phrustrated philly phan

I have been very busy recently so I haven't been able to post but today is opening day, one of the best days of the year. So here is a little something for opening day
Opening day is unique to baseball. Other sports have openers, but baseball's opening day marks the ceremonial first day of spring. It may be only 1/162nd of the season, but players and fans alike admit there's something special about the first game of the schedule. Every team starts the season with a clean slate and you never know what you might see on Opening Day. It may be the beginning of a fairy tale season for your favorite team, the debut of a future Hall of Famer, the unveiling of a new ballpark, or a spectacular performance like a no-hitter.

Lets Go Phillies

Labels: Phillies

Check out this article by Jim Salisbury in this morning's Inquirer. It is amazing what the Phillies transport from Philadelphia to Clearwater in preparation for Spring Training.

Labels: Phillies

• Villanova beat St. Joes to win their second consecutive Big 5 championship along with their eleventh straight Big 5 win. Not a pretty game.
• Both the Flyers and Sixers are in action tonight
• It is good to hear that Brett Myers is down to 218 pounds and says he will stay committed to staying shape during the season

Labels: Big Five, Phillies

So Brett Myers has a new 3 year deal under his belt in a move that seemed to come out of left field. I really thought that the Phillies would go to arbitration with Myers before settling. There were no hints or rumors of this deal before it was done. The deal is very back heavy. He will make roughly 6 million this year, 9 million next and 12 million in the final year.

Myers has a career 54-40 record. He had a very up and down year and I don't think there is any need to go over that here. In the past four years, Myers has ranked in the NL's top 10 in numerous categories. These include starts, strikeouts, wins, and innings. He is often labeled with "ace-in-waiting" or the "next Schilling." I believe he continues to development every year and with some guidance from Freddy Garcia could take that next step. He will pair with Garcia and Cole Hamels to form a fearsome top 3 to the Phillies rotation. The Phillies are hoping to ride their arms to their first playoff appearance since 1993.

Probably the biggest complaint against Myers is his conditioning. It seems to be a legitimate complaint. As the season wears on he looks to put on more and more weight. His dead arm period last season was partly blamed on his conditioning. He was throwing to much with his arm and because his lack of conditioning was prohibiting his legs from helping him.

The strength of the Phillies will be the starting rotation. With a threesome of Myers, Hamels, and Garcia and the four and five spots occupied by Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton, they look ready to carry the Phillies throughout this season. The rotation has been significantly upgraded since the beginning of last season but the development of Brett Myers is being counted on.

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The Phillies announced that they have signed Brett Myers to a 3 year deal worth roughly 25 million dollars. More on that tomorrow. This leaves only Geoff Geary heading towards arbitration.

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• The Sixers recovered from a terrible effort against the Houston Rockets on Monday night to halt the New Orleans Hornets six game winning streak. The power rotation of Samuel Dalembert, Steven Hunter, and Joe Smith combined for 33 points and 37 rebounds. Also Andre Iguodala scored 22 points. Call me an optimist but the Sixers seem to have some players to build around and with playing in the Eastern Conferance, I could see a quick turnaround.
• The Flyers actually won a game this week although not a home game. They still haven't won a home game since November.
• Paul Holmgren confirmed the Flyers will be sellers at the trading deadline (surprise). That could spell the end for a players such as Peter Forsberg and Robert Eshe.
• Reports abound that the Phillies are trying to deal Aaron Rowand for the Padres Scott Linebrink. Linebrink is one of the best set-up pitchers in the league. I believe if this deal is made the Phillies will need to trade Jon Lieber for an outfielder such as Kevin Mench or Ryan Church. That said, I would like to see this trade be made as it would stabilize the bullpen.
• The Phillies brass is still evaulating the players as Spring Training approaches along with continuing to determine the best way to pair and use their announcers. No announcer has been hired to do the pre-game and post-game. They are also unsure how they plan on using "Sarge." Sping Training will not only be an audition for some players but also for the announcers.
• Check out Sam Donnellon's article about how Philly pushes away its top players.
• Villanova product, Randy Foye, has been selected to the NBA's all-rookie team for the All-star break. Congrats to Randy.

Labels: Flyers, Phillies, Sixers

Matt Smith came over from the New York Yankees in the trade for Bobby Abreu. He is a left-handed relief pitcher who split time between Triple A and the major leagues last season. He put up very good numbers both places and worked in some critical games for the Phillies down the stretch. He finished 8 2/3 innings pitched in 14 appearances finishing with a 2.08 ERA. He had 12 strikeouts to four walks. He could improve his control as he worked too many deep counts and four walks in 8 innings is too many.

