Phillies DID want Joe Borowski

I say did with the capitals because apparently his physical wasn't too great. The "team doctor examined the results of the physical and advised against giving the pitcher a multiyear contract." Apparently his shouldered isn't perfect. The Phils could still sign him to a one year contract. He'll probably look for another team to sign him to a multi-year deal. He could be a good pick up as a setup man, we'll see if he still has any desire to sign with the Phillies now.


Phillies back out of deal with Borowski after physical

Is Pujols Trying to be an Asshole?

Albert Pujols, who finished 2nd to Ryan Howard for the 2006 NL MVP has come out to say that he believes the winner of the MVP should be from a playoff team. He's obviously saying this because he didn't win the award. Would he have still said it his team had missed the playoffs. I'd say definately not. Did he deserve the award? Sure, he had a great season and if he hadn't been injured he'd probably have had much better stats and actually won the award. The other important thing to note about this is that the Phillies won 2 more games than the Cardinals this year. The Cardinals nearly choked at the end of the season and almost didn't make the playoffs. If his team had actually missed the playoffs would Pujols then say that Beltran deserved the MVP or would he still take the award?
This ESPN article says that voting takes place before the postseason, which would mean that the fact that Pujols won the World Series had nothing to do with the voting. It probably hurt him more that his team almost fell apart at the end of the regular season.
It is a reasonable arguement to say the MVP should come from a playoff team, but after A-Rod won the award back on Texas everyone knew that's not how the writers felt. I have no problem with someone making this arguement. The thing that I don't like is that it appears that Albert Pujols is trying to become an asshole. Maybe he's been following Barry Bonds career too much. Maybe it's something in his personal life. Who knows. Bottom Line is he doesn't seem to be a real likable guy anymore. The Dominicans must love him, but besides that I think people are starting to notice he's become a cocky asshole.
I've noticed this, Bill Simmons said something along this line during the playoffs, and I imagine there will be a few articles about this following this statement by Pujols.
Let's just hope that a great talent like this doesn't become a hated player like Bonds by the end of his career.


P.S. Philly fans we need to remember this next year when the Cardinals come to town, so Pujols can hear about it and maybe give us the finger or do something bad.

Gillick Better Not Be Done

It's not even December yet and I'm already getting antsy for Gillick to get some solid stuff done on the Phillies. I don't know if anyone else feels that way. I think there is a pretty decent amount of action going on in the MLB world and the Phils don't seem to really be a part of that right now. They didn't win any of the rights for any of the Japanese players, I kind of would have liked to see a Japanese player come to the Phils, since apparently it is going to be part of the future of baseball. We don't want the Phillies to miss out on the addition of Japanese to the game like they were late on the addition of Blacks to baseball.
Wes Helms and Adam Eaton are the only additions so far this year.
Tim over at MLB Trade Rumors even feels bad for Phils fans.

- Phils sign Eaton. I read this and said aloud, "Eh." My wife looked at me funny for grunting at the computer. If I were a Phillies fan, I'd be kind of annoyed by this signing. It seems as if Pat Gillick couldn't find a way to spend the money he had earmarked for a big bat so he went with Eaton and Wes Helms. This is not exciting.

Hopefully we get some good news before Christmas, I'm still optimistic, I've added a countdown clock until Spring Training starts on the sidebar. I know we all can't wait.

edit: let me know if the counter doesn't work for you

Bye Bye Wolf and Dellucci, Hello Adam Eaton

A few transactions of note for the Phillies.

Eaton replaces Randy Wolf -- who is expected to join the Dodgers -- and fills out a starting rotation of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jon Lieber and Jamie Moyer. Eaton is the third offseason signing for Philadelphia, who also retained Moyer and added infielder Wes Helms with a two-year, $5.45 million deal.

Phillies.com News

Dellucci would rather get a starting job on another team than ride our bench and who can blame him.

Promised Cleveland's starting job in left field, free agent David Dellucci has reached preliminary agreement on an $11.5 million, three-year contract with the Indians.

