Another Meltdown

Phillies' bullpen collapses in the 8th inning once again



If there's one thing our Philadelphia teams are good at, it's choking. We've seen it in all shapes and forms and in every year over the past 25 years.

The Eagles have reinvented the art of choking in playoff games. The Sixers rarely get there anymore, but when they do they simply stink it up. The Flyers have been to the brink on countless occasions only to run out of gas or choke. And, the Phillies...well when they have their big games during the regular season (since they made the playoffs just twice in 25 years) they remind us what a kick in the gut it is to be a Philly fan sometimes.

This is why I decided to reserve judgment on them until after this Chicago series this weekend. Sure, they had a 5-game winning streak and the win against the Mets on Tuesday night was magical, but the fact remains they are a very inconsistent team. They are capable of coming back one night and just as capable of laying an egg the next night, or looking great four nights in a row, then stinking it up the next three.

You get the idea. They are just not that good of a team despite what their record states. They have talent, which is capable of producing a 90-win (or better team) but they don't have the heart of last year's team.

There was no doubt in my mind that Durbin was going to give up a grandslam last night after Ryan Madson buried them with 2 runners on base with no outs and allowing a homerun. And, from the tone of Harry Kalas and Wheeler after Aramis Ramirez's grandslam, they didn't seem upset. And, neither was I. I'm sure I'm not alone.

Neither was Shane Victorino, who just looked over his shoulder when Durbin's pitch got launched like a shoulder to air missile to center field. He must have surely been disgusted.

If I were Cole Hamels, I'd demand to be traded from this team if the ownership doesn't get their asses in gear and put the cuffs on the front office every single season when the team obviously needs help at the trade deadline or afterward. No, Matt Stairs is not the answer!

And, why Ryan Madson is still being brought into games in clutch situations is beyond me. He's a batting practice machine out there when the game is on the line. He absolutely sucks in any other role other than mop-up duty.



Sure, it sucks to see them lose like this, but don't you feel almost used to it by now?

This is what 25 years of losing does to many people who are either in my age range (25-30) or even people who are in high school and in college. You are so used to the disappointment that you become desensitized to it.

So, why was last night any shock? Going into this series I felt the Phillies would at best split this series. Now, I am almost certain they'll get swept.

They have walked into a buzz saw in Chicago, just like last year when they faced the Rockies in the playoffs. The Cubs are the hottest team in baseball and boast the best record at home, while the Philies are a little over .500 on the road and just not that great of a team.

Sure, the St. Louis Cardinals, like the Phillies weren't that great of a team either as they stumbled down the stretch in 2006. And, they got unbelievably hot and rode the wave. The same went for the White Sox who were great all season in 2005, stumbled down the stretch, then caught fire. But, come on, this is Philadelphia we're talking about here. Those types of things don't happen to our teams.

Joe Blanton takes on Rich Harden tonight at 8:00.

Disaster Strikes

Phillies lose the game on disastrous 8th inning



For nearly 8 innings the Phillies had this game in the bag last night. They were about to steal a game they should not have won going into it.

Santana vs. Kendrick-looks like an easy win for the Mutts you say. Right?

Well, the Phils actually carried a 3-2 lead into the 8th inning, but saw that lead vanish and turn into a 6-3 defeat within the matter of a few pitches. Brad Lidge, who has been amazing this season came into the game in the 8th in a non-save situation, which is anathema to a reliever. And, he promptly blew the lead by giving up 2 runs on the heels of Rudy Seanez's clunker of a relief appearance (blowing the lead in giving up 2 runs).

The bullpen has been a stalwart for the Phillies this year, but last night they did their best Mets imitation and gave the Mets a 1/2 game lead over the Phils for first place.

And, I keep asking myself why in the hell was Delgado pitched to? Why? He's a Phillies killer and should've been walked on that at-bat when he belted it out of the park.

This will be a dogfight, but with the Mets' issues it will keep the Phillies in it until the end.

I hate to sound like a pessimist after the Phillies' just rang off 5 wins in a row and won 8 of 9 games, but with last night's disastrous performance in the clutch and a 4-game series with the best team in baseball looming it could get ugly this weekend.

Figure this, the Cubs have a .721 winning percentage at home, good for the best home record in baseball at 49-19. The Phillies have a 34-31 record on the road.

The Cubs have their four best pitchers going up against the Phillies' 1-4, but with how the offense has played lately the Phils could get swept this weekend.

It will be a brutal series and four-game series' at this stage of the season are very hard to win, especially on the road.

Cole Hamels takes the hill tonight against Ryan Dempster at 8:05.

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Dr. Z is on crack

In his annual NFL preview, Dr. Z is picking the Eagles to go to the Super Bowl.

Either he's high or he's desperate to stir people up so they talk about his prognostications.

Nobody in their right mind would pick this Eagles team to even make it to the NFC Championship. I'm stick of hearing about the Giants analogy. They got lucky, plain and simple.

Teams in Philadelphia never get lucky. And, we've seen this script play itself out before. Do you really think Andy Reid and McNabb are going to get it done together? I can see the end of this regime coming.

9 years and nothing to show for and their team is worse than it was in 2000 before they made the climb up.

Who will rush the passer besides Trent Cole?

Who will catch the ball aside from DeSean Jackson and Westbrook?

These are legit questions and why the Eagles aren't a Super Bowl team. Hell, they don't have a Super Bowl defense to cover up for their dearth of playmakers on offense.

First...Again

Phillies reclaim first place with dramatic win in 13 innings



"Here we go again", could be heard in unison throughout the Delaware Valley last night when the Phillies got down 7-0 early on in the game.

