Phillies Legend of The Week

You know when people people tend to bash Jimmy Rollins for his at bats and streaky play I always think...."be careful what you wish for....." and think back to a time not so long ago when the shortstop position in Philadelphia was manned by a very less talented player who would go on to become "legendary"

That Player...

Desi Relaford

I think the most shocking thing about his career is that Desi was able to play 11 seasons in the Majors for 7 different teams (RIGHT!!?) That is quite the accomplishment for a player who hit over .300 once (2001). But still.300 doesn't make a baseball player... all the intangibes do.

Like being able to stay grounded even though you are replacing the Great Kevin Stocker (who had a twin sister..I know you don't care but think about that image for a moment..)

Relaford was a part of a 1997 phillies team that finished with the best record in the majors....well best record in the second half of the season...and was a part of a young energetic group that was going to start the rebuilding process for the Phils.

Relaford would play with the phillies for four years including a career high 142 in 1998. He did not do much..he was fast, compact and surpsingly we would later find out could pitch!

But his stay was not long on this Phillie team because in 2000 the Phillies believed that they had a farmhand who was competent enough to be their everyday starting shortstop....Jimmy Rollins.

So for the rest of his life Desi will be a never ending answer to the trivia question "who was the phillies last starting everyday shortstop before Jimmy Rollins??" and because of that Desi...

Welcome to the Hall of Legends

Phillies Legend of the Week

As the evolution of the Phillies new Big 3 continue lets focus on the flip side for an additional week.

In 1997 one Leiter brother would pitch in game 7 of the World Series and secure a second Championship ring and the other Leiter brother would go on to lose a career worst 17 games. Which one do you think the Phillies had??


Signed in 1997 "the shitty leiter" as our friends would refer to him, would not only give up a career high 115 earned runs but also record an ERA over 5 for a Phillies team that would win 68 games.

The sad part about this is that Leiter was the Phils second best pitcher!! Slotted second behind Curt Schilling and in front of RTB "legends" Tyler Green, Garrett Stephenson and Matt Beech Leiter would be second on the team in wins, games started, innings pitched and complete games.

Due to problems in the bullpen in 1998 Leiter would move into the closers role and record 23 saves for a team that would finish with 75 wins.

So as the Pennant race heats up here in late August maybe you should take a quick breathe and think about Mark Leiter or any of the other bums that were pitching behind him in 1997 before you criticize Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton....at least they are the best pitchers in their own Family!

Phillies Legend Of The Week

Sorry for the absence. RTB has been bouncing around the country doing our side jobs. Anywho you don't care about that you want to see some Damn legends!!! So we gladly present our
Phillies Legend of The Week:

Andy Ashby

At one point this season Jason Werth had officially become the most hated Phillie on the team. He could not hit, run the bases correctly (still can't), defend or shave accordingly. Every Phillies fan from here to the southern depths of Delaware wanted him gone. Well fast forward a month and all of a sudden Jason seems to be taking the small steps towards snapping out of his season long suckfest and winning back the Phaithful. How does this relate to Andy Ashby you say??? Well Andy certianly can relate to Jason's problems when he was here...only he never quite found the solution... Let's go back in the RTB time machine to recount Andy's second tour of duty.

During the 2000 off season San Diego had placed Ashby on the trade market. He was coming off of two All star appearances, was regarded as an anchor on the 1998 Pennant winning Padres and compiled a 70-62 record over an eight year span pitching out west. Plus as an added value he had aleady spent the begining of his career with the Phillies, signing as an undrafted Free agent in 1986 and making his Major league debut in 1991.

The Phillies at the time were looking for someone who could back up Curt Schilling as a Number 2 pitcher. Someone who could eat a ton of innings and provide that one two punch for a Phillies team that was young, hungry and quietly whispering about taking the Braves out in the NL East. How could this pairing not work??

When the trade was announced Sportscenter brought on Peter Gammons for an analysis and he believed that with Ashby now in the fold the Phillies could be considered as NL East Contenders. Well if Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons thought it was a great move then it must be we all thought.

Boy were we all wrong........

Ashby was the symbol for everything that went wrong with that Phillies team. On their way to finishing with 97 Losses Ashby would contribute 4 wins in 16 starts and consistently leave the pitching rubber in the vet showered in Boos. His ERA would hover above five all season and he gave up 17 homeruns in the first half of the season along with 13 more k's then BBs. He was awful...

So how did Ashby respond to the all this hate?? By walking off the mound of the Vet and giving the crowd the middle finger after they booed another short outing. Shortly after Ashby would be shipped to the Braves, the team we once thought we could overtake with this player was now mercifully taking him off of our hands. How did Ashby do afterwards you ask?? 8 wins in 15 apperances, 55ks and 33 Bbs all while helping the braves win their seventh straight division title...UGHH!

