phrustrated philly phan

Well the Phillies put up a phight but in the end it was not meant to be. The Phillies won today but with the Dodgers and Padres both winning the Phillies were eliminated from contention. Many will point to the two losses in Washington and while those were tough losses, this race was loss in June when the Phillies were struggling. It is tough to accept that another year goes by without any October baseball in Philly, but to be optimistic the future appears bright. The Phillies have many young, exciting players to build around. Now the real question is whether Ryan Howard wins NL MVP. He deserves it. He has a led a team that made a push for the playoffs, while Albert Pujols played for a team that is trying to give away its playoff spot. Howard has better numbers and performed without any protection and very few pitches to hit. This season will end without a playoff berth, but it has been an exciting season. The team never gave up and when Gillick declared the year over, the players came together and fought back into the race. Its too bad it is over. It feels like this season started years ago, but I am still not ready to accept that tomorrow's game is the final one until next March.

In the next week or two I wil post a season review, highlighting the positives and negatives of the 2006 season. I will also post a position by position breakdwon and what needs to be done at each position during the off-season. Since the baseball posts will slow down during the winter months, I am going to try something new. I am going to post mostly about the Sixers and Flyers, but since baseball is my favorite sport, I am going to mix in posts about how I came to love the game so much. From attending games with my father, to watching my father's softball games, to wiffle ball in the back yard. I hope that keeps people interested and visiting the site. I know many of my readers are big Phillies phans so hopefully these baseball posts will be of interest to you.

Also, next week I will probably post a season preview for the Sixers and Flyers for the 2006-2007 season. I guess it is time to turn to the NBA/NHL/NFL. Carson, that is what I voted for in your poll though it was a tough decision. Well enjoy tomorrow's final game of the baseball season, and stay tuned through the winter for Sixer, Flyers, and random baseball posts.

The Phillies came through tonight in a must win situation. The must win situation remains for the rest of the season. After a very long night in the nation's capital, the Phillies had to fly to South Florida for the start of a three game series with the Fish. It would have been an easy night to surrender, but the Phillies showed grit and determination and blew out the Marlins. Pat Burrell led the way with two home runs. Jamie Moyer was dazzling again for the Phillies and there needs to be serious consideration to bringing him back next season. He is a great influence on the younger players and would be a great middle of the rotation guy.

The players could have easily packed it in tonight and the season could have been over. I could not have blamed them if they came out flat and performed poorly. Instead they should a lot of heart and came out and pounded the Marlins. The much maligned Pat Burrell led the way for them. I still don't see Burrell returning next year. Although he is almost impossible to deal, Pat Gillick will find a way to rid him. He has become one of the most reviled Philly athletes in recently history and it would be damaging to himself and the team if he returned. Shane Victorino also contributed 5 hits and came a home run away from hitting for the cycle. I believe Shane Victorino has earned a starting job for next year. Along with Rollins, those two have created a lot of excitement at the top of the lineup. The Phillies have bigger issues to address during the offseason.

The Phillies have fought hard this year. Playing excellent baseball since the trading deadline. Tonight, I was ready to sit down and write my season review if the Phils didn't win. I am much happier writing that the Phillies remain alive in the wild card race. I still believe it is a long shot but a possibility. The Phillies have two more games remaining and hopefully they give us something memorable in those games. The Dodgers won again tonight in the top of the ninth. The Phillies need some major help, with both the Dodgers and Padres magic number being one. A loss tomorrow by the Phillies eliminates them from contention. Tomorrow's game is on Fox at 1:25. The scheduled starters are Randy Wolf vs. Scott Olsen. Lets go Phillies.

What a game last night. I am not going to talk to much about the game itself because I think I could write a 5 page paper on everything that went right or wrong. I will only mention a few things.

• The much maligned Abe Nunez had a great night. He hit two clutch doubles. Also on Rollins' game-winning triple, Nunez was on the top step cheering. Although I imagine every Phillie was happy, Nunez showed it more than anyone else.
• Fabio Castro needs to pitch more than every 20 days. It almost cost them last night and that responsibility falls on Charlie Manuel.
• Ryan Howard is the NL MVP. Frank Robinson walked Howard with a runner on first to move the winning run to second. That is RESPECT.
• Clay Condrey pitched two brillant innings out of the bullpen.
• Chase Utley did a terrific job of keeping the bad throw from Castro in front of him. Had that got by him the Phillies would either have been tied or even lost the game.

