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Hamels Still Trying To Get On Track...

May 16th 2013 17:43
Cole Hamels' body language yesterday sums up his frustrating 2013 season thus far.

Before we get into dissecting what is wrong with Cole Hamels, let's start with a little Phillies stat trivia here...take a look at these two season statistic lines below:


W-L ERA IP H R ER BB K

4-1 2.47 54 2/3 48 15 15 10 39

1-6 4.61 56 2/3 49 29 29 24 47

Now, which one belongs to Hamels and his $144 million contract, and which belongs to the fan's favorite whipping boy Kyle Kendrick, and his $4.5 million 2013 salary?

Yes, the top stat line is that of #4 starter Kendrick, and the bottom line belongs to the newly-minted staff ace Hamels.

Quick show of hands: how many of you predicted this would be how the first month-and-a-half would play out when pitchers and catchers reported to Clearwater in February?

Not many of you, I'm sure, but the reality is that after getting knocked around by the Indians in a 10-4 loss to wrap up their two-game set with the Tribe at Citizens Bank Park, Hamels finds himself five games under .500 in the win-loss ledger, and still struggling to get his 2013 campaign on track.

In addition to leading the National League in walks allowed with 24, the Phils' stylish lefty has also served up nine long balls in his 56 2/3 innings of work, although three of them came in his first outing on Opening Day in Atlanta.


For a guy who is entering his prime and was inked to the lengthy and pricey contract extension last year, to say that his start to the season has been a disappointment is an understatement.

As the legendary former NFL coach Bill Parcells once said, "You are what your record says you are", and in Hamels's case, that makes him a very sub-standard starting pitcher.

However, Parcells's quote, while snappy and for the most part applicable to most sports, can't truly be applied to a pitcher's wins and losses, mostly because they don't always have a lot of control over whether or not they factor into the decision or not. Starters are often taken out of the game in the 7th inning or later in favor of a fresh arm out of the bullpen, a rain delay could end a starter's night way too early, or the offense and/or defense could not do their part in putting up runs or making the plays behind him.

Case in point: while Hamels has certainly not been himself this season, after a pair of rough outings to start the season he went out and put up six straight quality starts (at least six innings, allowing three runs or less) while posting a 2.41 ERA over that span.

His record in those six starts? 1-3, with a pair of no-decisions.

So despite giving his team a good opportunity to win each of those starts, the offense failed to hold up their end of the bargain - to the tune of a total of 10 runs scored - and wasted five quality outings in the process.

Of course, a lack of run support is nothing new for Hamels or fellow lefty Cliff Lee. Remember, this is the same guy who lost 1-0 TWICE to the Mets in six days in 2010!

Back in 2011, when Hamels went 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA, the Phils' offense staked him to 3.9 runs per game, which figured to cost him at least five more wins along the way.

Last season, Lee famously won his first game after July 1st, despite putting up a slew of quality starts, including the infamous 10-inning shutout in San Francisco that wound up being an 11-inning loss for the Phils, and yet another no-decision for Lee.

Lee's 6-9 mark was greatly impacted by the 3.5 runs per game behind him, as his 3.16 ERA and 207 K's in 211 innings and astounding 7.39:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio are more of an accurate indicator of the way he pitched.

So while Hamels has not been the Hamels we have grown accustomed to seeing take the mound every fifth day for Charlie Manuel, some simple math shows that the hitters have scored a measly 2.9 runs behind him, and when a pitcher facing Major League hitters takes the mound knowing he's got to be somewhere close to perfect to have a chance of winning, it has to take a toll on him mentally and cause some level of pressing, which could point to the inflated walk total.

To his credit, Hamels has said all of the right things and shoulders the blame for his dismal start. And, more importantly, he told the media after yesterday's game that he feels "strong and healthy", suggesting that his struggles might be more of a mechanical issue, or indeed a result of trying to be too fine and not trusting his stuff.

That Hamels has been a disappointment thus far falls in line with the overall disappointing slow start by the team, and at the very least it looks like Hamels could be a lot closer to righting his ship than the inconsistent and undisciplined offense, which is in desperate need of someone (anyone!) to get hot for an extended stretch of games.

Regardless, someone has to turn something around for this team - and soon!
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Prognosis Negative for Halladay...

May 8th 2013 19:50
Roy Halladay faces shoulder surgery and an uncertain future following today's announcement.

Well, Phillies fans, this is one of those good news/bad news deals...sort of.

The good news? Not that it's actually good, but it is at least good to know that after seeing Dr. Neal ElAttache in Los Angeles on Monday, we now know what was at the root of erstwhile staff ace and the best pitcher in baseball over the past 10-plus seasons Roy Halladay's struggles over his past few starts.

The bad news is it wasn't fatigue, the elements, the umpiring, or any of the other reasons that the Phils have trotted in defense of Halladay's lackluster performances.

Halladay announced today that he has been diagnosed with a partial tear of his rotator cuff and some fraying of his labrum, which were caused by rubbing against a bone spur in his right throwing shoulder. He will be scheduled to have surgery in the near future, and if and when he will be able to return is anyone's guess at this point. And that's assuming he's even able to come back, which with the amount of pitches he's thrown and innings he's logged over his illustrious career, is anything but a certainty.

Another good news/bad news item here: Halladay said today that the doctors described the procedure as a "clean up" of his shoulder, as opposed to a full-on repair of the rotator cuff, and that by making it as "uninvasive" as possible, they are optimistic that he could be able to pitch again later this season.

