Phinally Philly

What a difference a few months makes.

Heading into the 2010 season, it seemed as if the Phillies’ bench would be vastly improved over the 2009 version. Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Chris Coste, & Miguel Cairo were all gone. In their place were Brian Schneider, Juan Castro, & Ross Gload.

When Jimmy Rollins went down early in the season for the second year in a row, the Phillies were able to plug in Juan Castro & Wilson Valdez to replace him. They hit a terrible slump, but they seemed to be coming out of it the past few games.

Now, there’s another huge hurdle to overcome. Both Placido Polanco and Chase Utley were placed on the 15 day disabled list today, Utley with a sprained thumb and Polanco with an elbow issue.

These moves required some call ups to fill the spots. The Phillies were forced to recall Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock.

Really? The same Greg Dobbs that was sent down to Lehigh Valley last week after being terrible for the big club? The same Dobbs who went 2-17 in four games as an Iron Pig? The same Brian Bocock who was hitting .179 with a whopping one home run? The same Bocock who owns a .143 average in 77 major league at-bats?

This can’t be the same two-time defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies we’re talking about right?

When Rollins went down, it started a slump that hit everyone on the team. With Rollins back, it seemed as if the team had regained it’s swagger and was getting back to winning games the way it had been over the past few seasons. Now, with two huge parts of the lineup out, it’s going to be tough to keep pace in the suddenly competitive NL East.

It’s kind of funny that the Phillies are running low on options to replace Polanco & Utley as Polly was targeted in the offseason party because he’d be able to fill in at second if Utley got hurt. That worked out well.

It’s going to be hard to replace the numbers from Utley and Polanco for a few weeks, but the Phillies are going to have to come up big so as not to fall too far back in the East.

Looks like the offensive replacements may have been found already, as Wilson Valdez just knocked a 3 run HR as I typed this after Schneider hit a 2 run HR earlier in the game against Cincinnati.

On second thought, maybe the Phillies will be alright after all….

Although every day is football season in Philadelphia, this is the time of the year when even the biggest Eagles fans have to scrape for something to talk about.

With training camp still weeks away and the team off doing it is whatever they do in the off-season, news is at a minimum.

One minor move was made today when the team claimed undrafted rookie free agent Brett Johnson off of waivers from the Bills. He was originally signed by Buffalo on following the draft, but was released on June 25.

The 6″1″ 195 lb. Johnson played at California for four years, beginning his tenure on special teams and spending his last two years as a starting safety. He missed the scouting combine, but had an impressive Pro Day at Cal recording the best marks of any Cal player in the vertical jump (42’6″), broad jump (10’9″), and 40-yard dash (4.30).

Over his Cal career, Johnson played in 49 games with 22 starts (21 in the last two years), with 107 tackles, three interceptions (returned for 64 yards), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one blocked kick, and eight pass breakups. He was a teammate of DeSean Jackson while in college, someone he does have experience covering.

While the Eagles look like they may be set at safety with Quintin Mikell and rookie Nate Allen, a little depth never hurt any team, especially this one. His likely place will end up being special teams or possibly cornerback, but with Marlin Jackson gone, another body is needed to round out the secondary.

After playing 2 home games at Lincoln Financial Field and their other 9 games on the road, the Philadelphia Union finally got a chance to make their real home debut at PPL Park today.

In front of a sold out crowd of 18,755, the Union opened up their new home against last year’s expansion club, the Seattle Sounders. In the season opener for both clubs, the Sounders shut out the Union, 2-0.

The Union’s youth would play a big part in this game, as they looked a lot more energetic than Seattle in the second half on this 90+ degree day in Chester.

After falling down 1-0 on a Seattle goal right before the end of a Union dominated first half, the U came out in the 2nd half looking to even the match. With Alejandro Moreno being dragged down in the box, the Union were awarded a penalty kick. Sebastian Le Toux, clearly the man of the match, knocked home the PK and the match was all squared up.

