With Arms Wide Open

Let the new era of Phillies baseball begin. That new era may mean losing in the short term, but hopefully winning in the long run. One thing is for sure, the team that is currently being ripped apart didn't win enough. They came within one fricken game of the wild card last season, but did not succeed. It's time to move on and start fresh.
Keepers-
*Utley and Howard are amazing at the plate and should be built around.
*J-Roll is solid in the field and would be more useful down in the batting order, 6th or 7th.
*Burrell is not great, but hey, a near .900 OPS should just not be dismissed.
*Dellucci, as I guess, will be back, and I like him as a starter.

There are holes at C and 3rd, but I hold out hope that Gillick will improve the positions. I actually think a combination of Coste and Ruiz behind the plate would be productive enough from the 8 hole along with solid defense. I do not want Rowand back, but hey, I only think I should be a GM. The pitching staff is going to be very different next season. Myers and Hamels are locks. Wolf is a possibility if the Phils decide to keep him. Lieber will be back unless some foolish organization actually rids us of his contract. I want to see Mathieson in the rotation, I think he'll be respectable. I don't' want to see Madson back in the rotation though, it has been a disgusting season for him. Basically what I'm trying to express is that new faces are coming in and some old ones are leaving. Give Gillick the chance to try to put together a contender and wait to see what happens. I do not think, nor do I want to, that the owners will pocket this money being saved from the salary dumps. I want to believe, and therefore will, that the organization is heading in another direction, and it's about time!

~Carson

Bittersweet Ending

The news came in about an hour ago that Bobby Abreu has been trade, along with Corey "American" Lidle to the Evil Empire for minor league players, some named now, other(s) to be named.

I find the news bittersweet, because he had many good years in Philadelphia. But I do feel that it is time to trade him. He is owed $15 million next year, and his skills are in an obvious decline. For a team like the Phillies, it is difficult to defend paying a player who hit below .300 and below 20 homeruns that much money, regardless of his OBP.

Like many other onlookers, I never became a big fan of Abreu, for two main reasons. One, watching him half-ass it in the outfield for many years was nauseating. Two, he never lived up to the his potential. If you read the comments of many Phillies fans, you would think Abreu was on his way to the hall of fame. But in reality, he is a 32 year old outfield with a lifetime .301 average but only 198 homeruns. Given his recent trends, he will finish his career below .300 and likely will not top 250 homers.

This is not Scott Rolen. This is not Curt Schilling. The Phils are not trading a player in the prime of his career. They are trading a player with a good, not great, history, with a huge contract, and declining skills.

That being said, it is a sad day when a good player gets traded. Evem sadder considering he is going to the most hated team in sports, for the simple reason that they have the money to accumulate high paid players. The economics of baseball, where one team benefits from the financial contraints of other teams, are obvious in a deal like this. It is nice to see the Phils unload a bad contract, but it's a bittersweet ending...

Corey

A Mid Summer's Eve Dream

Many little boys around the world dream of growing up and playing in the Majors. I used to think I was going to play 3rd base for the Phillies just like my idol Michael Jack Schmidt. Then some of those little boys grow up and go to the minor leagues. In the minors they often toil for years waiting to get their chance in "the show". However, for many of those now grown men, they never in fact do get to the "bigs". But why ruin the dream? If they get as far as triple AAA, they deserve at least a cup of coffee, a measly September call-up. I'm not saying their are diamonds in the rough waiting in the wings down in the minors, but who knows what you might get. If your team isn't in contention for the playoffs, why not give some of these Crash Davis minor league lifers a chance? Chris Coste finally got a chance and may just be the Phils backup at C/3rd next season, saving money along the way too. Bobby Scales is playing nicely for Scranton and with a shot, might just be an okay backup corner OF/IF. Seriously, what do the Phillies have to lose? They are already playing Nunez at 3rd...can't get much worse, if worse is even possible. So to all those scouts/talent evaluators that want "tools" guys like the Dee Brown's and Brien Taylor's, but shun the David Eckstein's and Chad Bradford's of the baseball world...back off and give that little boy his mid summer's eve dream of playing in the Majors!

Message: Don't be a douche bag!

~Carson

Somewhere over the rainbow

Milwaukee thank you for ridding me of David Bell's greasy, H-Mo hairstyle and horrific play for the remainder of this season. At the end of Bell's rainbow is an I.O.U. to the 4 years he depraved me of spirit from the hot corner and his lover Lance Bass. Brewers- consider this your payback for derailing the Phillies season. Remember way back when to mid-May following the Phillies amazing, almost dream-like, 13 out of 14 streak...I do. Well, following that scorching streak of lucky baseball came a series in the Brewery Capital of America, and the Phillies managed to lose games to the Brewers in the late innings and I went on record as to saying, "this kills the morale of a team and certainly does not bode well for the rest of the season". And that is how I got my other alias of Drama Queen, because other bloggers with far superior intelligence to mine said that I was being overly pessimistic and a downer, and couldn't see that this squad has what it takes to compete for the entire season. Well dumbasses, looks like I was right...yet again!!!