ESPN.com News

I don't know whether Randy Wolf wanted out of Philadelpha, the Phillies didn't want to give him a lot of money, or if the Phillies just didn't really want him back. Whichever, Wolf is gone to the Dodgers for only a one year contract with an option of 2 years. My own speculation believes that Wolf may have signed with the Dodgers because that is where he is from and lives. I think it's a bit cheap of him to go and ditch the Phillies after the paid him for all that time he was on the DL and they gave him a spot in the rotation this year. Let's say he pitches really way this year, the Phillies invested so much in him and then he's just going to up and leave.

The Dodgers and pitcher Randy Wolf have agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal

ESPN.com News

Why Preseason rankings are incorrect

Look who's #1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll this week, Ohio State. Yes, they may have the best class of freshmen in the nation. Ohio State only has 11 first place votes but more points than UCLA, who has 13 first place votes. They haven't really beaten anyone yet and they don't have their man, Greg Oden, yet. They have no reason to not be at the top spot since they started the season at 3, but they haven't really earned the top spot yet. Regardless, UNC should knock them off on Wednesday, that is going to be a great game. UCLA is a great team and they should be #1. UCLA beat both Kentucky and Georgia Tech last week to win the Maui Invitational. The next big game they have is 12/9 vs. Texas A&M, a team that is looking to have a real big year, should be a good game.

Quarterback Problems? Nope, Blame the Defense

Everyone thought that the Eagles problem would be deciding between Jeff Garcia and A.J. Feeley. Jeff Garcia played well considering. He even got the Eagles to within 10 points of the Colts towards the end of game. Instead of getting a 3 and out and getting the ball back the defense looked like a bunch of chumps and the pass-heavy Colts run all over them to run the clock out. Then a stupid fumble returned for a touchdown doesn't help things out too much either. So they went from a close 10 points with a possible comeback coming to a final score blowout out 45-21. Embarrassing. Everyone thinks the Eagles should suck because they don't have McNabb, it doesn't mean that they should just give up. The NFC is wide open, but it appears the Eagles don't quite have what they need to make it or just don't want to make it.

Who's on Your Hall of Fame Ballot

McGwire, Gwynn, Ripken headline first-timers on ballot
The list of players on the ballot for the Hall of Fame this year is pretty noteworthy. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn should both easily get in on their first try. Paul O'Neill is also on the ballot for the first time this year, as is Bobby Bonilla. Jim Rice and Rich Gossage are the two leftovers that were closest to getting elected last year and it should be interesting to see if they pick up any votes this year. The most covered story will most likely be whether Jose Canseco and/or Mark McGwire deserve to get into the Hall of Fame. Canseco has admitted to using steroids and he says that McGwire used them with him. McGwire denies any wrongdoing. The baseball writers will have a big decision to decide whether they want to hold McGwire and Canseco accountable for their alleged steroid use or to look past it and vote them in for their home run achievements. Neither has really received any punishment yet besides having their reputation tarnished, this would greatly change that. If a player who uses steroids doesn't get into the Hall of Fame, it would be interesting how the players respond to that.

Anyways, here are the players on the ballot

• Harold Baines
• Albert Belle
• Dante Bichette
• Bert Blyleven
• Bobby Bonilla
• Scott Brosius
• Jay Buhner
• Ken Caminiti
• Jose Canseco
• Dave Concepcion
• Eric Davis
• Andre Dawson
• Tony Fernandez
• Steve Garvey
• Rich Gossage
• Tony Gwynn
• Orel Hershiser
• Tommy John
• Wally Joyner
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Paul O'Neill
• Dave Parker
• Jim Rice
• Cal Ripken Jr.
• Bret Saberhagen
• Lee Smith
• Alan Trammell
• Devon White
• Bobby Witt

Bring on A.J. Feeley

The Eagles season isn't over like everyone thinks. The NFC is wide open. They could still definately make the playoffs. Jeff Garcia is not the answer to anyone's problem, but Garcia will be the starting QB this sunday against the Colts. I'm still excited for the game, a win against the Colts could definately energize the Eagles enough to make the playoffs. I hope Garcia plays badly though and Reid has to put in A.J. Feeley, what the hell, why not play him? In this ESPN.com article Sal Paolantonio says the Eagles aren't playing Feeley because if the Eagles happened to win with Feeley they don't want a QB controversy next season with Feeley and returning McNabb. Basically he makes it seem like a financial decision and refusal to look to the future after McNabb is done.