The bad news: shoulders are the most unpredictable of joints to have operated on for pitchers. Elbow surgeries, most notably the Tommy John procedure that takes a tendon from a pitcher's non-throwing wrist and reattaches it in place of the damaged elbow ligament, are largely considered to be routine today, with teams still drafting pitchers who had the surgery and rehabbing the injury themselves, and a year later have the pitcher they projected when they drafted him, and in some cases a pitcher who is even stronger than before the injury.

Heck, some crazy parents have opted to have the procedure done to their own flesh and blood voluntarily, in a (misguided?) attempt to have their kid come back even stronger thanks to the strenuous and regimented rehab program. But that's a story for another day...

Shoulders, however, are much more of a mystery, with a lot more potential for tears, strains, fraying and the like on any number of tendons and ligaments.

And despite sounding optimistic about a full recovery and returning later in 2013, Halladay conceded that the timing of his return hinges upon whether or not what the doctors see when they actually scope his shoulder matches up with what they saw in the x-rays and MRI's.

The Phils have recalled righthander Tyler Cloyd from AAA Lehigh Valley to replace Halladay - although taking his spot in the rotation would be a more accurate description of Cloyd's role, as it's unrealistic for anyone to truly fill Doc's shoes.

It's also already been rumored that GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. has been in the market for a longer-term solution while Halladay is on the mend, although just who is available at this early stage of the season and what it would cost the Phils in prospects remains to be seen.

The bottom line is Amaro's grand plan of building his team around an aging core, a veteran pitching staff heavy on aces - one of whom in Halladay was coming off an injury-riddled and subpar 2012 season - and cutting costs on outfielders, which has been more bad than good thus far, was just dealt a major blow with today's announcement.
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Not So Sunny in Philadelphia These Days...

April 14th 2013 14:28
Chase Utley's expression mirrors that of the Philly fan base these days.


In the not-so-distant past, sports fans in the City of Brotherly Love enjoyed some rare heady days for a group that had suffered far more collective sports angst than most other cities' faithful combined.

The Phillies were in the midst of an unprecedented run of dominance in the NL East, winning five division titles in a row, going to back-to-back World Series, bringing Philadelphia its first pro sports title since the Sixers won it all in 1983 (and One Liberty Place's top floors rose past Billy Penn's hat atop the city skyline), and GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. stockpiled the most power arms since Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War.

The Eagles had their own stretch of unprecedented success, dominating the NFL's East Division in the early 2000s under first-time head coach Andy Reid, making annual deep runs in the NFC Playoffs, and coming within three points of winning its first Super Bowl in 2004.

The Flyers continued to acquire big-name talent, made the playoffs every year for a long stretch, and in 2010 made one of the most improbable and exciting postseason runs in the city's checkered sports history, using a season-ending shootout win over the New York Rangers to launch them on a run that saw them overcome a 3-0 series deficit in an historic comeback against the Boston Bruins that propelled them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Sixers had a great early 2000s run with the unlikely tandem of Allen Iverson and Larry Brown, fizzled out after A.I. left town in the mid-2000s, and rebounded last season under former Sixer great Doug Collins' tutelage to knock off the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls and force the veteran Boston Celtics to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semis.

But, as all true Philly sports fans know, all good things must come to an end - especially when it comes to the good fortunes of their local teams.

And this rare stretch of prosperity has come crashing down to Earth with such a mighty thud, it might have caused another crack in the Liberty Bell.

The Sixers? Let's get them out of the way early here...coming off of their surprising playoff run and with a young and exciting nucleus of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Thad Young, the new ownership group rolled the dice and went out and dealt their All-Star defensive stopper and swingman Andre Iguodala, along with young pieces Nic Vucevic and first-rounder Moe Harkless to acquire what Collins and the brass thought would be the missing piece toward pushing the franchise into the top tier in the East - Lakers' big man Andrew Bynum.

Well, missing would be the key word to describe this acquisition, because Bynum has yet to appear in a game for his new team due to a pair of balky knees, and while the Sixers currently sit outside of the playoff picture at 32-47 (which, miraculously is good for 9th in the conference), the other A.I. has Denver flying high in the West, and Vucevic is averaging a double-double and shooting over 50% from the floor and the teenaged Harkless is scoring better than eight per game in a supporting role.

The future doesn't look any better, as the team needs to decide whether to risk allowing Bynum to walk and getting nothing in return or risk re-signing him and get nothing from him in terms of production. Collins is also now rumored to have fallen out of favor with the front office, who reportedly are hoping he'll walk away after the season - possibly joining his son Chris on his coaching staff at Northwestern.

The Flyers? No team has frustrated their fans more than the orange and black over the years, but the 2012-2013 campaign just might take the cake.

Expectations were soaring for this year's club, as they returned an exciting and high-scoring young nucleus (sound familiar?) coming off a 103-point regular season last year and a playoff drubbing of the heavily-favored rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before falling flat against the New Jersey Devils in the semi's.

The puck eluding Ilya Bryzgalov is an all-too-familiar sight for Flyers fans.


The Flyers never really took off though, as they got off to a slow start when their offense didn't show up to support the solid net minding from Ilya Bryzgalov for the first portion of the strike-shortened schedule, and then when they did finally start to light the lamp Bryz's inconsistent play reared its ugly head, and the $51 million goalie again bore the brunt of the Philly fans' ire.