Anyway, now with Bell gone "No Hit" Nunez moves into starting at 3rd...yuck! This is not permanent in my estimation. The Phillies have plenty of more moves to make before Monday's trade deadline and hopefully Gillick will do so. Lidle is 99.9% gone. I'm hoping my boy Scales gets called up from Scranton to man 3rd. Or I'd be happy with Ruiz coming up to catch and Coste-to-Coste playing 3rd. Thurston also deserves a call up to be backup middle infielder down the stretch run of the season.

Buccos droppings:
*The Pirates have yet to make a move but will. I'm hoping Littlefield does the right thing and only trades people that he should and needs to. Roberto Hernandez is getting a lot of interest and should be shopped for the best package. Randa should just be given away. I still think with some intelligent trades and offseason moves that the Buccos can be a vastly improved team next year, which shouldn't be hard considering their current record.

By the way, does anybody else wonder why the Phillies are asking so much for Bobby Abreu? I used to like him, and still do in a way, but his skills are obviously diminishing rapidly, almost game to game. So, deal him to any taker and hope they eat his salary and you can get something in return. Really, there comes a time when on base percentage becomes over rated and that time is now!!!

Also- to all those baseball knowledge gods that claimed Brett Myers wouldn't be able to succeed again in Philly and were demanding his trade from the club...once again dumbasses! After a while it has to suck to be wrong a lot of the time.

~Carson

Cleaning out the closet

It's about time the Phillies clean out their closet. They need to take drastic measures to change the face of this club. John "Plump" Lieber and Cory "American" Lidle each pitched decently in what may have been each of their last starts for the Phillies...as I can only hope. Lieber is drawing interest because he is post season tested, you know how contending clubs love that. Lidle is drawing interest because he's gutsy, that's what people say when your pitching repetoire is mediocre at best. Either way, I hope both of them are traded for prospects that can jump into the Majors within the next two seasons. Dellucci is playing his butt off, and probably playing his butt right on out of Philly. Cormier has a sparkling ERA that would look nice on the mantelpiece of a contender. Burrell and Aberu look to be staying put though. They each make too much money, and the Phillies want a lot in return, so those trades look less and less likely every day. Others that can be had for bargain basement prices: Bell, Rhodes, Lieberthal, and probably Fultz. I'm very hopeful Gillick starts pulling trades off left and right, but my guess is that the Fasano deal will be the biggest one.

Speaking of cleaning out the closet, way to go Lance Bass! Hopefully you can talk your boyfriend, partner, sex slave, or whatever you call him David Bell into coming out of the closet and admitting he's queer too!

P.S. Hard to believe David Bell became the most productive 3rd baseman out of those 4, although Giambi switched positions.

~Carson

Wolf / Dellucci / Rumors

Only 50-some days left until the return of college football, in particular Penn State football. So I thought I would bust out this pic of Randy Wolf (who is 4 days away from his return) enjoying an adult beverage with some loser and two ugly chics at a Penn State game. It is worth noting the Wolfy stays away from the absolutely sickening Bud Light in favor of Miller, whose 4.5% ABV is the best among light beers...good choice Wolf-man.
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Phils are currently enjoying 6-4 lead after 4.5 innings. Utley extends his streak of hitting, and Lieber extends his streak of being fat.
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Again, Burrell sits in favor of Dellucci, who delivers with a homerun in the third. I think that this increased playing time for Dellucci is more about showcasing him to teams for a trade than Burrell struggling. When Burrell was really down, he continued to play, right up until the all-star break, with infrequent days off (despite what Charlie Manuel said he was going to do...). Then after the break, Burrell raises his average almost 20 points. This is point he starts splitting time with Dellucci. If this was really about production, it would have happend a while ago. Moreover, you might see Dellucci in right for the slumping Bobby Abreu (yes, he is slumping, average down to .281 without a dinger in 33 games...) Looks to me like Burrell with be back in left consistently in about 5 days, and Dellucci will be gone, to the displeasure of some.
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More rumors - like the NY Times, we don't care about facts or truth...at least when it comes to deadline rumors. So here we go some PA scuttlebutt:

• Bobby Abreu is wanted by everybody - Phils have asked about Hughes (NYY), Santana (LAA), Lester (BOS) but so far no takers because Phils want the other team to take over all of his salary, which is unlikey. The Lastings Milledge deal is still out there. Cardinals still seem to be the leader though. Decision may be between trading him for crap and not paying him, or get someone decent and pay him to play for somebody else...
• Jon Lieber to the Red Sox? Take anything.
• Cory Lidle is somebody teams want. Red Sox may offer Wily Mo Pena, because the Phillies don't have enough K-machine outfielders.
• Sean Casey is bing linked to the A's and the Angels
• Kip Wells is getting interest from the Mets and "other teams"
• Joe Randa - interest from the Twins, as well as the Padres
• Craig Wilson - Bucs asked the Yanks for Melky Cabrera; Cardinals offer Adam Wainright, Buccos want Anthony Reyes (of course they do...)
• Solomon Torres or Damaso Marte to the Rockies forRockies minor-leaguer Ryan Shealy; Rockies may want Matt Capps.
• Roberto Hernandez has to go somewhere. Buccos want Yankees to take Jeromy Burnitz also, which has stalled the deal.

