I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake

The new site is great

2006-08-11T00:03:00.000-04:00

Yup, it is, and it's here: Huge Tiny Mistake. Great site, and I like the layout. Check it out.

And another new site: YouTube For Everything.

Huge Tiny Mistake Has Moved!!!

2006-06-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-22T10:55:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-21T11:38:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-19T12:51:00.000-04:00

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

Remember: Salute Your Shorts

2006-06-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

Youtube makes remembering favorite shows easy!

David Bell Sucks At Baseball

2006-06-16T10:59:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-15T17:13:00.000-04:00

Sidney Ponson probably shouldn't try and steal bases.

The Goat at Third Base

2006-06-14T11:43:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-12T14:14:00.000-04:00

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

Aaron Rowand Has The Right Idea

2006-06-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

"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

2006-06-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

A Montage!!!

The Reading Classic: A Big Success

2006-06-09T15:16:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-07T22:42:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-06-07T01:14:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-06T11:40:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-06T00:44:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2006-06-05T00:16:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-02T12:03:00.001-04:00

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

2006-06-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

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.

But Where Did His Foot Land?

2006-05-31T01:59:00.000-04:00

Bobby Abreu may have hit a 3 run BOMB in the bottom of the 4th inning. This may have ensured a 3-0 lead for Brett Myers, who then cruised to a 4-2 victory. It may have traveled 434 feet to the 2nd deck in right field. But where did his foot land?? What matters is how Bobby looked while hitting it, not that he hit it.

I kid, but some are serious with that crap. Maybe he's opening his hips up to pull a ball or to poke it into left field but that does not matter to the haters. Haters simply hate for no rational reason.

Hooray for Chris Coste, Now Can We Get a Real Bench?

2006-05-28T22:42:00.000-04:00

The Phillies won 6-2 today against the Brewers and were able to prevent the season sweep. The only time the two teams will meet again would be in the playoffs, which we're sure everyone would take. However, the series brought up a key problem on the team, the bench. Pinch-hitters were 1 for 14 with a walk in the six games against the Brewers, and little better when bench players started games. Surely a bench is not expected to hit 300 or perform at the level of the starters, because by definition the bench will be formed of lesser players. However, the bench as has been constituted has not produced nearly enough.

Pat Gillick had a great little plan for this year's bench. Bring in some veterans(David Dellucci, Abraham Nunez, Alex Gonzalez, Sal Fasano) who knew the majors and knew how to hit. Dellucci, Nunez and Fasano all had career years for themselves in 2005, and Alex Gonzalez had always been a starter, if nothing really special. Shane Victorino was the lone holdover from the 2005, and he had only been with the big club during the stretch run in September, and performed admirably.

But that plan went awry early on, when Dellucci came out of the gate struggling (3 for 20 with a double in April), Alex Gonzalez went 1 for April, Sal Fasano proved to not be able to make contact with the ball (13 Ks in 29 at-bats in April and only 6 hits and 1 walk), and Abraham Nunez, who has become the #1 bat off the bench in pinch-hit situations, just kind of blows. And he's tied to a two-year deal! Chris Roberson and Carlos Ruiz came up from AAA and have both struggled, but Roberson is back in Scranton and young players can do poorly their first time in the majors for a variety of reasons, so they cannot be held to task for the bench's shortcomings.

To be fair, David Dellucci has righted the ship in May and is starting to show his power and patience at the plate. Shane Victorino was a TREMENOUS fill-in in CF for the formerly disabled Aaron Rowand, hitting around .345 with 5 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers, and his re-insertion to the bench will surely provide a spark to it.

But they are only two of the players on this bench, so what happened to the other flame-outs? To start with, Abraham Nunez was never any good. His current 367 OPS is terrible and probably lower than what he actually will end up with, but his career 633 OPS over 1964 at bats is a huge precedent. The man just wasn't very good, and his somewhat decent output last year as a utility man on the St. Louis Cardinals was a huge abberation. Make sure to follow his suckiness at philliesphans.com. Unfortunately, he is bound to continue to crap out for this team because of his multi-year deal.

Next up is Alex Gonzalez. He was so bad that he retired to pursue other options. His stay with the Phillies ended with him getting 4 hits in 36 AB, 2 walks and no extra base hits. He also started at first base several times and didn't exactly play stellar defense. The inevitable occured on Sunday May 21st, and he was dropped from the team, but his negative influence on the team showed up in several games and probably cost them several runs and even games.

Then there is Sal Fasano, Philadelphia legend. Because of a last name, a fu manchu, and a cheering section (Sal's Pals), he's become a local media darling and been called a 'throwback' to the 1993 Phillies team. He even has a MySpace. Yeah, except they could hit. He is hitting .235, has 25 Ks and 3 walks in 68 AB, and has 4 doubles and 1 homer, which was hit on April 7th. And it's not like he could ever really hit, sporting a career average of .223, and a slugging percentage of .400. He does have 42 home runs, so he sports a little power...when he actually makes contact with the ball. He does this so little that his actual power output is actually lower than Jimmy Rollins' career slugging percentage (.413). But hey, he's gritty and dives for 0-2 foul bunts so a lot of people love him and were initially fooled by him. Some still are fooled. This man simply is a weak weak major league player, despite the likability.

But there is hope guys and gals! That blockhead Chris Coste, he of the 1.305 OPS in Spring Training, has been called up. His .177 average, .236 on-base percentage, and 8 doubles and 2 home runs don't count, of course, because he's 33 years old and is a good story for the club. His 0-3 with a HBP start is probably an indicator of what is to come for his surely short big-league stay (starting catcher Mike Lieberthal is due back very soon), but sometimes a nice story is a nice story.

So what happened? Gillick either overrated these guys or knew they stunk and simply didn't care. He already said they 'weren't good enough' before the season began, but bringing in guys like Nunez, Gonzalez and Fasano weren't a good plan at all. The choice seems fairly clear, because Mike Lieberthal is going to force the hand of the Phillies soon enough. Sal Fasano and Abraham Nunez have to be dumped, regardless of Nunez's two-year deal. Neither is likely to happen, but Carlos Ruiz at least has some upside at catching, while Fasano has topped out, and Nunez is simply WRETCHED. A possible solution is to bring up several well-performing players in AAA Scranton, which has been brought up before. Joe Thurston(2B/3B/LF) has swung the stick very well, as has Brennan King(3B). They could both take the spots of Nunez and/or Fasano and even if they flame out themselves they could not do any worse than the current bunch. A more likely scenario involves some type of deal that Gillick would be able to try.

In any event, watch out Mikey Liebs, Chris 'Charlie Brown' Coste may pull a Tonya Harding on you in order to stay up in the majors.

TV Update: People Watch It

2006-05-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

So the official Neilson ratings for this year have come out, 2005-06, came out and the #1 and #2 show is American Idol. CSI, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Without a Trace, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, CSI: Miami, and House round out the top 10. CBS simply dominated by having 9 of the top 20 rated shows in primetime. NBC didn't show up until 13 with Deal or No Deal, The WB until 111 (7th Heaven), and UPN lagged behind at 115 with America's Next Top Model. It will be interesting to see how the UPN and WB fare when they merge into the CW, as they were going for somewhat similar audiences and fairly distinct target markets.

And below is a list of the favorite TV shows of this blog's protagonist. Besides Lost, none hit the top 50, and five of them fall into the triple digits. Four will not return, including the namesake of Huge Tiny Mistake, Arrested Development. The funny show simply could not ring viewers in, despite its hilarity and amazing brilliance.

Anyway, here are HTM's viewing habits, not including HBO:

14. Lost ABC 15.5
51. How I Met Your Mother CBS 9.5
56. Invasion ABC 9.1 (cancelled)
56. The Simpsons FOX 9.1
65. The West Wing NBC 8.1 (done)
67. The Office NBC 8.0
69. Family Guy FOX 7.9
96. Scrubs NBC 6.4
115. Sons & Daughters ABC 4.9 (cancelled)
117. Smallville WB 4.7
120. Everybody Hates Chris UPN 4.3
123. Arrested Development FOX 4.2 (cancelled)
145. Veronica Mars UPN 2.3

Artie Lange Presents The Best REAL Late Night Interview Ever

2006-05-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

Yeah, that's right...there was a real, non-rehearsed interview on late night television, specifically involving Jimmy Kimmel and Artie Lange:

Debunking the Myth: Abreu Will Leadoff If Asked

2006-05-26T12:22:00.000-04:00

#53 has never stated he won't lead off. But the myth has circulated for three years now that selfish Bobby Abreu would rather sit his lazy ass in the three hole than do 'what is best for the team'. But, of course, he never said anything to that effect. Rather, he stated he 'preferred' the three hole, and judging by his production hitting with RISP(leading the team) he deserves it. Moving him up to leadoff would simply give him less chances to knock guys in, because he would follow the pitcher and catcher constantly, thus hurting one's team.

But back to the point at hand, Bobby recently stated he'd leadoff if asked:

"Anything that's better for the team. Anything to win games," Abreu said.

Why the change?

In Abreu's eyes, until this season the Phillies lacked enough RBI production to take his bat out of the middle of the lineup. He has averaged just over 100 RBI the last five seasons. His bat made him an All-Star the past two seasons.

However, with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand lined up behind him, Abreu considers the Phillies potent enough now.

"It's different," he said. "Now, we've got guys who can drive in runs."

Putting aside the 'changed his stance' idea, the guy said he WANTED TO WIN GAMES. Imagine that, selfish, lazy Bobby Abreu doing anything it takes to win games. Sure, he is bad defensively, but NO ONE can deny his production at the plate or his drive to win. Fortunately, Manuel thinks that moving the player with the best RISP numbers is a bad move, so he has yet to make the move.

But he would do it, if asked.

And all of the above could be null and void if different lineups actually mean anything. Studies have been done that show that lineup differences are fairly insignificant, as is protection in actual end result. It makes us feel good, and may have short-term gains, but eventually everything goes back to normal. So maybe all of this controversy is simply pointless.

Hey Phillies, No More of This

2006-05-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

I don't want to see this happen again(Thanks Ryan Franklin):

A Chink In the Crown of King Cole

2006-05-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

Apparently King Cole Hamels has injured his left shoulder:

Rookie pitcher Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies experienced soreness in the back of his left shoulder while throwing in the outfield Tuesday and was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday night against the New York Mets.

Hamels will return to Philadelphia on Wednesday for an evaluation. To replace him, the Phillies will start Jon Lieber against the Mets on Wednesday, with Brett Myers going Thursday afternoon.

Crap.

Boy Meets World Monday

2006-05-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

Remember when the kids went on a show called Knowledge Fever and it turned into a 'circus'?!