Seattle was awarded a PK not more than 5 minutes later, it looked like the Union would fall behind again. Much maligned GK Chris Seitz came up huge and made the save on the penalty and kept the match tied up.

The Union pushed the ball up the field repeatedly in the second half and were clearly the more offensive team. With repeated chances in their offensive end, it seemed as it was inevitable that the Union would take the lead.

In the 79th minute, on one of his numerous advances down the field, Le Toux sent a cross that Fred “Too good for a last name” banged home for the eventual game winning goal. Fred was brought in to be an offensive force, and it’s good for him to finally get on the scoresheet in 2010.

The Union weren’t done with the scoring, however. Rookie phenom Danny Mwanga, on yet another cross from Le Toux, sent a shot that Seattle GK Kasey Keller stopped originally, but Mwanga knocked home the rebound for his 4th goal of the season. Incredibly, it was his first goal that wasn’t scored in stoppage time.

WIth the 3-1 win over Seattle to go with the 3-2 win over D.C. United and the 1-1 tie with F.C. Dallas, the Union managed to stay undefeated at home in their inaugural season.

With their record now at 3-7-1, the Union face Chivas USA in their next match. While the U has the youngest roster in MLS, as the season progresses, they keep getting better. Today’s match was clearly the type of match that manager Peter Nowak is looking for. After 11 matches under their belt, the experience is building and the team is starting to come together.

On a related note, the Sons of Ben sounded fantastic on the national TV broadcast. I’ve got seats in The River End, but I was unable to attend tonight’s match. I’m glad to see that the SOBs made their presence known to the rest of the league. Can’t wait to join the party next time.

All in all, it was a great opener for the Union and PPL Park. Soccer has made a ton of noise in Philadelphia (& Chester) over the past few months, and I only see it getting louder as the season goes on.

Leading up to the draft lottery day on May 18, I had joked that the lottery balls had to go in the Sixers’ favor. Not only was the team in desperate need of a direction change, but it was also my birthday.

Truth be told I wasn’t expecting anything higher than the #6 or #7 pick, so it took awhile for the the truth to sink in: the Philadelphia 76ers have the #2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. It was quite the birthday present.

While almost certain future star John Wall will fall to the Washington Wizards at #1, the Sixers have one clear choice and a number of guys who could slot in quite well, all of whom have been worked out by the team over the past week.

Tomorrow’s draft will herald a new era in the team’s history, one that will hopefully see them rebuild the only way they can. By shedding dead weight and bad contracts and stocking up on young talent, the Sixers can once again be relevant.

The Dalembert trade was an excellent start, but an intelligent draft pick will be even more important.

Derrick Favors, the Georgia Tech power forward, is slated to go to the New Jersey Nets at #3 on most draft boards, but new head coach Doug Collins is said to be very high on him.

While both Wall and Turner are highly polished athletes, the 18-year old Favors has some development to do, but some experts believe that he could end up being the biggest prize from this draft.

He’s worked out with Minnesota, New Jersey, Sacramento, and Philly, and although he is 7’4″, has great ball-handling skills, and quick jumping abilities, there is one knock about him. Minnesota says he is out of shape, which Favors does not deny.

While working out in Philly, he competed in drills against DeMarcus Cousins, another guy who figures to go high in the draft. With the recent departure of Samuel Dalembert, the University of Kentucky power forward/center could fill a need in South Philly.

He has a wealth of attributes, including his ability to get to free throw line, shot-blocking skills, and defensive post presence, but his 1.6 points per touch average is troubling. With a pick this high in the draft, the Sixers are better going for the best guy available as opposed to filling a need.

Forward Wesley Johnson is older and more polished, quickly shooting up a lot of draft boards. His work out in Philly went well, and there is a lot that he could bring the team. He’s versatile, which allows him to keep his mistakes to a minimum. More importantly, he excels at rebounding and would be an excellent choice for the Sixers.

