Offseason Business

Under Contract:
1. Cliff Lee- $9M
2. Greg Dobbs- $1.35M
3. Ryan Howard- $19M
4. Jimmy Rollins- $7.5M
5. Chase Utley- $15M
6. Raul Ibanez- $11.5M
7. Jayson Werth- $7M
8. Cole Hamels- $6.65M
9. JC Romero- $4M
10. Brad Lidge- $11.5M
11. Jamie Moyer- $8M
12. Ryan Madson- $4.5M
Total= $105M for only half a roster.

Arbitration Eligible:
1. Joe Blanton- will be back, '09 $5.475M.
2. Shane Victorion- will be back, '09 $3.125M.
3. Carlos Ruiz- will be back, '09 $0.475M.
4. Tyler Walker- possible non-tender, '09 $0.75M.
5. Clay Condrey- possible non-tender, '09 $0.65M.
6. Chad Durbin- possible non-tender, '09 $1.635M.
7. Eric Bruntlett- possible non-tender, '09 $0.8M.

*Contract information gathered from Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Option:
1. Pedro Feliz- $5M for '10 or a 500K buyout. His offense (namely OPS) continues to dip as he gets older, and as the core of this team continues to age, this is a position where the Phils can start to get younger.

Under Team Control:
Ben Francisco, Antonio Bastardo, John Mayberry Jr., Sergio Escalona, and Kyle Kendrick. This means they can have their contracts renewed at the league minimum for their respective service time.

Free Agents:
1. Chan Ho Park- will try to re-sign.
2. Matt Stairs- might offer minor league deal.
3. Paul Bako- doubtful he returns.
4. Jack Taschner- convinced he's gone.
5. Brett Myers- told he won't be back.
6. Miguel Cairo- services not needed.
7. Pedro Martinez- can't pitch an entire season, what's the point?
8. Scott Eyre- been great for the Phils, but they need to see how surgery goes before extending a contract.

Possible Holes:
1. Backup Catcher- Yorvit Torrealba, Miguel Olivo, Ramon Hernandez.
2. 3rd Base- Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa.
3. Bullpen- Octavio Dotel, Kiko Calero, Brandon Lyon.
4. Utility Infielder- Alex Cora, Craig Counsell, Jerry Hairston Jr.
*MLB Trade Rumors 2010 Free Agent Database.

Surgeries:
1. Scott Eyre- remove floating loose bodies in left elbow.
2. Raul Ibanez- repair sports hernia.
3. Brad Lidge- remove floating loose bodies in right elbow. Will also have his right flexor/pronator tendon checked, and if surgery is needed will likely not be ready until post-Opening Day.

Coaches:
All coaches were asked to return for the 2010 season.

~Carson

Goodbye Brett

The Myers Roller Coaster Express has been shutdown. No more Superman-esque performances, and no more painful minor league demotions. No more wife beating, and no more barroom fighting. Brett Myers time with the Phillies has officially come to an end as Ruben Amaro informed him that they would not be retaining his services. As Myers put it, "Kenny Powers is officially a free agent." I'm not a fan of his, and believe this to be the right decision, but that quote garnered a glint of respect in my eyes for the hot-headed hick.

Brett Myers (2002-2009)- 73-63, 240 g, 1183.2 ip, 986 k, 21 sv, 6 hld, 4.40 ERA, and 1.36 WHIP. It sure has been a roller coaster ride with this guy. Brett is known for getting into bar fights, smacking around his wife, being in and out of shape, and being totally awesome at times and totally sucking at others. No matter how poorly he's pitched at times, the fact is in 2007 with him closing and in 2008 without his 2nd half resurgence the Phils wouldn't have made the playoffs. *From WSBGMs Phillies Best of 2000's Team.

Audio of the infamous "How do you spell retard?" tirade.

I think it would be fitting to send Brett off in the classy WSBGMs style of a song parody. Today I select Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks to put my twist on.

Goodbye Brett
The Phils thought to bring Brett back in,
They searched for reasons,
High and low.
Then they tipped their hats,
And said "Thank You Brett,
If we need your services, we'll let you know."

Well, the weeks went by and,
Fall turned to Winter,
And Winter faded into Spring.
And it turns out Brett was a missing person,
who nobody missed, that was the thing.