Feeley's success would force the Eagles to confront a question that it may not be ready for: Life after No. 5.

Garcia over Feeley stirring debate

For the Love of the Game

the700level.com found this article and I'm going to steal it. It's a great article by NBC sports about Chris Coste. It talks about his 12 years in the minors and how he almost called it quits as a player this past year, how happy he and his family was when they heard he made it to the majors, how he fought past getting no hits in his first 13 at bats to end up with a .328 average at the end of the year. I'll admit I was one of those people that booed him at around at bat number 12 with no hits. It looked stupid to have an old guy who couldn't hit take up a roster spot when a young player could be getting the opportunity. Coste fought past all of that though to basically take the starting catching job away from Mike Lebeirthal. Maybe it was because Lebeirthal was always hurt or maybe it's because Coste was the better player this year, I'll go with the latter. Well maybe some day there will be a nice movie about Coste and we'll be able to say we were there for that season, now only if the rest of the team had played their movie roles correctly and maybe they could have been in the postseason.

For the love of the game

Astros Sign Lee

Source: Astros sign Lee to six-year, $100M deal
Well, anyone who was concerned about the Phillies signing Lee don't have to worry, it appears the Astros in their desperation have signed him. He'll be making about the same amount per year as Soriano. He more than doubled his annual salary, he was only making $8.5 million last year. If he was Plan B, whats Plan C now for Gillick?

Lee = Bad Idea

Signing Carlos Lee or Manny Ramirez would be like bringing back Bobby Abreu, but paying more for him. They only good thing about Lee is that he's right handed to bat between Howard and Utley. That doesn't make him that worth it. Buster Olney gives his reasons on why the Phillies would look like idiots.

And now, four months later, they are on the verge of signing another player who is A) roughly the same age (Abreu is 32, Lee is 30); B) much worse defensively, considering his range and throwing arm; C) an inferior athlete -- Lee's thickening body greatly concerns some general managers; and D) much, much, much more expensive, with the team's financial obligation for an impact corner outfielder increasing by perhaps as much as $85 million, if the Phillies' bid takes them over $100 million.

It's very Philly-like to easily look like an idiot for the front offices of our teams, but let's hope they don't take that route.

Happy Thanksgiving and please no family fights over Pat Gillick, Andy Reid, Allen Iverson, or any Philly sports personalities.

Link to the Buster Olney Blog if you got ESPN Insider

The New Hero

The most popular professional athlete in Philadelphia was on the court at the 76ers game last night.

And it wasn't Iverson. This is a very good article by Bob Ford about the Old Greats of Philly might be disappearing. Iverson is growing old and the Sixers still haven't found the winning formula for him. McNabb just had a career changing injury and when he comes back he probably won't be the same. But the Phillies appear to be past the stage and already turning the new page into a new era with Ryan Howard. Howard appears to now be the most popular current athlete in Philadelphia, which I would agree with.

Bob Ford | Iverson's popularity baton passes to Howard

Ryan Howard 2006 National League MVP

It's now a fact. The speculation is over, Howard has won the 2006 NL MVP. He received 20 first place votes and 388 points, Pujols received 12 first place votes and 347 points. Lance Berkman was 3rd and Carlos Beltran was 4th.

Howard becomes the second player in Major League Baseball history to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in consecutive seasons, following Cal Ripken in 1982 and 1983. Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) have the even sweeter distinction of winning both awards in their first seasons.

Phillies.com article

Howard, the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, had 58 homers and 149 RBI while batting .313. He had the most homers in the major leagues since Barry Bonds hit a record 73 in 2001.

He set Phillies records for home runs and RBI, producing the highest totals in those categories in big league history for a second-year player. Twenty-three of Howard's homers put the Phillies ahead and five tied games. The Phillies went 32-18 in games in which he homered.