Jamie Moyer had his shortest (worst) outing as a Phillie and the offense was nowhere to be found. They were once again choking in a big game.

While many of us were this close to turning off the TV at that point, we couldn't bring ourselves to do it. Not after what we've seen out of this team in the past.

Despite their struggles in the middle part of the season this year we've seen them come back and do some crazy things. Turns out it couldn't have come at a better time last night as they outlasted the Mets 8-7 in 13 innings.

Jimmy Rollins continued his awakening from a coma with a 5 for 7 night. And, Chris Coste, the hero had 4 hits in 4 at-bats off the bench!

Ryan Howard contributed to the comeback despite going just 1 for 6; he's now below the .230 mark.

Seems like on nights like this it's just going to amount to a win no matter what. Everything Charlie Manuel did worked to perfection and the Phillies capitalized on the Mets' atrocious bullpen, which have now blown 22 saves on the season.

That right there could bury the Mets. Don't count them out yet because Santana takes the hill tonight against Kendrick and the Phils have four tough games against the Cubs this weekend, but they have won 8 of their last 9 games and are riding a 5-game winning streak.

They will go at it again tonight at 7:05.

SWEEEP!!!!!!!!!!!

Phillies complete the 4-game sweep of the Dodgers



This was the weekend of redemption for the Phillies and they delivered in a big way.

After hitting rock bottom two weeks ago and getting swept by LA in 4 games for the first time in 60 years they made it Even-Stephen with this sweep of the Dodgers.

Jimmy Rollins got a taste of what it's like to be cheered as he nearly hit for the cycle last night in going 3 for 3 and reaching base all five times. After his heroics of last night, he still has a long way to go before we forgive him for his ridiculous comments, but it's nice to see him get off the schnide.

One player who has been off the schnide is Brett Myers, who had another great start, going 7 innings and giving up ZERO runs. He has now gone two straight starts and 14 innings without surrendering a run.

The next six games could very well make or break the Phillies' season. They face the Mets tonight and tomorrow. And, then they go out to Chi-town to face the Cubs for a 4-game set.

The pitching match-up favors the Phillies tonight. Jamie Moyer goes up against Pedro Martinez tonight. Tomorrow night they had better hope Kendrick has a quality start, because Santana is on the hill and he's been on fire of late.

And, in the Cubs series the match-ups go like this:

Game one: Hamels vs. Dempster
Game two: Blanton vs. Harden
Game three: Myers vs. Lily
Game four: Moyer vs. Zambrano

The only game where they're overmatched is in game two. I even think Moyer can keep them in the game against Zambrano.

Game one of the quickie series against the Mets starts tonight at 7:05 at The Bank.

Redeem Team

Phillies redeem themselves with 3-game sweep of Dodgers



Here we go again. The Phillies are sucking us back in once again.

Another September is upon us and they're 11 games above .500 and they've redeemed themselves by sweeping the Dodgers in 3 games this week, one week after getting shellacked by the Dodgers in L.A.

Earlier yesterday the "Redeem Team" won gold in the Olympics over Spain. Philadelphia's version of The Redeem Team finally woke up on offense and found a way to win the game last night after falling behind, tying it and then Feliz won it in the 11th.

What does this all mean? Not sure yet. We've seen the Phillies play well for spurts during the past two months, but then they faltered again.

It is certainly encouraging to see their offense really come alive for once when Hamels pitched on Saturday.

They have now won three straight series', but two of those series wins came against bottom feeders in San Diego and Washington, and they didn't exactly look great against either of them.

The bottom line is they are winners of 7 of their past 9 games and with three straight series wins, it's their best stretch in that regard in two months.

We'll have a much better picture of what kind of team this is after they play the Mets twice this week and the Cubs for a brutal 4-game stretch over the weekend.

They have to get the Mets while they're down because now John Maine is gone for the season and with Billy Wagner on the fritz, this division is right for the taking.

The Phils take on the Dodgers once again tonight at 7:05.

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Getting the job done

On Friday night the Eagles' special teams was the big story, with a kick-off and punt return in the same game.

Not only did this team not have a punt return for a TD last year, but they failed to get a kick-off return TD as well.

That's pretty pathetic. And, while this was "just a preseason game", the third game does give you a pretty good read on what sort of team it is.

I'm hesitant to say the Eagles are anything more than a 10-game winner right now. Their defensive end rotation looks shoddy at best. You're talking about Trent Cole and a bunch of pedestrian players being plugged in on the opposite side of him. And, while D Jack looks like a star in the making, let's remember that Andy Reid is Larry Brown's answer to rookies in football; he dislikes playing them a whole lot.

Friday night should make you more optimistic though. McNabb looked sharp and got the job done against a Patriots defense that looks older than a beat up pair of Chuck Taylor's.

Botched

Phillies can't complete the sweep of the Nats



Poor hitting and fundamentals will kill a team usually. Except even if you have those two things fall into place even a good team can beat a team like the Nats who are 44-83.

But, the Phillies managed to screw this one up last night thanks in part to Jimmy Rollins' botched play in the 7th.

Sure, they won the series with two wins out of three games, but they should not have lost this game last night.

Ryan Madson blew a 3-2 lead and instead of the Phillies having a 3-game winning streak, they instead have another disgusting loss under their belts. And, it really hurts to lose to a team that had a 12-game losing streak.

Let's face it, they're not going to have a magical run this year. And, they certainly won't win the division.

A shake up is needed for this team because we've been through it with this group of players and they can't get it done.

