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From an injury standpoint, this spring has gone about as well as the Phillies could have hoped (except for Roy Halladay getting crushed on Tuesday by the Tigers). After a disastrous 2012, optimism has begun to regenerate throughout the Delaware Valley and beyond, with a handful of national baseball pundits adjusting their previously underwhelming expectations for this team accordingly. The key word there is some.
Perhaps by now you've read Jonah Keri's scathing take on the Phillies from Grantland.com – titled "Blow Up the Phillies!" – which from a timing standpoint, almost seems like an intentional attempt at pouring cold water over the collective hopes of Phillies faithful. Keri takes a big-picture look at the Phillies, but his question basically boils down to the following:
"Four months from now, if Philly appears on its way to another mediocre season, should the team cash in their biggest trade chips for younger players who could help build a winning team for 2014 and beyond?"
Keri's answer to that question is an emphatic yes – so much so that he implies that, in Ruben Amaro Jr.'s shoes, he would even consider moving the non-expiring contracts of Jimmy Rollins and Cliff Lee in addition to Halladay and Chase Utley, who will be free agents after this season.
Essentially, should the Phillies disappoint, Keri is advocating a July fire sale – not a retool, but a rebuild, citing the age of the team's core and a dearth of near-ready prospects as the reasons why. Using historical examples, he says any other decision could be catastrophic for the competitive future of the team. In doing so, Keri is undoubtedly a little harsh on the Phils. But is he wrong? The answer, as usual, is a little complicated.
While Keri doesn't mention it, it is important to note the Phillies have already shown that they won't hesitate to cash in their trade chips when a season's outlook is gloomy. Last year the team moved Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton once it realized the playoffs were an improbability.
But a fire sale is a whole different animal, especially in a baseball-crazed market like Philadelphia in which the home team is on the brink of a television deal that should boost their payroll for the foreseeable future. If July rolls around and the Phillies are floundering 10 games below .500, they should absolutely look to cash in their trade chips, as Keri suggests, but they need to be strategic in doing so.
With names like Utley, Halladay and Carlos Ruiz in the final years of their contract, cutting ties with those organizational mainstays will be particularly painful. But it might be necessary. If it becomes clear this current roster won't cut it from a performance standpoint, the Phillies need to carefully identify the veterans that are part of the future and sell the rest, regardless of sentimentality or name power.
That is where Keri's logic is questionable. A fire sale, from a public relations standpoint, would undoubtedly be a disaster with the fan base, particularly with the television deal looming. The Red Sox did it last year – moving Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford – but that clubhouse situation was as toxic as any in recent memory. The Phillies situation is a little different.
Players like Jimmy Rollins and Cliff Lee are still performing at levels that justify their contracts. Assuming the health and production we're seeing from Ryan Howard this spring proves real, he is also still a valuable centerpiece, albeit overpaid. If 2013 goes wrong, and the Phillies sell the right pieces, they can supplement their existing veterans with an infusion of young talent and go into free agency with money to spend.
The result could very well be a competitive future in the near-term. But most important, it would be a competitive future that doesn't involve devastating a fan base that still desperately seeks a follow-up performance to 2008. Keri is correct in pointing out that the path the Phillies took to get here is similar to that of many successful teams with financial resources at their disposal (a path which ESPN's Jayson Stark recently advocated). But using the same logic, there is also a path suitable for those types of teams to retool their roster after the previous regime falls short. The fire sale that Keri calls for is not it.
73 Comments
We'll see how well the pitching does without Chooch in April, then decide if he's part of the cut group.
Everyone says that 30+ is too old, Schmidt won MVP at 36. Even those in mid 30's are/can be productive and win. This team I see as better than last years.
Even if they fail, blowing up the roster is not the proper answer. They still can contend for the next few years with this core roster.
The problem is that they don't just have one or two aging players – a large portion of the roster is in their declining stage. Just objectively look at the numbers and try putting the warm & fuzzy memories of 2008 out of your mind for a second. Saying they can contend "for the next few years" is being very optimistic to say the least – especially with no farm prospects on the horizon to supplement the roster.
Almost EVERYTHING would need to go right for them to contend this season. As we've already seen with Halladay, it's rare to go through a season with no major issues. This looks like a very expensive .500 team right now.
We will have quite a lot of money to spend in the 2014 preseason: at least $50MM. We can make a splash next year if needed based on this season's outcome and the older players can produce for at least another year or two (75% confidence).
Needs in 2014: 2B, OF, 3B, two starters, back-up catcher, and relief pitching.
2B – most likely Galvis & a free-agent…. possibly Utley (1-yr. $11MM) if no DH/IF AL-deal
3B – Asche most likely ($150k)
OF – Brown (arb1), Revere (arb1), Mayberry (arb1), Ruf (~$500k), Gilles, Collier
Starters: Cloyd, Pettibone, and Morgan… possibly re-signing Halladay (1-yr, $15MM) or Lannan (1-yr, $5MM)
Catcher: Valle or Joseph, possibly a free-agent
Relief: internal options at ~$150k for rookies; ~$500k for sophomores; Bastardo gets ~$2.5MM; $6MM for Adams; $12.5MM for Pap, and Durbin has an affordable mutual option if we need him.
So the splash will most likely be a 2B, OF, and/ or a starter.
High-paid veterans are, as a rule, paid for past accomplishment in baseball (and other sports, but baseball lives at the forefront). That's a an economic reality that does indeed force the hand of trading for youth – but it's not time to overreact. The staples of this club are all young enough to have peak years, albeit no too many more of them – it's not like Halladay is a twilight case. Pitchers have a period about halfway through the spring schedule of arm fatigue (you'll hear the term "dead arm" incessantly over the next 3 weeks) which is a normal part of building arm strength early in the baseball calendar. If Roy is 2-7 with an ERA around 5.50 come June, and is getting his strikes clubbed all over south Philly, then a conversation needs to be had, and he'll be the first one to have it.
There are challenges – granted I'd love to see this club have the youth and energy of Kansas City just coming up and in to its own perhaps – but every MLB roster has questions and gaps. I'm maintaining a strong sense of optimism for 2013, and it will be time to respond if this club is dragging itself to the All-Star break. Remember the record this club had over the LAST 6 weeks of the 2012 season – which is much more important than the 18 weeks prior to that, given the injuries and roster churn.
Everyone seems to think the Phils are ancient; they aren't, and have lately edged toward getting younger. The current outfield has Revere and Brown. Galvis' bat seems to be improving. The bullpen is mostly young. The farm system is not entirely devoid of talent, and some of it, like Valle, Joseph, or Asche might be ready sooner than everyone seems to think.
Then there's this: if the current team falters, it'll be mostly because the vets have completely tanked or gotten injured. You don't get much for a bad-kneed 2nd baseman in the final year of his contract, nor do you get much for a starter with no velocity left, also in his final year. And you'd have to eat too much money to move Lee or Howard. Tearing down the house isn't the answer.
That certainly is an optimistic evaluation oof the present Phillies, but realistically the 1st baseman is coming off major surgery and his best years are behind him. The second baseman will never perform the way he has previously, plus his injuries are not behind him. The shortstop will be prone to injuries also and will not hit better than .260. The third baseman is one year away from retirement. We already see the downslide for Roy. Yes, the outfield is young but very inexperienced. Hamels and Lee are the only saving graces to salvage a fair season. Ruben Amaro has had this team on a downslide since he took over.
The second baseman and shortstop were arguably the best double play combo in baseball last year on a game for game basis. And the "prone to injuries" shortstop has played at least 137 games in all but one season, and has average 149 for the last two.
The first baseman has been fairly consistent relative to the league since the start of the 2008 season, except for 2012 when he came back from injury too early.
Further aging and decline will certainly come, but I don't know that we've seen so much yet.
whitey01, you say the outfield is inexperienced as if that's a bad thing. Then you indicate that the infield is too old, hinting that it should be replaced. Sorry to have to tell you this, but trading Howard, Utley, Rollins, and Young for prospects would mean you'd also have an inexperienced infield.
It's also something of a contradiction when you say that Amaro has had the team on a downslide, but then say the only saving graces are Hamels and Lee. I believe it was that very Amaro who signed Lee and also that same Amaro who made dead certain that Hamels didn't hit free agency.
You will get no reality from this bunch.
I agree. Even if the Phils falter this year, there does not seem to be much value in a total demolition of the roster as opposed to trying to re-load. "Blowing it up" would involve dealing Lee, who will be nearly impossible to replace, and Howard, who is overpaid, but should still be productive and would only return value if the Phils pay a boatload of the money still owed to him. They can trade Chooch, Chase and Halladay for whatever they'll fetch and spend to replace them next off-season. The only player who is signed for 2014 that they might possibly trade is J-Roll, but that would only happen if (a) they're out of it by July 31, (b) J-Roll puts together a good four months and teams are interested in acquiring him and (c) the Phils are convinced Galvis can be a full-time SS.
Why would anyone allow Ruben Amaro to restructure this team? if re-structuring is what we must do Amaro must be part of the re-structuring.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, this organization has turned the corner and, with a new TV deal in the near future, poised to stay at or near the top revenue/salaried clubs like the Yanks, Red Sox, Dodgers, & Angels! A Marlins type fire-sale would be damaging especially to the fan base that now embraces this team and wants to spend quality time at CBP! Do we really want to be like the Astros, Marlins, Twins, Royals, or Pirates who constantly lose their stars to free agency and financially have to restructure every couple of years? Or do we want to mold young players like Joseph, Asche, & Galvis while continuing to woo free agents like Young, Adams, Papelbon, Halladay, Lee, etc? As someone who had to live through the lean years of the late 80's through the early '00's, I'll take the latter!!