Corey

Trade Rumors & Stuff

Geoff Geary is excited about trade rumors!!! So here goes...

Phillies:
From the NY Post - "The Yankees have made an offer to the Phillies for outfielder Bobby Abreu that was immediately turned down because it didn't include major league-ready talent or top prospect Phil Hughes. Like other teams, the Yankees believe if they take on Abreu's contract ($23.5 million through next year) and pick up his $16 million option in 2008 for him to waive a no-trade clause, they shouldn't have to part with upper-crust prospects such as Hughes, who suitors have been told is untouchable. "


The Cardinals have closely followed the Phillies. Outfielders Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and David Dellucci and pitchers Cory Lidle, John Lieber, Arthur Rhodes and Rheal Cormier have been targets. The two best Cardinal pitching prospects are Adam Wainwright (24 years old) and Anthony Reyes (24 years old). Wainwright is a 6'7'' rookie and is the Cardinal's best reliever this year. He's expected to be a starter next year. Reyes is also a rookie and figures to be an ace in the future. He's 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA this year. These two are likely untouchable, which means any offer to the Phils will include slop. Another rookie that is being talked about in deals is LF Chris Duncan.

Pat Burrell to the Orioles for Rodrigo Lopez and Brandon Fahey. Lopez sucks and Fahey makes Nicole Ritchie look fat.

Tom Gordon to the White Sox for either pitcher Brandon McCarthy or minor league 3B Josh Fields. This is unlikely now that the ChiSox got Mike McDougal and are close to getting Alfonso Soriano by giving up McCarthy.

Pirates:
reports from the Post-Gazette:
"The primary pieces getting shopped are those eligible for free agency after this season, meaning outfielders Jeromy Burnitz and Craig Wilson, third baseman Joe Randa, first baseman Sean Casey, starter Kip Wells and reliever Roberto Hernandez. "

"Now that the San Francisco Giants are out, the Oakland Athletics might be the next most likely destination for Casey, a source said yesterday. "

"The Pirates' talks with the New York Yankees regarding reliever Roberto Hernandez apparently have become more serious. " -

"San Diego's interest in third baseman Joe Randa might be limited by the $1.6 million he is due the rest of this season. The Padres are reported to have roughly $1 million to add to payroll." - I would take anything, or nothing, to get rid of Joe Randa. ESPN never even changed his picture on the website, they knew this trade was going to happen months ago...

Corey

Abreu Sucks At Hitting Home Runs

Just an update on Bobby Abreu's significant lack of power. In his last 166 games played, Abreu has 14 home runs. That is 1 homerun every 41.7 at-bats. For comparison, suck-bag fairy David Bell has 10 homers during the same time.


Games without an Abreu homerun - 31

Corey

Don't Call it a Comeback

Don't call it a comeback,
I've been trying to blog for days,
Having problems with my computers stubborn ways,
Leaving me in a blog-less craze,
but I'm gonna knock this out,
Brett Myers said knock this out!

That's right, I'm making my triumphant return to the blogsphere! I'm sure all of 3 people missed me, and that is over estimating. Anyway, I have a lot on my mind and I need to spout off, so here goes...

Thoughts:
*Mike Lieberthal is proving to be even worse than I thought he was capable of this season. Zero homeruns and 1 walk in 102 at bats...Chris Coste should be the starter, and that's saying something.
*I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, and I was wrong about Chris "East -vs- West" Coste. I thought he had no business being on the Phils, but turns out he could be a reliable backup catcher, and even starter for this crappy season.
*Trade David Bell now. He's actually hitting, albeit only singles. Here at WSBGM's we've always maintained the stance on trading Bell, but this is the perfect time. Teams in contention are desperate for "veteran with postseason experience that do all the little things right"...and that's Bell apparently according to Chris Wheeler.
*This current squad just can't win, as evident by Brett Myers gem of a game last night turning into a loss because of complete lack of situational hitting and managing strategy. So, let's trade our big salaries, bring in some young hungry talent, and fire Manuel in the offseason. So sad to say, that means finding new homes for Abreu an Burrell, and not so sad to say adios to Lieber, Lidle, Cormier, Rhodes, and Bell. Dellucci is a hot commodity right now too...bye pinch hits leader!
*Sal Fasano is gone, and should be. Too bad he didn't take the other lame ass catcher with him (Lieberthal) and let Carlos Ruiz and Coste play out the remainder of the season.
*Cole Hamels needs to do some maturing and show some progress with the remaining starts left this season...very underwhelming thus far.
*Does anybody really believe the Phillies are still playing for the wild card? If you answered yes, please take this moment to realize you are an idiot!
*Pirates continue their fast pace towards being the most horrible team in the Majors...way to turns things around Littlefield and Tracy!
*All those young guns for the Buccos didn't turn out so good this year...too bad, I was hoping for a change of fortune for the organization. Now all we can do is hope this year of struggling pays off and they can contend in a few seasons. Of course they've been saying that for over a decade now.

