Rollins to Remain at the Top

A few days ago I chimed in with my thoughts on the Phillies' lineup. It was basically a retort to Bill Conlin's idea to bat Jimmy Rollins in the 5 spot.

I wanted Rollins to remain in the leadoff spot to use his speed to score runs. Conlin compared Rollins to Soriano and wanted him to use his bat to get RBIs. The jury is out... here's" a report from the Phillies saying that "leadoff is where he'll stay".

No, no and no.

Those were the answers to a line of questions that involved the
possibility of someone leading off other than Jimmy Rollins. Manuel said Rollins
will remain his leadoff hitter, with Victorino likely to hit behind him.

"Rollins could hit different places, but compare him to all the other
leadoff hitters and see how he compares," Manuel said.

Rollins finished tied for second (with teammate Chase Utley) in the
National League with 127 runs scored in 2006.

It is an obvious 1-2 punch using Rollins and Victorino at the top to get on base, when you've got arguably 2 top 10 hitters in the game batting 3 and 4.

How Weird! Howard to be renewed...

Gone are the days when we we would wait until the last possible moment to offer our talent a desperation contract to try and keep him in the city. (see Scott Rolen and Curt Schilling). And if we did lock up our talent, it was a mistake (see Pat Burrell).

We're now in the days where we're locking up our big name talent years before we really have to worry about it. Utley received his $85 million, and now the Phils are negotiating with Ryan Howard's agent for a deal to give him what he deserves.

We're taking a page out of the Joe Banner/Andy Reid Book of "How to Run a Sports Franchise". Kudos to Pat Gillick, and I can assume Reuben Amaro should get some credit too... for keeping their talent happy.

Philly.com has the report.

Here are the details:

• These are preliminary talks with Ryan Howard's agent, Casey Close.
• There will be a one-year or multi-year deal by March 2.
• It is expected Howard will be rewarded with more than $1 million
• Howard is not eligible for free agency until 2011, and eligible for salary arbitration after the 2007 season.

It appears as if Ryan Howard's contagious smile is about to get bigger. Congrats Ryan! You deserve every penny.

PS - First full squad workout is tomorrow.

PSS - Did you know the BJ Novak character on the office is named Ryan Howard?(he was the intern)

The Phillies' Lineup

In yesterday's Daily News Bill Conlin predicted what might be the Phillies' lineup. Here is what he came up with.

1. Shane Victorino - RF
2. Aaron Rowand - CF
3. Chase Utley - 2B
4. Ryan Howard - 1B
5. Jimmy Rollins - SS
6. Pat Burrell - LF
7. Wes Helms - 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas - C

It is not bad, though despite some good arguments for Rollins in the 5 hole, I'm not sure this is the best way to go.

Conlin's rationale:

Rollins had only 10 fewer extra-base hits last season than Soriano (89-79), only
12 fewer RBI than the Nationals' leadoff man and struck out exactly half as many
times while having a far superior stolen-base percentage.

Surprising numbers from Rollins for sure... but wouldn't we want some more speed in front of Utley and Howard? Don't get me wrong, it is nice to have 25 homers out of your shortstop. Especially since he's cut down on his strike outs and pop-ups. I used to beg him to be more like Juan Pierre... but now.. might we be able to will him to be more like Soriano?? Maybe I'm a traditionalist. But I want Rollins in the leadoff spot.

And for some reason, I always though someone like Rowand would be a good #6 guy. He's not quite the second leadoff guy you sometimes see in that position, but he is a veteran who I don't think is shaken by pressure. That said, if Utley and Howard are pitched around in late innings, and Burrell strikes out in pressure situations, I think Rowand is just the type of guy to surprise you with a clutch hit.

Here is my proposed lineup.

