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The Phightin Phils
Department of Didn't See That Coming: The Phils, as per Sports Illustrated, appear to be in the process of a deal which would bring Toronto ace Roy Halladay to the Phils (which has been long and widely speculated) and possibly send Cliff Lee to Seattle (which would the shocker/bummer here). The rumored deal would also include Halladay signing a contract extension, which would take some of the sting out of losing Lee.
Thoughts?
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JD: I haven't seen a final prospect list, which will be important when determining the overall goodness of this "deal," but Lee seems unwilling to sign a long-term contract without testing free agency, and honestly, if you had a choice between signing Lee long term or Halladay long term, based on their age and track record, who would you choose? What is your basis for the statement "[Lee]'ll help Hamels get back on track a lot more than Halladay will"? The profound positive influence Lee had on Fausto Carmona? I believe "getting Cole Hamels back on track" will be more a function of Rich Dubee + better off-season conditioning + reversal of some of his bad luck from the 2009 campaign.
Talk about short-term memory. Lee was the only Phils starter to really show up in the postseason. And in addition to losing Lee have you seen the prospects the Phils are giving up? Smart move would be to re-sign Lee because 1) he's good and 2) he'll help Hamels get back on track a lot more than Halliday will. Go Cardinals!
UPDATE: It's a done deal. Polanco is again a Phil.
A blog on MLive.com, a Michigan news site, is reporting what Philly outlets are only suggesting: Placido Polanco has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $18 million dollar deal to become the Phillies' new third baseman.
The deal, which SI's Jon Heyman says will be finalized today, would make Polanco, the once and future(?) Phillie a very cheap option as a starter or a somewhat expensive reserve.
Polanco, an excellent defender, had some excellent offensive seasons for the Tigers but has seen his value fluctuate, at least at the plate, in recent seasons. However, Polanco, on average, is good for about 50 points of on base percentage over Pedro Feliz with an ever so slight drop-off in power. Maybe the biggest advantage Polanco brings over Feliz is that Polanco, unlike Feliz during the second half of 2009 especially, is a tough out. Like Feliz, he doesn't walk a lot, but he strikes out a whole lot less. Polanco's never struck out more than 42 times in a full season while Feliz tends to strike out quite a bit more often. Polanco tends to see more pitches than Feliz, if only by a little, though Polanco's got a rep for having good at bats while Feliz has been known to go through long stretches where he looks completely lost.
Is Polanco, at just $6 million per year, the answer, or is this a prelude to a bigger signing at 3b?
Yes, it's difficult to argue that the Phils need fixing per se, but the need to do a little something something to get back to the World Series and get over a hump we'll call the Yankees.
Here at The Clog, we've isolated four main areas the Phillies need to lavish a little TLC on over the off season:
- Third Base (Feliz has to go)
- The Rotation (Is Moyer the best we can do at fifth starter? Will Happ repeat his strong rookie performance?)
- The Bullpen (Can we count on Lidge to recover? Should we sign free agent? Should we groom hard-throwing youngsters Scott Mathieson and Antonio Bastardo for bigger roles down the line?)
- The Batting Order (Can we really thrive with a .290 OBP at the top of the order? Can we please split up Howard/Utley vs. lefties?)
- The Bench (No more Bruntlett?)
and have concocted a poll with what we believe to be the main options for the team.
Take the poll after the jump:
The winners of the Internet Baseball Awards — essentially the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie and Manger of the Year awards as chosen by stathead fans — were announced of the last two days.
More than 1,200 ballots were cast in this year's installment. The hometown nine fared well in the National League though, much like this year's post-season, nobody took home any hardware:
MVP:
Chase Utley and Ryan Howard finished 4th and 10th respectively in the MVP voting.
Jayson Werth (20), Raul Ibanez (24) and Cliff Lee (28) also made showings
Cy Young:
Cliff Lee finished 9th in the balloting, which is not bad considering he put in less than a half season of work in the red pinstripes. J.A. Happ placed 16th with Cole Hamels clocking in at 19th.