I was very impressed by what I saw from Matt Smith down the stretch. Smith throws hard and has a good slider. I believe he will be a late bloomer (28 years old) ala B.J. Ryan and although not many people may agree with me, I say he is a future closer. He is a big tall guy with intimidating stuff. He stands 6'5" weighing 225.

Matt Smith will be a big contributor for the Phillies and he has my vote to set-up Flash Gordon and succeed him if needed. Smith seems to have put it all together last year and I think he will be the best player from the Abreu trade.

Labels: Phillies

On Saturday, Chase Utley got married then Sunday he signed a deal worth 85 million dollar deal. The deal will last seven years buying out all of his arbitration years plus four years of free agency. The deal will end when Utley turns 33 and probably past his prime. A great deal for both sides. The Phillies sign a cornerstone of their franchise and Utley gets compensated for his tremendous talent. Coming off his first full year, Utley was facing arbitration in a year in which he hit .309 with 32 HRs and 102 RBIs. Utley has quickly become the best second basemen in baseball and will now be compensated that way.

Utley quickly became a fan favorite in Philly with his gritty attitude. He has the famed Utley's Uglies and Chase's Chicks fan groups. Utley has a tremendous work ethic and a love for the game. Last year, Chase prepared early to play in the World Baseball Classic then played straight through to October with minimal rests. He played in 160 games this year.

Some players sign big contracts then quit working but I think Utley will go the other way. I think the big contract will lead Utley to work harder and produce better. Utley has improved his defense every year and I expect even better defense this year. I am predicting that Utley will hit above .310 hit around 30 home runs but will improve his RBI production. I could see him getting around 115-120 RBIs if he hits out of the 3-hole all year.

Both the Phillies and Utley's agent had nothing but good things to say about today's contract. Gillick had this to say: "Chase is a pretty special player." With Utley on his honeymoon his agent, Arn Tellem, spoke for him, "When the Phillies came to us with a multiyear deal of this length and magnitude, it made it very easy for Chase to accept, given that he loves Philadelphia, wanted to stay in Philadelphia and is hoping to retire in Philadelphia."

This is a great day for the Phillies and Utley. It shows the Phillies commitment to winning with the current group of players with Utley being a leader (a big change from when Scott Rolen was up for a new deal). For Utley, it cements his place as one of the best players in baseball. Utley has taken the city by storm and it is great that he will spend his next seven seasons giving 110% for the Phillies. Utley is a great guy to lead this franchise back to the promised land.

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• Kevin Durant lead his #21 ranked Texas Longhorns into Philly yesterday and lost to a Villanova team that is coming together. This is the second ranked team the Wildcats have defeated in the past week. Villanova sensation freshman, Scott Reynolds, outplayed Kevin Durant. Reynolds outscored Durant, 26-12 and even helped defend Durant even though he gave up six inches. Sophomore Dante Cunningham also helped shut down Durant. If Durant is a future Sixer, he got off to a rough start in the Wachovia Center.
• The Flyers gave one of their best complete efforts of the year but could not upend the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers never trailed all game, but gave up the lead with just 20 seconds remaining the third period and then lost in a shoot-out. Antero Nittymaki played well in goal and Simon Gagne reconnected with Peter Forsberg to score an early goals. The other goals were scored by Kyle Calder and Ryan Potulny.
• In today's Inquirer Steven A. Smith takes Ed Snider to the woodshed.
• And hot off the presses: The Phillies sign Chase Utley to a seven year/85 million dollar extension as reported by ESPN.com. I will have more on this later.

Labels: Big Five, Flyers, Phillies

With Spring Training less than a month away, it is a good time to begin taking a player-by-player look at the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies. Today we will start with Shane Victorino. The Flyin' Hawiian will be the opening day starter in rightfield. He finished last season playing centerfield for the injured Aaron Rowand, and proved he deserves the chance to be an everyday starter. He played with flare and hustle and endeared himself to the fans with these characteristics. Many times he gave up his body going for the ball.

Victorino will not be counted only on for defense though. Last season, he hit out of the 2-hole and will probably hit there or leadoff this season. He finished last season with a solid .287 average. The biggest complaint with Victorino is his free swinging. He finished with 54 strikeouts in 415 at bats. This isn't bad but he probably got himself out too many times by chasing pitches. This season Victorino will be counted on to be a solid bat at the top of the lineup as well as taking away hits with his defense. Victorino will need to at least duplicate his .287 average as well as becoming more disciplined at the plate.

