Werth-less?

I'm really glad that Pat Gillick is getting the chance to keep his former draft picks in the majors, but what is he doing? Jayson Werth, who Gillick drafted with the Orioles in 1997, did not play in 2006 because he was injured, but in 2004 he hit 16 home runs in 290 ABs for the Dodgers. Of course, in 2005 he hit 7 home runs in 337 ABs. You know who can also do that? Jeff Conine (10 HR, 489 AB between Baltimore and Philly last year). OK, I know Conine isn't your speedster off the bench, but we also have Bourn waiting around so we can see what he can do. I understand wanting a replacement for Dellucci, but is the RIGHT-HANDED career .245 hitter the answer? Don't think so.

The Phillies are also apparently close to signing Rod Barajas to back up Ruiz. Well it isn't like we had anyone else on the active roster who could do that. Barajas hit .256-11-41 in 344 ABs for Texas last year. Chris Coste hit .328-7-32 in 198 ABs last year. Sure, I understand having a veteran tutor for Ruiz, and I understand the bench flexibiliy that Coste, who can play 1st and 3rd, brings to the team. Then again, Howard is going to play 160 games with Conine to back him up, and we already have two crappy third basemen. So Coste is your #1 pinch hitter, a role held in 2006 by (wait for it) David Dellucci.

So what is Werth doing here again?


To clarify the original post: it is the combination of what they say they are doing and these two signings that bothers me. Coste will pinch hit, so what does Werth do? He is the defensive replacement for Burrell/Conine (Conine won't play much unless Burrell is awful again). Well, I don't know why we need to bring someone in when we have Roberson and Bourn. If it is those 3 guys competing for the last roster spot, then that's fine, but if it is Werth's spot based on what he did in 2004 before being injured, that is crap. Either way, they don't replace Dellucci because Werth isn't as good and isn't a lefty (whether we needed a lefty or not).

Goodbye to the past, Hello to the present, and Hopes for the future

Billy King finally pulled the trigger. AI is now a Denver Nugget, and Joe Smith is once again a 76er. The Sixers also got Andre Miller and two first round picks in the 2007 draft (Denver and Dallas).

Everyone knows what the Nuggets got in the trade: the second leading scorer (ironically behind Carmelo Anthony, who still has 14 games of suspension to go) and an undeniable warrior. Iverson deserves a chance to win, and he got his wish. The Nuggets also got a throw away player in the deal, Ivan McFarlin, a rarely used, young forward from the Sixers.

What the Sixers got: a true point guard, albeit 30 years old, still top 5 in the league averaging nearly a double-double in points and assists. He has also shined for bad teams, and will at least promote the fundamentals of basketball on a young team. An unslefish player, he should also give the raw talent of the Sixers countless opportunities to foster their offensive development. The only catch with Miller is that he's signed for 2 more seasons, which is the same as Iverson, though 10 million dollars cheaper per year.

So the Sixers save 10 million dollars the next two seasons because Joe Smith's contract comes off the books after this year. Smith will play a marginal role in the rest of the 06/07 Sixers team, most likely being the 3rd or 4th guy off the bench, spelling Webber.

The two picks the Sixers receive will most likely both be in the 20s. If Iverson and Anthony can't coexist (or they suffer from not having a point guard...something the Sixers always struggled with), then Denver could potential slip, miss the playoffs, which would give the Sixers two lottery picks, once they get eliminated from the playoffs, which could happen next week. Dallas will be there until the end, so unless Dirk gets hurt, that pick will be a borderline second rounder. With this draft full of talent at the top and bottom because of the recent implementation of the age restriction, the Sixers should be in prime position to net a few good players. Outside of Oden, and maybe the other top 5 picks, I don't trust Billy King to make the right decisions, though. We'll see how the rest of the season plays out. At first glance, though, I like this deal. It's 3 components that the Sixers needed most: cap space, draft picks, and a veteran, unslefish point guard. Iverson will most likely prove to be more valuable over the next few years, but Billy King could have done a lot worse.

I wish Iverson the best of luck, though it's in the Sixers best interest that he fail, and fail miserably. If Iverson needed any other motivation to stick it to Billy King...

The latest brawl and TO's latest disgrace

This is one of those times that I'm glad I don't have cable. I can imagine how this thing has been plastered all over sports TV the last 24 hours...and I had to watch it on YouTube on a tip from Jeff. It does feel good sometimes to limit the amount of crap that gets thrown at your face. Moving on...