Rookie of the Year:
This was a nailbiter, as J.A. Happ finished 2nd to the Braves' Tommy Hanson in a photo finish. Happ racked up 5,473 points to Hanson's 5,487. To my knowledge, no other Phils rookies received votes.
Manager of the Year:
Charlie Manuel finished 4th, behind Jim Tracy (whose miraculous reversal of the Rockies season was deserving of praise even if his handling of the NLDS was not), Joe Torre (who's kind of coasting on reputation at this point) and Tony LaRussa (see Joe Torre).
As if you didn't know: The Phillies won a tense game 5, forcing a game 6 tomorrow night in New York wherein Pedro Martinez will get a second chance to end the "who's your daddy?" chants once and for all.
Also, SEPTA called an audible, announcing a 3 a.m. strike shutting down all city subway, bus and trolley service, essentially holding true to the letter of their word to not striking during the World Series home games. Yes, yes, we support the union's right to strike, but tell it to the people waiting at bus stops at 5:30 this morning.
So we'll take this opportunity to share a word with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia who suggest you "Bike the Strike":
PHILADELPHIA - November 3, 2009 - The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia urges SEPTA travelers to bike instead of driving. Commuters who bike will win out over those stuck in traffic jams of epic proportions."Avoid the crush and bike the strike," says Alex Doty, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. "Bike the Strike to save time, money and help shrink your waistline. Plus, I guarantee you will have more fun than anyone trying to drive during the strike."
In cooperation with Philadelphia's Office of Transportation and Utilities, the Bicycle Coalition has established a Bike the Strike station at City Hall (Dillworth Plaza). The station has bike parking corrals, free coffee, bike maps and Bicycle Ambassadors on hand to give tips on bike commuting and personalized route planning.
Keeping safe while bicycling is critical. "Bicycles are considered vehicles, so we also urge all bicyclists to obey the rules of the road," said Education Director Breen Goodwin. "It's important for all bicyclists to be civil, courteous and comply with traffic laws, such as walking their bikes on sidewalks and stopping at all signals, to ensure the everyone's safety."
More biking tips after the jump:
BIKE THE STRIKE
Fastest Option
For those who commute four miles or less, bicycling instead of driving will get you to your destination faster and will take no longer than using a bus or trolley.
A Center City District study found that bicycling by following the rules of the road is always faster than walking, driving or taking the bus across Center City during rush hour.
Healthiest Option
Commuting by bicycle for 15 minutes each way (about 2-3 miles) meets the Center for Disease Control's minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day
Regular physical activity may help reduce your risk for many diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, and osteoporosis. It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; and reduces falls among older adults.
Safety First
Bicyclists are not pedestrians with two wheels. Bikes are vehicles and must comply with traffic laws just as motor vehicles do.
Bicycles should stop at all red lights and walk their bikes on sidewalks.
Stop by your local bike shop during the strike for a free bicycle safety check
For more commuting tips, go to www.bicycleambassadors.org and click on Handouts and videos
Now
55,000 commuters bike to work once a month.
On a typical day in Philadelphia, 11,000 bike-to-work trips are taken.
1.6 % of commuters ride their bike to work; Philadelphia has the highest percentage of bike-to-work commuters of the country's largest 10 cities
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[...] http://citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2009/11/03/phils-win-commuters-lose-bike-the-strike/Clef Club : One good thing about music: It inspired Sonata. • Repertory Film : Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings. • Thee Oh Sees : Sun., Oct. 11, 9 p.m., $5, with Golden Triangle, Love City, Reading Rainbow and Weatherbox, Danger Danger Gallery, … Place your free classified ad now. • Billboards · Tuesday, November 3 2009, 11:47 AM | Partly Cloudy, and 58° F | Tomorrow: High: 64 F Low: 40 F Some sun; breezy in the p.m. … [...]
