I Love Them, But I'm Not IN Love With Them

Normally, I break up with the Phillies about 5 times a season. Today, I decided that we are going on a break. Here's the message I've left with them:

Dear Phillies,

I think we need to see other people. They totally annoy me. All of their little idiosyncrasies are totally pissing me off. I just need some Tony time. Maybe we can be friends during this break, but it will probably be best if we go some time without seeing each other and then trying a fresh start in about two weeks.

Seriously, I can no longer take their failure to support the staff ace. I hate their dependence on the home rum. I really can't stand their inability to beat the Mets and Marlins this year.

Ok, I've said enough. It's time to hit the stripper bar and find PSP a new girl friend.

Love,
PSP

The Top Five List

With the Brett Favre/Green Bay Packers divorce dominating the national sports landscape, I figured this week's Top 5 list should detail the most memorable Philly Sports Breakups. Lord knows we've suffered through our share:

5. Scott Rolen & Phils - I can't put my finger on why this break up annoyed me so much, but it did. Maybe it was how much he bad mouthed the city and the franchise on the way out of town. I also really disliked how he made a spectacle of himself when he interrupted Harry Kalas Day after his trade to the Cardinals by coming out and shaking his hand. Although, his bitching about the Phils lack of commitment was 100% true. I just don't like the way he went about things. Plus, on the bright side, the exit of Scott Rolen somehow triggered the upswing of the Phils over the past 6 years or so as management used his money to spend on Jim Thome, etc.

4. Reggie White & Norman Braman - This was another sad day for Philly phans. God may have told Reggie to go to Green Bay, but it was Norman Braman that pushed him out the door. That prick broke up the best defense in franchise history because he was such a cheap ass. The more I think about this one, the more I get pissed off. If Reggie stays in Philly, Seth, Clyde, and EA all stay in Philly also. What could have been.

3. Charles Barkley & Harold Katz - The Chuck Wagon was my all time favorite Sixer and I immediately became a Suns fan the day he was traded. Everything the Round Mound of Rebound said about Harold Katz was right. The guy was a complete fraud of an owner that couldn't manage a taco stand let alone an NBA franchise. As such, you really can't fault Charles for talking his way out of town. Plus, he likes the area so much, he has stuck around over the years and never sold his house on the Main Line.



2. Eric Lindros & Clarkie - When the GM and owner are routinely bad mouthing a player's parents in the press, you know things are bad....really bad. Although he remained Flyers property for a year after getting destroyed by Scott Stevens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, his career in Orange and Black ended more suddenly and completely than any prominent Philly athlete that I can remember (except for maybe The Wild Thing.) The Big E should have retired a Flyer and had many more All Star caliber seasons, but there was no way Lindros and Clarkie would ever be able to work together again. Unfortunately, Lindros was never the same after leaving the Flyers as he bounced around the NHL like a journeyman over the last 5 years of his career. If you had a Pat Croce type in the front office, I really think this marriage could have been salvaged. That and the Big E would have had to grown a set and got his parents out of his every day decision making.

1. T.O. & D Mac & Joe Banner & Andy Reid - This one took the cake. I can't think of an uglier break up than this one. T.O. was like the hot, crazy chick from South Philly or the Great Northeast that you meet in a bar during an all night drinking session, bang a bunch of times and then things go bad really fast, culminating with her keying your car and putting a cinder block through your windshield. While T.O. shit all over anything and everything in order to get out of town and single handedly destroyed the 2005 season, the 2004 season was really freakin' fun mostly because of him.

If you want to compare what city has suffered through the worst break ups, I'll put our top 2 divorces against anything any other city has seen. There was more bad blood in the T.O. and Big E fiascoes, then you see in your ordinary mafia war.

Christ, you know we've been through a lot when the Curt Schilling and Allen Iverson divorces couldn't even make the list.

Finally, The Truth Can Be Told

I don't want to open a can of worms over whether depression is a legitimate illness, but I'm glad to finally find out what was bothering Shawn Andrews. I hope he gets the help he needs so he can come back to the Birds and be a productive member of the team.

In case you missed it, here is an article detailing Andrews' issues.

By the way, I really doubt the daily fines the Birds have levied against him will hold up against an aggressive legal battle. If a doctor legitimately diagnosed him with depression and put him on meds, I really expect the Players Association to get behind him and fight the fine. I will be shocked if the Birds don't rescind the fines in order to escape a potential messy situation that could bring on a messy P.R. battle.