I don't have any special views on what happened or try to rise above the action citing a bigger picture. What happened, happened. Sports are based on competition. I'm not defending what took place, just reminding everyone that this is a result of the environment we create, it's not the first time, not the worst time, nor the last time.

It's funny, SI has a slideshow with the 22 "most memorable sports brawls." Most memorable...that sounds pretty positive to me. Most notorious...that would have painted a bleaker picture. The porblem is, when I clicked through the slideshow, I couldn't help but grin when I saw Robin Ventura in a Nolan Ryan headlock taking it to the face. Or when Michael Barret took out A.J. Pierzynski for a collision at the plate when Barret never even received the ball, as a former catcher myself, thought "Pierzynski should have known better, he deserved that."

I've been in basketball games where I got frustrated, and fouled the other team hard, so I can't blame Collins, and he was prepared for what he got. Isiah Thomas is an asshole. Everyone in the country can agree to that. He played dirty and apparently now he coaches dirty. But again, it's happened before. And had the melee not ensued, we'd never be talking about this. That being said, Stern should have suspended him, evidence or not. Suspend him while you are investigating the matter. This was too big to mess up. Carmelo Anthony is feeling pretty dumb right now. I've been there, every guy has, you get so caught up in the adrenaline, you can only see the guy in front of you...he took a swing. Most guys don't actually connect though. And the ones that do, usually don't run away afterwards.

All in all, I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about this. In my opinion, the suspensions should have been doubled, and Isiah should have been right there with the players. The NBA is not far enough removed from the 'Malice in the Palace' to let this go with a slap on the wrist. The refs did the right thing by ejecting all 10 players on the court. David Stern dropped the ball on the resulting suspensions. If Ron Artest was involved, he would have been banished from basketball.

On a similar note: I hate talking about him, but Terrell Owens has gone above and beyond. To me, go ahead and run up the score in a basketball game...it's on my team to play better, and we're all supposed professionals. But spit in my face 6 plays into a game because you can't take the trash talk that you're famous for saying yourself...inexcusable. If I was DeAngelo Hall, well, I'll censor the following thought. Seriously, is there anything more degrading than spitting in a man's face. I can't believe Hall took the high road and did not retaliate, then did the smart thing by instructing the league on how to keep their credibility and validate his non-reaction. Instead, the league drops the ball, and fines T.O $35,000. That number is wholly insignificant. Owens just signed a 3 year, 25 million dollar contract with a 5 mil bonus. The math isn't perfect, and the contract isn't guaranteed, but that's roughly $600,000+ per game. That means he could spit in the face of every offensive and defensive player on the opposing team, before losing one game's salary...Now I know I'm going overboard, but he should have been fined at least a game's salary, which should go to Mr. Hall, and then get suspended another game without pay. T.O. wasn't the only one to spit in Hall's face this weekend. The NFL did too.

In Defense of Ed Wade

I know that Ed Wade made some weak trades, some bad conracts, and bears some responsibility for Scott Rolen's refusal to resign with the Phils, however, he clearly was not as much of a disaster as Billy King. As proof, here are the Phillies' first-round draft picks during the Ed Wade era (first-round only, so it doesn't count a guy like, oh I don't know, Ryan Howard):

1998 - Pat Burrell
1999 - Brett Myers
2000 - Chase Utley
2001 - Gavin Floyd
2002 - Cole Hamels
2003 - [no first round pick]
2004 - Greg Golson
2005 - [no first round pick]

So, that's two starters and two starting pitchers, and an outfield prospect. Plus Floyd. I'd say that's pretty good, and Billy King has nothing like this to show.

News from Around the League

The Nationals traded Jose Vidro to the Mariners for a young pitcher and an outfielder who has been injured more often than Ken Griffey Jr. Felipe Lopez will move from shortstop to second to make room for the return of Cristian Guzman. Let me get this straight: you wouldn’t move Vidro to let Soriano play second, but you’ll move Vidro so you can break the logjam at shortstop for Guzman? The same Guzman who missed all of 2006 with an injury after batting .219 in 2005? Good thing they cleared some salary so they can sign Soriano back…oh wait.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is about to sign a 6-year, $52 million contract with Boston. Usually I don’t like paying players huge amounts of money when they have no major league experience, but for a number of reasons this is an unusual case. The contract is not too large, especially considering the market – if Gil Meche is worth 5 years, $55 million, then this is a good signing. When you count the posting fee, however (and I don’t think you can ignore it), then you are paying Matsusaka about $17M per. So I hope he throws complete games, because you still don’t have a closer.

