I was all prepared to write a post about whether or not the Phillies got snubbed with the all-star selections this season until I sat down, turned on my television and was reminded that Adam Eaton still exists (2.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO in an important game) and didn’t feel like writing a full Phillies post anymore, so I thought I’d just do a ramblings.
- On the All-Star game. I can’t remember a year with more undeserving all-stars NOT on the team due to the one-player-per-team rule. Jason Varitek (2nd to last among AL catchers in OPS), Brian Wilson (4.37 ERA as a closer), Ryan Dempster (over Hamels, Santana and Billingsley), Aramis Ramirez (over David Wright), Matt Holliday (10th among NL outfielders in RBI, 38th among NL outfielders in RBI on the road) not to mention the terrible fan vote-ins of Fukudome and Soriano. Just realized that most of those players are in the NL, no wonder they lose every year.
- Another all-star thought – I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here before or not, but I would like 2 events to be added to HR Derby night. The first would be a “fastest man” competition which would be a timed run from first to third after a ball is pitched to the batter. Fastest time wins. Put Jose Reyes, Carlos Gomez, Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Michael Bourn and Jacoby Ellsbury out there and you’ve got yourself an entertaining competition. The second competition would be for “best arm.” You would determine this by setting up a pitching machine to shoot a line drive to the outfield, the players would charge, grab it on one hop, and then throw at a target at home plate, points would be awarded for accuracy and speed. Josh Hamilton, Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Guillen, Vladimir Guerrero, Shane Victorino? Tell me you wouldn’t want to see that.
- There is a lot of buzz about the Phillies making a charge at Eric Bedard. Phillies scouts have been checking him out and Seattle scouts have been checking out our prospects. I think the rumor I saw had us sending Bastardo, Cardenas andanother prospect. I would do that move in a second, even though Bedard is hurting a bit right now. This team WILL NOT go past the first round of the playoffs without a better rotation, and Bedard would certainly be a big upgrade for this year and next. People forget how dominant he was last year, and you can get him now while his stock is down and hope he benefits from a change of scenery the way Lidge did.
- Speaking of Lidge, I was ecstatic when I saw the news of his extension. Great move to not let him reach the open market, and even though his yearly salary is on the high side, getting a 3 year, not a 4 year deal, was another plus.
- I don’t know what happens to the Sixers if they don’t land Josh Smith. They are clearly waiting until the cap number comes out so they can offer him every penny they possibly can. If they miss, what happens? My vote for a back-up plan would be Ben Gordon, Nenad Krstic and Chris Quinn and save some money for next year.
- One thing that would be great about getting Smith (besides the idea of the constant highlight reel that would be Iggy, Smith, Williams, Thad and Sammy)? You don’t have to worry about the age factor. In baseball, every time you are in a situation where you are offering someone a long-term deal, you have to worry about paying him $15 million when he’s 36 or 37 and you have no idea what his production will be. Josh Smith is 22. You sign him to a 6-year deal and he’ll still be in his prime when it expires.
- If (and it really seems like a matter of when at this point) we sign J-Smoove to an offer sheet, I really, really hope that the Hawks make their decision one way or the other immediately. I won’t be able to sit around refreshing my computer for 7 days waiting for them to decide. That wasn’t meant to be a joke. I will be in physical pain until they decide.
- Eagles training camp starts in a couple weeks, which is just amazing. For those who are new here - Dannie and I both love the Birds and cover them here and there, but don’t go as in depth as we do for basketball and baseball because we aren’t as confident in our opinions. Mostly because football is a game where you can only see certain parts of the play happening and can only see certain players. Without watching game film, I can’t tell you for certain that, for instance, Sheldon Brown is a better cover-corner that Lito Sheppard. Why? Because they are off-screen the whole time and are only mentioned when they make a great or terrible play. So most people get their info on that type of debate by listening to what commentators or talk shows hosts say and taking it for fact without investigating themselves. We really try not to do that here. I mean, can anyone here say that they know that Todd Herremens or Max Jean-Giles is a better run-blocker? Without having someone else who doesn’t really know tell you? Football is a completely different animal in terms of analysis and analytics.