Ryan Howard got his ten million and is too lazy to become a great defensive player and unwilling to change his approach to hitting. That type of play is what has marred this franchise this year.

And, if Jimmy Rollins doesn't put the team first, then maybe they should consider moving him as well.

The Dodgers come to town tonight. Kyle Kendrick will be on the hill against Greg Maddux, who will make his debut tonight for the Dodgers.

Standing Pat?

What will the Eagles do now that Curtis is out?



The $50,000 question today has to be, what will the Eagles do next?

Well if you listen to Howard Eskin, who is the mouthpiece for the Eagles, then they probably aren't doing much.

They look at the Curtis injury as a one-month injury and anybody they'd be bringing in, would be a stop-gap option.

If they truly believe that their problem is as simple as that then we're in for a very long season.

The wheels are falling off the Eagles van and we're still two weeks away from the kick-off of the NFL season.

Victor Abiamiri may or may not play this year. Chris Clemons, the Joe Banner bluelight free agent special gets hurt if a mosquito lands on his arm. The special teams are a trainwreck. Reggie Brown is banged up. Curtis is out until at least the end of September.

I don't mean to sound totally negative, but I'm a realist. During this offseason I had this team pegged to win 10 or 11 games, possibly more if they have a stellar defense. I just don't see how their defensive ends will contribute. They're trying to sell us on Jerome McDougale coming back from the dead and finally contributing. He got drafted in 2003! That was during George Bush's first presidency! And, the five years of McDougale's career have seemed longer than Bush's entire presidency.

And, if that isn't bad enough the Eagles are trying to sell us on Darren Howard, their free agent bust that they signed in 2006.

What are the positives on this team? Well, McNabb is healthy, fighting for his NFL life and playing not just for his future in Philly, but potentially auditioning for his next team. Brian Westbrook is an elite back. The defensive backfield, while laden with drama is probably the best one in the game. The linebacking crew with Gocong, Gaither, and Bradley is among one of the most athletically gifted young groups in the league. Bunkley and Patterson are stud interior lineman and Cole is a pro bowler. But, you can't dismiss the fact that they have pedestrian defensive ends aside from him.

What does this all translate to right now? It's hard to say. This team could surprise everybody and win 11 games. Or, we could be in store for a very long season if Banner, Reid, et al. don't take a long, hard look at what they really need and that's a difference maker on offense.

It would behoove them to call the Cardinals ASAP and get Boldin.

Or, maybe they think they're just fine. After all, that resulted in one playoff visit in the past three seasons with that line of thinking.

A New Low

Phillies ownership covers up the boos in the first inning



Last night the Phillies may have won the game 5-4, but for those of us who watched on TV, we were the losers.

And, the Phillies owners wouldn't have had it any other way.

What you witnessed is indicative of what Communist China would do in terms of the cover up.

During the first inning last night when Rollins stepped to the plate, during the broadcast on Comcast Sports Net, it was decided by somebody to play a pre-game interview of Rollins over top of the fan reaction as he stepped to the plate.

This was timed perfectly and was about as disgusting a move you'll ever see out of this cowardly ownership group.

The reason why anybody watched this game last night was to see what the reaction of the crowd was going to be like when Rollins stepped to the plate in the first inning.

Not that the ownership group advertised this game as any sort of event, but it's just another example of this ownership sticking their heads in the sand like ostriches when controversy ensues. But, this transcended the lowest of the lows by even this ownership's standards.

I compare the Phillies ownership group (David Montgomery) to a dictator that is holding a beloved franchise hostage. I spoke to one of my friends in the media about this and he believes the broadcast team at Comcast made the decision to cover up the boos, but I disagree. They were ordered to cover it up because it's the Phillies' broadcast! The PHILLIES did the interview with Jimmy Rollins before the game and it was a cunning rouse on their part.

After this display I say enough is enough and we the fans should run this ownership out of ground like in an old-time movie when people are chased out of a town as rocks are being thrown at their caravan as it heads out of dodge.

There's no place for dictators in professional sports and that's all David Montgomery amounts to.

Rollins Returns

Rollins makes his first appearance in front of Philadelphia fans tonight



What should we expect when Rollins plays for the first time in Philadelphia after making that foolish comment last week?

Chances are it will be a mixed reaction. You WON'T see a unanimous chorus of boos. That is certain. And, here's why.

There are Philadelphia fans that feel that Rollins' comments were warranted. They'll tell you that Philly fans really are brutally harsh on the players and they got what's coming to them.

And, there are some who feel that in this day and age of vanilla comments from players it's refreshing to see a player speak his mind and if fans are going to let players have it, then the door should swing both ways.

Finally, there are people who think his comments are completely off-base and while he's got a right to speak his mind, what he said was absolutely foolish and he should be ripped for it. I'm in that group of people.

It's completely (expletive deleted) stupid to call Philadelphia fans front-runners. Colorado Rockies fans are front-runners. They hide in the sewer when their team sucks and when their team starts winning, then they come out in droves.

Front-runners don't support their teams when the times are tough. And, the times have been tough for the Phillies over the past two months, but guess what-they are still selling out The Bank on many nights and packing the stadium with 35,000-40,000 fans on a consistent basis.

This town wants a winner and Jimmy Rollins is the last person who should be running his mouth when he's had a horrible year by his standards.

If he wants to rip anybody, it should be himself for a shoddy overall performance this season. And, he should be ripping himself for being a "ME" player this season on many occasions, often times showing up late before games and not hustling all of the time.