Looking back that 2000 season was one of the most important in the long existence of this franchise (Schilling traded, Burrell and Rollins make debut, Utley Drafted) and this Ashby incident was a mere blip it still provided us with an important lesson. In sports nothing is for certain. No matter if the numbers, situation, Half Of Famers and common sense say they are.

Thank you Mr. Ashbhy for teaching us that lesson and because of that you will aways be looked at as Legendary at RTB. Take the rest of the week off.

Phils Win in 11th inning with Valdez Walk Off Single

The Phillies have closed the gap in the NL East to 2.5 games. They have made up 4.5 games in the past week alone. That happens when you win 8 games in a row, sweeping 2 series from the Diamondbacks and Rockies.

Last night Wilson Valdez was the hero. Filling in for the injured Jimmy Rollins(who isn't hurt on this team now?) he made some great defensive plays to help save a Diamondbacks rally. In the 11th inning, Cody Ransom walked followed by a Carlos Ruiz single then Valdez came to the plate and singled to center and Ransom slid into homeplate safely to finish off the sweep of the D-Backs.

Kyle Kendrick pitched well, only allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.

The Phillies travel to DC to take on the Nationals for a weekend series.

Oh yeah, Roy Oswalt makes his debut for the Fightins tonight.

Oswalt Deal Pending his Approval...

The Phillies and Astros are ready to pull the trigger. The only thing that stands in the way now is the willingness of pitcher Roy Oswalt to waive his no-trade clause to finalize the deal. The Phils would send J.A. Happ and prospects to Houston and the Phillies would receive a top of the rotation pitcher in Oswalt. ESPN is reporting that the teams have agreed on how much of the salary the Astros will pay as well with reports of it being a "significant amount" which looks good for our Phillies. Oswalt was quoted as saying "You do need a little bit of time. I don't want it to be two hours before the deadline and have to make a quick decision. I would rather have a little more time to think about it." What the hell is there to think about? Stay in Houston and pitch meaningless baseball games, or move to Philly, get paid the same and be in the middle of a pennant race with the WFC's. Are you that scared or worried about the fans and media? Then don't come. Here is a little advice about the fans and media in Philadelphia Roy.... If you play hard, don't act like a douche bag, and do well...we will love you. Don't play hard, act like an ass, and play like shit, we will be all over you. Pretty simple. Oh yeah and don't listen to that jack ass Brett Myers. We finally sent him packing for being a complete moronic piece of shit who was a cancer in our championship locker room. I think you will make the right decision. See you soon.......

Domonic Brown shows he deserves to be here....Phils DOMinate D-Backs 7-1

Roy Halladay acted like Roy Halladay last night and did is thing. Just your normal 9 inning complete game only allowing 1 run while striking out 9. But Doc's performance was overshadowed by the newest member of the Fightin Phils in top prospect Domonic Brown's call up to replace injured CF Shane Victorino. Brown did not disappoint ripping the 3rd pitch he saw off the right field wall to knock in the Phillies first run and slide into second. He ended up finishing the game 2 for 3 knocking in 2 rbi's and scoring twice. The only mistake was late in the game playing right field he went to dive for a ball that he should have let drop and cut off for only a single to the batter. But hey...lets not get picky. This kid still has a few games to prove he is not a one night stand, but I think this call up is going to be permanent. Charlie Manuel summed it up best talking about Brown's performance, "He's an exciting player. He's got tools. He has quite a bit of ability." Spoken in true Manuel form.

Oh yeah the suddenly charging Phillies have now won 7 in a row and catching up on the Braves who now with 60 plus games have to start looking in there rear view mirror as they only have a 3.5 game lead in the NL East. Tonight the Phils go for the sweep with Kyle Kendrick on the mound facing Joe Saunders.

Phils Stay Hot, Beat Diamondbacks 9-5

Cole Hamels wasn't as sharp last night as his previous few outings but he did enough to keep the Phils in it. Hamels went 5 innings, fanning 8 batters and letting up 3 earned runs on 6 hits for the no decision. Ryan Howard is again proving he is an offensive machine in this league with a homer and 3 rbi's and raising his average to .302 for the season. He is quietly having his best season since 06 when he claimed the MVP award. His numbers stand out this year because the pitching has been dominating hitters across the league with all offensive numbers being way down. Speaking of dominating, Shane Victorino felt a pull in his oblique last night while diving back to first base. Later on he took himself out of the game for precaution. Could this mean a call up of Domonic Brown???? Victorino gets an MRI this morning to see exactly what is wrong and how bad, which Victorino thinks he will be fine. Even with all the injuries of key players piling up, the Fightins have managed to go on a 6 game winning streak and cut the NL East deficit in half, trailing the Bravos by 3.5 games now.
Tonight is a matchup of 2 pitchers who already thrown no hitters this season. Roy Halladay goes against Edwin Jackson at 7:05 in Citizens Bank Park.

