Huge Tiny Mistake Has Moved!!!

Yes, we've moved our blog over to wordpress now. It's cleaner, faster and simply better.

Here's the link: I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake

Myers Charges With Slapping Around Wife In Public

Apparently Brett Myers, scheduled to pitch against Curt Schilling in Boston tomorrow, was arrested in Boston for hitting his wife in the face(and then she posted bail??):

Myers, 25, who was scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Red Sox, got in an argument with his wife at about 12:20 a.m. at the corner of Boylston and Dalton streets, according to David Procopio, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Myers’ wife, Kim Wickman, and two witnesses told police that the pitcher hit her.

“The evidence at this point leads us to believe the victim was struck in the left side of her face,” Procopio said.

One of the witnesses told investigations that Myers also pulled her hair.

Crap. I'm not going to give an opinion because I don't know what happened, but CRAP.

The Best Ad Ever

It's being disparaged for trivializing Jesus Christ, for being war-like, and worse. And I freaking love it. It takes balls from both Nike and Wayne Rooney. It's the freaking English flag and nothing more, you dopes! The poster is shown below:

Larry Brown Fired,Isiah Thomas Named New Coach, and 29 Other Teams Rejoice

So Larry Brown was finally spared by the New York Knicks today, as owner James Dolan bought out Brown's contract. Here's the recap of his tenure from ESPN.com:

"Brown wanted the team to overhaul the roster that Thomas had assembled and feuded openly with star Stephan Marbury.

The coach perplexed his players and eventually lost their support by constantly switching lineups and rotations, never quite settling on any set combination over the course of the 82-game season. His penchant for making thinly veiled criticisms of his players through the media irked his players nearly as much as it bothered the team's corporate owners at Cablevision."

Wow, so Larry wanted new players that would be, you know, good? What a son of a bitch!

So-so move to get of him, but an expected one after Brown clashed with several players throughout the season, most notably Stephan Marbury. He was also given a roster full of overpaid 2s and 3s, a 5'9 shooting point guard(Nate Robinson) and Eddy Curry. I'm not sure what anyone expected Larry to do out of this group, but anything more than 40 wins would have been pure magic.

I've come to love Larry, even though I hate him. He's a frustrating guy who whines the entire time he coaches your team, but he usually ends up in the playoffs a couple times, and even helped bring the defensive-minded Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001 with Allen Iverson and a bunch of nobodies (oh sure, Tyrone Hill is famous for looking like Skeletor). The man can simply coach, for all his faults. The Knicks were beyond his control though, as the players didn't listen, the management disagreed with him, and his health problems started to get in the way as well.


Either way, it was an expected move and probably the best move for both the Knicks and Larry Brown. But what happens next?! Only the greatest thing ever for blogs such as Deadspin (who calls this 'the moment you've all been waiting for'), YaySports! and the mighty mjd sports blog. That's right. . . Isiah Thomas was named the new head coach of your New York Knicks.

ISIAH FUCKING THOMAS!!! This is the man that crapped out with the Toronto Raptors, drove the Continental Basketball Association into the ground through outlandish spending, spent three underachieving seasons as the coach of the Indiana Pacers and were booted from the first round of the playoffs each year, and has now spent three years as the GM and president of the Knicks, amassing a terrific 95-151 record. And he's gone through four coaches now, one of them being himself. He's also created a 130 million dollar payroll of pure junk. And he's been sued for sexual harassment. And he dealt away several draft picks which could have reinvigorated the franchise.

Oh god this is going to be great.

Randy Wolf's Rehab Update

Well, at least he got his work in. And he struck out 5. Other than that, Randy Wolf had a tough time against Erie last night, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and 6 runs in 3.2 innings. The good thing is that it is REHAB, and thus people shouldn't dissect how his starts ended up, only how he felt during them. And Wolf is feeling better:

"Every day gets better, and it's like every start, regardless of results, I feel better and better," Wolf said. "I think the more I go out there the closer I'll feel. Right now if I went (to the big leagues) and tried to pitch I'd get hit more than I did today. It's just a matter of me going out there more and more and getting more comfortable, and that's when I'll be all right."

Maybe he'll be ready for the big league club in a couple more starts. They certainly need something. They lost 5-0 last night to the New York Yankees, even though Cole Hamels put in a pretty good outing, going 7 innings and giving up 6 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs while striking out 6. The Phillies themselves only mustered up 3 hits and 5 walks, nothing beyond a single. The Yankees used 5 pitchers for the shutout, and the Phillies could not do anything once the starter Jaret Wright left the game in the 5th inning. They were also caught on the basepaths twice(Rowand, Rollins). It was a bad end to another frustrating series that was fluttered away.

