We begin this thread with arbitration news: Ryan Howard won his case today and will earn $10 million in 2008.

Time for a shameless blog plug.

I am glad he got the money he was looking for. With that being said I don't think the Phillies will sign him to a multiyear contract. The rumor is that he wants closer to ARod money than Pujols money. By paying him year by year they essentially will have had him for 7 years for much less than 20 million a year. We need to enjoy Ryan while we can because in 2011, when he wants that long term 20+ million a year contract at age 32, some other team will have to pay it.

Unless you are the Yankees or Red Sox, most teams have a window of opportunity that lasts a few seasons before it's time to rebuild. I think the Phillies are in that window. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are locked in for a few seasons. Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels can be kept around for at least 4 seasons by paying single year contracts until free agency kicks in. If the Phillies don't get great draft picks to replenish their minor league system, they will be in rebuilding mode when the current crop of stars move on.

Of course all that could change if the team is sold to a wealthly owner.

But if he continues to do well he'll be in line for larger sums. He could easily get to that $20 mil plateau. The Phils will have to decide to increase payroll by a LOT or let him go or keep him and get rid of others.

Chris Coste's book will be released next month!

Here we go again!

Brad Lidge will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee tomorrow and be out for 3 to 6 weeks, meaning he isn't likely to be ready for opening day.

Between this and the Flyers, I'm starting to believe in that Billy Penn curse.

The Ryan Howard salary debacle has company: Cole Hamels was renewed for $500,000 for 2008 and he's not happy. He's also a bit stupid. This is what he said last week regarding the process of getting a big contract at some point:



A Yankee-type deal! Oh, Cole. Poor, naive, silly boy. This is a big-market team with small-market owners. They got Utley and Rollins signed for a few years but the market has now changed thanks to their low-balling strategy with Howard. Unless he gets really seriously injured or really, really, really stinks up the joint, Howard is going to be nearing A-Rod money by his free agency year if not sooner. The Phillies will let him go via trade or free agency, unless they finally sell the team before then.

Let me preface this by saying that while I am a Nationals fan at heart, I do root for the Phils since I live here...as long as they're not playing Washington. I've even wore a Nats jersey while bartending during a Phils/Nats game!

That being said, I think that Howard deserved the money he got, and Hamels is being nothing more than a whiney behotch. At the same time, the Phils upper management would be absolute fools not to keep either of them long-term, providing they both remain healthy and productive. If they let them go, there should be a revolt and the owners forced to sell the team to a group actually gives a d**n about the team.

And speaking of trades and whatnot, how does everyone feel about Washington trading Brian "Philly Killer" Schnieder to New York?

I think the Mets getting Johan Santana is considered more of a concern than their getting Schneider.

Not to me, necessarily...

I got back from spring training on Sunday and while I enjoyed the fine weather and the great ballpark Clearwater had to offer, three of the four games I saw were clunkers. The pitching was not good, but then the starters I saw were Moyer, Eaton, Rosario and Madson. To be fair Eaton pitched 3 shutout innings but the bullpen fell apart.

Since I returned home though, it looks like Phillies are turning the corner a bit getting strong performances out of Hamels, Myers and Kendrick. Now if only their offense would get on track. I didn't get any autographs although my friend got one from Chris Coste. Trying to meet the players at Brighthouse Park is daunting since the place is always buzzing with fans.

The high points of Brighthouse include seeing the game while reclining on the berm, and enjoying cocktails from the Tiki bar. I talked with a father and his two teenage sons from New York. They were Yankee fans on vacation to see the Yankees playing near by. I asked what prompted them to see a Phillies-Reds game. The father replied, that it was simply the best spring training park in the state to enjoy a game.

From what I've read, the newer parks make it easier for players to avoid mingling with fans. Naturally.

The Phils start 2008 by losing 11-6, giving up 5 in the 9th to Washington. Same old Phils -- losing in April. (Well, it's April tomorrow...and I guess somewhere in the world it's April right now!)

Yes same ole Phils and same ole Charlie Manual. Even though he got applause during the pre-game introductions, it was because the Phillies won last year in spite of his managing. This afternoon after J.C Romero stopped the Nats 123 in the eighth, Charlie elected to bring in the "trusty" closer Tom Gordon in a non-closing situation. The game was tied 6-6 and I am sure J.C. could have gone one more inning with a day off tomorrow. I was not alone at the game in saying 'NO' when we saw "flush" Gordon take the mound. You could just sense a collapse was in the offing.