Good News From Lehigh

As I guess you guys can tell, I'm completely bored by Eagles camp. I can't even force myself to read anything further about the contract squabbles, hamstring pulls, or how hard Big Red's camp is. I also might vomit if I have to read another puff piece about how great a shape Darren Howard is in or how LJ Smith believes he's ready to become a premiere Tight End in the NFL. The Shawn Andrews mysterious hold out is mildly intesting, but only because the full reason as to why he's not in camp has not been revealed.

In any event, I was mildly happy when I came across Dave Spadaro's article naming D Mac as the best player in camp. Dave had the following propaganda to spin about D Mac:

Nobody even thinks about the shoulder tendinitis, or the injuries in the past, or the drama that has followed Donovan McNabb for most of his career. When you see McNabb in this camp, you see a player who is at the top of his game, razor-sharp and clearly enjoying himself. McNabb has been outstanding on and off the field and in every way. McNabb has thrown the ball brilliantly throughout the camp. His mobility seems like it is all the way back and, well, he looks like the Donovan McNabb who is one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Make no mistake, McNabb is the key player in this whole picture. And he has clearly taken care of himself in the off-season and is providing a great, great and super-encouraging showing at camp.

I normally take Spadaro's comments with a grain of salt, but then I came across G Cobb's blog and he had something similar to say:

Donovan McNabb again thinks he's the guy who knows he's holding the cards.
You know the guy who sits at the table trying to keep the smile from creeping out. He knows this is his hand after he looks over his cards.

McNabb feels that way again but that doesn't mean his feelings are totally true. I must admit he looks good at training camp and the offense looks better than I thought.

This is actually pretty good news. A healthy #5 is imperative for a success season. Let's hope we start to see a healthy and improved D Mac when the preseason starts.

I Love Brad Lidge!

What more can I say? The guy is a complete stud. We have not had a closer this reliable in my life time. I'm sitting here watching the 9th inning thinking we're totally effed and hoping to just get to extra innings as the best case scenario. Next thing you know, Lidge fans the last two batters and ho-hum, the game's over. The guy is amazing.

A couple of other notes:

-Ryan Howard is a total butcher in the field. If you needed anymore evidence, you got it in the 8th inning.

-Was anyone else deathly afraid when Ryan Madson came in to face Albert Pujols?

-With all the action at the end of the game, it's easy to forget that Brett Myers turned in his second straight decent start.

-I think we can officially add Ryan Ludwick to the Phillie Killer All Stars along with Hanley Ramirez and Brian McCann. (Anyone have any other candidates?)

-I still hate how much this team has to rely upon home runs to win games.

-This series was huge. With the Mets and Marlins stumbling a bit this weekend, the Phils opened up a little bit of lead going into this week's series against the Marlins.

"Stand Pat" Stood Pat On His Last Deadline Day

Pat Gillick's nickname during his tenure in Toronto and Seattle was "Stand Pat" for decision to rarely seek to make a trade on deadline day. He is in his final year of his contract with the Phils and it appears to be his last trade deadline day. He stayed true to his nick name and failed to provide his team with needed ammunition for the stretch run.

While we didn't make a deal today, the day was not a complete loss. At least Manny didn't end up in Florida or with the Mets. Plus, the Mets nor the Fish added anyone of consequence for the rest of the year.

Sure, post deadline deals can be made, but it is rare that a useful piece moves from one team to another. It sure seems that the team that was on the field tonight is what we have for the rest of 2008. The extra bat or left handed reliever is not walking through the locker room door. The Phils are going to have to make due with what they got.

Buckle up guys, it is going to be an adventurous ride.

In Case You Are In Need Of A Good Laugh

Some of you might have heard this famous David Lee Roth phony phone call that was played on the Howard Stern Show, but I just came across another Diamond Dave phony phone call on Comedian Billy Mira's website and I can't stop laughing. Enjoy.

This might be the best impression I've ever heard in my life.

Well, That Didn't Take Long

After a week stay in 2nd place, the Phils climbed back atop the National League East with a 8 to 5 win over the Nats. This Phils have won 4 straight and the suddenly resurgent offense has been a big part. The pitching efforts of Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer have been pretty helpful the last two nights, but it sure has been nice to see the offense get back on track.

Now that the Phils have scored over 8 runs in three of the last four games, can we now say the bats are back? I am cautiously optimistic, but I'd first like to see a 6 or 7 run outburst against a team that hasn't given up on on the 2008 season.

