Q&A With Johnny G

September 2nd, 2010 by Johnny G | 42 Comments | Filed in General

Welcome to the 4th edition of the weekly Q & A sessions here at Talksportsphilly.com. This will be the same drill as last week. You can start submitting your questions at any time and all questions will be answered from 12pm-1pm on Friday. Thanks for submitting your questions!

P.S. For any information on myself, or any of the other tremendous writers on the site, please visit the Author’s Page at the top of the page.

Here’s the link for last week’s Q&A: http://talksportsphilly.com/?p=2183

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Fewer Headlines In Store This Off Season

September 2nd, 2010 by OD20 | 5 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

Another Addition of This Size? Not Likely...

Buckle up folks… this is a long one.  This is my passion.  I apologize for the length

I am not looking past this stretch run, or getting ahead of myself, or ignoring all the events currently taking place (good and bad) with this current Phillies team.  I am, however, completely enamored by the postseason process, the payroll, and the future of this club.

As a fan, one of my favorite topics is the process of building for long term success.  I am not a “win it all this year at all costs” believer. I don’t think that you should rape and pillage your farm system for veteran rentals.  What the brewers did with CC Sabathia a few years back was ballsy, but ultimately reckless and maybe even stupid (in my opinion).

What I see with the Phillies is a team that can make a run in 2010, and also a team that could compete at this level for the next 2-3 years.  Could there be set backs that lessen their opportunity to win or the emergence of young players that extend the window?  Absolutely, both scenarios could happen.  The current roster is full of 30+ players, and the minor league system is full of high end pitching and a few elite position players.  Long term success requires some lucky breaks as well as good planning and execution by the front office.

With all that said, here is a look at who is coming back, who is leaving, and what decisions the front office will be faced with this offseason.

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California Dreamin’

September 1st, 2010 by Christian | No Comments | Filed in General

Utley, Rollins Burn Dodgers

Looks like a change of scenery is just what the Phillies needed.

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a homerun.  Shane Victorino led off the second inning with a homerun.  Chase Utley hit three doubles and drove in two.  Roy Oswalt pitched a one hitter through 6 1/3 innings and the Phillies cruised to a 5-1 win over the Dodgers to take the rubber match of their three game series.

Prior to beating the Dodgers, the Phils swept three games from the San Diego Padres, so their record on this short west coast trip is a sunny 5-1.

It’s great to see the bats come alive again, especially Utley, who has been in a funk just about all season.

And Oswalt has just been tremendous.  I always liked him while he was with Houston,  and now watching him on a regular basis I appreciate him even more.

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Eagles Roster Battles – Cut Down Day Approaches

September 1st, 2010 by OD20 | 14 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football

Gratuitous Cheerleader Photo

The last week of preseason always brings two things – an incredibly boring final game and roster cuts.

There are some intriguing battles outside of the 40 or so roster spots that are already locked up.  There will be some tough decisions made between now and the final cut down day and Andy Reid has indicated that there are spots to be won.  This is how I see the battles heading into the preseason finale.

Running Back –

There are two spots locked up.  Mike Bell and LeSean McCoy are locks.  After those two there is some discussion.

Eldra Buckley has been in the system and has been listed consistently as the third back.  That doesn’t mean the Eagles haven’t given him competition.  Martell Mallet was the CFL rookie of the year last year, and is listed with JJ Arrington as the 4th back on the depth chart.  Mallet has practice squad eligibility, which may work against him in trying to earn a spot.  The Eagles could stash him there for a season and revisit this battle next summer.  Arrington was sign as a free agent, but has battled foot and ankle injuries.  His last gasp may be to make an impact Thursday as both a back and a return man.

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Power Surge

September 1st, 2010 by Christian | No Comments | Filed in General

Ryan Howard Congratulated By Teammates

Game Recap: August 31st, 2010

Finally.  After being held to two runs or less in eight of their previous twelve games, the Phillies bats awakened last night as they put eight runs on the board and beat the Dodgers in Los Angeles, 8-4.

With the Phillies trailing, 1-0 in the second inning, Brian Schneider hit a three-run blast to get the Phillies started.  In the third, Ryan Howard, who hadn’t homered in thirteen games (his 2nd longest drought of the season), also hit a three run shot, to give the Phillies a 6-1 lead.

Charlie Manuel said of Howard, “He’s got to get going.”

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How Did We Get Here? The Evolution of a Roster

August 31st, 2010 by OD20 | 8 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

When Will We See THIS Again?

There will always be something to complain about.  For years this team didn’t have enough pitching.  The bullpen was a liability.  We have/had no closer.  The bench was horrific.  Players wore down because they didn’t have the pieces to provide rest for the stars. The latest and greatest complaint?  The offense is inconsistent, streaky, strikes out to much, and is just flat out killing us.  We can’t win with this offense… or can we?

Sure some of that is valid.  The offense is down this year.  There are multiple reasons for the lack of offensive production.  There have been a total of 3 months of lost ab’s between the 3 and 4 hole hitter.  Another 2.5 months of lost at-bats between the leadoff man and 2-hole hitter.  When you lose 5.5 months of production from the top 4 hitters in your lineup, there stands to be some regression in terms of total runs scored.

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Beyond that, a season long slump from centerfielder Shane Victorino, and what appears to be age related regression from Raul Ibanez have also contributed to what has been a disappointing season offensively for the Phillies.  All in all, this could end up being the first year in the past 8 seasons that the Phillies fail to score 750 runs.  Even if the team managed to average 5 runs per game over the last 31 contests, a feat that seems almost impossible at this moment in time, they would still only manage 752 runs for the season, which represents the lowest total since they scored 710 runs in a sub .500 season in 2002.

With the injuries and slumps accounted for, how is it that this team stands 15 games over .500?  How do they hold a 1.5 game lead in the wild card race despite one of their most putrid offensive outputs in a decade? The answer is quite simple.  There is more than one way to win a baseball game. This roster has evolved in an astounding fashion.  In fact, the argument can very well be made (so I will make it) that the ONLY way this team could stand where it does today is because of the evolution that has taken place over the past 4 years. Here are the statistics from the areas that decide the outcomes of baseball games – runs scored, and runs allowed – from the past 4 seasons in which the Phillies have had a wealth of success.

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Dodge Ball

August 31st, 2010 by Christian | 1 Comment | Filed in General

Kuroda One Hits Phillies

Game Recap: August 30th, 2010

Hiroki Kuroda took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and the Dodgers beat the Phillies 3-0 last night in Los Angeles.

Kuroda, who later said he didn’t even realize he had a no-hitter going until the fifth inning, gave up a clean single to right to Shane Victorino in the eighth – the Phillies only hit of the game.

Kuroda has dominated the Phillies, posting a 0.68 ERA and limiting them to a .084 batting average in each of his last four starts against the Phils.  He’s gone at least six innings and allowed less than two hits in every game.

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