The Eagles? Following the 2011 "Dream Team" nightmare, Reid's bunch followed it up with a monumental collapse following a fool's gold 3-1 start that included wins over the Giants and eventualy Super Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens, finishing the campaign in the NFC's cellar at 4-12 and bringing the once-promising Reid Era to an ignominious end.

Expectations have now been lowered, and there is some new buzz and energy surrounding the franchise following their successful pursuit of Oregon's Chip Kelly, and while fans and media alike are waiting with baited breath to see what his up-tempo offense can do in the NFL, Kelly is no magician and will not be able to wave a magic wand and likely won't be able to turn this pumpkin of a franchise into a contender in 2013.

Which brings us to the Phillies. After emerging and the bell cow franchise in the Philly sports scene by winning the 2008 World Series, the team's fortunes have trended downward ever since - a 2009 Series loss to the New York Yankees, and 2010 NLCS exit against the San Francisco Giants, a disappointing and disheartening Game 5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 NLDS that brought an abrupt end to the run of the Four Aces, and the end of their five-year postseason streak with an 81-81 season last year.

An uneven start to 2013 has done little to inspire the fanbase, as while Chase Utley's apparent return to health has been a wonderful thing to see, the slow starts following injury from Ryan Howard and, even more so, Roy Halladay and his 14.37 ERA has cast a pall over the excitement of the start of baseball.

Following a disappointing loss to the offensively-challenged Miami Marlins last night that dropped the Phils back under the .500 mark, it's up to Halladay to pick up the slack and come up big in the rubber game this afternoon. While it's early to call a mid-April contest in the second week of a marathon season big, winning series from bottom feeders like the Marlins are of the utmost importance if they hope to stay within shouting distance of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals in the NL East they once owned.

So there's an overview of your sporting landscape, Philly fans. While things look bleak, at least they can (theoretically) only go up from here!
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Lee Gets It Done Again...

April 10th 2013 13:16
Cliff Lee pitched 8 2/3 innings in the Phils' 8-3 win over the Mets last night.


What a difference a year makes for Cliff Lee.

In 2012, the highest paid of the Phillies' aces put together a strong season statistically, yet suffered mightily in the wins and losses department, going only 6-9 due to a severe lack of run support, so much so that his first W didn't come until July, and fans and media alike clamored for Lee to be dealt for prospects as the Phils fell out of the playoff race.

Flip the calendar to 2013, and through the team's first eight games Lee has been their unquestioned ace, already winning both of his starts, including last night's 8-3 gem over the New York Mets, and also accounted for two thirds of the Phils' win total.

Let's face it - in 2012 eight runs would have been about four starts worth of run support for Lee!

When GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. began hording big time pitching arms (and contracts) with the initial acquisition of Lee back at the 2009 trading deadline, his philosophy was clear - build one of the deepest rotations in baseball, and effectively limit the "back end" of the staff by running a top-of-the-rotation starter out to the mound three or four times every five days.

That philosophy has kept the Phils afloat so far this season, for without Lee's stellar performance in the #3 slot in skipper Charlie Manuel's rotation with erstwhile aces Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay scuffling their way to a combined 0-4 mark and both sporting earned run average's north of 10, along with slugger Ryan Howard's batting average plummeting well south of the Mendoza line, we could realistically already be discussing who Amaro should be looking to deal come July.

Lee's 8 2/3 innings of 3-run baseball last night not only gave the Phils a big lift in the win column and, undoubtedly, the morale department, it also gave Manuel's overworked bullpen a much-needed rest. Manuel commented to local scribes the other day that it seemed like whenever he looked up around the middle of the game, he was seeing middle men like Chad Durbin, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes on the mound mopping up the mess created by that day's starter.

Aside from Lee's pair of strong outings and free agent pickup John Lannan's seven-inning effort against the Royals last week, Hamels, Halladay and Kyle Kendrick have failed to make it through six innings (Halladay has yet to see the 5th inning) in their five trips to the bump - with Kendrick coming the closest with 5 2/3 innings against Kansas City in the home opener last week.

Kendrick will try and buck that trend tonight as the Phillies go for the series win in the rubber game against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.

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Phils Arrive in Clearwater...

February 12th 2013 19:02
Chase Utley not fielding ground balls seated in a lawn chair was a welcome sight in Clearwater earlier today.

As I perused the channel guide in search of something sports related to view over the weekend, I was once again reminded of just how awful this time of year is for sports: nothing but pro fishing, golf, some bull riding and a few random college hoops games, the latter of which are OK yet still a month away from the excitement of March Madness.

The up-and-down (mostly down thus far) Flyers and the STILL Andrew Bynum-less Sixers haven't done much to quench the thirst of Philly's faithful either, and we are still a ways away from seeing what Chip Kelly has in store in his first season in an Eagles' visor.

Fortunately, as the calendar turned to this week we're offered a ray of hope, a reminder that warm weather will be returning (hopefully) sooner than later, and the barren wasteland of February sports is nearing its end:

The Phillies are beginning the pitchers and catchers portion of their Spring Training schedule in sunny Clearwater, FL!

Soon we'll be treated to the sight of pitchers fielding comebackers and covering first base, throwing their bullpen sessions, and the oh-so-sweet sound of catcher's mitts popping in the morning Gulf Coast air.

It will be interesting to gauge the vibe coming out of camp this preseason, as in past years the Phillies have descended upon Clearwater carrying not only their gear and personal belongings, but also the weighty expectations of making another serious run at another World Series title.