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By the way, I pray to God Manny Ramirez does not end up on the Marlins. He scares me a ton. I think I would pitch around him in every big spot at games in Citizen Bank Park.

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Is anyone expecting the Phils to make a move of consequence at the trade deadline tomorrow? I'm not. It just seems like there is nothing even being rumored at this point.

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Is it me or does the bullpen feel shaky since the All Star Break. Ryan Madson looks completely unreliable in a big spot. It would be nice to see another reliever brought in tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards.

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I was going to rip on Ryan Howard for being one of the few (maybe the only guy) players using an Adidas glove. Who knew they even made baseball gloves? However, he's made a couple surprising plays the last couple night. Sometimes, it seems like he breaks into a smile because he's even surprised himself.

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Have any of you guys been to the new DC park? It sure looks nice. I would like to get down there as soon as I get some time.

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My brother in law and buddy Tommy freak out every time Pat Burrell is taken out of a game for defensive purposes citing the fact that he leads the league in outfield assists. Jayson Werth's debacle in left field in the 7th inning got them both going tonight. Sorry fellas, but your argument is inane. Pat Burrell is slow as a glacier. It takes him forever to get to routine fly balls. How is the decision to replace him every night not self evident? Replacing Burrell is a no brainer.

New Feature - The Top Five List

Just looking to add something new and spark debate from time to time. I will add a weekly Top 5 list. It could be about sports, music, movies, life, etc.

My first Top 5 list involves my favorite top 5 albums.

1. Pearl Jam (Ten) - This may be the best debut album releases of all time. As much as I love Pearl Jam, their first album was their best and everything went down hill from there. Black, Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy, and Oceans are some of the best rock songs ever written.

2. Nirvana (Nevermind) - I can listen to about every song on this album. Near perfection from Cobain and Crew. The fact the album was produced by Butch Vig probably explains why I like Garbage so much.

3. Tribe Called Quest (The Low End Theory) - If there is a better hip hop/rap album ever made, I'd love to hear it. I think I listened to this CD every day of my sophomore year at Rutgers.

(NOTE: My top three were all released between August 27th and September 24th, 1991. Is it a coincidence that the top three albums of all time were released in a one month period? I think not! Also, if you want to say my musical tastes ceased evolving after my sophomore year of college, you're probably on to something.)

4. Van Halen (Van Halen I) - If Ten is the best debut album of all time. This album may be #2 on that list. I loved the original Van Halen line up. To me, Van Haggar was a crime against humanity that I never truly accepted. When you look up Rock Star in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of Diamond Dave staring you in the face. Eddie was also completely sober so he was at the top of his powers. If the opening riff of "Running With The Devil" doesn't get you excited, you are probably a complete musical idiot.

5. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Born To Run) - I'm from New Jersey. If you are from Jersey and were born before 1980, but don't understand the significance and importance of this record, you should probably move out of the state. This album contains absolute anthems. I'm shocked this record has never been turned into a Broadway Musical like that fraud Billy Joel did with his music.

It really pained me to leave The Foo Fighters (The Colour & The Shape) off the list. I really, really love that album.

I could care less if you disagree with any of these. Just give me your top 5 if you decide to comment on any of these.

Now It All Makes Sense

For a while there, I was really trying to understand the motivation behind the Phils sending Brett Myers down to the minors. However, after tonight's outstanding performance by the Wife Beater against the 30 game under .500 Washington Nationals, I finally figured it out. He was sent down to Lehigh to learn how to beat Triple A teams. Tonight, the lessons he learned paid off as Myers gave up 1 run, 4 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings on his way to earning his 4th win.

Kudos to JC Romero and Chad Durbin for getting out of the 8th inning jam. It could have gotten ugly quick when JC entered the 8th with two on and nobody out, but our bullpen did the job again.

I have to say I'm still concerned with our inability to score runs without home runs. It is a frightening trend that has plagued this team for years. This team is crying for an outfielder that just makes contact and puts the ball in play.

Odds and Ends

Sorry I've been out of touch for the last half week or so. I was running around like crazy getting ready for my daughter's first birth day party this past weekend. Thanks to everyone who could make it. I really appreciate it. Here's a pretty recent picture. I still can't believe she's turning one this week. Where has this year gone?