…how exactly have they "turned a corner?" Or are you just talking in terms of salary/financial concerns? Because there is no way anyone can look at the moves of this past offseason and breathe easy, knowing that this team is better in terms of on-field talent.
Also holy smokes do you seriously think that Mike Adams went "wow, the Phillies have a lot of young mediocre prospects! I better sign with them post-haste!" Yeesh, talk about delusional. Young only signed here because no-one else wanted an anti-semitic, overhyped DH. Young and Paps got paid like crazy, Lee and Halladay signed because they thought they could win with the current team (which were accurate assessments 2 years ago).
A firesale doesn't preclude decades in the wilderness like the Pirates, Astros or Royals have gone through. Between Hamels, Rollins (overpaid though he is), Utley (who I would re-sign with the oodles of money this team has) and Brown, there's enough talent on this team to contend very quickly, especially given the vast financial reserves this team has and the strong FA market next year. By 2014 they could probably field a better team than 2013 just by selling and signing.
"Utley (who I would re-sign with the oodles of money this team has"
Do you have an opinion on how much and length?
Just spitballin' here, but I doubt he takes anything less than 3 years guaranteed, probably around 16-18mil range
Publius: I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess that you wouldn't re-sign Utley if his knees go out entirely.
Even if they only prove problematic, I question whether he'd be worth $16-18 M/3 years.
It would not be a "Marlins type fire sale". The Marlins dumped expensive players who were statistically considered to still be in their prime seasons. The Phillies would be trading players who are statistically in their decline seasons, and in many cases at the end of their contracts. If the Phillies are out of contention at the trade deadline again, I think the best thing to do would be move Utley and Ruiz to contenders and try to beef up the farm system. There's a shelf life to the 2008 nucleus and I think we're pretty close to the expiration date.
I don't think anyone would compare a Phils firesale to a Marlins one. No ownership group in its right mind pulls the kind of crap Loria does.
But selling off even a crew of aging vets would be a firesale of sorts. It would change the makeup of the team drastically, and probably alienate some casual fans (the frontrunners and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately types). This is the crux of both the Keri article and of Alex lee's careful analysis of it: Phils management faces a complicated choice.
In 2014 Utley will be a 35 year old second baseman with a history of knee problems, Ruiz will be a 35 year old catcher (the sport's most grueling position), and Halladay will be a 37 year old starting pitcher with years of wear and tear on his right arm. I don't think the decisions on their futures is all that complicated. At some point you just need to move on.
Let's just see how they do this year before we decide whether or not to "move on."
I've never advocated trading anyone right now. However, if they're not in contention at the trade deadline (a very real possibility), it becomes a much different scenario. At that point, if you can get a decent prospect for a 35 year old catcher or second baseman, why wouldn't you do it? Holding on to guys for sentimental reasons is absolutely the worst thing they can do.
The biggest issue I have with this article is saying J-Roll is performing up to his contract. I would agree if leading the majors in infield fly outs is performing up to his contract. The Phillies severely overpaid for him. No other team was going to give J-Roll more than 2 years. The Phillies were bidding against themselves.
Overall, Rollins was one of the best shortstops in baseball last year and more than earned his contract. Some people get hung up on his popups, but If you combine his popups and strikeouts, they're still less than most shortstops (and most leadoff hitters).
Dude had a 98 OPS+ and a .322 wOBA (8th among SS). That's not "one of the best". That's "average" and not worth $12mil
Defense and base running counts too.
Rollins had the 2nd highest fWAR among all MLB shortstops, behind only Ian Desmond. That certainly does make him one of the best.
Defensive WAR measures are terrible, and I say this as a huge WAR advocate. We can't simply look at those and declare Rollins elite because of one-year defensive WAR measures.
I didn't call him elite defensively, and neither do the defensive measures, which were in-line with his measures for previous years. But he does a lot of things very well for a shortstop, and for you put it all together for 2012 he was one of the 2-3 best shortstops in the game overall.
and _when_ you put it all together…
Couple points in this article evoke a gimme a break type reaction..
First of all, this is not time to be thinking of a fire sale. There's zero wrong with Jonah Keri saying IF the Phils "disappoint", a rather general term, he sequentially would thinnk in fire term sales. There's more than adequate time to PRACTICALLY consider that even as late as late June, a full month before the trade deadline.
Additionally, there's a very misguided basis of thought in here about the pity the poor Philadelphia Phillie fan. It seems clearly suggested that the emotional core of the Phillies fan base would be beyond destroyed with a fire sale. Puhleeze. It's not like a team meandering at a sub .500 pace, eons out of the two card would endear the public. It might inspire those that love to overreact on blogs and talk radio, but that's life in the public figure game.
Also, regarding this quote from the article…
"With names like Utley, Halladay and Carlos Ruiz in the final years of their contract, cutting ties with those organizational mainstays will be particularly painful"….
it don't get much more clear cut visible that this is an attempt at a logic process with an abundance of emotion. Phillie fans have survived personnel turnover for many years, and know the realities of life that will always work that way. And mentioning Doc and Chooch in the same sentence as Utley in this regard is void of thought. Blessed as we've been to watch Doc in a Phillie uni, and it's been great, he's only been here 4 years now. Chooch is a very nice player, and everybody likes him, but it's not like he's an alltime Phillie hero. Chase, on the other hand, is a lifelong Phillie, and a centerpiece that took the club into a great era. Chase's imminent departure will be sad, but even that will be gotten over in the short term.
If a fire sale is right, it'll become obvious. That it won't is besides the point, I guess. But even if my having expressed that opinion proves wrong, it's apparency might actually make for interesting times. In the meantime, Cliff versus Pettitte tonight, which is more than enough to look forward to, with Doc's next start Sunday as icing. Tra la la, let's live for today.
The game is glorious at any age and to watch great players, even as they age, is a privilege. Stop whining about what might be and enjoy what is.
Halladay will be a top starter again, Chase will be back and Howard will be The Big Piece. Their thirties slump was inevitable and there is nothing in their makeup, both physical and psychological, that portends a continued mediocrity once they adjust to age induced problems
Although this is not perfectly analogous, I experienced an "old at 32" slump while playing (don't laugh) softball. I led my league in batting the year previous to the slump and tied for outfield assists. The year of the slump, I went through a divorce and the demands of my money job increased. I came to games tired both physically and emotionally. I didn't have the resilience of youth to count on and little injuries nagged and further sapped my joy in the game. That year, what previously cleared the fence dropped into the left fielder's glove and my throws were offline and without authority. I had a very bad year.
The next year I had no more bad marriage, the job was in a more lenient contract and i paid more attention to my overall fitness over the winter. I had a very good year playing the game. My arm came back and throws were snapping again. Although i never again led the league in hitting for average I was driving the ball.
I was among the top five centerfielders in fielding and hitting in two of the next five years and my team won three league titles in that time. The Phillies will play and the sun will shine.
So if I'm reading this post correctly, the logical argument you're making is that Halladay, Utley and Howard will be fine because you had one good softball season at 33.
Ok then.
Your smarm aside, my point is that athletes playing at a high level have skills that will recover., although perhaps not to previous levels. My example was meant as "as above so below." Everyone, with the possible exception of Pubes, goes through this and I was reminding that there is no need to jump off of a bridge when a burp happens. Although, Pubes, you can do as you see fit.
Rollins is not overpaid.
What is your problem, Chuck?
Keith told us "The Phillies severely overpaid for him. No other team was going to give J-Roll more than 2 years. The Phillies were bidding against themselves."
Here you have a guy who obviously had to be a fly on the wall in all negotiations Jimmy's agent had with any club, is gracious enough to break the news of the results to us, and you offer an opinion, versus what is presented as indisputable fact.
My, oh my.. Let's work on that reading ability.
When you are exposed to facts, and can't learn from it, and we both know we've had plenty of recent opportunity to do that on this site, it is a sad day.
Yeah, well…we all know just what a pompous ass Keith Law is. Hell, even Mr. Pubes (below) admits "probably not by much".
Aaaannnnd….. I just realized, Mr. Bland, that you were NOT referring to Keith Law, but rather Keith the commentor when he said at 11:35 AM:
"The biggest issue I have with this article is saying J-Roll is performing up to his contract. I would agree if leading the majors in infield fly outs is performing up to his contract. The Phillies severely overpaid for him. No other team was going to give J-Roll more than 2 years. The Phillies were bidding against themselves"
To which I would add again (and it's been agreed on by both Publius and schmenkman)…..Jimmy Rollins is NOT being overpaid.
Mr bad for assuming that.
A confused PhilliesNation idiot (maybe even the Village Idiot),
Chuck A
Chuck A= village idiot? not hardly; more like phillies nation idiot!!!
Probably not by much, given the scarcity of his position, but these next 2 years could be scary if his swing slows down any or if his alarming trend of infield popups continue apace.
Has it actually been a trend, or are the popups a one year anomoly? I don't recall any complaints about Rollins' popups until 2012.
I'll have to see if his swing actually does slow down or if he continues the "alarming trend," or stops stealing bases, or loses most his range these next two years before I'll ever make such a brash statement that he's overpaid.
It's actually a pretty fair statement, and the word alarming is not out of place.
Here is Jimmy's year by year infield fly ball percentage for his seasons in the bgs since 02.
02 – 12
03 – 10.3
04 – 10.3
05 – 9.9
06 – 9.7
08 – 11.8
09 – 13.7
10 – 10
12 – 19.0
Those numbers from Fangraphs.