Manuel leaves Blanton in too long, Cards win 5-1. Oswalt trade talks hit a snag

The only good thing about this team right now is that Ryan Howard is hitting like Babe Ruth. Other then that I can't think of too much going right for the Phillies right now. They are playing awful baseball since the All-Star break and continue to slip in the standings.

With the bases loaded in the 7th and 2 outs, the game was tied 1-1 and Joe Blanton was due to hit. Blanton had pitched a great game up to that point and it was Charlies decision to leave him in and bat. Blanton didn't knock in any runs and the game remained tied. Next half of the inning Matt Holliday sent the first pitch over the fence and that was the end for the Phillies who cannot score any runs or even get hits. After the game Manuel defended his decision to leave Blanton in and put blame elsewhere. "What can I say. Everyday we do the same thing. We don't hit and we don't score runs" Manuel is 100% right on this but he still should have let somebody pinch hit for Fat Joe in that spot, except there is no real offense threat of the bench.

Today Cole Hamels will take on Adam Wainright at 2:15. The Phillies are now 7 games out from the Braves and 4 games back in the wild card with about 6 teams to leap frog to take that as well.

A delay has come up in the Roy Oswalt trade rumor with the Phillies not so sure about the guaranteed option year in 2012. Oswalt has a full no trade clause and wants to go to a playoff contender. Can we honestly say that the Phillies are a playoff contender right now? They need to win a few games and get back in the NL East race....and quick.

Phils lose to Cards 7-1, Moyer headed to the DL. H2O=Halladay 2 Hamels 2 Oswalt

47 year old Jamie Moyer strained his elbow and lasted only 1 inning as it looks most like he will be headed to the 15 day DL. This happens the same day the Phillies demoted Kyle Kendrick to Triple A. He could be recalled back to the bigs but rumors are flying around the league this morning that the Phillies are searching for a starting pitcher in a trade. The big rumor is that the Phillies are trying to land Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros, a move this blogger loves. Oswalt would come in and be your #3 starter, with a 123 punch of Halladay, Hamels & Oswalt I feel much better when our team takes the field, especially in a playoff series. This rotation will be known as H2O......(you heard it hear first on RTB) Problem is the Phils need the bats to wake up and provide some offense to back up some great pitching from there starters. Rumors are that Happ could be a big piece in the deal or even Werth could be moved in a possible 3 team deal with prospects going to Houston and Werth going to another club. More to come as the day and rumors continue.....

Kendrick sent to Minors, Phils call up Andrew Carpenter for now...

After getting shelled last night by the Cardinals the Phillies have sent Kyle Kendrick to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. They have recalled righthander Andrew Carpenter to fill his spot on the roster. Unsure if Carpenter will be in the starting rotation or put in the bullpen. As of now he would start Sundays game against NL Cy Young favorite Ubaldo Jimenez.....great. This could be the beginning of some moves leading up to the trade deadline on July 31st.

Simon Gagné Game Winning Goal Of Game 7 (May 14 2010)

Canada Simon Gagne American Cheese

Gagne Traded To Tampa Bay Lightning

With the Flyers looking to make room to keep under the salary cap, they parted ways with the longest tenured player on the roster. Gagne was traded for defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round pick. This trade sounds awful. Gagne was owed 5.25 million this season and the Flyers were 2.49 million over the salary cap, so a move was expected but nobody was sure who it was going to be. Now the Flyers are under the cap and still have some money to make a move or two. Replacing Simon Gagne will most likely be newly aquired forward Nik Zherdev. Zherdev may help with the offensive production but reports say that he is heavily lacking the skills to help out on defense. Looking up Gags career stats as a Flyer he was ranked in the top 10 for almost every offensive category including games, goals and points. I realize that this is the new NHL with teams having to make do and keep under the salary cap but it just feels like another Philadelphia star athlete gets shuttled out of here with nothing in return. So many awesome memories of Flyers playoff games when Gagne seemed to step it up and score a big goal. He will be missed. http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/Flyers_trade_Gagne_to_Tampa_Bay.html

The Greatest Movie Baseball Manager of All Time Has Passed..

James Gammon who played Indians Manager Lou Brown from the Movie Major League has died...Lets only hope that on his tombstone is the engraving "don't give me this OLEY Bullshit!!!" Here is a link to his facebook fan page....

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2212315675

Pictures From Out West

Heard in the Bleachers

Buster Olney was on Mike and Mike today and he said the Mets were very interested in Brett Myers...why would someone be interested in an affordable starter who has playoff experience and does really well vs. the NL East??? I guess the bigger questions is WHY WOULD YOU LET THAT CERTAIN SOMEONE WALK OUT THE DOOR!!!!????


David Murphy checks in with some Phillies News and Notes
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/Notes_from_Chicago_Durbin_activated_and_more.html
RTB Take: Cut F-ing Baez..

Amaro says that there really aren't any arms out there.....
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/phillies-dont-expect-to-add-pitching.html
RTB: Check our first bulletpoint.