Now, onto the sports:

-Shawn Andrews fails to report to camp: I can't believe that in today's era of technology, journalism, etc, that we still don't know why he is not in camp. Christ, couldn't some blogger just make something up? Is he thinking of retiring and joining a cult, does he have a sickness, has he become a pacifist, or is he just too out of shape to deal with this heat? I just want an answer. Since there is a severe lack of rumors, maybe this is my shot of breaking news. My sources tell me that he wants to quit the NFL in order join the clergy.

-Phils demote Adam Eaton: This one should be filed in the "what took so long?" department. Adam Eaton now goes down with Matt Geiger, Chris Gratton and Jevon Kearse as the worst free agent pick ups in city history.

-Phils take a wild series from the Braves: Thank God I do not manage this team. I think I would have needed to enter AA after some of the pitching performances we saw over the weekend.

-Abriamiri needs wrist surgery: I absolutely despise training camp injuries. They are usually so unfortunate. The Birds could miss this guy. I was looking forward to watching him play. I hope he doesn't miss too much time.

Cheesesteaks and Minor Sports Championships

Yes. Cheesesteaks and Minor Sports Championships. That's what Philadelphia does. It doesn't matter if it is minor league hockey, lacrosse, indoor soccer or Arena Football. If there is a minor league and Philadelphia has a team, we will win a championship. It's kind of like having a fat and ugly wife, that is a world class foot model. Sure, it's great to be a foot model, but who really gives a crap.

That's how I feel right now. It's a great story and all. I suppose I take a small measure of satisfaction out of this title, but the Soul's victory certainly does NOT end the curse. It lives on until the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers or Sixers win a title.

By the way, kudos to my boy Botts for coming up with that headline. That was all him. In case you don't get the joke, it's a take off from this line in Wedding Crashers:

Buzz Kill

Thanks, Brett and Ryan Madson, you guys really know how to take the life out of your phan base. I haven't seen such a buzz kill since my buddy's wife came home one night and broke up a kegger by throwing us out of the house in the a middle of a keg stand being performed by a hot, young blond wearing a short skirt. Yes, it was that bad.

I turned the game on in the top of the 2nd and to my dismay saw that the Mets had scored two runs in the first inning without any hits or errors on the Phils. Is anyone else glad to see that Brett came out so well prepared after his banishment to the minors? He really wasn't ready to pitch and could not locate his fastball in the first three innings. Overall, he walked five in five innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He was far from great, but wasn't actually terrible either. He was able to battle out of a couple of jams, which was a positive sign. I suppose if he regains control of his fastball, he should start to resemble an effective Major League pitcher.

Brett didn't lose the game though. That was left to Ryan Madson, who reverted back to his 2006 form. Entering the game in the 6th, he put the first two men on base and then floated a change up to Jose Reyes who promptly crushed it over the right center field fence. This was followed by Wheels throwing a tantrum over Reyes' ridiculous show boating. I actually got a laugh out of it because Wheels wasn't very convincing in conveying his anger. I didn't buy it.

I wonder if Madson will ever be someone I completely trust. There are times when I start to feel like I'm ready to believe he can be an above average reliever and then he melts down in a big spot like tonight. He is the very definition of a "c*ck tease".

This series now comes down to whether the Metropolitans can lay off Jamie Moyer's 82 mph fastball and glut of junk balls. I'm not feeling overly confident.

What An Unbelievable Surprise

I totally missed tonight's unbelievable comeback by the Phils. I was at a golf outing and when I left the Phils looked lifeless as they were down 5-2. I got in the car for the hour ride home and called my buddy Tommy to tell me the Phils were done and we should just move on to football season. Imagine my surprise when I received the news the Phils won. I was completely taken by surprise. I love unexpected little gifts like that.

Sorry guys, but I got nothing on tonight's game. I'm tired as hell and since I missed most of the game I can't add anything of substance except that my brother in law was up in Shea tonight and said it was a mad house up there. Apparently, there were fights galore.

I'll catch back up with you guys tomorrow.

Odds and Ends

I've come across some interesting items lately that I figured I'd share.

Check these out:

-This is a pretty decent preview of the upcoming Phils/Mets supremely important showdown this week. I love how fat ass Joe Blanton was described as burly. Is this replacing "big boned" as the complimentary way to describe a fat guy? If so, I'm not longer the chubby guy, I'm the burly guy.

-You can tell it is a slow part of the sports season when the Inquirer takes up half a page in the Sunday paper to talk about B West's horse farm in Maryland. My life is complete now that I know Westbrook finds horse riding as a peaceful alternative to his football career.



