Cliff Lee "anxious and excited" to be in Philly

Well, wouldn't you be? After all, he's coming from Cleveland.
[philly.com]

WHEELER!

Here, my dear friends, are all the links you'll ever need to get your Chris Wheeler fix:

• The Chris Wheeler Glossary - You know his best phrases, now keep track of 'em using the unofficial Wheels online glossary!
• The Chris Wheeler for Hall of Fame Action Blog - Your go-to source for all you need to get Wheels into the HOF before he dies.
• The Wheeler Wiki - The Chris Wheeler Wikipedia page.
• OPEN LETTER TO CHRIS WHEELER - One man shares his opinion of Chris using an internet forum.
• 1980 Phillies - A nice little bio of Wheels as posted at a GeoCities site. It's gotta be true, it's on GeoCities.

So you tested positive for steroids?

While I commended Alex Rodriguez for admitting his fault when he was accused of steroid use, I ripped him for dancing around it and pointing fingers. Now, a few months later, the New York Times breaks the story that David Ortiz was on the list of names for positive PED testing in 2003. Being a Red Sox fan, I am mildly disturbed by that report. I am not, however, surprised in any way. Who cares? It was prior to the banning of PEDs, and I just am not bothered by his use of them. So what am I on about? Why am I mildly disturbed?

I am disturbed for the exact same reason I was disturbed by A-Rod's aforementioned press conference: He's dancing around it. When Ortiz was asked by reporters about his positive test, he said he wasn't going to talk about it. I buy his stories about the stuff he used to use in the Dominican Republic. I am even thankful for his support of mandatory testing in Major League Baseball. But I just can't get past the fact that these guys (Palmeiro, McGwire, Rodriguez, Ortiz, etc.) refuse to come completely clean about what they have done.

So here's my message to these guys. I don't mean a few of them, I mean all of them. I'm talking about Miguel Tejada, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and all the other guys. All I want, as a fan, is an admission of guilt. You did it, admit it, let's move on. Clean the game up, whatever, just admit you did it. All this lying and beating around the bush has to stop. You're disrespecting your fans, your organization, and everyone who has ever played the game of baseball in any form. Be a man, be a professional, and tell the freaking truth.

And do it now.

Attention Phillies Fans: Introducing Your New Starter, Cliff Lee

Yeah, he'll look good in red pinstripes.

You want links for proof? I've got 'em. But first, here's the word from Ken Rosenthal:

The Phillies have reached agreement with the Indians on a trade that would bring them left-hander Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco for Class A right-hander Jason Knapp, Class AAA right-hander Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson, according to major-league sources.

Alright, have at 'em: The Good Phight, The Fightins, The Zo Zone, Philled In, Phillies.com, MLBTR, FOXSports.com, All Things Philly Sports, Phillies Flow, Swing and a Long Drive, Balls Sticks & Stuff. Yes, that is a pretty comprehensive list. PhilliesNation.com, by the way, is down.

The biggest part of this deal? No loss of Happ, Drabek, Brown, or Taylor. J.P. Ricciardo heard to be scrambling to make a move now that his biggest player for Roy Halladay has booked the reigning AL Cy Young winner.

Potential Pitching for Phillies

The trade deadline is looming, and the Phillies are in talks to acquire another pitcher. The question remains: Who will it be? Will we find our Cindarella at the Ball, or end up with a pumpkin after midnight? No one really knows, but here’s an in-depth look at what appear to be the top three targets for the Fightins.

Roy Halladay:

Pros: Halladay is a true workhorse. Lots of innings, complete games, as well as being a dominant force. Has a great selection of pitches, and keeps the ball low, inducing many groundouts. Doesn’t walk many people, and could possibly stay on to re-sign with the Phillies.

Cons: Asking price from the Blue Jays seems very high. The front office might possibly be mortgaging the future of the club if they give up too much to get Halladay. Winning is nice, but not if it’s at the cost of handcuffing us years down the road

Bonus: Halladay is nicknamed ‘Doc’, after Doc Holliday in ‘Tombstone’. Holliday was the fastest gun in the west, constantly drunk, and suffered from consumption (that’s Tuberculosis).