MLB Trade Rumors breaks down the best availible starters:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/the-trade-market-for-starting-pitching.html
RTB Take: We would take Oswalt's salary and let Werth walk at the end of the year...trust us.

Batman 3 starts shooting in April. The joker will not be recasted and thus not be in it.

Phils Lose First Game Back, 12-6 at Wrigley Field

The first game back after the All-Star break was not a pretty one for Jamie Moyer and the Phillies as they were handed a 12-6 loss in Wrigley Field.

Moyer was lit up for 6 runs on 5 hits in 3 innings. Jose Contreras didn't fare any better as the Cubbies tagged him for 5 runs in only 2/3 of an inning.

The Phillies pitching staff is showing its inconsistency and it is clear they need to get a more reliable starter before the trade deadline. Trying to add on too there 4 game sweep against the Reds the Phils pitching couldn't keep them in the game.

Ryan Howard had an all-star night, as the big piece belted 2 monster 2 run homers.

Tonight Joe Blanton takes on Ted Lily to try and get the Fightins back on track as they are 5.5 games behind 1st place Atlanta.

Editors note....Sorry for the short post but I am at work trying to watch the British Open on my computer and act like I am working all at the same time. Very busy Friday.

Phillies Legend of the Week

OOOOO Dickie.....

Third generation baseball player....Check

Touted as a potential Hall of Famer...Check

Awkward nickname that supplants your actual first name...Check

Able to avoid a fastball to the face.....um...pass

Dickie Thon was a prodigy... a third generation baseball player gifted the with the pure genetics that matched up with the few other blessed players who would eventually be immortilized in Cooperstown...On April 8th 1984 that all changed.

Coming off what would be his career year..one that would include an All Star appearance and a 7th place finish in the MVP voting Thon stepped up to the plate to face Mike Torrez and one 94 mph fastball later Thon would have a broken orbital bone that would end his season and permanitly derail the rest of his playing days.

Thon would come back the next season and continued playing but due to depth perception issues he was never quite the player that he was destined to be.

His travels would take him to Philadelphia from 1989-1991....

The 1989 team would be Mike Schmidt's last in the majors and corresponding moves were made that season which would eventualy pay off in 1993.

But I digress...Dickie you had awful luck.....I think we all can agree with that. You also were on three Phillies teams that would finish with 95, 85 and 75 losses. It is only a shame that you had to finish three out of your final five years playing with some of the worst squads from two different decades only to leave right before a magical pennant run for the ages...

But because of that and your handsome mustache (wink!) RTB has decided to name you Phillies Legend of the Week.

And Dickie...We promise to stay low and outside on this one.

St.Andrews hosts the 150th Anniversary of the Open Championship

Starting tomorrow the Open Championship returns to St. Andrews. The 3rd major of the year at one of the most historic, beautiful and difficult courses in the world. Doesn't get better then this. The field this year is wide open and trying to predict who will hold the claret jug is extremely difficult. Weather is always a factor in the British Open, an early or a late tee time can mean the difference in posting a score of 78 or 67. The European players always have an advantage at this course because they play it more then the rest of the world. Especially with Tiger not being the dominant force he once was. Also Graeme McDowell is coming off a US Open major victory and many other of the European players playing so well in 2010. The Masters champion Phil Mickelson has never fared well at St. Andrews or most of the British Open events he has played in his career. I personally am always a sucker for the underdog at this event but I always root for Tiger no matter what event he plays in. Could this be the first victory of the year for him? Could Tiger get back on track at the course he has dominated before, and start chasing Jack's major title record? This place is historic and magical things always happen here at St. Andrews so anything is possible. A player like Justin Leonard could take advantage of the wind with his low ball flight and hot streaky putting. Justin Rose has won 2 of his last 3 starts including 2 weeks ago at the AT&T National. Ernie Els loves the Open Championship and has returned to spectactular form this year. What about former winner David Duval? 60 year old Tom Watson has rolled back father time and plays well in all majors. Local caddies this week are saying American J.B. Holmes will win. Rory McIlroy, Ian Poultier, and Padraig Harrington could easily emerge as the winner.

I will take a shot and predict 4 guys I think will win. Cut me a break, its tough to pick a winner in a golf tournament let alone the British Open.

1. Ian Poultier.......the guy has the attitude to win a major. Especially this one

2. Ernie Els.......the guy is playing well this year. He loves to play in this event.

3. Justin Leonard.....Not really sure I am picking him except for the fact if the wind is bad he will play well.

4. Tiger Woods.......He will get back on track at some point and start winning majors again. It will start in St Andrews.

Coverage starts at 4 am on Thursday and the same for Friday.