~Carson

Worst of the Worst (1990-Present)

Pirates edition:

C Humberto Cota - 2005 - .247-7-43. To be fair, Jason Kendall put up respectable numbers for many years, so his only competition was Mike Lavallier, and I refuse to put Spanky on a "Worst Of" list.
1B Kevin Young - 1993 - his 2001 was pretty bad, but slightly better than his horrendous 1993. His first season as the 1B starter the first time around the 'Burgh, KY tore up Three Rivers to the tune of 236-6-47. Okay for a slick fielding SS, really bad for a 1B.
2B Pat Meares - 2001 -absolutely stole money. .211-4-25 in his last year in Pittsburgh.
SS Mike Benjamin - 1999 - nice sideburns, but like Meares, basically stole money playing baseball. He hit .247-1-37 in '99 but considering his lifetime .229 average, it is amazing that he had a 13 year career!
3B Ty Wigginton - 2004 - the Buccos for all intents and purposes did not have a 3B in '04. Wigginton ran out there the most and hit .220. Sad.
OF Cecil Espy - 1992 - the '92 team went 96-66, not thanks to Cecil and his .258-1-20. Of course, when you have Bonds, Bonilla, Van Slyke, and Chico Lind carrying the "O," you afford to run Cecil out there.
OF Adrian Brown - 2002 - in hte last of 6 years with the Buccos, Brown totalled.216-1-21. He played a total of 14 games in the bigs after this
OF MIke Kingery - 1996 - somehow Kingery put together a 10-year MLB career. Of course, Pittsburgh gets him in the last year he plays and throws him out there for 117 games. He rewards them with .246-3-27.
Util Abraham Nunez - every year - played 8 years on Pittsburgh and was absolutely horribe in every one. His "best" year was in '01 when he hit .261.He hit over .240 in only 2 of the 8 years. Yet the Phillies gave this loser a two year multi-million dollar year because he hit .285 once!
Util Jermaine Allensworth -1997 - former 1st round pick got in 108 games in '97, only to hit .255 with only 3 home runs.
Util Derek Bell - 2001 - Operation Shutdown season. Hit .173-5-13 in 46 games and never played in the majors again. He did, however, continue to smoke crack cocaine.


SP Jon Lieber - 1995 - before he was a solid contributor to a Yankee division winner and before he was an overweight soft-tosser with the Phils, he was a 4-7 & 6.32 youngster with the Buccos.
SP Bronson Arroyo - 2000 - 2-6 & 6.40 in '00. Lowered ERA to 5.09 then 4.00 in consecutive years, then...waivers? As bad as 2000 was, were the Buccos that deep? NO.
SP Chris Peters - 1999 - don't let the 5-4 record fool you, he was bad. The 6.59 ERA tells the real story.
SP Ryan Vogelsong - 2004 - 6-13 & 6.50. I won't mention this was the centerpiece of the Jason Schmidt trade. Nope, won't even bring that up.
SP Oliver Perez - 2006 - what happened to this guy, I mean, besided being a Pirates, which almost mandates you NOT fulfill your potential or improve..until you leave for another team. 2-10 with a 6.63 ERA before being mercifully sent to AAA.
RP Jeff Ballard - 1994 - posted a 6.66 ERA in '94. A sign? I think so, even the devil thinks this organization sucks.
RP Omar Olivares - 2001 - Another in the long line of Phuccos, was absoutely atrocious in '01, 6-9 & a 6.55.
RP Dan Miceli - 1996 - future Det, SD, Fla, Col, Tex, Cle NYY pitcher sucked with Pittsburgh too. 2-10 & 5.78 in '96.
CL Mike Williams - 2003 - recorded 25 saves in '03 but did so with a 6.27 ERA. Traded to Philadelphia for Frank Brooks and posted a 5.96 ERA with them. When will these two teams learn...

Corey

Worst of the Worst (1990-Present)

These are the worst seasons, by position, for a Phillies player since 1990. Eligability was at least 1/2 season as the starter at the position.