- My gut feeling on the Eagles? I don’t think we are a Super Bowl team, but I think we are a playoff team. I’m excited about the defense. The line should be solid, I think my fellow Domers Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws will make an impact. The secondary, if healthy and not being whiny, should also be good. The young linebackers, who I feel like everyone assumes will get better, have to show me they can perform for another year before I’ll have confidence in them. On offense, I’m scared about injuries. If one of our OT’s or Brian Westbrook goes down, it could kill the season. We really, really needed to get one those WR’s though. I really hope we don’t look back at the McNabb/Reid era and wonder what might have been if they only had the guts to make the bold move everyone knows they need to make to go from playoff team to Super Bowl Contender. Right now, I’m going with 10-6 for the Birds, barring training camp developments.
- Villanova basketball landed another huge recruit last week in Isaiah Armwood, a 5-star, 6′7” forward from Maryland. He joins 5-star PG Maalik Wayns, and McDonalds All-American Taylor King (Duke transfer) in Nova’s 2009 class. Jay Wright is also in on several other big-time recruits including 5-star SG Dominic Cheek and 4-star SF Terrell Vinison. This class could very well rival the Fraser, Foye, Ray, Sumpter class of a couple years ago. Once this class is wrapped up, I will write a long post on what Jay Wright has done for the program and why Nova will be a contender for at least the next 4-5 years. During College BBall season, we tend to focus on Nova, St. Joes, Temple, the Big East and I’m sure the occasional UNC post from Dannie.
- One last question for our loyal readers: Do you have a college football team you follow? How closely? With me being a Notre Dame grad, I can’t help but write a post or two about the Irish and I’d like to know what I’m getting into.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I bet a lot of you guys check in here first before going over to espn.com, take a look at this whopper:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3477424
Carney and Calvin Booth for Elton Brand? Come on, Memphis!
Zack I read that this morning as well, damn I hope it comes true. Somebody slap me cause I feel like I’m dreaming.
-Yes, I would be intersted in the different competions at the All-Star game. Interesting ideas.
-Hell no to Bedard. He would crash in burn in Philly. It makes me sick to my stomach to imagine Gillick making this deal. Maybe he is trying to set up the M’s with some our prospects for when he goes back to Seattle after this year.
-Great move locking up Lidge, now do the same with Hamels.
-Go get Elton Brand Sixers, Josh Smith will still be there if it falls through. Josh Smith a good player and makes us better, Elton is a great players and makes us a contender. Also I only do the Kristic deal if it is part of a 2 phase plan. By that I mean Kristic and someone else coming in. Kristic alone is not enough of a splash. Word is Michael Redd is not happy in Milwaukee got get him. Richard Hamilton is being dangled a bit by Pistons, try to make that happen. Kristic and one of those moves works for me.
-10-6 sounds like a good guess to me. I think the defense is going to be very solid. The offense can be better. DeSean Jackson should make a difference, shortening the field for the offense. Lorenzo Booker and Westbrook on the field at the same time can create some matchup problems. Kevin Curtis should be a little better in his second year in the offense. But lets be honest, the key is going to be whether #5 can stay healthy and play well.
-Dont know if Im considered a “loyal reader” or not. But I’ll answer anyway. I follow PSU pretty closely, watch nearly every game.
My personal opinion on the Brand thing is that it is just strategy on their part to scare the Clippers into creating more cap space to give him more money. If they don’t do that though, who knows, we might just get him.
Kevin -
Why don’t you like Bedard? He’s not pitching that great this year, and his ERA is still 3.60. He led the AL in hits/9 AND K/9 last year, was 2nd in WHIP, 4th in ERA and might have won the Cy Young if his team won some games. He’s only 29. We would keep him for next year too. I know he might not be made (mentally) for a big market team, but even if he struggles, he’ll be much better than what we’ve got. If we can get him without losing Carrasco, I’m all for it.
- yeah, I definitely meant Krstic as a second option.
- I really hope DeSean Jackson can make a difference, we are due for someone like that to break out.
