Archive for December, 2009
Doug Glanville is now a writer for the NY Times
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Ballplayer Lifestyle, Free Agency, Media and Press on December 28th, 2009
Wow - what a lineup
I just stumbled upon an article by Doug Glanville, the Phils former beloved center fielder, on nytimes.com. I usually just assume every sports player is exactly the same: a spoiled douchebag dumbass that will waste all of his money on boos and sluts within 10 years of ‘retirement,’ or that period where they stop working after age 36. Dougie clearly proved me wrong. He writes rather eloquently and gives pretty brilliant insight into the lives of professional athletes. His last two articles are about why people like Tiger Woods fuck 80 other women instead of the one that has their kids, and about baseball’s culture of free agency. He chronicles his dealings with Ed Wade and his negotiations during the summer where he decided to leave the Phillies for the Rangers. Like I said: it’s a good read, so check that shit out.
Check out that shitty ass lineup in the picture, btw. We fucking sucked!
Also – not sure if anyone heard, but Ruben basically said Chan Slut Park isn’t returning. I don’t know what the fuck he’s been thinking lately. The only negotiations I’ve heard out of the China-man’s camp are the ones with his attorney. He’s apparently suing some shitty old baseball player, claiming that he lent old whitey some large 6-figure amount and never had it paid back to him. It smells a little fishy (I guess I should say ’sushi’ here… just remember: he’s Chinese – hahaaa!!!) to me. This reportedly happened years ago and now Chan’s chanting at Chad Kreuter with some sort of “give me my fucking money NOW BITCH” campaign. Get yours, Chan Slut. I guess I can’t blame you.
Lee: Phillies raped me blind in the woods
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Breaking News, Playoffs and World Series, Trades on December 18th, 2009
Cliff Lee had a phone convo with some ESPN guy recently and said that he and Amaro exchanged a few pleasantries over a contract extension. He says that Amaro made an offer, that he (Lee) made a counteroffer, and then Cliff went off to the mountains or something to go hunt with his buddies. His wife called him and said she heard that he might be getting traded, so Lee called Ruben and he said that it basically ‘wasn’t real’ or something like that. And then, apparently, the deal was done a day later. Cliff says he is shocked and bit hurt over all of this.
So yeah, as I said, the Phils raped Cliff Lee blind in the woods… what else could you get out of that information?
This might be the main difference to me when comparing Cliff and Doc: Halladay will DEMAND the ball on 3 days rest if we need it in the Playoffs. I know Cliff said he’d take the ball if Charlie asked him too, but I didn’t really like that. You need your ace in those moments. The Yankees used a three man rotation for a long ass time throughout the playoffs… Their three best pitchers – guys who are pretty damn good. I just would’ve liked if Lee was a vocal leader in that situation, and a guy who would’ve demanded that he pitch – something that, I believe, Halladay will be if given the chance.
That is my lone beef with Cliff Lee. He’s an amazing pitcher and he was lights out for us. I have no complaints.
John Sickels from minorleagueball.com released an updated report on who he believes the top 20 prospects are in our organization and why about an hour ago.
sup fool
1) Domonic Brown, OF, Grade B+: Borderline A-. I love this guy, but the tools aren’t quite refined yet and they need to give him a solid consolidation season in 2010, start him off in Reading and leave him there until July no matter what he does.
2) Trevor May, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline B. I love the upside with this arm as demonstrated in his K/IP and H/IP ratios, but he needs to cut back on the walks.
3) Phillipe Aumont, RHP, Grade B-: High upside arm acquired from the Mariners but I worry about his durability and mechanics.
4) J.C. Ramirez, RHP, Grade B-: Another high upside arm acquired from the Mariners. High Desert hurt his numbers. I’ve always liked him better than the numbers indicate I should, and I think a breakout is possible in 2010.
5) Anthony Gose, OF, Grade C+: Love the speed, youth, and the athleticism. Don’t like the high strikeout rate for a guy without much power. Most advanced of the uber-tools players collected in this system in recent drafts.
6) Sebastian Valle, C, Grade C+: Excellent power potential and very young, but plate discipline and defense need work.
7) Domingo Santana, OF, Grade C+: Another tools guy, excellent power production in the Gulf Coast League but plate discipline/contact could be issues. Could rank much higher next year.
