Goodbye June

Phillies conclude interleague play with loss to Rangers



If you're a player or coach on the Phillies, probably the only thing you're more grateful about interleague play being over with is the fact that they have no more games to play in the month of June.

In a month that started with so much promise, following a 3-game sweep of the Braves on June 8th the Phillies have been the equivalent of an oil tanker crashing into a burning volcano since then. They are beyond a train wreck or a plane crash, but a complete atrocity.

They have gone 5-13 since June 8th and have won just two of their past eleven games and despite having offensive deficiencies, their pitching hasn't gotten the job done either.

And, there's a common theme in regards to who they've been losing to and it's not just AL teams, but winning teams. In all six straight losing series' they have lost to winning teams. The Marlins, Cardinals, Red Sox, Angels, A's, and Rangers all have winning records.

That's not only alarming, but disturbing. Sure, you can chalk this up to one of those mid-season slumps and rationalize things by saying how the Cardinals won just 83 games in 2006 and went on to win the World Series despite having two 8-game losing streaks, but the Phillies can't beat good teams right now.

The entire team is providing viewers with a blueprint on how you can lose games on a nightly basis. When they get a good start out of a starting pitcher, the bullpen coughs up homeruns. When the offense finally wakes up like it did on Friday night then Brett Myers buries the team in less than 3 innings. When they are engaged in a pitching duel, then the offense chokes like Mama Cass on a sandwich.

The solution for this team isn't just trading for Roy Oswalt (who is the pitcher I'd like to see them get). They have to get new blood in this lineup through a trade. Does that mean trading Pat Burrell to al AL team for a Chone Figgins type (someone who can do different things offensively that doesn't strike out a lot). That would certainly improve the lineup. I know Pat Burrell puts up the numbers every year and goes on hot streaks, but if this team isn't going to re-sign him and if they can get strikeouts out of that lineup and get a player in exchange for him who can steal bases, move runners, and not strike out then it could be a remedy for this lineup.

Word is that Brett Myers could be sent down or benched as early as today. And, the guy who might get called up is J.A. Happ who has been red hot in the minors. That means Tom Gordon will be the one to be DL'd while Happ is up here. Carrasco has been getting knocked around lately so it's unlikely he has a vote of confidence from the Phillies' braintrust at this point.

There are serious changes needed and this team is more than one trade away from being a serious contender.

Texas Shoot-out

Phillies come up one run shy in shoot-out with Texas



If you watched last night's duel between the Phillies and Rangers you were exposed to The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. It was a back and forth shoot-out akin to the classic movie (one of my personal favorites) with the same title.



The Good: The Phillies offense woke up from it's two-week long slumber. Sure, they had just one hit after scoring their first five runs and four of them came on Pedro Feliz's grand slam, but they managed to score seven runs overall in last night's shoot-out.

The Bad: Brett Myers looks lost, dazed, confused, dejected, and broken. It's time to move him to the set-up role.

Sure, he made the declaration before the season that he didn't want to be yanked back and forth, but it's clear that he's just not cut out as a starter at this point.

The Ugly: The Phillies found a way to lose their 8th in 9 games. After being 13 games above .500 a few weeks ago, they are now five games above .500 and on pace for 86 wins.

This team that once looked like a World Series contender looks just like the same old Phillies from years past, from the Larry Bowa years. Yep, that same old team that couldn't get over the hump because of pitching or strikeouts in the lineup, or Bobby Abreu's unwillingness to lay it on the line.

The story with Philadelphia teams is a broken record. The Eagles can't make it over the hump. The Flyers always seem to run out of gas in the playoffs. The Sixers are stuck in mediocrity. And, the Phillies always have issues with their starting pitching.

The answer to this problem is simple; their talent evaluation on pitchers isn't good enough. There's a reason why teams like the Red Sox, Angels, and now the Devil Rays come up with a bevy of young studs on the mound. They put the money into their minor league systems and they have plenty of top-notch scouts who bring in the best talent they can find.

The Phillies on the other hand skimp on their farm system budget because this ownership group is habitually locked into a budget. And, we the fans are left screaming at our TV sets or if you're me-cursing up a storm in a way that would rival Tommy Lasorda's post game meltdowns.



It's beyond time for this team to make a major move. But, can we expect them to ante up with Carlos Carrasco and to take on extra salary? More importantly, is it in their best interests to get a rent a pitcher? I'm not sure C.C. Sabathia is the answer. I'd prefer they go out and get Roy Oswalt, who still has a few years left on his contract. And, I'd love nothing more than for the Phillies to get over on Ed Wade again. Just like they did in the Brad Lidge deal. Or, maybe Carrasco is the answer and they should call him up.

Pat Gillick has come up with some good moves during the season. Jamie Moyer was an excellent in-season acquisition. Let's see what he has for an encore...if the owners let him.

Shake Up

Charlie Manuel shakes up the lineup and Kyle Kendrick dominates in 4-0 win over the A's



Looks like Charlie Manuel listened to my advice (read yesterday's blog) and shook up the lineup in a major way. I suggested building this lineup more around Werth and Coste to give it a kick-start and it worked.

Chase Utley came out of the witness protection program yesterday and came up a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle on his way to 4 hits.

Kendrick was absolutely lights out last night and in this case great pitching trumped everything, but it was nice to see the offense come back to life.

Word is that the A's players headed back to the dugout and said they couldn't even see the ball. Kendrick was in the zone. He certainly could've thrown a no-hitter last night with the way he was pitching. He held them hitless for 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one hit through 7 innings.

Even though it was an impressive win there was one disturbing number that once again stood out; runners left on base. The Phillies had 26 of them.

With the win, the Phils moved to two games ahead of the Marlins in the division.

Tonight Adam Eaton takes the hill against Rich Harden. This looks like a total mismatch on paper, but then again it looked like the Phillies had a mismatch last night as well.

That's why you play the games.

--------------------------------------------------

Ed Wade gets a beat-down

If you haven't heard yet, you sure will now. Ed Wade got his ass kicked by pitcher Shawn Chacon yesterday.

Apparently Chacon was enjoying his dinner a few hours before the game when Wade walked in on him and told him to go see his manager. Chacon told him to wait til he was done eating and then Wade escalated the situation and started cursing and screaming at him.

And, then Chacon did Wade like Adebesi did to one of his enemies in Oz.



He promptly threw Wade down on the floor and jumped on top of him.