Brett had to leave.
Goodbye Brett!
We need a break.
Let him go to the Royals,
We'll pack him a lunch.
And stuff your suitcase trunk, Brett.
Well, how is KC?
Good? Don't you ever come back.
Goodbye Brett!

~Carson

Jayson Werth Goes Commerical

I know you probably hate the Free Credit Report.com commercials...I have grown tired of them myself. Something about that lip-syncing fruity French-Canadian singer that irks me. Anyway, pay particularly close attention to the drummer of this tenuous threesome and you will find none other than Jayson Werth. Werth looks like he likes to rock, but I figured him more of the Motorhead or AC/DC breed, not some pop-a-licious jingle band.

Other Phillies to go Commercial:






~Carson

Thank You Phillies

WSBGMs would like to take this opportunity to thank the Philadelphia Phillies for one helluva ride this season. Third straight NL East title and back-to-back World Series appearances...that's the stuff I used to dream of when I was a kid. They may not have won the coveted championship this year, but they're still a great team worthy of adoration. We have the entire season to hash out a game plan for free agents, trades, and other roster moves. Today we will look back on the playoffs as a whole...

Bats:
*Totals- .247/.345/.472, 24 2B, 5 3B, 25 hr, 82 r, 11 sb.

*Although Ryan Howard's bat was seemingly nonexistent during the WS, he did collect 17 total rbi during the playoffs.

*Chase Utley proved why he's Philadelphia favorite son, belting 5 WS homeruns and scoring 15 runs to lead the team in the '09 playoffs.

*Jayson Werth flexed his muscle, popping 7 homeruns, also scored 13 and drove in 13.

*Chooch Ruiz batted .341 with a 1.082 OPS. Secret weapon.

*Jimmy Rollins ended his dismal season with a dismal playoffs line- .234/.587.

*Pedro Feliz, aside from Game 4 of the WS, was a complete waste- .167/.548.

*Ben Francisco was 0-11...ouch.

Arms:
*Totals- 132 ip, 116 k, 3.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 9-6 record.

*Cliff Lee won 4 games in 5 starts and posted a 1.56 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Domination.

*Brad Lidge had 5 scoreless appearances, but 1 costly appearance in which he surrendered 3 runs and the ball game.

*Ryan Madson pitched in 12 of the 15 games.

*Cole Hamels gave up 7 homeruns in 19 innings pitched with a 7.58 ERA. Thankfully for him, his season is now officially over.
____________________________________________________

WSBGMs Readers Reactions:
Sir Alden- Thank you boys of Summer. See you next year!

Aaron- I got nothing bad to say. The Phils are all heart and I'm proud of them. I got a feeling we will be celebrating this time next year. And know this Phillies fans....No Yankee fan will ever know the pure joy we felt last year. When it comes too easy it's not as special.

Scottie- I agree, a great season and I love this team, but ole Cholly made me scratch my head with even starting Pedro and then leaving him in to face Matsui (just like Lidge the other night). Why? Oh well, the same things that killed us all year (bullpen, worst closer in game, poor clutch hitting, JRoll not showing up,..) came back to haunt us in this season and yet we were oh so close. Bring on 2010!!!

Zac- Pitchers and catchers report February 14th. Great season GMs... thanks for time well wasted :)

GM-Carson- I'm not even mad this morning. Wasn't really all that upset last night. The Phils are a great team, #2 in baseball, that's still pretty damn impressive. Being in the playoffs and back in the World Series was fun and entertaining, lets do it again next year.
______________________________________________________

Not too many regrets about this season, because the "what-if" game is tiring and unproductive. However, I do regret the Phils not winning the World Series because it robbed me of the chance to post this picture...wait, guess it worked out anyway.

~Carson

Game 6 - The Curl vs. The Stubble

Is this it for the Phillies? Are they already dead in this series? One Yankees fan thinks so...



What kind of person has easy access to a hearse and coffin? I guess somebody that works around dead people alot, like undertakers or mobsters...but since this is New York, the guy must be an undertaker.

I'll be checking the blog periodically this evening to see what's going on because I'll be watching reruns of "Beverly Hills 90210" on the Soap Network.