Chris Wheeler Fans Screams Are Heard

2006-05-21T18:02:00.000-04:00

From the same minds that brought the Delaware Valley, and indeed the world, the Chris Wheeler Glossary now comes Back She Goes! The Official C-W-G merchandise. These 100% pre-shrunk cotton T-Shirts run anywhere form 10 dollars to 17.99. There are shirts for kids, for men, for women, and then there is the huggable tee for everyone's favorite toddler (but Wheels especially made them for Latino toddlers):

And, of course, no collection would be complete without a pair of women's undergarments. These instant classics make a perfect belated Mother'sDay gift or gesture to one's girlfriend or wife:

Don't Jump Off That Wagon Just Yet Folks

2006-05-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

Yes, the Phillies lost their third game in a row yesterday in Milwaukee. Yes, they got swept by a young team who ran out Dave Bush and Dana Eveland as starting pitchers. But let's not jump off the bandwagon just yet. Let me list the ways:

-- Dave Bush is better than people think, as is Dana Eveland. Both are young pitchers with a good track record in the minors, with Eveland(aged 22) getting to the majors in 2.5 years. He's better than his numbers have indicated this year, and he's good against lefties. There's a reason why the Brewers pitched him, and we must realize that Phillies baseball doesn't occur in a vacuum. Other teams have good young players and pitchers too.

-- Another reason is that the Phillies are STILL 12-4 in May. Yes, that's right, they're still winning at a 75% clip. We must realize that if we kept this pace up, we'd be the best team of all-time. The Phillies simply won't win at such a dramatic rate, but we're still in a very good month.

-- We were on the road. Going 3-3 on the road is not horrible, and we swept a good team in the Cincinnati Reds. The Milwaukee Brewers in general are a pretty good team with a good shot at the NL Central when Ben Sheets comes back. Their offense has several good bats, and their pitching has held up thus far. Chris Capuano is an ace now, and while the Phillies didn't hit him well, they hung in there against the tough lefty.

-- Bobby Abreu's bat is back. He had a good series at Milwaukee after struggling mightily for about three weeks. He still hasn't hit a home run in a solid month (April 19th), but he drove the ball with some power into the gaps. Bobby went 5-12 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 2 SB, and 3 RBI. The guy just gets on base whether he's hitting or not, but it looks like he's starting to hit again. This could be key in winning games, as he was not hitting well during the Phils hot streak.

-- Our two best pitchers are going against Boston. There has been tremendous talk about Cole Hamels, even from this blog, but Brett Myers and Jon Lieber remain the two best pitchers on this staff. Myers has gone into the 7th inning in 5 of his 8 starts, with two of the early exits being his first two starts. He has a great ERA (2.73), a decent WHIP(1.23) and is holding opponents to a decent batting average (241). His K per 9 is 7.17, walks per 9 at 2.91, and K:BB ratio is a good 2.48. AND he's improving with each start. This is a great sign for Myers and the Phillies, as he is blossoming into the ace many thought he could be.

Also, as this blog thought, Jon Lieber is not as bad as he was pitching in April. Lieber has started to improve, most recently giving up only 2 hits in 8.2 IP against the Reds. His ERA is down to 5.50, WHIP is down to 1.22, and his peripheral stats are improving too: opponents are hitting .286(down from .365 in mid-April), 5.85 K per 9, 0.86 walks per 9! and his K:BB ratio is 6.8! Those are tremendous numbers which are starting to go back to what he approached last season. He's a viable pitcher who can be on or off depending on if he can control his slider, but he should be a positive for the Phillies going forward. Keep in mind that he leads the majors in K/BB ratio. He's also doing well in DIPS(which tries to take away the defense's impact on pitchers) stats, as is Cory Lidle.

-- Tom Gordon is our best reliever, and did not get any time against the Brewers. He is simply dominating thus far this year, to the tune of a 1.53 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and converting 13 of 14 saves. He's also struck out 13.25 per 9 innings while only giving up 3.06 walks per 9! This gives him a 4.33 K:BB ratio, which is stellar. He's simply in control when he's on the mound, and has shown little signs of letting up, sans a Carlos Delgado two-run homer. It's not his fault Manuel did not pitch him against the Brewers and trusts Ryan Franklin and Arthur Rhodes for no real reason at all. Over the course of the season, the bullpen will likely shake out, as Brian Sanches(2-2 1.50 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 18 K, 3 BB in 18 IP) and Eude Brito(4-1 2.56 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 25 K, 17 BB in 45.2 IP) are nipping at the heels of guys like Rhodes, Madson, and Franklin. They are ready to step in, though Brito's walks could be a concern. But so are Rhodes' walks.

Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride, but let's not jump out of the window every time the Phillies lose.

Cole Hamels: Perfection Part II

2006-05-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

After a great stretch of 13 wins in 14 games the Phils have struggled against the Brewers in their two losses, losing in the 9th inning of both games. Ryan Franklin gave up the game on Tuesday by throwing the ball away, and Arthur Rhodes' appearance proved rocky on Wednesday when he walked the 8 hole hitter to lead off the inning, who then eventually scored. The walks for Arthur Rhodes are starting to pile up, and are starting to affect this team. Maybe it is time to stop bringing him in for key appearances.

Tonight, the Phillies attempt to halt their small two-game losing streak against the Brewers by sending King Cole Hamels to the mound. Hamels brings some major league experience into this start, after having a decent entry into the bigs(5 IP 1 hit, 5 walks, 7 Ks). Hopefully the jitters have been shaken off and he can be the stopper for this team.

Hamels will face a good Brewer offense, just as he faced a good Reds offense. The anticipation for his first home start is building, which will not be until Sunday May 28th against the Brewers (again). But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves...the Phils need to win tonight.

Prediction for tonight: 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 2BB, 7K

Resounding Yes for Bob Casey Jr.

2006-05-17T01:29:00.000-04:00

This blog's choice for Democratic nominee(and Senator) romped in yesterday's primary vote. Chuck Pennachio and Alan Sandals couldn't show enough reasons for voters to look their way, as they instead went the more pragmatic approach at taking on Rick Santorum. Even some nose-holding was done in the Philadelphia area, as more liberal Democatic voters in the Southeast STILL voted for Casey at a 75% clip. It looks like the Rick-slayer will march on and will have to face a tremendous campaigner. Let's hope Casey doesn't crumble like he did when he ran for governor against another tremendous campaigner in Ed Rendell.

Pennsylvania 8550 of 9360 Precincts Reporting - 91.35% (courtesy Reading Eagle)

Name	Party	Votes	Pct
Casey , Bob	Dem	587,622	84.59
Pennacchio , Chuck	Dem	61,983	8.92
Sandals , Alan	Dem	45,088	6.49

Steroid Usage and Your Friendly Neighborhood Ballplayer

2006-05-17T00:50:00.000-04:00

1. Body type does not have anything to do with steroids. Someone can be fat and have taken enhancers. Someone can be skinny(Alex Sanchez) or small(Lenny Dykstra) and taken them. Having muscles does not automatically mean one has taken steroids, but NOT having muscles does not mean someone is clean. Let's stop saying 'look at how much that guy gained/lost, it HAD to be the roids! Or 'man, he's too ripped for it to be natural'. Sure, it brings questions to the forefront, but it's probably not right to assume because assumptions can, and usually are, wrong.

2. Production means very little. We have our very own Ryan Franklin to point to as a steroid user, which suggests that production does not follow after one takes steroids. Sure, someone can hit a ball farther or a pitcher could build up their legs and thus speed, but they still have to execute. It could also even get in the way of their style of play, such as when Ruben Sierra bulked up(no, I am not accusing him of steroids, simply an example) to add power to his game but this ended up messing with his swing. They can vary from all-stars like Jason Giambi to the vaunted Brian Mazone(in Scranton).

3. Just because it is leaked grand jury testimony, it doesn't negate the truth behind it. To assume otherwise would be to assume that the ballplayers perjured themselves. Bonds, Sheffield, and the rest escape me, took steroids, knowingly or not. I have yet to read Game of Shadows, so I'm sure someone knows much more than me on this topic.

4. Hitters weren't the only ones juicing. Sure, home run totals skyrocketed, but factors such as better training(and year-round training) in general,smaller parks, expansion and the bat and ball themselves have no doubt left their impact on these totals. Remember that home run totals jumped in the early 1960s as well as expansion thinned out the pitchers more dramatically than hitters. Anyway, almost as many pitchers have been caught as hitters, in both the minors and majors. Our very own Franklin, as well as former PHillie Derrick Turnbow are two higher-profile examples. Don't forget the good reliever Juan Rincon.

5. Injuries don't mean everything. Sometimes an injury is just an injury. People are certainly more prone from taking steroids, but assuming everyone ever hurt has taken roids is simply too big of a leap to take seriously.

Anything I have wrong or should add? I only do this because steroids are a big topic in baseball, with a big influence on the game and the policing of it, but a lot of generalizations and accusations are thrown around without proof. Let's at least get the proof before we brand people with a big S.

The Aftermath Of The Game Saver

2006-05-15T16:18:00.000-04:00

Boy Meets World Mondays

2006-05-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a Feeney and Eric Matthews montage!!!!

NL East At A Glance

2006-05-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of phillychuck, here's a Hardball Times graph showing the streaking Phillies:

The Game Saver Creates A Legend

2006-05-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

Here's the setup. It's the top of the first inning with the Phillies facing the 1st place Mets in the rubber-game of the three game series. Rain looms in the background, forcing the two teams to get out to an early lead to avoid losing the game in five or six innings if it is indeed called. After getting two easy outs to start the game, Gavin Floyd then walks Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and David Wright on consecutive at-bats to load the bases. Xavier came up to the plate and smacked a meatball of a pitch to deep centerfield. Aaron Rowand, the centerfielder with a reputation for 'running into walls' somewhat oddly tracked down the screamer to right-center and caught it with only two inches to spare...and then he ran into the wall. Nose met fence, bone relented, and what resulted was a bloody, broken, massacred Rowand laying on the ground being surrounded by his teammates.

But he caught the ball, saving the young Floyd and possibly propelling him to settle down for the rest of the night, as Floyd then went 5 shutout innings giving up 2 hits and 4 walks(3 of those in the first inning). Floyd gained his fourth win on the rain-soaked night, and Rowand created a legend in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia fans are fickle ones but one thing will always sway them: sacrificing one's body for the win. Rightly or wrongly, guys like Aaron Rowand and Sal Fasano will be more beloved than Bobby Abreu.

Rowand's game-saving catch propelled the Phillies to victory, edging out the Mets 2-0. Chase Utley hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first andDavid Bell drove in Rowand's replacement, Shane Victorino, in the fourth inning for the Phillies only two runs. Aaron Rowand may miss a few games with the broken nose, he may miss several games. Whenever he comes back to play down in South Philadelphia he will hear the loudest cheers anyone has heard in that ballpark. And he will have deserved it, for his efforts in the field AND at the plate. What separates him from the typical 'gritty' Philadelphia fan favorite is that he can actually play. He doesn't just look good doing it, he contributes nicely to the offense. He should be, and will be, beloved by the 610 WIP-type fan and by the philliesphans.com-type player.

Can't Win 'em All

2006-05-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

Well, the Phils got blown out by the Mets last night, 13-4. It wasn't that close either, as the Mets jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the 3rd inning. It was a bad game to end the 9 game winning streak, but now it's time for ANOTHER 9 gamer.

Three good points: Burrell hit a home run, Howard hit one, and Geoff Geary pitched 3 quality innings in relief.