"So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him," he said. "Words were exchanged."

And, Chacon went on to say, "I wanted to beat his ass."

Wade suspended Chacon indefinitely and that means he'll be traded or released.

I would pay top dollar for footage of that ass beating. And, in the words of Nelson from the Simpsons, here's to you Ed Wade.

Tough Luck

Phillies' offense loses another game



The old adage in baseball is that you're only as good as your pitching. This is true to a certain extent. Allow me to point out the 2003 LA Dodgers who led the NL in ERA with a 3.16 team ERA. This is unheard of in baseball today. Offensively they were putrid, finishing last in the NL in offense with just 574 runs scored.

And, you know what happened to this 2003 Dodgers team with that great pitching staff? They finished 2nd in the west with an 85-77 record and missed the playoffs.

I'm not trying to discount pitching, but I don't give a damn how good your pitching is, you still have to score some runs.

And, the Phillies right now have been getting quality starting pitching on the most part. Except for a couple bad starts by Kendrick and Eaton recently their starting pitchers have been allowing 2-3 runs a game. The offense has crawled into a dungeon somewhere in an abandoned rowhome in Philadelphia and scored just 11 runs during this 6-game losing streak.

Do the math and the offense hasn't even scored 2 runs per game during this losing streak and during their June swoon they have scored 56 runs in the past 13 games-good for 4.3 runs per game. And, that includes that 20-run fluke against the Cardinals. Take that game away and the offense has been offensive-averaging a putrid 3 runs per game.

The power outage continued last night as they came up with a measly 2 runs against Joe Blanton, who came into the game with a 3-10 record.

Earlier this season the Phillies were a formidable offense against any starting pitcher. Now, they are the elixer a pitcher needs to get out of a slump. And, forget about it when they face studs. They're mince meat.

Charlie Manuel needs to do some drastic things with the lineup and make some bold moves. If that means batting Jimmy Rollins 7th to send the message then by-golly do it. If it means benching Ryan Howard after going 0 for 3 in his first three at-bats with 3 strikeouts, then do it.

Maybe a small-ball lineup built around guys like Coste, Werth, et. al will be the remedy. The only thing more putrid then the strikeouts in this lineup is their runners left on base statistic.

They had 13 left on base last night, including 3 in the 7th inning. Once again, a 2-out situation and they came up with nothing with bases loaded. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jamie Moyer, who had given up just one hit all night was lit up in the bottom of the inning.

And, then the score was 3-1, but that's all the A's needed. Jamie Moyer pitched his ass off, easily one of his best starts as a Phillie, but it went to waste.

It's absolutely disgusting and these players should be ashamed to be wearing Phillies uniforms right now because they are letting the entire pitching staff down night in and night out.

To quote the infamous Lee Elia, he said the key is to "hit the f***ing ball, pitch the f***ing ball, and get the f***ing job done." Right now the Phillies doing one of those things right-and that won't win you many games.

Forgotten Team

Lost in all of the Phillies' troubles and other news are the Eagles



Do you remember there's a football team in Philadelphia?

You know who you are. You the fans.

I know I'm guilty of it as well because I nearly forgot we had a football team in the midst of the Phillies' season, the Flyers' draft, and the Sixers' upcoming draft on Thursday night.

You know it's a slow news summer for the Eagles when the biggest story of late involves a player who isn't even on the team anymore-and one who played like he wasn't part of the team since 2004. That would be Jevon Kearse of course who did his best Cedric Benson impersonation by getting nailed for a DUI over the weekend.

So, what sort of team are the Eagles? Are they a contender or a pretender? Right now I look at them as an 11-5 team, possibly 12-4.

I know, I must be smoking PCP and doing cat tranquilizers right? Well for all of you naysayers who keep hating on this team because of The Penguin a.k.a Joe Banner's shady ways, Andy Reid's arrogance, and their inability (or refusal) to land a coveted wide receiver here are some reasons why this team will win the division this year.

#1-Defensive improvements. I'm not just talking about the acquisition of Asante Samuel in free agency. Their defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson played together last year for the first time together on a full-time basis. And, already they were seen by football people as one of the best tandems in the NFC. They have a year under their belt.

The Kearse(Curse) is gone. Not only did he waste a roster spot, but he sucked the life out of this team whenever he was on the field. Trent Cole has emerged as one of the top 4 defensive ends in the NFC and the addition of Chris Clemons from Oakland gives them a pair of speed rushers, much like Justin Tuck on the Giants. The Eagles are building their team around speed much like the Tampa Bay Bucs. And, if they can get anything out of Victor Abiamiri (last year's 2nd round pick) then it's gravy.

Added to that, the linebacking corps will receive a huge boost from Stewart Bradley who had the best debut for a rookie of any linebacker since that guy named Jeremiah Trotter. He is a turnover machine waiting to happen. Chris Gokong also has another year of experience under his belt and will be used by Jim Johnson in various ways to disrupt opposing teams' quarterbacks. Omar Gaither too has another year of experience and rounds out a strong, young linebacking corps. For the first time in about 5 years we can call this a linebacking corps and not a linebacking CORPSE.

Last, but not least the defensive backfield gets a huge upgrade with Samuel who is another turnover machine. Brian Dawkins has been working out all offseason (unlike last year when he missed most of the offseason workouts because of family issues) and is poised to come back with a vengeance. Sheldon Brown, Quintin Mikell, and that guy named Lito Sheppard round out the strongest defensive backfield in the NFC.

The defense is going to be the difference this year for the Eagles. They are built around speed and they have turnovers specialists in there.

Let's not forget about the boost the special teams will receive from the addition of DeSean Jackson. And, look for Lorenzo Booker to assume kick return duties as well.

And, oh yeah Donovan McNabb doesn't have a bum knee either. I was a little concerned about that shoulder, but the word is, it's nothing, but you always have to wonder why the Eagles are so secretive about injuries.

When you have a defense assembled in this mold with young, speedy playmakers, it's a recipe for playoff success. Does this make them a Super Bowl contender? I'm not prepared to say that yet, but they'll be a hell of a lot better than they were last year.

Rock Bottom?

Phillies' losing streak reaches 5 games



The Phillies' current slump seems as never-ending as higher gas prices and the writer's strike over the winter. Just a week ago there was a lot of optimism about the Phillies heading into the hyped-up Red Sox series. And, now 6 days, 5 losses, and just 9 runs later they are just a game ahead of the Marlins for first place.