C Darren Daulton - 1991 - played in 89 games, batted .196. Great leader. Absolutely insane. Horrid 1991 season.
1B Dave Hollins - 1995 - the deepest position in baseball, and our first baseman was a bad third baseman? Hit .229 wth 7 homeruns in 65 games before being traded to Boston for Mark Whiten. He went on to hit .154 in Beantown.
2B Mickey Morandini - 2000 - Mick should not have been playing this year. Hit .252 with zero dingers before getting traded to Toronto for...oh, god...Rob Ducey.
SS Kevin Stocker - 1995 - this was an especially brutal offensive year for a guy I will have trouble saying anything else bad about, except he wasn't a good hitter. .218 with a single round-tripper.
3B David Bell - 2003 - One of the reasons many Phillie fans can't stand this loser. As soon as he signs a healthy contract, he hits .195. Thankfully, he played on 85 games due to injury.
OF Pat Burrell - 2003 - Two-Zero-Nine. What is that to Pat Burrell? Number of cigarettes smoked per day? Number of hook-ups in a week? Nope, his BA for the 2003 season. It was painful, physically painful, to watch Pat Burrell swing a bat that year. Change of stance. Change position in the box. Change pre-pitch routine. Wiggle the bat. Don't wiggle the bat. None of it worked. He swung at every slider in the dirt and watched every fastball right down the middle. I still get nightmares about this season.
OF Von Hayes - 1991 - lets be honest, Von Hayes sucked big time this year. He played half a season, hit .225 with absolutely no homeruns. He was also making $2.2 million that year, not exactly chump change for 1991.
OF Rob Ducy - 2000 - one of the stupidest things I ever saw, occured with Rob Ducey in 2000. He started with the Phils, hit .189 thru half a season. So, the Phils traded him to the Blue Jays for some retard. He hit .154 while in Canada. I say "while in Canada" because he was later traded to....the Phillies!!! for Mickey Morandini, who made this list too for the same season!! Why would a team trade for a guy hitting below .200, who already hit below .200 for you THIS YEAR? Who know, but they did, and he went on a wicked hot streak, hitting .217 the rest of the way. He was recently spotted at a Harrisburg Senator's game...as their hitting coach!!!
UTIL Abraham Nunez - 2006 - [in progress] his numbers are so bad, I'm fairly safe in including him in this list. After 100 at-bats, he's .150-1-5. Ouch.
UTIL Alex Arias - 2000 - what Abe Nunez strives to be... .187-2-15

SP Paul Abbot - 2004 - Larry Bowa had to run this guy out there every 5 days...opposing managers were overjoyed. Finished 1-6 with a 6.24...and never pitched again.
SP Rich Hunter - 1996 - got 14 starts in his only season in the majors...wonder why...3-7 with a 6.49
SP Calvin Maduro - 1997 - the 1997 version of Rich Hunter 3-7 with a 7.23 then released. Sure glad we traded Todd Zeile and Pete Incaviglia to get him (and Garrett Stephenson.)
SP Gavin Floyd - 2006 - [in progress...kind of] 4-3, 7.29 ERA, 1 demotion...however, pitched teams only CG shutout in rain-shortened 5-inning game.
SP Paul Byrd - 2000 - Byrdman loves Jesus, but he still couldn't get anybody out in 2000. Totalled a lovely 2-9 with a 6.51...has had nothing higher than 4.05 ERA since leaving Philadelphia.
RP Norm Charlton - 1995 - another Ed Wade free agent gem. Exploded out of the bullpen then imploded on the mound...2-5 with a 7.36.
RP Ricky Bottallico - 1998 - 1-5 with a 6.44. We don't call him Blowtallico for nothing.
RP Turk Wendell - 2001 - traded with Dennis Cook for Bruce Chen and slop during the "playoff push" of '01. What's that? You have ligament damage in your elbow? Here comes a 7.47 ERA and there goes the playoffs.
CL Jeff Brantley - 2000 - every time I see that midget on ESPN, I want John Kruk to choke him. He couldn't close out a church league softaball game in 2000. Finished with 23 saves, but did it with a 5.86 ERA and 7 losses.

Corey

San Francisco Still Sucks

I have a good friend currently holed-up in Fresno that is a lifelong No-Cal guy, so Downer, my apologies...

But seriously, San Francisco sports fans [pictured to the right]have to be the biggest set of tools ever.

I've written about this earlier: first on their reaction to Bonds on opening day and then on their ongoing defense of Barroid. However, their egregious behavior this weekend takes the (fruit)cake.

Brett Myers returned to the mound for the first time since his "personal leave." Everybody was waiting to see how bad the reaction would be from SF fans. Boos? Signs? Heckling?....Nope. Total indifference. I know SanFranners might not understand the concept of "man-woman marriage," but they should understand big person beats up little person, and they should want to show their displeasure with that. Even if they don't have a huge problem with it morally, their respect for ballpark heckling and the hate for the opposing team should caused some sort of reaction.

Now, I understand I come from the boo-happy east coast (I was among a table of east-coasters that booed the best man at a No-Cal wedding...again, Downer, my apologies...) but we aren't talking routine booing here. This was SF's chance to really shine...and they blew it. They let real SF fans down. They let Philly down. I think they even let Uncle Charlie Manuel down, he said he expected "a harsher reaction." We all did Uncle Charlie. And those rice-a-roni eating fairies dropped the ball...

Corey

Intangible / Recap / Distraction

Before I start sarcastically breaking down the Phils-Giants game yesterday, I want to ramble a bit about "intangibles." Many fans like to talk intanglibles like they do home runs, or batting average or WHIP. I think this is retarded.