Based on last season, it would appear that burden has shifted down I-95 to the upstart Washington Nationals, who are coming off their first National League East title - ending the Phils' streak at five - and after re-signing 1B Adam LaRoche and inking free agent RHP Danny Haren, appear to be looking to start their own string of postseason appearances.

Meanwhile, the Phillies enter 2013 with seemingly more question marks than last year, chief among them the ability of Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to bounce back from injury-riddled, subpar seasons and return to the form that placed them among the elite at their positions in all of Major League Baseball.

Combine this group with what is a very murky outfield situation - at best - and many among the fans and media are of the mindset that the 2013 edition of the Phillies will be closer to last season's 81-81 group than the 2011 squad that won 102 games.

But with things just getting underway this week, this is no time to get negative. And the first positive sign came today, in the form of an early-reporting Utley fielding grounders at second base - and on his feet, as opposed to seated in a lawn chair to keep the strain off his chronically-injured knees like the previous two preseasons.

Keeping him upright and healthy and ready to open the season at second base instead of on the DL would be a big step in the right direction.

So buck up, Phillie fans, and keep grinding your way through February...meaningful baseball is just around the corner!
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Thank You, Andy...

December 31st 2012 05:55
Andy Reid shares a final postgame handshake as the Eagles' head coach with Tom Coughlin.

When former New York Giants' coach Jim Fassel was dismissed from the team after the 2003 season, he addressed the inevitability of coaches being eventually fired, saying something to the effect of "the only thing your contract doesn't state when you sign it is the date you'll be fired."

In the pressure cooker that is the National Football League, winning - or at least progress in that direction - is expected, and as a result head coaches have a very small window of opportunity to prove that they have what it takes.

Those that fail to get the job done come and go every season, with multiple heads rolling off the chopping block on the infamous "Black Monday", the day after the completion of the league's regular season schedule.

For the first time in 15 years, the Eagles will be in the market for a new head coach, as numerous reports following Philadelphia's fitting close to a disastrous 2012 - a 42-7 just-going-through-the-motions effort against the Giants - state what we have all expected since the Birds slogged through a winless October - that Andy Reid will be or already has been fired after 14 seasons.

Make no mistake, this is a move that owner Jeffrey Lurie had to make. For whatever reason, Reid had clearly lost his feel for this team, and the proof was in the pudding - a combined 12-20 record over the past two seasons, after going 118-73-1 over the previous 12 campaigns.

Anyone who has followed the team throughout his tenure couldn't help but scratch his or her head and wonder where things went wrong when watching this bunch, with poor tackling, turnovers galore and an overall lack of discipline becoming the norm instead of the rarity they used to be in Reid's hey day, when winning the NFC East felt like a birthright and the NFC Championship Game was marked down in ink on Eagles' fans calendars in September.

And as disappointing as the end of the Reid Era has been, it's those other great seasons that Eagles fans have enjoyed and come to expect that lead me to say, on the eve of his ouster, thank you, Andy Reid.

After having watched the likes of Ray Rhodes, Rich Kotite and Marion Campbell run the organization into the ground year after year, and having seen Buddy Ryan make things interesting each year with a great defense but fail to win a playoff game because of an apathy toward the offensive side of the ball, Sundays under Reid were an event, and were a pleasure more times than not.

After a 5-11 debut in 1999, Reid suddenly turned the Eagles from a laughingstock into a playoff team, with 2nd year QB Donovan McNabb emerging as a bona fide playmaker and leading them to an 11-5 season in 2000 and a Wild Card win over Tampa Bay, and then starting a string of four straight NFC East crowns, going a combined 59-21 in the regular season from 2000-04, and winning at least one playoff game in each year.

There were a few bumps in the road in those heady days, however...or more accurately, road blocks in the form of the NFC Championship Game. Reid's first three trips all resulted in losses, the most disappointing one the 27-10 loss to Tampa Bay in the final game at Veterans Stadium - which, for the record, is also the most disappointing loss in the city's history in any sport - period.

However, those disappointments made 2004 all the more sweeter, as the Eagles soared out to a 13-1 start, dominating just about everyone on the schedule before resting their regulars in the final two games in the wake of the broken leg suffered by Terrell Owens. Even without T.O., they handled the Vikings after a first round bye and then finally got over the hump by downing the Falcons, 27-10 (there's that score again!) in their fourth straight NFC title game before losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

While the end result wasn't what everyone wanted or expected after the brilliant start to his time here, Reid's teams established the organization as one of the best in the NFL, and made it relevant on the national stage arguably for the first time since Dick Vermeil led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance following the 1980 season.
DeSean Jackson's game-winning punt return for a TD against the Giants in 2010 was one of many great moments during Reid's career in Philadelphia.


In addition, we'll always have the memories and the great moments to look back on: the 41-14 "Pickle Juice" game in the season opener at Dallas in 2000, that first playoff win against Tampa Bay, McNabb's playoff performance in his native Chicago to knock off the Bears, Brian Westbrook's punt return to beat the Giants in 2003, McNabb-to-Freddie Mitchell's on 4th and 26 against the Packers, T.O's 3-TD debut against the Giants, McNabb's 14 second scramble and 60-yard heave to Mitchell at Dallas on Monday Night Football, Westbrook's 3 TD catches in the 35-point first half against the Packers in 2004, Jeff Garcia coming off the bench and leading the 2006 team to an improbable NFC East title, Sheldon Brown blowing up Reggie Bush on the first play of the Divisional Playoff in New Orleans, winning the 2008 NFC East crown by destroying the Cowboys 44-6 on the final day of the season and then defeating the World Champion Giants at the Meadowlands to advance to a fifth NFC Championship, Westbrook's 74-yard TD on a screen pass to seal the Wild Card win at Minnesota, any number of jarring hits and big plays from Brian Dawkins, and Michael Vick racing through the Giant defense, leading to DeSean Jackson's "Miracle at the Meadowlands II" walkoff punt return to finish off a 21-point comeback in just over seven minutes.