Flyers Sign Carcillo to 1 Year Deal

The Flyers agreed to terms with forward Dan Carcillo on a 1 year deal. Carcillo had 12 goals, 10 assists and a team high 207 penalty minutes last season in the orange and black. Carbomb is better known as an instigator and fighter and is one of those guys everyone on the other team hates. Let the circus continue......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl-h_KNrJtw

George Steinbrenner Dies, 1930-2010

The famous Yankees owner passed away. He bought the club in 1973 for $10 million and won 7 World Championships during his time as owner. The Yankees franchise is now estimated at $1.6 billion.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5375561

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV-GJ9iNX8g&feature=related

RTB is headed out West!!

RTB is headed to the Homerun derby..Pictures will follow early next week.

Cliff Lee Traded to Rangers.....Amaro wipes his sweaty brow and sighs relief..

So now that Cliff Lee has been traded down south the philly phaithful can get over the potentiol nightmare of seeing him pitch in queens....Ineresting tidbit reported by MLBtradrumors.com:

"The Phillies are taking some heat for not getting as much minor league talent for Lee when they dealt him over the winter. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that one scouting director rated Philadelphia's haul for Lee as "last by a long shot" compared to what Seattle and Cleveland both got for the pitcher within the last year."


Jesus Christ........

Cliff Lee likely to be a Yankee sooner rather then later. Werth too?

Reports from New York Posts Joel Sherman say that the Yankees are "on the brink" of making a deal for Mariner Cliff Lee. The Yankees would give up top prospect catcher Jesus Montero. The report states the only reason the hold up is that Seattle is still listening for counter offers from other teams such as Mets, Twins, and Rangers. Don't the Yankees already have a outstanding starting rotation?

http://mlb-facts-and-rumors.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/23093034?tag=headlines;other


Also the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are very interested in our own Jayson Werth. And the Phillies brass is listening. A sure sign that we won't be signing him in the off-season. So why not get the most for him since he will be a Type A free agent, and you can use that as value. A stud starting pitcher would do just fine. That would just be weird to see Werth & Lee in a Yankees uniform this postseason.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/yankees-red-sox-rays-interested-in-werth.html

Fan Interference? or Bad Reaction by Werth?

If your from Philadelphia you are not really talking about LeBron James. Well maybe you are for how much of a douchebag he is for leaving Cleveland and going to the Miami Heat. Instead you may be talking about the foul ball caught by a fan late in last nights game that Jayson Werth could have caught to end the inning. More importantly you are talking about Werth's reaction towards the fan after the play, when he had a few choice words directed to the dad in the green shirt with his son sitting right next to him.

Watching the game on tv, at first it looked like the fan should have let Werth try and catch it. Watching the replay it looked like the guy almost had no choice but to stand up and catch it because it would have smacked him straight in the face. Werth would have caught the ball if the fan didn't catch it. His glove was there just in time and it would have been a great catch. Many fans are reacting harshly towards Werth because his play as of late has not been great and they think he was taking some frustration out on this fan for interfering by cursing him out and glaring at him afterwards. I am on Werth's side here. The fan should have let Werth make the play. Imagine if the fan caught the ball like he did then the same batter ends up scoring in that inning and the Reds take the lead and the Phillies lose again. All Phillies fans around the world would have been calling him the next Bartman. But the reality is the Phillies got out of the inning unscathed and went on to win the game in extra innings.

I have always wanted to try and get a live ball at a game so I understand the fan trying to snag a ball for his kid. I've been close before but never got one. I am also in the fanbase that if I caught an opposing teams home run ball, I will not throw it back. That is Wrigley Fields tradition and it is stupid. So why did Citizens Bank Park adopt that dump tradition? I don't know and I will not follow it.

My question to you is, should the fan have let Werth try and catch the ball?

My answer.....the fan should have tried his best to let Werth make the play. I guarantee after the play Werth flips his kid the ball or at the least the next time he runs onto the field he throws him a ball.

Another Reason To Hate Lebron Tonight.....

Are you serious? +900 if Lebron puts on a crown live on air Thursday night?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!

-1800 for no?


Bet the mortgage payment on yes he puts on the crown.

Heard in The Bleachers

Gagne Not waiving his no trade Clause....

http://www.csnphilly.com/07/08/10/Gagne-I-Have-Not-Waived-my-No-Trade-Clau/landing.html?blockID=267975&feedID=704



The 700 Level says "enough with Cliff Lee" and We agree

http://www.the700level.com/2010/07/enough-with-cliff-lee-already.html



Sidebar: right now we need a number 5 starter or a consistent arm in the bullpen...If only we had someone like that in the orginazation before...someone with postseason experience...someone who had been identified as part of the team in the good times and bad....







* Lebron headed to Miami???...WGAS Anymore???
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/08/lebron-james-miami-dwyane-wade-chris-bosh/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002



* Rueben Amaro seems to be talking tough lately about players needing to pick it up...I don't blame Wilson Valdez, Juan Castro and Dane Sardhinia (is that correct) for being awful.. I blame the man who signed them as baseball players...who took all of the orginization's minor league talent and spread it across the league so he could upgrade one position and now has to sign bums off the street to fill out his lower level rosters...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/Amaro_Phils_will_consider_dealing_off_big_league_roster.html

I Guess We Can Talk About Lebron for 1 Minute....