It should be noted that Jimmy hit a popup in a WBC game I saw a couple pitches of the other night, so his infield flyball percentage for 2013 is already in positive territoey. That's called a firesale red flag, I guess.
Rollins' popup rate has always been at about the league average, until 2012 when it almost doubled. Remains to be seen if it's a trend or a blip.
There IS such a thing as an off year, but when a full season that involves doubling from 10-20 per cent as a possible blip rather than trend, that's really pushing it.
And for what it's worth, and it does really look bad startistically, in 2012, Jimmy's infield fly percentage broke down this way…
With nobody on, he hit 16.1% infied fly outs.
With men on base, it was 22%.
With 'em loaded, he hit fly balls on the infield 26.7% of the time.
Surely this is not the sort of numbers from which Charlie has said he likes Jimmy in certain places in the order because he can drive runs in.
In 2011, Jimmy's results were 9.2% with none on, or men on base, and just under 15% with the sacks full.
Regarding Jimmy "more than earning his contract," that's debatable. It's true, if that word is applicable in stating an opinion, that his overall (season long) numbers were good, and certainly justification of an 11 mil a year payment. That limit, I believe is more fair than kind.
And there aren't many seasons by many players that are a model of year long consistency, but his more often than not poor April, as the lnieup was more dependent on him with Howard and Utley out was up there on the list of reasons the team got out to a 9-14 start that it never recovered from.
These are not reasons to think Rollins should be part of a possible fire sale, which a few cool heads have realized it's either ridiculous or just chatter to discuss in mid March, and by no coincidence, 1 day after a poor performance by one of it's maximum key players.
Rather, they are reasons to realize how this game of inches works. The difference between the 10 and 20 per cent popups, on 500 at bats is a whopping 50 at bats. If, in a new season, once again under new batting coaches, and the burn of last year's frustration fresh in mind, Jimmy can get his rate down to 15 per cent, that's 25 extra at bats that might result in base hits. or at least ground balls that more challenge a defense and represent better possibility of advancing runners..
If he does that, he'd be off to a good start to more than justifying year 2 iof his deal. But until then, he only deserves the optimism that the future tense carries. And it's fair to look at his 2012 popup increase as a source of concern until he alters this trend, not blip.
I fail to see where your numbers indicate a trend. Discounting 2012, for the most part they're all right around 10% with the exceptions of a few years (2002, 2008, 2009) which averaged an "alarming" 12.5%. None of those years occurred in the two years prior to 2012. A trend is something that happens over a period of time, not something that happens every once in a while. I think your stats indicate "anomoly," not "trend."
I validated the word "alarming", and categorized the statement as fair, so it's fair to call me on it. But I didn't validate trend. What I did so was definitely lean toward the word trend as opposed to Schenkman's insertion of the word blip. But as I said, there IS suvh a thing as an off year.
Whatever you wanna cal it, anomoly, trend, blip, it ain't good, especially the men on ratios, which I will readily admit might not constitute many at bats (no idea) in the overall scheme.. But it was 50 hard to imagine productive at bats last year that we'll look for a good deal of improvement on. I'm sure all of us lean in that direction on that angle of it.
Ken, just to clarify something, those %s are the % of balls hit in the air which are infield popups (I got the impression you thought they were the % of plate appearances or balls in play). For example, last year 41.6% of the balls he put in play were hit in the air, and 19.0% of that 41.6% were popups, for a total of 42 popups on the year.
Regarding your % of popups in various situations, these are the actual numbers we're talking about:
with men on base: 16 popups over the course of the season, of which 11 came with runners in scoring position
And when you were in there looking at the splits, I'm surprised you didn't also notice this in Rollins' stats:
.261/.343/.489 (.832 OPS) with men on base
.277/.364/.545 (.908 OPS) with runners in scoring position
So, yes, hopefully he can reduce from 42 popups back down to more like his usual 20-25 (which again is the league average rate of 10% of balls in the air).
True, I measured it against overall plate appearances.
And that was nice sarcasm, saying you're surprised I didn't catch the overall lines with men on base when you know darned well I was just looking at the popups, the whole popups, and nothing but the popups.
I have spent a lifetime trying to convince people I am not as dumb as I look.
I'll leave it to your newly discovered sarcasm expertise to figure if that's sarcastic or not.
Here's to fewer popups no matter what.
Huh? That was not sarcasm. That was giving you the benefit of the doubt.
then you were way, way to kind. I really did just look at the fly ball stuff, and obviously didn't understand how the stats derived.
I find all of this amusing on the subject of "July Fire sale" taking place here in the month of March. (chuckles)
I found Keri's piece rather annoying in it's spoutings of "that happen, too," because what he is really saying is "that happens if you're GM is a bonehead like Amaro." His entire way of expressing himself seems to be a with backhanded approach: being harsh and critical of one thing by pointing it out as if it's universal. It's a dishonest approach and I, don't like it.
I'd take more stock in Keri's analysis if he just came right out and said what he appears to mean; that the Phils are in trouble. Then I'd expect him to back it up with honest assessments, with statistics, of just who happens to be past their expiration dates, just how much could be gotten in trade, and just who to rebuild around. I also would take more stock if he was more realistic about what could be obtained for a possibly washed up starter in his final contract year, a 2nd baseman with a degenerative knee issue, or a shortstop, who, if he's really slipped, might have to have HIS contract eaten.
I think obviously if the Phillies have an April-May-June like last year, and you can get some value for some of these guys the FO will look into into it and not be affraid of what the fans think and make some deals. There is a problem with that and that is if they are playing that bad where you want to deal some of these guys, there will not be value out there for them because they are playing bad and their decline would be more evident. I doubt there will be a lot of need for Chooch since he will be suspended for the first 25 games.
On Doc, is a 75% of Doc in his prime a decent #3 pitcher, I say yes. If you do not expect him to be the Ace he was three years ago and he pitches 30-32 starts and is 15-9 with a sub 4 ERA all be it a slighly over paid #3 is that really that bad. I think this is a better team offensivly then last year with Micheal Young and a more Healthy Howard and Utley actually playing spring training and not showing any signs of knee problems. I do not hold ST numbers either good or bad to mean much, but Revere has impressed me at the plate, I thought he would be of a slap swing hitter, like Pierre, but he really has a nice swing, and think outsided the power numbers can put up better numbers then Vic both OB and BA.
I also have done a very scientific simulation of this up comming season, and the numbers look good, Rollins .268 12 HR 65 RBIs Howard .356 67HR 145 RBIs, Utley .380 61 HRs 130 RBIs Revere got Hurt so JMJ played most of the season and hit .275 18 HRs and best Ruf hits .354 35 HR 98 RBIs. Pitching had all five starters in the top 7 Cy Young Canidates, even KK with a 323 ERA and is 17-10 Cole 23-6 .237 ERA and Lannon 15-9 with a 325 ERA. So I am not worried
In case some of you do not get Sacrasim, these are actually numbers from my MLB2K 2012 vidio game. I am a really good pitcher in that game, and do not use bull pen that much, Cole had 11 complete games and 7 shut outs, Lee 10 CG and 4 shut outs, I think alll my pitchers would be hurt by August in real life, I think they all had over 250 innings or there about, do not believe in pitch counts just like Nolan Ryan
How about we give them a chance to play before we sell anybody.
Nobody here is saying "trade them now!" This is merely speculating what happens if, in June/July, the Phils are waaaay out of it. Nothing wrong with it on a slow (non-Papal) news day.
The premise of the original post was "Four months from now, if Philly appears on its way to another mediocre season, should the team cash in their biggest trade chips for younger players who could help build a winning team for 2014 and beyond?"
My impression of the Keri article was more like him saying, "The Phils will suck, and Amaro should blow up the team in four months, but he's probably too old school stupid to do that."
But maybe you're refering to Alex Lee's much more reasonable approach.
I like Keri's writing, I think he's a bright guy. I don't think he's so far off on this piece. He has always subscribed to the "Branch Rickey" theory. And he's not just a guy that looks back and says they should have done this and that after the fact.
He actually wrote that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start slowly remaking the Yankees a month after they won the World Series in 09. He writes that standing pat doesn't give usually net good results and proves it with stats. He wrote this November 21 , 2009 – He doesn't mention the Phils specifically in this piece but you could apply the same theory.
That's exactly why some of us were less than thrilled with the Ibanez and Polanco signings. While the rest of the lineup was reasonably strong, it was the perfect time to fill LF and 3B was young kids who had some upside. They would have had time to develop (and struggle) at the big league level and the end result hopefully would be they could be productive players as the rest of the lineup declined.
*with young kids, not "was"
I never heard from those people you're refering to. If they existed, they probably didn't realize that there were no LF/3B prospects in the Phils' system, nobody spectacular was available in free agency (Beltre turned down the Phils' offer) and it would have cost a bundle to trade for "young kids" who were really good.
Actually, most people I heard or read complained about those contracts because they were simply too long.
Big deal. So Keri stated what was obvious to everyone: that the Yanks should slowly remake themselves.
Even Cashman probably realized that, because the team is currently chockful of players they didn't have back in 2009. There are a few obvious holdovers, but for the most part those Rivera and Jeter types have been pretty darned good, and probably better than what the Yanks could have replaced them with.
Obvious? I disagree. But let's see how that relates to the Phillies back then. Let me ask you a hypothetical question.
Would management have been considered crazy to trade Chase Utley at that same time, right after a 5 home run World Series?
Of course, they would. They'd have been skewered, I would have been angry too.
But what Keri has said in many of his writings is that it may have be a smart move for any team to trade it's highest valued talent to keep the ball rolling. And I'm saying it's hard to make the tough decisions, but I agree that sometimes you have to make them. Keri's stats demonstrate that for many teams over the years, standing pat after a championship is not the way to go.
