Philly Sports

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When u have collisions at the plate, hit with foul balls, blocked splitters and sliders and still show up everyday to bust your ass, this city takes notice (see piece of shit Rod Barajas) and rightfully so. I personally will miss him. Is he past his prime? yes, but he’s a player I’ve never questioned his effort. I wish him all the luck in the world and hope the Dodgers take the division over the Giants and roll to the World Series. Gonna miss seeing him fly out from behind the plate to grab a bunt and of course going to miss hearing “Chooooooooch”

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Joe

Hello again, shortly after the All Star break and the Phillies have ruined their decent ending and have resorted back to their old ways of poor execution. It's hard to believe at the pro level players don't know with a tied game, 2nd & 3rd and no outs, the 2 hitter should hit the other way or lift the ball. Granted a pitcher throws certain pitches to execute their needs but a pro hitter should be able to adjust. Franco seems to have entertained the idea of hitting the other way and doesn't look so pull happy. If he buys into the idea of spraying the ball, his average and power numbers will go up 20-30 points. Joseph, with the same number of at bats as Ryan Howard in his rookie year, has 5 more home runs than he did at that time. That's a very surprising number and could be a sign of great things to come for Joseph and the organization. Trade talks have involved the names of Hellickson, Ruiz, Howard and Bourjos. Can't see any return value in moving Bourjos and Howard would just be a major buyout. Ruiz would be a nice addition for a contender with his serviceable work behind the plate and ability to hit behind runners. Hellickson has shown he's a legit 3/4 starter on a good team and would make the 4 man rotation in the postseason. I'm offering my services for the Phillies promotional department. I suggest a "Plunk a Kardashian Night" where fans get 3 throws at a cardboard Kardashian of their choice for $5. Money raised goes to Phillies charities. Thanks for reading

Yes we all knew this was a "rebuilding year" but the hot streak they were on after their first series made baseball fun again in this area. Fans started coming back as the Phils got to first place for a day or two. They then forgot how to hit (not that the lineup was raking) and pitching came back down to earth. Nothing new with this organization. They've now seemed to quietly return to their April ways and are winning again. This team has the potential to win 10 then lose 10 straight games. It's going to be more ups and downs as the youth adjust to how offenses and defenses prepare for them. Herrera is still floating around .300 despite the fact that he looks clueless early in counts while guessing on pitches. Franco still is pull happy and only once from what I've seen, has gone with the pitch and sprayed the ball to right field. Joseph seems lost more times than not in his long awaited rookie season. Overall I'm liking this team. I've always wanted our sports teams to give effort whether it's going well and more importantly during the bad times. Lackadaisical play becomes infectious and it's deflating to morale. The Phillies have been entertaining even though their base running (and I wouldn't be surprised) could be the worst in the history of the game. Plenty of mental mistakes have hurt an already poor offensive club yet they win. It's been fun and hopefully rock bottom has been hit and the climb has successfully started. Thank u for reading, Joe

Thanks to the Rangers/ Blue Jays playoff series, bat flips are becoming all too common in the MLB. As a former pitcher this hopefully is a fad that can't stop soon enough. We do not need to see a bat flip from some clown down by 8 runs because he hit it on the screws. I'm not saying to put one in his ear hole next at bat or breeze the next batter but I wouldn't take issue with it if a pitcher did it. Recently I saw a video of an 8th grader going yard and pointed to the crowd, then horribly performed the running man challenge down the baseline. I would hope his coach gave him shit for that. That type of activity is stupid and there's no reason for it. What's next? A walk off sac fly where the batter does a bat flip for exhibiting warning track power? A late inning, sacrifice bunt, bat flip for moving a runner into scoring position? Someone hitting a single off of Chris Sale? Bat flips need to be policed by the pitchers while umpires allow them to handle it. What doesn't get people watching baseball highlights like a nice friendly bench clear? Now that's fun baseball. Thanks for reading. Have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend. Joe

The absence of so many fans at Citizen's Bank Park in recent years has rivaled that of Miami and Tampa Bay. Fans were given slop the last few seasons and decided to spend their $100-200 per game elsewhere. I went to a few games because I love baseball and focused on certain players on opposing teams. Our beloved Phillies organization was in shambles with what looked like years away from success. A cleaning of the front office brought a new mentality cutting ties with sentimental favorites and allowing some young guys to get their shot. The result has been anything but excellent. This pitching staff has carried the team while many young bats are still getting their feet wet. This youth movement as I suspected, would bring excitement and a will to perform to the field that has been missing the last 5 years. I figured by year's end they would be around .500 maybe a few games under. To be in the hunt, granted its May, is a shock to Vegas who had them winning less than 70 games. They are currently at 24 wins and believe in themselves while having fun every night. That is a scary scene for the overrated clowns in the NL East. Asche has been playing rehab games while Altherr should be cleared to start activities next week. That could move Goeddel who just nailed his first dinger and Bourjos (batting .198 so basically he's the guy if u need a bunt) to the bench. Altherr is that guy who looks the part. He has tremendous upside and will add some pop to the corner outfield spot once he's back with the club. Don't be afraid to visit the park fans, they give us the effort that we've always demanded. I'll be there tonight wearing my WORLD CHAMPS 08 jersey and supporting my team since I was 5 years old. Thanks for reading peoples. Joe