Vernon Wells received a massive contract offer from the Blue Jays. When the Blue Jays are offering someone the 6th largest contract in Major League history, you know there is something wrong with the market. Maybe they know something about the Canadian exchange rate that I don’t.

Gillick is aquiring every pitcher he can...who's next, Wayne Gomes?

I apologize to anyone who will have nightmares about my Wayne Gomes comment. But Gillicks seems to be attempting to set the record for spring training invitees.

Speaking of Gomes, he was a former first round pick by the Phils (#4 overall!?!) in 1993. He pitched for the Phils for five years before bouncing around and finally quitting after being cut by several teams. In his career, he made just under 2 million dollars.

His career line: W-L 30-23, 29 Saves, 4.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP

Oddly enough, those stats would be good for what, 3 or 4 million per for 3 years in this market?

Following the Freddy Garcia trade, the Phillies have been active with minor transactions. Here's a recap of the past few days:

• The Phillies netted three players in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft, two pitchers and a catcher. They also took one player, Victor Hall, OF from the Yankees, in the AAA portion.
  
• The Phillies announced 19 players invited to spring training. The list includes nine pitchers, five catchers, three infielders and two outfielders.
• Just today, the Phillies announced the acquisition of left hander Bobby Livingston from the Devil Rays for cash.
  

The two pitchers from the Rule 5 draft are Jim Ed Warden, a 6' 7" side arm throwing righty out of Cleveland's AA and Alfredo Simon, a former Phillies prospect, acquired from San Franscisco via a trade with the Orioles during the draft. Simon pitched in A and AAA for SF last year, and the Phillies took him on reports that he has been hitting 98 mph on the gun in winter ball, though there have always been questions about his control. The other player taken was catcher, Ryan Budde, who, if he made the roster, would allow flexibility in playing Ruiz and especially Coste, who can also play first and third.

There weren't many surprises in the spring training invitations. Jason Jaramillo, AA catching prospect will be there, along with 31 year old Randall Simon who was a left-handed bat on the Phils' bench last year. Young lefty J.A. Happ, who spent time in A, AA, and AAA last year was invited. Happ will probably be ready for his first big league taste by the All-Star break, and will likely be one of the first pitchers called up if a starter (see Adam Eaton) is injured. Last year's first rounder, Kyle Drabeck gets an invitation because of his contract, he is very far from the big leagues. Young outfielder Greg Golson will also be there.

One more name to keep an eye on is Alexis Gomez, lefthanded batting left fielder who was released by the Tigers today to make room for recently acquired, former Phillie, Jose Mesa. The Phillies are still looking for a left handed bat off the bench to replace Dellucci, and that's exactly what Gomez was for the Tigers last year. Despite being taken off the roster twice during the season, Gomez was added to the playoff roster. He responded by going 4-for-9 in the ALCSs, including a 2-for-4 HR, 4 Ribbie performance in Game 2.

For the season, Gomez hit .272 with five doubles, two triples, a home run and six RBIs in 62 big league games. In AAA, he hit .288 with 11 homers, 18 doubles, three triples and 36 RBIs in 58 games.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Gillick pick him up and give him a chance to make the team out of spring training. And yes, the name Gomez did spark my memory of the long forgotten, Wayne Gomes. If nothing else, the Phillies will have a lot of compeition in spring training. Hopefully, there are some pleasant surprises in this bunch.

Unsurprising Eagles

Think back to August. The Eagles were predicted to finish last in the NFC East. While we knew that there was no way the Redskins were a better team, we understood that the Eagles had flaws: they still don’t (or can’t) run the ball; still not enough talent at receiver; still can’t stop the run. On top of that, you know one of these days the defensive playmakers are going to lose a step, we seem to come up short in big games, and there was always the possibility of a McNabb or Westbrook injury.

Then suddenly, the Eagles were 4-1, and all you heard on ESPN was how the offense was clicking, and that they could be undefeated if not for that one overtime loss! Yeah, they could have been undefeated – if they didn’t blow a 17 point 4th quarter lead.