Cliff Lee:

Pros: Basically a cheaper version of Roy Halladay. A tad younger, and possibly cheaper in both salary and prospects needed to trade (talks of a deal without involving Drabek is in the works)

Cons: Quite simply, he’s not Roy Halladay. He’s another lefty in a rotation filled with them, and has the highest ERA of the three targets (although lower than most Phillies starters)

Bonus: Lee’s middle name is ‘Phifer’

Jarrod Washburn

Pros: An even cheaper alternative, but not in value. Washburn sports an ERA of 2.71, despite his career ERA of 4.03. Also issues very few walks (only 30 BB in 126 IP).

Cons: Another pitcher in the same mold as Lee and Halladay, but not as good. Could possibly just be having a career year. We wouldn’t want to sign him and see him unfold like Pat Burrell in Tampa, now would we?

Bonus: Went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (I know it's a stretch, but there is NOTHING interesting about Washburn)

RIP Jim Johnson

Several sources, including Brian Seltzer of ESPN Radio 950, have confirmed that former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has lost his battle with melanoma. Rest in peace, Jim, and thanks for all the great years in Philly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all his friends and family.

Phillies 6, D-Backs 2

Jamie Moyer has beaten Father Time. Now he's beating the entire National League.
[Box]

A Look at the Rotation, Part V

COLE HAMELS – Tabbed as the staff ‘Ace’, which obviously has a different meaning this season. Inconsistency has plagued Hollywood Hamels throughout this year. He gives up too many homeruns, and relies too heavily on two pitches: fastball and change-up. He needs to work on throwing his curveball more often to keep hitters from sitting on the change piece on an 0-2 count. Many similarities to Zito, but with a better change-up and fastball and a worse curveball. Here's hoping he doesn't follow the same career path.

How much for Halladay?

The Blue Jays made their offer, the Phillies made their counter-offer, and at the end of the day, the sides are no closer to an agreement than they were before. Tomorrow is J.P. Ricciardi's self-imposed deadline for trading Roy Halladay, but it looks like things will continue to escalate up until Friday's trade deadline. A week ago, I was telling people that there was no way the Blue Jays would move Halladay until the off-season. Now, I firmly believe that Toronto will send the ace for a price less than that of their opening offer to the Phils.

In essence, there's no reason for the Jays to not move Halladay. He said he's not going to sign back with Toronto after next year, and the Blue Jays have no realistic shot at winning anything. His trade value is higher now than it will be come December, and Ricciardi would be foolish to not take a deal before Friday. The Phillies are the only club that has enough bait and enough interest to land the star pitcher; they will most likely outduel the Red Sox (who have little desire to move Clay Buchholz and don't necessarily need Halladay to help win a title) and Angels (low on prospects, but have plenty of cash to send across the border) in any bidding war for Halladay.

The question is, who will the Phillies move to get this deal done? They seem a lot less reluctant to move Drabek than they once did, but Amaro insists on not sending him along with J.A. Happ. Dominic Brown will most likely not get sent anywhere, but Michael Taylor (above) could easily go. Jason Donald was thrown into the Phils' counter-offer, so he's obviously available, and Carlos Carrasco will more than likely find his way out in a trade. The Jays should be more desparate to move Halladay than the Phillies should be to take him; so far, that hasn't been the case.

Unfortunately, this is just my opinion about what should happen in the next few days. What will be the outcome is that the Phillies and Jays will both stand strong with their demands, and no move will be made. The Phillies will look to Jarrod Washburn or Cliff Lee while the Jays wait until winter meetings to get a much smaller package of prospects for Halladay. And if I'm the Phillies, that's fine with me.

A Look at the Rotation, Part IV

JOE BLANTON – A solid, if unspectacular pitcher. When he’s on, he’ll throw for strikes and get outs. When he’s really on, he’ll throw 11 K’s on the Marlins. Nothing dazzling, more like a Kyle Kendrick upgrade. ERA expected usually in the high 3’s or low 4’s. Averages right around a quality start per game (6 IP, 3 or less ER). He will never be spectacular, and he well never put you in a hole so deep you might as well bury the game. Ideally, the perfect middle of the rotation pitcher.