Also-don't look now, but the Muts-err the Mets, that team we all thought was deader than a piece of liver is just 3 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

At one point the Phillies were 13 games above .500. They are now just 7 games above the international mark of mediocrity after dropping 9 of 12 games including 5 of 6 during their recent homestand.

They will now head out west to face the Oakland A's-another good team. I'll say this much about interleague play, it's a lot like fantasy sports. You always have that guy in your league who everybody bitches about because they have cupcake matchups. And, there's always somebody in the league who has a good team but their record stinks because they have what seems to be the most brutal matchups every week. And, the Phillies have certainly been dealt some brutal AL opponents to play against.

The Phillies are not a good team right now. Their record might state it, but they aren't losing by a hair to these good teams they've been falling to; they're getting their heads bashed in.

Word around the grapevine is the Phillies are said to be after C.C. Sabathia. The Howard Eskins of the world will tell you there's no way in hell they do it because they won't add to their payroll. But, Ken Rosenthal-a respected baseball writer said they are interested, but it will take Carlos Carrasco to get it done.

Remember Carlos Carrasco's name because he's the key to the Phillies' success this year. He's their top-rated pitching prospect and the player that teams covet most in the Phillies' farm system. In other words, they won't land a quality starter without moving him.

Let's just hope we don't look ahead in two years and regret them making that move much like the Freddy Garcia trade. After all, that Gavin Floyd guy is pretty good; he did nearly pitch a couple no-hitters this year.

And, the Phillies shouldn't stop there. When I was on WIP yesterday I stated that the Phillies should consider moving Pat Burrell if they can acquire a player who doesn't strike out as much and can do different things on offense ala the Angels' Chone Figgins. Not that I dislike Burrell, but this offense needs an injection of new blood. Think what Boston did back in '04 when they traded Nomar. It was unpopular, but they improved their team tremendously on defense and they got a guy in the lineup who did some different things.

So, can we say for sure that the Phillies' have hit rock bottom yet? Don't hold your breathe yet because the Flyers had a 10-game losing streak back in February. If the Phillies keep (not)hitting like they're doing they very well could lose 10 in a row.

Even then they won't be a seller in the trade market because there's so much parity that teams can remain "in it" for almost the entire season if they even hang a little above .500.

Bottom Feeding

Phillies reach a new low with season-high 4-game losing streak



Where do we begin with the Phillies' struggles of late? They are 3-8 in their past 11 games, they now have lost four, count 'em four straight series' and the only thing more inept than their offense is their pitching.

It is a miracle that this team is still in first place when you look at the low-level they are peforming on right now. They have reached bottom-feeder status as of last night; rock bottom.



You know you're bad when your opening day starter who has struggled mightily pitches extremely well for 7 innings, the team finds a way to tie up the game, then he gives up a homerun to a guy who had one homerun all season long.

Maybe it's the bandbox down there. Maybe the players aren't responding to Charlie Manuel.

Maybe they're just not that good.

Here's a run-down of their 11-game June swoon.

5-4 loss at Florida.

6-2 loss at Florida.

3-0 win at Florida.

20-2 win at St. Louis.

3-2 loss at St. Louis.

7-6 loss at St. Louis.

8-2 win against Boston.

3-0 loss against Boston.

7-4 loss against Boston.

7-1 loss against Los Angeles.

6-2 loss against Los Angeles.

Notice a pattern here? Aside from their 20-run aberration against St. Louis they are playing like a AAA club. The offense has averaged a paltry 3.2 runs a game in the 10 games aside from that fluke. And, their pitching has allowed 4.9 runs per game.

This team has looked more like the Seattle Mariners in the past two weeks then the leader in the NL East. But, today their stopper-their closer in Cole Hamels takes the hill against Jared Weaver and look for him to end this losing streak.

That's the importance of having an ace. But, this team needs more than an ace and a bunch of hopefuls and schleps to make it anywhere in the postseason. I think their needs to be a trade that brings someone who can do different things on offense into this lineup. They still have far too many strikeouts and when they have a power outage like they've had in the past two weeks they are prone to prolonged slumps like this.

So, after having two days off (including the idle day on Thursday) in recent days will the real Chase Utley step up to the plate? And, will King Cole stop this streak?

That may not be enough with the stupid mistakes like Eric Bruntlett made last night, when he got thrown out at second base.

Even if the Phillies get a win today they have a long ways to go before proving themselves to be anything more than top dog in a weak division. They have failed four times in a row against good teams. They have to start winning against good teams if they are to be taken seriously.

Sinking

Phillies suffer 7th loss in past 10 games with 7-1 defeat to Angels



Yesterday I had a conversation with a co-worker about how I felt this was a must-win series this weekend. He didn't seem to think so. He brushed off their losing series' to the Marlins, Cardinals, and Red Sox as losses to good teams.

I think it's time to panic if you're a Phillies fan. Right now this team is in the throws of a funk that seems as if it will never end.

We know that the offense will heat up. That's without question. But, will the pitching staff get it together again? They were 4th in NL in ERA this season partly because of the success of the bullpen, but you have to get to the bullpen in order to reap the benefits.

Long-time Phillies front office man and minor league scouting director Mike Arbuckle insists the Phillies would be willing to make a move for a pitcher to help this team.

Ruben Amaro just gives us his usual spin about how Myers needs to pitch better. Some will give him props for being so honest. I say, no kidding that he has to pitch better. Hellen Keller could see that Myers has been drinking swamp water, so tell us something we don't know.

I want to hear Ruben Amaro and Pat Gillick say they're being proactive in improving this ball-club.

Otherwise, we can expect to see more dips throughout the season like this. It is a very long season and with 162 games a team is bound to have it's ups and downs. There's a reason why teams in baseball don't have .750 winning percentages like they do in other sports. After all, the Mariners tied the record for most wins in a season with 116. So, teams are bound to lose a third of their games-even the best ones on a yearly basis.

But, if the Phillies lose say 5 series' in a row, then they're in deep trouble. As bad as the Mets have been they're not going to be that far behind the Phillies before long.

They can't keep hoping for Adam Eaton to give them quality starts and hoping for Jamie Moyer to keep drinking from the fountain of youth. And, they sure as hell can't rely on Myers to "get it back." Hope is how you end up watching the playoffs come October from your living room and not on the bench.