The Phillies understood that this was a must-win for them and they did everything they could to win. It might not have been easy or pretty but it got the job done. The job only gets tougher from here. One more in Washington then down to South Florida for three. The Phillies remain one game behind the LA Dodgers in the wild card race.

One last point is the phans who were there in Washington. The Phillies fans were great. They stayed into the game until the end and were rewarded with a victory. They got chants going and were enthiusastic. The Phillies should never complain about the phans. They have the best phans in the nation. All Philly wants is some meaningful baseball in October and hopefully this club can provide it.

To say I'm devasted is an understatement. Two days and two tough losses. That is not a formula to make the playoffs. Now it is time to rant.

• In the Astros loss, Charlie Manuel butchered the seventh inning. He is not a match-up manager. He has his set pitchers for certain innings and never strays from that until Monday versus the Astros. He used an uncountable amount of pitchers only to see three runs given up and a loss. Why not just go with Rick White for the inning because that is what he has done for the rest of the year.
• Shame on Rollins, Vic, and Utley for not finding any way to get Ryan Howard up in the ninth inning last night. I know they may have hit the ball hard but they still needed to get Howard up.
• The entire offense tonight for not getting a clutch hit early in the game when they could have knocked out Ramon Ortiz. Unacceptable and its too bad the Phillies of June reared its ugly head in the last week of the season
• The Nationals announcers for being terrible. Since I am in South Carolina, I must watch the games on MLB.tv so I get whatever feed they choose. Over the weekend I got the Comcast feed so I heard Harry and the gang. Tonight I got the Nationals feed with their announcers. Although Kalas may not be what he once was he is still much better than most announcers. Listening to the Nationals' announcers has given me a new appreciation Kalas, Graham, Wheeler, and Anderson. The Nationals' announcers openly pull for their team and have no knowledge of the Phillies whatsoever. I had to turn off the tv feed and listen to it on mlb.com.
• Brett Myers for not dominating tonight. Yeah he may have pitcher decently but that is not acceptable. He walked batters in the critical third inning and walks lose ball games. Myers once and for all is not an ace but will be a good number two behind Cole Hamels.
• Charlie Manuel again for butchering the starting lineup and substitutions tonight. Why is Pat Burrell starting versus a right hander with David Delluci on the bench. Delluci should have been in the sixth hole behind Conine. He substitutions also were terrible. The Phillies do not have a strong bench so I see no need to pinch hit for Mike Lieberthal who has been swinging a hot bat lately. Just awful.
• Micheal Bourn for oversliding a bag. What is this, Little League. Every member of Winthrop's baseball team helps coach a fall league with kids age 9-12 and that is what happens in that league not in the majors. Hopefully, Bourn gets plenty of sliding practice in spring training next year because that is inexcusable and embarrassing.
• Shame on us the phans for believing that maybe this is the year something good happens. Have the last 23 years not taught us anything. Yes we may get close but the Curse of William Penn will always rear its ugly head and break our hearts.
• Chase for making an error in the bottom of the 8th to let the game become a two run lead. Yes I love Chase but I must call him out on this.

As you can tell I am obviously pissed and with the Dodgers probably winning tonight the Phillies will fall to a game behind with five to play. I said after Monday's game that 5-1 definetly gets you a playoff spot and 4-2 probably earns you a playoff game. Everything bad about the Phillies has been revealed in the past two days. Poor managerial decisions, terrible bullpen, poor bottom of the lineup have all lead to their downfall. The wild card was in their reach and all they had to do was reach up and grab it and they fumbled kind of like Kurt Warner on Sunday in the Cardinals game. A fumbled snap, that is what the Phillies have done the past two days. I thought this year was different but I must have forgotten that I cheer for a team from Philly. I guess it is time to start pulling for the A's and Twins in October. I am devasted and thats all I can say. Plain and Simple.