Randy Wolf in Reading Tonight

Randy Wolf is scheduled for his third rehab stint tonight in Reading when he faces the Erie Seawolves. He had a slight setback in his last rehab start when hit in the hand when a batter returned a pitch to the mound, but is set to throw tonight. The last time Randy hit the AA train was in 2004, when he went 4 IP and gave up 1 run and 5 hits while striking out 4 in a different rehab stint.

It's always a fun night when a player from the majors comes to Reading to create a fun night for the fans, even if it is because of an injury. Hopefully Randy will have another decent outing and take one step further on the road to recovery. The big club needs him very soon. Hell, they need ANYONE able to pitch. Either way, for one night in Reading, Randy Wolf will be the star attraction, and twenty-five minor leaguers get a chance to feel like big leaguers for three hours.

And wouldn't it be great if the Wolfpack could come back?? They were so much better than Sal's Pals, a cheap ripoff.

Boy Meets World Monday

Remember the time Eric said Feeny a lot?!?!

Remember: Salute Your Shorts

Youtube makes remembering favorite shows easy!

David Bell Sucks At Baseball

We Should Be GMs calls the guy crap, and we already said he 'can't hit anything' so why am I revisiting this? Simply put, the guy is bad and deserves recognition for being consistently horrible. Sometimes crappy players deserve as much pub as those on the good end of the spectrum.

OK, so David Bell is not quite sucking as much as last year. Oh he's darn close, but he's not quite as horrible as he was in 2005. The thing is, that still makes him one of the worst players in the league, and officially the 2nd worst third baseman in the major leaues(and worst in the National League). And Bell is the single biggest problem with the Phillies. Here's why:

1. He can't hit. Statistically, he has the 3rd lowest OPS for all qualified third basemen in the majors at 709. Out of other third basemen, only Aaron Boone has less home runs than David does(4). His on-base percentage is .332, which is terrible, and his slugging is not any better(377 and almost nothing if singles are taken away). Ignoring position, he is ranked 154th out of 183 qualified batters, with most of the usual suspects at the bottom of the list. This is where he improved from 2005, when he ranked 142nd out of 148! He has no power and no ability to get on-base, but other than that he's fucking terrific!

2. He can't field this year, at all. Last year he was actually a good fielder, achieving a decent zone rating under different measurements and having a quality range factor. He also had a decent fielding percentage. This year he is utterly average in zone rating and range factor, but has the worst fieling percentage in the league, which basically means that he is muffing balls every chance he gets. This was on display during the Mets series when he crapped out two plays in a row, the first time missing the ball go off his glove(which didn't count as an error) and the second time simply mucking up an easy grounder. The entire team's defense has floundered this year, and David is a big reason for this turn of events.

3. He can't be replaced. We have other starting pitchers that we can throw in there. We have excess outfielders if anyone slumps, and young catchers at AA(Jason Jaramillo) and AAA(Carlos Ruiz) to bring up when we finally end the Chris Coste debacle. But we have no option at third base, other than extending a hand to AAA and hoping and praying that Brennan King can accomplish something. Abraham Nunez is doing no better, Chris Coste cannot hit major league pitching, and no one has any reason to suspect that either WILL do any better, so the Phillies are stuck throwing David Bell out there every game. His VORP(value over replacement player) is essentially a wash at -0.7, which means that one can throw anyone out there and expect them to perform at the same level as Bell. But performing at the same level is pointless and does not help this ailing team. But what about a trade, you say? That is certainly out of our hands, and no one can know if Gillick is trying to deal for another third basemen, but right now the only option the Phillies believe they have at third base is David Bell because of his contract(expiring at the end of this season) and the fact that they've been going with him for the past 3 years, so they might as well just keep on keeping on.

David Bell is Larry Bowa's lasting legacy, whether many of Larry's fans believe it or not. He wanted him here, he loved him in Seattle. He loved the grit, the determination and the BALLPLAYER that is David Bell. Too bad this guy ain't actually any good, otherwise those intangibles would actually come in handy. For now, the Phillies are stuck with David Bell as their biggest problem because they simply can't get rid of him or his contract, or find anyone(Chris Coste and Abe Nunez don't count) to replace him that will give them anything more. David Bell sucks at baseball, too bad we're paying him to do it for a living.

Non-Phillie Fucks Up

Sidney Ponson probably shouldn't try and steal bases.

The Goat at Third Base

More will be done on this subject later in the week, but suffice to say that David Bell's game was put center stage last night, and it didn't look pretty. A weak groundout with the bases loaded, and two bad plays in a row, only one of which the scorer called an error, helped lead to a tough Phillies loss as the Mets slid by them 9-7.