-Joffrey Lupul's contract was extended for 4 years at $4.25M per. I can't say I'm totally on board here. I don't think he did enough last year to justify a nearly $2M per year raise. Yeah, I understand he was hurt pretty much the whole second half and still scored 20 goals. Plus, he does look like a cool guy to hang with judging from this photo so maybe he's worth it.(He's the nut with the green sunglasses.)

-According to Peter King in his MMQB column, the Birds are more than $18 million under the 2008 salary cap. Can someone please explain to me why the Westbrook extension hasn't been completed yet? They have a ton of money this year. Friggin' use it and make this guy happy. I swear the Eagles drive me f'n crazy.

-We received good news/bad news as far as the NFC East goes. One Pro Bowler (Jason Taylor) is coming in, but another is leaving (Jeremy Shockey). I'm going to miss Shockey I loved to hate him, but I would have loved him on the Eagles. By the way, whatever happened to the Birds adding another top notch player this offseason?

FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!

It is my little tradition on this blog to re-post this article every opening day of training camp. (Yes, I realize I totally stole this idea of "re-posting favorite articles" from Bill Simmons, but I have some new readers who probably never saw this previously.) Of course, some things have changed since the original posting of this article on 7/20/06. The Phils are actually an honest to goodness contender and the Flyers gave us an amazing run in this year's playoffs. As such, I'm not as desperate for football in July 2008 as I was July 2006, but it is awfully close.

Just today, I was walking around the office with a big smile on my face after spending 1o minutes talking about college football with a friend at work. Another co-worker stopped me and asked "what the hell are you smiling about?" All I could say is, "I just realized football is back and I'll have something to look forward to again." Unfortunately, I'm that simple a creature.

Now, onto one of my favorite posts:

Finally, football has returned to the sporting landscape and not a moment too soon in this God forsaken sports city.

After being forced to live through the Flyers' spectacular flameout over the last two games of their opening round playoff series and the Phils' catastrophic first half of the season, I need football, you need football, we ALL need football back in our sporting lives. Football is just flat out, a better sport than the other options.

As the TV ratings for Nascar have proven, the one game per week model translates into tremendous anticipation and excitement. Just about every week, I can't wait to wake up on a Sunday and turn on the pre game shows and read my Sunday paper. Since gambling and fantasy leagues are much easier and more fun for football, just about every game per week interests me. Plus, football is by far the best televised sport. It's the only sport that my buddies and I get together for to watch over some wings and beer. Even the weather during football season is more pleasant. Very simply, football completes me.

As my man Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio said the other day, "we're all football fans at heart and just pretend to care about baseball and basketball until football returns." This statement pertains to pretty much every sports fan I know except my buddies, the Hayes Brothers, who have decided to live their lives as if we were still in the 40's when the NFL didn't matter. I feel sorry for them. They don't know what they're missing.

Plus, with the dawning of camp, we are thankfully about to be rescued from the most blah sports month of the year where all we have is our ridiculous local baseball franchise to occupy our time. Every baseball season, all I ask of the Phils is to bridge the gap from the end of hockey season until the beginning of football season, but once again, the Phils have failed to even fulfill that simple task.

Now that my good friend Football has returned to my life, I'm a happy camper, but we've got a lot to catch up on. So if you other sports don't mind, please excuse us for the next seven months as we get reacquainted.

Hollywood Hamels

I am totally pissed about the result of today's Phils' game for various reasons. Our offense came up woefully small yet again. The Phils had a chance to win a series, with their ace on the mound, but failed to put additional ground between them and the upstart Marlins. Also, my buddy George ripped me last week for somehow failing to notice the accomplishments of Clay Condrey this season. Talking about laying the moosh on someone. Condrey flat out gave the Marlins the game in the 11th by failing to get a single out against 4 straight batters. Finally, I had a whole column planned about Cole Hamels unexpected recent transformation into Hollywood Hamels, but the Phils ruined it all.

I could go and on about how frustrating it is to watch our offense blow game after game by failing to produce (apparently, I'm not the only one feeling this way), but I've chosen to write about something a bit more fun. So here we go with my ode to Hamels and his new look.

Not sure how many wrestling fans I have here, but some may recall that in the 90's Hulk Hogan moved to the WCW and eventually turned heel (which means becoming a bad guy) under the character "Hollywood Hogan". As part of his transformation, Hogan grew a beard and became a sneering bad ass.