What really annoys me is the fact that Rollins' team mates are silent during all of this and the front office and management have head their heads in the sand like a flock of ostriches.

You know why? Because ultimately the players probably agree with Rollins and the front office abhors trying to approach anything controversial, so they just ignore it.

Here's to you Phillies fans, let Rollins have it tonight. The door swings both ways.

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Sixers make Iggy deal official

And, the Billy King award goes to Ed Stefanski for caving into Iguodala and his agent.

Why in the world would they pay Iguodala almost as much money as they paid to Elton Brand?

Earlier this summer the Sixers signed Brand (the top free agent out there) to a 5-year $82 million deal.

This week, they signed Iguodala-a career 13 PPG shooting guard to a ridiculous 6-year $80 million deal, which averages out to $16 million per season.

Can you say pissing money away?

Moves like this are what got the Sixers into the mess they were in. Now, they had better hope that Iguodala can do more than dunk and become at least a great defensive player.

This deal is nearly as bad as the max contract that the Magic signed Rashard Lewis to last offseason.

If I were Stefanski, I would have called Iguodala's bluff and allowed him to become a free agent next offseason. When a player like Josh Smith gets $52 million over 5 years-who has a much higher celing than Iguodala you really have to scratch your head over a contract like this.

A Win At Last

Phillies win a game for Hamels for first time in 6 weeks



Had it not been for Pat Burrell's heroics last night, the Phillies' offense would have screwed up another great start by Cole Hamels.

It's time that we throw the towel in on the "they can't possibly be this bad" theory on the offense. Yes they can be this bad. They are this bad.

They just wrapped up a series against the second-worst team in baseball and managed just 6 runs of offense in three games. The Padres are hardly a juggernaut in the pitching department. They sport the 16th ranked staff in the majors and actually trail the Phillies in team pitching (they are ranked 11th). You can thank the Padres' 28th worst offense for this gift this weekend.

And, it was a gift because the Phillies certainly didn't do much to win this series. In their two wins they had three measly runs and nearly spoiled great starts by both Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels. Their 5th starter (and yes he's nothing more than a 5) Kyle Kendrick had about as awful a week as you'll ever see out of any of their pitchers. He threw batting practice on Saturday night to a bottom-feeding offense and buried the team deeper than if they were a sunken submarine entrenched in the far depths of The Mariana Trench.

The Phillies' offense is still ranked 11th, but it's really because of their output over the first two months of the season. Forget about the runs they've scored overall; they have a .252 team batting average. That's good for 25th out of 30 teams. This team flat out cannot hit and they strike out more times than a military junta tortures civilians.

That is the reason why their season will go down in flames as we head into the final six weeks of play. It's not because of the pitching staff because Hamels, Moyer, Blanton, and Myers are getting it done right now and when they go 6-7 innings they'll take the weight off the bullpen. I'm ready to write Kyle Kendrick off as a 5-starter that you won't know what you'll get, but that's most teams.

We know what they'll get out of this garbage of an offense and it's a low on-base percentage, lots of strikeouts, and more stranded runners than Cheesecake Factory has...well you know what I'm saying.

Jackson Shines

DeSean Jackson one of the loan bright spots in the first half



While the Eagles won this game last night, let's face it, what really counted was who played in the first half and they were hideous.

You can spin this however you want and say there was a 58-minute rain delay and that the players were playing in torrential rain. Greg Lewis didn't let that ball go through his hands (that even a mediocre receiver should catch) because of the poor conditions.

It went through his hands because he's a poor player.

McNabb stunk. Westbrook stunk. The line stunk.

The defense was OK, but consider this; they were playing the low-rent Carolina Panthers, whom should be one of the NFC's worst teams this year. And, they faced this Panthers team without Steve Smith on the field.

Sure, Kevin Kolb may have looked like a million bucks, but it was against scrubs.

The star of last night was DeSean Jackson. He had 7 catches for 71 yards and showed that fearlessness that the other receivers not named Curtis clearly lack.

You will get acquainted with Mr. Jackson on special teams this year, but after this season expect to see him emerge as the #1 WR this team doesn't have at this point.

The problem is this team doesn't have a #1 this year. If last night is any indication they're going to need a top 5 defense in order to be any kind of threat to the Cowboys this season, because the Cowboys are the class of the NFC.

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The Phillies get sweep

What else can I say about this team that hasn't been said? It's getting old now and I write basically the same thing over and over again, that everybody else is writing over and over again.

Game after game.

Day after day.

Week after week.

The offense can't produce runs when they get quality pitching and conversely when their pitching blows, the offense doesn't show up.

Jimmy Rollins is a headcase that's the "new TO" and talking his way out of town. The lockerroom is imploding and so it this team's chances for the postseason.

Forget about this team making the postseason. It's not happening unless some divine gift from the Gods in the form of injuries to Santana, Hanley Ramirez, and the other key players to the Mets and Marlins occurs.

I expected them to lose three out of four to the Dodgers, but even this motley crew has exceeded my expectations for how bad they can perform. Now, I'm not sure they can win more than one game against the Padres.

They'll head there tonight. Fortunately for them they don't face Jake Peavy. Then again, they can barely hit against even bottom feeder pitchers anymore.

Jimmy Says FU

Jimmy Rollins says Philly fans are front-runners



Unless you've been on your dream vacation to a resort in the far east or on a Honeymoon in the Mediterraneon, you've probably heard about Jimmy Rollins' idiotic comment on the Best Damn Sports Show.

To review, Jimmy Rollins said that Philadelphia fans are "front-runners" and they'll support the team when they win and get down on them when they lose.