A perfect example is the trade of James Shields for prospect Wil Myer. It could work either way, but the Rays have a pretty good track record with these things. Of course that hasn't brought them a championship, but they are right there in the hunt every year. To me, that is all you can ask form management, because a championship involves getting lucky in the crapshoot that is the MLB playoffs.
As it turns out, trading Utley then might have brought a haul that would have been very beneficial to the team now and for the future. The Branch Rickey theory would have been prophetic in this case. And I fully understand that it's revisionist now, but I'm saying that with the Yankees, Keri called for it right then and there. My opinion is that gives legitimacy to his article this season about the Phillies. If you take away the sensationalist Title "Blow up the Phillies" which he probably didn't even write, I don't think the piece was "scathing" at all, I thought it was more than fair.
George if you get a chance, google him, or check out some samples of his stuff on Amazon. "The extra 2%", or "Baseball between the Numbers", I think it's really enlightening stuff.
I agree, Lefty.
The headline not withstanding, the concept makes sense.
If you look at a team (any team) not as components but as a whole and that whole turns out to be mediocre and slipping and the farm team is thin, what are the options? Free agency often buys you one or two overpriced components and more often, another team's cast-offs.
If you're giving away players in a fire sale you've waited too long to receive either the financial or young talent compensation you need to build with.
So the issue isn't whether Jimmy and Chase and Ryan and Chooch and Cliff can still contribute to a winning whole (and commensurate with their salaries) but when is it best to move those players still showing value and use that value to rebuild the entire organization?
I don't think the team had any choice but to hold onto Chase and Ryan because their injuries (particularly Chases's chronic problems) diminished their trade value arguably below their actual worth. Jimmy's infield pop-ups may not have diminished his actual standing as a an above-average shortstop as Schmenkman's statistics appear to bear out, but the clock is ticking. Furthermore, everyone's market worth likely drops when their part of a losing whole – fair or not.
If the Phillies turn out to being going nowhere by mid July, It's probably the time to sell those still productive and unscathed components at top dollar to contenders desperate for pieces and willing to pay with their own futures.
Otherwise, Ruben is likely to be left with nothing more than a sidewalk sale "dollar table" come October. What doesn't sell goes back in the basement along with the rest of the team.
Not a good scenario. This team spent too many years in that basement over the course of franchise history – and history need not repeat itself if management stays ahead of the cycle.
Get those seeds going on the farm. From this fan's perspective, I could live with a few years of rebuilding if the foundation is as strong as it was in the years leading up to the last World Championship.
Lefty: Your Utley example isn't exactly a good one. After the "5 home run World Series," Utley was still rather young, good and playing at a level indicative of a lot of way-above average seasons. He would have been traded more like five seasons to early had his knees not given out. I'll agree that he would have brought in a huge haul, but trading a premium player in his prime is,in my opinion, not the road even Branch Rickey would have taken. Other players Amaro did dump weren't exactly been great for their new teams; Burrell, Brett Myers, for examples (and possibly Pence and Victorino, too), and many of the prospects traded have been less than stellar. This appears to be an area people ignore when trashing the man. He gets no credit for relieving the roster of mediocrity, but gets blamed for injuries beyond his control or playoff losses that are products of what is essentially a crapshoot.
As far as reading the supposedly erudite Keri, I'm going to pass. I simply do not like his writing style or his backhanded slaps at baseball organizations that were so evident in this"Blow Up…" piece.
Is tonights game against the yankees on local tv?
Well, sort of.
It's on Yes.
So if you're asking from Staen, Long, or Fire Island, the answer is truly yes.
I guess it depends on what you mean by local.
MLB.com indicates it's radio only in the Philly market. And if that isn't specific enough, WPHT.
Your thanks is premature.
IDon't thank me yet. Ihave great suggestions and reason to make an effort to see the game.
n this day and age, quick relocations possible as they are, I'd encourage you to relocate to Newark by game time anbd catch YES's coverage of the action.
This is must see TV tonight.
Forget that Josh Fields is playing 3rd. Forget that John Mayberry is batting cleanup.
The big story is that Ben "Travellin' Man" Fransisco is batting 5 for The Empire.And, for further entertainment, playing right field.
I still remember LA's reaction to Bennie Fresh's 6 homerun April in year one after JDub, which could have been 8, if not for the wind. His proclamation was it's not Werth's offense the Phils will miss, it's his defense.
Bennie Fresh. I can't wait to see what home run call John Sterling comes up for him. All I know is he better hirry and come up with one. At Bennie's rate of travel, he should see 3 more MLB uniforms by June.
Now, you can thank me. I don't know what for, but it'd be nice to hear. Pr read, as the venue allows.
The problem is utside of Ruben no other team is going to over value the talent like he did.
He is a historcly bad GM. Reminds me o Mike Milbur with the Islanders.
That said.
I am hoping Halladay and Lee and Coleare all top 10 pitchers again.
If that happens anything is possible.
If they wi a WS I guess I wont be able to call him crappy.
But the odds are strongly against.
If there is a mid season dismantling and another bad year then all of my rants for the last 4 years have come true.
I wont be suprised.
But as of March 13th the Phillies are still in first so there is hope.
I am surprised at the reaction to what was essentially a reasonable argument based on facts (the Phillies are OLD) and historical trends as to what happens to old teams. Simply put these players are not what they were and they cannot be expected to regenerate their youth. Sooner or later you have to move on and we are now reaching "later".
I won't complain of the risks taken by Amaro but we traded away our good prospects and now we have to pay the piper. It will do no good to trot out the same old, same OLD year after year. We will have to rebuild and that starts with cutting the payroll.
To me Halladay and Utley have to go to make room for younger players or potential free agents. That is $35 million. I would not spend it all. We are not going to be able to catch the Nationals for a few years. Howard probably can't be moved. The only one who has to stay is Hamels.
I will still root for them but the window has closed. Let's hope for 2020.
Let's see some baseball before we start thinking about calling in a demolition crew.
The Grandy Man checking in for 4th inning color commentary. Two sentences in, I've already learned more from him than I have in many moons of Sarge.
The Grandy Man can.


text: Carpenter ants are wood destroying insects that provide a significant service in nature, but are destructive in residential settings. In the forest they perform an important role by decomposing decaying trees. In homes they can cause considerable destruction to structural timbers, ceilings, and floor areas. They can also be a nuisance by crawling about the house in search of food. They do not sting, but their bite can be painful.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
From: STATE SUPERINTENDENT
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 11:04 AM
To: District Superintendents, ROEs, Directors of Special Education
Subject: Weekly Message for Your Review and Approval
Good afternoon. "Spirited and intense discussion" is the best way to characterize this week's Assessment and Accountability Task Force meeting. Beyond data reporting and the needs of our different constituencies, the objects of our intensity were an exploration of different testing options/grade levels, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of the Illinois Alternate Assessment.
The deliberations included a variety of scenarios in which some combination of norm-referenced testing and ISAT/PSAE could be used to measure student achievement for adequate yearly progress toward meeting the Illinois Learning Standards. Virtually everyone present agreed that the IAA is problematic and needs revision. The Task Force's next meeting on November 6 will include further deliberations on testing options, IAA improvements, similar activities in other states and inquiries into what norm-referenced tests local districts are using and how much they cost.
In today's message:
2002-03 Unfilled Positions Survey now on line
State Superintendent appoints Hazel Crest Financial Oversight Panel Members
Governor proclaims Principal Appreciation Day
Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year nominations now available
2002-03 Unfilled Positions Survey now on line
In our attempts to collect the most recent and accurate data that will help us explain elementary and secondary education's true financial needs, ISBE is requesting information about the number of unfilled educator positions in your district this fall.
Please log on to IWAS at http://webprod1.isbe.net/tsrup/asp/default.asp and complete the 2002-03 Unfilled Positions Survey, which is the last item on the System Listing menu. The deadline for submitting information is Friday, November 8.
These data are crucial for documenting local personnel needs and shortages and will be used in the state Supply and Demand Study and by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to determine the federally-defined shortage areas for scholarships and loan deferment.
In order to better document regional differences in supply, the first section of the survey asks you to rate the supply of educators for various positions. This is an extremely important component of the survey and should be completed whether or not any unfilled positions are reported.
To avoid duplicating unfilled positions reported by public school districts, Special Education and Vocational Centers should only report unfilled special education cooperative positions or vocational center positions. Regional offices should only report unfilled positions in regional programs.
Instructions for Accessing the Unfilled Position Reporting System:
To log on, please follow the steps identified below:
1. Go to http://webprod1.isbe.net/tsrup/asp/default.asp (will route the user to the security module).
2. Click on the "Sign Up Now" link to get a login ID if an IWAS account has not already been created.
3. The link will take you to a page that asks for your name, a login ID, password, and secret question/answer.
4. Once that is done, click on the "System Listing" link on the left side of the screen and sign up for the application.
5. When signing up for an application, the user is to put in their Region, County, District, Type code (RCDT), reason for access need, etc.
6. The user request is submitted to their IWAS Administrative account for approval. Once you are approved you can begin accessing the application.
To enter data:
1. Login through http://webprod1.isbe.net/tsrup/asp/default.asp.
2. Choose "System Listing" link from the ISBE security menu on the left side of the screen.
3. Choose the "Unfilled Positions Survey" link (available once user is approved).
4. This will bring up the "User Main Page."
5. Select the appropriate year that the user wants to work with. If a specific year is not present, then it has not been finalized by ISBE staff.