His age may be a downside, but with that comes added experience. The real knocks come in the form of his inability to get to the free throw line and the lack of advanced ball-handling skills.

When the Sixers go on the clock tomorrow night, the name they need to call is obvious: Ohio State’s Evan Turner. What this kid can do on both sides of the ball is mind-boggling. He will do whatever it takes to score, he’s an excellent defender, he’s aggressive, and he can rebound with the best of them.

This is the biggest draft for the Sixers since 1996. There may be some valid arguments in picking based on need, but the team needs more than just a few holes filled. This is a team in shambles that has lost the city, and a high draft pick will go a long way in reviving interest.

If the braintrust doesn’t pick Turner, I’ll be shocked (or not, based on history) because this is the guy that will bring hope back to the team. Along with other young guys like Holiday, Young, and Speights, this will be the team we see on the court for a very long time.

Holmgren gets his man

It took quite a while, but Nashville defenseman Dan “Hammer” Hamhuis is on his way to Philadelphia.

The Flyers have officially reunited defenseman Ryan Parent, who they acquired in the Forsberg trade just before sending Nashville’s first back to them in order to ink Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell, with the organization that drafted him. Parent was due for a raise this offseason, and due to a number of seemingly chronic injuries, he was not performing as well as the team would have liked. In return, the Flyers walked away with Hamhuis and a conditional pick in 2011.

Hamhuis, right now, is an unrestricted free agent, but most are confident he will sign. This is the guy that Holmgren has wanted for a long time, and there is a good reason for it. He also happened to be Timonen’s partner back when Timonen was with Nashville.

Why did the Flyers want Hamhuis with Pronger, Timonen, Coburn, and Carle already in the top four? Let’s check the tape.

A former 1st round pick (12th overall) by Nashville in 2001, Hamhuis was raised by the biggest producer of grade-A defenseman in the NHL. Nashville has produced some of the best defensemen in the league for a while now, and Hamhuis was going to be one of the most sought after free-agent defensemen this summer.

Holmgren, never complacent, decided to strike first.

Hamhuis, if signed, becomes the third best defenseman on the team immediately with Coburn on his heels. Carle is back there somewhere as well. At this point though, both Coburn and Hamhuis need new contracts. One has to believe either Carle or Coburn is on the move. The Flyers will need to clear salary to keep Hamhuis, and they still need to find a goalie.

Vancouver, who desperately wanted Hamhuis, might be looking to trade for Coburn now. High-end goaltending prospect Cory Schneider would almost have to be included in that deal even if he likely can’t be the starter in Philadelphia immediately.

There are other directions for the Flyers to go though. Recently Coburn rejected a two-year offer which leaves further speculation on the table, but Holmgren likely would have gone after Hamhuis regardless. The biggest task now is to get him signed and see what else will be moved.

Contract talks begin Monday.

Montreal Saga Over

When Montreal traded Jaroslav Halak for Giroux-esque prospect Lars Eller out of St. Louis, the created drama between the Flyers and Canadiens was officially over. Lars Eller has quite a bit of talent, but in the end, he is effectively a lesser version of Giroux, who the Canadiens wanted for Halak or Price. The Flyers weren’t about to cave, and the Blues were in a much better position to make this trade than the Orange and Black, who have very few bluechip forwards in the prospect pool.

Now we know that neither Halak or Price will be coming to Philly. Right now rumors say that the Flyers are heavily in talks with Los Angeles over either Quick or Bernier. Keep in mind that LA is one of the teams that has always liked Scott Hartnell.

Carter not to be moved

There is a tweet floating around from the man when it comes to hockey rumors, Bob McKenzie, that Carter is not going to be moved by Philadelphia. That’s good enough for me. I didn’t really expect him to be on the block anyway.

Regardless, there are more moves coming.