Oh, and David Bell did some handstands for the crowd:

adf

Perfection due in Philadelphia Friday

2006-05-10T12:40:00.000-04:00

King Cole Hamels has been officially brought up to the major leagues! After a stellar three start performance in AAA Scranton(23 IP, 36Ks, 1 walk, 1 ER), he proved all he could in the minors. He will debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, which has a darn good offense consisting of Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, and Edwin Encarnacion. Hopefully his debut goes as well as the almost equally hyped Brett Myers' first start went. Myers dueled Mark Prior in Chicago and went 8 innings, giving up only 2 hits, 1 walk and a run while striking out 5. Hopefully Hamels can show off his tremendous stuff and give enough more hope to the fans, many of whom are quickly jumping on this bandwagon.

The only bittersweet part of this is that Ryan Madson is going to lose his spot in the rotation. Madson deserves more of a chance to prove himself, as he has had 6 starts, 3 of which have been good and 3 of which were bad. Hopefully Madson will flourish in the bullpen and get another chance to start, because it's doubtful that 6 starts in April and early May really showed that he couldn't start. Rather, Madson got run over by the Cole Hamels train.

Victorino Punks LoDuca

2006-05-10T11:57:00.000-04:00

Paul LoDuca, long thought of as a 'winner' and a 'gritty' type of player who puts his body on the line for the win, got PUNKED by Shane Victorino last night. The dude is starting to get it done with the bat(308 average, 379 OBP, 2 doubles in 26 AB), is playing a great defense in LF and CF when asked, and bowled over LoDuca at the plate last night for a key 8th inning run to put the Phils ahead by two. Sure, Tom Gordon then gave up a 2 run bomb to Carlos Delgado, but the excitement in the park, the broadcasting booth and in the homes of fans everywhere was almost at its peak when Shane bull-rushed LoDuca.

And don't forget that he has a cool Hawaiin accent.

Be Friends With Sal Fasano

2006-05-09T17:03:00.000-04:00

After Sal Fasano's horrible Italian-stereotype tour of South Philadelphia with John 'Guido Sarducci' Marzano, it needs mentioning that Sal Fasano is on MySpace.com. Fu manchu and his weighty 200 batting average and 606 OPS has nearly 150 friends! The fans just love backup catchers, regardless of whether they actually help the Phillies win games.

So become friends with Marz's buddy, put him in your top 8, and spread the legend that is Sal Fasano. You might even gets some pizza pies out of the deal. LINKAGE

Back with Boy Meets World Mondays!

2006-05-08T15:45:00.000-04:00

Remember when there was old, strange Topanga?!?!

Philadelphia not big enough for both Bonds and Huge Tiny Mistake

2006-05-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

Barry Bonds, and some team he's on, come into Philadelphia tonight for a three game series, with him sitting at 712 home runs, 2 away from Babe Ruth for second all-time. Sure, some may turn around in some pointless protest, some may boo right before Bonds hits one of his home runs, but no one is doing what this writer is doing....leaving the freaking city AND state. Yes, Delaware beckons, and a vacation is surely in order. The Phillies will win 2 of 3, and be well on their way to nipping at the Mets' heels.

Gavin Floyd goes up against Matt Cain tonight in a young pitcher's duel. It's almost a sure thing to have some offensive fireworks tonight.

Be sure to check PhillySkyline.com for some cool new photo tour, of which I slightly contributed to a college one.

GO PHILS!

Game 28: Atlanta at Phillies...Five in a row???

2006-05-04T18:16:00.000-04:00

-- The Phillies go for five wins in a row tonight, after a good win last night where Aaron Rowand hit an opposite-field 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Phillies in the lead for good. The 5-4 victory came against Atlanta, who has been struggling offensively, wasting a lot of good starting pitching.

-- John Thomson goes for the Braves tonight, and he's simply been stellar, with a 1.32 ERA and 1.117 WHIP, but has been a bit wild of late(9 walks in the last 12.2 innings) and has yet to finish the 7th inning. The Phils are certainly in position to run him early.

-- Cory Lidle starts for the Phils tonight and, after his negative comments about Bonds, it would be nice to see him come out and go 7 or 8 innings with giving up only 2 runs.

John Thomson(0-1 1.32 ERA, 1.17 WHIP 25Ks, 12 walks) v Cory Lidle(2-3 4.40 ERA, 1.24 WHIP 33Ks, 3 walks)

Atlanta
2B Marcus Giles
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Chipper Jones
CF Andruw Jones
1B Adam LaRoche
RF Jeff Francoeur
C Brian McCann
LF Ryan Langerhans
SP John Thomson

PHILLIES
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
RF Bobby Abreu
LF Pat Burrell
1B Ryan Howard
CF Aaron Rowand
3B David Bell
C Mike Lieberthal
SP Cory Lidle

Michael Berg Running for Congress

2006-05-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

Apparently Michael Berg is running for Congress as a Green Party candidate. And a friend wrote about it. Read it! Its an interesting one.

Paul Phillips breaks down the life of an Amazon.com reviewer. She's bipolar, has cats, knits, buys moisturizer and eats lots of food. Make your own conclusions.

The legendary 'Shore' of The Good Phight crunches the numbers and concludes that the Phillies see a slight dip in 'clutch situations', as no doubt every team in the league would. He also concludes that Bobby Abreu doesn't really alter his approach in the 'clutch', and thus is a pretty even-handed guy and performs well enough. Food for thought, haters. David Bell does very well in the 'clutch', but then one wonders why he sucks the rest of the time? Do those innings and situations not count?

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here

2006-05-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

Alex Gonzalez and Sal Fasano have to GO. Both are 'veterans' that simply haven't produced either in the field on at the plate.

Gonzalez is sporting a 258 OPS!!!! That breaks down to a .091 average, .167 OBP and .091 slugging. That's a 2-22 stretch with 2 walks. HORRIBLE. His supposed pedigree isn't anything to write home about either, producing a career 695 OPS. He's also messed up in the field at both first and third, which was supposedly his strength.

Sal Fasano has a cool fu manchu, shows emotion, gives out pizzas, and has a fan group in the right-field stands. And he sucks. He had a career year last year that simply wasn't too great anyway (785 OPS, 11 home runs in 160 AB), and Gillick saw him as a way to placate Lieber's want for a personal catcher and possibly improve the backup position from the dreck that Todd Pratt was throwing out there. However, Fasano looks lost at the plate, swinging at everything he can get his hands on, and a lot of pitches he can't. Thus, he's struck out 15 times in 33 AB, and has only walked once. His OPS is an anemic 592.

So, what can be done? Well, cut them both and bring up two guys from Scranton. Replacing Fasano is easy, as there is only one viable option right now: Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz is 26 or 27 depending on what source one cites, but started baseball late and thus is 'younger' in that sense. He's also tearing Scranton up this year after a good year in Reading in 2004 and a good year last year in Scranton in 2005. He should not have to repeat AAA, the guy is simply producing too much. He has a 386 average, 448 OBP and 663 slugging percentage for a 1.111 OPS!! He has 5 doubles, 6 homers and 2 steals in 23 games thus far, and is a good defensive catcher as well. The choice is simple and obvious.

As for backup infielder, there are several options, as the entire infield has shown flashes at times:

1B/3B/C Chris Coste - 170 avg/257 OBP/239 slugging. He is not a viable option anymore, despite his good spring training. This career minor leaguer (33 yrs old) simply is a AAA player. Keep him at Scranton and hope he gets out of his bad slump and contributes to their team.

2B/3B Angel Chavez - 265 avg/308 OBP/388 slugging and 5 steals in 12 games. He has some speed, and is a younger guy(24), but is not ready for the majors just yet. Give him some more games in Scranton.

3B- Brennan King - 333 avg/372 OBP/524 slugging in 17 games. He's 25 and is doing well in Scranton thus far, but does not have as much positional flexibility as some other guys who can come up.

3B/SS Danny Sandoval - 315 avg/327 OBP/370 slugging in 14 games. He did well last year and he has some positional flexibility, but he is simply not taking enough pitches to be given a spot on the major league roster right now.

2B/3B/LF Bobby Scales - 406 avg/474 OBP/735 slugging in 16 games. He was simply hitting the lights out to start the season but is currently on the DL.

LF/2B/3B Joe Thurston - 296 avg/376 OBP/519 slugging and 4 steals in 24 games. He was once considered the 'future 2B' of the Dodgers, and simply stalled for them between AAA and the majors. However, he is producing for Scranton and is still only 26 yrs old. He's also in the middle of a 12 game hitting streak. He deserves to be brought up and given a shot over a flame-out like Alex Gonzalez

The choices are clear, Carlos Ruiz and Joe Thurston over Sal Fasano and Alex Gonzalez.

Cole Hamels Is Perfect

2006-05-02T16:06:00.000-04:00

Since being promoted to AAA Scranton, he has had two starts, the first last Thursday and the latest occurring today. His AAA debut ended with him fanning 14 batters in 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits. It was a dominant start where he threw 99 pitches (66 strikes and 33 balls). Today he eclipsed this effort, netting a complete game 2-hit shutout. He walked one batter and struck out 12, including striking out the side to end the game. He ended up throwing 112 pitches (74 for strikes!). He has yet to give up a run.

Hamels has simply been unhittable thus far. His strikeout per 9 ratio is 20.25 Ks per 9 innings. He has 36 Ks and 1 walk for a simply INSANE K:BB ratio of 36 to 1. His opponent's batting average is .094. He has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.38 WHIP. This small-sample size is still VERY encouraging, and gives the phans a reason to hope.

Perhaps it is time to bring him up. Maybe not perhaps, maybe it IS time. The Phillies obviously had a reason for letting him go the distance today, which was probably to both build his confidence (could it get any higher, though?) and also push Madson and Floyd. Madson had a bad outing the past time out, but I tend to think that he's simply not been locating his fastball well, nor has he been mixing his pitches like he did in the previous years. Sure, one could say 'that's why he should be in the bullpen!', but giving up on someone one month into the season, and only letting them have five chances to prove themselvs, is simply not fair to someone with no other ways to go. A guy like Gavin Floyd can be sent back down to AAA, who is also struggling, and can regain his compsure down there, whereas a guy like Madson, who can't be sent down, would have to simply be traded or sent to the pen. I don't see that as a viable option, comment if you disagree.

I would bring Hamels up after one or two more starts, and have him replace Gavin Floyd if Floyd continues to struggle (and don't tell me his Pittsburgh start was good, he was lucky he faced a bad offense and induced a few ground balls at key moments).

And finally, from the same people who brought you the Chris Wheeler Glossary, here is Cole Hamels Facts.com!!!!

Game 25: Phillies Ballclub at Florida Marlins

2006-05-01T18:33:00.000-04:00

-- Alex Gonzalez has GOT TO GO. This guy can't hit, period. Why is he starting two games in a row?!?! And why is Ryan Howard sitting in favor of Gonzalez (.056 average)? Howard hits lefties better than Gonzalez, because GONZALEZ CAN'T HIT!

-- And what's with this Rowand hitting 3rd thing? Manuel is definitely just throwing darts at the wall when he's making these lineups.