Sorry Jimmy, but that's not the definition of a front-runner. A front-runner is someone who was a 49ers fan in the 80's, then a Cowboys fans in the 90's, and a Patriots fan today.

Front-runners jump from team to team and if they do happen to get interested in just Philly teams, then they "get interested" when they're on a playoff run. See the bottom-feeding Florida and Colorado Rockies fans for proof of that.

Philadelphia fans will be totally behind players when they play hard and do the right things, but when they're dogging it or taking the proverbial dump, then they get on them. That's not front-running; that's being a passionate fan.

And, Jimmy Rollins then mentioned how Ryan Howard is from St. Louis and that they always support their teams.

WRONG.

St. Louis Cardinals fans might be the biggest sheep I've ever seen in my life. They just sit there in unison like a bunch of sheep and refuse to boo even when their team gets blown out by the Phillies 20-2 like back in June. If you remember that game they just sat their and took it like a guy in a dunking booth. St. Louis fans are a joke compared to Philadelphia fans.

This is rather disturbing because it goes to show you that athletes like Jimmy Rollins are so childish that they can't even deal with being criticized in the form of booing when they play mediocre baseball, which Rollins has been pretty much the entire season.

Jimmy Rollins basically said FU to the Philadelphia fans and I've lost just about all respect for him.

Maybe it's a plow to write his ticket out of town. Maybe he just always felt that way and it's coming out because his season has gone way down hill.

Jimmy doesn't care and many of us don't care if you're with the team much longer.

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The Sixers are on crack

There are about 80 million reasons why I think Ed Stefanski was hitting the crack pipe this week.

Come on, 80 million dollars for Andre Iguodala? You've gotta be kidding me. During his past two seasons he's averaged 19 points a game, but plays the shooting guard position like a tweener. He's good for some dunks and highlight reels, but ultimately will kill the team with his shooting.

I think the team should have traded him and gone after a player like Michael Redd. The Sixers are a shooter away from becoming a real contender in the east and they can certainly do that without Andre Iguodala.

This is the sort of crap that got Billy King into the boat he was in. Billy King was the equivalent of a middle income person in over their head deep in credit card debt. He signed scrubs like Kenny Thomas to large contracts and took in big-money players like Glenn Robinson, Keith Van Horn, and Chris Webber and destroyed the team by hanging onto Allen Iverson and his enormous contract for far too long.

Sixers Looking For a Big Man; Maybe Ratliff?

It's no secret that the Sixers are looking to add a big man after Jason Smith suffered a torn ACL in Summer League action earlier in the week. The big surprise is one of the names that is surfacing. Former Sixer, and relative fan favorite, Theo Ratliff. The Sixers have not come out and said they are interested in Ratliff, however, Ratliff has made it know that he would love a return to the city of brotherly love.

What do you think?

So Bad

Phillies waste another excellent start by Hamels



Normally you won't see Cole Hamels' name along with So Taguchi's in the same sentence. They may be on the same team, but they are in completely different stratospheres.

Hamels is one of the game's five best pitchers right now. He's in that class with Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, C.C. Sabathia, and John Lackey. So Taguchi on the other hand is a bottom feeder and an absolute waste of a roster spot.

Why he's on this team is beyond me.

I said it going into this road trip and will say it again. The Phillies will lose three out of four to the Dodgers and possibly get swept. And, they'll win two out of three in San Diego only because they're not facing Jake Peavy.

I have zero confidence in this Phillies team. We're in mid-August and they don't have that ability to constantly find ways to win like they did last year. Last summer they would have found a way to win this game last night. And, they sure as hell didn't have a bum like So Taguchi with a spaghetti arm trying to throw somebody out in the ninth innings.

Right now, the Marlins are the team I'm expecting to win the division.

With yet another offensive stinker last night, Hamels ranks 51st out of 60 pitchers in run support with just over 4 runs a game in support.

Major changes should be in order in this offseason and one of them includes acquiring an offensive catcher and offensive third baseman. They shouldn't stop there though. Signing Mark Texeira as a free agent should be in order and trading Ryan Howard to an AL team for top-notch pitching would go a long ways to making this team a true contender.

Until they do these things expect more of the slop you've been seeing the past two months.

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Is he or isn't he signed?

ESPN is saying that Andre Iguodala and the Sixers are close to inking a 6-year $80 million deal, but the team is mum on it.

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Brodrick Bunkley's house gets robbed and his arsenal is stolen

Sometime between the beginning of training camp and this Saturday, the home of Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley was broken into.

Looks like he had a pretty heavy arsenal from what they're saying. Two Desert Eagle .50-caliber handguns, an Armalite rifle, a custom-made .223-caliber rifle, a .45-caliber Glock handgun and ammunition for all of the weapons were stolen.

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Shawn Andrews in hiding?

Apparently the Eagles are keeping Shawn Andrews out of the spotlight. There have been no sightings of him at Lehigh despite the team's claims that he's up there.

Shelled

Kyle Kendrick gets lit up in 8-6 loss



The Phillies were getting great pitching out of their staff in the past five games, despite splitting their past four games including the two straight shutouts.

They gave up 10 combined runs over that five-game span and Kyle Kendrick had three straight quality starts heading into last night.

So much for streaks and trends. He got absolutely shelled last night, giving up 7 runs and 9 hits in just 3 1/3 innings of work. It was a career-worst start for him in terms of most runs in the least amount of innings in any of his starts.

It was a game of catch-up for the Phils from that point and they came up short in an 8-6 defeat to the Dodgers, who's offense was anything but a world beater this season, that is before Manny got there.