To say that this week will be one of many ups and downs is an understatement. It started today. The Phillies entered with the wild card lead. Today started poorly with Jamie Moyer giving up four runs in the first inning. I was in disbelief. The Phillies had fought so hard to get the wild card lead, I was afraid they would give it up without a fight. Oh how wrong I was. The third inning rolled around and started innocently enough with a hit by Abe Nunez and a sac bunt by Jamie Moyer and then the excitement game. Jimmy Rollins hit a two run home run, his 24th of the season. Chase Utley followed that up with a two run homer of his own, his first of two on the day, bringing his season total to 31. After back to back hits by Jeff Conine and Pat Burrell, Chris Coste had a very good at bat and drove Scott Olsen's pitch into the seats in left field. By this point I was almost crying, I was so happy. Now the Phillies had a three run advantage and were in line for the sweep. About that time though, I needed to leave for baseball practice so I missed the rest of the game. Needless to say when I got home and read the game summary of the Phillies winning, I was thrilled.

This season feels different then past seasons. I have confidence. Last year, the season came down to the final day, but I had no confidence the Phillies could make the playoffs. This year I do. Today is a great example of why. Down by four runs the Phillies never gave up or thought they were out it. They battled to score seven in the third inning and take the lead for good. They completed a sweep of the Florida Marlins, who have ended previous Phillies' seasons with sweeps and now the Phillies ended the Marlins' season with a sweep. There is a confidence on this club. From the likes of youngsters Rollins, Howard, Utley, and Hamels to veterans Lieby, Lieber, Conine, and Moyer this team demonstates determination and the confidence to finish the job this year.

No one can overlook the contributions of Jeff Conine. He has brought a veteran presence to the clubhouse and has fit in well. He is batting .316 with the Phillies mostly out of the five hole behind Ryan Howard. He has also driven in 16 runs since his acquisition which shows that he has made other teams pay for walking Ryan Howard. This is critical down the stretch an in October baseball. Jeff Conine deserves to be an everyday player for the Phillies with his hot bat and David Delluci and Pat Burrell should platoon. Pat Gillick deserves applause for the acquistions of Conine and Jamie Moyer, who had a rough start today but did enough to get the win.

Seven games to go. The Houston Astros fly in tomorrow after a late game tonight agains the St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros are going for the sweep tonight sending Roger Clemens to the mound on three days rest. After tomorrow the Phillies take to the road for the last six games of the year. There is three in Washington and three in South Florida. The Phillies retained their half game wild card lead after the Padres and Dodgers both won their respective games today. The Los Angeles Dodgers have tomorrow off then travel to Colorado and to San Francisco. The San Diego Padres travel to St. Louis then finish up in Arizona. All three contenders finish up on the road.

For the Florida Marlins Series
Tip of the Cap- Chase Utley for finding his stroke this series. He went 10-14 with 2 HR, 7 runs, and 6 RBIs. Utley has found his stroke at a great time and helped carry the offense during this season.

Wag of the Finger- Charlie Manuel for using Tom Gordon in Saturday's game with a four run lead. Gordon gave up two solo home runs. Manuel had other options but decided to use the the pitcher who recently had shoulder problems for the second night in a row with a four run lead. Another thing to factor in is that the Phillies do not have a day off the rest of the year. I have found myself liking Manuel much more this year, but this decision was not defendable. Just a bad decision.

Tomorrow's Game- The Houston Astros fly into town for one game. It is the final regular season home game of the year. The Astros send Matt Albers to the mound and the Phillies counter with Randy Wolf. Since the Dodgers have the day off the Phillies will either have a one game lead in the wild card race or end the day tied with the Dodgers in the race. Game time is set for 7:05. Lets go Phillies.

• The Sixers open up training camp on September 29 in Barcelona, Spain. I will eventually post a season preview, but that will have to wait until after at least this week because this is devoted strictly to the Phillies.
• The Flyers lost to the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in Peter Forsberg return to action. Not a big deal. The Flyers fell to 1-2 in the preseason. I am also working on a preview for the Flyers' season but that also will not be up until probably after the conclusion of the Phillies' regular season.
• The Flyers preseason game on September 26 will be webcast. Check http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/default.asp for more information
• One Phillies note. Check out http://phillies.scout.com/2/572047.html for an article about how Pat Gillick has changed the culture and maybe the Bobby Abreu was not quite the fleecing the national media made it out to be.