Go Dylan and Brenda Phillies!!!!

Why I'm Skipping Tonight's Game

Watching preseason games, 100+ regular season games, the NLDS, and the NLCS and then not tuning in for the World Series may seem a bit odd to some. Borderline stupid, maybe. But I have my reasons. And I've numbered them below...

1. Fox television. I'm not sure what is worse, Tim McCarver or the constant barrage of plugs for other shows on Fox.

2. The Andy Pettitte closeups. We've been looking at Pettitte's menacing glare, stubble and oversized nostrils since the Yankees became post season staples in the late nineties. But now, with the addition of high definition television, the constant zoom on Pettitte's face seems even more irritating.

3. Time. Some of the games are lasting almost 4 hours. With an eight o'clock starting time, that puts the end near midnight. Why waste the time and the sleep when ESPNEWS can recap the game in thirty seconds.

4. Nothing good can can happen tonight. Even if the Phillies win tonight they have to play again tomorrow. So you could not watch and not really miss anything. I'm just going to tune in tomorrow night and if the I miss the Yankees winning the World Series, I'm definitely okay with that.

5. TV options. There is a new "Criminal Minds" on tonight. And I have like five episodes of "Three Sheets" to watch on the DVR. I've also been recording all the shows Fox has been plugging during the Series and they sound awesome so I should probably watch those instead.

Live To Play Another Day

Awesome- Chase Utley. He has hit 5 homeruns this World Series, tying Mr. October Reggie Jackson for the record. Add in his 2 homeruns from the '08 WS and he has 7, which is a record for secondbaseman.

Record Setter- We're used to Ryan Howard setting records for homeruns, rbi, and strikeouts during the regular season. After his 2 k's last night, he now shares the World Series strikeout record with Willie Wilson at 12 apiece. I'm willing to put money on Howard surpassing him by the 5th inning of Game 6 Wednesday night.

Quitter?- Cole Hamels. After Saturday's crapfest he said he couldn't wait for his season to be over. Last night he offered this-

"Sometimes I might not say the best things or the smartest things, but I've learned and am learning. I wasn't able to sleep the past couple of nights because of it. I went to Charlie just to talk to him because that's who I am, and I think he understands that. I just wanted to tell him my true thoughts -- that I'll never ever quit. I want to play this game until somebody takes it away from me."

Believe it or not, I'm going to cut him some slack. He's a young kid, just had a baby, went through a very difficult season after dominating the entire way through 2008. He's frustrated, he's just venting. He doesn't want the Phillies to lose so he can go home, he wants the Phils to win and then after the celebration he'll go home and regroup. Bottom line, we need Cole Hamels and booing him mercilessly will not help the situation.

Rude- Brett Myers. Following last night's victory, Mr. Classy himself Brett Myers passed Cole Hamels in the clubhouse and said, "'What are you doing here? I thought you quit." Sure, he said exactly what many fans have been thinking, but you're his teammate, your team just won Game 5 and are heading back to the Bronx to try to win 2 more. Don't need to go pissing off the probable Game 7 starter.

Joe Cool- Never would have expected the season to come down to a Pedro Martinez pitching performance when it started way back in April, but then again, I wouldn't have guessed it come down to a Cliff Lee start for the Phils either. Pedro gets the ball on Wednesday in New York, likely facing Andy Pettitte. Pedro has been Mr. Cool since joining the Phillies, and I anticipate him adding to that legacy tomorrow night.

~Carson

Macy's Has Faith

Macy's and the Philadelphia Inquirer are spreading false joy through Philadelphia and the Phillies fan nation. In today's paper, Macy's ran an advertisement prematurely congratulating the Phils on their back-to-back World Series championships. Oops! Well, maybe Macy's knows something the rest of us don't, which means that we're in for a helluva ride the next few days in that case. T-shirt shown above is unfortunately not for sale at Macy's stores yet.

~Carson

What the $%^@ just happened?

Cole Hamels, The Baby-
It felt like a rerun watching the game last night. Hamels was solid for a few innings, then a call didn't go his way (Teixeira ball 4), the sulking began, and then a crushing hit by the opposition (A-Rod's camera ball). Phils still had the 3-2 lead heading into the top of the 5th, but Cole imploded and the game was lost. Hamels postseason ERA- 7.58, 7 hr allowed, and a .316 average against. Following the game Cole laughed it up with reporters and offered this poorly timed and worded quote...