Since Manny Ramirez switched coasts, he's hitting nearly .500 with four homers and 13 RBI.

Cole Hamels will put the Phils on his back today and try to get them back in the W column. He'll take on rookie Clayton Kershaw at 10:10 PM.

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Here's what's doing in Eagles Nation...

McNabb flip-flops on the whole TO saga from two years ago. Now he says he wishes he would have stayed. My, my, my how our opinions flip-flop.

Shawn Andrews is finally in camp, but he's not participating in any drills yet.

Andy Reid is in no rush to get him into a preseason game though.

According to G Cobb the Eagles are working harder than ever on red zone drills. Seems like that offensive futility within the 20's got into Big Red's head.

Now that the Eagles have released Kimo Von Olhoffen, Dan Klecko could very well make the Eagles' opening day roster.

And, looks like Winston Justice is going to be yet another high draft pick who turns out to be a bust for the Eagles in the realm of such greats as Matt McCoy, Quentin Caver, Bobby Williams, and Jerome McDougle.

He's no longer viewed as their future left tackle and if anything will be just a back-up. King Dunlap, their 7th round pick this year is getting a lot of work at left tackle and the team is really high on him.

Bouncing Back?

Phillies take two straight from Pirates to win the series



Brett Myers had arguably his best start of the season on Saturday night and did something you never do in sports; show up your coach.

In a season where you have your reigning MVP questioning the authority of the manager and then this display on Saturday night it doesn't bode well for the structure inside the clubhouse.

The bottom line is these things can be masked when a team is winning and the Phillies rebounded with a pair of wins over the weekend after a horrific 23 inning drought which saw them get shut out for two straight games, for the first time since 1999.

The Phillies head to the west coast to take on the Dodgers and Padres, two teams they should do well against. The Dodgers' pitching staff isn't anything special and they won't have to face Peavy in San Diego.

These west coast trips are never easy and the next seven days will tell us a lot about this Phillies team. It seemed that they would break out of this two-month long slump many times and then go back to losing three in a row after winning four straight.

After the rebound this weekend they very well could win six of seven or dare I say it implode. Nothing is out of the question at this point.

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Eagles Camp Report

I took in training camp yesterday and was lucky enough to score some VIP passes. Nothing beats being right in the middle of the action during camp.

A few things I noticed. Hank Baskett and L.J. Smith were catching just about everything thrown to them and looked like they were being utilized in downfield drills.

Now, how that translates into the regular season is all speculation. Word is that Baskett will be used a lot in the red zone this year, particularly on fade routes. McNabb never really threw a fade before because he's not a touch passer, but they have made a concerted effort to get that down.

And, L.J. Smith looked like a million bucks out there-or five million if you count his salary. He looks like a completely different player this year and maybe this will be the year he breaks out.

The major thing we saw yesterday is Asante Samuel's return to the practice field for the first time. They were busting his chops before he stepped onto the field, but he took it in stride. And, Lito Sheppard looked like Deoin Sanders out there in one-on-one drills.

Rock Bottom

Phillies go 23 innings without a run in second straight shutout at home



For the second game in a row the Phillies have been shut out at home.

It's now a crisis. This marks the first time since 1999 that they've been shut out in two straight games.

1999. They didn't even manage to pull off a feat like this during the Bowa era.

Our good ole friend Les Walrond did it again, by giving up the only two runs of the game and earning the Phillies a loss.

While Walrond shouldn't deserve most of the blame because this offense is an absolute abomination, he shouldn't be in the majors either, and is a consequence of the mindset of this organization.

If the Phillies had an effective Minor League scouting system like say the Marlins then you wouldn't see a Les Walrond being thrown to the wolves in the heat of a pennant race. Added to that, the ownership wouldn't be forced to skimp on salaries of pitchers and bench players if they could constantly bring in new, young talent.

With that said, this team is in a tailspin. They may be in first place, but it's only because the teams behind them are mediocre. The Phillies are not a good team right now. And, you can point to a few reasons. One of them is Jimmy Rollins. Another is Aaron Rowand.

Rollins isn't playing at 60% of the level he was at last year. Also, I can't fault them for not signing Rowand to that ridiculous $12 million annual salary, but it should have never gotten that far. He should have been extended back in 2006.

End of story.

Utley and Howard deserve much of the blame too. They have overall good numbers, but they are chronically inconsistent and put up numbers in bunches. And, when your best players do that, you see erratic play or in the case of the past two days, you witness some brutal baseball.

Brett Myers will take on Ian Snell tonight at 7:05.

Westbrook and Birds Agree On New Deal; Sixers Smith Tears ACL

Ain't this the life of a Philly fan? Finally, the Birds agree to give Brian Westbrook a new deal, it's supposidly worth an extra 13 Million in BWest's pocket. Awesome right? Then word comes in that the Sixers promising young big man Jason Smith has torn his ACL at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

First off, the particulars of the Westbrook deal are not in yet, according to many sources the deal was about 80% done last night and the Eagles shored up the loose heads this morning. Like I said before many are speculating that the deal will pay Westbrook around 13 Million dollars more. It's a great job by the Birds, sort of swallowing their pride here, getting the deal done. So now everyones happy, except for Lito, but you all know how that stories going to end, we just don't know when.





As for Jason Smith, according to reports he planted his foot down to go up for a lay up and thats how it happened, a "freak thing," is what the Sixers are calling it. It's presumed that Smith will be out most of the next campaign, however the Sixers would not speculate on a timetable. The Sixers also said they were going for a second opinion sometime this week.