Only 10 games left in the 2006 regular season and what a season it has been. The Phillies play 6 more games against the Florida Marlins with three at the Bank and three in South Florida. They also play one game against the Houston Astros and three against the Washington Nationals. The wild card is well within the the Phillies reach and last night on Baseball Tonight, both Tim Kurkijan and Orel Hersherier choose the Phillies to win the wild card. Cole Hamels gets things started tonight against the Marlins and it would be sweet revenge to take all three of these games from the Marlins. Recently pitchers have been much more careful when pitching to Ryan Howard but he has still gotten his hits although fewer home runs. Maybe the most important aspect offensively of this series is how Mr. Marlin, Jeff Connine, hits for the Phillies.

The pitching staff has stablized immensively from the middle of the summer. It is the reason I have hope of not only winning the wild card but also advancing in October. A rotation of Hamels, Myers, Moyer, and Lieber would be hard to match by another NL team. The bullpen has been a concern though as arms begin to get tired. Tom Gordon should have plenty left since he missed a month earlier in the season. The biggest concern is Geoff Geary, Aaron Fultz, and Ryan Madson. Contributions from Matt Smith and Fabio Castro could be the differnce in the last 10 games if they are given the chance.

The Phillies have gotten some surprise contributions recently from the likes of Abe Nunez, Pat Burrell, and Mike Lieberthal. I specifically want to talk about Lieby. He is the longest tenured Phillie and also longest tenured Philadelphia athlete, but this looks to be the end of the road for him in Philly. For most of my life Lieby has been behind the plate for the Phillies. I remember the year he hit 36 home runs and the game where he tore his ACL. During the late '90s he was often one of the few good players and bad teams. Lately his career has been on the downside and he has taken a beating from Phillies fans the past couple years. This year he started slowly but has picked it up lately as his playing time has decreased. This has allowed him play at a higher level when he is on the field. He now has 9 home runs for the season with most coming in the last two months. I want the Phillies to play in October partly for Mike Lieberthal's sake. He is a true professional and has been with the Phillies during the very thin times and I want him to play meaningful baseball in October. He deserves it, and it may be his last chance.

Also, I am banning myself from using the word "playoff" until either the Phillies have clinched a spot or been eliminated. I will refer to it as October baseball until then. Last the Phillies have unveiled next year's propsed schedule with Jim Thome returning and Jim Leyland coming to Philly for the first time since Charlie Manuel was hired instead of him. Should be interesting.

10 games. Thats all that is left in this season. It feels like this season has been going on forever. I remember watching the dismantling the Phillies got on opening day. I remember watching Aaron Rowand crash into the wall. I remember Hamels debut and everything else that happened in this excitement filled season. Now we are down to 10 games. It is put up or shut up time. Lets get it done. My dream is Lieby hitting a game-winning home run on the last day of the season to clinch a spot in October baseball.

• Penn State will get beat this week at Ohio State then precede to upset Michigan next week at home and will out the rest of the year. They will play in the Outback Bowl. Anothony Morelli will establish himself as a quarterback to watch next year and be compated to Kerry Collins.
• The Flyers have less talent on this year's team, but have learned to play hard after watching the Phillies crawl into everyones heart this summer. The Flyers will make a valent effort to advance to the Stanley Cup but will fall short in a seven game series with the Carolina Hurricanes.
• The Seahawks will face the Falcons in the NFC championship game. In the AFC championship game the Ravens will face the Chargers. The Seahawks and Ravens will face off in the Super Bowl with the Ravens putting on a dominating performance and win 24-6. The Seahawks are compared to the Bills of the early '90s.
• The NO Saints will defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football this week by playing off the emotion of the crowd. 21-20.

One interesting thing I found while listening to Baltimore Sports Talk Radio (yes, I'm am a Ravens fan), visit http://www.wnst.net/ . Nestor Aparicio has organized a "Free the Birds" rally to try to convince Peter Angelos to sell the team. This is to say that although the Phillies have not made the playoffs since 1993 the Orioles have not had a winning season in nine years. At least the Phillies have been competitive and given us something to cheer about this year and the past couple years. I do sort of follow the Orioles on the side since they are only an hour and a half, and I hope they do will, so good luck to Nestor is this endeavor. Lets Go Phillies. Lets Win that Wild Card.

Today the Flyers extended Ken Hitchcock's contract for three years through 2008-2009. Overall, Hitchcock is 130-77-39 in his time with the Flyers. This was the final puzzle that needed solved before training camp so all distractions are removed. Now its on to the preseason.