"I can't wait for it to end. It's been mentally draining. But, you know what, it's one of those things, a year in, you just can't wait for a fresh start."

Ryan Howard, The Wind Maker-
Howard is prone to striking out, he's fanned 878 times in 732 regular season games, but he's taking it to a new level in the World Series with 9 k's in 13 at bats (69%).

Jayson Werth & Chooch Ruiz, The Hope-
These two seem to be the only positional players that can hack it against the Yankees this series. With his 2 shots last night, Werth now has 11 postseason homeruns (9 with the Phillies, a Phillies record). Meanwhile, Chooch continues building his heroic postseason credentials- .300/.411/.478, 14 r, 7 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 3 sb, 16:4 BB:K (29 games).


Charlie Manuel, The Strategist-
Pinch hitting Eric Bruntlett in the 6th, with Ben Francisco on the bench, and then went on to never use Francisco...pure genius. Why pitch Madson in the 9th, was he in to setup the loss?

Scott Eyre, The Truth-
Once again, I recommend reading Eyre's playoff blog. He had this to say following last night's loss...

"We got beat tonight. We didn't make mental errors. They hit the ball. But we're confident going into Game 4."

Big Joe vs. Big CC, The Beef-
Blanton is listed at 250 pounds and Sabathia 290 (per MLB.com), combined weight of 540. That's a lot of beef on the mound tonight. Phils absolutely need to get after CC and have a Blanton pitch well. 2-2, makes it a 3 game series; 3-1 makes it do-or-die.

~Carson

Happy Halloween

Pretty & Smart

SNL Alum and current 30 Rock star, Tina Fey, confesses to rooting for the Phils in this World Series. She's both pretty and smart...does a spot-on Sarah Palin to boot.

~Carson

Mad Gab

Piss poor umpiring has been the story of the 2009 MLB postseason and the another chapter was written last night. 1st base umpire, Brian Gorman, blew 2 calls in back-to-back half innings: 1. the "linedrive" double play and 2. the Utley GIDP. 1. Ryan Howard caught that ball on the short-hop then threw wide to 2nd where Rollins tugged Posada out. It went down as a double play, but in reality Posada should have been safe at 2nd and Damon (the batter) safe at 1st. 2. Gorman must have felt guilty for blowing the previous call because he hosed Utley when he was clearly safe at 1st on went ended up being a rally-killing inning-ending ground into double play.

Home plate umpire, Jeff Nelson, isn't free of criticism either. His strikezone was very liberal at times, especially in the 9th inning with Mariano Rivera on the mound against Howard. Howard was called out on a pitch high and outside. XM's Rob Dibble put it best, "That's a Hall-of-Famer strike. He got that because he's Mo Rivera." Well, then that's just bullshit.

Other Anger Triggers:
*Ryan Howard's 9th inning strikeout was only 1/4 of the story, as he k'd all 4 trips to the plate last night. Have fun wearing that golden sombrero on the trip back to Philly.

*What the hell was Jayson Werth doing getting picked off at 1st base by the catcher?

*Pedro pitched well through 6 innings, but his pitch count was pushing 100, and the Yanks seemed to be getting a better look at his pitches. Why was he brought out to start the 7th inning? It's not like the bullpen was taxed, they hadn't pitched in over a week.

*The aforementioned Utley GIDP could have easily been averted by sending the runners. It's not like it was Feliz and Ruiz on the bases either, it was the Phils top burners in the form of Rollins and Victorino. 1 out, full count, runners or 1st and 2nd...you send them to stay out of the double play. Even Tim McCarver knows that!

*Now the series is knotted-up at a game apiece with the next three games in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels gets the ball Saturday night. Cole Hamels who was 2008 NLCS and WS MVP. Cole Hamels who had a losing record this season and has been ineffective this postseason (6.75 ERA, 6 hr in 14.2 ip). Dammit, he needs to sack up and pitch a good game.