"Intangible" means 1)incapable of being perceived by the senses or2) incapable of being realized or defined. Because an intangible cannot be percieved or defined, ownership of intangibles is purely speculative. The arguement for or against someone having intangibles is pointless, because there is absolutely no way either said could be proven correct.

Because of the entirely irrational and subjective nature of intangibles, many fans use the term as an attribute to add value to a player who they value higher than the objective parameters would suggest. And they get away with it because it is impossible to argue against it. The "intangible" is the gold-standard in idiotic sports talk.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in the importance of certain unmeasurable things that may be classified as intanglibles, such as team moral, chemistry, momentum, etc. My point here is that arguing that an individual player has unpercieved, unmeasurable atributes that makes him and the team magically better is moronic. About as moronic as wanting to trade Brett Myers...
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Cory Lidle went Cory Lidle on the Giants yesterday, bouncing back from that 2 run performance against Pittsburgh by giving up a more Lidle-like 5 runs.

Pat Burrell goes 4-4 with a HR and 4 RBI, and Burrell-Haters everywhere are frustrated they must wait another day to argue how .265-20-62 is atrocious while .289-8-60 is a superstar...

Aaron Rowand goes 2-4, but more importantly gets 3 intangibles. His thrid inning intangible was the difference in the game...

Mike Lieberthal is back. We can all be happy for that. In the last 6 games, Phillies catchers (Coste, Ruiz) had 9 hits. Lieby comes back and goes 0-4. Timing is everything...
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To the dismay of many Phillies fans(WSBGM's not included) Brett Myers rejoins the club today for his start against the Giants. I want him to pitch well today, not only because I'm a Phillies fan, but because I want to see the reaction of the newly-minted Myers Haters, who not only want Myers traded, but insist he really isn't that good anyway...
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Today's distraction from losing: Philadelphia native Will Smith in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
By the time this show came on, the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff were idols to the bloggers of WSBGM's. The show ran from 90-96, and Prince would often be seen wearing Phillies clothes.

[clip removed due to "issues"]

Corey

Abreu / Burrell / Stuff / Distraction

There has been a lot of talk about the possiblity of trading Bobby Abreu, and I am totally for it. I think Abreu is an overrated player, who brings far less value to this team than most believe.

Abreu has for a while been viewed as a "star" player. His overwhelming potential has been intriguing Phillies fans for years. He hit .316, .335, and .312 in his first three years in Philly. The talk was of batting title. In his fourth year he hit 31 home runs. The talk was of home run crown. Possible triple crown, with his potential. But things didn't exactly turn out that way. He hit .300 three more times (but never higher than .308.) and in the last two years he's hitting .286. He hit 30 homers again (31) but in the other years hit only 20, 20 and 24. This year he is on pace for 16 homers. His declining average and power numbers are worrisome and completely underwhelming, considering the era in which he is playing.

On first glance, Abreu has fine stats this year. He currently hitting .286 with 59 RBI, 53 R, and 17 SB. His OBP is a sparkling .441. Those are great numbers for a lead-off hitter. But Abreu is not a lead-off hitter. He is hitting third. And he has 8 home runs. And he is supposed to be a "star."

As a 3-hole hitter, Abreu is average. Compare his HR and RBI numbers to some other NL hitters in the same position: Ryan Zimmerman (12, 58), Ken Griffey (18, 50 in only 58 games), Chipper Jones (11, 50 in 70 games), Geoff Jenkins (8, 50), Morgan Ensberg (19, 44), Albert Pujols (28, 73), Moises Alou (9, 33 in only 36 games), Nomar Garciaparra (11,53), Brian Giles (6,45). By comparison, his HR/RBI numbers are below the standards of other high paid "star" players. Of course, maybe HR/RBI are over-valued. Teammate Pat Burrell has 19 and 56 and he is getting benched every other game.

Obviously, Abreu's strength as a player and value to the team are his high OBP. As a lead-off hitter, Abreu would be great. But he is not being used that way. And if he is not going to be used in a manner that will benefit this team, he is not worth keeping around while he earns more money and his numbers continue to decline.
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Pat Burrell is one of my favorite players on the Phllies. I like home runs and Burrell can hit them. Also, I lived in Philly from 98-02 while in college and heard many great stories about Burrell, many of them revolving around liquor, Marlboro cigarettes, and ladies. For these reasons, he became my favorite player (despite the quite homo picture of Burrell drunk-dancing at Bar Noir that I have posted here.)

Lately, I have seen less of Burrell on the field. He is struggling hard. His average has dropped to .246 and Charlie Manuel has decided to use Dellucci more in LF. The talk on other blogs is highly saturated with trade Burrell talks, to the point where many fans would trade Brett Myers if a team would take Pat and his salary. Despite my affinity toward Pat the Bat, I'm not totally against the benching or to some extent, the trade talk. What I am against, is that it seems that Burrell is getting singled out in the criticism. Look at Aaron Rowand's numbers over the last month. They are horrible but Shane Victorino hasn't taken over some duty for him. Jimmy Rollins is hitting .360 with an OBP of .323. That is really bad for a lead-off htter, yet he gets run out there everyday. Bobby Abreu has only 8 home runs from the 3-hole, but he is getting praise for a high OBP and RBI totals. Well, Burrell's OBP is .374, second on the team only to Abreu, and he has 56 RBI.