ESPN.com article

Your Move Gillick

Let's see what Pat can do now after his most sought after prized possession has turned him down.
Inquirer article

Here's where Gillick needs to get creative. He has a pile of money that had been earmarked for Soriano. He should spend it on bringing back Randy Wolf as a No. 5 starter and getting the best relief pitching he can. Then he needs to trade for a righthanded bat to pair with Howard.
...
He can't let Ryan Howard or the Phillies down.

Let's see what he does, I'm definately feeling a trade or two considering there's not much available free agent wise.

Tortured Philly Fan

Balls, Sticks, & Stuff said it best today so basically just read his post here. The Phillies didn't get Soriano and the Eagles are looking like a lost cause right now. The only difference between myself and Ball, Sticks, & Stuff is that I'm younger and have never ever seen a Philly Championship. I'm still waiting for my first.

Let's see if Andy Reid even tries to continue with this season cause no McNabb probably means no playoffs. Maybe we should just lose the rest of our games and draft Calvin Johnson.
Let's see how Gillick does with the rest of this free agency period or if he justs reiterates his statement that the team will not compete in 2007.

I think there is going to be a lot of optimistic, happy Philly sports talk around the dinner table this holiday season.

Phillies Sign 3B Wes Helms

Wes Helms has been signed for apparently 2 years and $5.5 million. Wes Helms career stats and ESPN page here. Helms is 30 years old and a veteran of the Braves, Brewers, and Marlins last season. I like the move, he may not be awesome offensively or defensively, but he's gotta be an upgrade from Nunez and hopefully even David Bell.

The700level has all the other Philly news for the day. A very good post by him and it basically means I don't have to do too much researching to find out some good information.

The Phils Got the Ball Rolling

Phillies.com article

"They're in it," the source said. "They got the ball rolling."

The Phillies have apparently made what appears to be a 5 year offer today to Soriano. There are a number of other teams that are also in the mix for Soriano, but there it doesn't seem like there is any frontrunner that we know of. Gillick said that he doesn't expect to find pitching in the free-agent market, which hopefully means that any of that extra cash they have can go towards buying a new big bat.
Of the free agents that Gillick might go after the article had this to say:

Gillick told the paper the Phillies expressed interest in roughly 40 of the 180 or so players that filed for free agency. Those names include Joe Borowski, David Weathers, Miguel Batista, Chad Bradford, Tomo Ohka, Octavio Dotel on the pitching side, and Mark DeRosa, Wes Helms and Soriano on the hitting side.

40 players seems like a lot, but just 'expressing interest' doesn't mean much. I am glad to see Gillick doing something and not saying 'I think we can win with the team we got.'

That Japanese 3B doesn't appear to be coming to Philadelphia. Cleveland Plain Dealer.

It appears Tampa Bay has won the bidding right for Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura. The Devil Rays reportedly outbid the Indians, San Diego and Boston for the left-handed hitter. The Yakult Swallows, Iwamura's club, are expected to announce the winning bid Wednesday or Thursday.

ESPN.com says that Mark DeRosa signed a 3 year contract for $13 million.
That would leave Wes Helms as the only free agent 3B left that the Phillies are going after according to that one article.

Soriano Update

The Phillies are definately going after Soriano with at least a 5 year contract.
This site cites a supposed Daily News article that says the Phils offered him 5 years and $73 million. That just seems to be a misquotation though since that is the exact contract that Aramis Ramirez got.
Marcus Hayes in this article says the Phils are prepared to offer as much as $15 million a year for 6 years.
This Chicago Sun-Times article says that Soriano is expecting a 7 year deal for about $120 million. The article makes it seem as if Pinella really wants Soriano, it seems unlikely that the Cubs will be able to sign another big bat to a large multiyear contract, but who knows they might.
It appears on the outside that many people think the Angels will be willing and able to throw the largest contract at Soriano and that's basically all that matters to him.
This article says the Angels are ready to spend a lot of money to get back into the playoffs, even if that means paying too much to guarentee they get Soriano. That's not good news for the Phillies who are unlikely to just throw a huge, irrational contract right at Soriano.
This article today says the Phils have not made an offer yet, but they will meet with his reps tomorrow to discuss a deal.
Well stay tuned, I plan on updating often on any news I read about Soriano. Post your comments if you hear anything about Soriano or any other signings. I plan on knowing about the Soriano deal before the Phillies' site reports it. I'm that excited about getting him as everyone else should be.