The Flyers officially opened camp on Friday to prepare for the upcoming season. The Flyers have been one of the top teams in the NHL for 10 years, but have not been able to bring home a Stanley Cup recently. After an embarrassing loss in the playoffs to the Buffalo Sabres, the Flyers recognized a need to increase the speed of their defense. The following is a summary of some of the issues in training camp and later their will be a season preview.

• Peter Forsberg is the new captain taking over for Keith Primeau, who retired. This is the first time Forsberg, generally considered the worlds best player, will be a captain. He will have additional responsibilities of being the go between Ken Hitchcock and the players. It will be hard to replace Primeau's leadership but Forsberg is a logical choice to succeed him.
• Hitchcock's contract will be up after the year and their has not been an extension. Hitchcock has said that once the season starts he does not want to discuss an extension because it will create a distraction. Hitchcock has been the best Flyer's coach in recent history so hopefully Bobby Clarke will get an extension done during training camp and not let this linger into the season and next offseason.
• The Flyers also have numerous players coming off surgery. Most notably is Peter Forsberg but Simon Gagne, Derian Hatcher, Mike Rathje, and Sami Kapanen are all coming off surgery. How these players perform will have a huge impact on the season.
• The Flyers have a host of new players in training camp. They include Kyle Calder, Geoff Sanderson, Randy Robitaille, Nolan Baumgartner, Matt Cullen, and Marty Murray. There are no game breakers or superstars in there but there are players that can contribute to the Flyers and make the team better.
• The Flyers have also lost some stalwarts including Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeau (retirement), Donald Brashear, Kim Johnsson, Michael Handzus, and Chris Therien.
• Hitchcock has a new addition to his coaching staff. The Phantom's head coach, John Stevens, has been promoted to an assistant for the Flyers.
• The biggest question, in my opinion, is concerning the goaltenders. Is it Robert Eshe and Antero Nittymaki or vice versa. Both goalies are good but neither has really set himself up as the number one. I really like Nittymaki's potential but one of them will need to step up during training camp and the beginning of the season and become a true number one goalie

The Phillies Stretch Run

Cole Hamels was dazzling again yesterday against the Houston Astros. Check out Swing and Miss for a good summary of Ryan Howard's robbed home run and the ace that Cole Hamels is becoming. This is very exciting. The Phillies are 1 1/2 games out of the wild card, Ryan Howard is chasing history, Chase Utley gives 110% everyday, Rollins and Victorino have been great catalyst at the top of the lineup, and Cole Hamels is developing into a dominant pitcher. If the Phillies make the playoffs, I would like to see Hamels start game one. He is cool and confident and would believe that he could win the game no matter who he is facing. I would follow him with Jon Lieber, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer in the rotation. Should be fun for the last two weeks.

It is time for the first installment of a new running series: A Look Into My Crystal Ball

My Crystal Ball Says:

• The Phillies will finish out this year playing .500 ball and miss the playoffs by 2 games. Ryan Howard will slow off his torrid pace but still finish with 63 home runs and an NL MVP trophy for his mantle.
• Pat Burrell will want to be traded by the end of this year as his playing time dwindles and the booing gets louder by the day at CBP.
• The Sixers will get sold to a local investor who will get ripped off paying over 400 million for the team and will not get the profits they want. Billy King will get fired after the upcoming season.
• The paper I wrote tonight for college will not get a grade better than a C. It is terrible.
• Temple football will never be competitive until it drops down to Division 1AA. Al Golden is a good guy who is working hard, but it can't be done. They need to follow the example of Villanova and drop down.
• The NFL Division Winners will be: Eagles, Bears, Falcons, and Seahawks in the NFC. In the AFC it will be: Patriots, Ravens, Colts, and Chargers. The Wild card teams will be the Panthers and Giants in the NFC and the Steelers and Bengals in the AFC. LaDainian Tomlinson will be the MVP after rushing for over 1,600 yards.
• The World Series will be the Yankees over the Dodgers in 5 games. Bobby Abreu will win the Series MVP after batting .400 with 1 home run, 3 doubles and an OBP of .480 and a game-saving play in right field. Mariano Rivera will get the save in 3 games once again getting recognition as the best postseason closer of all time.

And that is all for now. Next week we will investigate the remainder of Penn State's football season, the Flyers upcoming season, the NFL Playoffs, and more. Hopefully this was a little entertainment for rainy day.