Today, Cole Hamels broke out of his pretty boy persona and came to the mound, not only with a newly grown beard, but also with an attitude. My favorite part was the sneer he gave to Pat Burrell in the bottom of the 6th when it took Pat Burrell an inordinately long time to run down a shallow fly to left. Cole shot him a look like "if your slow ass wouldn't have got to that ball, I would have cut your balls off." As long as the new Hamels finds a way to stop giving up so many damn home runs, we'll be fine.

I'm kind of digging the new Hollywood Hamels and hope Cole keeps this character the rest of his career. It's quite entertaining and has enormous potential. Matter of fact, I wish they cut to him after Clay Condrey came in the 11th and handed the game to the Marlins. I wonder if he hit Condrey in the back with a steel chair in the shower after the game.

Plus, Hollywood Hamels is going to need a couple of sidekicks. I could see Shane Victorino and JC Romero as part of his posse. They both have a bit of an attitude also.

Sorry to get all Pro Wrasslin' on you guys, but I didn't want to relive today's game and get all pissed off again.

Deals Made Under Duress?

I think someone needs to call the police. There is a hostage situation that needs to be reported. Someone needs to head out to the Main Line and check on the homes of the Phils' owners because I think they may have been kidnapped. How else can you explain their actions of late?

First, they gave Brade Lidge an extension, when they normally would have just let the guy leave town. Then, they make a 2 year $20M offer to Pat Burrell. I thought they'd just let him leave for nothing. However, last night's move takes the cake. I almost fell over when I read this report from Ken Rosenthal on Fox Sports.com:

The Phillies were working multiple fronts before acquiring right-hander Joe Blanton from the A's. Among the possibilities that reached a standstill: A blockbuster for Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday and closer Brian Fuentes.

The talks probably will not revive, major-league sources said, even though the teams continue to scout each other and the Phillies used different players to obtain Blanton than they would need for Holliday and Fuentes.

Rival executives say that the Rockies are asking high for both, and that a deal for Holliday, in particular, is unlikely. But a combined package would make sense for several clubs — notably the Dodgers, who just lost closer Takashi Saito.

For Holliday and Fuentes, the Phillies probably would need to part with a package of Shane Victorino, left-hander J.A. Happ, Class AA right-hander Carlos Carrasco and Class AA catcher Lou Marson. Another of their better prospects, Class AA righty Antonio Bastardo, has a slight tear in his labrum.

Holliday would play right field, with Jayson Werth taking over full-time in center, then return to left next season if Pat Burrell departed as a free agent. After that, Holliday, too, would become a free agent.

The Phillies would prefer not to move Marson, who looms as the eventual replacement for the disappointing Carlos Ruiz. Payroll also would be an issue; Holliday and Fuentes are owed almost $6 million combined for the rest of the season, Victorino only about $190,000. The addition of Blanton already has added about $1.5 million.

I am flabbergasted. What has come over the Phils' ownership group? As detailed brilliantly in this Philadlephia Magazine article, they are notoriously cheap and don't care a whole lot about winning. They are more concerned with not stirring the pot and keeping a low profile. The only thing I can think of with this sudden change of philosophy is that some deranged phan has taken the owners hostage and is placing undue influence upon them to make these decisions. Either that or one of the owners, probably billionaire cigar magnate John Middleton, is pressing the issue and wants to see the Phils really make a push for a championship.

Can you imagine a lineup that goes J Roll, Chase, Holliday, the Big Man, Pat Burrell? Christ, I think Brett Myers can even be a successful Major League starter with the run support he'd get. Adding Fuentes to the 'pen would further solidify one of the better groups in the National League. I really hope the Phils come back to this move and do what they have to do to sweeten the deal. We need this to happen. The 25 year curse would finally come to an end!

The more I think about this, it makes even less sense to me. What is the motivation on either side of this deal. Oh well, I'm just going to roll with it and see what happens. I think we can all admit that it is fantastic to know that the Phils are even considering this move.

This Is Our Big Acquisition? Well, He Is Big

Tonight, I checked my hotmail account and was greeted with seemingly good news from an email sent by the Phils with the subject line of "Phils shore up staff". I then excited opened the email and learned that the Phils just traded their best position player prospect for an overweight pitcher that has a 5-12 record and a nearly 5.00 ERA this season. I was left wondering, how exactly does this "shore up" our starting staff?