Phillies Go Japanese?

I first saw this on The Good Phight. No, the Phils aren't going after that Japanese starting pitcher. They might have gone after Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura. He is a 27 year old that can play 3B, 2B, or any outfield spot. The bid is said to be larger than $300,000.

The Padres will find out next week if they outbid others from a group believed to include the Devil Rays, Red Sox and Phillies.

There hasn't been much news about this guy in Philadelphia which either means the Phils aren't serious about getting him or they are keeping their desire very quiet, possibly in an attempt to keep the bidding price low. The Phillies have been one of the few teams to not to catch baseball Yellow Fever in the last few offseasons. It'll be interesting if Pat Gillick changes that.

Padres Article about getting Iwamura.


Update: I was doing some searching trying to find a pic of this character for you guys and I stumbled upon what I guess is his own personal official site where he goes by the nickname of TOPGUN #1. I think I must be missing something in the translation because that would just be pretty funny if he called himself Topgun. Here's his homepage. And here's a picture of him.

Prepare for more BCS controversy

There were a few upsets of some top 10 BCS teams this Saturday. The debate begins on which one loss team deserves to be in the National Championship game. The first team will be the winner of the Ohio State - Michigan game this Saturday, that's a definite. The top of the list includes USC (3), Florida (4), Notre Dame (5), Rutgers (6), Arkansas (7), West Virginia (8).
USC got embarrassed by Oregon State, in terms of one loss they have the worst one. Florida lost to Auburn. Notre Dame lost to Michigan. Rutgers is undefeated obviously. Arkansas lost to USC. West Virginia lost to Louisville. Notre Dame and USC still have to play one another. Rutgers still has to play West Virginia. Arkansas still has to likely play Florida in the SEC championship game.
It doesn't make sense for USC to be ranked higher than Florida and Notre Dame since they have the ugly one loss. There is going to be a lot of BCS talk in all these news this week, but the bottom line is there is a lot of football to play. And it all may be for nothing and the Championship game could end up being a rematch of Michigan vs. Ohio State. Who knows what the computer is going to think.

BCS Standings on ESPN.com

Tigers get their big bat - Soriano speculation continues

Detroit Tigers got the big bat that they wanted in their lineup. Who knows how many more years Gary Sheffield has, but it looks like a great move for this season as the Tigers will try to get back to the World Series. Sheffield seems to be very happy about the trade. He won't have to play 1st base, he'll be back with a coach he likes, and he's got the money he wants.
The Yankees on the other hand are saying it's a good deal for them as well. They add 3 legitimate arms to their system in to help build a farm system that has been called very weak in terms of pitching.
I don't see the Yankees as a team that likes to build up starting pitchers from early on in their career so I'm think these 3 young kids might be good trade bait for some other deals. On the other hand maybe the Yanks are going to try to develop some of their own arms. They did get rid of Jaret Wright.

Jaret Wright was traded to Orioles for reliever Chris Britton. Hopefully fans in Baltimore don't think Wright is the savior for their team because he's not that good.

It appears as if the Red Sox have made the top bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka of Japan. That could be a huge signing for them and a big steal from the Yankees, whom everyone thought were the frontrunners.

Jeff Bagwell appears to be out of Houston for good. That is ashame that a great player like him can't finish out his career on the team that he has played for for so many years.

