By Warren Crossley on 7/30/2007

Another Phillies win last night was tempered by more injury news in last night’s 4-1 win over the Cubs.  Outfielders Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn will probably join Chase Utley, Ryan Madson, Freddy Garcia, Jon Leiber, and Jason Werth on the injured list after being hurt in last night’s game;  this, after just getting back sorely-missed relievers Tom Gordon and Brett Myers last week.  GM Pat Gillick is trying to plug the leaks, acquiring SP Kyle Lohse, and 2B Tad Iguchi, and the remaining healthy players are doing a remarkable job of picking up the slack.  Read More »

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Warren's Take

By Warren Crossley on 7/26/2007

The Phillies faint playoff life flashed before their eyes yesterday when All-Star 2B Chase Utley took a pitch off his hand, breaking his finger and heading to the DL for at least 3 weeks. The loss of Utley overshadowed yet another bullpen implosion and another poor day for Manager Charlie Manuel, who again used up all of his moves either too early, or in the case of Abraham Nunez as a defensive replacement, too late.

 

The loss of Utley isn’t merely one on paper; he is the heart and soul of the team. His absence will have a trickle-down effect on the entire lineup. Ryan Howard has been back to his old self in July in large part due to Utley’s consistent run production. Now, Howard will have to make do with an increasing amount of intentional walks and pitch-arounds. Abraham Nunez becomes the starter at 2B. Nunez is more effective as a bench player/defensive replace ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/25/2007

Eagles training camp opens at Lehigh tomorrow, and will have the full squad there on Monday. All of the draft picks are signed and ready to go, and it appears every thing is in place for the defense of the NFC East title.

 

No pre-season comes without questions, but the Eagles have fewer than most. Here’s what I’d like to see come out of camp:

 

 

• A healthy Donovan McNabb. This is the most important, of course. This team goes how he and Brian Westbrook go.

 

 

• New additions stepping up on defense. It’s is time for recent draft picks to step up and take the load off of some of the aging veterans. One ... Read More »
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  Warren's Take

By Warren Crossley on 7/23/2007

Phillies GM Pat Gillick has been downplaying the possibility of a trade at the coming deadline to improve the pitching staff. This development is nothing new for Phils followers. The Phils were never major trade deadline players even before they hired a GM with the nickname "Stand Pat". (Unless, of course, you count trading away Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen for 50 cents on the dollar) But Gillick acknowledged in today’s paper, and it has also been rumored in other media outlets, that the ownership has refused to extend the payroll to improve the team this season. Again, no surprise there. This current ownership never has, and never will, spend what is necessary. I’m getting angrier as I type this blog, because this division is there for the taking. The Mets have let us hang on the fringes of this race, begging us (and the Braves) to make a move and take the division title.

 

& ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/19/2007

Sorry I missed it.

 

This blogger was unable to stay up late to watch last night’s old-fashioned pitcher’s duel in San Diego, with the Phils dropping a 1-0 decision to the Padres in a match-up of All-Stars Chris Young and Cole Hamels. And I regret it, for these kinds of games are fast going the way of the do-do egg in today’s MLB, where the only thing smaller than the ballparks are the strike zones, and the only thing wound tighter than the baseballs are the mediocre pitchers that are throwing them.

 

Get here soon, Joe.

 

Phillies first round pick Joe Savery agreed to terms yesterday. With the current state of ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/17/2007

Chase Utley’s 2-run double in last night’s 15-3 rout of the Dodgers brought his league-leading total to 79, and his 3 hits brought his average to .338, within shouting distance of the league leader there, as well. His numbers have now legitimately entered him in the MVP race. Utley has benefited from teams’ unwillingness to pitch to cleanup hitter Ryan Howard, and Utley has capitalized on most RBI opportunities. Howard has struggled this year with both injuries and most pitchers’ outright refusal to throw him strikes. This has led to an increased strikeout total, which needs to come down. Despite these struggles, he still is among the league leaders in HR and RBI. Once Howard adjusts to the way he is being pitched, Howard and Utley should form the most potent 1-2 combo this side of Boston’s Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. As long as Rollins and Victorino keep getting on base ahead of them, opposing pitchers are going to have to p ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/15/2007

As I stood at the ballpark last night awaiting the final strike to Ryan Howard, a funny thing was happening. Fans were cheering and chanting instead if the normal booing that usually accompanies such a dismal performance as last night’s 10-2 defeat.

 

I try to keep the number in perspective and try not to take it out on the current players, who certainly aren’t the biggest reason for this milestone. But I can’t help but see it as a symbol of 125 years of, Carpenter family aside, almost unspeakably bad ownership. The Phils of the 20’s 30’s and 40’s, didn’t hide the fact that they were cheap, continually selling off any player who became valuable. The people who ran the Phillies back then were baseball men who just had no money and little fan support in a two-team town. The losing was like a snowball that turned into ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/12/2007

Toothless penalty

 

The University of Oklahoma Football program was hit with "sanctions" after some players to "no show" jobs for a booster’s car dealership. Those "sanctions" included "vacating" all 8 victories from the 2005 season, including their Holiday Bowl victory. They also lost 2 or 3 scholarships (out of 85). So we are supposed to pretend that those games never happened, since they will be erased from some media guide. A real punishment would have been refunds for all tickets sold, home and away, since those games don’t exist anymore. They should also repay the money they got for their bowl appearance.

 

That would have been real punishment, but the gutless NCAA s ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/10/2007

While pondering another middling season during the all-star break, I’m trying to figure out how the Phils can shake themselves out of this vicious cycle of mediocrity. The Phillies have 4 elite players in Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels. They also have the talented-when healthy Brett Myers, and up-and-comers Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, and Michael Bourn. The Phillies have a lot of talented players, many of whom are just entering their prime. The next 4 or 5 years are prime contending years for this team, but they need to fill the roster around this young nucleus. There is only 1 way to do that; increasing the payroll.

 

Since the new ballpark opened, the Phils have kept a budget in the $92-95 million range. This is a good enough number only if every dollar is spent wisely, and as we all know, Phillies management has been having a tough time with th ... Read More »

By Warren Crossley on 7/8/2007

The All-Star break has arrived, and again the Phillies are on the fringes of contention, championing mediocrity again at an even 44-44, a record that equally balances out the fact that they are both first in the NL in runs scored and last in ERA. They currently sit in 3^rd place, 4 ½ games behind the 1^st place Mets, and 4^th the in the Wild Card "race". If this looks eerily similar to recent seasons, that’s because it is.

 

As a Phillies fan, I’m starting to feel like Clark Griswold’s kids in the movie European Vacation. In one scene Clark cannot get over to the right lane, and their car continues to circle Big Ben in London. The more times they pass it, the less excited they are to see it. Clark however, acts excited every single time they pass it.

... Read More »