When I left my place this afternoon, it was 6-2 Washington. I got to Westbury and it was 6-6 and the top of the 9th...I wasn't thrilled, but I stayed and had a few beers before going to work. How thrilled was I to watch "Flush" Gordon meltdown? Needless to say, someone threatened to burn my jersey - while I was wearing it - for being a Washington fan. hehehe I still support the Phils, though, and think putting Gordon in was a HUGE mistake...one that benefited my Nats, but a mistake nonetheless. I'm curious to see how the next two games go. Personally, I just hope the Nats don't loose their momentum by having a day off tomorrow.

There were a few quotes from players after the game that said (without using the words, but it's clearly their mindset) that people are stupid for worrying about the team getting off to a slow start. Well, the other day there was this stat in the paper: Since 1995, when the wild card format began, there have been 104 playoffs teams. 85 of those teams started out at 5-5 or better. 98 of them were at least 4-6 to start.

Only six teams with worse records (three that were 3-7 and three that were 2-8) have made the playoffs in that time frame -- that's 5.8 percent. One of those teams was last year's Phillies. But as I've often complained, they've had other years where they got off to bad starts and didn't catch up, falling just short at the end. What are the odds of this lightning striking twice?

So for these players to have this attitude is so disgusting.

The Phils have reportedly signed Rudy Seanez. They'll have to drop somebody before tomorrow (plus someone else if Brad Lidge comes off the DL on Saturday, the earliest day he's eligible).

Seanez was let go by the Dodgers after compiling a 7.71 ERA during the spring. He's gone from...deep breath...Cleveland to San Diego to LA Dodgers to Atlanta to San Diego to Texas to Boston to Florida to Kansas City to San Diego to Boston to San Diego to LA Dodgers in his career.

So I went to the game today. It was chilly, the sun wasn't out very much...and the Nationals promptly scored 5 runs in the top of the first. The Phils made 4 errors in the first 4 innings (and I think at least one more play might have been an error) and trailed 6-1, then strung together 7 singles, a hit batter and another single to take a 7-6 lead in the 6th. The Nats tied it in the 8th, somehow Tom Gordon didn't give up a run in the 9th, and the Phils won in the tenth after Jimmy Rollins went from first to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored three walks later (the first two intentional, the last one not). I'm 1-0!

Hmm ... maybe there is a reversal of fortune. You are 1-0 and I am 0-2

Shocking -- Adam Eaton pitched into the 8th inning and had a 3-2 lead until he gave up a game-tying homer in the 8th. I shouldn't really ask this since the Reds won it in the 9th, but are the Reds hitters that bad that they couldn't beat up Adam Eaton?

21 of the 30 MLB teams are in between 3-2 and 2-3. Parody?

I think Adam Eaton and Brett Myers had a body exchange. While Adam has been cruising along, Brett had a second bad outing. This is twice he has allowed 4 runs in 5 innings, certainly not what you expect from your number 2 pitcher. On opening day Brett guaranteed the Phillies would not start out 4-11 again. If he wants that to happen he better pull his own weight.

He'd be better off losing weight than pulling it -- he looks like he's fattened up again some. He looked in better shape last season after ballooning up the year before.

But at least he sounds like he's concerned with a poor start. His teammates ought to take it more seriously as well.

Phillies 5, Mets 2. The beat goes on...the beat goes on...

Did You Know: The Mets were 7-0 in Shea openers vs. the Phils until today.

Good win for Moyer today who got in six good innings thanks to some good defense behind him, especially Victorino's basket catch. Unfortunately, Jimmy Rollins got a high ankle strain during the game and maybe out for a couple days.

In news reports they described it as an ankle sprain but not the dreaded high ankle sprain. Philly.com now reports that Rollins will play tonight.

Eric Bruntlett-MVP... for the Mets at least.

It's that bastard Rollins' fault. How dare he get hurt and miss the game? (And make a liar out of Philly.com?)

Actually, I'm quite relieved. Thousands of Mets fans have removed the noose around their necks or have climbed down from the windowsills.

Indications so far are that Kyle Kendrick's 2007 performance was a fluke. Six walks in 2 innings? Pathetic.

You are thinking of the breathless NY tabloid media, not the resilient Mets fans.

I selected Kendrick for my HACKING MASS team on Baseball Prospectus -- where you pick the regulars who will play the worst.