1. Jimmy Rollins - SS
2. Shane Victorino - RF
3. Chase Utley - 2B
4. Ryan Howard - 1B
5. Pat Burrell - LF
6. Aaron Rowand - CF
7. Wes Helms - 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas - C

This gives you two speed guys at the top who are going to get on base and distract the pitcher, which you can't complain about. Then back to back clutch hitters. The 5 Spot is stil manned by Burrell, who let's face it, has some power. Then the second half of the order is not too shabby, when all things are considered. Helms is a potential .285 batter, and Barajas has some pop.


I'm satisfied with this lineup no matter where these guys bat. We have the solid foundation for a winner. That, with a solid starting staff where someone like Lieber is expendable. Good things are afoot in Philadelphia. There were years when we were relying on guys like Brandon Duckworth, Terry Adams and Vicente Padilla.



So we're in a good situation.



PS - I'm still convinced that Padilla has the stuff to be an ace. But he's a head case. We'll see how he fairs with Texas.

Pitchers and Catchers Report!

On this grand day when 3 very special words mean so much... there are still some where 4 words mean even more than those 3.

Pitchers and Catchers Report!

See the full report on the Phillies Web site.

But wait there's more... Utley, Burrell and Rowand have all reported as well. How about that? They're eager to start the season... they're eager to play. Just as we're eager to see them play.

Aaron Rowand, Chase Utley, Scott Mathieson, Jamie Moyer, Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson and Geoff Geary, filed in over the past week. Early!

Chase, who is fresh off signing a well deserved $75 million dollar contract and is a newly wed, says that "It's important to start early, You can get the soreness out that much quicker."

It will be our first time to see Freddy Garcia, Adam Eaton, Rod Barajas and Antonio Alfonseca. It's reason enough to pick up the Inquirer or The Patriot News and read about the Phils with your morning coffee.

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Baseball Season is upon us...

Philly's #1 Draft Picks

Freddie Mitchell interviews Chase Utley.

There are some funny moments in the video. The VH1 Pop-video like bubbles are pretty informative and entertaining.


For more on Freddie Mitchell visit my EaglesBlog.

Hot Dog Fans and Slackers... Mark your Calendars!

The Phillies have just released their promotional schedule for 2007. Some of the dates are filled with bobble head figurines, t-shirts, schedule magnets and the usual crap for the kids. But most importantly, we can now strategically plan our 'sick days' at work and which days we can tell the wife to forget the meal, as we can now feast our eyes on the dates for the Business Person's Specials and Hatfield Dollar Dog Dates.

Citizens Bank Businessperson's Specials:

Thursday, April 5, 3:05 p.m. (Atlanta Braves)

Thursday, April 26, 3:05 p.m. (Washington Nationals)

Thursday, May 17, 3:05 p.m. (Milwaukee Brewers)

Monday, June 4, 1:05 p.m. (San Francisco Giants)

Wednesday, June 13, 1:05 p.m. (Chicago White Sox)

Thursday, July 26, 1:05 p.m. (Washington Nationals)

Thursday, Aug. 23, 1:05 p.m. (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Hatfield Phillies Franks Dollar Dog Dates:

Wednesday, April 4, 7:05 p.m. (Atlanta Braves)...

Friday, April 13, 7:05 p.m. (Houston Astros)...

April 15, 1:35 p.m. (Houston Astros)...

Thursday, April 26, 3:05 p.m. (Washington Nationals)... Also Citizens Bank Businessperson's Special

Tuesday, May 15, 7:05 p.m. (Milwaukee Brewers)

Monday, May 28, 7:05 p.m. (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Thursday, Sept. 13, 7:05 p.m. (Colorado Rockies)

If you haven't noticed, Thursday April 26, is both a Business Person's Special and Dollar Dog Day. So plan accordingly, skip breakfast, and enjoy both lunch and dinner at the park.

PS: One week until Pitchers and Catchers report!

Chronology of my Phavorite Phillies

Growing up as a kid in suburban Philadelphia I longed for Sunday afternoons when I could watch my favorite professional sports team on TV.