Ryan Madson(2-1 8.05 ERA) v. Dontrelle Willis(1-1 3.13)

Philadelphia
SS Rollins
RF Victorino
CF Rowand
LF Burrell
2B Utley
3B Bell
1B Gonzalez
C Lieberthal
SP Madson

Marlins
SS Ramirez
2B Uggla
3B Cabrera
LF Willingham
1B Jacobs
C Olivo
RF Aguila
CF Abercrombie
SP Willis

Put your Left Foot In

2006-05-01T17:37:00.000-04:00

And you shake it all about!!!

Boy Meets World Mondays!!

2006-05-01T00:59:00.000-04:00

Remember when the WWE wrestler Vader was on Boy Meets World for the first time?!?!

Colbert's Got Balls

2006-04-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

Big brass ones. Stephen Colbert performed at the Correspondent's Dinner last night and tore it up, slamming many things about President Bush's presidency. While The Colbert Report has been written about before, this needss mentioning:

"It is my privilege to celebrate this president. Because we're not so different, he and I. We both get it. Guys like us, we're not some brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We go straight from the gut. Right, sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Did you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than in your head? Now I know somebody will say I did look it up and that's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works."

He mentions his various beliefs, including, "I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq. Ladies and gentlemen, believe in yogurt. I refuse to believe it's not butter. I believe in this president. I know there are some polls out there that say this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in reality. Reality, that's a well known liberal bias."

How can anyone not love this guy's humor? It's satirical, silly and thought-provoking all at the same time. Smart and stupid is a hard mix to perfect, and he's by far become the best in the biz at it.

Vote Early and Often for Balls, Sticks, & Stuff

2006-04-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

The venerable Balls, Sticks, & Stuff is up for the weekly 'feature blog' nomination on Philly Future, and boy does it deserve it. It has largelly surpassed the other Phillies blogs(or Phlogs as they like to call them) through its analysis which combines baseball knowledge and newer statistcal data. They've also created the 'Phloggers Pheed', which has become a terrific tool to streamline one's time on the internet. Now one can get their Phillies info all in one site (no, not Phillies.com). Make sure to stop over at the Philly Future poll and vote Balls, Sticks, & Stuff! It ends Sunday.

Texans Don't Pick Bush, Leinart, Young

2006-04-28T23:46:00.000-04:00

Meet your #1 pick for the 2006 NFL draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams. The Houston Texans have decided to go with defense early, and will likely stay with the David Carr-Dominick Davis-Andre Johnson trio on offense. Mario and his 6'7 frame got a 6 year, 54 million dollar deal! 6 years....54 million. Ok. Make sure to stay healthy there Mario, and turn down any pickup basketball invites.

Game 22: Phillies Ballclub at Pittsburgh Pirates

2006-04-28T18:13:00.000-04:00

The Battle of Pennsylvania!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Brett Myers does NOT have an 7+ ERA (3.04). The only other starting pitcher below a 7 ERA is Cory Lidle (4.74). However, his WHIP is 1.48, and while this has been said before on this blog, soon enough one of those has to give. Here's hoping it's the WHIP that goes down.

-- Jimmy Rollins' OPS is down below 700, bottoming out at 681. His OBP is a putrid 309.

-- The lineup is in stark contrast with itself, with Abreu, Utley, Howard and Burrell taking pitches, getting walks, and hitting for power, and the other spectrum being Rollins, Rowand, Lieberthal, Bell and Fasano not working counts, not hitting for power and largelly not getting on base. There seems to be a large chasm between the good part of the offense and the struggling part.

- The Pirates are very bad, with no offense, little pitching and a bad manager. However, they don't seem to have much coming for the rest of the year, unless many of the young guys suddenly develop at once. At least they're starting Craig Wilson now. You have to love their quinessential lineup of CF, SS, LF, RF, 1B, 3B, 2B, C, P. Who needs a manager when we can just plug that in?

Pitchers: Brett Myers(2-0 3.04 ERA 1.48 WHIP) v Ian Snell (0-2 7.71 ERA 1.90 WHIP)

Phillies
SS Rollins
2B Utley
RF Abreu
LF Burrell
1B Howard
CF Rowand
3B Bell
C Lieberthal
SP Myers

PIRATES
CF Duffy
SS Wilson
LF Bay
RF Burnitz
1B Wilson
3B Randa
2B Castillo
C Paulino
SP Snell

Lower Merion Letting the Riff-Raff In

2006-04-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning to read my usual suburban-version of the Philadelphia Inquirer and noticed that Lower Merion Township, vaunted home of the original 'Main Line', is letting the riff-raff in. Here is an excerpt from the scandalous article:
But this being Lower Merion, where the median household income in 1999 was $86,373, twice that of the nation, the notion of a middle-income wage earner is, well, relative.

Which is why the town has stepped forward with tax incentive finance, a unique way to subsidize housing for the middle class. Under the program - which does not involve federal dollars - a family of three can make up to $76,000 and still qualify for one of the five units being offered in Ardmore.

A couple can make up to a slightly more modest $68,000 a year.

Folks earning that much elsewhere wouldn't be seen as needing financial help with homes, but they do in Lower Merion.

It disgusts me to no end to see my venerable home be defiled by hoi polloi. Ardmore used to be a place to live, where the median household income MEANT something. It has been a thorn in my side for years that we still had rowhomes in this fair township, and now they are BUILDING more!!! This so-called subsidized housing will surely bring with it crime, as these ruffians making 68,000 a year must steal to survive in the Main Line.

The fact that they already live in Lower Merion only strengthens my view! Why, just two weeks ago I noted a local tough carousing around 8pm outside my home, and proceeding to spit onto my finely manicured lawn! Pedro worked all day to make the grass just SO, and this hooligan simply showed no respect to his work and my money.

Lower Merion is going to hell in a handbasket, and these politicans are to blame. They bring in the lower-classes when the market has deemed this place to be a millionaire's haven. Frankly, I'm offended they pay so little attention to locals such as myelf. My family has lived here for generations and, while I have no personally worked, worked hard to build our five million dollar mansion. Letting these lower middle-class AT BEST in here by subsidizing their housing insults me and insults the natural aristocracy.

Know your place, people.

Respectfully yours, J.P. Woolworth-Pennyfeather IV

Boxing Still Exists

2006-04-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

Yes, the rumors are true. Boxing does, in fact, still exist. Saturday's HBO bout between Vladimir Klitschko and Chris Byrd ended with Klitschko destroying Byrd . He was simply too small to get close to Klitschko, and had lost some of the speed he had earlier in his career. Klitschko kept Byrd at bay with his left, and pummeled him with punches.

But now to the good stuff!!! The Sovereign Center in Reading, PA is hosting a big Friday Night Fights undercard on May 12th. Local product Travis Kaufmann (4-0) is going to face David Saulsberry (3-0). It's good to see boxing make the jump once again, and hopefully the realistic pricing will bring out the fans. Tickets start at $25 , going up to $65.

The glorious sport of bashing another man's skull marches on. What can we say? We love a good beating, and so does the American public. They just seemed to have forgotten.

Drinking Liberally Doesn't Need Joke Titles

2006-04-26T11:59:00.000-04:00

It is its own little joke title, so it doesn't need one. Anyway, let me pass this on, as it's been a good time in the past and is only going to get better this Thursday. Reading's Drinking Liberally group is meeting at The Works tomorrow at 6pm, and the usual crowd is being littered with candidates! Here's a list of the current confirmed candidates:

Chuck Pennacchio, Alan Sandals, Bob Casey staff (U.S. Senate)
Lois Murphy, Mike Leibowitz (U.S. 6th District)
Lois Herr staff, John Murphy (U.S. 16th District)
Gene Stilp, Valerie McDonald Roberts (Lt. Governor)
John Liss (PA Senate 48th District)
Bill Mackey (PA House 124th)
Tim Seip (PA House 125th)
Irv Livingood, John DelCollo, Dante Santoni (PA House 126th)
Russ Hummel (PA House 128th)
Bill Evans (PA House 129th)
Dave Kessler (PA House 130th)
Archie Follweiler (PA House 187th)
Tom Herman, Don Raifsnider, Jr., Allyn Swavely (County Democratic Chair)

One doesn't even have to drink! I've yet to drink any beer there, and several of the patrons have been sippers at best. It's basically a good way to have a good time with similar-minded people. So come on out. Contact Dan 'the drinking way too liberally' man for more info here: reading@drinkingliberally.org

Sneak Attack!

2006-04-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

Although the Phillies lost last night 7-6, you can be sure that one Phillie was going all-out!! Shane Victorino with the sneak attack on his takeout slide:

Chris Wheeler = Owned

2006-04-24T23:43:00.000-04:00

First came the Chris Wheeler Glossary. It was a compiling of the infamous Phillies broadcaster's favorite sayings. Here's an excerpt:

He's All Class - Any person with substantial time in baseball, even if he's a horse's rear
He's A Ballplayer - see He Plays The Game The Right Way
He's A Great Baseball Man - He won't talk to me
He's Just Trying So Hard To Make A Play Out There - A Guy Who Plays The Game The Right Way has attempted and failed at making a boneheaded play

So, Wheels isn't well-liked, that much we established. Then came Wheels Bingo, with two different cards which are playable during games!
And now? Fox Trot cartoons about Wheels' strange opinions on baseball. An unfunny comic is turned hilarious due to the talents of the poster Woody on philliesphans.com. Enjoy (click to enlarge):

We Need More Bobby Abreus

2006-04-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

Bobby Abreu has come out firing this year, unlike last year. He has a 305 average, 442 OBP, and 576 slugging thus far, netting 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 3 steals. He also leads the team in runs (15), walks (16), and RBIs (15, with Chase Utley). He's also now walked in 10 straight games. The guy is simply getting it DONE, and he's doing it while also putting the ball in play a lot (9 Ks), if that matters to you.

Now, the entire team has a 256 collective average, 325 OBP and 439 slugging. The slugging is actually above last year's, but the OBP has dipped 23 points. This is where the offense is lacking. They're 15th in the NL in runs, 12th in OBP, 11th in walks, and 14th in pitches per plate appearance (3.64, compared to league-leading Milwaukee with 4.01). All these even take into account that Bobby Abreu himself counts towards these numbers, so imagine the numbers without Bobby. One other interesting stat is that the Phillies are 2nd in the league (and majors) in ground ball to flyball ratio (1.51). They are doing the 'little things' like hitting hte ball on the ground and not 'swinging for the fences'. Perhaps this team, littered with guys who can hit 30+ home runs a year, should start swinging for the fences.

The Phillies are simply hacking. They are 11th in the league in walks and 15th in strikeouts (93, compared to Atlanta's league-leading 148). Their lack of pitchers per plate apperance now makes much more sense when one sees these numbers. They are not running deep counts, at all. The main culprits are Jimmy Rollins (3.20), Aaron Rowand (3.16), David Bell (3.15), and Mike Lieberthal (2.93). The top and bottom of the lineup is simply dragging this offense down in regards to running counts and getting on base. One might ask, what about Aaron Rowand's output thus far, which has been good? Well, his OBP is 361 and his average 324, indicating a largelly average-heavy OBP. This is not good for the future, in my view, because if he has a slump at any time this year he will simply not be getting on base in any fashion. This average-heavy OBP has been Rowand's MO throughout his career, as well (285 avg, 338 OBP).