8 ) Tyson Gillies, OF, Grade C+: Draws walks, steals bases with outstanding speed, good glove, fun to watch. Most of his power came at High Desert; Double-A production could raise him to a B- or even a B. Could rank as high as fifth if you want to value his polish over pure upside of Gose, Valle, and Santana.
9) Jarred Cosart, RHP, Grade C+: Live arm, good stats in limited GCL sample, negative reports about makeup are a concern but he’s young enough to outgrow that. Like Santana, could rank much higher next year.
10) Antonio Bastardo, LHP, Grade C+: I’ve liked the guy for awhile and expect him to be a good pitcher, but durability problems make it more likely as a reliever. – http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/12/18/1207506/philadelphia-phillies-top-20
Oh, and the Phils exercised their club option on Rollins for 2011… keepin’ the rims spinnin’ on that Cadillac, I guess?
Amaro and Halladay Finally Fuck
Posted by Bay Slugga in Breaking News, Media and Press on December 17th, 2009
Go back and read the archives and see for yourself. Sometime around last season’s trade deadline, this website blogged about two things – Roy Halladay and Brad Lidge. Well now the wait is finally over, and all our sexual metaphors and homosexual references between Halladay, Amaro, and the Phillies have finally become a reality. Life is good for us Phillies fans.
Ruben, please remove your hand from my ass.
And now, the smoke is beginning to clear…
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Breaking News, Minor Leagues on December 15th, 2009
What I’ve known since midday yesterday was that Roy Halladay is going to wear red and white next year. That’s all well and good. He is a great pitcher, a great leader, and I’m happy to have him on our team.
Just like the Yankees may have given up more than many thought they would have to get a guy like Granderson a few weeks ago (biased Yankees fans: suck a dick), I am scared that the Phillies may have one-upped that deal.
In effect, we traded OF Michael Taylor, IF Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, RHP Carlos Carrasco, C Travis d’Arnaud, RHP Jason Knapp, and fiiiinally, RHP KYLE DRABEK for Halladay and some prospects I’m unsure about.
BaseballAmerica’s Top Prospects in the Phils’ Organization for 2009:
| 1. | Dominic Brown, of |
| 2. | Carlos Carrasco, rhp |
| 3. | Lou Marson, c |
| 4. | Jason Donald, ss |
| 5. | Kyle Drabek, rhp |
| 6. | Michael Taylor, of |
| 7. | Travis D’Arnaud, c |
| 8. | Zach Collier, of |
| 9. | J.A. Happ, lhp |
| 10. | Jason Knapp, rhp |
As you can see, 7 out of these 10 prospects are no longer with us. I’d go as far as saying that 8 of them are gone, because J.A. Happ really can’t be considered a ‘prospect’ anymore.
Then again, we all knew Lee very possibly could have left after this season. All signs pointed to him testing the free agent market.
I don’t know what to say/think. Thoughts?
Update from Winter Meetings
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Breaking News on December 7th, 2009
UPDATE: 12/09, 2:57PM
1) The Phillies have signed pinch hitter Ross Gload to a contract. Gload played for the Royals and Marlins last season and is a lifetime .283 hitter. Not a bad pick up by any means.
2) Twins, Astros and Orioles all have interest in Pedro Feliz.
3) No further word yet on Joe Blanton trade rumors.
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UPDATE 12/08, 11:58AM
1) Brad Penny signed by the Cardinals for one-year, 7.5 million in base salary. This isn’t Phillies news, but it sort of is. If the Cardinals were willing to sign a guy that absolutely sucked last year for 90% of the season for that much money, they might not be too confident that they can re-sign Matt Holliday. That means he might go to the Red Sox, Mariners, Mets (a stretch.) Yankees likely won’t be players, as people have said they are aiming to cut down on their payroll (LOL WTF?!)
2) Phillies have inquired about Aroldis Chapman aka the flamethrowing niño out of Cuba.
3) Phillies were heavily looking at Betancourt, which apparently prompted the Rockies to offer him arbitration. He has since accepted the offer.
4) John Lackey’s agent and the Mets had a long meeting, but it’s unclear whether the Mets are willing to meet his contract demands.
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12/07
Some things to lick on:
1) Phillies are listening to offers on Joe Blanton. Motive? Free up cash for bullpen upgrades.
2) Phillies have met with Brandon Lyon’s agent.
3) Brett Myers’ agent had discussions with the Texas Rangers. Myers wants a multi-year deal, but the Rangers are only offering a one-year deal.
