People leaving the awful Phillies loss last night got a pretty damn good consolation prize in the form of the first dominant power forward to enter Philly since Charles Barkley left in the early 90's.
Elton Brand has verbally agreed to sign with the Sixers for 5 years and 80 million big ones.
Word is that Brand was dining with the Sixers' brass last night in Center City, and they'll make it official today.
What can I say that hasn't been said already? He fills several needs for the Sixers and also gives fans a real reason to come to the games again-to see a superstar surrounded by quality players.
And, now the Sixers instantly become contenders in the East. This move alone makes them a 50-win team, which makes them the 2nd or 3rd best team in the East behind Boston.
Next up, acquiring a shooter. Could this mean that Iguodala gets shipped in a sign and trade deal? Don't be shocked to see him go to the West coast. The Sixers reportedly contacted Corey Maggette and I'm sure the Clippers will want to pair somebody with Baron Davis now just to give fans some reason for hope. I'm all for an Iguodala for Maggette swap.
Let's be real here. Iguodala is a small forward in a shooting guard's body. He's an athlete and the Sixers have plenty of those. They need a pure shooting guard. If they acquire one then look out, they'll be competing with Boston.
As far as Brand's healed achilles goes; don't sweat it too much. His doctor said all systems are a go.
The cynic in me says this is Chris Webber all over again. But, the optimist in me says you can't go anywhere in sports without taking a certain amount of risk.
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Phillies offense silenced again
This is getting old at this point. Mitch Williams thinks they're in a funk. I think it's more like a coma with brief interupptions of motion.
Cole Hamels did his best Jim Abbott (circa 1992) impression by pitching his ass off and getting nothing to show for it.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/abbotji01.shtml
He gave up a couple of solo shots, but other than those two mistakes pitched brilliantly. And, the offense looked as lost as a toddler in the King of Prussia mall during Christmas Eve.
Carlos Ruin once again took a dump, this time in the 2nd inning when he grounded into an inning-ending double play. Angelo Cataldi and Rhea Hughes couldn't say it any better with regards to Ruiz, by calling him a "Rally Serial Killer." I was glad to see Charlie Manuel listen to my advice and bench Ruiz in the 7th and replace him with Coste though. Great move.
Too bad the offense couldn't mount any sort of attack.
In terms of improvements they can make, Rich Harden just got shipped to the Cubs for a bunch of garbage. Sean Gallagher is the only borderline prospect that Oakland got in return and he's mediocre at best.
That leaves the Phillies with Option's C and D, A.J. Burnett or Roy Oswalt. There's no doubt Burnett has had his injury woes, but he's better than anybody on their staff not named Cole Hamels and a quality #2 starter.
And, Oswalt has a lingering hip issue, but you're not going to find any pitchers on the market without some issue. Sabathia was the only one who is healthy, but at almost 300 pounds he's bound to have health problems. And, Harden hasn't pitched a complete season in...forever.
While we're all clamoring for a new pitcher to plug in this rotation let's not forget that this lineup needs a kick in the ass. And, a trade is necessary. So Taguchi should be sent packing. Carlos Ruiz should be sent to single A ball. And, Geoff Jenkins should be traded for anything-hell I bet they couldn't even get a rosin bag with bird dropping stains on it for him.
Just when we thought the Phillies were out of their funk they have reeled us back in to the maddening nightly world of test your patience as much as possible without shooting out your TV set.
Now that Hamels' start has been wasted, there's no telling what to expect out of the Phils for the rest of this series. The Cardinals, despite missing their top two starters are a damn good team.
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