The middle 4 in the lineup are doing fine in regards to taking pitches,
So, what can be done?

1. Bring up Carlos Ruiz to take over some catching duties from Lieberthal and Sal Fasano. Ruiz is hitting 377 with a 410 OBP and slugging 689!!! in 17 games. Sure, his average will not be that high, but even his mediocre walk rate will be better than Lieberthal's, AND he is sporting some major power(4 doubles, 5 homers). He also actually has some speed, and is a good defensive catcher.

2. Play Abraham Nunez and Alex Gonzalez over David Bell. Bell isn't good anymore, in any sense of that word. Play these guys and if they fail, so be it. But the Phillies can't keep running David Bell out there and have assumed to have put their best lineup out there.

3. Drop Rowand to 6th in the lineup, and move everyone else up one. Putting Bobby Abreu in the 2 hole would be perfect, and this ensure that Ryan Howard is batting 5th. Lineup may or may not be important, but it helps a little that the best guys are getting the most atbats.

4. Tell Rollins to start taking some pitches. The hitting streak is over, stop swinging at high fastballs that you can't reach Jimmy.

5. Make Bobby Abreu a hitting coach when he retires, to help tutor younger players and minor leaguers.

Boy Meets World Monday!!!!

2006-04-24T09:23:00.000-04:00

It's a new tradition! Boy Meets World Mondays! Duckies!!!

David Bell Can't Hit Anything

2006-04-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

I'm going to show how this David Bell guy does against lefties, because I think he just can't hit, period. Whether it's a righty or a lefty, the guy just stinks, and last year was a big abberation:

2001: 707/722
2002: 749/766
2003: 537/589
2004: 811/823
2005: 1.057/547
2006: 636/651

It seems obvious to me which one doesn't belong. STOP PLAYING HIM, PERIOD! And stop playing him against lefties, stop this platoon talk, just give the position to Gonzalez and Nunez for now, not they're that special either. At least they're new.

But hey, he's gritty.

Jon Lieber Isn't This Bad

2006-04-21T17:06:00.000-04:00

Jon Lieber has started the season off poorly, compiling a 9.18 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 3 relatively short starts. His stats certainly look bad, and he has said as much. However, he knows that he isn't pitching as poorly as it looks, and several stats play that out. Part of this poor performance can be explained by taking into account that in 2005 he was a very streaky pitcher:

April (35.2 IP) : 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.12 WHIP
May - July (101.1 IP): 5-9 with a 5.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.
Aug - Oct (81.1 IP): 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 0.98 WHIP

Lieber has started the season off poorly this year, and it's possible that it's simply one of his bad streaks, which will end sometime soon. He ended the season well last year, so an improvement would not be some outlier or unrealistic. The big improvement at the end of the year came from the facts that he gave up fewer home runs as the year went on, he improved his K:BB ratio AND luck started to turn his way.

Sure, he has reduced the amount of people he has struck out this year. He's only struck out 8 people in 16.2 innings pitched for 4.32 K per 9 IP, compared to his career average of 6.46 K per 9 IP. This could be due to any number of reasons, but likely a trip to Coors Field so early in the season didn't help him. The immense size of the outfield there KILLS pitchers like Lieber who depend on their defense to a certain extent because many balls drop in and many singles get stretched to doubles, and doubles to triples. He gave up 7 runs (10 hits) in 6.1 IP there, just as he blew up at Coors last year.

Looking at the opponents' batting average, it has leaped from 263 in 2005 to 365 in 2006! This is unlikely to stay this high simply because this is just too extreme a deviation from his career numbers. One could then say that 'his opponents' slugging is high too, though', and that is true. However, take away the inflation in the batting average and the slugging goes down from 527 to 425, which is actually slightly below the 2005 number and his career numbers. Also, right-handed hitters are KILLING him to the tune of a 410 batting average, where last year he held them to a 223 average. This is unlikely to stay that high as well, unless he just pulls an Eric Milton or something and forgets how to pitch.

Bad luck has essentially done Lieber in this year. Our defense, which was supposed to be very good with the addition of Aaron Rowand, has let the pitching down, but especially let Jon down. He has greatly improved his ground ball to fly ball ratio (1.29 last year to 2.00 this year), which would indicate that the Phillies infield has simply not done well in backing up Lieber. There's no reason to think that Lieber will continue to see the defense let him down, or see those ground balls find the cracks. Expect this to change sometime soon, if not tonight. He's no ace, but he's not this bad.

Julio Franco Is Unnatural

2006-04-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

The dude is listed as 47 years old and could actually be 2-3 years older than that. He's now playing for his 8th team, the New York Mets. This doesn't include the years he spent in Mexico at the turn of the century. He had several decent years from 2001-2005 with the Atlanta Braves, getting up to bat anywhere from 200 to 300 atbats a year and hovering around an 800 OPS. And last night he hit a key pinch hit 2-run homer in the 8th inning to turn the tide for the Mets. The Padres were winning 2-1 when Franco slammed Scott Linebrink's pitch into the right-field stands.

Franco simply defies nature. Look at how Barry Bonds is breaking down due to various injries and the onset of age. Julio spits in nature's face, then kicks it in the balls. He now sports a 1.089 OPS, though that is in only 7 atbats. The OPS will drop, but for now one must simply admire his ability to stay in the majors and actually contibute to whichever team he's on. The Phils could use a good bat off the bench like Julio (and if people remember, he originally WAS a Phillie). He may be a Met now, but viva la Franco!!

Game 15: Cheap Hats For All!

2006-04-20T18:46:00.000-04:00

Great comeback win last night, as has been said earlier, but WTF is tonight's lineup about? I understand Bell randomly hit lefties very well last year, but putting him ahead of Howard (3-9 against leties thus far) and Lieby (who is sporting 353 avg) is a bit much.

They should win tonight regardless, as the lefty Billy Traber is on the hill for the Nationals and hasn't pitched since 2003 due to injuries. He faces Ryan Madson, who sports an extraordinarily high 1.54 WHIP and low 2.77 ERA. One of those stats has to give, and one would hope the former would go down.

Here's the lineups:

Washington
Soriano LF
Vidro 2B
Johnson 1B
Guillen RF
Zimmerman 3B
Church CF
Clayton SS
Schneider C
Traber SP

PHILLIES
Rollins SS
Rowand CF
Abreu RF
Burrell LF
Utley 2B
Bell 3B
Howard 1B
Lieberthal C
Madson SP

Cassidy Loves the Phillies

2006-04-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Old P hats and shirts are cool.

Cordero Picked His Teeth

2006-04-20T10:53:00.000-04:00

"He was one of the best clutch hitters I ever saw. Maybe I can get him over here to help us. With the money they pay, I bet I can get him to come out of retirement. I bet he'd hit about .285 to .290," -- Phils manager Charlie Manuel, on 70-year-old Nationals skipper Frank Robinson

Too bad he's nothing special as a manager. The Phils' 7-6 victory last night was certainly facilitated by Robinson not bringing in his best reliever, closer Chad Cordero, to face the meat of their order in either the 8th or 10th inning, but ESPECIALLY when they had the lead in the 8th and Hernandez had obviously lost what he had earlier in the game last night. Instead, Joey Eischen came in and walked 2 guys after Abreu's homer off Hernandez, and then Majewski came in and was stuck. Chad Cordero never saw the rubber, and then in the 10th Robinson went with walk-happy Mike Stanton. Robinson's decision to ignore his best reliever in a close game makes Charlie Manuel's use of the bench(everyone on the bench used by the 8th inning) look like nothing.

Hot Dogs Power Phils To Victory

2006-04-19T23:16:00.000-04:00

Phils wins! Phils win! They pull out an improbable comeback, winning 7-6 over the Washington Nationals in the 10th on Ryan Howard's key single off Mike Stanton. Gavin Floyd gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 6 IP, and the Phils were down 6-3 with only a Ryan Howard home run and David Bell home run to their names before an 8th inning rally. They then tied the game at 6 with a Bobby Abreu 2-run home run and a Dellucci groundout, before the 10th inning game-winner.

All due to the power of the hot dog. Encased pig noses and other leftover body parts, topped with some mustard and lined with stale bread makes for a great night.

GO PHILS!

Hot Dogs Tonight

2006-04-19T15:23:00.000-04:00

Delicious, delicious pig leftovers for only a dollar tonight in South Philly. And the Phillies play too. Gavin Floyd faces Livan Hernandez in what is sure to be an interesting game.

They lost big last night, but the game was much closer than the final score indicated. The bullpen coughed it up, and perhaps it is time to starting beating the Yoel Hernandez drum? He's done pretty well in the minors, giving up too many runners but having a good K:BB ratio overall (452 Ks to only 200 walks in 611 IP). The 24 yr old has started off well this year up in AAA Scranton, and deserves a shot when a guy like Geary has blown up in the past week (11.37 ERA 2.68 WHIP). Perhaps don't outright release Geary, but at the very least relegate him to blowouts for a certain amount of time.

Oh, and The Illadelph likes hot dogs too!

Webber/Iverson Roll In Late; Basketball Game Occurs

2006-04-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Yeah the Sixers won tonight, 91-88 against a 3 point shootin' Nets (they threw up 36!). They won on the backs of Andre Iguodala's 27 points on 9-19 shooting and 8 dimes. He was also 1-9 from 3 point land, so maybe the dude could shave off a few of those and maybe shoot 9-15 or something...

But the real story, apparently, is that Allen Iverson and Chris Webber rolled up late to the game, getting into the locker room just as tipoff commenced, instead of the customary 90 minutes before gametime. So, Mo Cheeks was befuddled, bewildered and looking the fool as he called them 'gamers' who were playing through injuries the very moment that he was told neither were there.

After the game, the play of the younger Sixers like Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala were an afterthought as the Howard Eskin question barrage took center-stage instead. He asked Mo the same question 5 times in a row, and Mo responded by saying that he apologizes for the fans but wanted to talk about the game. Instead, we saw perhaps the final breakdown moment for the Philadelphia Sixers legend Mo Cheeks, an embattled man who broke down on the podium a few weeks back as well. He wasn't a very good coach on the court, as he didn't have many offensive plays or defensive sets, and didn't make good decisions with regard to player time, but he didn't deserve this, on Fan Appreciation Night. Mo is an upstanding guy who deserves respect from everyone, especially his players. I'm most disappointed in Allen Iverson, my favorite basketball player of all-time, for reverting to the 'practice?!' mode of disrespecting his coach, and lowering himself in the process.

Mo deserves better. Allen should demand better of himself. And the fans suffer through all of this crap, because a mediocre team can't even give us some enjoyment on Fan Appreciation Night on a night where they actually freaking WIN. It just boggles the mind how bad this looks, and how bad it really is.

As Billy King said (who I think is probably the biggest reason the Sixers suck): "Shit will change next year." If that means trading Allen, a great player and a largelly misunderstood man, then it will have to be done. But hopefully it won't be Billy King making the trade.