While there is a great deal of emotion and anger directed at Reid for the team's dismal performance and ultimately, the unfulfilled Super Bowl dream that he came so tantalizingly close to that caused the fans a great deal of angst, as time provides some perspective I believe people will step back and see Reid's accomplishments for what they are, and that was an era of entertaining football and unprecedented success for this franchise in the Super Bowl era.

So, thanks Andy, for taking this once floundering franchise and elevating it to new heights, and for giving the fans some of the best football memories we'll ever have.

Here's hoping Lurie does as well with hiring your replacement as he did when he hired you.
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Phils Deal Arms for Revere...

December 6th 2012 21:08
Former Twins OF Ben Revere has stolen 74 bases in two big league seasons.

As Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings were winding down this morning, the pool of potential center fielders for Ruben Amaro to choose from was also getting quite shallow. With B.J. Upton, Angel Pagan and our old friend Shane Victorino signing free agent deals with the Rays, Giants and Red Sox, respectively for a grand total of $154 million, and the Nationals snapping up Twins' CF Denard Span in a trade, things weren't looking all that promising for the Phils.

Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn remain the top center fielders on the market, but with both over 30 and expected to command top dollar, and Hamilton viewed as more of a corner outfielder at this point, you had to begin to wonder in what direction Amaro was going to go.

That question was answered earlier today, as the Phils announced that they had acquired 24-year old outfielder Ben Revere from the Twins, in exchange for Vance Worley and Trevor May, who was regarded as one of their top minor league pitching prospects.

At first blush, it would seem as though this is a bit of a steep price to pay for a guy who has exactly as many home runs in his Major League career as I do - parting with a young pitcher who had pretty much established himself as the team's #4 starter in Worley, and another who is regarded as a potential middle-of-the-rotation arm in a few years by baseball experts in May.

When looking at it from the Phils' point of view for 2013, it makes sense: they get a young, fast (74 stolen bases in two full seasons) and, perhaps most importantly, affordable player who will have an opportunity to be their everyday center fielder. Revere's 2012 salary was $492,500, and with just over two years of Major League service time, he'll remain under team control through the next few seasons as he becomes arbitration eligible.

The 5'9", 170 pound Revere is a career .278 hitter through 254 games who is known for being a contact hitter, striking out only 100 times in 1,064 plate appearances. He's also apparently a guy who is up there hacking, as he's only worked 57 walks for his career, which is not ideal for a potential leadoff hitter. He can also be regarded as a singles hitter, with a career .323 slugging percentage and just 33 extra-base hits. He posted career highs in just about every offensive category in 2012, including a .294 average and 40 stolen bases, which was good for third in the American League.

Based on his size and style of play, I would assume Amaro sees a little of Bourn in their latest acquisition, as Revere's numbers stack up pretty favorably to the former Phillie's first two seasons (.261 batting avg., 101 stolen bases, 251 strikeouts for Bourn with the Astros in 2008-09) and while he hasn't shown any real gap-power potential at the plate, he's a far better contact hitter than Bourn, who has continued to strikeout at a high rate throughout his career.

By going this route and not plunking down agent Scott Boras's $80 million asking price on the 30-year old Bourn, they are still in a strong position to address their third base vacancy, add a corner outfielder and/or sign another starting pitcher to take Worley's turn in the rotation. The hot rumor out of Nashville this morning was the annual Michael Young-to-the-Phillies chatter, as the veteran Texas Rangers slugger was again linked to the Phils in trade talks as an option to man the hot corner in 2013, presumably a one-year arrangement in which he'd keep it warm for minor league third sacker Cody Asche, who according to several sources the team believes could be ready to play for the Phils in 2014.

As with all moves, time will tell whether Amaro's parting with a pair of solid pitching arms for Revere was a shrewd move or not, but he at least addressed one of the Phils' needs and left them in prime position to make a few more moves to make another run at the NL East title in 2013.
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Reid Era Coming to a Close...

November 20th 2012 17:50
The end of Andy Reid's 14-year tenure in Philadelphia was solidified after the Eagles' 31-6 loss to Washington on Sunday.

In “The Dark Knight”, the second installment of the most recent Batman movie franchise, Gotham City’s District Attorney Harvey Dent opined that, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.”

Despite the fact that he was speaking about a fictional character who used his wealth to outfit himself as a superhero who spent his evenings hunting down bad guys, that quote in some ways rings true for the coaching profession – albeit it not the literal life or death theme.

Coaches in the NFL are either the greatest thing since sliced bread when they are winning and leave on a high note (which most don’t), or their wins and accolades pile up so high that they are eventually crushed by them when they fail to meet the accompanying raised expectations, falling victim to their own success.

While we all could see the writing on the wall after the Eagles' recent five-game skid - the longest of Andy Reid's head coaching career - it is now painfully obvious to even the most ardent Reid supporters (myself included) that, in the wake of his team's disastrous performance against the Redskins that made it six in a row, the reign of the franchise’s most successful head coach and NFL’s longest-tenured football boss is coming to a close.

It is no longer a matter of if Jeffrey Lurie dismisses his longtime coach, but when.