(I wanted a different picture than in-game all the time. Here Blanton is drinking a Coors Light and partying with former teammate Eric Chavez -Ed)

Phillies, Halladay, Myers, etc.

This is just a quick rundown of the events currently transpiring for the Phillies. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to elaborate more on this information.

- Toronto seems to be asking for too much from the Phillies; indications point to Halladay staying put until the off-season.

- Phillies shopping around for relievers, but Brett Myers could be back to fill that role as soon as next month.

- J.A. Happ is a freaking beast on the mound right now. He's sitting at 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA. Rookie of the Year, anyone?

- Pedro Martinez pitched a simulated game today; no word on whether it was on an XBox 360 or a PlayStation 3. Pedro will get a minor-league start on Sunday.

- Cliff Lee may be a better option for the Phillies than Halladay right now, and he could come at a lower price.

Again, I hope to expound on things tomorrow.

A Look at the Rotation, Part III

JAMIE MOYER – Reminds me of my Uncle who, despite his advanced age, still participates in sports on vacation and ends up getting himself hurt. Except, Moyer just screws up games instead of dislocating a shoulder diving for a fly ball in softball. Moyer can still give you quality starts, but people with hypertension don’t watch, for fear of needing to be medicated. He can pitch so poorly as to give the Phillies’ prolific offense problems coming back to win. But, like any athlete, he has his moments. He won’t get much worse for another 4 years or so, because he’s not losing any more velocity. All he does is hit his spots. If he doesn’t, then he gets hit.

(Moyer looks like he's going to give himself a heart attack -Ed)

A Look at the Rotation, Part II

J.A. HAPP – A solid pitcher. Someone who doesn’t have great velocity, and knows it. In 10 starts this season, has pitched at least into the 6th inning in all of them. Should be a solid 3rd starter, and only ranked behind Moyer in this mock rotation because of the experience of the one and the lack thereof in Happ. Should expect Happ to throw strikes, and keep the ball down. If he throws high fastballs, expect him to get hit like he did against Boston this season (5.2 IP, 5 ER, four of those ER in the 2nd inning). Luckily, he doesn’t have bad stretches like that for many games. And still undefeated, although he has a myriad of No Decisions, mostly thanks to bullpen issues.


(Don't you just get lost in those eyes? -Ed)

A Look at the Rotation, Part I

Now that we’ve got Pedro Martinez (hopefully sans that creepy midget he had with Boston), it’s about time we take a look at the Phillies new and (hopefully) improved starting line-up, bottom to top. We’ve got an in-depth look at every pitcher they’ve got, plus commentary from yours truly.

PEDRO MARTINEZ – This is the ultimate guessing game. Has been reportedly throwing in the high 80s with his fastball. This isn’t really a problem, considering the lack of velocity and advanced age in some other Philadelphia pitchers. The only concern is that Pedro stays healthy, and gives them a chance in every game. We don’t need him to dominate one game, only to last 3 innings over his next 4 starts. 5 or 6 innings, 3 or 4 ER in each should suffice for a fifth starter. Pedro only needs to be better than spot starter Rodrigo Lopez, which shouldn’t be too difficult…hopefully. Let’s hope Pedro realizes he’s pitching in Philadelphia, and not in New York (5-6, 5.61 ERA last year).

(This is also the most homosexual picture I've ever seen of Pedro Martinez -Ed)

Next Best Thing to Roy Halladay

Raise your hand if you actually think this is a good idea.

...Anyone? Anyone at all? I rest my case.

Something about Roy Halladay

And now, the collective thoughts of Philadelphia:
OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

[The Zo Zone]

Think about it, man!

Vote Victorino '09

Phillies 22, Reds 1

That's gonna hurt your ERA, there, Johnny.

[Box Score]

Weekend Recap - Phillies sweep Mets

My name is Joe Blanton, and Johan Santana ain't got nothin' on me.

[Inquirer Recap]

Hit the Ball Hard

I heard this phrase to describe Rollins’ at-bats about fifteen times during last night’s 7-2 victory over the Metropolitans. The over-use of this phrase got me thinking about what it really means (along with a few other phrases, but I quickly forgot about those).