I then checked out all the Phils message boards I frequent and they were all in full meltdown mode. They universally despised the trade. I also found out that Blanton is a fat turd, which automatically makes him more endearing to me. They even already started photoshopping pictures making fun of his largess.

I then read Todd Zolecki of the Inquirer's take on the deal and feel a little better. Here's his take:

Why Blanton over other pitchers out there? There could be a few reasons. Take away his four worst starts this season and he has a 3.58 ERA, which is more than respectable in the American League. He went 16-12 in 2006 and 14-10 in 2007, so he has a winning track record. He also has thrown more than 194 innings each of the past three seasons, which makes him an "innings eater" -- something Eaton is not. But he’s also intriguing because he can’t become a free agent until after the 2010 season, so this isn't a 2 1/2 month rental.

I guess I'll give this move some time. Blanton can't be any worse than Myers or Eaton. Plus, maybe I'll run into him making a late night cheesesteak run at Tony Luke's some time this season. You know....fat guys like to stick together.

Here We Go Again Part II

If you got a little disturbed by our potential third corner hiring Drew "next question" Rosenhaus to likely force his way out of town, then you are probably downright distraught by the news today that B West has hired a new agent and is looking to renegotiate his contract. The Inquirer reported the following today:

The Inquirer has learned that Westbrook, the team's superstar running back, has fired agent Fletcher Smith, who also represents quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Smith and the Eagles had been in negotiations for the last nine months in an attempt to upgrade the running back's current contract, which has three years remaining. It is believed Westbrook fired Smith Monday, which means he cannot officially hire a new agent until Saturday.

A source close to the situation indicated that Westbrook may end up hiring All Pro Sports & Entertainment Inc., the group that includes agents Peter Schaffer and Lamont Smith. That is the same group that represented Sheppard before he hired Rosenhaus earlier this week. Agent John Rickert is also part of the All Pro group and represents Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter, another former client of Fletcher Smith.

Westbrook, in a recent interview with The Inquirer, made some strong comments about how dissatisfied he was with his current deal.

"When I signed my contract with the Eagles 2½ years ago, they paid me for the level of play I was playing at the time," Westbrook said. "I'm not at that level no more. I'm at a higher level of play. There's no question about that. The numbers don't lie. My numbers have steadily increased from that point until now. Now, I'm at the point where I'm one of the elite backs in the NFL, and I should be compensated that way."

It's difficult to argue that point. In the two full seasons since Westbrook signed his extension, he has compiled 4,020 yards from scrimmage, including a team record 2,104 last season when he led the NFL. Only San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson has more yards from scrimmage (4,272) in the last two seasons. Westbrook wants to be paid like Tomlinson, who received an eight-year extension worth $60 million, including $21 million guaranteed, before the 2004 season.

A team source said the Eagles agree that Westbrook should be better compensated for his services over the final three years of his current deal and that they initiated the contract talks with the running back late last season.

Fletcher Smith, during an interview yesterday, confirmed that he was in negotiations with the Eagles, but he did not reveal that he had been fired by Westbrook.

"We haven't been able to come to a meeting of the minds," Smith said.

And now, another agent will take a shot at getting something done with the Eagles.

All Pro Sports & Entertainment will be the third agent representing Westbrook during his seven-year career. Anthony Agnone and Eastern Athletic Services of Hunt Valley, Md., negotiated Westbrook's rookie contract but were fired by the running back and replaced by Smith in 2005. Smith negotiated a five-year, $24.9 million contract extension for Westbrook during the 2005 season but only after the running back staged a holdout from training camp.

Asked last week if he would consider holding out from this year's training camp, Westbrook said, "to be honest with you, I don't know. I don't foresee me holding out of this training camp, but . . ."

If the friggin Eagles play hardball with Westbrook, you can pretty much kiss the season away. B West is the be all and end all of this offense. If he isn't happy and holds out, we are looking at Armageddon.

Yes, I realize I'm being fatalistic, by why not pay B West what he's worth. They have to spend all that cap space on someone, might as well spend it on their best player. Plus, I really want to enjoy the Eagles this year and not be penalized because Joe Banner and his young apprentice, Howie Roseman didn't want to destroy the integrity of their beloved salary cap.

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By the way, I'm watching the Who "Rock Honors" special on VH1 tonight and I have to say that Baba O'Reilly is one of the top 5 rock songs ever made. This statement cannot be disputed. Every time I hear that song, I remember how much I love that song.