6. If it is the user's first time in for a particular year, enter the "Person Completing Form" and "Telephone" fields. If a user has already saved data for that year, those fields will default. The user then presses the "continue button."
7. This will take the user to the main survey page. User enters appropriate survey data and may save a draft copy for future revision. Once a survey is saved, it can also be printed.
8. When the user has finalized the data, the survey can be submitted to ISBE. All edit checks will be performed at that time. If all checks pass, the survey is sent to ISBE. NOTE: Once submitted, it cannot be modified! It can be printed as many times as necessary and viewed after submittal.
9. The user will receive a message in the system's "Inbox" stating that ISBE has received the survey.
We appreciate your help in collecting this information electronically so that we can more quickly use the information we receive. Any questions about logging on or gaining access to the system may be directed to the ISBE technical helpdesk at (217) 782-4313 ext. 1182. If you have questions about the survey, please contact Jim Sweeney, Data Analysis and Progress Reporting Division, at (217)782-3950 or email@example.com.
State Superintendent appoints Hazel Crest Financial Oversight Panel Members
On Monday, November 21, I appointed three members to serve on the Financial Oversight Panel for the nearly insolvent Hazel Crest School District 152.5. At the direction of the State Board, I met with the Hazel Crest board of education and other interested parties that same day to explore possible solutions.
More information about the panel members and my discussion with the district that day is available at http://www.isbe.net/news/2002/oct21-02.htm.
Governor proclaims Principal Appreciation Day
Governor George H. Ryan has proclaimed Friday, October 25, as Principals Day in Illinois. The day is set aside to recognize the good work done by principals, assistant principals, and deans in schools statewide . For more information, contact: David Turner, Executive Director, Illinois Principals Association at 217/525-1383.
Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year nominations now available
Nomination forms for the State Board of Education's 29th annual Those Who Excel/Illinois Teacher of the Year program are being mailed to all schools and districts, and is available on line at http://www.isbe.net/pdf/excel.pdf.
This program is an excellent opportunity to publicly recognize people from all aspects of the education community: classroom teachers, school administrators/principals, student support personnel, educational service personnel, school board members/community volunteers, and teams.
A banquet honoring award recipients will be held March 22 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The 2004 Illinois Teacher of the Year will also be announced at this time. If you have any questions about the nomination packet please contact Public Service and Communications at 217/782-4648 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Robert Schiller
State Superintendent
of Education


text:
There are more than 6,200 maintained, interconnected snowmobile trails throughout the state of Michigan. The Upper Peninsula in particular offers more than 3,000 miles of trails that are annually rated as America's best. Today, Bill Manson, the executive director of the Michigan Snowmobile Association answered a few of our questions about snowmobiling in our great state. Michigan.org also has plenty of information for you to check out.
Q: Why is snowmobiling in Michigan so popular?
A. Snowmobiling is popular in Michigan because we have three resources that are needed.
Snow, mother nature not only gives us plenty with consistent storms but every time the wind blows, lake effect snow appears!
Trails, With Michigan's abundant state and federal land, thousands of miles of trails and two tracks are open to snowmobile use in the winter.
Snowmobile Clubs, over 135 snowmobile clubs make snowmobiling their number one fun family sport. Of those clubs, 69 have contracts with the state to provide the connections over private property to connect all of the state and federal lands together to make a fantastic trail system. These same clubs sign, brush, maintain, and groom all 6500 miles of Michigan's snowmobile trails.
Q: What are some places to snowmobile around Michigan?
A: In lower Michigan, check out Cadillac, Houghton Lake, Grayling, Gaylord, Traverse City, Alpena, Cheboygan and Mackinaw City.
In the Upper Peninsula, some great places are in Sault Ste Marie, Paradise, Newberry, Seney, Munising, Marquette, Houghton, Hancock, Lake Gogebic and Ironwood.
Q: What tips do you have for people that are new to snowmobiling?
A: Find a city that they may want to visit, find a rental place to rent snowmobiles and give it a try.
Q: What tips do you have for snowmobilers in general?
- Do not drink and ride.
- Do not ride alone.
- Stay on the trails.
- Respect Private Property
- Dress appropriately
Q: Are there any snowmobiling groups in Michigan can people can join?
A: Visit the MSA web site for a complete list of snowmobile clubs and events to try out, for more information about snowmobiling, check out www.msasnow.org, www.snowmobilers.org, and www.snowmobile.org.


text:
1 of 4 photos
Examples of Drop Side Cribs with External Plastic Hardware
2 of 4 photos
3 of 4 photos
Close-up of External Plastic Hardware
4 of 4 photos
Bassettbaby drop-side cribs with external plastic hardware
The cribs' drop-side rail can malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop side to detach from the crib. When a drop-side rail partially detaches, it creates a space between the drop-side and the crib mattress. An infant or toddler's body can become entrapped in the space, which can lead to strangulation and/or suffocation. A child also can fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents also can occur due to incorrect assembly and age-related wear and tear.
For additional information, contact Bassettbaby at (800) 308-7485 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.bassettbaby.com
Important Message from CPSC: CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts. Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. When using a drop-side crib, parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for parts separating that can create a gap and entrap a child. In addition, do not try to repair any side of the crib. Babies have died in cribs where repairs were attempted by caregivers. Crib age is a factor in safety. At a minimum, CPSC staff recommends that you not use a crib that is older than 10 years. Many older cribs may not meet current voluntary standards and can have a variety of safety problems. Check if your crib has been recalled at www.cpsc.gov
About 90,000
The recalled cribs are wood with a metal mattress support and have a drop side with external plastic hardware. The cribs were sold in a variety of finishes. A label is attached to the footboard or headboard with the names "Bassettbaby" or "Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc." as well as the model number, production date and other information. On some older models the manufacturer's name appears on a separate label.
Note: This recall does not include non drop-side cribs.
The firm and CPSC are aware of 18 reported incidents in which drop-sides malfunctioned or detached from the crib. No injuries were reported. In one of the incidents a child became entrapped between the mattress and the drop-side. In three of the incidents children fell out of the cribs. The firm also has received 154 reports of drop-side hardware breaking during shipment, assembly or use.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled drop-side cribs and contact Bassettbaby for a free kit that will immobilize the drop side. In the meantime, parents are urged to find an alternate, safe sleeping environment for the child, such as a bassinet, play yard or toddler bed depending on the child's age.
Children's product stores, and other retailers nationwide and on-line from January 2000 through August 2010 for between about $200 and $500.
Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., of Bassett, Va.
China, Croatia, Slovenia, Taiwan and Vietnam
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of
thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the
nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or
mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household
chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at
301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing
to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Times: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime
Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800
View CPSC contacts for specific areas of expertise
We are still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product.
Report a Product on SaferProducts.gov
The link you selected is for a destination outside of the Federal Government. CPSC does not control this external site or its privacy policy and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information it contains. You may wish to review the privacy policy of the external site as its information collection practices may differ from ours. Linking to this external site does not constitute an endorsement of the site or the information it contains by CPSC or any of its employees.
Click Ok if you wish to continue to the website; otherwise, click Cancel to return to our site.


text: Farm Press editors spend a lot of time talking to farmers, researchers and other experts to give Sun Belt producers the information they need to farm more profitably. The Farm Press Daily Blog gives our editors a chance to reflect on what these developments mean to you. We welcome your feedback on this new digital platform.


text:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ½ of recipe
Calories 222
Total Fat 8.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Sodium 467 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Protein 28 g
Ingredients and Preparation
Ingredients Measures
Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 2
Reduced-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Boiling water 1 cup
Raisins 2 tablespoons
Olive oil 1 tablespoon
Balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon
Dried tarragon 1 teaspoon
Zest of ½ lemon
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Flatten chicken to about a 1-inch thickness with a rolling pin or your fist. Place chicken in a baking dish, drizzle with broth, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake chicken for about 20 minutes, until it is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, cover raisins with boiling water. Let the raisins stand for 15 minutes, until they are plump, and then drain.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, tarragon, and the lemon zest. Stir in the raisins.
- Arrange chicken over a green salad, drizzle with dressing, and serve.


text: Going towards the light harper posted:9/23/2008 5:05:04 AM some say it is our brain firing offf it's last cells and everything stored in there. I myself do not believe that, how do you account for all the interactive ghosts throught history.Shadow of Man posted:4/2/2010 3:42:51 PM Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}Sending a spirit into the light is not the right way to send of a spirit. It is an ancient trap. The following is from my tribal mythology, which I for one believe…Tah-xwuy or spirit transition is the rite with which a shaman assists the spirit of s deceased person to find their way to the Nxsaqs or the Ghost Road (literally Good Road) which takes us to Temath – the land of our ancestors and avoid the Ncsaqs or Trail of the Lost (literally Bad Road) which spirits of the dead will wander for eternity. Both paths look similar to each other and are lined with distractions such as fields of wildlife and edible plants, light and dark paths that lead away from it and into regions that trap the soul, and occasional spirits (non people) that travel them. The Organized Religion view of a tunnel of light may be one of these light paths that lead to an undesirable place if someone who guides a departed soul leads it into the wrong place, this person receives a mesachie kah'tah or a bad karmic debt that will be attached to that person forever.Again, this is just one point of view, and I am sure a lot of people out there will retort about the fictitious "Light from Heaven".(Note: I have taken out punctuation and symbols from the words of the traditional language and replaced with letters that this site will show, so the words are not technically correct.)macros72 posted:4/3/2010 5:07:04 AM Perhaps searching out information on the constalation of Lyra may offer interesting revelations about afterlife, lights at the end of tunnels etc. Please log in or become a member to add a post.