And hopefully, for Reid and his legacy in Philadelphia, it will be sooner rather than later.

The Eagles' 31-6 loss in Washington was their latest low point after starting the season by winning three of their first four, including big home wins over the Baltimore Ravens and World Champion New York Giants. This current streak of ineptitude hasn't been seen around these parts since 1994, when one Rich Kotite presided over a late-season collapse that turned a 7-2 start into a 7-9 finish and a one-way ticket out of town for Kotite just one year into Lurie's ownership of the franchise.

With this year's team at 3-7 and showing no signs of improvement or caring, this death spiral could result in a 3-13 finish season, which last occurred in Philly under Ray Rhodes' watch in 1998 - the season prior to Lurie hiring Reid.

For the winningest coach in Eagles' history to have his reign come to an end being mentioned in the same sentences as Kotite and Rhodes would have been unimaginable just a few seasons ago. But, here we are.

That Reid will be out of a job within the next six weeks should not be news to anyone. For starters, Lurie made his disappointment with last year's "Dream Team" debacle very clear before the season, and stated that anything close to another 8-8 campaign would be "unacceptable". In a lot of ways, this season has been even worse than 2011, as in several of those early season losses the Eagles at least had the lead before their defense folded late in games.

Since the bye week firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo shortly after the defense blew a late lead against Detroit by Reid, they seem as though they've been playing from behind almost from the opening kickoff, with penalties, turnovers, big plays allowed, boneheaded mistakes and the ever-present Reid time management gaffes growing in number by the week.

The other reason Reid and Lurie's impending split should not be a surprise is because that is the nature of the business in the NFL, and in professional and college sports in general. Coaches get hired, have a limited amount of time to build their program, change the organizational culture, and ultimately win games. And when that honeymoon period is over and that initial positive momentum stops and the team struggles, that coach is fired and the process starts over again in earnest with his replacement.

With that in mind, the really surprising aspect of this is that Reid survived and, for the most part, thrived for 14 seasons in one of the toughest and most pressure-packed sports markets in the country. Part of that is due to Lurie's loyalty and obvious fondness for Reid, and a large part of that is the success that the franchise has enjoyed under Reid's leadership.

While the Eagles have enjoyed only two losing season since 1999 (even though we’re well on our way to #3 now), made the playoffs nine times – going 7-2 in their playoff openers, won six NFC East titles – including four in a row from 2001-04, advanced to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl under Reid, the rival Cowboys and Redskins have won a combined three playoff games and have had a combined 11 different head coaches during that span.

Reid’s detractors point to the fact that his teams have struggled to maintain his early levels of success due in large part to the passing of Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator who led one of the top-ranked defenses in the NFL up until his final season in 2008, and that it was his defensive genius that masked some of Reid’s deficiencies.

In reality, this is true on some levels because the defense hasn’t come close to performing as well as they did under the late Johnson. However, to point that out as a fault of Reid’s isn’t exactly fair. A major part of being a successful head coach in any sport is to surround yourself with people who are going to make you better, and with Reid’s offensive background he went out and made a great hire in Johnson to essentially become his “head coach” on the other side of the ball.

And when you take a look at other members of his coaching staff here who have gone on to become head coaches – Brad Childress, John Harbaugh, Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur, Ron Rivera and Leslie Frazier – it further reinforces that fact. Even the recently departed Castillo was one of the top offensive line coaches before Reid moved him over to run the defense – a move that was widely criticized at the time for its unconventionality, and one that is a big reason why we are discussing Reid’s ouster today.

In Philly, we as fans have a propensity to take the short-term view when it comes to a player or coach approaches the end of his career. Fans today routinely chastise Donovan McNabb for his propensity for throwing low passes, forgetting the fact that he holds every statistical passing record in franchise history, won more games while running the offense than any other Eagle QB, and also outgained current Eagles’ QB Michael Vick in rushing yards in their head-to-head matchup in the 2005 NFC Championship Game.

Despite what Charlie Manuel has accomplished in his great run at the Phillies’ manager, fans are now saying he’s clueless and should be replaced by the unproven Ryne Sandberg.

And on and on it goes. Unfortunately for Reid, many fans are going to remember the last two seasons and the fact that for all of his regular season wins and playoff victories, he was unable to deliver this championship-starved city its first Super Bowl title.

Those fans who have clamored for Reid to go are about to get their wish, and while I was always in the corner of “Be careful what you wish for…”, it’s clear that it is time for the Birds and Reid to part ways, a fresh start for both being the best thing for all parties.

Whether or not Lurie makes as good a selection in is successor as he did with Reid remains to be seen, but I get the feeling it’s going to be a long road back to ruling the roost in the NFC East and being an annual participant in the NFC playoffs – two things that seemed like our birthright at the height of Reid’s run.
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Now What, Andy?

November 7th 2012 20:26
Andy Reid is running out of time and answers this season.

The Eagles’ showdown two Sundays ago with the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons was of great importance to the Phaithful for four reasons:

First, at 3-3 Philadelphia was still in the hunt in the jumbled up NFC East, 1 ½ games behind the division-leading Giants, and the team needed the win to either keep pace with New York or pull even in the loss column if the G-Men fell to the Cowboys in Dallas.

Second, Andy Reid had put together one of the most impressive and improbable streaks over his 13-year tenure coming into 2012 – going a perfect 13-0 after the bye week. No matter the opponent, no matter the record, give Reid an extra week to prepare and he was unbeatable.