Let's just hope it won't be too late before the Phillies' braintrust wakes up and sees the reality of the situation.

Must Win Weekend

Phillies kick off their series against the Angels tonight



The Phillies are a paltry 3-6 in their past 9 games, having lost three series' in a row. It's been well documented now that they are in a slump.

Chase Utley is in the worst slump of his career.

Brett Myers has been in the worst slump of his career since opening day.

In order for this team to hang with the big boys they need to pass their test this weekend with flying colors; the test being against the LA Angels.

Today the surging Adam Eaton goes up against Ervin Santana. Eaton sports a 2-4 record and a 4.57 ERA, while Santana has been pitching better than Johan Santana, going 8-3 with a 3.40 ERA.

What's really disheartening about the Phillies' recent skid is that they have been getting more breaks than you'll find broken beer bottles on hotdog night. In the St. Louis series Pujols and Wainwright were out. So, the Phillies promptly dropped 2 of 3. In the Boston series they didn't face Beckett or Dice K, and Ortiz was out. And, Manny sat out the 3rd game. They catch another break this weekend by not having to face the Angels' ace John Lackey.

It's absolutely inexcusable for this team to lay down like this. The offense has been chronically hot and cold, displaying the ineptitude that hung over this team during the Bowa era and early on in Manuel's tenure.

The Phillies might be in 1st place for now, but if they fail this weekend then it's about time to panic.

You had better panic when Adam Eaton is out-pitching your so-called opening day starter.

Maybe the day off will help Chase Utley and the entire team. After all, they've been at it every day this month so far with the exception of June 9th and yesterday. Utley, who has played like he has mono needed a rest. I'd go so far as to say he should be rested tonight.

The Phils open up their series with the Angels tonight at 7:05. To say this is a big series is an understatement. It's a must-win series. Anything less than 2 out of 3 puts this team in a bad spot, because it's World Series or bust.

Raise your hand if you're not satisfied with just making the playoffs.

Not Even Close

Phillies lose series to Red Sox 7-4, they've now lost 3 straight series'



Robin Roberts threw out the first pitch at yesterday's game and the way Kendrick pitched couldn't be a further reminder of Roberts' past greatness.

Where Roberts epitomized the pinnacle of greatness for pitchers in major league history, Kendrick resembled a bottom feeder-the sucker fish that sits in the corner of an aquarium.

With yesterday's 7-4 loss to the Red Sox, the Phillies have now lost three straight series'. One was to Florida, the next to St. Louis, and then to Boston.

The Phillies may have 4 less wins than the Red Sox, but they're not even close to them right now. The Phillies have just two starters you can depend on consistently keep them in games; Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer.

Kyle Kendrick is a borderline quality starter, but yesterday he was exposed. He doesn't strike batters out and when he gets hit hard and doesn't get run support he can kill this team, which he did yesterday.

It's about time for the Phillies to bring up Carlos Carrasco or one of their other future front-line pitchers and see what they got. Maybe skip Myers for a start or two and let him work through his problems. It can help them two-fold by giving Myers a break and evaluating what they have in a possible young pitcher.

Word from the Inquirer is they sent a scout to watch C.C. Sabathia and Greg Maddux on Sunday.

It would behoove the Phillies' braintrust to get their gears grinding and do something because this is the best team they've had since 1993.

And, a World Series in Philadelphia is about as rare as seeing a total eclipse.

Feast or Famine

Phillies get shut out 3-0, one day after winning 8-2



It's official; the Phillies are in feast or famine mode with their offense. The trend began in May when their offensive output jumped up and down like an EKG meter.

Monday night they destroyed the Red Sox 8-2 and last night their offense was-well offensive, notching zero runs and getting just seven hits.

The Red Sox had just seven hits as well, but they made them count.

Red Sox rookie phenom Jon Lester baffled the Phillies all night and he's yet another reason why the Red Sox will be the team representing the AL in the World Series come October-barring injuries of course. They have a dangerous lineup and with a pitching staff led by Beckett, Dice K, and Lester they will be a formidable opponent for anybody in the playoffs.

The Phillies are mired in a disturbing funk right now. Even though they are a good team-a very good team, their offense goes from one night of being out of this world and the next night they disappear. They cannot continue to play seesaw offense.

Cole Hamels predicted these two teams will face off in the World Series. In order for that to happen, they will need to at least grind out runs on days when their power fails them. And, they need to get lucky with a pitcher (ala Kendrick last year) or trade for one.

C.C. Sabathia is the name continuously being mentioned but I don't see it. They have Carrasco who is a top 25 prospect, but aside from him they don't have anybody who could match up with the offers of teams like the Red Sox who have deep farm systems.

The rubber match of this series is today at 1:00 PM. Maybe the real Chase Utley will show up today and help lead the Phils to victory. They sure need him.

Rhino's Night

Phillies throttle the Red Sox 8-2



Ryan Howard busted out the lumber for game one of the Boston-Philly series last night. He started off with a 2-run shot in the first inning, following it up with a solo shot, and for an encore he ran like a man possessed and dove into third base for a triple.

The Red Sox had no answer for the Phillies' potent offense. And, Cole Hamels more than got the job done by shutting down Boston's bats-to the tune of just a pair of solo homers and 7 hits over 7 innings.

Bartolo Colon looked like the bottom feeder he's become in the past few years as opposed to the pitcher with the sub-4.00 ERA heading into last night's game.

The Phillies would have shut the Red Sox out had Hamels not given up back-to-back solo homers to Pedroia and Drew (a typical Hamels syndrome in his young career).

Now it looks like Ryan Howard is steadily making his way back to a respectable batting average. Meanwhile, what the hell is going on with Utley? His average has dropped about 20 points in the past week and he continues to choke with runners on base.

Maybe just a mid-season slide, but they can ill-afford to have him play like this for much longer.

The Phils will take on the Sox again tonight-same time, same place. Jamie Moyer will take the hill against Jon Lester tonight. Should be a pitching duel tonight.

Here Come The Sox

Phillies open up their 3-game series with The Red Sox tonight



Tonight begins a true test of how good the Phillies are. We know they're better than they played yesterday against the Cards and certainly better than they played against the fish last week.

The "Sawx" come to town today and while they won't have Big Papi in their lineup, this is still a potent team, one sporting a 44-28 record and sitting atop the AL East.