Heading into this week’s road trip, it didn’t look good for the Phillies. Six games against the AL East powers Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Fightins were struggling and it looked like it could get worse.

It did get worse after the Phillies looked terrible in their 3 game series with Boston and the series with the Yankees loomed ahead. After the Yuckees roughed up Roy Halladay, the Phillies had Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick up next. Uh-oh.

To everyone’s surprise, Moyer & Kendrick shut down the Yankees’ offense and the Phillies’ offense actually showed signs of life, scoring 13 runs in the last 2 games. It amazes me that Moyer and Kendrick baffled the Yankees after Doc struggled, but a W is a W and the Phillies will take them any way they can.

The past two games reminded me of the way that the Phillies were playing earlier this season. They got solid pitching performances and the offense pounded out some runs.

With the team getting closer to full health, performances like this should become more regular. Jimmy Rollins & J.A. Happ are starting their rehabs, so they should be along shortly. The Phillies were rolling when they were healthy, and they will soon be healthy again.

A week ago, it seemed all doom & gloom with this team, but after this 3 game series against the Yanks, it appears as if the Phils may be close to turning a corner.

In a move that was definitely a long time coming, the Sixers dealt longtime center Samuel Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings for swingman Andres Nocioni and big man Spencer Hawes. Sammy was a first round draft pick in June of 2001, immediately following Philly’s NBA Finals defeat against the Lakers.

Any first rounder comes to a team with a certain amount of pressure on his shoulders, and Dalembert was no different. The Sixers had just missed the championship against a historically great Lakers team, and they were hungry for more. But what we saw from him during his time in Philadelphia was a series of ups and downs, a center that couldn’t match up against the league’s big men, and a wildly inconsistent player that likely should not have been a starter the last few years.

While I wouldn’t go as far to say that Dalembert’s tenure in Philadelphia was one of wasted potential, he definitely didn’t live up to expectations. One night he was on fire and would pull down 12 rebounds, and the following night he’d be a complete non-factor. Early in his career, it was easy to blame it all on youth, but for the last few years, all I wanted to do is buy him a train ticket and tell him to get out.

But focusing less on his legacy and what this deal means for the Sixers next year, this deal could be the first step in a much-needed overhaul to this franchise. The team just needs to follow through on the rebuild.

For one, his $12.2 million salary for the ’10-’11 season (Kings have to pay an extra 15% trade kicker) is now solely the responsibility of Sacramento. While it’s not my money, it is my team, and I am glad there’s one less underperformer getting paid top dollar.

The two guys coming over from the KIngs, Nocioni and Hawes, will be receiving $6.8 million and $2.9 million respectively. This saves the team a few million in cap space next year, and the following year Hawes is a free agent, giving the Sixers further wiggle room, although the 22-year old is someone to keep an eye on. Only time will tell if they’ll be in the position to nab a big name free agent at that point, but moves like this trade are the right thing to do.

Lastly, the Sixers are in a prime position to make another excellent move next week by drafting Evan Turner at #2. With the Sixers’ current state, they need to draft the best available player when their slot comes up, and that is Turner, but ESPN’s Bob Ford speculates that the team may see things differently.

While Ed Stefanski is said to prefer Turner (as he should), new coach Doug Collins is very high on Derrick Favors. Now that Nocioni is here, and with Dalembert headed out west, who will play center? Favors could be that guy, but if the Sixers make that move and he turns out to be a bust, the braintrust is going to look dumb.

On the other hand, everyone expects them to select Turner, who is pretty much a sure thing. The Sixers need to make the logical move and take Evan Turner, perhaps trying out Elton Brand at center this season.

Let’s hope the team decides to be logical for once.

After going 1-4 for the Phillies in 2006 and having 2 Tommy John surgeries on his elbow,  Philleis’ prospect (can we even call him that anymore?)  Scott Mathieson finally returns to Philly after an almost 4 year absence. He was recalled today when reliever Antonio Bastardo was placed on the 15 day DL with a left elbow injury.