Did everyone hear that Lebron James is a free agent? Everywhere you go that is all you see or hear right now. It's just like the Cliff Lee/Phillies conversation......I won't go there now.

Tonight on ESPN Lebron James has his own 1 hour show called, "The Decision" to let the world know what team he plans to sign an ungodly amount of money with. Here is just one of the many reasons I hate watching the NBA today. Lebron is making himself out to be bigger then the game itself. Really? A 1 hour show to let us know where you plan on signing? The balls on this guy is insane. I have to watch this now just to say I saw how insane this really was. I feel bad for all Cleveland fans. They finally have that athlete that every sports crazed city dreams of. The athlete who is predicted to be one of the greatest in his sport and actually becomes the greatest to play his sport in his very short career so far. Lebron will go on to win a championship someday, he will break many records and always be remembered. But now if he doesn't sign with Cleveland and goes to another city, it will be just like Major League when Jake Taylor finally leads the Indians to the playoffs only to get swept by the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.(I know this is the result because I watched the beginning of Major League 2). So after this circus that has been going on for several weeks now climaxes tonight at 9pm we can move on and forget about the NBA for a few months. Not so fast. Now we will have to listen and hear about the actual signing and if he leaves Cleveland how sad that will be. Whatever happened to the days where an athlete just did press conferences and talked about "Practice"??? So in the famous words of Terrell Eldorado Owens, "Get your popcorn ready" and listen to this selfish athlete named Lebron James tell US where he plans on signing a contract for millions of dollars. Unless he says the Philadelphia 76ers I don't really care that much.

Also the over/under on how many times they mention all the proceeds from advertising going to charity is 30.

Phils Lose 7-5, Braves Take Series Win

It wasn't that the Phillies lost last night & Tuesday night to the Braves that will hurt. It was the fact that we easily could have won both games and swept the Braves to make up some much needed ground in the NL East. Now the Phillies sit in 3rd place and 6 games back of the Atlanta Braves. Only 4 games left until the All-Star break against the NL Central leading Reds and the Phillies must find a way to win a few before the 2nd half starts. It is not emergency time yet but this is a team that needs to get healthy, get better timely hitting and the bullpen must pitch better down the stretch if they have any hopes of making it back to the playoffs.
Jamie Moyer started out last night throwing well for the first 5 innings. Something we are starting to get accustomed too with the old guy, but then it all fell apart in the 6th. Moyer started out with a strikeout then let up a solo home run to Martin Prado. Follow that with a pair of hits, a walk to load the bases and Brian McCann cleared the bases with a double. Then it got worse as Matt Diaz blew the game wide open with a 2 run shot. It took the heart right out of the Phils who could only get 2 more runs in the game before it was a final of 7-5.
Moyers final numbers were 5.1 innings 7 runs on 7 hits walked 1 and struck out 3 for the loss. That line would have been much better if you erase that 6th inning, but that is baseball for ya. Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino homered for the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins had a pair of doubles early in the game.
Now the Phils look to gain a little momentum heading into the break as Kyle Kendrick takes the hill against Johnny Cueto here tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Did Flyers sign Russian Player Nikolai Zherdev? More to Follow....

http://www.the700level.com/2010/07/russian-reports-flyers-sign-zherdev-nabokov-heads-home-to-khl.html#more

Sneak Peek for Eagles Cheerleaders Calendar..Unveiling Tomorrow

http://www.philly.com/philly/photos/sports_photos/Sneak_Peek_at_Eagles_Cheerleaders_Calendar_.html?cmpid=42907682

Only 3 Hits? Phils Lose in Extras With Bullpen Collapse

Last night was a heartbreaking loss for the Fightins as the Braves went ahead in the 11th inning with 3 runs to win the game 6-3. Raul Ibanez started the game off with a 2 deep run blast but the Phils could only muster 1 more run in the 7th and total only 3 hits for the night. Only 3 hits.
Matt Diaz hit a double in the 11th, knocking in a run followed by a Eric Hinske 2 run homer for the Braves. When pitchers like David Herndon and Mike Zagurski are on the hill things like this usually happen. But lets back track to the 7th inning when Ibanez walked to start the inning off. Ryan Howard then hit a stand up triple to score Ibanez and tie the game with no outs. The was the end of the night for Jurrjens who pitched a solid game. Up next was Jayson Werth who struck out looking at 5 pitches by Peter Moylan. Then Jonny Venters retired Ben Fransisco and got Wilson Valdez to hit into a ground out. Charlie Manuel was upset after the game by that at bat from Werth. "I don't think you can hit if you don't swing. You got to score there. You have a man on third with nobody out, you have to score period." A little more tension between the skipper and the pending free agent outfielder.
The Braves bullpen shut down the Phillies the rest of the game and just needed to wait for the Phillies bullpen to implode to score some runs. Up next Jamie Moyer goes for his 10th win of the season and try and win the series for the Phillies tonight.