Baserunning is where Victorino can make the greatest improvement this season. Everyone agrees that Victorino can fly but that only led to four stolen bases last season. First base coach, Davey Lopez, was brought in partly to help teach Victorino the art of the stolen base. This could add a whole new dimension to a potent Phillies offense. Victorino said his goal is 30 to 40 stolen bases and if Rollins can get the same amount it will increase the RBI oppurtunities for Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

In a little over a year, Victorino has gone from little used bench player to key cog in a playoff contender. Hard work has been the biggest contributor to this success. Victorino has more hard work to do this spring to increase his steals total but I believe with Lopez help, Victorino can reach 30-40 steals. The Phillies are greatly counting on Victorino's defense, arm, legs, and hitting ability to make the playoffs. He produced well last season and now we will see if he can take his game to the next level.

Labels: Phillies

So I have been focusing more on the two winter sports teams in Philly lately. Both are struggling along and playing the string out. So with Spring Training less than a month away, it is now time to turn my attention to my first love, the Philadelphia Phillies. Everyone knows the big moves, Wes Helms and Freddy Garcia, but now I want to evaulate the mirad of minor moves that Pat Gillick has made over the past month.

Gillick brought in both Rod Barajas and Jayson Werth, who are both basically guarenteed spots on the opening day roster. Barajas could form a solid catching platoon with Carlos Ruiz. Barajas will probably not improve over his career numbers of .240 batting average and .282 on-base percentage. Ruiz has a higher ceiling but pairing those two behind the plate would be adequate. I believe the catching position is going the way of the running back in football. In football more and more teams are using two backs equally instead of one back. The catching position is following the same path. Unless, a team has a great catcher, teams are beginning to split time more evenly between catchers. Chris Coste will compete with both Barajas and Ruiz for playing time.

Jayson Werth is signed to play all three outfield positions and an optimistic outlook has him replacing either Pat Burrell or Aaron Rowand in the starting line-up. Werth has been plagued by injuries and missed all of last year with a wrist injury. Werth's health will play a big part of whether he will be productive for the Phillies this year. If nothing else, Werth will provide depth off the bench.

The bullpen has been a problem spot last year and little has been done to improve it. Gillick is hoping on health for Tom Gordon, development by Matt Smith, consistency from Geoff Geary, and a return to his rookie form from Ryan Madson. He is also hoping to catch lightning in a bottle from some minor signings. Rule 5 picks Alfredo Simon and Jim Ed Warden would have to have impressive springs to gain a roster spot. The Phillies than picked Anderson Garcia off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. He will likely start the season at Triple A, Ottawa. Gillick's latest signing is Dominican pitcher, Antonion Alfonseca (who I met over Thanksgiving when my baseball team traveled to the Domican to play). Alfonseca has been injured and ineffective recently although by all accounts he is performing well in winter ball. Alfonseca would be a wild card if he could put together a productive season for the Phils. That, I believe, is highly unlikely.

The most recent rumor has the Phillies interested in free agent pitcher, Brian Lawrence. Lawrence was injured last year and has been a starter his entire career. Lawrence best year was 2004 when he went 15-14 with a 4.12 ERA. The Phillies could be trying to sign him as an insurance starter or with the notion of moving him to the bullpen.

Aaron Rowand avoided arbitration by signing a one year deal for 4+ million dollars. Right now, he is penciled in as the starting centerfielder. Chase Utley and Brett Myers who are also both up for arbitration have been slower to sign extensions. I have heard rumors of a four year offer to Utley but I'm not sure about how truthful that is. Either way, I would like to see Utley get locked into a long-term contract. Brett Myers on the other hand is an interesting story. The Phillies rejected the Blue Jays offer of Alex Rios. Myers has also been reportedly unhappy with the Phillies one-year offer. I feel that it would be downright foolish to trade Brett Myers for anybody. This team needs pitching not hitting. Myers is developing into a top of the rotation starter (although slower than hoped). He could form a great 1-2 punch with Cole Hamels down the road. Hopefully, the Phillies and Myers can agree on a deal before arbitration becomes nasty. He will be very valuable to the Phillies this season.

Most recently the Phillies signed Greg Dobbs off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. In 27 AB's last year with the Mariners, Dobbs hit .370 with 3 doubles and one triple. He will be an upgrade over Danny Sandoval and could be very important spelling Chase Utley. That would allow Utley to stay fresh for the entire season.

For the Phillies to achieve their goal of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1993, they will need contributions from some of the players here. Barajas, Werth, and Alfonseca are probably the three most important but contributions from the likes of Greg Dobbs and some other young bullpens pitchers wouldn't hurt. It is almost baseball season. I can smell it in the air.