[...] Go here to read the rest: Phils win, commuters lose, bike the strike :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
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| Jim Horwat |
| Click image to see full print. |
Jim Horwat, our favorite Phillies-loving, smile-crazy illustrator — the man behind last year's championship-celebrating tribute/collage — is back with a 2009 print featuring all the stars of this year's run and Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett. Oh, and it's also got HK and the Phanatic done up like some kind of Mayan priest.
This year's print is full color and available in a signed and numbered first edition on Horwat's web site. Do some early x-mas shopping and maybe buy the Phils a little karma tonight.
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Last night's World Series game 4 had a little bit of everything for your local neighborhood Phils cynic. Let's not forget that while the Phillies are indeed a very formidable team, they've got their weaknesses — and almost all of them were exposed against the best power pitching and power hitting money can buy.
- CC Sabathia — his inability to do anything with Chase Utley notwithstanding — continued to make Phils lefties Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez look look like Rico Brogna and Travis Lee.
- Joe Blanton, a yeoman 4th starter, despite a sick run from the second inning into the fifth where he painted the corners deftly, was undone in a fifth inning where nobody hit the ball all that hard, but, given Blanton's lack of an out pitch, was unable to drop the hammer and end an ill timed two-run rally.
- Charlie Manuel, despite finding himself in a situation — tied at 4 in the ninth after an improbable Pedro Feliz tying shot — where he might be facing extra innings, decided to not try to get another inning out of his best/most durable reliever, Ryan Madson, and went to Brad Lidge in a situation that called for perfection.
- In a bit of irony too rich for words, when the Phils employed a severe defensive shift against Mark Teixeira — the same one used so often against their own Ryan Howard — they got burned on a steal of second wherein Johnny Damon kept running right on down to an uncovered third base.
- Of course, then there's the mystery of why Brad Lidge stopped throwing his slider — his best pitch and possibly the best pitch on the entire staff — while facing Johnny Damon in the first place, but Brad Lidge mysteries could fill a book at this point.
Did I miss anything?
[...] Iraqi oil ministry signs contract and New York City trash being dumped in burbs north of Philly• Crumblin' Down: Game 4 a microcosm of Phils season• Appetite for Destruction 4: The Final Countdown• Appetite for Destruction 3: Fast [...]
@Brian: I'm accusing myself. Sports fans are a superstitious lot, and if I was a Phillies fan I wouldn't risk a jinx by writing "Lee is money in the bank" in the comments section. Now please allow me to continue. I think Lee is as close to a sure thing right now as you can get, and if the offense can muster more than 1 run, Pedro will get you to Game 7.
@JD: hah! thanks for clarifying.
@JD: Who are you accusing of jinxing the Phils?
Lee is money in the bank. If I was a Phillies fan, I would feel very confident about tonight, and I wouldn't be making comments that could jinx my team.
@Allan: You're right, I am still glad to be a Phils fan. And Lee's just the guy you want on the Hill tonight (though, arguably, he's the guy we wanted on the hill last night). @Tofoomeister: I heard the umps got together before the game and made up a ground rule about being near the plate being good enough.
I'd say the umpiring was a microcosm of the umpiring throughout the postseason. Hey, the one big missed call (Howard crossing home) went our way, but it's almost like the umpires are begging to be replaced by robots.
re: Did I miss anything? Aren't you *really* glad you're a Phils fan and not a follower of the Yankees? I am. Though their backs are against the wall, all the Phillies have to do is equal what the Yanks so far have accomplished... and they are Series Champs, Again. Win 3 in row. One Game at a time. Go Phillies!
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| Courtesy of Laurel Hill/West Laurel Cemetery |
Here's an official MLB urn from the West Laurel Hill Cemetery, although it's sold at other funeral homes as well. For $650, you can spend eternity with the Phillies, purchased from the final resting place of early Phillies owner Alfred James Reach, Ben Shibe (who created the two-piece cover baseball), his sons Thom and John who helped Connie Mack out with the A's and, of course, HK.
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