Burrell is struggling right now. I won't argue that, but everyone seems to only look at his average, and ignore his HR, RBI, OBP totals or deem them irrelevant, while praising others for similar stats. And son't overlook the fact that there are plenty on this team that are struggling, not just Pat the Bat.
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Ian Snell has a 3-3 record and an ERA just over 3.65 in June/July.
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News Update: Chicago White Sox continue to miss Aaron Rowand's lockerroom presence. Lack of intangibles from their CF causes them to fall to 26 games over .500. Meanwhile, the Phillies benefit from Rowand's "hustle" and "positive attidude" to the tune of of a .447 winning percentage. More later on this developing story...
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Todays distraction: Full House.

"What ever happened to predictability,
The milkman, the paperboy, and evening TV"

NL East as Full House characters:
NY Mets = Becky Donaldson - hot
Phillies = Kimmy Gibler - ugly
Atlanta = Stephanie - crystal meth-induced failure
Washington = Uncle Joey - not funny; quite sad
Florida = DJ Tanner - young, potential

Corey

Intervention / Karma / What? / Distraction

The Phils just lost to Los Padres 5-3, losing their 8th series in a row. They suck worse than ever. But that is not important right now, because the Phils, and one pitcher in particular, have a bigger problem. Aaron Fultz, I'm talking to you now. We at WSBGM's are here because we care. This is you intervention. You have a problem with the rosin bag.

Never have I seen a player rely this heavily on rosin. Before every batter, sometimes multiple times during a single at-bat, you load up your hand with the chalky white stuff. The remnents of your trips behind the mound fly from your hand as you release each and every pitch. Even the '86 Mets think you use the powder too much. The bill of your cap is so loaded with the stuff, it looks like Otis Nixon's coffee table. Get yourself some help Aaron, you can kick this habit...
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Tom Gordon gets named to the NL All-Star team. He then blows a save one night, and follows that up by yielding a game-winning homer the next. Phillies baseball, catch the karma!
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The Phils are paper thin and balsa wood sturdy when it comes to pitching. They had to use "bullpen by committee" to start a recent game. But when they have a roster spot available, who do they bring up....Chris Roberson. What? He of the blazing fast .095 batting average. What do they need with 6 outfielders anyway. While Brian Sanches and Clay Condrey ride a bus from Scranton to Syracuse, and the bullpen is on it's last legs, Roberson sits on the bench, waiting for his opportunity to run a 40-yard dash...
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Todays distraction goes out to one long-suffering member of the Phaithful:


"It’s a rare condition, this day and age,
To read any good news on the newspaper page."
Especially if it's the back page of the Daily News...Urkel for Bullpen!

Corey

Vacation/Censorship

Vacation all I ever wanted, vacation had to get away! That's right, a perfectly timed vacation from baseball, because next week is the All-Star break and I really don't give a flying two-fisted flip about that! I'll watch the homerun derby, and possibly an inning of the game if I'm bored. I'm not worried about missing any Phillies games this weekend, what concerns me are my fantasy teams. Anyway, I'll be soaking up rays on the beach for a week, so I won't be posting until July 15. My partner in crime will have to hold down the fort until my return.


I am a profane person, but I try to keep it reader friendly on my and other blogs. I truly don't see a problem with using language that is acceptable on television. However, I have recently had a comment edited or censored on another blog for typing "I don't think people should cream their pants over Chris Roberson". If you find that offensive, I apologize. Then after you accept my apology for that offensive comment, I apologize for saying "suck it up pussy!!!". Geez, get real people!

~Carson

Informer

Stop, collaborate and listen,
Ice is back with a brand new...
Wait, my bad, I got the wrong whiteboy-gansta-wannabe. My theme today is that crazy Canadian-Jamaican reggae dude, Snow. Well, actually he was only Canadian, but dammit he could sling some lyrics like a hemped-up dreadhead. And by the way, what's up with these aliases like Snow and Vanilla Ice for white rappers? Like we can't see and hear that they're not of the African persuasion. But for blogging purposes today, I am the informer, and I'm here to inform you that the much needed All-Star break is coming. My partner in crime just started his residency and is working hellashish hours, so although he'll TiVo the games, he'll still be too tired to watch. Myself, well I'm just sick of saying the same thing over and over again about the Phillies and the Pirates, and am personally thankful that a reprieve is coming. The 1st half of the season has been down-right dismal for the Phils and Buccos, but there are some positives. And for a change of pace, I'm going to inform you of those positives.