J.D. "Please someone hit him with a F***in battery" Drew comes to town with a .321 average and still no love lost.

Bartolo Colon takes the hill for the Sox against King Cole. I like our chances in this pitching matchup tonight although Colon has surprised me with his sub 4.00 ERA.

Let's just hope the offense holds up their end of the bargain because they've been sporadic at best aside from that 20-run explosion on Friday night.

How else do we match up? The Sox are 2nd in the AL in runs scored and 4th in ERA and their second-best pitcher Dice K has been on the fritz for a few weeks now.

And, the Phillies like their AL counterpart are 2nd in the NL in runs scored and 4th in ERA.

This will be a fun series to watch and I don't care what my friend Brian Startare says, I like interleague play. I like to see different teams come in and even though we may be getting a tougher shake as far as interleague schedule goes, but that just makes the Phillies a better and more battle-tested team in the end.

Slop Ball

Phillies lose 7-6 to Cards in mistake-filled game



Well looks like the Phillies aren't so hot. Sure, they had a few games and that 20 run aberration Friday night, but they've been sloppy since going to Florida. Their record speaks for itself; they are 2-4 in their past 6 games and they were abominable in their past 2 games against the Cards.

This is an absolutely inexcusable game to lose. If the Phillies are trying to reign supreme in the NL they can ill afford to play like they did today.

For one Brett Myers has just about run out of chances. It's at the point now where they have to get another starter in here and either A.) trade him or B.) move him to the set-up role.

Two-they cannot make ill-advised mistakes like they did today. The one critical mistake came when Eric Bruntlett was sent home on a play in the ninth inning. He made a terrible decision to try and run over the catcher and should have at least slid into home. When you look at countless replays of this play (because Yadier Molina was hurt) Bruntlett could have attempted to slide. Also, the play that will receive most criticism ocurred in the 10th when Tom Gordon botched a thrown ball to first base resulting in the a run scored and that was the end of the ballgame.

Even though the Phillies put up 6 runs today their offense didn't get the job done. Whenever your offense leaves 27 runners on base that is never a good thing. It's been a chronic problem for this offense over the years. Geoff Jenkins was the main culprit leaving a whopping 6 runners on base.

And, not to rip on Chase Utley, but for all of the MVP talk about him can you honestly say when he last had a clutch hit with runners on base? Once again today with bases loaded he failed to deliver.

This series was a series of missed opportunities and absolutely frustrating to watch. Between yesterday's 2-run stinker and today's disaster it leaves you wondering what the Phillies need to do to be a real player in the NL race-not just the wild card race.

They are without a doubt a good team, but there are some flaws. You're kidding yourself if you don't think they have their share of them because the series against Florida and St. Louis have exposed them.

Rubber Match

Phillies look to win series after two completely opposite games



Last week I mentioned the Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde analogy with Brett Myers, who went from pitching magically in his prior start to pitching an absolute stinker his last time out.

The Phillies' offense assumed this role this weekend. After ringing off 20 runs on Friday night, the offense crawled into a hole somewhere in Missouri yesterday and everybody will point to the controversial play in the 9th inning that may have cost them the game.

Nonsense. The offense deserves the blame for falling back into the great one day/dead the next pattern. What causes a team to play this inconsistently at times? Certainly it takes something for a team to put up 20 runs twice in a season. After all, they're the first team since the 2000 A's to do that and the first Phillies team in about 100 years to do it.

Yesterday Kyle Lohse gave the Phillies some payback for not signing him this offseason. And, boy are they regretting that one. He's 8-2 on the season with a 3.77 ERA and he would've shut out the Phillies had it not been for Pat the Bat's 2-run homer.

Which Phillies team can we expect to show up today? It's hard to say because their offense has been poor since the Florida series-scoring just 11 runs in the four games other than the 20 run game Friday night.

If Brett Myers can get out of the first inning without getting shelled then look for the Phillies to come out of this 9-game road trip with a pair of series wins. If he puts them in a hole early on then it's going to be brutal on the offense because this team is just about out of gas after playing 9 in a row on the road and having just one day off so far this month.

The Phillies and Cards will face off today at 2:00.

Perfection

Jamie Moyer leads Phils to 3-0 victory; is now 9-0 against Florida in career



The Phillies got the kind of performance out of Jamie Moyers last night that you need out of your staff ace normally to stop a losing streak. Cole Hamels did his best to give them that kind of performance on Wednesday night, but the Phillies' offense couldn't muster much of anything. And, oh yeah-Tom Gordon imploded.

But, last night was another story. Jamie Moyer took a no-no into the 6th inning and allowed no runs and just two hits in 8 innings last night.

By the way, enough with the "flirting with a no-hitter" nonsense. You don't "flirt" with a no-hitter unless you go beyond 7 innings. I'm not taking anything away from Moyer, but he didn't flirt with a no-hitter last night. He pitched no-hit ball for a little over half the game.

Brad Lidge did what he always does and sealed the deal in the 9th for his 18th save.

The Phillies' offense still struggled to put up runs in the sultry Miami weather. By the way, did anybody catch Scott Olsen in the 7th inning? He was so soaked from the humidity that sweat was dripping off his hat.

Kind of reminds you of the awful weather we just endured this week.

Jimmy Rollins came out of the witness protection program and had a pair of hits last night. Utley, Burrell, and Feliz also had a pair of hits for the Fightins. All told they had 11 hits, but manufactured just 3 runs. The simple reason, runners left on base-22 to be exact!

As we have often seen the offense will go through some doldrums here and there, but on the most part when the weather heats up the Phillies' bats heat up as well.

Don't worry about the offense. What we need to worry about is the pitching. While the bullpen has been unbelievable; will they continue to be lights out? And, lets face it, Eaton and Myers are inconsistent at best. Hamels, Moyer, and Kendrick are your only reliable options on the staff.

C.C. Sabathia is the guy you'll keep hearing about this summer heading into the firesale season. But, will Brett Myers be enough to get it done? I'm not sure about that. The Indians will surely want prospects included.

We'll have to see about that.

The Phils continue their epic 9-game road trip tonight when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals who have been snake-bitten by injuries. They lost Wainwright and Pujols within the span of two days this week.

Uggla Night

Dan Uggla hits grandslam to sink Phils for 2nd straight loss in Miami



For the second time in a week the Phillies wasted a great start by one of their pitchers. Last week it was Brett Myers, who saw his near no-hitter go up in smoke, only to lose 2-1. And, last night Cole Hamels had a magical night, striking out 13 in 8 innings, allowing just 2 runs, only to lose.