In those days, the Phillies were pretty bad. It was the lean years of the mid-1980s. Phillies stars included Mike Schmidt, Juan Samuel, Von Hayes, Don Carmen, Shane Rawley, Steve Bedrosian, Lance Parrish, Greg Gross, Luis Aquayo and of course Lefty Carlton. I don't remember actually having a favorite Philly at that time, but I'm sure I liked Mike Schmidt because I knew he was pretty good.

As I grew older and a little more savvy about the game, I suddenly realized that our Phillies teams weren't that good. More names during this era in my life that come to mind are Ron Jones, Rick Schu, Ricky Jordan, Tommy Herr, Pat Combs, the infamous Joe Cowley, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz, Chris James and so on... It was about this time, in middle school when I started to realize that the Phillies were destined to be bad every year. I didn't know the business of baseball and just took the heartbreak lightly every year, because it was always assumed that the Phillies would not compete. And as a fan, it was pretty tough.

Then 1993 came. There is nothing better to a 10th grade kid then to see his beloved hometown boys of summer finally put together a squad. It goes without saying that the makeup of that club, combined with the passion of a 15/16 year old mind, makes for my favorite Phillies team and favorite Phillies player of all time. No matter what, there will never be another team that will bring me more joy than the motley crew of the '93 Season.

The season was unexpected, and greatly appreciated. It ended with heartbreak, but hey, we're Philadelphia, and we're going on 24 years of heartbreak. From this team was born my favorite Philly of all time.... Lenny Dykstra.

A true Philly type of player, his clutch hits, and all-out play will never be topped by anyone in my book. So my first official favorite player was "The Dude".

Of course, the success of the '93 team didn't carry over to the strike year or any year after that. Our boys of '93 got old, and started to fall by the wayside. But there was some hope on the horizon. We still had Curt Schilling, who I didn't learn to truly appreciate until college, circa 1996, and Scott Rolen. These two who legitimate stars on teams Philled with Phil-ins like Ron Gant and Gregg Jefferies. Scott Rolen emerged as the stand out, hustler who plays the game like it should be played. And to this day he still does. So during Rolen's tenure, he was my favorite player.

I recall the resigning of Mickey Morandini for one year after his stint with the Expos being an excellent move. He filled in at 2nd base for the year 2000 because Marlon Anderson wasn't the answer. I appreciated that, and loved the Mick for a year too.

By this time I was out of college, working in West Chester and living in Warminster. I had the Sunday season ticket package and enjoyed my Sunday outings. First with my friend Vince for a few years at the vet, and then with my sister Kristy at Citizen's bank park. I eventually passed on the tickets, for other obligations. My sister still has them. During these years, Terry Francona was at the helm and we'd often have to put up with Terry's resting of Rolen on Sundays. No matter, another of our favorites Tomas Perez would fill in... but he wasn't a true favorite, but we loved watching him in the dugout and on the field because you knew he loved playing baseball. Also, I did get to witness Kevin Millwood's no hitter, and though he was never on my radar of likable Phillies, I did enjoy that moment. It was electric.

I'm a true student of the game, I've played baseball at the college level and currently coach at the high school level, so I thoroughly enjoy guys who play the game with great fundamentals. This era of being at the game every Sunday led me to truly appreciate that play of Placido Polanco. While on standing on second base as a runner, Placido was the only player I saw who would check to see where the outfielders were, to get a better jump on the ball when trying to score on a single. He played solid defense. He would always hustle to first, and make a hard turn, and he would rarely strike out. He does not have a weakness. For many years Placido was my favorite Phillie and for a while was the only reason to watch the game. Jimmy was fun to watch too, but Placido is more my type of player. As we know Placido was

And then came Utley. Win or lose, you know that Chase Utley is going to give it his all. We always knew he could hit, but his work ethic has truly turned him into a very well rounded player. He'll be my favorite for years to come. Should Aaron Rowand stick around and keep playing the way he does, he could definitely be in the 1(A) slot.

Below is a list of my favorites in chronological order.

• Mike Schmidt
• Lenny Dykstra
• Scott Rolen (Curt Schilling, Honorable Mention)
• Placido Polanco
• Chase Utley