No Support

Phillies' offense plays disappearing act once again with Hamels on the mound



Cole Hamels must cringe when he watches the offense from the dugout during his starts.

Look at these pathetic numbers:

3-0
3-2
2-0
3-2
1-0

These were all losses in low-run games when he's given up 3 or less runs, and two of those losses came in his past four starts.

It's a chronic pattern with this team when he pitches. It seems when they get in close low-scoring games with him on the hill the offense just disappears. Kyle Kendrick on the other hand seems to always get run support.

There's no rhyme or reason for it, but maybe the offense does "take the day off" when he's pitching a good game.

Chronically complacent is how I'd describe the entire organization and the team. Howard Eskin brought up a great point about the game notes that the organization provides to the media following games. Whenever they have a sellout that is the first thing they point out in their game notes. That is not by accident; someone in that front office is putting that out there. And, it is proof that the ownership and front office are concerned with selling tickets and selling food.

Look at the marketing campaigns this team has. They show people stuffing their faces and players hitting homeruns. It's indicative of why this team is stuck in the pattern they're in.

If they're hitting homeruns in bunches then they're great. But, when they swing for the fences and miss like they have done for the most part in the past two months they flat out suck.

That falls on Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff. The hitters on this team are too talented to be striking out in bunches and leaving 15-20 runners on base almost every day and night.

For guys like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Shane Victorino to come up with four measly hits in a key game of the season is offensive.

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Eagles kick off the preaseason tonight

There is one player I care to evaluate in tonight's matchup against the Eagles and it's DeSean Jackson.

Word is he's catching on strong and has a chance to not only make his mark on the return game, but on offense as well.

The Eagles' second round pick in the draft has that rare game-changing ability that is the difference between a short gain and six points. He has sub 4.30 speed and can leap and catch with the best of them. When he develops, think Steve Smith. That's if Andy Reid and his crack team of coaches can let him do his thing and develop him right.

Phillies Rebound

Phillies bounce back to defeat Marlins 5-0



Monday and Tuesday were a textbook case of how chronically inconsistent the Phillies are.

On Monday they played arguably one of their worst games of the season in an 8-2 loss that should have been an 8-0 thrashing. Nothing went right that game except for a hand-me homerun call the ump gave to Shane Victorino.

Last night, was a totally different story. And, it came down to pitching. Kyle Kendrick was masterful, pitching 6 shutout innings and the offense showed up.

It seems like the offense usually shows up when Kyle Kendrick pitches. In his first 42 starts in the majors he has a 20-9 record. Compare that to Cole Hamels who had a 20-12 record in his first 42 major league starts. And, Kendrick clearly isn't a Cole Hamels; he's a quality #3/4 starter, but he keeps the team in games and they seem to answer the call when he's on the hill.

The Phillies are 16-7 on the year in Kendrick's starts so it tells you something. Maybe the offensive players feel a sense of urgency when he's up there as opposed to Hamels when they feel like they can take the night off. Whatever the reason, Kendrick just wins.

In the rubber match today at 1:05 Cole Hamels will take on Chris Volstad today, who has been lights out since being called up. Hamels on the other hand has been lit up in two straight starts.

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Lurie does it again

It took a few days for some controversy to come out of Jeffrey Lurie's state of the team address, but Lito Sheppard is pissed.

Lurie tried to use a stat called "YPA" when discussing Lito's situation and said that hopefully his (Lito's) YPA will improve this year. Basically it's an unofficial stat used to gague a defensive back's yards given up on average anytime a player catches a ball while covered by him. It's a stat that nobody uses except stat geeks.

Lito Sheppard fired back by saying, that if he has to dig that deep to find something bad to say about him, then that says a lot about Sheppard.

This is yet another reason why the Eagles front office is the least popular in town. They try to act smarter than they are. They nickel and dime the players, the fans, and spin anything and everything they can think of.

I still think Lito Sheppard should be traded and not get a new deal, but Jeffrey Lurie should not make comments like, especially stupid comments when he pulls out some obscure stat.

It just makes him look like a fool, or as Al Morganti appropriately stated, "a pompous ass" on The Morning Show when he equated the real meaning of "YPA" to "you pompous ass."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Disgusting Loss

Jamie Moyer loses first game against Marlins in all-around ugly game



Question: What do you get when Jamie Moyer pitches poorly against a team he's mastered his entire career, you get nearly zero output out of your offense, and poor bullpen decision are made?

Answer: You get the slop we witnessed last night.

This Phillies game was embarrassing last night. Sure, I sound like the guy who gets on them as soon as they lose, but there were some really disturbing things about last night's game.

First, who the hell is Les Walrond and why in the world is he pitching in the bullpen for a team in the middle of a pennant race?

Also, why in the blue hell was J.A. Happ recalled over a week ago, sitting on the bench the whole time, then thrown to the wolves for mop-up duty last night?

Way to develop the kid's confidence.

With the way the Phillies played last night you'd think that they bet against their team to lose. It was almost as if they were trying to lose this game. Their offense was offensive-which seems to be more of a norm these days then not, their decisions were horrible, and some bum named Walrond shows up in relief of Moyer and you scratch your head wondering if Arthur Rhodes was back.

Just an all-around embarrassing game. The Phillies should have done everything they could have to landed Brian Fuentes or somebody like Ron Mahay from the Royals. I don't fall in love with names like a lot of people do, but the bottom line is you can't be putting career minor leaguers in pressure situations during a friggin' pennant race. Furthermore, if they think Freddy Garcia is any kind of answer then they are fooling themselves, because they sure as hell aren't going to fool us.