- if you have posted on something that I wrote last night before I get to work, you are a loyal reader.
I appreciate the fact that you don’t comment on football as much as the buttheads on ESPN. They are the worst. Every Monday morning they have a new favorite guy and best team in the NFL. blah blah blah.
I highly doubt that Elton Brand will be in a 6er uni next season. I really want Josh Smith, but I think that Hotlanta will really match any offer we give J-smoove. Unless we are clearing that cap space to make an even bigger offer to Josh and not Brand.
Why is no one talking about Roy Oswalt in a trade? Everyone talks about Gillicks relationship with Seatle. What about our old GM Mr. Mackey in Houston??
I am a PSU guy.
I dont know, if that article is right, and we are able to offer up to 15mil for Brand. I think we have a real shot then, I mean how much higher are the clipjoint going to go? And I mean come on, who really wants to play for the clippers?
Why dont I want Bedard. Well for one, the whole not made up mentally for a big market team. The dude listen too much to what the media and fans have to say about him, he would absolutely hate it here. Two, they guy has told him manager that he wont pitch over 100 pitches, I definetly have a problem with that. Just what we need another struggling pitcher, like we dont have enough of those already.
Hell yeah, if we can get Oswalt you go get him. I dont care if it takes Carrasco. Make that deal. Hamels, Oswalt, Myers (I still Myers is gonna come back and be okay). Not a bad playoff staff.
We’re excited to see what you’ll have to see about Jay Wright when this 2009 Recruiting Class finalizes!
ZACK: Good reporting.
PETE: As you know, I’ve been in the Bedard camp since his name was brought up. Overall, he is a less costly, solid alternative to Sabathia. He should demand fewer prospects, and we’d have him for next year as well. Sabathia would have only been a half year rental. I think Oswalt is worth looking into as well.
I could live with your back-up plan of Gordon, Krstic, Quinn, and holding some money. I don’t want to think about it too much now, however. I prefer to immerse myself in the possibility of landing Brand or Smith and enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Only if we miss on both of them and your back-up plan becomes a reality will I truly come to terms with it.
As far as college football: PSU
Well, the Cubs just got Harden. Jason Stark’s “Rumblings and Grumblings” is very interesting. Here’s the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings
It’s all about deadline deals. There are several quotes from various GM’s that give a good idea of their general mindset. It’s a bit long, but worth the read if you’ve got a few minutes.
bski, after I found out about the deal (I was watching summer league games from last year), I turned on the radio to listen to the Sixer talk, but it’s still Phillies talk… This is why Deep Sixer was so important, sigh…
Anyway, you still think pitching is our biggest need? I’m still sticking by what I said earlier – we need hitting. Plus, remember when I proposed trading J-Roll? Does that sound preposterous now? You have to admit, he stinks this year, and his value is dropping by the series, we really should’ve shopped him earlier while his value was higher. In any case, we need a shake-up, Modell’s inventory of Phils jersey number T-shirts be damned. Pete compared J-Roll to Jeter and McNabb before, at least Jeter and McNabb don’t have funks like the one J-Roll’s having now.
BTW, are you a Phils die-hard, or just a baseball fan in general? If these were the Sixers in this sort of tailspin, I’d be dying, daydreaming of choking Willie Green. How are you taking the Phils potentially ending up this season mediocre?
ZACK: First off, Deep Sixer is back. There is a new guy posting topics. I’m on with Suede right now about Brand and the Sixers.
Yes, I still think pitching is our biggest need. Myers? Eaton? Gordon? Moyer is hanging in there, but he can’t last forever. We need more pitching now and it seems like we will need even more in the not too distant future.
The hitting is a major concern because we have been in a ridiculous, team wide funk for over a month. That said, I don’t know what you do about it. We have a team that was built for offense. We have guys who have been productive for years. Why this is happening and why it’s lasting so long is baffling.
I don’t know what you can do about it, at least for the rest of this year. In the off season you can add a few guys, let go of some others, promote a couple minor leagers (like Marson, Golson, Carrasco, and Bastardo in place of Ruiz, Jenkins, Myers, and Eaton, respectively). Usually when something like this happens, managers and coaches are let go, because getting rid of them is much easier than changing half your roster at mid season.