Comcast Center As of June 10th, 2006

Here is how it is progressing(set to top out at 57 stories and 975 feet):

Aaron Rowand Has The Right Idea

"Good road trip, would have liked to have finished it better," Rowand said.

Ding! Sure, the Nationals series was a frustrating one, with the Phillies being shut out in a game for the first time since August 2005, and a late inning loss thrown in there just to frustrate fans, but the road trip ends with a 6-5 record. A 6-5 record is exactly what one should expect when going on the road, simply because of the swings that occur throughout the year and that legs get tired after 6,000 miles of traveling. One should expect good teams to go slight above 500 on the road and then romp at home. Unfortunately, the Phillies have not romped at home. They are 16-16 at home, while 17-14 on the road. Hopefully there will be some kind of home-field advantage going into the rest of the year, otherwise it could be a long season for the Phillies.

Boy Meets World Monday

A Montage!!!

The Reading Classic: A Big Success

A professional bike race occurred on June 8th in Reading, Pennsylvania and it was a huge success, drawing many people from their homes and neighborhoods to downtown, to City Park, Centre Park and all along the race trail. People from out of town also attended the first annual race, to swell the crowds to over 10-15 thousand people on the streets of the city. There was some concern about traffic, but from what I observed, that was a non-factor and simply something that probably kept some people away. There were stories of suburban workers 'taking the day off', which is simply absurd. Enjoy the day! Enjoy the race and the fun and the spectacle! We need to squash this 9-5 workday mentality we have.

The race itself was actually three separate races, with an amateur race, a women's professional and men's professional. Greg Henderson, from New Zealand and last year's Lancaster Classic winner, won the race after gaining momentum on the final lap. The final lap involved climbing a section of Mount Penn, and proved the defining moment for the race. Tired but determined racers climbed then descended to the crowd's pleasure. There were two local racers in the field: John Delong(50th) and Ryan Dewald(106th of 109 finishers). There were 44 who did not finish the race.

Let's hope that 2007's race brings out even more, so much so that the sidewalks are overflowing with people and traffic. Let's get some people traffic going here, on the same level as what will happen this Sunday in Manayunk in Philadelphia.

To read more about the Classic, the Reading Eagle had some tremendous coverage.

Quick Hit: X-Men 3 A Wasted Opportunity

The first X-Men movie was darn good. It set up the motivations for Wolverine, Rogue, Professor Xavier and Magneto. The second installment in the series was not as good , but was still enjoyable enough. However, the third, and final, movie simply was a lazy venture. Brett Ratner, the new director who replaced Bryan Singer, traded in character development and a coherent storyline for more action scenes and cheesy dialogue. The crappy lines given to quality actors like Ian McKellan(Magneto) and Patrick Stewart(Xavier) was simply a waste, and made the Star Wars prequels seem Oscar-worthy.

It's worth one watch, but anyone who is a fan of the comics or the cartoon programs would not exactly enjoy this movie. It is anything but canon, sometimes simply creating completely false histories of characters, and haphazardly introducing several of them. Kelsey Grammer was a good pick for Beast, but VASTLY underutilized. It, as well as Angel and other new characters, simply seemed like throw-ins for X-Men fans because NOTHING was done to explain them in the proper context.

Finally, plot points from the other movies were simply dropped, and storylines ignored. Rogue, Iceboy had a few token scenes, but nothing was done to wrap up any of their places in the trilogy. The idea of Jean Grey as the Phoenix was simply introduced without any explanation or reason, and it must have been tough for non-X-Men fans to understand. Simply ignoring true character development, a storyline resembling anything in the comics, and making no attempt to integrate the new characters was a weak, weak attempt. It is understandable that the trilogy would not be canon, because there simply are hundreds of characters and storylines, but simply slapping together a movie from popular characters was lame and lazy.

Who Knew Winning Could Be This Easy?

Apparently the Phillies have recently figured out that winning by 9 runs makes for a fun, easy win, as they blew away the Diamondbacks 10-1 behind the arm of Cole Hamels(1 ER in 5.2 IP) and the bats of Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino.

King Cole Hamels: The Sequel

Well, it's finally time for King Cole Hamels to start again. He's off the disabled list, and he will go up against a streaking Juan Cruz for the Diamondbacks. Hamels has allowed four runs and six hits while walking 9 and struck out 11 in 11.1 innings over his first two starts before going on the DL with a strained shoulder.

Let the games begin at 9:40 tonight.