Then they were 4-3, and the talking heads were less excited, but still amazed that if not for that OT loss and two last second field goals, the Eagles were undefeated. Right – if they didn’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the Giants, forget to play the first half against the Bucs and the Saints and then not quite finish the comebacks because they can’t run the ball to hold a lead or kill the clock, they were undefeated.

It could have been a great year because McNabb is that good and the receivers were good enough, but only if everything went right. But the Eagles got burned because if you can’t sustain a drive and rely on the big play, you can’t play from behind and you can’t hold a lead. That isn’t a recipe for success, and nothing about that has changed since August. Don’t be shocked that they were struggling.

But if we make the playoffs without McNabb, then I’ll be surprised.

Goodbye, AI

With Allen Iverson's seemingly overnight transition from wanting to retire a Sixer to demanding an immediate trade (though no one can blame him), it marks the end for one of Philadelphia's longest current tenured athletes, and more importantly, the end of an era.

Love him, hate him, or indifferent, no one can deny that Allen Iverson left evertyhing he had out on the court every single night. A former high school quarterback (by the nickname of Bubba Chuck) Iverson's taken more hits in his career than Donovan McNabb. The way he just pounds the paint, play after play, occasionally breaking opponent's ankles, or pulling up for an off balance jumpshot...the guy is one hell of a basketball player. I know he disrespected coaches and teammates, had brushes with the law (though most involved friends), and everyone remembers the "practice" comment, but none of those will define his career. Sure his best year came when he had a team of role players around him as they ventured all the way to the finals, but people forget that Iverson also won an All-Star MVP and was one of few bright spots on a disapointing Olympic team, proving that he can play with talent, the Sixers just never had any. Iverson took all the shots because he had to. The Sixers tried to surround him with other options, but looking back, it's not what Iverson did with these guys, but what did they do without him:

• Jerry Stackhouse - Never panned out as a consistent scoring shooting guard anywhere. Success only on a loaded team in Dallas.
• Larry Hughes - Definitely never became the player he was supposed to in a draft where we could have had Paul Pierce or Dirk Nowitski.
• Keith Van Horn - Drafted him, traded him, then traded back for him. We never should have traded back for him.
• Tim Thomas - Makes a good 6th man.
• Joe Smith - Career avg. 12 points, 7 boards, 1 assist...couldn't play with KG either.
• Matt Harpring - Career avg. 12 points, 6 boards, 1.5 assists...fun fact - weighs the same as Joe Smith, 225lbs, but gives up 3 inches.
• Julius Jones - Enjoyed the dunks, but that's about it.
• Glenn Robinson - Overweight and didn't like playing defense, was formerly part of a 3 man show in Milwaukee.
• Toni Kukoc - Was third option behind Jordan and Pippen. We tried to make him the second guy in his twilight years.
• Chris Webber - Again, twilight years...on bad knees no less.

If anyone can be blamed for all of this mess, it's Billy King. The fact that Iverson's MVP season in 01-02 took the Sixers to the Finals with a team of role players should speak volumes for the little guy. In his 10 years with the team, the Sixers failed to put a couple good young players around him with a couple solid veterans. I believe that with any other GM, the Sixers win a couple championships in Iverson's reign, and we never have this conversation.

But here we are, another Philadelphia icon departing in his prime, with the Sixers in the familiar place of a forced unbalanced trade (see Curt Schilling, Scott Rolen, Charles Barkley). I won't even discuss the reported trade scenarios because I don't trust Billy King to pick the right one, and the Sixers will still have Chris Webber's immobile contract (and body) anyway.

So an era comes to an end, one of the greatest basketball players this town has ever seen. How long will it take the team to create another identity and for a new era to begin?

Garcia trade was good, not great

Let's get this out of the way from the top: Freddy Garcia is not an ace, and he is not the answer. However, the Phillies are better a better team with him, and in a better trading position after making the deal. So let's give some credit to Pat Gillick.

A lot of fans are complaining about this deal. Of course, a lot of fans complain because they think that it is their job, or that they have to maintain that Philly sports fan image. So let's get the negatives out of the way:
1) Gavin Floyd's potential. He is only 24, some pitchers put it together late, and he's got great stuff that a lot of the organization did not want to lose.
2) Gio Gonzalez is going to be really good. The White Sox hated losing him, the Phillies hated losing him, and everyone who sees him is impressed with him. Plus he's only 21.
3) Some of Garcia's peripheral stats aren't beautiful (all 2006 numbers for CWS): a 4.53 ERA, and 40! bases stolen against. Really, these numbers aren't bad, but the problem is that they've been getting worse over the last few years (as have the WHIP, K/9, and K/BB numbers), which is a bad sign for a guy who is 30. And they aren't the numbers of an ace.
4) Garcia has one year left on his contract.