Some extra notes from last night, Ruben Amaro said the Phillies will not call up Domonic Brown to be a bench player. "You bring him up when he is ready to be an everyday player."
There could be some mixed signals there with rumors now of Jayson Werth being on the trade market because the Phillies won't be able to resign him this offseason.
It's never boring with this team.....

Sixers Chat

Phil Jasner is currently chatting about the sixers.....best question in chat so far.. "Dei Lynam is hotter the Jaime Maggio...Do you agree??"

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Phil_Jasner_chats_Sixers.html

Halladay pitches 7th complete game of year, Gets Phillies Back on Track

Roy Halladay pitched his major league best 7th complete game of the season helping the Phils take the first game 3-1 against the Atlanta Braves. Doc allowed only 5 hits, while striking out 7 with his only earned run coming in the 1st inning. The Phillies needed to start this series off with a win after 2 bad series against the Reds and last place Pirates to gain some ground on the 1st place Braves.

"He pitched a super game" said skipper Charlie Manuel. " He's a horse."

Greg Dobbs who is back on the squad after being demoted to the minors is now replacing Placido Polanco, hit a 2 run homer in the 6th to help the Fightins pull ahead. Later in the 8th inning Juan Castro came in as a defensive replacement for Dobbs, hit a 2 out rbi single to make it 3-1. That was all Halladay needed and finished the complete game on 93 pitches.

The Phillies are at the midpoint of the season with the same record as last year, 43-38 but now they are behind in the standings instead of last year they held a 2 game lead in the NL East.

Tonight LHP Cole Hamels takes the mound against RHP Jair Jurrgens who is making his 2nd start since injuring his hamstring.

Heard In the Bleachers

Happ might stay in the minors....
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100706_Phillies_Notebook__Phillies__Happ_might_wind_up_in_minors_after_rehab.html
RTB Take: UH-OH!

700 Level Ponders if Gagne moving out west is dead
http://www.the700level.com/2010/07/kings-say-theyre-out-on-gagne-kovy-close-to-a-deal-with-the-devils.html
RTB Take: Was not likely from the begining...Gagne will be moved but not for nearly the top talent that he was rumored about.

Holiday lights up the Sixers first summer league game
http://www.csnphilly.com/07/05/10/Holiday-Steals-the-Show-in-Summer-League/landing.html?blockID=266220&feedID=704
RTB take: this is only the begining for this star in the making

Kyle Drabek throws a no-hitter in the Minors:
http://www.csnphilly.com/07/05/10/Remember-Me-Drabek-Pitches-No-Hitter-at-/landing.html?blockID=266130&feedID=704
RTB TAke: COME ON!!

Twins talks about Lee getting "very interesting"
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/07/05/mariners.lee/index.html?eref=sihp
RTB Take: No problem...but keep him the hell out of Queens!!

Nobody Bakes a Cake As Tasty As A TastyKake....

Why can't you get a TastyKake at Citizens Bank Park? They are a sponsor of the Phillies. Talk amongst yourselves while I scarf down my Butterscotch Krimpet and wash it down with a Wawa Iced Tea.....


http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100702_PhillyInc__Why_you_can_t_get_a_Tastykake_at_Citizens_Bank_Park.html

AT&T National Update

A very busy day over at Aronimink with the PGA event finally kicking off. The masses have showed up to check out Tiger Woods and to enjoy a tournament where there is upper level talent from the PGA playing for real. As of this morning there is 5 golfers at the top of the leaderboard sitting at 4 under par. Some solid names but to the average golf fan they may not be recognizable. I have a feeling that these guys may not be around come Sunday afternoon, but I have been wrong many times before. Everyone wants to know what Tiger is doing and where he stands on the leaderboard. After yesterday Tiger shot a 73 (3 over par) and was 7 shots behind the leaders. Tiger teed off this morning and is 1 under for the day and 2 over for the tournament and it looks like he still has the back nine to look forward too. The projected cut is at plus 2 but that could change by days end. I am hoping Tiger makes a little run here as I will be on the grounds Saturday to check out the tournament. Below is a link for anyone to periodically check out the leaderboard. More updates to come.......


http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tournamentId=803

hulk hogan Real American

Injury Thin Phils Fall to the Pirates 3-2

Chase Utley is out for 8 weeks now. Polanco is out 3-4 weeks. Charlie Manuel was serving a 1 game suspension for being ejected earlier in the week. That is 3 All-Stars right there, and I am not even including catcher Carlos Ruiz who is the man behind the plate for most pitchers wearing a Phillies jersey. 7 players total on the DL and thats not including back up catcher Brian Schneider who was injured last night. The Phillies are not the same team that won the World Series in 08 and went back in 09. They are banged up, and now missing a few important parts. Could it be the 2 years playing extra weeks of baseball finally catching up with them? Maybe, but they have to get past that. They are right in the thick of things in the NL East with an opportunity to gain some ground playing the last place Pirates. Pittsburgh has always seemed to play better against us the past few years. I believe its the theory of last place team plays like its the World Series against the best team in the National League because they know this is the closest they will come to the World Series.