Labels: Phillies

• Finally, the Sixers officially announced the return of Larry Brown as executive vice president. A nice fancy title for Brown but as we all know a title doesn't stop Brown for overstepping his boundaries. Refer to my December 22 post (filed under Sixers) for my opinion of Brown returning. No matter what Mo Cheeks says, know that his seating has begun heating up immensely. It is only a matter of time until Brown has the itch to coach again.
• The Sixers lost again Friday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Randy Foye. Foye really began to come into his own in December even winning the Rookie of the Month. Last night he scored 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists. He played 30 minutes coming off the bench. On the year, Foye is averaging 8.5 points per game in only 18 minutes.
• The Sixers released La Salle product Steve Smith. This move reduced their roster size to only 14. The Sixers also avoided having to pay Smith his entire contract. I was sad to see him go because I was hoping Smith could make it with the hometown Sixers.
• The rumors are swirling regarding a buyout of Chris Webber's contract. Webber is making 20 million this year and 22 next year. I would love to see him go. He has missed 9 out of the past 12 games and is three years past being a productive player. He only slows down this offense and provides very little defense.
• If nothing else, Pat Gillick is adding quantity to the bullpen. The Phillies added Anderson Garcia from the Orioles' organization. He was added to the 40-man roster but is a long shot to make the team out of Spring Training. He will likely begin the year in Ottawa.
• To add to my December 27 post about Ed Snider (posted under Flyers), the Columbus Blue Jackets are an impressive 11-8-2 since Ken Hitchcock took over after being well below .500 before.

Labels: Big Five, Phillies, Sixers

So now the rumor is Larry Brown will return to the 76ers but only as an adviser and not as coach or GM. Brown moved back to Philly after leaving the New York Knicks last summer. The 66 year old has been around the Sixers occasionally this year dropping in on a few practices and attending a few games. Further, he is very close with Billy King and is also friendly with Ed Snider. Mo Cheeks worked under him when Brown was the Sixers head coach.

I had a long discussion last night with a friend about whether or not I really want Larry Brown back formally in the organization. King has been consulting with him since the beginning of the year but Brown was not on payroll. Brown knows one way and that is his way. He likes playing veterans and doesn't like developing young players. And developing young players is what the Sixers now need to do. Second, Brown did not draft particulary well with the Sixers. Since he has left, King has done better with picks Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney.

Brown left on bad terms with many Sixers' fans. He jetted straight for Detroit and a championship. For me, the bad taste has started to go away with time but I'm not sure if I am ready for Brown to have an official job in the organization. You know what you get with Larry. He can be overbearing, offering trades to other GM and handing out critisism through the media. Yes, he has a great track record of winning but he also has a track record overstepping his bounds and leaving on a whim. He can also be impatient. That is not what the Sixers need right now.

The Sixers, as an organization, need patience and cooperation as they embark on this rebuilding plan. Those are not characteristics that are often used to describe Larry Brown. Brown is a great mind and Billy King drawing on that is a great idea, but I'm not on board with hiring Brown.

A Phillies Note- Pat Gillick traded Jeff Conine to the Cincinnati Reds for two minor leaguers. Conine was on track to serve as the fourth outfielder and get a good amount of at-bats before Gillick decided to ship him out of town. Oh yeah, the Phillies signed Jayson Werth, him of a .260 batting average. Someone who doesn't have near the track record of Jeff Conine. Let me say it now: The Phillies will regret this decision at some point this season. Werth is not a good player and this will be a regrettable trade. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I will be.

Labels: Phillies, Sixers

• The Flyers announced today that they traded Randy Robitaille and a 5th round draft pick to the New York Islanders for young forward, Mike York. He is only 28 and has 13 points in 32 games this season. He creates versatility on the front line. I can't see this move as being a big upgrade for the Flyers and the only thing I can think of is that Paul Holmgren is trying to make the team younger.
• Reportedly, Petr Nedved wants a trade preferably back to the New York Rangers or released so he can return to Europe. I see no reason that request can't be resolved in a week or two. Nedved clearly is not helping the Flyers so they should part ways instead of forcing Nedved to play for the Philadelphia Phantoms.
• The Phillies announced they have signed Rod Barajas to split time with Carlos Ruiz behind the plate. This move was rumored to be in the works yesterday. It is only a one year deal with a second year option. Barajas was deciding between the Phils and the Colorado Rockies. This move could force out Chris Coste though. Coste became a fan favorite last year but may serve as more of a utility player this year for the club. Barajas is a solid receiver which should help the pitching staff but not much of an offensive force.
• Andre Miller and Joe Smith will likely not be in tonight's lineup for the Sixers. They will likely make their debut over the weekend on either Friday or Saturday night.
• Coming up: Now that the AI era has ended here in Philly, what is next for the Sixers and where does AI rank among the all-time great Sixers.

Labels: Flyers, Phillies