~Carson

Game 2 Primer

Awesome Game by UtLee

Based on the title of this post, you may have been lead to believe I don't know how to spell my own favorite player's name (Chase Utley), but indeed I do. See, I was being creative with the combination of last night's heroes Utley and Cliff Lee, hence UtLee. Wow, I'm so damn innovative I can hardly stand it. Okay, enough with the silly play on names, let's get down to business.

*Chase Utley's 2 homerun night was awesome. He was hitless off of CC Sabathia before those solo jacks. Utley also set a MLB playoff record last night by reaching base safely in his 26th consecutive postseason game.

*Cliff Lee wasn't nervous, wasn't intimidated, in fact he was downright superb in his complete game win over the heralded Yankees in Game 1. With his amazing effort last night, he pushed his 2009 postseason totals up to 3 wins in 4 starts, with 2 complete games, 33.1 innings pitched with 30 k's and a minuscule 0.54 ERA.

*A-Fraud, who was scorching hot heading into this series, was silenced at the plate going without a hit and being struck out 3 times. Don't worry, I'm sure Kate Hudson will give you a pep talk.

*Entering the game, J-Roll had zero walks in 40 at bats. Last night he coaxed his first walk off of Hughes in the 8th.

*18 of the last 21 World Series champions have won Game 1 of the Series...so we've got that going for us, which is nice.

*Game 2 scheduled for the same time and the same place with AJ Burnett going for the Yanks while Pedro Martinez takes the ball for the Phils. Taking a 2-0 series lead and heading home to Philly would be incredible, and I think Pedro is the right man for the job.

~Carson

Tale of the Tape - New York - World Series Edition

Punk Rock Music
New York - The Ramones, the most influential rock band since The Beatles, hailed from Queens. But if that isn't enough, consider the hardcore scene and bands like H2O, Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags, CIV, Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front, Murphy's Law and many more.
Philly - Philly band The Loved Ones are in high rotation on my playlist right now. The Dead Milkmen were pretty cool. And the Trocadero might be the best place on the planet to see a show.
Advantage - New York. Nothing beats The Ramones.

Pizza
New York - Delicious. If you remember, Michael Scott (Dunder Mifflin regional manager and former owner of the Michael Scott Paper Company) likes to hit up Sbarro's when he's in the city, but I find Ray's Pizza (the one on Prince Street) to be a better example of a tasty New York pie.
Philly - I spent four years eating $5 large pies from Mario's on 19th and Olney. They make their pizza from frozen dough, tomato paste and government cheese.
Advantage - New York.

Odd Museum
New York - The Museum of Sex. The founder of this museum wanted a home dedicated to "the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality." It's basically legitimized pornography...which I'm totally okay with.
Philly - The Mutter Museum. This museum host medical oddities, pathological specimens and antique medical equipment.
Advantage - New York. It's hard to beat porn.

Bagels
New York - Delicious. I prefer an "everything" with cream cheese.
Philly - Not all Philly bagels are bad...but not that many are really good, either.
Advantage - New York.

Public Transit Nuisance
New York - Getting shot by Colin Ferguson while sitting on the LIRR.
Philly - There used to be this one-legged guy that rode the Orange Line who sold bootlegged DVDs. If you didn't want a DVD, he would ask you for food. One time, I gave him half my sandwich. He hopped away without saying "thank you."
Advantage - Philly.

Battle of Anthropomorphized Statues
New York - Statue of Liberty.
Philly - Rocky.
Advantage - Philly. Checking in a 8 1/2 feet tall, Rocky would seem to have a significant and insurmountable size disadvantage to the 150 feet tall mammoth from Ellis Island. But remember, "Lady Liberty" is French! Rocky needs just a couple of shots to the robe, and that bitch will throw in the towel.

Giant Salute To Homemakers
New York - A large needle and button.
Philly - A large clothespin.
Advantage - Philly. It can't be safe to have a giant needle just sitting around. And given the overall cleanliness of the Big Apple, I'm guessing there is enough Hepatitis C on that thing to infect half of the Bronx...the half that isn't already infected, that is.

Football Teams
New York - Zero.
Philly - The Eagles.
Advantage - Philly.