This view contradicts what I've written earlier about Iverson, but it may be the best thing for both Iverson and the Sixers.

Game 13: Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies

2006-04-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

The Nationals stink. They're just bad, and bound to get worse. Outside of Nick Johnson, they have had little to no offense in the past week, while their pitching has been OK (though partly due to their huge stadium). The Phillies should win 2 of 3, if not sweep, and should do this convincingly. Their lengthy homestand has some very winnable games (3 against Nationals, 3 against the Marlins, 4 against the Rockies) , and will hopefully put the Phils in 2nd place.

Tony Armas Jr. (0-2 3.27) faces Cory Lidle (1-1 4.91)

Washington
Soriano LF
Vidro 2B
Johnson 1B 'lil Bowa'
Ward RF
Zimmerman 3B
Church CF
Clayton SS
Schneider C
Armas Jr. SP

PHILLIES
Rollins SS
Rowand CF
Abreu RF
Burrell LF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Bell 3B
Lieberthal C
Lidle SP

Oh yeah, and the Sixers and Flyers play or something.

South Park's Retribution

2006-04-18T17:42:00.000-04:00

Reading Phillies: In For A Long Season

2006-04-16T00:23:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the 40th year of the franchise, taking stock of the Reading Phillies seems appropriate. The AA Phillies have a great stadium, a great fan base, a great ownership...and a LOUSY team. On Saturday, the R-Phils faced the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh) on a windy yet serene night, sans a 20 minute rain sprinkling before the game. Brian Mazone, a 29 yr old lefty with not much of a fastball and an average curve, faced a good-contact club in the Curve and held them to 4 hits and one run in 6 innings, with 7 strikeouts and a walk. He didn't have much, but what he did have he used well, changing speeds and throwing his curve as his out-pitch.

The R-Phils offense consisted of a Jim Rushford sac fly in the 1st inning to score Tim Moss, and a 4th inning Angel Chavez home run which also scored Tim Moss. That was all for the bats, as the Curve pitchers held the home team to 6 hits and 2 walks.

The R-Phils bullpen soon coughed up a 3-1 lead. In the 7th inning, Nick Mattioni, a local boy from Twin Valley, gave up a run to cut the deficit to one run, and then Evan Fahrner walked two batters and gave up a 3 run home run to SS Brandon Chaves, which landed on the roof of the right-field pool area. It was a freaking WALLOP of a hit from a rather slugging-deprived hitter. That proved to be the game, as the Reading Phils went down in a whimper in the 9th inning, to lose 5-3.

The Reading Phillies simply do not have much talent. It will be very hard for them to win on nights that Scott Mathieson, Gio Gonzalez, and Daniel Haigwood do not pitch, and even on those nights the offense simply won't amount to much. There are fillers and career minor leaguers at several positions, and prospects such as Michael Bourn, who only pinch hit tonight, and Tim Moss have gotten off to a pretty bad start. Moss went 2-4 with a triple and a stolen base, but only raised his average to .091. You read that correct, he basically tripled his average tonight, as well as his hit total (3). Bourn looked pedestrian at the plate in his atbat, meekly offering at pitches and fighting off some for foul balls but not swinging with any authority. Bourn has 7 hits thus far, all singles, but at least has 8 stolen bases. Hopefully these two guys will straighten themselves out, because without them, this team is hopeless.

There is some hope, though. Jason Jaramillo, the team's catcher, looks good defensively and offensively. He went 0-2 tonight but barely got any pitches to hit, and laid off the ones he couldn't reach. Thus, he had 2 walks. So far this season he's hitting 296 with a 433 OBP and 3 doubles. He skipped high A this season, so hopefully this shows Jaramillo is a ML-type catcher. He definitely has enough of a stick to play at the MLB level. Normally, one could expect him to catch a good amount of games for the pro team in 2007, but you never know with the Philadelphia Phillies, who seem to slow-track almost every prospect.

The Curve didn't seem to have too much either, except for some good relievers and a well-stroking outfielder in Adam Boeve, but the guy is almost 26 yrs old and still in AA. One good note about the Curve roster is that Travis Chapman is starting at third base. Many of you may not have ever heard of Chapman, or may have forgotten about him, but as a Reading Phillies I enjoyed Chapman's output at third in the 2002 season. This was the same year Ryan Madson was the Eastern League pitcher of the year, and a fun year to watch a winning ballclub (76-66). They didn't have many big names on that team, but Chapman provided quite a spark for the offense, 301 with a 388 OBP and jacking 35 doubles and 15 home runs. His unusual batting style, consisting of standing almost on the plate, knees dramatically bent, and waiting until the last possible nanosecond to flick his wrists at the ball, provided much entertainment. After a decent season at AAA Scranton he was left unprotected by the Phils and plucked by the Tigers. He was soon let go and the Royals had hiim for the 2004 season, and the Reds for the 2005 contest. He seems relegated to being a career minor leaguer because he doesn't have the quickest bat, he isn't special in the field and he has little to no speed, but Chapman was a fan favorite, and several of the season ticketholders gave him a good clap when he first came up to bat in the game.

Chapman in 2002's AA All-Star Game

Sometimes little things like a returning favorite can make a pretty dull night an OK one. The Reading Phillies are going to need to rely on many returning favorites if they plan on giving the fans something to go see, because this team just ain't going to do it.

It's Great Just To Be Nominated

2006-04-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

So, this blog has been nominated for 'featured blog of the week' over at Philly Future, again. And again, another blog (Whiskey Bar) has jumped to an early, and likely insurmountable, lead. PSoTD is the third blog nominated for being featured, and they will also get some support as well. So, I will prepare my conciliatory speech and my fake smile for when the camera closes in on my losing mug. This blog is soon going to have to renamed itself after Susan Lucci or something if it loses again. Oh well, SMILE!

Sixers/Heat Game Is The Season

2006-04-14T19:30:00.000-04:00

The Sixers are tied with the Chicago Bulls for the 8th spot in the playoffs, with 4 games to play. This means that they would be out of the playoffs if they started today, since the Bulls, Pacers and Bucks all have a better conference record than the Sixers. This means the Sixers will have to go 3-1 to have a legit shot at the right to lose to the Pistons, and will probably have to go 4-0 if they plan to outpace the Chicago Bulls, who have very winnable games against the Washington Wizards, the Orlando Magic(who granted are ending the season strong with the youth movement), and the Toronto Raptors. They also play Miami away, so if the Sixers are able to beat the Heat, who says the Bulls couldn't?

Right now, the Sixers MUST win tonight, and then make sure to show up tomorrow against the aforementioned Magic. This falls to Allen Iverson, who must continue his tremendous play and get his teammates involved, while scoring efficiently. They are fighting for their metaphorical lives, and we will find out if they want to live. If they miss the playoffs, someone's head must roll, and hopefully it will fall to the 'mastermind' himself, Billy King. 4 coaches, multiple different lineups, and the only one that sort of worked has been Jim O'Brien's spacing defense and 3-point offense.

Game on.

Oh yeah, and the Phils play tonight too, at 9. They'll win.

Walmart Loves Pat Burrell

2006-04-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

A Citizen's Blog gives a thumbs up to Pat Burrell, but says that he is the team's star. I disagree, but hey, of course I'm right.

Walmart has proposed a new store in Lower Heidelberg Township in Berks County. Good thing to, because they only have stores in Muhlenberg, Exeter, Spring (and another proposed), Colebrookdale, Caernarvon, and Ephrata (Lancaster County). Without this new store, 1,000 people in Lower Heidelberg could've had a tough time getting to a Walmart in less than 5 minutes. Thank you for thinking of Berks County, Walmart!

Ricky Gervais was interviewed by the UK GQ Magazine, and says that he enjoys American television more than its British compatriots.

Russ Diamond has now become the one-issue candidate for governor, as the creator of PA Clean Sweep says he will run. Well, at least that's one more issue than Lynn Swann. OHHHH, no I didn't!!!!!!

The Liberals Are Out To Get Us!!!!

2006-04-13T11:59:00.000-04:00

Berks County with a Right Hook has simply jumped the shark. From the constant attacks on one man, a local wannabe politician named Stefan Kosikowski, to the bashing of Reading Mayor Tom McMahon for no real reason, to the repeated blaming of the Reading Eagle for everything wrong in Berks County, it's simply gone off the deep end. There is certainly a place for conservative viewpoints in the blogsphere, and especially on a local level, but the vitrol and character assassination simply isn't needed and only ends up distorting the message. This blog touches on Berks County issues from time to time, but so much of its time is taken up with sports that another blog is needed, somewhere, to talk about political issues in Berks County. If anyone has a link to one, from any viewpoint, that is smart and chooses to limit itself from attacking people, float a link in the comments section.

And this bit about liberals in Berks County....where? Where is this big liberal establishment? The Democrats in Berks County are not, for the most part, liberals, nor do they espouse liberal viewpoints on several matters. And there's nothing wrong with this except that the proprietor of the Right Hook blog seems to believe that supposed liberals are supposedly bringing down Berks County economically, culturally and politically. Does the online editor of the Reading Eagle newspaper really have all that much influence? And does anything he writes actually insult anyone, besides President Bush? Does him tackling such issues as pork in Berks County constitute liberal bias, or some common liberal strain in Berks County?

I say no, after having lived in Philadelphia for 4 years, and after growing up in Berks County. Liberalism in Berks County is constrained to pet issues, not over-arching philosophies, and Democrats in Berks County are of the union/blue collar strain which believe in worker's rights and a government which is in a position to improve the quality of life in regards to streets and individual freedoms, not a government that stresses social policies. There's simply been too much of a PA Dutch Lancaster-esque work ethic ideal ingrained in the minds of many people for any 'liberal' establishment to take form, or try to put forth policies which Right Hook fears.

Then there's this business of what a liberal actually is, and what they actually strive for...which is not the same as communism. Right Hook makes little distinction between the two, blurring the lines between them in order to character assassinate certain people. It's simply unbecoming, and wrong.

Now, it is time for some disclosure. I am a registered Democrat in Berks County, and have been for several years now. I voted for John Kerry (D), Mike O'Pake (D), Lois Murphy (D), and Arlen Specter (R). I have interned for Lois Murphy, running for the United States House, for several months now, and intend to vote for her. She can be aptly described as liberal on most issues, and I could be described as perhaps more moderate than her, but concerned with environmental, land use, and city issues above most else. The people that are largelly concerned with these issues are Democrats. So, does that make me a liberal? You can decide for yourself, but to assume that I will then seek to influence Berks County politics in a bad way because of someone else's label of my politics is quite a leap.

Liberals are not bad. Liberalism isn't either. But Berks County doesn't have much of either. There are Democrats and there are Republicans, mostly. These are people with a lot of similar viewpoints on a lot of similar issues, with only party and the urban/rural divide within the county to distinguish the gradations in their viewpoints. Right Hook can be a funny blog written by what seems like a decent guy, and yet can also have some of the vilest character assassinations I've read. Please stop jumping sharks, or I'll have to get the Fonz after you!