text:
We're getting close to the end of our 100 Greatest Phillies countdown. The Final 10 will begin to be revealed on St. Patrick's Day and you have a chance to guess the top 10. If you submit an entry that has all 10 in the correct order you will win an awesome Phillies prize. Make sure you check who's on the list already.
Responses are due at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
27 Comments
im confident i got the top 10 but not the right order. can we enter more than once, tim?
Sorry, you can't enter more than once.
Can you check my list and at least tell me if I'm close: 😛
a couple of questions Tim…
who was the mysterious number 40 on the list? It wasn't in the archive.
where were the two members of the 2008 team in 26-50?
My guesses were that Burrell and maybe Lidge got moved down a bit. Can a guy have a perfect season in his only season with the franchise be in the top 25? Why not?
My guesses for the 2008 team in the top 25 – Rollins, Howard, Utley, Hamels, Lidge, and Burrell. Anyone think I missed anybody?
Fortyb: Hamels was picked. I don't think Lidge made the list at all. Howard and Utley will be top 20. Burrell is coming up soon, he might be top 20 but I'm thinking he's going to be like 22. Rollins is top 10 for sure.
I should have waited to make my list, but regardless I still think I got the top 10 for sure. Maybe not in the right order, but I got top 10.
Question to the Phillies Nation guys: If no one gets them in order will you give a prize to the person that is closest?
Keep in mind I discarded men who played one year for the Phillies. So Lidge is not on the list.
Darn Tim, so does that mean So Taguchi and Geoff Jenkins aren't in the top 10? I had them on my list.
You might as well have had us guess 2-10. I mean we ALL know the Phanatic wins, right?
His career hits 31 years next month, AND he's already in the (mascot) Hall of Fame! Great baserunning, makes sure every bald head is well shined. The only minus is his road/home split.
you guys are crazy if you think any current player is on the top 10. rollins utley howard and burrel should all be top 25 material but none of them will sneak into the top 10.
I feel like I might have the right 10 but I don't know if the order will match up. There's one name in particular that I believe some will rate higher based on name recognition.
Chuck P…I know exactly who you are talking about, but I don't wanna give it away. I wanted to put him as #8 or so, but I put him as #3 because of his name.
When I win, I want a life sized Phillie Phanatic replica (w/fur) shipped to my house in TN.
I'm quite certain that I have at least 9 in the correct order.
I'm curious what criteria Tim is using for selection. It seems quite subjective. I tend to go with James since he's hard to disagree with. But there are other highly statistical methods for choosing a starting point.
In case anyone is wondering, the Phillies who placed in Bill James' Top 100 Players of all-time (based on the 2000 edition of his Historical Baseball Abstract) are as follows:
20. Grover Cleveland Alexander*
21. Mike Schmidt
33. Pete Rose*
40. Nap Lajoie*
78. Steve Carlton
96. Robin Roberts
99. Ed Delahanty
* Played significant portions of their career as a non-Phillie.
I remember a really interesting article in the Inquirer when the Abreu trade happened showing that in terms of Win shares / 162 games Abreu was actually the 2nd most valuable player in team history, ahead of Schmidt but behind Alexander. That would vault him above more esteemed position mates Gavy Cravath, Johnny Callison, Sam Thompson and Chuck Klein, who themselves should all place in the Top 25. A very good argument could put him in the Top Ten. We're deep in RF historically, but with no one great player. Maybe Pete Rose.
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Hey, what about a prize for the most outrageous top 10 Phillies of all-time? What a beaut a list sprinkled with the likes of Andy Ashby, Adam Eaton, Carlton Loewer, etc… would be
Were all three you names Lee Thomas first round draft picks, or did Ed Wade pick one or two of them?
Nope, I think they were all Lee Thomas
I went the other way, Phil. I put him lower on my list than others might have him… I put him 8.
#1? : obviously it's going to be Rico Brogna.
I protest. ryan was looking at my answers before I submitted that thingy.
I would like to change numbers 6 and 8 to Kevin Stocker.
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wow that was tough. I think I have a pretty legit list though


text:
Sleeveless Double Ruffle Top
Style: 570101936
Out of Stock
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Mark MartineauDecember 04,2012
Mark T. Martineau
Mark T. Martineau
LONG BEACH, Calif. Mark Thomas Martineau, 36, died Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
He was born June 23, 1976, the son of Antonio Paul Martineau and Kathy Redford.
He was raised in Lakewood, Calif., and attended Lakewood High School.
He joined the U.S. Army and served in the Army Reserve.
He recently returned to school, graduating with a bachelors degree, and was pursuing a masters degree in business administration at the time of his death.
He had moved to Barre, Vt., and worked at Cabot Creamery, then returned to California. Recently he was self-employed in real estate mortgages and sales.
He enjoyed his motorcycle, and every Christmas dressed as Santa, he rode his motorcycle to an orphanage and dropped off presents to the children.
Survivors include his parents; four brothers, Paul, Brian, Keven and Michael Martineau; and his fiancée, Jennifer Wright, all of the Los Angeles area.
Calling hours were held at the Luyben Family Dilday-Mottell Mortuary on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. Funeral services were held at St. Cyprian Church in Long Beach on Tuesday, Nov. 27.MORE IN ObituariesPaul N. Sourdiff
BURLINGTON Paul Nelson Sourdiff, 92, passed away on Dec. Full StoryBrian Vachon
Brian Vachon, 75, of Middlesex, died after a short illness on December 9 at... Full StoryDylan Baker
Dylan Baker, 18, passed away peacefully in the early morning of December 7... Full Story
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Mmmmmm...mmmmmmmm...mmmmmmmmm! Can't you just smell that tasty goodness...slowly cooking all day...getting more and more flavorful with every passing minute!!!! Now just think about how happy you and your family will be to come in from a long day and have dinner only 5 minutes away from being on the table! That is what I call FABULOUS!!! These … [Read more...]
Scrumptious Slow Cooker Dinners
April 24, 2014 By 1 Comment


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Mike Schmidt
Third Baseman
Career w/Phillies: .267 AVG / 548 HR / 1,595 RBI / 174 SB
These days, 548 home runs doesn't seem so grand. It seems each season another hitter who dumped balls into seats during the 1990s surpasses Mike Schmidt's now mortal total of 548. But a closer examination of Schmidt's career shows you why those 548 mean much more. Take the nine Gold Glove awards at third base. Take the 10 winning seasons under Schmidt's reign. Take the 18 seasons in a Phillie uniform, still a franchise record. Always a Phillie, never intimidated, and never surpassed, Mike Schmidt is the greatest third baseman in baseball history and, yes, the greatest Phillie of them all.
It's a forgone conclusion for most. Sure, you can consider Steve Carlton or Pete Alexander or Ed Delahanty. But Schmidt is the gold standard at third base — his combination of raw power, clutch performance, baseball intelligence and defensive gracefulness remains untouched at the hot corner. Eddie Matthews had the bat; Brooks Robinson had the glove. Alex Rodriguez had the bat and some glove; Scott Rolen had the glove and some bat. But Schmidt had everything.
Scouted on a ballfield in Canton, Ohio, and drafted by the Phillies in 1970, Schmidt rapidly ascended to Philadelphia an incredibly raw player. Anthony Hewitt raw. He hit under or at .200 his first two seasons with the Phillies, striking out a ton, taking his licks. He finally jumped into the starting role for good in 1973, and very quickly assured fans he was the guy for a little while.
The power came first; the glove was right there. Now flashing a trademark mustache, Schmidt swatted 36 home runs and drove in 116 in 1974. As Schmidt progressed, so did the Phillies — pitcher Steve Carlton bolstered the staff while a growing contingency around Schmidt (Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski) settled into their roles. By 1976 the Phillies were not just a playoff team, but a downright buzzsaw. Inexperience and a little lack of that extra something kept the Phils from grabbing a pennant.
As Schmidt ran through his elite prime the numbers raced up. 38 home runs in 1975. 38 more in 1976. Another 38 in 1977. He led the league in bombs from '74-'76. His average also climbed from .249 in '75 to a respectable .274 in '77. Even more impressive — his on-base percentage rose toward .400, mainly because of high-walk seasons. He even stole close to 30 bases twice. And of course, the Gold Gloves started in 1976.
But as the 1970s closed, Schmidt's game stalled. An uncharacteristically poor 1978 signaled a possible downfall. But Schmidt returned in 1979 with a 45-homer season, second in the National League. His best was yet to come.
1980 was special for Schmidt. He hit a career-high 48 homers, drove in a career-high 121 and hit a very nice .286. His game also transcended into a clutch game, as he belted the home run that won the National League East for the Phillies. Seven wins later, Schmidt was a regular-season MVP, a World Series MVP (two homers, seven RBI) and a champion.
Meanwhile his defense was becoming legendary. He tracked balls like a Hoover, glided across the Veterans Stadium turf as he made tough plays look simple, and even maxed out his body many times for the sake of making an out.
Truly, no player made baseball look so easy as Mike Schmidt.
His game took off even more in 1981, despite a strike shortening the season. He hit .316 with 31 homers and 91 RBI in just 102 games. He easily won his second MVP award as Phillie fans wondered just how good that season could've been. Luckily, Schmidt returned with more treats as the '80s continued.
A 35-homer season was helped by a .280 average in 1982. He hit another 40 bombs in 1983, rattling off a slew of 30-homer seasons after that. His apex in this run would be 1986, a 37-homer, .290 average season that landed Schmidt his then-record third MVP award. In the later stages of his career Schmidt had fancied himself an average hitter, striking more than 150 hits per season consistently while striking out less than 120 times per season consistently. With age came finer play.