It was announced that Keith Primeau is expected to retire later this week following the concussion he suffered last year. He has had trouble recovering and reports are that the 34 year old will retire. During his 5 1/2 years in Philly, Primeau registered 87 goals and 126 assists and has been the team captain since 2001. The heir apparent as team captain appears to be Peter Forsberg. The Flyers have also signed Ryan Kesler to an offer sheet.

Primeau has been a big part of the club since he came in the trade for Rod Brind'Amour. Many people critized the initial trade, but I was on board from the beginning. Primeau provided a great two way player with terrific leadership skills. He also had no off ice baggage unlike a previous captain (Eric Lindros). He will be greatly missed as he was an excellent example of what a professional athlete should be. It was known during the off-season that Primeau might not be able to return, but I continued holding out hope that he could make a return to the ice. Primeau has been one of my favorite Flyer so hopefully he will return to the Flyers' organization in some capacity.

Phillies Note:With tonight's cancellation it appears the Phillies will have to play another doubleheader. These games are not helping the Phils in their playoff chase as it is difficult to win both games.

The Flyers have finally signed Simon Gagne. Gagne signed a 26.25 million dollar deal over five years. Bob Clarke flew to Gagne's home in Montreal to meet with him personally to finish the deal. They agreed to a contract just four days before training camp opens. Gagne had an excellent season last year playing alongside Peter Forsberg. To reach the goal, the Stanley Cup championship, the Flyers will need Gagne and Forsberg to play at a high level all year long. I am far from Bobby Clarke's favorite fan, but kudos to getting this deal done fairly and in time for Gagne to make it to camp on time.

The Flyers have also unveiled their new marketing slogan for the year. "It Means More Here. Our City. Our Team." Not a bad slogan and it sure beat the Phillies "Red Means Go."

Well, I don't have much to say today. After a good start to the weekend series against the Marlins, the Phillies came up small in the last two games. Brett Myers needed to turn in an "ace" like start and that didn't happen. I don't want to go off on a soapbox so I will quit writing about this last weekend and look towards the Atlanta Braves series.

For the past week:
Tip of the Cap- Ryan Howard for hitting 7 home runs this past week and single handedly keeping the Phillies in the wild card race. He is staring down Roger Maris and if he gets to 62, he will be the home run champ to me.

Wag of the Finger- Pat Burrell because I can't take it anymore. I did a post a month ago about Burrell being alright if he hit lower in the lineup with less pressure and while this may still be true; I just can't watch him anymore. It's awful.

Last, I found a great article today over at ESPN about Jamie Moyer mentoring Cole Hamels. Hopefully Hamels is a sponge around Moyer because Moyer has two decades of experiences and knowledge to share with Hamels. Check it out at http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=2582666&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1

• Today pitching match-up in the Phillies-Marlins game has all the makings of a pitcher's duel. Cole Hamels goes for the Phils while the Marlins counter with Dontrelle Willis. A can't miss game, but I will be at baseball practice. Hamels has been terrific lately and lets hope he keeps it up so the Phils can finish with 3 out of 4 in this series.
• I found a great article about the depth of pitching in the Phillies farm system. Check it out at http://phillies.scout.com/2/566097.html
• I story that hasn't gotten as much publicity as it deserves is Sir Charles getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Barkley played eight great year in Philly before he was dealt to the Phoenix Suns. This story deserves much more publicity than it has gotten. It is unfortunate.
• The Sixers signed two players to increase their depth in the frontcourt. C/F Alan Henderson, an 11 year vet, has averaged 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds during his 614 game career. Billy King also announced that he signed rookie free agent, Ivan McFarlin. McFarlin played for the Sixers summer league team and averaged 9.2 points and 9.7 rebounds in six games. I would be greatly surprised if either of these players had a big impact on the upcoming season. Neither is an impact player and neither will help them make the playoffs.
• Villanova has released its upcoming basketball schedule. They open on Nov 11 at Northwood (Florida) who is coached by Rollie Massimino. The mentor versus the student. The Wildcats travel to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam from Nov 17-20. On January 3rd, Villanova travels to West Virginia to open the Big East conferance schedule. They finish their regular season against Syracuse on March 3 with the Big East tournament running from March 7-10. The Wildcats also make six national TV appearances. It should be another successful season for Villanova despite the losses of Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, and Allan Ray. The Wildcats do return Curtis Sumpter, who was their best player two years ago.
• Peter Forsberg has started skating on his repaired right ankle. On the Flyers website, Forsberg says he is hoping to be ready for the opening game on October 5 and so is every Flyers fan because without him it could be a long season.
• Simon Gagne is still not under contract and training camp begins on September 15th. Bob Clarke has reportedly offered a contract in the range of 4 years and about 5 million per year. The Flyers need to get Gagne into camp on time because along with Forsberg, they are the key to the Flyers offense. Their defense is another story and has its own problems.