Mathieson had been pretty impressive in Spring Training this year and had a chance to make the team, but it was a long shot. After spending the first half of this season in Lehigh Valley, he gets another chance to pitch in the big leagues.

He showed good stuff before the injury and has been on a long rehab ever since. He was 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA in 25 games for the Iron Pigs. He also picked up 12 saves while throwing 29.2 innings. He has the potential to be a future closer at some point.

With the way the Phillies’ starters have been getting knocked around recently, Mathieson will most likely get ample opportunities to show that he should stay up. Even if he gets sent back down when Bastardo returns, it’s a significant accomplishment just to get back to this point.

Less than a week after the worst start of his career, Jamie Moyer bounced back and notched the 265th win of his career against the New York Yankees. The win was also Charlie Manuel’s 700th career win as a manger, with 480 of them coming in his 6 years with the Phillies.

In the 6-3 Phillies’ win, Moyer went 8 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 2. With that terrible start against the Red Sox sandwiched between two great starts, it’s the same old Moyer. Teams are either going to rock him, or he’ll get a nice big strike zone and make batters look foolish.

In getting the win, Moyer also became the oldest pitcher ever to beat the Yankees, at 47 years and 210 days. Just seeing Moyer go out there every 5th day and take the ball gets more impressive every time.

In tying a record that he’d rather not have, Moyer also is now neck and neck with Robin Roberts for most home runs allowed in a career with 504. Pitching as long and as much as those two pitchers have, it’s inevitable to have a record like that.

The Phillies’ offense also showed some signs of life as they rocked A.J. Burnett. Shane Victorino knocked a bases loaded triple to drive in 3 runs in the 2nd inning. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth also reminded us of the power that this team has with back to back home runs in the 3rd.

The Fightins are in a rough spot right now, dropping all the way to 3rd in the NL East, but if they can get back to playing games like this on a regular basis, they’ll be fine. It’s only July. They’ve only played 63 games. Still 99 left to go…

After getting shelled early and often during the past two games, the Phillies needed their closer keep the Red Sox at bay on Sunday. Starter Cole Hamels did just that, keeping the potent Boston lineup quiet over the course of seven innings.

The team ended the weekend on a high note, picking up a 5-3 victory. Brad Lidge pitched the final 2/3 of the ninth inning for his fourth save of the year, giving up just one hit and throwing his slider with an unfettered confidence.

The scoring began when Adrian Beltre blasted a solo homerun for the Red Sox, but the Phillies would take the lead for good in the fourth innning. Jayson Werth singled Ryan Howard in to tie the score, and then Raul Ibanez took Tim Wakefield to deep right field to put the Fightins ahead 3-1.

Before the inning was over, Juan Castro would single Ben Francisco home to put another run on the board.

While the Phils added another run in the top of the ninth, Boston would threaten in the bottom of the inning off of a shaky J.C. Romero.

Romero would manage just one out, giving up a run on a passed ball to David Ortiz, and then walking J.D. Drew before the left-hander got the hook.

Lidge gave up an RBI single to rookie Daniel Nava, but he was able to shut the door from there to nail down the save.

Since the beginning of May, Hamels has looked like the one that helped the team win the World Series in 2008, despite the 6-5 record. He has begun to show that he is this team’s bonafide #2 starter behind Roy Halladay.

Today’s start lowered this ERA to 3.75, and if you take out the rain-shortened 2/3 inning, 3-run appearance in Atlanta, his ERA dips to 3.43. He hasn’t give up more than three runs in any start since May 4th, but in his three previous starts he was tagged with a loss each time.

On top of that, coming into today’s game, he has owned the Red Sox. Over the course of two games, Hamels had two victories, a 1.93 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP over the course of 14 innings.

The Phillies take tomorrow off before starting a three game set against the Yankees in the Bronx. It will be the first time these two teams have seen each other since last year’s World Series.