In fact, including the playoffs, Reid had a gaudy 16-1 record following a week off – the lone loss coming to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX, unfortunately.

Third, with owner Jeffrey Lurie’s edict that another 8-8 season would be “unacceptable” and would not save Reid’s job with the Eagles, the game with Atlanta marked the beginning what amounts to a 10-game season for the head coach to essentially sing for his supper, an opportunity to right the ship and live to coach another season, and presumably more with a contract extension.

And finally, it would be the first opportunity to see new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles calling the shots in place of the exiled Juan Castillo, the only major change Reid made after the crushing 4th quarter and overtime collapse against Detroit a few weeks ago.

Well, in the immortal words of Cosmo Kramer, upon seeing his shipping bladder system test on a rubber ball full of oil dropped from some 20 stories above a New York City street fail miserably, “Well that didn’t work!”

Reid’s attempt to shake things up by publicly admitting his mistake in trying to make an offensive line coach in Castillo into a defensive boss backfired mightily, and the defense became a bigger part of the problem as the Bowles Era started with six scores by Matt Ryan and Co. on their first six possessions, essentially putting the game away with a 24-point first half en route to a 30-17 beatdown of the Birds that was nowhere near as close as the score would indicate.

The bleeding continued for the Birds on Monday night in New Orleans, as Drew Brees, along with a newly-discovered running game, sliced and diced the Birds' defense, while Philly's patchwork offensive line made a putrid Saints' defense look like one of the best in the league as they harassed and harangued Michael Vick in a 28-13 Eagles' loss that left them at 3-5, and carrying the burden of a four-game losing streak into this week's tilt at The Linc with the 3-5 Dallas Cowboys.

And so, the obvious question for Reid is:

What now?

Critics of Reid – and there are many, with many more hopping on the bandwagon as the losses pile up – say that the main problems have been turnovers and a paltry 31st ranking in the NFL in points per game on the offensive side of the ball and dreadful play on special teams, and that the defense was actually the strongest part of the team through the first six games, the late game collapse against the Lions in Week 6 notwithstanding.

That Michael Vick and the rest of the offense didn’t commit a turnover for the first time in who knows how long was lost in the shuffle of an overly conservative game plan, presumably because of the windy conditions at Lincoln Financial Field due to the approaching Hurricane Sandy – although the conditions didn’t seem to alter Atlanta’s pass-first ways at all.

Monday night's game plan that figured to be more wide open against the struggling Saints' defense never got off the ground, thanks to offensive line coach Howard Mudd's troops developing an apparent aversion to contact with the opposing defensive line, instead adopting the matador approach to pass protection. The result was Vick being sacked seven times, and throwing under duress seemingly every time he dropped back to pass.

Many are clamoring for a switch at the quarterback position, with Reid summoning the promising rookie signal caller Nick Foles from the bullpen to take a shot at turning around the season at the midway point. Vick even acknowledged that Reid was considering it when asked about it after the Atlanta game, and stated that no one’s job was safe.

For those in favor of starting Foles, this would have been the week to do it. While the prospects of facing the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Monday Night Football looked to be a daunting task coming into the season, the reality was that at 2-5 and with a pass defense that ranked 31st in the league and a run defense that isn’t much better, Foles would probably have had as good an opportunity as any to go out and have a successful debut.

On the other hand, had Foles played behind that line he might just as likely been carted off the field with a serious injury, as he lacks Vick's agility and speed - and they were the only reason he wasn't killed on Monday!

With Reid now in full survival mode, I can’t see him going with an unproven rookie down the stretch unless Vick is either injured or is just so awful he has to make the move, and at times he has been bad enough to warrant a change.

Reid's chances for a 15th season in Philadelphia now hinge on this final eight-game stretch of the season, and righting the anemic red zone performance of offense against a stingy Dallas defense isn't the ideal prescription for that fever.

Luckily, barring a rare tie, one of these teams who can't seem to get out of their own way have to win, and as bad as the Eagles have been this season, the Cowboys' ineptitude in big spots has been the stuff of legend.

Something's gotta give, let's hope it in Philly's favor come Sunday.
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Starting at Third Base for the Phillies...A-Rod?

October 18th 2012 16:34
With the Phillies in the market for a third baseman, Alex Rodriguez could be the answer.

The Phillies have a bunch of question marks heading into the offseason, and among the most pressing topics that Ruben Amaro, Jr. needs to address when the Hot Stove fires up after the World Series is who, exactly, is going to fill the gaping hole at third base in 2013 with the aging and oft-injured Placido Polanco departing via free agency?

Chase Utley worked out there during the pregame for a couple of weeks late in the season, but will be staying at second base next year. Kevin Frandsen did a great job offensively after being called up late this summer but was a little suspect defensively, and the organization reportedly views him as a bench player.

That would leave the free agent market as a logical option to find their man, except that this year’s crop at the hot corner is thin.

The biggest names out there this winter will be David Wright, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Reynolds (who played more first base for the Orioles this year) and Brandon Inge – all of whom have options for 2013, according to baseballprospectus.com.

Behind them on the wish list are a lot of marginal names: Mark DeRosa, Geoff Blum, Miguel Cairo, and former Phillie Scott Rolen, who is expected to announce his retirement.

Outside of Wright, no one on this list is going to make Phils’ fans forget about Mike Schmidt any time soon. And maybe not even Pedro Feliz, for that matter!

And so, unless Frandsen is going to be the guy or they consider moving middle infielder Freddy Galvis over to the hot corner, it would appear the trade market is the way to go.