But in 1988, Schmidt injured his rotator cuff, shortening his season terribly. The writing was already on the wall, and in 1989 Schmidt played poorly. He was hitting .203, unquestionably having his worst season since 1973. After a game in San Diego, Schmidt decided he couldn't do anymore.
Years of shutting himself off from the fans and even the media poured out as Schmidt said only this in a press conference:
"Some 18 years ago I left Dayton, Ohio with two very bad knees … and a dream to become a major-league baseball player. I thank God that dream came true."
He completely broke down.
After a moment, Richie Ashburn moved to console Schmidt as he painfully cried away his career.
The legacy lives on: Thirteen 30-homer seasons. Nine 100-RBI seasons. More than 2,200 hits. More than 1,500 runs scored. Ten Gold Glove awards. Three Most Valuable Player awards. And of course, those 548 home runs.
Sure Barry Bonds and Co. have surpassed titans like Schmidt. But to this day, you can still contend that, again, no one made it look easier than Michael Jack.
Comment: There ain't nothin' more to say. This list is outta' here.
58 Comments
boom baby
well written, great list
will you now have a compacted version with links to each players page?
interesting note too, he hit all his milestone home runs, incluidng his first, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and last all at away parks
It was an honor and pleasure to watch this professional play the game of baseball. He was a giant and is a legend.
I knew he'd be #1. He is the epitome of Phillies baseball. Hard working, blue collar, and amazing to boot. Best 3B of all time. Top 20 best players of all time. Mike Schmidt is just simply amazing. I am so proud to say he played on my favorite team. He was the player that got me into the game of baseball.
I'll probably write a postscript with the full list pretty soon.
Here's an oddity: IIRC, after Schmidt hit #500 in Pittsburgh, he returned to the field to finish the game and had to play shortstop thanks to some move or another by whoever was managing leaving no one else capable of fielding the position.
It is a great ending even a bit anticlimactic…now that it's over it's seems inevitable that Schmidt had to be number one. He may not have been our most lovable star; mercurial, introverted, moody, even a bit haughty at times, yet he was without doubt the finest player to ever wear a Phillies uniform. He learned to conquer his own demons and at his best, which means for most of his career he did what only the greats one can, make a tremendously difficult game look easy.
I have always felt that one of his greatest talents was least appreciated; his baserunning. He often stole successfully but usually only when it was important. He was a superb baserunner and seldom made mistakes after his rookie years. A great talent and a fitting end to Tims list.
I came late to this party of Tim's but have fully enjoyed it. It has energized much opinion and discussion that has been largely informative and interesting. We will all have our quibbles with his rankings.
I will still argue that Del Enis belongs in the top ten.
My only major disagreement is his ranking of Granny Hamner in the 90's. This one is absurdley off. Hamner was a three time all-star who made it as both a shortstop and second baseman. For eight seasons until injuries cut his career short he was the equal of PeeWee Reese and Alvin Dark. He was in no way a "mediocre" player, and should rank somewhere in the 60's at a minimum. But hey, it's all our own opinion and I say thanks Tim, for reawakening the memories!!!
Yeah, I totally forgot to thank you Tim for your amazing list. It was a pleasure to read, and I hope you saw me sticking up for you constantly! Don't listen to the naysayers that disagreed with you throughout.
MICHAEL JACK SCHMIDT….. #1….. no doubt!
Thanks Tim,
This was great, especially for a 20 year old who missed most of these great players and only remembers his dad's stories of 1980 and Mike Schmidt.
Thank you
Great list , from Lerch to Schmidt.
Schmidt's HOF induction and 1980 World Series celebration speeches were clever, moving, and probing. He even seemed slightly humbled in Cooperstown.
I believe Schmidt may be the only Phillies player whose wife had her own TV show. Does anyone recall The Donna Schmidt Show?
His book "Clearing the Bases" is a worthwhile read.
Schmidt was also number one on my list for all the right reasons that have already been voluminously described. But, if some supernatural creature like the Devil or a real Irish Leprechaun gave you the opportunity to play one season in the major leagues where you were endowed with the skills of either a Mike Schmidt or a Dick Allen. which would you choose?
My choice, Dick Allen in a heartbeat.
@ Tim – That was a fantastic journey. I thoroughly enjoyed every entry. Unfortunately because of time and space limitations many players worth examining and paying tribute to were not covered. Perhaps in the future you might devote some periodic space to past Phillies who did not quite make the list.
Awesome list. Schmidtty is the player that i pretended to be when I was a kid. In TBall, I used to try and emulate his swing. When I was a little older, I would try to do a Harry Kalas impression and it would always go,"Swing and a drive to deep left center field, and that ball is outta' here, 3-run homerun, Michael Jack Schmidt!" He was my hero, as a kid, I never understood why it wasn't until later in his career that he was finally appreciated. At his HOF induction, the fans of Philly forgave Michael Jack and he in turn forgave the fans. Some of my greatest Phils memories are of Schmiddty. When he hit his 500th in Pittsburgh, I was 10, and my dad was so happy, he let me have my first ever beer to celebrate. Thank you Tim for this list… you can tell it was well thought out, and although controversial at times, it was a pleasure to read.
thank you, tim. as others have said, bein on the younger side (mid teens), i have missed out on a lot of great phillies and being able to look back to see what i missed is amazing.
Great list.
Great list Tim, job well done.
Thanks for this list Tim. It was great to read during the off-season. Really enjoyed learning about all of the past greats.
Being 16 years old, sitting with some buds on that Saturday back in 80, watching Schmidt hit that clutch home run on off Stan Bahnson to clinch the NL East, one of my top sports moments…The Phils were lucky to have a guy so dedicated to the game. As for the entire list, find a publisher, and get the book deal started, that's how good some of the research was. Thanks for the hard work putting it together.
Schmidt was also number one on my list. However, if you could be granted the opportunity to play one major league season being endowed with the skills of either a Mike Schmidt or a Dick Allen, who would you choose?
My choice, Dick Allen in a heartbeat.
Does anyone remember "The Donna Schmidt Show" TV program?
@Tim – That was a fantastic journey. I thoroughly enjoyed every entry.
This was a helluva ride. i check this site daily, but with this list, i couldn't wait to see who was next. . You brought up names from the past i've heard of, but knew nothing. Names that i grew up with, names we grew up with, Legends we've read of, fan favorites, and a few that i plain forgot about. There's been plenty of debate, and that's great, this was your list, which you researched and compiled.. Excellent Job. definitely a great lead into the upcoming season, thank. Go Phils!
Great job Tim on this list. Just another reason why this is the best phillies blog out there. Probably the best baseball blog too.
When are you going to post the people who correctly guessed the top 10?
Michael Jack
And where else do we see the number 548? That's right, Philadelphia City Hall is 548 feet tall. That alone is reason enough never to adopt the metric system.
The greatest third baseman to ever play the game. All five tools and always a good teammate. He played his entire career in pinstripes, withstood several poor managers and some poor management toward the end of his career.
He appreciated those veterans that went before him and took many youngsters under his wing to help guide him. Even after retirement- his love for the only organization has always been present.
Mike had several abilities that were not always available to be seen. He was an excellent bunter, showed great hustle (I saw him turn a check swing into a triple) and for fun would turn a double play during infield practice from second to first -throwing the ball from behind his back.
Always a hard working gentleman, a credit on and off the field.
Tim, I tuned in everyday. Thanks so much for the list. Amazing.
the most anti-climactic ending ever.
i still had my money on Rex Hudler
Fantastic series there Phillies Nation. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Give yourselves a pat on the back!
I've pointed this out before, but it bears mentioning again: yeah, the kids today seem to be surpassing him, but so many of them are cheaters. If you remove the proven cheaters (Bonds, Sosa, Palmiero, Maguire and, sadly, now, A-Rod) from the all-time HR list, Michael Jack Schmidt is still No. 8 all-time.
Good list. Why were Pete Rose and Tony Taylor left off?
Hey Tim,
I thoroughly enjoyed your daily accounting of The List. Have you published The List 1 – 100, names only? I read the Nation everyday, but my memory could use a refresher of who is on the list and in what order. There is nothing like a trip down memory lane! Thanks!
Great List! Tim
I tell eveyrone who tours the Bank, Definitely the greatest Phillie of all time.
Keep up the great work!
Screw this list, you dont know an athlete when you see one!
Great List…it has been a total hoot to watch it unfold. You took a lot of guff from pompus bozos and remained standing…It was great meeting you all in Clearwater, if the family and I head up this summer, I would like to buy you guys some beer…tailgate…etc…
Great job, and look forward to the season!
One of the top base runners in his era too…great 1st to third!
so what's the all-time greatest phillies line-up???
Glad I found this web site. Thanks for the great list and all the history on the old-timers. I feel very fortunate to have grown up watching Schmidt and Carlton. It will be interesting to see where Rollins, Utley, Howard and Hamels end up on the list when their careeers are over. I know I will enjoy every minute of it.
Great work.. I remember the day this list started, and thinking it would take SO LONG TO GET TO #1… but we're there, and what a great idea to get us through the off-season..
with still a week+ to go, I like Tyler's suggestion of an All-Time Greatest Lineup.
Maybe we could vote between now and Opening Day, and post the results.. which would be voted on by the readers, so people can't really bitch too much?
It might be hard, but Baseball Cube lists what spot in the order most guys hit
1. Ashburn, 2. ?, 3. Abreu, 4. Schmidt… would be a good debate
Nice read! I guess we shouldn't give up on Anthony Hewitt…
I completely agree. Great reading and educational for a lot of Phans including myself that didn't know a lot about old time players and Phillies history way back in the day. I'm a better fan for reading it. Thanks.