Tom Gordon reverted back to "Trash Gordon" last night by loading up the bases quicker then you can say "oh shit."

And, once Uggla hit that pitch, you knew it was over-boy was it sickening to watch.

Even though the Phillies' offense hardly showed up last night (getting just 4 hits off Andrew Miller) they should not have lost this game.

Both losses to the Marlins were inexecusable really. And, tonight they have a chance to get swept. Just a few days ago we were talking about the Phillies as being a World Series contender. And, maybe they are, but this series has been quite disheartening.

I chalk this series up to the ole road trip hangover/let-down. They were the hottest team in the NL over the past month and played at such a high level night in and night out and then they swept the Braves in Atlanta. Now, it's the proverbial let-down. The team looks sluggish on offense and a bit tired.

And, where the hell has Jimmy Rollins been? Hello! In 43 games he has 5 homers and just 22 RBI. And, in the month of June he has just 8 hits in 38 at-bats. He needs to get it going because he and Utley together make that offense go and Utley can't do it all by himself as good as he is.

-------------------------------------

Conlin a victim of a PC world

In case you haven't heard Bill Conlin was chastised by Comcast Sportsnet for a comment he made yesterday when some knucklehead wrote an email that they read on the air pertaining to the McNabb issue. This knucklehead basically said the media is making a big deal out of the McNabb situation. Some guy named Raul from Vineland, New Jersey wrote in to Daily News Live, and here's his email:

"Are you serious? It was a stupid question. It's tendonitis. Way to go Philly media. You guys do a great job over-analyzing everything."

And, Conlin responded by saying, "Amazing that guy would leave the blueberry harvest to send that off."

So, then Comcast responded after some suits in corporate got scared shitless (politically correct white fright as I refer to it) and made the following statement:

Columnist Bill Conlin made a remark that may have offended some of our viewers. His comments (do) not reflect the views of our network, and Bill issued the following statement: 'The comment was not meant to be controversial and certainly not meant to disparage anyone.' Bill will not be on air, pending further review," anchor Neil Hartman read.

Listen, I'm not racist, but I make jokes and take jokes like pretty much everybody I know regardless of race. You are living in an egg if you get offended by something like that. And, on the flip-side if a black person or hispanic person made a joke about a white person, we wouldn't even be hearing about it today. It's because corporate America is so scared of the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world that they won't even defend a LEGEND like Bill Conlin over a harmless joke like this.

If I were at Comcast Sportsnet I'd have made no response and told whoever was complaining to go watch another channel if they didn't like it because they can get ratings regardless. It's time corporate America grows a set of balls and stop pandering to people who get offended over harmless jokes. Enough already!

Conlin has been suspended from his Daily News Live gig pending an investigation. And, that is a crying shame.

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Myers

Brett Myers suffers another loss after allowing three homeruns



During his past four starts it appeared that Brett Myers had turned the corner. He had a 3.62 ERA and heck-he even had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning in his last start.

Then last night he got lit up once again in the 1st inning as has so often been the case this season (he sports a 12.00 ERA in the first inning). He allowed a lead-off homer to Hanley Ramirez, then a two-run homer to Jorge Cantu. Seriously? This guy was almost out of the league.

Which Brett Myers can we expect moving forward? Here we are about 2 1/2 months into the season and he's 3-8 with a 5.34 ERA. Those are Kyle Abbot numbers, not even numbers that are acceptable for a number 5 pitcher, let alone a top 2 starter.

I am willing to give Myers until the All Star break and if he can't get things together consistently then I say trade him to the Indians for C.C. Sabathia. That would give the Phillies a legit ace to go alongside Hamels, and the Indians are looking to move him because he's about to become a free agent, and they need a closer.

The Phillies still had a chance to win this game despite being put in an early 3-0 hole. Ultimately the came up short losing 5-4 on the first game of their three-game series against The Fish.

Cole Hamels will take the hill tonight and try to knot this series up 1-1 tonight at 7:05.

------------------------------------------

Eagles spinning again

So, unless you've been in a cave you probably heard about McNabb's sore shoulder.

Some more interesting things to note.

One, Andy Reid said he also had this same injury back in 2004.

Buh-what?

McNabb had a picture perfect season in 2004, both health-wise and statistically-wise, so I'm not buying that. He may have had a little trouble, but for Reid to equal this to that, he's fooling no one. McNabb didn't get yanked out of minicamp or offseason OTA's in 2004 for one. And, this whole thing just stinks of another Eagles spin-doctor special.

And, when a reporter asked Andy Reid about McNabb's recent health issues he stormed out of the press conference and called it a bad question. Quite frankly it's offensive to the fans for him to do that. He's basically telling you the fans that you're not worth his time to hear what he has to say about McNabb's health.

It's a legitimate question! McNabb has been hurt pretty much every year of his career since 2002. And, now he has another injury.

The Eagles will tell us not to fret even if rumors abound that he were to need surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. They'd probably deny, deny, deny, up until the day before the surgery.

That's what this organization has become.

Broken Wing?

Could McNabb's bum shoulder mark the beginning of the Kolb era?



The most significant development this offseason-even more so than the Lito Sheppard saga just came to light today.

Donovan McNabb has been diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis and will be held out the rest of this camp, which wraps up on Thursday.

What the Eagles are continually writing off as another "non-issue" is another example of McNabb's body breaking down. I used to be on of the "McNabb fluffers" as they're known on message boards like the only good Eagles message board out there as far as I'm concerned called Igglephans.com. I would defend McNabb to my last breath during any argument. "Oh his ankle was just bad luck." "His bruised sternum was a rough shot because his line wasn't blocking." "His ACL was bad luck."

But, when you break down his injuries here it's apparent he can't stay healthy for a full season any longer:

2002-missed 6 games due to the broken ankle
2003-had a bruised thumb resulting in the worst start of his career over a 6-game stretch
2003 NFC Championship-bruised ribs from the shot he took from Brenson Buckner
2005-bruised sternum and sports hernia
2006-torn ACL
2007-sprained ankle

When you look at his body of injury work (this pun is intended) he's been injured in some fashion 5 out of the past 6 seasons.