I hope Rollins is healthy the rest of the year, aside from the occasional mouth sprain.

Not the ones I've heard and read comments from.

In spite of giving up 3 solo homeruns, Brett Myers finally pitched a good game for eight solid innings. The Phillies need more of this from him, although he has to cut down on the long ball. Burrell had a another homerun and looks like he is eager to play for a new contract next year. Meanwhile SS Bruntlett playing in his third game for the injured Jimmy Rollins didn't kick the ball around, thank God.

It was nice to click the remote after the exciting Flyers win to find that the Phils, down 3-0 going into the bottom of the ninth, tied it on homers by Chris Snelling and Pat Burrell, and then beat the Astros on a game-winning double by Pedro Feliz. Had it not been for the foul ball-called-home run on Sunday they'd have a 4-game win streak going.

Adam Eaton had his third consecutive quality starts!

I couldn't keep up with the excitement of switching back and forth between the Flyers last 3 minutes of play and the Phillies ninth inning. I missed the Burrell HR but saw Jenkins slide into home for the winning run. The Phillies couldn't hit out of a paper bag while batting against Chacon, but as usual with this team, they do their best against the bullpen of the opposition. And yes, Eaton and Kendrick have switched bodies for 2008.

Though he took a 2-1 loss, at least Kendrick pitched well last night. And I was at the game today, and, well, things went pretty well.

Santana vs. Hamels tomorrow night.

The Phillies wasted 2 weeks not putting Jimmy Rollins on the disabled list, instead having him pinch-hit and try to work his way back. Now they've given up and put him on the DL after all, but because of those pinch-hit appearances he now can't return until May 5 at the earliest. Extremely stupid.

The Phillies finally win one against the Rockies. Kyle Kendrick was hit around giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but this time the offense woke up. Chase Utley is having is best month ever so far hitting his ninth homerun and hitting at least one in 5 straight games.

Another come-from-behind win -- a Pat Burrell 3-run double in the 9th for an 8-6 win and a two-game sweep of the Rockies. Burrell is hitting .357 with 7 HR and 22 RBI so far.

With their 13th win this month, the Phillies have already surpassed their win totals of any of the last 5 Aprils. What is interesting about it, is that they are winning more this April with one of their MVPs on the DL for most of the month, while the other one has been benched a couple of games because he is in an incredible funk. Add to that, their speedy centerfielder is on the DL and one wonders how they won this many. Of course Utley and Burrell have picked up the slack, along with the bench guys.

The back end of the bullpen has settled down, to hold down the fort while the team has rallied from behind in several games. One wonders how long Romero, Gordon and Lidge will continue to perform.

The bullpen ERA is something like 2.65, which is huge. And Burrell set a team record for RBIs in April and could do the same with homers if he hits a few more.

They haven't buried themselves with a poor start, and no other NL East team has run off to an incredible start (though Florida's been a surprise). It really makes the rest of the season more interesting.

Notes on an off-day: Mike Lieberthal is going to sign a 1-day contract on June 1st so he can officially retire as a Phil.

Meanwhile, the Phils broadcasters are making an appearance for the Phila. Animal Welfare Society...

Happy anniversary! The first game in franchise history took place 125 years ago today. The Phils celebrated by moving into first place in the NL East.

Pat Burrell came thru again with a walk off 2run homer on a 3-2 count with two outs in the ninth. Romero finally gave up a run in relief to Aaron Rowand of all people. Aaron was warmly received and got cheers before the game and during his at bats. Chase Utley continues to be on fire hitting his 12th homerun of the season.

I was at the game today -- Phils win in the 9th. I'm now 3-0 this year and have a 5-game win streak dating back to last year. I'm finally a good luck charm again!

I was there too, and everyone figured this would be another extra inning affair with the Giants, but Howard actually walked to start the ninth, a pleasant departure from constant strike outs we had to endure this year. I heard a few boos when he came up but not many.

It was nice to see Jenkins finally come thru in the clutch for a change and witness Howard's bellyflopping slide across home plate for the winning run. Utley took the day off with no hits. Lately it's either him or Burrell we depend on to score any runs. I can't wait for Jimmy to get back in the lineup as the scoring has been anemic of late.

One of my nephews started booing before Howard's first at bat. I scolded him. I told him, "You don't boo until after he strikes out." I see they scored that final play an error, not a hit for Jenkins. From where we were sitting (sec. 434 -- the very last section in the highest deck) it didn't look to be an error. I guess I'll have to check out a replay.