I am a die hard Phils fan and have been for over 30 years, so yes it is killing me. Every loss is like a little death. At least I don’t cry over it now, like I did when I was a kid(I’m still partially traumatized by our playoff failures in ‘76, ‘77, ‘78). Sometimes I would like to, but I’m much too grown up for that now.
bski, I’m actually quite surprised you have no idea what to do about the hitting, no theories, no reflections on when this happened before in the past, nothing. Wow.
If the Indians can get rid of Sabathia, why can’t we get rid of our “stars”? Wasn’t he just as important for them as Hamels is to us? Wasn’t he their Hamels? If we got rid of Hamels at the end of the year, I think there’d be riots. BTW, thanks for the link above, but I’m a bit of a slow reader, so I decided to print it out (10 pages!) and read it later.
About Deep Sixer, thanks for the heads up, although I had to google it to find it, and the format still irks me.
ZACK: Sorry if I disappointed you with my thin baseball response. To be honest, my mind is consumed with Brand at the moment, so I don’t have much room to spare for baseball. I know it’s hard to believe. Once the dust settles and visions of Brand stop dancing in my head, I’m sure I’ll have something more concrete to discuss about the Phils offensive woes, so stay tuned.
Erik Bedard makes Brett Myers look less like a bitch.
ZACK: I’ve been wracking my brain and I can’t come up with anything. I don’t follow all of baseball that closely to be able to come up with an example of another supposedly high powered offensive team that just didn’t hit.
As far as the Phils go, they have been a hot and cold offensive team for the last several years, so there’s nothing new there. We have been a home run hitting team for a while now. When we hit ‘em, we score in bunches. When we don’t, we struggle. What is really getting me is that, even through these hot and cold years, we have always hit. We may not have scored a lot, but we always hit. Many, many times I have scratched my head wondering how we could only score 3 runs off of 10 hits and 4 walks. Also, in the past when we did struggle to get hits, you had a feeling that the hits would come eventually because we were hitting balls hard. Now, not only we are just flat out not hitting, but I don’t see many hard hit balls for outs that would lead me to believe we will come out of it eventually. I mean it is now common for us to get 4 hits a night. Are you kidding?
Like I said before, over the last several years, we have been hot and cold offensively. For some reason 2004 stick out in my mind. I seem to recall that we would bust out for 10, 12, 15 runs about every 7 to 10 days. It would make you think that the offense was going to go on a tear, but we would go right back to scoring 2 or 3 runs a game for the rest of the week. It semed like we busted out on Sunday a lot. We’d have 5 or 6 lousy offensive games during the week and then put up 12 runs on Sunday.
I hate hearing about how we are still the #2 offense in the league. You know, if you take the 20 run game against St. Louis and our two 15 run games against Colorado and I forget who else, things look a lot worse.
Other than ‘79, I can’t remember a time when the Phils had a lousy year during a multi-year stretch of good baseball. I think that’s mostly because the Phils have had very few multi-year stretches of good baseball to begin with. Anyway, we had great years in ‘76, ‘77, ‘78. We won the world series in ‘80. We also won the first half of the split ‘81 strike season(losing to the Expos in the end of year division playoff, ugh!). ‘79 was the only down year in that stretch, BUT it was due to the many injuries we sustained that year, not because the entire team forgot how to hit and made up all kinds of excuses.
There are things the Phils CAN do, but I don’t think they SHOULD do them. Also, since we are still in first, and unless the Mets or Marlins get hot and knock us out, we should remain in the race, so I don’t think the Phils WILL do any of them. This post is getting very long, so I’m not going into more detail now. We can get into this another time, if you want.
I hate to sound like I’m giving up because I’m not at all. Maybe we will somehow be able to hang on, or maybe we will turn it around and go on to have our usual strong second half. It could be possible, however, that this is just one of those odd, off years and we’ll have to hope for a bounce back year like ‘80 again.