Could this mark the beginning of the end for McNabb? It's a legitimate question. This may be just what it is, but when Andy Reid storms out of a press conference like a child because god forbid the reporters ask him to explain his quarterback's injury it looks like another organization cover-up/spin-doctor operation.

In a city starved for a championship like this, it's truly amazing that the Phillies have become Philadelphia's team. It seems so long ago when the Eagles had that 5-year run from 2000-2004.

Kevin Kolb will now work with the starters for the rest of this camp and we can be damn certain this issue will dominate training camp as much if not more than the Lito Sheppard saga-another issue that the Eagles insist is a non-issue, but they couldn't be more full of it.

I am convinced now that this will be McNabb's last season in Philly. After talking to my sources and adding up all the facts and injury history, they're about ready to move on.

And, this chapter of Eagles' history will go down as the most frustrating one we've ever experienced if they don't win the Super Bowl this year. They had two legit shots to win it and failed. This team shouldn't have won just one Superbowl in 2003, but the one in 2005.

But, Andy Reid will just walk on you if you ask him why and take his toy and go home.

Scalped

Phillies complete a sweep of the Braves yesterday



This series was great from the beginning all the way to the final pitch yesterday afternoon.

Before I get to the actual games on the field. Raise your hand if you heard a really annoying fan yesterday at the fan. Seriously, this was the most obnoxious and stupid fan I've yet to hear in my life. Every time the Phillies were up to bat, this idiot (who sounded drunk and retarded) kept yelling in his retarded voice some inaudible nonsense and it was unbearable to listen to while the Phillies' batter were up to bat.

Say what you want about Philadelphia fans, but our fans don't act like drunken retards. And, enough with the tomahawk chant already! Those of you Atlanta fans who do show up for the games it is tired and old. It was old back in 1996, so lose it! It stinks and it's annoying like your drunken cohort yesterday.



Then again this is Georgia we're talking about where it's chock full of bottom feeders and white trash degenerates so I'm not at all shocked by the boorish behavior of these louts.

Ok-back to the domination this weekend. The Phillies have now proven they are head and shoulders above everybody in the NL East. That is-heading into the Florida series of course.

They've done their job against all of their foes and since surpassing the Marlins (after defeating them 2 out of 3) they have not looked back and are 39-26 (their best record at this point since 1995) and have won 4 in a row and 6 of 7 since eclipsing the fish.

The Phillies are laser hot like Shane Victorino's throw to home plate Friday night and the fun has just begun.

So far my co-MVPs of the team are MVP candidates Chase Utley and Brad Lidge. Seriously if Chase Utley doesn't win the MVP then Brad Lidge should win both the Cy Young and MVP award if he keeps up his torrid pace.

The Phils are idle tonight and take on the Marlins in Florida as they continue their current 9-game road trip.

Charlie's In Charge

Charlie Manuel sends message to Rollins and Phillies with benching yesterday



If anybody doubted that Charlie Manuel was the captain of this ship before yesterday, well they can cease with that doubt today.

Yesterday, during the Phillies' 5-0 blanking of the Reds, Jimmy Rollins as you have probably heard lolly gagged while running out a shallow fly out to left field.

And, then Reds shortstop Paul Janish dropped the ball and Ruiz scored, but Rollins was just on first base.

Charlie Manuel wasted little time in teaching Jimmy a lesson by benching him for the rest of the game.

And, Rollins didn't piss and moan either, he understood and said it won't happen again.

"There is no explanation," Rollins said. "I just didn't do it. It happens. Every once in a while the manager gets you. It shouldn't happen. I'm not disappointed in myself. I know better. Just go out there and make sure I don't do it again.

One has to commend Manuel for showing the fortitude to do such a thing to one of his star players. And, Rollins deserves serious credit for taking it like a man and moving on.

Moments like this transform a playoff contender into a World Series contender. Not only does this show all the players that they must hustle and get the job done, but they'll respect Manuel even more than they already do.

Charlie Manuel was ridiculed and maligned for much of his first two seasons in Philly and while he's not the greatest tactician (he still makes moves that make me nearly have a stroke) he is a good major league manager. He has instilled discipline in his players and he knows how to manage egos. More importantly, he is great at finding the right mix of players on the right nights to make it work.

Yesterday was a great day in Phillies history on many levels.

Heart Breaker

Brett Myers loses pitching duel as Phils offense flounders



The Phillies game last night was disheartening on so many levels. For one, Brett Myers was throwing a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings and I'm convinced I jinxed it. Yep, I started texting a few friends and wouldn't you know it a minute later he gave up his first hit.

Added to that, the shutout was blown as well, and the lead because the Phillies couldn't score a single run!

Games like this make you shake you head and wonder why you torture yourself with these teams.

On what was arguably Brett Myers' best start to his career (despite the walks) the Phillies very well could have lost the game even if he went 9 innings without allowing a hit. Imagine how bad that would be?

Suffice it to say they lost the game 2-0 because they managed to muster only a pair of hits against Reds rookie sensation Edinson Volquez, who looks like this years version of Francisco Liriano-the Twins rookie who took the major leagues by storm in 2006.

And, if you refer to my Phillies' scoring chart from May you'll see what the trend has been when they score very little runs.

I would be shocked if the Phillies don't score at least 10 runs today. Heck, I think they'll score 15.

The Phillies had a chance to win this game too, except Chase Utley got hit by a pitch in the front of his foot, which prevented it from going to the wall behind the catcher. And, then of course Ryan Howard came up with bases loaded to fly out to left. At least he didn't strike out though.

I nearly lost my mind when the fans were booing Myers for walking Griffey when the Phillies were down 1-0! Are you kidding me? You cheer for somebody to hit their 600th homerun maybe, MAYBE in a 5-0 game, but that was an absolute disgrace for the fans to boo Myers for walking him especially considering Myers pitched his ass off last night in a loss. However, they redeemed themselves when he left the game and got a round applause and tipped his cap to the crowd.

Cole Hamels takes the hill today at 1:05 against Homer Bailey-yet another top caliber pitching prospect of the Reds.

Lito a No-Show

Lito Sheppard fails to show up for voluntary workouts yesterday



Sure, everybody on the Eagles and the front office may try to make this out to be a not so big deal, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Lito played the good solider during the mandatory minicamp a month ago, but yesterday his absence sent a loud message to the Eagles front office.

Only he and Scott Young (good riddance to him) failed to show up and while this isn't a mandatory workout it tells you something when even Brian Westbrook attends. The players do take this seriously.