Most of the Phillies talk is centered around the Phillies trying to sign Alfonso Soriano.
First up though the Phils have a few soon to be free agents to deal with. They should bring back David Dellucci unless they are 100% sure they are going to get Soriano. They should let Mike Lieberthal go even though I do love him and had a great career for the Phillies. I know the Phils don't exactly have any great catchers to replace him, but Lieberthal should have recognized his downfall and retired before he started sucking it up. Aaron Fultz is a mediocre reliever they should let go. Arthur Rhodes might be worth re-signing if its financially smart. They should keep Randy Wolf at least for another year to see how he does coming off the surgery. Rick White is nothing special in the bullpen. Jose Hernandez is a nice veteran infielder that they should keep unless they have some young guys they want to give a bench spot to.
Bill Conlin has a nice article giving reasons not to sign Soriano. He has some valid reasons, but can he deny that a big bat like Soriano's wouldn't help the Phils. Who else is there to get? Amaris Ramirez is staying in Chicago, he would have been a great pickup.
Most importantly for the Phil's though is that they make some serious moves this offseason. The team for yet another year came up a few games short from making the playoffs. The fans won't to see the management make moves that show they want to make it to the next level.
There a few issues the Phils have to deal with this offseason. I'm not sure about the order, but this is they way I see it now.
1) Pitching - most importantly the bullpen needs some upgrades to be able last the whole season and perform well.
2) Sign Soriano - signing a big name like that would excite the city and get people excited for Phillies baseball instead of everyone just being pessimistic about the team like every other year.
3) Figure out the Burrell situation - he doesn't deserve to be talked about anymore.
4) Sign or trade for another 3rd basemen. Nunez isn't going to cut it.

What Goes Through Burrell's Head

Phillies hamstrung by Burrell's no-trade clause

I know most players say they aren't really fazed by the media and fans too much. But if Pat Burrell is reading a single sentence in the Philly papers or any national baseball news now he's got to be getting a little hurt by it. Maybe a little bit ready to wave that no-trade clause, maybe a lit bit pumped to hit a little better, maybe a little pumped to get healthy. I don't know hopefully he's thinking something. The last remains of Ed Wade's ruin on this team, Pat's huge contract with no-trade clause included, is big news this winter for the team. It hurts the Phillies because no one wants to see anymore no-trade clauses handed out which may hurt the Phil's chances with Soriano and also obviously there's no where for Burrell to go.

I'm getting tired of the Burrell talk - there's 3 things that could happen in my mind and I'm not sure which one is most likely. One, Burrell could get traded this offseason and the Phils would get basically nothing in return and have to pay a lot of his contract. Second, he continues to play horrible and constantly hears boos in Philadelphia until he loses his hearing and finally quits baseball altogether. Third, he stays in Philly because Gillick realizes it's better to have him on the bench instead of paying half his contract and getting a single A reliever in return and the slight chance that he actually figures his life and starts getting some clutch hits. Philly originally loved Pat Burrell and if he started to play well like he was projected to I think the Phans would take him back in. Now it won't take one or two good games from him for that to happen, but still I'm just saying him coming back isn't the end of the World for the Phillies.
I hope you read this article Burrell and you get your swing back and your bat off your shoulder and come back and become an All-Star, but at the same time remember that if you play like last I will continue to be one of those Passionate Philly Phans that will boo you for an entire 9 innings. So you pick which you want.

Go Rendell!

Swann's bid for governor intercepted

It was pretty obvious that this was going to happen, but this is good news for Philadelphia and I'm going to consider this Eagles news as well. Rendell for President? If only.

Inquirer Article

Weekend Wrapup

Well I needed to make a post since its been a few days and a lot of great sports happened this weekend. A few thoughts on the weekend to help me procrastinate from doing my work.

- The Eagles didn't play, which was definately good for them. At least Dallas lost, Giants are going to win the division easily at the rate they are going. Hopefully Eli is a bit like his brother though and chokes in the playoff in his young career. On that note, let me say this is Peyton's year. I knew the Colts were going to beat the Pats despite what everyone said about Tom Brady being so much better than Peyton Manning (see Bill Simmons). I think Peyton finally realized what he needs to do and this is his year to make things happen for the Colts. They have a solid enough time around him for that to happen as well. If Peyton does end up winning the AFC or even the Super Bowl, I'll say I told you so, but if he chokes again then well that pretty much will define his career.