I know baseball is full of buzz words, and phrases that are so mind-numbingly stupid it makes me question the existence of a higher power. But since the Phillies won the World Series last year, I know there’s someone up there who loves me. But that still leaves the topic of ‘hit the ball hard’ to discuss. This is what gamblers and hustlers call a ‘no lose situation’.

You are Jimmy Rollins. You step up to the plate, see a few pitches, and ‘hit the ball hard’. Instead of getting a hit, you fly out to left field. Everyone still seems encouraged, mostly due to your recent track record of screwing up. “Maybe this is a sign of things to come”, you tell yourself while watching the game alone, on a Friday night (not that this has ever happened to me. –Ed). He could go 0-4 (again) and people would still be encouraged that he ‘hit the ball hard’. Instead, he went 2-5 with two doubles, recording two hits in two straight games. If this were Rollins while he was performing well, no one would even mention this. But because this is a potential All-Star (I still refuse to believe that) who is hitting .212 (I can easily believe that), it is worth writing about. Next game, Rollins could go 0-5. Or he could get four hits. It doesn’t matter much to me…as long as he hits the ball hard. (But mostly because he doesn’t pitch, and that’s what I’m really worried about).

Braves 5, Phillies 2

I need an All-Star break.
[Box Score]

J.A. Happ and the Philadelphia Nightmare

As the Phillies have been skidding their way back into a race for first place in the NL East, one pitcher has continued to shine. J.A. Happ has yet to record a loss for the Phils (5-0, 3-0 as a starter) and possesses a 3.25 ERA in seven starts. Last saturday, Happ threw a complete-game shutout at Toronto, giving up just five hits and no walks.

Tonight, the Phillies enter the third and final game of a series with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have been playing just about as well as the Phillies have, yet the Phils are on the verge of giving up a three-game sweep. Unfortunately for Happ, who is in charge of trying to stop the bleeding tonight, he can't expect much run support. As we've found out since his return, Jimmy Rollins still can't hit a baseball. The Phillies' best hitter, Raul Ibanez, has yet to start his rehab stint at Double-A Reading. Greg Dobbs (hitting all of .228) will be starting in left field tonight. Sadly, it's not just the lineup that seems to be struggling; the rotation and bullpen are having their fair share of problems, as well.

Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino (all hitting over .290) can't carry this team by themselves. Ryan Madson can't carry his own weight. I have all the faith in the world in Happ tonight. He delivered last week with the best outing of his career and, well, the best outing of any Phillies starter this season. He goes up against Javier Vazquez, whose numbers are similar to Happ's when it comes to ERA. Vazquez, though, has suffered similarly to Happ in that he doesn't get much run support. Essentially, tonight has the potential to be a pitcher's duel. For the Phillies' sake, I hope it's not.

Bottom line: Happ needs to go deep into this one. And by "deep," I mean far enough so that Madson can keep his butt on the bench. The Phils need to wear out Vazquez with long at-bats because they won't put a whole lot of runs on the board early. The key will be to get to the bullpen early and capitalize on mistakes. C'mon, Phillies, it's time to put an end to this crap.

Braves 11, Phillies 1

I only watched the highlights on Baseball Tonight. It's really all I can handle with this team anymore. Even Cole Hamels can't dig the boys in red pinstripes out of this rut. Last season, Jimmy Rollins went on a 5-for-50 slide in August. That's a relatively forgotten stat, especially considering there was that world championship thing at the end of the year to drown it out. That's what the Phillies need right now: Something to drown it all out. What could that something be?

The answer is fairly clear, and it should be coming in the next few weeks. As Dan Levy posted on Twitter today, "All these hockey signings today make me wish for a deal that will really resonate in Philly. Get a freaking starting pitcher already!" That's the sentiment in Philly today. Ruben needs to make a deal here that can set the franchise back on fire. The number of players slumping and/or getting hurt has risen dramatically over the last few weeks. The number of games being lost has continued on its uphill slope.

On the bright side, this one only took nine innings. [Box Score]

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TFOF can now be accessed via www.thefourthof.com - If your page includes a link to this site, an update would be greatly appreciated. [TheFourthOF.com]