The Eagles are caught between a rock and a hard place with this one. If they pay Sheppard more money it will piss off Sheldon Brown and Brian Westbrook. At the same time, is he really worth more money? He has missed 14 games over the past 3 seasons and he's a good player when healthy, but how often is that?

I think it would behoove the Eagles to trade him ASAP because the longer this thing drags out the less value he has. And, before you know it they're faced with a Corey Simon situation where they have to cut him days before camp.

And, to quote a scene from Boogie Nights, "they would look like assholes man!"

This organization was set back years by their piss poor handling of T.O. and they can ill afford to have another player of value walk out of here while getting zero in return.

The Eagles' braintrust can spin doctor all they want about selling us this "three cornerback tandem" but anybody who isn't braindead can see this situation is nothing like the one with Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, and Al Harris simply because Al Harris wasn't brought in as a starter and paid a lot more money than Taylor or Vincent.

Other Eagles news:

Had to love the snippet about newly replaced vice president of personnel Jason Licht.

The Eagles replaced him with Joe Banner's flunkie Howie Roseman, which rings of cronieism at it's worst. For one, Roseman never played football and is a lawyer, and Banner's right hand man (flunkie). He should be making decisions about what players to bring in like Charles Manson should be overseeing child births.

If this is the direction the Eagles are going in (putting capologists in there) then this organization is headed down the drain. They appeased Tom Heckert by signing him to an extension, but you have to be alarmed that a high-level exec with a football background in Licht was replaced by a lawyer.

-----------------------------------

Phillies win another tight one

Don't look now, but Adam Eaton has won two straight games and is resembling a major league pitcher. Hell, he looks like an effective major league pitcher lately!

I'm not holding my breath yet because it's just two starts, but if he keeps pitching like this I'll really have to eat crowe over my Adam Eaton ebay auction I posted just before the season.

All in all the whole pitching staff came up big last night with the bullpen stepping up big and Gordon avoiding disaster in the 8th after allowing a triple to Encaracion (who scored on a sac fly). And, Lidge also avoided disaster, but came through in the 9th to get his 15th save.

Utley continued his red hot hitting, going 2 for 3 with 1 RBI. His homer streak was broken though at five games.

An interesting moment came in the 8th when Griffey pinch hit. He was getting a standing ovation, but during a 3-2 game?

I don't know about cheering for a guy to hit his 600th homer in a one run game. I wouldn't mind seeing him do it in Philly, but not if it's going to cost the Phils a game.

The Phils will take on the Reds again tonight, same time at The Bank. Rookie sensation Edinson Volquez will go up against Brett Myers.

Chase This

Utley once again has huge night, leading Phils to 5-4 win



Message to Chase Utley: it's starting to get old watching you, I mean you're on fire pretty much every night! Just kidding, but there is nothing better than seeing greatness unfold before your very eyes. The Phillies now have on their team the best player in major league baseball.

In the infamous words of former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick, Chase Utley has been "en fuego."



He went 3 for 4 last night with yet another homer, his major league-leading 21st of the year. During his current 8-game hitting streak he is hitting .421(13 for 31) with 7 homers, 19 RBI, and 11 runs scored. And, he currently has a 5-game homerun streak within this 8-game tear. You don't much better than that.

In an era when sports is dominated by 40 times, vertical leaps, energy drinks, steroids, and great athletes, Utley is a pleasant surprise.

He is anything but physically gifted, but has become great through hard work and his story is a testament that you can make it if you put your mind to it, but you had damn sure be ready to put the brutally hard work in.

The Reds were no match for the Phils last night. Sure, they fought back to within a run, but that was all they could muster from the 6th inning on. Durbin, Gordon, and Lidge shut them down in the final 3 2/3 innings, yielding just 2 hits combined.

Brad Lidge just gets the job done.

Lidge had his 14th save and now has a paltry 0.75 ERA.

Samuel Dalembert gets scammed



Looks like Sammy D got schnookered by some scammers up in New York.

Word is they bilked him out of $1 million on an investment in "Speed Racer" merchandise for the movie that left the theaters faster than the cars featured in the movie.

Speed Racer is this year's version of "The Postman" having cost $120 million to make and earning just $40.5 million in the US in 4 weeks.

Looks like Sammy D wasn't the only one who got schnookered.

Gone Fishing

Phillies knock off the Marlins yesterday 7-5 and are in 1st place



Last year it took the Phillies 162 games to get in first place. This year, things are a tad different-just a tad. After 58 games and winning their 3-game series against then-first place Florida the Phils are the lead dog in the NL East with a 33-25 record.

And, they are 8 games over .500 with a team that hasn't had all of their gears working together.

One night it's Howard and Burrell. Another night it's Utley and Rollins, or Utley, Rollins, and Victorino. And, this weekend Myers pitched very well, while Hamels tossed another clunker.

I happened to be down at the game Saturday night with a couple friends of mine and had amazing seats in row 12 behind the dugout. Going into the game we figured we were in for a treat; great seats, Hamels pitching on a Saturday night-well we thought.

Just imagine how good they will be when they get everybody playing well at the same time and Myers and Hamels pitch well together.

And, with a bullpen that comes up big on most occasions you're looking at a very strong team if they get their gears moving in unison.

Suddenly 100 wins doesn't seem so crazy.

The Phils take on the Reds for a 4-game set this week. And, for an interesting subplot Ken Griffey Jr. is just one homerun short of 600 for his career.

How cool would that be to see him hit #600 in Philly? I'd like to see that, just as long as the Phils win of course.

-----------------------------------

Eagles interested in Taylor?

According to GCobb.com and Profootballtalk.com the buzz is that the Bucs, Saints, Eagles, Cowboys, and Chargers are all interested in soon to be traded defensive end Jason Taylor.

Personally I wouldn't give up more than a third for him because he might have one more really good season and I'd be reluctant to do that.

Of course my reasoning is based around the "go to philly and fail" theory. See Jevon Kearse, Danny Tartabull, Derrick Coleman, Freddy Garcia, and so many more are my reasoning behind that.

Look, I'd love for them to go for all this year, but Taylor is no spring chicken and he already has one foot out of the NFL and seems more interested in his acting career than anything else.

If they can get him for a third and sign him to a 2 or 3 year deal then I'm cool with that. Anything more than that and they're playing with fire.