From the Phila. Daily News, a tale of a Yankees' minor league catcher who doesn't seem very bright...



Edit to add: The week on the road that was -- the Phils split 4 games at Arizona. Not bad. Then they lost 3 at San Francisco. Not good.

Ryan Howard just dropped a throw from second base on an attempted double play. It was not remotely a bad throw. It just clanked off his glove. The Braves turned it into two runs.

And there have been a few cases of catchable throws that he hasn't caught this year. This has just got to stop. It's bad enough he's been slumping at the plate, but this is ridiculous.

As bad as the Ryan Howard story has been, I have been more concerned with the disaster Brett Myers has become. Since last year when he started poorly before injury, I have been convinced he is more of a thrower than a pitcher. He does quite well when you limit him to one inning like he did in a closing roll last year. Unlike the starting role, he can use all his energy to mow down the hitters without thinking too much.
But when he is expected to go 6 plus innings it takes a real gameplan which I think he has lost due to lack of concentration. He has even admitted he prefers closing because it pumps him up.

Out of 9 starts he has only gone more than 5 innings three times. He leads the majors with 15 homeruns given up. This is so bad that even Adam Eaton of last year was better. He (only) gave up 30 HRs the entire season.

If this continues it may get to the point where you hope Kris Benson can finally come in to take a stab at starting.

The starting pitching (outside of Hamels) is a huge problem. No one's been consistent. Myers needs to get his act together. He's pitched well as a starter before, so he's certainly capable of doing it again. He needs to grow up. Just because he isn't beating up his wife any more (at least as far as anyone knows) doesn't mean he's matured.

Those 2 runs that scored after Howard's drop turned out to be extremely costly, seeing as the Phils, down 8-0, got within 8-6 in the ninth and had runners at second and third with two outs.

Between flipping between the Flyers game and the Phillies, I finally got to see Cole Hamels get a complete game shutout and a much needed one at that. Now if we could only find our real number 2 pitcher hiding somewhere in Brett Myer's body, the rotation would start looking brighter for the team.

What a night for Jayson Werth. 3 HRs and a team-record-tying 8 RBIs. He made it easy for Jamie Moyer.

It was a disappointing day at the ballpark today where I spent 6 hours, of which almost 3 were rain delays.
Kyle Kendrick opened with a strong first inning and Ryan Howard gave the team a 2-0 lead after one. Then the rains came. During the delay we got treated to watching the Flyers game on the scoreboard give up two goals in the first period. When the baseball game resumed Chad Durbin was called and pitched 3 effective innings but Manual left him in one batter too long as he gave up a 3 run bomb to pinch hitter Lyle Overbay. He had already tossed 60 pitches in relief and that was the time to remove him. Rudy Seanez finally gave up another 3 in the next inning and we were down 6-3.

What happened in the sixth inning is strange to say the least. The Phillies started a rally scoring one run and had men on first and second with Pat Burrell up to bat. The skies opened up and a another rain delay ensued. When play resumed, the Jays brought in Roy Halladay, the team's ace starter, to pitch two innings of relief. I have never seen this except maybe in a very long extra innings game where all your pitchers were used up. He was scheduled to start on Tuesday. Roy's response to coming in was that "it was a numbers game" Huh, whatever that means. Personally I think he would be more valuable pitching a possible complete game, than two innings of relief and missing a start.

Even though the Jays won the game, the strategy almost backfired as their closer allowed one run in the ninth and came close to allowing the tying run to score. I know Manual would never bring in Cole Hamels in the sixth inning of a regular season game and I am sure Randolf of the Mets wouldn't do it with Santana.

I was more annoyed by Rod Barajas and his 2 HR, 5 RBI game Saturday.



With bullpens stretched thin this has happened a few times in recent years. It was Halladay's day to throw on the side between starts, so he did it during the game instead. Roy Oswalt has done it. I think Kyle Kendrick might have done it once last year, and with the bullpen having to go 8 innings yesterday after Adam Eaton only went 5 the night before, he's likely to pitch some relief this week in Washington.

Apparently it was Halladay's first relief appearance since July 2001. He presently leads the AL in innings pitched (72 inn. in 9 starts and 1 relief app., including 4 complete games). I guess Dubya does know something. As he says, Halladay "burns up innings."