utley in the top of the ninth with one out after Jayson Werth had doubled to get to Howard. The big guy had a poor at bat as he struck out looking against left hander Trevor Miller on two pitches down the heart of the plate. Howard and Rollins will make the Jays pay at some point in this series, mark my word! No worries so far as the Phillies found a way to win but we need these two big guns to step up at some point in this series before we have our parade!

Was it just me or did B.J. Upton dog it a bit on the two ground ball double plays he hit into to. I think if he had ran hard on the first one he may have beaten it out! The World Series stage is not the place to show lack of hustle!