GREAT JOB Tim!
Schmidt led league in HRs- 8 times, RBIs-4 times, OPS- 5 times.
**1976- 12 HRs in 1st 15 games of the season!!!!
When he retired (not now) he was: 7th in HRs ALL TIme!
Since he retired 9 people have passed him in all time OPS+ and RBIs.
What many people don't realize is that he led the league in HRs 8 freakin times. Barry Bonds and Aaron only did it 4 times. Only 1 other guy did it more times. He was truly the top power hitter of his era.
Tim, I find it hard to believe you are only 24 years old. As an educator I take pleasure in your writing expertise. Throughout the winter I logged on to this website to read the posts. For me the best parts were the anticipation of the 100 Greatest Phillies list and who would pop up next. The comments and interest generated by the rankings was entertaining, from naysayers to supporters. I consider myself very knowledgeable on baseball from the 60's to the present, and treasured reading about boyhood memories of Tony Taylor, Tony Gonzalez, Willie Montanez, and other Phillies that made an everlasting impression on me. They may not have been superstars but boy, did I ever have a connection with them. That's what sports does for a person, and especially baseball. You have made my time spent here very enjoyable because of your research and writing style.
Great job, keep it up, and yes, Mike Schmidt is without question the all time #1 Phillie.
Interesting and informative…
I had already surmised a while ago that our patron saint of the Phillies would be number one. Each white male Phillies fan is obligated to have Mike Schmidt as a hero until we discovered the wonder that is William Shatner and then Denny Crane.
Every Phillie fan from any point in time would have to conclude that he was the greatest player in the team history. There's no player that I'd put ahead of the great Michael Jack. Well done, article was amazing, that man is a God amongst Phillie faithful, I'd still love to see him come to the big Phils, since he already managed with Clearwater, and see him as the hitting coach or bench coach. Seeing him as 3rd Base Coach for Team USA just made me want Schmidty to don the red pinstripes as a coach.
Growing up with the 1970s-1980s Phillies was pure joy — I didn't realize until the late-80s, 1990s and early 2000s how lucky we were to have such an assemblage of phenomenal talent. And Michael Jack was the best of them. A man of understated grace, an extraordinary defensive player and a monster hitter. He has earned his status as a Philly legend. I thank him for all those years, even if some fans didn't always fully appreciate him. I did — I still remember forking over $85 of my paper-boy money in 1983 to get his mint condition rookie card.
Thank you, Tim, for this list — the debate was entertaining, and the anticipation of seeing who turned up next was a great time-waster at work. In fact, thanks for the site. I can't tell you how many late nights at work last year were made easier by tuning in to read the excellent posts/game recaps and the comments from the hordes of fans as the game was unfolding. This site will always be linked to my memories of the great 2008 WFC season.
Now, it's time to gear up for 2009. I've got my 17-game pack, and plan on losing my voice every time I make the trip. Ryan, Chase, Jimmy, Cole, Lidge, Vic — last year we finally got our parade, this year we get a dynasty. Damn, I'm psyched!
Wonderful list!!!
Tim, Thanks so much for putting the time and research into an awesome list. I learned a ton about the Fightin' Phils. We appreciate your awesome ability to say what we are all thinking. Great Job!!
Tim, thanks for doing this, the amount of time and research you put into it is obvious, and your true love of the game shines through. It was a great way to make the offseason go a little faster, and has been a fun topic of discussion for my 87 year old dad and myself. he was a Philly A's fan before the Phillies, and your list has brought back many fond memories for him which he has shared with me. Also, there were a few facts he was unaware of and it turned into a learning experience for both of us. The debates throughout were fun, I don't know how you kept your cool with some of the comments, but maybe there was steam coming out of your head at times!
Whiskidfanatic, funny you mentioned Granny Hamner's placement, that's the one my dad thought would be higher too!
Again, thanks Tim, I'm so glad I found this site last summer, it has become an addiction, albeit a harmless one.
Ditto the kudo's – terrific job.
Looking forward to your next list – this will be a tough act to follow.
Hey Tim, great list
Good job! This list was a great topic to debate back and forth on!
That was a lot of fun. Great job Tim. Thanks for all the hard work!
Thanks for the forum and for this great list. You took a lot of heat for placement and I'm sure that the effort felt thankless at times but, in the end, this list has served as a springboard for all of us to jump into the promising 2009 season!
See 'cause if you forget where you come from, you're never gonna make it where you're goin…
I've pointed this out before, but it bears mentioning again: yeah, the kids today seem to be surpassing him, but so many of them are cheaters. If you remove the proven cheaters (Bonds, Sosa, Palmiero, Maguire and, sadly, now, A-Rod) from the all-time HR list, Michael Jack Schmidt is still No. 8 all-time.
And Schmidt did amphetamines…your point?
I still recall his retirement press conference. Doubt I can EVER forget it. I was almost 10 sitting in my Grandmothers house, and it came on. I can admit, I was in complete tears. I LOVED watching him play. I now have a Mike Schmidt corner in my ALL PHILLY SPORTS basement. Who else could have a sandwich named after him. LOL. Grat list, enjoyed it greatly.
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The 31st Edition
Despite knowing my friend, Jeff Lung, for more than a decade now, I'm always surprised by how I can still see him in new and different lights. There's Jeff playing baseball:
…..of the shower (while oddly wearing a catcher's mitt).
And of course there's Jeff in the nonexistent backseat of a minivan:
Sorry I can't be there sipping with you on your birthday this year, Mr. Lung, but I hope it's a good one.
16 Comments
Happy BD, Mr. Lung!
…Coming out of the shower while wearing a catcher's mitt and (equally oddly) his glasses—they are not fogged up? Hmmm!…
Have a good birthday, Jeff! Maybe your gift will be finding that mystery dame in a Cardinals jersey…;)
Cheers, brotha. Happy B Day. May the Cards dominate the Cubs next season.
Happy birthday, Jeff!
I'll drink to that!! Happy Birthday Jeff!! Whatever a man does with his catchers mitt in the shower is no concern of mine dude. Who's designated Trolley driver tonight cause I'm sippin wit him y'all!?.
best wishes
Having a glove on in the shower is a little odd…I mean, I snuggle mine in bed, but the shower? Never. Some lines you just don't cross.
Thanks, y'all! I'm still alive… sorta🙂
Guess I'm a day late, so I'll have to wish you a happy belated birthday! Did you find some Cardinal girls to celebrate with?
Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
So, does being about 2 weeks apart in your birthdays (since you both are now the 31st Edition), give you guys futher ammo to volley at one another, like who's smarter, more dashing, etc., the old geezer or the young pipsqueak?😉 Inquiring minds gotta know!
Happy Birthday, Jeff. If they dont erect a statue in your honor, somebody ought to throw you a dinner. I'd feel better if a nice midwestern girl stepped up and made you a meatloaf.
P.S. – Your shower curtain belongs in a wh*rehouse.
Haha, thanks all… yes, even you, Matt and your dirty wh*orehouse theme, LOL.


text: Yeah... As soon as we landed Melo I knew we landed one of... If not the best rebounding SF's in the game today & Lopez has done next to NOTHING this quarter & only has 1 maybe 2 board all game. I love it. I never thought I'd say this, but the Knicks are starting to show we have a pretty deep bench. Not just based off tonight... For the last 6 or 7 games! Production everywhere & it's more than obvious Shelden needs to be our starting Center heading into the playoffs!


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Monotonous Miami thread from you Mafra. Miafra?
And how about a "Go Knicks"?
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
The Heat have reached an agreement with 32-year-old guard [Only registered and activated users can see links. ][Only registered and activated users can see links. ] on a two-year contract for $2.8 million, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. The second year of the deal is a player option for $1.4 million.
Oh boy. First of all, they've spent almost 400 million. I have no clue how the cap works, but I'm not sure where they're finding room to sign all these players.
Mike Miller, Eddie House as snipers.
Big-Z, Udonis Haslem, J-Howard, J-Anthony as big men in the middle.
I guess they're a PG away from rounding out the roster pretty nicely.
Go Bulls and Lakers!
House by himself can win them a few games by himself, remember his first game in MSG this year, he was on fire.
Whatever they are doing in Miami, D.Walsh better take notes. I have never seen such a great team be put together in such a little amount of time...and they didn't have to advertise doing it for 2+ years.
On paper ( and I'm sure on the court), Miami looks like a 70+ team. I'm sure the fams in South Beach are going Bannanas..
Fans in South Beach? The Heat don't have any fans.
every living person in florida is a orlando magic fan.... dwayne wade has been on the team and they havent sold out in the longest time unless the lakers are in town aka miami is the worst place to start a disgusting team because no one there will care......
Well let the pigeons loose!!!
They can have em"
For those of you here that think MIA is a 70+ win team; you are on something I need.
I have never seen a such a bad defensive & rebounding dream team in my lifetime. Orlando, Boston, Chicago are going to BLUDGEON this team down low during the season. Hell if Eddy Curry was had half a heart WE have a better front line than they do.
Defense where is it. Mike Miller, Eddie House, Arroyo, play ZERO D, and LBJ can't do both for 82 games. Did you all see how Glenn Davis and Perkins nullified Big Z in the playoffs.
I still maintain: the HEAT will NOT win a championship this year. They have one year because either they lose playing year 2 or get broken up due to the coming CBA crisis.
We still have a better front line than they do. Ronny Turiaf and Amar'e >>>>> Big Z and Bosh