The Phillies have played well this season but their remains holes in this team. This team needs a third basemen, corner outfielder, starting pitching, and bullpen help, but most important the Phils need a right handed bat. I have heard some names tossed around such as maybe Benji Molina, Johhny Estrada, among others, but I believe I have discovered someone who would take this offense to the next level. While watching the NY Mets face the LA Dodgers last night the announcers mentioned that Nomar Garciaparra is signed to a one year contract. He came relatively cheap last off-season to the Dodgers and will be more expensive this year. He may want to remain out on the west coast which would inhibit the Phils, but Nomar has played in the pressure cooker that is known as Boston and thrived. He understands the pressure to perform and win. This year Nomar is putting up numbers like he did in Boston. He is hitting .309 with 16 HR and 76 RBIs. He has only 24 strikeouts. He has had a few injuries this year, but has been healthy most of year as evidenced by his 404 ABs. Of course, he has played first base for the Dodgers, but he could easily switch back to third next year and replace Nunez. Imagine a lineup with Nomar hitting behind Howard and Utley. The next question is of course, how much would he cost? I would think he could be had for 3 years and between 7-9 million per year. I may be wrong on those numbers though depending which teams get involved in the bidding. Now some fans may say they should invest in pitching. I tend to agree with Pat Gillick that good pitching needs to be developed from within and not bought through free agency. For 3 years/7-9 million, the Phillies would be able to sign a pitcher of Ted Lilly stature, an average pitcher who would be the Phillies number 4 or 5. I think that Nomar would have a bigger impact than Lilly. Also if the Phillies can re-sign Randy Wolf they are not really in the market for a starting pitcher and unless you plan on throwing big money at Barry Zito, you should avoid free agent pitchers. The Phillies have saved a lot of money on payroll with the trades of Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, and hopefully this off-season Pat Burrell. C'mon Nomar come to Philly.

One note: Hopefully tomorrow I can update whats happening in the other Philly sports.

Alright, first I apologize for using the Sixers new marketing slogan for their 06-07 season, but I think it applies to the Phillies. This team has people excited and talking. Ryan Howard has the entire nation talking about him and this is great publicity for the Phillies as opposed to the Brett Myers' incident earlier this year. Down here in South Carolina without any other Phils fan it is hard to talk about the Phillies, but everyone talks about Howard. Tonight, I walked into a party and mentioned that Howard had dropped two more bombs tonight and everyone had already seen and heard. That is impressive to have college students talking about you at a party on a Friday night. Then, I sat down to watch SportsCenter, and the first five minutes were devoted to Ryan Howard and the Phillies-Marlins game. It was the lead story over the Ohio State-Texas game, and the Twins-Tigers game. Simply impressive. I hate to write this but if Ryan Howard played in New York he would be a runaway MVP winner. He is far and away the most deserving candidate with an average around .310 and will finish probably with around 62 homers and over 150 RBIs.

Chase Utley has been struggling recently but turned in a game winning home run the other night and a big home run against the Marlins on Thursday night. Utley is still the heart and soul of this team and they are following his lead. Hustling every ball out and always giving 110%. Shane Victorino has been a catalyst at the top of the lineup along with Jimmy Rollins. I think the Phillies are on to something at the top of their lineup. Victorino has earned a starting spot for next year possibly in right field. Got to love his speed, arm, and hustle. Rollins has also turned it up a notch in the lead off spot for the Phils. He has also become a leader on this team with a great work ethic and terrific attitude.

Pitching wise, everyone has to love Cole Hamels. Hamels has been dazzling recently and when (not if) the Phils make the playoffs he will be the game one starter. Lieber and Myers have been decent and by that I mean they have done their job and given their team a chance to win. Jamie Moyer has been a great addition proving that again tonight as he went 8 innings giving up only one run. The bullpen has been terrible recently, but the bright spot is that Flash Gordon is back as the closer. Matt Smith has been lights out since he was called up from Triple A and Fabio Castro has done and excellent job this year when given the chance.