Phils/Sixers Updates 3

2006-04-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

Phils
10: 35 - PHILS WIN! PHILS WIN! They're now 2-6 and face the Braves one more time tomorrow.

10:24 - Rollins lines a beaner off old man Remlinger's leg, but Remlinger recovers and flicks it to LaRoche for hte out at first. Quite a play and recovery for the Mr. Salt and Pepper.

10:20 - Arthur Rhodes stops the bleeding, striking out pinch-hitter Matt Diaz to end the 8th. However, this leaves no doubt in anyone's mind what Manuel's next move is, which is to bring in the SIXTH pitcher of the night.

10:12 - So Manuel lifted Lidle after 89 pitches in 6 innings, and with Lidle easily sitting the Braves down in the 5th and 6th innings. Then he lifts Geary after two average singles. Now he puts in Cormier who gives up a deep fly out to Brian McCann for the 2nd out in the 8th. And as this is being typed Betemit hits his THIRD double of the night, scoring 2 runs to close the gap 7-5. And Charlie comes out of the dugout again, to bring in his FIFTH pitcher. This bullpen is going to be WORN OUT by August.

10:05 - It's the 8th inning now and the score remains 7-3 with Geoff Geary pitching to Jeff Francoeur. There's no reason to go 1 inning, 1 inning, 1 inning for relievers other than 'that's the way the book says it's done', so obviously Manuel is going that route. No doubt we will see Tom Gordon warming up for the 9th inning, up by 4, soon enough.

Sixers
9:40 - This will be the last entry on the Sixers tonight, because with 5:23 to go in the game they are simply playing out the remaining minutes with bench players like Bradley, Barnes and Louis Williams. They are up 110-85 as Allen Iverson gets 40 points and 10 assists in 37 minutes, Chris Webber gets 18 pts and 11 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala has 10 pts, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Sammy Dalembert sees only 12 minutes in a blowout???? WTF????

Phils
9:38 - Aaron Rowand extends the Phils lead to 6-3 on a nifty little home run shot, scoring Rollins. Lidle actually proves me wrong, basically shutting the Braves down after their big 4th inning and making a decent start out of tonight's performance. Pat Burrell with a homer now, barely getting over the left-center fence! 7-3

Sixers
9:27 - The score is now 101-78 with the Sixers solidly in control of the tempo. Iverson just CAN'T miss, throwing up a leaner where his feet went one way, the rest of his body another and yet the bucket was straight as can be. Hunter then with a great fastbreak slam after some quality passing. Passing, defense and finishing is the name of this game.

9:12 - 3 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter and the Sixers lead 86-67. They keep them at bay with constant pressure on defense and an offense tonight that has crisp passing and good shooting. Iverson up to 32 points on 12-21 shooting and 9 assists.

Phils
9:06 - Lidle has given up 9 hits in 4 innings and is the winning pitcher thus far. He has 72 pitches so he will come out for another inning or two, but this will not be an impressive outing for Lidle. Both Abreu and Burrell have hit high popups off the new lefty reliever Chuck James. Utley goes down for the 1-2-3 inning.

Phils/Sixers Updates

2006-04-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

Sixers
9:01 - Sixers go up 77-55 on Allen Iverson's 29th and 30th points of the night. He also has 8 assists. What a night for the Sixers!

Phils
8:58- With 2 outs in the inning, Brian McCann knocks a home run to right-center, making it 4-2 and Wilson Betemit rips a double down the line over Howard. Braves are back in this game. Pinch-hitter Pete Orr rips a triple to left-center now, and this is getting frustrating. The crowd is back into the game, the Braves bench is up and going, and Lidle is hanging pitches over the plate. It's now 4-3 but he gets out of it.

8:47 - Rollins and Sosa battle it out with a double-digit pitch atbat, but Rollins finally flies out to left field, but Rollins is still on a very hot hitting streak. He's 8-19 since his hitting streak was broken. Phils up 4-1 with LaRoche, Francoeur (who is looking TERRIBLE at the plate), and McCann due up in the bottom of the 4th.

Sixers
8:45 - The Sixers are up by 21 at halftime, scoring 67 points and holding the Nets to 46. Iverson has a very quiet 22 points and 7 assists, Webber has his usual first half of 12 pts and 6 boards, and Green, Hunter and Korver combine for 21 bench points on 8-15 shooting. Great game thus far, keep it up.

Phils
8:41 - Bottom of the 3rd, and Cory Lidle is trying to pitch himself out of a jam, freezing Ryan Langerhans on a 3-2 count with a high curveball which was possibly a ball. 2 outs and 2 on with Andruw Jones. He isn't bothering with that thing called the strike zone, throwing two balls not even close to the plate. However, Andruw Jones swings so hard at the third pitch he falls down but pops it up in foul play and Bell ends the inning. David Bell, you and your glorious mullet get a reprieve.

Sixers
8:35 - Iverson to the line as the Sixers go up 57-42 with only 1:50 left in the game. Willie Green, Stephen Hunter and Kyle Korver are having efficient nights off the bench. This team is developing a bench????

8:32pm - With 2:53 left in the 2nd quarter, Webber decides to play his heart out, misses 3 putbacks while trying to put a ball into the net, but finally gets a ball blocked by Nachbar that is called a goaltend. Webber now has 10 points and the Sixers are up 56-38. The Sixers are up in every offensive and defensive category.

Phils/Sixers Updates

2006-04-12T20:05:00.000-04:00

Phils
8:19 Brian McCann bops a single to left field, scoring Andruw Jones. It's 4-1 Phils now, and the best 8 hole hitter in the league is up right now, Wilson Betemit. Betemit blasts a shot to deep CF, getting a double but the Braves try to score McCann and he is out by 10 steps at home plate. Slow-ass catchers shouldn't try to stretch it, but it'd be great to see more teams go for home with 2 outs because you're much more likely to score then than if you hold off another batter, because pitchers always have the advantage.

Sixers
8:18 - 42-25 Sixers, and the Nets, minus Kristic, are shooting 20%. Man. Iverson has yet to sit on the bench this game, maybe give him a breather????

Sixers
8::12 - Sixers up by 16 points 37-21, with a 22-5 run...sheesh. Not much more can be said, they are shooting almost 60%, holding the Nets to under 40% and just playing perfect.

Phils
8:06 - Phils go up 4-0!!! Renteria boots a sure out, sending an Aaron Rowand grounder off his glove into CF, scoring two with the bases loaded. Still 2 outs and 2 on with Bobby Abreu up at the plate. Everything from here to the end of the inning is now unearned for Sosa.

Sixers
8:02 - 27-18 with 2 minutes left and the Sixers are playing D???? Green, Iggy and AI are all playing together now, and playing well, running with Webber and Hunter. Dalembert has 2 fouls, and webber isn't doing anything, but hte guards are getting it done on offense AND defense.

Phils
8:00 - Lieberthal with a key double! 2 out 2 run double to help the Phils out. Bell had sweetly popped up the previous atbat, but Mike insisted on scoring runs. The nerve. 2-0 Phils

Phils
7:56 - 0-0 in the top of the 2nd, and the Phils went 1-2-3 in the first, as did the Braves. Sosa's looking much better than he did last year, but this guy is still wild, and as this is being written he walks Chase Utley to lead off the 2nd.

Sixers
7:51 - 19-16 Sixers with 4:54 left in the 1st, and Andre Iguodala is looking pretty confident on offense, taking and making several shots without hesitation. Outside of Kristic, the Nets look pretty pedestrian so far.

Thank God for Remotes: Tonight's Games

2006-04-12T19:37:00.000-04:00

Remote controls were created for these exact type of nights, when your favorite two teams are playing at the exact same time in fairly important games. Liveblogging will commence, so says a bum knee.

Phils on cn8: Jorge Sosa v Cory Lidle

Lineups for the Phils/Braves:

Philadelphia Phillies

Rollins SS
Rowand CF
Abreu RF
Burrell LF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Bell 3B
Lieberthal C
Lidle SP

ATLANTA BRAVES

Giles 2B
Renteria SS
Langerhans LF
A Jones CF
LaRoche 1B
Francoeur RF
McCann C
Betemit 3B (Chipper Jones injured)
Sosa SP
====================
Sixers on CSN: Allen Iverson v Jason Kidd and Vince Carter

Philadelphia starters: Iverson, Iguodala, Salmons, Webber, Dalembert

NJ Nets starters: Kidd, Carter, Jefferson, Robinson, Kristic

Cookie Monster Gets Caught

2006-04-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

Darren Daulton for GM?

2006-04-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

A Citizen's Blog asks Does Pat Gillick know what he's doing?

Dutch Daulton is CRFUCKINGAZY!!!!!!

Ten Potential Suitor for Chris Webber, as filed by Jon Burkett at Passion & Pride...make sure to weigh in on the comments section.

Here's a little taste of Entourage, due to come back in June on HBO. This show is pure gold, with the worst character actually being Vinnie Chase, but that's more because of how great Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven act and how they BECOME their characters.

And finally, Chris Berman says 'You're with me, leather'.

All the Cool Kids are Linking

2006-04-11T10:13:00.000-04:00

So, Huge Tiny Mistake has had a great start to the week, being linked for it's Bobby A. blub by the ever-popular Philling Station and the blog about blogs Blinq. We've also seen time for our Bob Casey piece, getting the nod from Santorum Blog, of all places. And finally, our piece about PA Demographics got a decent review from A Smoke-Filled Room. Perhaps we should change our headline to 'No big insights here, but some food for thought.'

Back to spreading the love to others, as we link to Balls, Sticks & Stuff and their call for the firing of one Charlie 'from Mayberry' Manuel. Even we may think it could be too early, and it probably won't happen, since they didn't let him go over the off-season. At least give the guy a full month.

Sixers Shots says that Mo Cheeks is a sucky coach.

Vincent Pastore, better known as Big Pussy from The Sopranos, is going on Celebrity Fit Club. They should probably have a Sopranos-only season with all the tub o'lards on that show.

Beer Leaguer tells Ryan Howard to stand closer to the plate...which could be iffy. With such large arms couldn't he crowd himself at the plate??? Who knows.

Berks County needs more pork.

Sixers Prove Adequacy; Bush and Swann Entertained

2006-04-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

That's goddamn right they were entertained! The Sixers beat the Wizards 105-97 down at the Wachovia Center tonight, showing their passing skills. Allen Iverson had 26 points on 9-22 shooting but had 15 assists! Count 'em, 15. Andre Iguodala also chipped in with 6 assists, and the rest of the team passed well around the horn. Both Kyle Korver and Stephen Hunter had 20 points tonight, with Hunter shooting a very efficient 8-12 with 8 boards in his career high. Sammy Dalembert had 14 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Willie Green contributed 6 points in 11 minutes.

The rotation tonight was very crisp, with Mo Cheeks giving the majority of the minutes to Iverson (45 minutes), Iguodala (38), Dalembert (37), Hunter (33) and Korver (31). Those 5 played very well together on offense AND defense, with Hunter and Dalembert altering a lot of shots and the team allowing Antawan Jamison and Gilbert Arenas to get their points and no one else. The Wizards played a Sixers-esque game in that regard, shooting under 40% and getting only 3 guys involved on the offensive end.