In reality, though, this was a good move.
1) Floyd has a lot of potential. So did Madson as a starter. So did Brandon Duckworth. These things are not sure fire hits, especially when they have struggled at all levels for two seasons.
2) Gonzalez is closer to a sure fire hit, but remember when Floyd was completely untradeable? What the hell is Duckworth doing these days? Anyone remember how upset people were when the Phils traded a hot prospect to the Padres for Andy Ashby? That was Adam Eaton.

Besides that, we got Gonzalez from the ChiSox in the first place. Put the two trades together, and we got Rowand and Garcia (plus Fabio "don't call me Fidel" Castro by way of Texas for Daniel Haigwood) for Floyd and Thome. Thome is a hero, and had a great season...but Ryan Howard was the MVP and, frankly, is a beast. Gonzalez is a null value in the two deals.

3) Like I said, Garcia's stats are pretty good, putting him in the top 25 of AL starters last year. And they figure to improve given that he is moving to the NL and in a contract year. 18 of 33 Garcia starts were Quality Starts, or 55%. You'd like to see that number improve, but only Myers was better on the Phils last year. And guess what? Myers is your ace, whether you like it or not.

4) Garcia having one year left on the contract is a problem. You just can't say that he isn't good and that it is bad he is only here for one year - pick one. I choose that I wish he had a longer deal, but maybe we can sign him, and maybe we can sign someone else. But the big thing he does for us is allow us to trade Lieber (or go back in time and not sign Eaton?). I don't have a problem with Liber staying, but the team still has holes in the bullpen, and with no quality and cheap pitching out there, we should be able to make a good deal.

Look, it isn't a perfect trade. And I'm not sold on Gillick, because I don't agree with Wes Helms or Adam Eaton. But Garcia is a good picther who will be a great upgrade over last year's rotation; view the trade as a companion to the Thome deal, and all we gave up was Floyd; and remember that it gives us the room to manuever to trade a starter for the other problems with the club. Overall, it is a good trade, and shows that Gillick is willing to take a risk for the team. Before you jump on this trade, think of how badly you would be all over Gillick for doing nothing with the rotation all winter. It's a good deal.

My Thoughts on Aaron Rowand

I don't quite understand the infatuation with Aaron Rowand. I mean, of course I appreciate "the catch," and the guy plays the game the right way. But for some reason Philly fans treat this guy as if he's their first born child.

Objectively looking at Aaron Rowand...I see a strikingly similar player in David Bell...former #1 public enemy in Philadelphia. David Bell is a guy who will hit about .270 20 HR 80 RBI with a couble big hits and great defense. He is also highly touted for his leadership and clubhouse attitude. But the people's perception of Bell was that he was a bum, he was injured with chronic back pain, and they wanted him off the team yesterday. Rowand is the same player. Similar offensive numbers mean he doesn't add that much to the lineup, hitting 6 or 7. And he's admired for his hard nose style and defense, which wound up getting him hurt and missing time last year. The funny thing is, the Phils never even had a decent backup for Bell, making him an important part of the team, but we have a great centerfielder-in-the-making in Shane Victorino, who may end up better than Rowand. Rowand also reminds me of Lenny Dystra, famed Phillies centerfield of the 1993 World Series team, except without the ability to draw walks and bat leadoff.

Now don't get me wrong, I like Aaron Rowand. But he's not the prodigal son, and he's only part of the core of this team if all the other pieces are in place. He simply isn't a complete offensive player to build around. And based on some of the trade rumors, the perception around the league is that he is more valuable than that. So with a capable replacement in Victorino, the Phillies should definitely be listening to offers for the hard nosed Rowand, and while he would be missed, he may bring us more value in a trade than on the field.

Edit: I almost forgot...Rowand only has one more year left on his contract. So, he could walk at the end of the year, potentially back to the White Sox. If we can't get him signed to an extension by the All-Star break, I would be reluctant to hold him and watch him leave as a free agent.