Cosby Connection
New York - In The Cosby Show, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable lived with his family in a brownstone in New York. One of Cosby's "television children" was the lovely and talented Lisa Bonet.
Philly - The Philadelphia born and Temple educated Cosby still owns a home in suburban Philly.
Advantage - Philly. Philly has the real Cosby, which beats the fake Cosby and Lisa Bonet...barely.

Regional Colloquialism
New York - "Fuggetaboutit"
Philly - "Yo"
Advantage - Philly. "Yo" can be used in almost as many ways as the f-bomb. "Fuggetaboutit," on the other hand, makes you sound like a retarded monkey. No offense to monkeys.

Best Choice For A Statue?
New York - James Marion Sims. Dr. Sim was the "Father of Gynecology." That seems okay, until you consider that the discoveries of disease and technique were developed by performing procedures on slaves in Alabama. According to one website, some patients underwent over 30 procedures and that Dr. Sims "believed that Africans could tolerate pain, [so he] never used anesthesia." Oh, that's not good.
Philly -The Ideal Scout at 22nd & Winter St.
Advantage - Philly. Boy scout statues are stupid but they beat racist torturers every time.

My Favorite Place To Drink
New York - The Bohemian Hall beer garden on 24th St. in Astoria. They have a wide selection of German and Czech beers at reasonable (for NYC) prices, along with abundant outdoor seating and a great overall atmosphere.
Philly - In college, I would say Arenas in East Falls or Chemistry in Manyunk. They are both gone. I also liked the German bar Ludwig's in Center City. It's gone too. Now, I would say that Monk's is my go-to place. A great selection of draft and bottled beers and the best mussels and pommes frites in the city.
Advantage - New York.There are very few things in New York that I like and this is one of my favorites. I don't know of a similar place in Philly, which is unfortunate.

There you have it. The numbers never lie. Even if I use recycled categories from a previous post the numbers still never lie and these numbers say the Phils should repeat as WFC.

J-Roll Rolls Out Prediction

Last night Jimmy Rollins appeared on the Jay Leno show and said the Phillies will prevail over the Yankees in 5 games, wrapping it up at home. J-Roll speaks the truth, so now you heard the word.

~Carson

Wedding Crashing Howard & Little Red Machine

Ryan Howard is officially a Wedding Crasher; taking the role of Vince Vaughn. Howard took a female companion to Water Works restaraunt in Philly on Saturday night to only be turned away due to a wedding reception being held there. However, the bride and groom are huge Philly sports fans, and invited Howard and his guest into the reception for a photo-op. Later that night, Howard and J-Roll were backstage at the Jay-Z concert. Got 99 problems, but the Yankees ain't 1.


____________________________________________________

The Little Red Machine?
With the recent run of success by this Phillies team (3 straight NL East division titles, a World Series championship, and another World Series berth this season), Jimmy Rollins has dubbed them "The Little Red Machine" , a mini version of the powerhouse Cincinnati Reds team of the mid-70's nicknamed "The Big Red Machine". Some baseball analysts feel this is a bit premature and unwarranted. ESPN's Rob Neyer points out- "In 2008 and 2009, the Phillies outscored their opponents by 230 runs. That's an impressive figure, no doubt. In 1975 and 1976, the Reds outscored their opponents by 478 runs. That's one of the most impressive figures in the history of professional baseball, the result of one of the five or six greatest collections of talent that's ever been assembled." He does go on to admitting that he likes nicknames and that with another World Series win the Phils can lay rightful claim to The Little Red Machine.
_________________________________________________

Pedro Likes it Fast:
When Pedro Martinez was asked if he thinks the Phillies need to be reminded not to take their foot off the gas, he responded with- "This team doesn't need to be told. This team has proven over and over that this team is all about business. If we were a car, right now we probably would be in trouble with the law. This team really speeds up and never lets down. I think we're more of a NASCAR type of team. We feel like we are in the driver's seat...in a NASCAR driver's seat."

~Carson

Are You Ready For New York?

Okay, I have something to say to each of the four people interviewed in this video:
1. A baseball hat along with a tie and suspenders is the definition of obnoxious.
2. "Who's you poppy?" Idiot. It's "Who's your daddy?" Do you think this guy knows that Joe Torre isn't the manager anymore?
3. Minor league? You can still be WFC in the minor league, so I'm okay with whatever league the Phils play in.
4. Get a nose job.