I don't know why but since Bake McBride was on the Phillies I've pretty much despised every right fielder that the Phillies have dressed. The reason for my insane feeling is based on knowing which way a batted ball carries, proper angles and first step. Pence and Victorino might've been the worst to field the position. I know popular opinion is that they were good but if u watched closely, their routes and reads were atrocious. Victorino had catch up speed much like Herrera and Revere in center. Demonic Brown, I think you know my opinion of him. Werth was ok but his bat made up for any miscues. Same with Marlon Byrd. His CF background helped him with reading the ball better than most. Bobby Abreu? Gold Glove Award winner? Mr 30-30 looked like he a load of shit in his pants in the outfield. I'd have a 99 fielding percentage also if I let the ball stop moving before I picked it up. Nix, Jenkins, Michaels were hacks. Milt Thompson come on. The latest to irk me is Bourjos. I've heard of his speed but haven't been impressed when I've seen him live. This past series against the Braves he actually ran in on a Freeman shot that went over the fence. That's Hunter Pence type of play. Please Phillies bring in a player who can play and can read contact the way it should be read. Thanks for reading. Joe

The following will be a rant regarding a topic I'm very passionate about: baseball. The MLB in their attempt to make baseball fun and entertaining have screwed it up royally. Let's start with Selig looking flabbergasted during the All Star game of 2002 when both teams ran out of pitchers and the game ended in a tie. It's an exhibition game you dolts, it can end in a tie the same as Spring Training games can end in a tie. To have that game count for home field advantage for the World Series is the dumbest thing since treating Dr Phil as someone credible. He then added the Posey Rule for catchers which has become the most asinine rule in all of sports. It's a catcher's job to know how to avoid contact and make a play safely, same as it's understood for fielders making that throw. Posey was 100% wrong in his technique and was completely at fault. I've coached and instructed for many years so please if anyone wants to debate Posey's ineptness I'm game. Manfred has taken over and continued the douch baggery with the Utley rule which again Tejada was in the wrong hanging on the base that long. Middle infielders have a timer in their head much like a QB, they know to move and not stretch out or they'll pay the consequences. He wants to speed up the game yet, trying to be hip like the NFL, allows replay. It has been horrible delaying games which causes more of an issue to pitchers especially those in relief. 8/9 inning guys have a motor. They need the ball and want to go. Delaying them takes them out of that mindset. Umpires have missed calls throughout the history of the game. Most decent guys will acknowledge an error and correct it as the game continues. It happens everyday. Teams are always getting make up calls. If a review takes longer than a minute it's not clear cut so the play stands. End of story. Stop being a pain in the ass where puppet head commentators have to fill the void with mundane blabber. I can't take this shit anymore. You are destroying the game I love. Get rid of the reply or make it a 1 minute review, that is all. Next Manfred spoke of adding more teams. Montreal (had one, lost it, screw u) and Mexico City. REALLY??? There are guys on starting lineups that are not even batting .200 yet let's bring a few more teams into the league so we can deplete the talent even more. This is absurd to even contemplate this ridiculous idea. Don't be a shit head Manfred. Thanks for reading.

Can't say that I'm surprised the way things have transpired in Eagles land within a week. Bradford is upset and wants a trade so he can be a starter although his body of work and ability to stay healthy isn't very impressive. When the Eagles hired Pederson I thought they would repeat history as when Reid was hired. Reid brought along his friend Pederson and named him the starter which he had no business receiving that title. That year they drafted McNabb and after some time McNabb had the job. I see the same thing with Daniels and whomever they draft. Hell, the Eagles even traded up for the second pick, the same pick they had when they chose McNabb. I can't see the Eagles getting much in return for Bradford. If they can get a 3rd pick or a bag of kicking balls I'd be surprised. Hey, the Phillies are 1 game under .500 and look like they could hover around there for the season. That would mean payouts by a few that thought the Phils wouldn't get their Vegas projection. Thanks for reading

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Not much of a surprise for the Phillies opening day to be a loss. Lead off double to start the game only to have the offense K, pop up and ground out to end the inning. Hellickson pitched a gem allowing 1 unearned run because Howard appeared to be standing on his kids Hoverboard and couldn't adjust his feet to catch the ball. Seems Bourjos will be my new Dom Brown. Horrible plate approaches swinging first pitch curveball and in his last at bat 1st pitch check swing on a high fastball. His plate approach resembles a free swinging Dominican high schooler. Somewhere along his path someone made the mistake of telling him that he should approach at bats like he has power. Also he had a chance to keep the lead but couldn't make the throw on a shallow sac fly. A throw Frenchy makes in his sleep. Hernandez couldn't find the plate in the 8th. Mackanin should've pulled him after his 8th pitch where Ruiz had to go out and talk to him. He has horribly overthrowing and didn't have it. Also, Ruiz shouldn't be in the game. He couldn't move runners when needed and at this point of his career, that's his only offensive job. Game 1 in the books. Should be a fun filled season for my dogs to hear me screaming at the tv. Thanks for reading

As Spring Training has passed and the Phillies had a successful stint in Florida, I'm again optimistic for this upcoming season. I'm not expecting 90 plus wins or a chance for a division title but I do think this mix of players will bring everything they have to the ballpark every night. A few years ago when the Sixers were atrocious (not like now) I was able to support them because of their work ethic and heart they showed every game. They fought for every possession and made it not only watchable but very entertaining. For me, winning isn't everything. Sure I'd love a team to dominate all year and take a title but it's the effort and attitude players put forth that makes me an athletic supporter (pun intended). I think this current Phillies team will frustrate at times especially with their suspect relief pitching but I won't doubt their heart. Thanks for taking the time to read it.