Iverson, Iguodala, Willie Green, Sammy Dalembert and Kyle Korver ended the game...4 of those 5 guys are young players. It's interesting to see a guy that was out for 80% of the year with an injury (Willie Green) play critical minutes in a game that needed closing out. It’s also interesting to note that Sammy got some key minutes, and some key boards in the game. Maybe Cheeks has finally figured out the value of confidence-building in regards to young NBA players. In the case of guys like Dalembert, Hunter and Korver already getting their money, they need something to strive for more than just that next contract. Let's be honest and realize that athletes that get their money need something extra, and that something is the team...and if they feel like they aren't valued by the team, why bother playing hard???

Shavlik Randolph and Matt Barnes even got some minutes, providing much needed rest for the starters.

The Sixers are coming together, and it is good to see. It will be an intriguing playoff if they finish this season strong. There, it's been said. Huge Tiny Mistake hopes that the Sixers make the playoffs, because playoffs are better than no playoffs. The 5th seed in the East, the Wizards, are one game above .500,and the 6th seed Milwaukee Bucks are one game ahead of the Sixers, so who says the Sixers can't get a little hot at the end and easily leapfrog to the 6th seed to face the Nets?

George Bush and Lynn Swann were entertained. Look at them clapping!!!

Remember this Phillies

2006-04-10T11:14:00.000-04:00

And try to repeat this, oh, 90 more times, OK?

Bob Casey Jr. for Senate

2006-04-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

Huge Tiny Mistake throws it venerable weight (almost 50 people a day check the site out, we're bigger than Jesus!!!) behind Bob Casey Jr. for the Democratic Primary coming up on May 16th. After considering Chuck Pennachio, a man who loves history like us, and checking out Alan Sandals, the conclusion has been reached that Bob Casey Jr. is the best chance for Democrats to win the state of Pennsylvania and to would be the best option for Senator, regardless of party.

Sure, he may oppose something I like (NAFTA and CAFTA), but his opinion on abortion is more realistic than the other candidates, in that we should be looking to reduce the need for it, and improve the lives of single mothers with childcare, healthcare, etc. Sandals does not even support parental notification, while Pennachio supports only that restriction on abortion. Sandals says on his website that abortion should be 'safe, legal, and rare' and yet takes no actual position to make certain is becomes rarer and rarer. To deny that abortion is a messy thing in our society is naive, and to suggest that families shouldn't make this decision together is also naive. Children under 18, and they are children, simply can't handle abortion alone, and need a support system of their families first, then Planned Parenthood, then family planning, should they choose to keep the child.

Casey also takes a realistic approach to gun control, education, and healthcare reform. While I see nothing bad about universal healthcare, the practical approach to this says that legislation like that would never pass in such a divided Congress, and a more realistic approach is needed.

Sure, Pennachio seems like a decent option, and in another race he may be a viable option. But right now Pennsylvania needs a Senator that will be representative of them, and that is Bob Casey Jr. Alan Sandals seems like a long-shot either way, does not want to put a cap on punitive damage awards in tort cases, and says that the federal government should 'invoke a moratorium on outsourcing'...which cannot be done. That is far too much meddling with the private sector, and outsourcing of jobs is natural and DOES show growth of the economy and the advancement of our nation. Those who worry about outsourcing should look at Pennsylvania's archaic tax structure on corporations and small businesses, not on the trade agreements that help nations grow their economies. Tie human dignity in with trade agreements; don't do away with the agreements. This goes for Pennachio and Casey as well, as both seems rather isolationist on the economy.

Casey's thoughts on the matter of outsourcing have no doubt been influenced by the loss of manufacturing jobs in Scranton, but his realistic approaches to other issues of policy make sense for Pennsylvania and for the nation. One doesn't have to agree with everything a candidate believes, just a lot of it as well as their approach.

We're a Fancy Newish-type Blog

2006-04-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

So says Daniel Rubin, of Blinq, as he links to our Bobby piece from yesterday. Go us! And go Daniel! He also notes we ignored the second game of the doubleheader, but sometimes you gotta end the day of posting on a good note.

Balls, Sticks and Stuff gets Albert Einstein to chime in on the situation at third base.

A Citizen's Blog breaks down the Braves, and concludes that the Phils are better. So obviously this means that the Braves will win 2 of 3 against them.

Steve Garvey, because timely pieces about ballplayers from the 70s and 80s never get old, gets blasted by the LA Times, via Deadspin. Personally, this is sort of fun, because it does break down the myth that players are 'worse than ever', but it DOES seem a little like piling on.

Finally, Sixers Shots blows apart the theory that the 'young players don't have heart'. Instead, they largelly blames Mo Cheeks (and a backhanded slap at Chris Webber). LOVE IT!

Simpsons Are Still Funny

2006-04-09T17:31:00.000-04:00

Sure, there is little character development left, but after so many freaking seasons, what do you expect?!?!?! They're still funny, let's face it.

Phils Win! Theeeeeeeee Phils Win!!!

2006-04-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

The first win of the year happened today behind the bat of one Bobby Abreu, as he slammed a 9th inning, 2 out, full count fastball into the left field stands on a windy day. The Phillies finally win 6-3, ensuring they won't end the day winless, and giving themselves a chance to sweep the doubleheader against the Dodgers.

Ryan Madson had a good start today, going 6 innings and probably would have had the win if some errors and iffy defense behind him hadn't hindered him. Rollins muffed a play, Rowand did, and Abreu did as well. But the offense came through when they needed to, especially Bobby.

Hopefully this gives Bobby some leeway with the haters who insist on saying that he isn't 'clutch', despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, such as his late and close numbers, his RISP numbers, and his runners on numbers. But hey, most people know that hitting counts whether it's in the 1st inning or the 9th, and they also know that haters will continue to claw at people who they wish they were. It's easy to bash someone making 14 million a year as 'lazy' or 'unclutch' because the conversation is entirely one-way. A player making that kind of money can't respond to his critics verbally because that just adds to the haters' fire. They just have to continue to show them up between the lines, which Bobby just did today.

Oh well, enough of that, let's get this sweep!!! Let's head into Atlanta with at least a small 2 game winning streak.

Game 5: POSTPONED

2006-04-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

Update: There will be a doubleheader tomorrow down at CBP, starting at 1:05. Let's hope this doesn't negatively affect Madson, getting an extra day off, it'll now be an entire week since he last pitched.

Game 5: LA Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies Ballclub

2006-04-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

- Ryan Madson faces Derek Lowe on the mound.
- The Dodgers' Eric Gagne is possibly out for the season.
- Phils have started the season winless.
- Rain could delay/cancel the game, scheduled to start at 3:05.

Los Angeles NL (2-2)

Furcal SS
Cruz LF
Drew RF
Kent 2B
Loney 1B
Mueller 3B
Repko CF
Navarro C
Lowe SP

PHILLIES (0-4)

Rollins SS
Rowand CF
Abreu RF
Utley 2B
Burrell LF
Howard 1B
Bell 3B
Lieberthal C
Madson SP

Phillies/Sixers/Flyers Tonight

2006-04-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

7:00pm Boston Celtics at Philadelphia Allen Iversons on CSN. Allen Iverson plays basketball tonight against the Celtics. In their previous matchup John Salmons single-handedly coughed up the lead. Look for someone else on the team to cough up the lead this time, perhaps Chris Webber.

7:05pm Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies on CN8. Gavin Floyd makes his debut against Brett Tomko, a very winnable game for the Phillies. Let's hope the bats come out tonight and Floyd pitches better than the first three starters did thus far.

8:00pm Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres on UPN 57 Peter Forsberg is out, and Flyers are just playing the season out. However, this may be the Flyers matchup in the playoffs, so showing up tonight would be a good omen.

TIP: Use SEPTA, it's gonna be packed down at the Sports Complex.

Another tip: Use a remote control, if you stay home.

Final tip: To properly prepare for impending losses, make sure something unbreakable is nearby to throw.

Dilbert Makes a Funny, Panties are Twisted

2006-04-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

Apparently Scott Adams' April 3rd comic didn't get by some newspaper editors, because they have dirty minds. Only those thinking the worst would interpret this in a 'wrong' manner (but it's infinitely funnier). Click on it to make it easier to read:

Break out the Brooms

2006-04-07T08:50:00.000-04:00

That is what the Cardinals did to us. Chris Carpenter didn't pitch well and Jim Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion didn't do much, but Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen hit the ball out of the yard and Jason Marquis and Mark Mulder had competent starts to down the Phillies. The Phils then couldn't hit the Cardinals bullpen, getting only 1 run in 9 and 2/3 innings. They had a chance in the 2nd game against a wild Jason Isringhausen, but Mike Lieberthal had happy feet and swung early in the count. This team is known for its patience and getting on base, and yet Mike swung early in the count after Izzy had given up 2 walks in the inning already. Little things like this can add up to a bad season.

Let's hope they get it turned around against the Dodgers. Game time 7:05

On pace for 159-3

I like Veronica Mars

2006-04-07T08:20:00.000-04:00

A TV show about a teenage girl in an Ocean County-like high school??? Surely I'd love that!!! Well, yeah. The thing about this show is that the characters are so well developed, the mysteries are so interesting and tough to figure out, and the storylines are so engrossing that the show works on several levels. One episode can be taken and enjoyed on its own merits, but that same show can be weaved into an over-arcing storyline about murder, deceit, and the peculiar life of one Veronica Mars.

The first season revolved around the murder of her best friend Lilly Kane. In the end, it was the film star Aaron Echolls , who was the father of one of Veronica's revolving love interests in Logan Echolls. The second season is dealing with a bus crash that killed people that a lot of people wanted gone or dead. The insane amount of characters who play vital roles in the central plot and various sub-plots simply engages viewers who enjoy a Lost-type of show, but with much much wittier dialogue. Most jokes can be taken on multiple levels, and that is where the show truly shines in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-type way. Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy, has even called it his favorite show on TV, and for good reason. For a show about a blonde from California, it's no light-headed affair.

Oh yeah, and Kristen Bell is pretty hot, too.

God Can't Get Driver's License

2006-04-07T07:48:00.000-04:00

God has been told that he cannot use the name God to get a driver's license. In a related note, the 800 Jesuses in Reading have all had their licenses revoked.

This had to be passed long. There is a new blog on the Reading Eagle website called Black Belt Mama. For its name alone it's worth a look.

Willie Green is back and healthy for the Sixers, and he's already stealing time away from John Salmons. Maybe God can't get a driver's license, but the dude is still working his magic.

The Philadelphia Daily News website makes sure that John Smallwood's column is unreadable by chopping up 3 sentences into about 10 lines of disjointed prose. Good job to whoever runs the site.

Eric Gagne's arm falls off.

The Mets and Nationals almost had a brawl after 4 hit batsmen and several brushbacks caused benches to be cleared. Frank Robinson complained about his pitcher being tossed for throwing a retaliatory HBP, a rule that he helped create.

And finally, the New York Times' website was recently changed to a 5 column setup because the previous website was simply too readable and easy and they couldn't have that, now could they?