Had it not been for a miss-call by the umps they would have been shut out again last night. Shane Victorino's homerun clearly went to the left of the foul pole, but at the time they made it a ballgame and made it a 4-2 game.

Last night's game was about as ugly of a loss as you'll see all season. Hopefully they follow it up with a rebound tonight.

Kyle Kendrick will go up against Annibal Sanchez tonight at 7:05.

Getting Help

Andrews admits that he has been coping with depression and is getting help



Yesterday, Shawn Andrews finally spoke about what has been keeping him out of camp.

Since the team has been so silent on this, it's hard to say why Andrews was unexcused. Many speculate that the team reached out to him and he refused the help thus pinning this on him.

Regardless, depression is no joke. We all know someone who's had it, if we ourselves haven't experienced it.

"The consequences are what they are. I'm willing to accept them," Andrews said. "Football is important, it's a means to an end, but my mental health, I feel like, is a lot more important . . . It is a ton of money, but, at this time, I don't feel like I can put a price tag on my mental state."

Brian Dawkins chimed in and admitted that he dealt with depression as well early on in his career.

Andrews said he has read some of the fans' comments about why he's been absent and he was taken aback. The one rumor that circled out there was that he's gay and dealing with that. It's completely unsubstantiated and another example of how something that is total BS can be attached to anybody in a public position-and it's not a good thing.

Andrews and his agent are unlikely to protest the $15,000/day in fines being levied by the Eagles. Andrews just wants to get into camp as soon as possible.

There is no timetable on his return, but Andrews is expected to meet with a psychiatrist in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Not Pretty But Effective

Phillies top the Cards 5-4 behind Victorino and scary save by Lidge



Once again the Phillies' offense was stymied last night-to the tune of just four hits and one run in the first seven innings.

Then, that Fightin' Phils switch got turned on, the one that we saw so often last summer when they had an unbelievable number of comeback victories.

Shane Victorino answered the call with a 3-run shot in the 8th to give them a 5-3 lead. And, then things got dicey in the 8th and 9th.

Raise your hand if you thought Ryan Ludwick would seal their doom when he stepped to bat with bases loaded. Ryan Madson hasn't been exactly very effective, but when he got Ludwick to hit into a double play suddenly it seemed this was the Phillies' night.

The drama didn't stop there though. Brad Lidge did his best Mitch Williams impression by loading them up only to seal the game in the 9th.

This was a series that the Phillies could have very well been swept in, but they found ways to win the past two games. And, Brett Myers once again looked like the effective starting pitcher that we have seen before-circa 2005 and 2006. He went 6 innings, gave up just 2 runs, while walking none. He only struck out three batters but the key stat is his 64-46, as in his strikes to balls ratio.

Looks like the time down on the Pig Farm has helped Myers out tremendously.

The Phils are idle tonight and will take on the Marlins tomorrow night in South Philly.

The Answer?

Joe Blanton looks the part of an ace in 7 strong innings



For seven innings last night, Joe Blanton provided the Phillies with their biggest need; a dominant pitching performance.

In seven innings last night, he allowed just one run-a homerun to Ryan Ludwick. Otherwise, he was virtually unhittable, at one point striking out five straight batters, walking two, and allowing just 4 hits.

One night after Cole Hamels got lit up again, the Phillies needed a great pitching performance in the worst way. When you have your ace go down in flames it puts tremendous pressure on the other four starters simply because everybody on the team knows you have to wait five days for the ace's turn in the rotation again.

Blanton answered the call and stepped up.

Once again the offense was patently offensive. They failed to muster any sort of effort and had it not been for a pair of solo homers, they would have been dead in the water.

The rubber match will take place on ESPN at 8:00. Brett Myers will go up against Todd Wellemyer.

5 Straight

Phillies earn a sweep over the Nationals with 8-4 victory



Ok, it's just the Nats. We know they're a bottom feeder and barely pass as a major league team.

I texted a good friend of mine last night after the sweep and he responded by saying, "Should this even count in the standings?"

Of course it should. You play who you play in major league baseball. The good teams are supposed to beat the bottom feeders. This is what separates the cream from the crumbs.

Never the less, it's nice to see the offense waking up. They had another big night last night and this could be the beginning of something good. I need to see more though.

Last night Chase Utley and the Phils went up against the pitcher who nearly ended Utley's season last year, with that pitch that broke his finger. I'm talking about John Lannan.

And, things got a little dicey in the latter innings after Kendrick hit a couple of batters when Nationals reliever Jesus Colome plunked Utley in the side with a pitch.

Both sides were warned about it. Charlie Manuel thinks Colome intentionally hit Utley, but refused to say whether they would retaliate against the Nats the next time they play.

The Phils take on the Cardinals tonight in St. Louis at 8:15. Cole Hamels takes the hill against Kyle Lohse.

The Randy Moss award goes to the Phillies this week

The Phillies win this week's Randy Moss award for being close, but not getting it done. Or, so they tell us. I don't even think they tried to make a trade, just like I don't think the Eagles really tried to get Randy Moss-hence the name of the award.

Pat Gillick says they "almost" got a left-handed reliever.

"We got agreement from one club, and they were trying to get agreement on players from the other club," Gillick said before last night's game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Don't you love how the Eagles and Phillies try, but can't get it done? Or, as I said-so they tell us.

It's nearly as sickening as ESPN's minute-by-minute obsession with Brett Favre. Now, they're updating us on his text messages. Next, they'll tell us when he's going to take a dump.

Enough already!