Phillies Snake By the Diamondbacks

With some great baserunning by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, the Phillies slide past the Diamondbacks 4-3. It took a huge effort by the entire team, as Arizona brought 8 game winner, and groundball specialist, Brandon Webb to the mound. The Phils were able to break his 30 inning scoreless streak on, ironically, a double play which scored Chase Utley from third base.

And Ryan Howard hit a POPOZAO of a home run tonight(his twentieth of the year), and here' s the celebration in the dugout:

Boy Meets World Mondays!!!

Remember that time that Eric and Jack dressed in drag?!?! Hilarious right? Well, OK, it was a recycled bit from when Corey and Sean did it, but still, it's BMW!!

Tommy Lasorda Likes Chain Restaurants

Tommy Lasorda has a blog. Let's get by that, because it's mind-blowing enough, and just get to his most recent post about his 'favorite restaurants'. Something smells a little fishy with this, and it ain't the food. He lists several chain/Disney restaurants(in addition to some great broken links):

-- Buca di Beppo - chain
-- Napa Rose - Disney
-- ESPN Zone(mentioned three times) - Disney/ESPN
-- Tony Roma's - chain
-- Del Frisco's(mentioned three times, once as the 'best in the country, let alone NYC) - 6 locations in 6 cities
-- Sullivan's Restaurant(mentioned three times) - 15 locations
-- Lone Star Restaurant - huge chain and here's what was said: "Their steaks are done to perfection, and they have locations across the country. If you go, tell the host Tommy sent you." Yeah, because the host probably served Tommy and they're like best friends now!!!
-- something called Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment, which had the same broken link twice
from two different restaurants
-- Rosebud Restaurants(two separate links) - eight of them
-- Cracker Barrel - He calls it 'old, down home cooking' Yeah...there's one or two of these restaurants around the nation.


So what gives? Who would really pick so many Disney-affiliated restaurants and chains without actually getting something for it? Am I to believe Tommy, from working-class Norristown, PA, is a big chain man who settles for second-rate chain Italian food? And he likes Pat's Steaks??? He already hates the Phanatic, and now these offenses? What is a young man supposed to believe in these days?

And whoever puts up his blog better do a better job putting up links. I counted 20 broken links, one of them about the White House. George would not be pleased, Tommy.

Send Down Floyd, Bring Up Mathieson

No funny titles for this post, let's get down to business. OK...the Phillies lost 7-2 last night and it wasn't that close. The Los Angeles Dodgers smacked three home runs off Gavin Floyd in the first four innings, as he gave up 7 hits and 4 walks. It was another wretched start for the 23 yr old kid, and even though the offense did not show up until the 9th inning, he deserves to be demoted to Scranton. His fastball is simply WAY too hittable, and he has been unable to consistently control his heralded curveball. He has little else to throw out there. Going with a rotation of Myers, Lidle, Madson, Brito, Floyd will simply not cut it. Something has to be done.

Sure, the rotation will be changed again in a month, when Jon Lieber is expected to be back, and maybe Randy Wolf, but the Phillies cannot continue to putter away games with Gavin Floyd on the mound. Cole Hamels is expected back VERY soon. This is by no means saying that Floyd cannot right the ship, the entire point of this is that fixing Floyd should be done IN THE MINORS, where his performance does not negatively affect the wins and losses of the team. A guy that throws up a 7+ ERA and a nearly 2 WHIP is hurting the team, period.

The Phillies should bring up Scott Mathieson to the major league ballclub. Many see him as a possible closer for the Phillies, but why? He has an electric fastball and good off-speed stuff, and has struck out a lot of guys in the minors. This year he he fanned 84 in 72.2 IP. He's also only let on one baserunner an inning, and has only walked 18. He doesn't give up too many homers either(4). He has gone fairly deep into games for a young pitcher, averaging about 6 and 2/3 innings a start. There is no reason that he cannot convert these skills to the majors, and he may as well do that now. He has little else to prove in the minors, the Phillies are hurting for starting pitchers, and he has more control and is a bit more polished at this point than Gio Gonzalez, another good young starting pitcher at AA Reading.

I see this rotation: Myers, Lidle, Hamels, Madson, Mathieson when Hamels comes back. I doubt this will happen, but it would be the best route to take until Lieber/Wolf come back. Throwing Mathieson out there would DEFINITELY be better than trotting Floyd out there every 5 days to get smacked around.

UPDATE: This was written before checking the other Phlogs out there, and apparently several others are jumping on the 'Send Floyd down' express: Philliesflow, Beerleaguer, and Philling Station(which, BTW links to me and I can say with all sincerity is the first blog I check every morning) all see a demotion, while Swing and a Miss even expects a trade.