And there just might be a third basemen from New York not named David Wright who might be available.

That would be Alex Rodriguez, the talented and most overly scrutinized and criticized player in all of baseball.

An average salary of $27.5 million a year will put that kind of a spotlight on you!

When A-Rod inked his 10-year, $275 million deal with the Yanks after opting out of his original 10-year, $252 million contract he had signed with the Rangers, the idea was for him pursue some of the game’s biggest records – namely Barry Bonds’ all-time home run record – and finish his career in pinstripes on his way to Cooperstown five years after he hung ‘em up.

Of course, the best laid plans often go to waste, and while A-Rod has put up some MVP seasons in the Bronx, he has been a lightning rod for controversy and criticism for everything from his struggles in the postseason to his outing and admission of using performance enhancing drugs to being fed popcorn by his then-squeeze Cameron Diaz at the Super Bowl.

And after the way he has been handled this postseason, and according to just about every baseball analyst at ESPN, it would appear that the Bronx Bombers are ready to part ways with Rodriguez, and the media sideshow that his talent and salary attract.

He’s never been a great postseason player (the crushing double off of Brad Lidge in the 2009 World Series notwithstanding), but his struggles in this year’s playoffs led manager Joe Girardi to lift him for a pinch hitter in the ALDS against Baltimore for Raul Ibanez - yes, that Raul Ibanez - in a big spot with the game on the line.

Girardi followed that up by pinch hitting for him in Game 4 of that series with Eric Chavez, also benching him for the deciding Game 5 of the ALDS, and also in Game 3 and again for today’s Game 4 of the ALCS in Detroit, all in favor of Chavez.

What was worse were the moves Girardi didn’t make with A-Rod, allowing Ibanez to face the Tigers’ closer du jour, Phil Coke, in a lefty-lefty matchup with the tying and go-ahead runs on base, instead of sending up the right-handed hitting Rodriguez, and even opting to pinch hit Nick Swisher, who was having an even worse playoffs at the plate, instead of him for the injured Russell Martin if Ibanez reached base.

Now, the main issue with Rodriguez, aside from the media scrutiny, is his declining production over the last two seasons, as he went from 30 home runs and 125 RBI’s in 2010 to a combined 34 homers and 119 RBI’s over the past two seasons.

One could certainly make the same argument that, like Polanco, Rodriguez is an aging and oft-injured third baseman. While age (36) is certainly a factor – as is maybe being off of steroids, HGH or whatever it was he admitted to using – injuries were the main culprit. A-Rod only played in 99 games in 2011 and 122 this season, and you’d have to wonder if the Phils would want to go through that scenario with a guy who is going to be 37 next season replacing Polanco, who was 38 this year and whose production was severely hampered by injuries.

That being said, as Yankee announcer Michael Kay says almost every day on his ESPN Radio show, his numbers projected out over a full season for 2012 would have been roughly a .270 average, with 30 homers and 90 RBI’s, along with above average defense at third base.

Those numbers would be far better than anyone else on the free agent marked not named Wright, and any third basemen in Philly since Scott Rolen.

And his main injury this year was a broken hand, something that is more of a fluke and not linked to age. It could also explain his lack of production and power (one extra-base hit since mid-September) at the plate since he returned from the disabled list.

From the Phillies’ standpoint, this core group’s window is closing, and if they are going to make a serious run at another World Series, now would be the time to do it. Rodriguez would bring a much-needed right handed power bat to the middle of their order, and an above average glove to third base to bolster their defense, which struggled for the first time in years due in large part to their lack of consistency there (and too much Ty Wigginton and Michael Martinez!).

Obviously his salary is a concern, but the Yankees are going to have to eat a considerable amount of his contract if they are to trade him, as they did with A.J. Burnett in his trade to the Pirates.

If they were to pick up $50 million of his remaining five years, the Phils would only (I say only because it’s not my money!) be on the hook for $64 million over that span, as his salary goes from $28 million next season down to $25 million in 2014, and then down to $21 million in 2015 and $20 million over the final two years. There are some marketing bonuses included for milestone home runs, but the Yanks could easily take some of the money they print up there and pay for those, as well.

It was reported today on ESPN radio that the Yankees are actually so ready to move Rodriguez in a trade that they would be willing to eat up to $100 million of his deal to make it happen. And if that’s the case, and looking at the Phils now only being on the hook for about $32 million over five years and some bonuses, this is even more appealing.

With Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton being traded, Amaro has shed some money off the books that he can play with, and if the prospect of adding A-Rod and a free agent outfielder or two is going to push them over the luxury tax threshold, trading Jimmy Rollins to a shortstop-needy team like, say, the Dodgers, for prospects and moving Freddy Galvis to shortstop would free up more salary to acquire Rodriguez and sign a leadoff hitting outfielder, like a Michael Bourn, and a corner outfielder, like a Cody Ross.

As far as the package the Yankees would want in return, you would have to figure they wouldn't be able to ask for the moon, considering their willingness to get rid of him, so much so that they'd be willing to pay $100 million for him to NOT play for them! I would think a package with Domonic Brown (a talented-yet-unproven prospect who could stand a change of scenery and the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium), along with a package of pitching prospects - an area where they Phils' farm system is well stocked - would do the trick.

It might be a reach, but as I said, the window closing on this core group’s chances, the Phils need a third sacker and the Yankees have one who they apparently can’t wait to ship out of town.

And of all the options available, Alex Rodriguez might just look the best of them all in red pinstripes for the next few seasons.
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