4) Pat Burrell trade rumor was apparently bullshit according to ’sources.’
Rest assured, the Wild Card winner won’t be from the NL East
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Ballplayer Lifestyle, Breaking News, Enemies, Free Agency, Mic'd Up, NL East Reviews, Playoffs and World Series, Trades on December 4th, 2009
I hate the beginning of a new season. It reminds me a lot of this sort of scenario:
You get a new job, and you’re low down in the company. Your co-workers are douchebags, and you can’t fucking wait to get a promotion. You get a promotion, and you leave those loser co-workers behind to work at the company’s corporate offices. Eventually, you become a CEO. Life is great, and you are on top.
And then? You get caught sending dirty text messages to some slutty bitch that works with you. She sells you out, and the fiscal year is over. You are forced to start back at the bottom with a new batch of douchebag co-workers. The grueling road back to the top pains you to think about, but unless you plan on committing suicide, you’re going to have to do it.
... like she didn't want it ...
For the last two years, we have reached the promised land. We’ve brought home the goods 50% of the time. We have a pretty good track record over this time span if I don’t say so myself! However, we’re forced to text the dirty co-worker every year. Before we know it, we’re sorting through the douchebag co-workers aka the NL East, just trying to find our way back to the top.
Here is a look at the shit we’ll probably have to deal with:
Washington Nationals: Rumor has it that they might be moving Adam Dunn. Did you really think he was going to stay there? I feel like they have to have the most awkward clubhouse in the world. What do those guys talk about? I feel like Zimmerman and Dunn just sit around and talk about what they’re going to buy with their money as a sort of brotherly code of suicide watch. You CAN’T have fun playing for this fucking team. They suck dick. I don’t care what Stephen Strasburg does with his life; they will be the joke of the division for years to come.
Adam Dunn in 30 years
Florida Marlins: Cheap ass fucking team. They’re trying to move their young ace and Dan Uggla (I always thought he was a little bitch, but in all honesty, you could do way worse at second base.) You have to question how much they want to win. They’re also rumored to be hanging Ricky Nolasco out there. Nick Johnson likely won’t be re-signed, and Jeremy Hermida was traded for some random prospects. I don’t know whether they plan on keeping Hanley Ramirez or not, but if they keep pulling shit like this, he’d have to be a DUMBASS to want to stay. I give him one more year until he demands a trade.
Atlanta Braves: They just signed two of the Red Sox’s (I’m an English major and I don’t even know how you’d express that) best relievers, so they are getting better. I just question what good that’s going to do when they still haven’t addressed their need for more offense. Chipper looked like he was breaking down last year, and I’m pretty sure he might not be around for much longer. Brian McCann is good, but they have nothing else. Their pitching is great, but it was last year, too. You can’t get by without offense, no matter how good your pitching is. You win the game by outscoring opponents – if you can’t score, you can’t win. Period.
"Big fish, right?! I know! I'ma fuck it later!"
New York Mets: Are we finally at the point where, going into the season, people don’t think it’s realistic to assume that the Mets will be a contender? I think we are. The Mets are a mess – even Mets fans will admit this. They have glaring needs for starting and relief pitchers. They have no first baseman, and lack 2/3 of a credible starting outfield (and the guy in right field sucks, too.) You ideally do not want Jeff Francoeur as your right fielder, just as you ideally do not want him to be the only confirmed member of your outfield, either. The Mets and their fans are fuming over the successes of the Yankees and Phillies, and will likely address this by doing what they always do: spending a lot of money, and falling flat on their asses. Expect them to make a strong push for John Lackey and/or Holliday/Bay.
Jayson Stark of ESPN reported that there may be a three-way deal that goes down including the Mets during the Winter Meetings. This deal would send Pat Burrell to the Mets (why do they think he wouldn’t throw the season?), Luis Castillo to the Cubs, and Milton Bradley to the Rays. I really don’t want to see Pat in the enemy uniform, but he may not have a choice. Let’s hope he strikes out everytime he plays us if this goes down.
If shit goes down, does Pat wear this logo? Or did this yuppie ruin it?
If this deal did happen, the Mets would reportedly attempt to quickly sign Orlando Hudson. They wouldn’t have to give up draft picks because the moron Dodgers didn’t offer him arbitration… ugh
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My point? The Phils have nothing to worry about. If we don’t surpass 100 wins, we clearly weren’t trying.