- Penn State was supposed to be so much better this season then they turned out to be. Hopefully the defense is able to be good next year even though they will lose a bunch of guys. The offense isn't going to lose anyone except for Tony Hunt, who is a huge factor though and will be greatly missed. Poor JoePa and his broken leg, that's not going to help his side when he says he can still coach. I don't blame this season on him, I think he should be back next year at least.
- West Virginia had to go and lose to Louisville, they had the championship right there for the taking if they wanted it. Hopefully next year Pat White and Steve Slaton can improve even more at destroying defenses. I also hope that Rutgers beats Louisville because then that will be awesome to see the BCS try to turn away an undeafeted Rutgers team from the championship. Heads will roll on that one.

- The Phillies really want Alfonso Soriano. I don't know who's more serious about Soriano, Gillick or all the fans and media wanting Soriano, so I don't know how believable the stories about the Phillies going after him are. Gary Sheffield is being tossed around as possible player the Phils might acquire, he will be scary behind Howard, but I would much rather have the younger, more athletic Soriano. The Phils are also known to give Yankees more than they deserve in a trade and I wouldn't to see any of that happen in a deal for Sheffield. I'm thinking that there is about a 75% chance that Pat Burrell is not on the Phils roster starting next season, judging from all the articles about him. Apparently the Phils are willing to pay for a sizeable chunk of his paycheck. I don't whether I'd rather have play 3 days a week for us and get paid all that money or see him play for another team, do well, and pay a majority of his contract. As much as I want to get rid of Pat Burrell this has the lookings of a real crappy deal that does nothing for the Phils except get rid of Burrell.

- The Sixers are 3-0. I was all excited for this season to start and then I read all the preview articles and that got me pretty depressed about their chances, but look now they haven't lost a game yet. Playoff fever baby, ok maybe its a bit early for that.

- College basketball kicks off soon. I have a good feeling about underdog Philadelphia team Villanova doing well this season. Philly teams always do better when they are the underdog and unlike last year when everyone in the country knew about Nova, this team has the talent, but is pretty far from the national spotlight. I hope Florida starts off the year with a few losses, who actually likes that team? How are the rest of the Big 5 teams years looking? I haven't read much about them.

Well, I'm off to watch some Monday Night Football.
No, thats a joke, I don't think anyone is going to watch this game, the big game of the week was last night.
Tonight is the first round of Flag Football playoffs, thats where the action is tonight.

Wooo Sixers

I bring you more from ESPN. Bill Simmon's previewed the upcoming NBA season. I haven't cared for the NBA too much since the Sixers started sucking and it appears this year will also be like that.

The feel-bad Sixers
I have them penciled in for "worst team in the East" status, and not just because they'll be dealing Iverson within the next four months and everyone in Philly is more depressed than Robert Smith when he was writing the "Disintegration" album. Consider the following things ...

A. They're stuck paying Iverson and C-Webb a combined $81 million over the next two seasons.

B. They're paying $21 million in dead salary money this season to Todd MacCulloch, Jamal Mashburn and Greg Buckner.

C. They owe Sam Dalembert and Kyle Korver another $79 million over the next five seasons.

D. Their starting point guard is Kevin Ollie, the NBA equivalent of kicking off an NFL season with Sage Rosenfels and Aaron Brooks.

E. According to the Indy Star, Embattled GM Billy King (that's officially his name now) spent $1,600 to attend Coach K's leadership conference two weeks ago.

F. Points A-thru-D and point E are probably related.

G. Philly reader Rob B. sums everything up: "I'm a Sixers season-ticket holder, which probably tells you everything you need to know about my psyche. The Sixers send you an e-mail at some point each offseason where they lay out what their new ad campaign is this year. They've had doozies in the past, including one campaign that said 'This place is fun!' This year, the slogan is 'It's a Philly thing.' (Go to Sixers.com, it's plastered all over there. And you get to see Mo Cheeks say 'It's a Philly thing' in a really awkward manner.) My friends and I have been pondering for months now what exactly 'it' is? Losing? Mediocrity? Overpaying crappy players? Disappointment?"

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/part2/061101

So, um let's hope the Eagles pick it up or else the only news this winter is going to be which team won't take Pat Burrell.