Good $hit!:
*Jason Bay is proving to be a great all-around outfielder, and was rewarded by fans by being voted to start the All-Star game...congrats!
*Ronny Paulino is solid both offensively and defensively...and he's a catcher!
*Ryan Howard is a mammoth, but not wholly?!
*Chase Utley is proving to be a great 2nd baseman, and as too was rewarded by the fans for a starting nod on the NL All-Star squad.
*Flash Gordon is good. Old, but good, and on the Phillies staff I'd take Satchel Paige.
*Freddy Sanchez came out of nowhere! I truly hope he continues this into the 2nd half of the season and doesn't fade.
*Sean Casey is a good guy. He's not terrific or anything, but I can see why Cincy was so enamored with him.
*David Bell is the best 3rd baseman in baseball barely beating out another generation linked stud in Aaron Boone. (I was just checking if you were reading, I hate Bell!)

~Carson

???

I have recently gone out on a limb, a big fat thick sturdy limb, and suggested that the Phillies start trying to get young by trading off proven veteran losers. By loser, I mean the inability to get Philadelphia to the playoffs. I would like to see all/some of the following list to be traded: Lieber, Lieberthal, Dellucci, Burrell, Abreu, Cormier, Rhodes, Lidle, Bell, Rowand, and/or Gordon. Now, before you jump down my throat and start questioning my "madness", please let me elaborate. First, Gordon has 2 years left on his contract after this season and has been outstanding thus far, but he's getting old and do we really need a lights-out closer when we're not contending? So, Gordon could reel in some real blue-chip prospects or Major League ready players. Burrell and Abreu each bring something to this team, but it's time one or both go. I'd miss both of them, but neither are going to get any better, probably on the decline, and they make a ton of $$$! Rowand is a fan-favorite, but his hitting and defense are over-rated...sorry to inform ya of that! As for the rest of the bunch, the Phils could get lucky and have a prospect land in their laps. D-Train Willis was in the Cubs organization and pretty much came over for nothing, ditto that on Bagwell to the 'stros from Beantown. My whole "logic" here is that this team just doesn't get it done, and it's time to see what we can get for some of these players and see if a youth movement might just spark something. And if they lose, at least they'll be cheaper, and it's not like we're not losing now anyway. By the way, I'm not suggesting we trade these guys away for the sake of trading them away, only in the right situation. Well, I'd trade Bell and Lieberthal for a pack of matches and toilet paper, but other than that the rest of the aforementioned crew can bring in talent.
So, if you'd like to question me about this conclusion I've come to, go right ahead, but seriously stop and think about what I'm proposing here.

~Carson

In Defense of Gillick (sort of) / Distraction

Pat Gillick arrived last year following the dubious reign of Ed Wade. Many labeled him as a "savior" but he hasn't done anything in the last 1/2 year that would justify that sentiment. So how much blame should Gillick get for this debacle? First, let's look at what he has done:

- Traded Jim Thome to White Sox for Aaron Rowand, Gio Gonzalez, Dan Haigwood - could he have gotten more for Thome? I don't know. Would rather have a 3B or SP but CF was need (I guess...)
- Traded Jason Michaels to Cleveland for Art Rhodes - Michaels was destined to go and Phils needed BP help. Rhodes has been bad, but overall deal was not that bad
- Traded Vicente Padilla to Texas for Ricard Rodriquez - this happened before WSBGM's was created so I haven't said anything this before, but I hated it. Despite Padilla's flaws, he was at the least a 4th/5th starter or potentially solid bullpen hand. Gillick basically gave him away. Uncacceptable.
- Signed Abraham Nunez, Alex Gonzalez, Sal Fasano, David Dellucci - as a Pirate fan, I know what Nunez was all about (ughh); Gonzalez = who cares; Fasano is a younger, less jerkish Todd Pratt, besides, we already have an $8 million catcher; Dellucci is LH bat and backup outfielder, nothing wrong here
- Signed Adam Bernero - he shouldn't be starting, but with Myers, Lieber, Floyd gone and Brito unable get anyone out, they are running out of options.
- Traded Dan Haigwood to Texas for Fabio Castro - time will tell on this one.
- Failed to trade Abreu or Burrell at any time

Has Gillick made this team appreciably better? No. Has he made the team appreciably worse? No. The difference between this team and last years team - worse bullpen, worse starting pitching, more wife beating.

The biggest problem with Gillick is that he hasn't changed this team enough. Specifically, he needs (needed) to trade the corner outfielders. However, he has been here less than one year. A single rade deadine has yet to pass. There is still time for Gillick to make some changes. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt at this point because I can't pretend to know he is dealing with behind the scenes (trade offers or lack thereof, limitations in payroll, etc.) But if July comes and goes and this team is no terrifically different or terrifically better, I may be calling for Gillicks head. We gave Ed Wade almost a decade to prove he was incompetant, I think we can give Pat Gillick one year...but possibly not much more than that.
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I was adequately distracted by the Mr. Belvedere theme song. I walked around for two days singing "You drop kick your jacket, as you came through the door..." so I will continue the trend with the theme song to another great show, Perfect Strangers:

Since Adam Bernero crapped out last night, is it time to give Balki Bartokomous a shot? When the Phils are getting beat by Ty Taubenheim, just sing to yourself "Standing tall, on the wings of my dream. Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream."

Corey