This is controversial but don't stop reading. I read a lot over at We Should be GM's and it is very critical of Charlie Manuel (yes you Carson). I agree his in game decisions aren't the best and he may have cost the Phillies a couple games this year but lets look beyond that. The players love him and you can't deny that he is great hitting coach. He has definetly helped Howard and Utley develop into all-stars. Yes, I like Charlie Manuel as the manager, but don't get me wrong I do believe there are better managers. Manuel has done a great job of keeping this team together through all their tough times this year.

This is all to say that never have I ever been more excited to be a Phillies fan. If you call yourself a Phillies fan and can't get excited right now, you better buy yourself a copy of the 1980 World Series run because this is exciting and entertaining right now. I may only be 20 but this is a great year. I had a feeling going into Spring Training that this would be the year and I am still holding on to that hope. Yes, I was excited when Larry Bowa was hired, when Jim Thome signed, and when Ed Wade was fired, but this season takes the cake. Chase Utley hit in 35 consecutive game, Cole Hamels made his major league debut, and Ryan Howard has put up a season for the ages. Its a Philly Kind of Thing so Enjoy the Last 4 Weeks of the Season as the Phillies Make a Run at the Playoffs.

One note: I know many of the readers are Phillies fans, but tomorrow I am going to post about the goings ons of the Sixers, Flyers, and Villanova basketball. I am a Philly sports fan in general (the Phillies are my favorite) so I want to make this blog about more than the Phillies. Also I am planning a post about the one free agent the Phils should sign that I believe has flown under the radar and I haven't heard mentioned yet. Last don't forget that Penn State faces Notre Dame tomorrow at 3:30. Unfortunetly, I will be at baseball practice, but lets go Nittany Lions. We are... Penn State.

Well its been six days since I last posted. We have started our fall baseball season and with classes starting, I have been kept busy. The Phillies have not made any progress in the wild card race on the field but have acquired Randall Simon and are closer to getting Tom Gordon back. After Thursday night and Saturday's afternoon game, I can't wait to get Gordon at the back end of the bullpen. Arthur Rhodes blew two big games for the Phillies that could have had them in first place in the wild card standings. The top of the lineup continues to provide much of the offense. A big problem that has developed is David Delluci's slump. Delluci who started out on fire with the Phillies after the trading deadline has cooled considerably. Delluci is still a plus player with good power and will be crucial for the Phillies down the stretch. Also in the first game Saturday, Chase Utley had a big day and tried to carry the Phils to victory single-handedly. He hit two big home runs and seems to be coming out of his recent slump. The entire offense contributed the the beat down of the Braves in the second game. Mike Lieberthal hit his 7th home run of the season. Lieby has shown a recent power surge and has provided a great catching platoon with Chris Coste. Also notably, Fabio Castro threw two scoreless innings striking out three. This lowered his ERA to 0.44.

Tomorrow brings another double-header for the Phillies that needs to be a sweep. Jamie Moyer is scheduled to make his home debut tomorrow. Hopefully the Phillies can get a winning streak started and make their move in the wild card. I believe they have the most talent of any contender. Pat Gillick has made a couple moves to solidify a weak bench. Jeff Conine obviously is the biggest catch as he will provide solid veteren leadership and timely hits.

For the past week:
Tip of the Cap: Ryan Howard for setting a new Phillies single-season record of 49 home runs and counting. Howard had a huge week and lead the Phillies to a couple wins. Howard is far and away the most deserving MVP candidate and it would be a travesty if Carlos Beltran or anyone else would win. A close second is Pat Gillick for making necessary moves to strengthen the bench.

Wag of the Finger- Arthur Rhodes for pulling two Billy Wagners this past week. Luckily, Tom Gordon is almost ready to return, but these two blown saves are critical and could cost the Phillies October baseball. Hopefully the Phillies can overcome and make the playoffs.

Last, football started today with Penn St winning. Pro football starts in another week, but I'm just not as pumped for the season as usual and that is because of the Phils. I don't think I've been this excited in September for the Phillies ever. Usually once the calendar turns to September, I turn to focusing more on football, but not this year. This year is different because teh Phillies are making the playoffs and football will have to wait until late October before it gets my attention.