Cole Hamels didn't pitch that bad of a game, only allowing 5 hits but 3 earned runs while striking out 8. It was rookie Daniel McCutchen on the Pirates who finally pitched like he belonged in the big leagues and got the win for the Bucs as the Pirates bullpen held it together for him at the end. A small bright spot for the Phillies has been the sudden offensive power from Wilson Valdez who homered for the 2nd time in 3 games.

Bottom line is the Phillies have to wake up and start winning some games, especially against the bottom dweller teams in the NL.

Up next, Jamie Moyer vs Ross Ohlendorf....come on guys Ross Ohlendorf? If you can't beat him then pack it in.

Polanco out 3-4 weeks

Phillies vs Pirates July 1-4 2010

The Phillies head out to Pittsburgh to take on the last place Pirates at PNC Park. A 4 game series against the shitty Pirates is just what the doctor ordered. Here is a list of the pitching matchups for the upcoming series.

Thursday July 1 2010 7:05

Cole Hamels LHP (6-6 4.08) vs Daniel McCutchen RHP (0-3 11.00)

Friday July 2nd 2010 7:05

Jamie Moyer LHP (9-6 4.30) vs Ross Ohlendorf RHP (0-6 4.90)

Saturday July 3rd 7:05

Kyle Kendrick RHP (4-3 4.88) vs Paul Maholm LHP (5-6 3.98)

Sunday July 4th 1:35

Joe Blanton RHP (3-5 6.19) vs Jeff Karstens RHP (2-3 4.46)

Looking at the pitchers for the Pirates the Phillies should man handle the Bucs. Daniel McCutchen is a fill in for injured Zach Duke and he hasn't gone past the 4th inning in his 4 starts this season yet. Hopefully the Phillies can win 3 or 4 games here and cut the NL East lead the Braves have in half before Atlanta comes into town on Monday.

Flyers Sign Coburn to 2 Year Deal

http://www.broadstreethockey.com/

The Flyers have resigned defensemen Braydon Coburn to a 2 year deal worth 6.4 million. After the trade for Meszaros from Tampa this pretty much locks up a solid core of defensemen for the Flyers. Not much room left under the cap now with only around 3 million to sign restricted free agents Carcillo & Powe. Also reports that Flyers are looking at goalie Dan Ellis.

Utley Out 5-6 Weeks, Needs Surgery

Peter Gammons of ESPN is reporting that Utley needs surgery on his thumb and will miss 5-6 weeks. This sucks......

Phillies should be active shoppers near the trade deadline now.

Flyers Trade for Defensemen Meszaros from Tampa Bay

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/Flyers_acquire_Meszaros_from_Tampa_Bay.html

Tiger's Wife will get PAID.....$750 million

I hope it was worth it buddy. Nothing is finalized yet but the deal is very close to being done. Elin Woods will be getting $750 million. She is not allowed to discuss there marriage at all, no tell all books, no tv interviews nothing. Not even after he dies. Now that this is over with will you get your mind back on the golf course and win a few more majors? Now you are allowed to bang IHOP waitresses and adult film stars all day & night just don't bring them around the kids.

http://health-beauty-2468.blogspot.com/2010/07/tiger-woods-divorce-elin-woods-and.html

Jay Bruce Hits 2 Run Homer in 8th Against Doc, Reds win 4-3

Just read a stat which is fitting for yesterdays outcome. The Reds lead the Majors with 25 comeback wins this season including 14 with there final at bat. Jay Bruce hit a 2 run shot off of ace Roy Halladay to pull ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th. Doc hasn't been "Cy Young" like since his perfect game many starts ago. This is one of those games where you say, "Why didn't they take him out in the 8th? Oh wait it's Halladay, thats why" I can sit here and play monday morning quarterback and say they should have went to the bullpen, but the truth is I would have kept him in the game as well.
The Reds win the series and the Phillies fall back one more game behind the Braves and Mets who both won last night. Not too much to discuss here, except it was a heart breaking loss that we should have won. Up next for the Phils... a trip to Pittsburgh to play the Bucs for a 4 game set. The Pirates are the worst team in the NL and the Fightins need to beat up on them. After that its 7 games at home against the 1st place Braves and 4 games with the Reds before the All-Star break. This is a big week for our Phillies and they need to get some wins before the break....

Heard In The Bleachers (Late Night Addition)

* Flyers sign Leighton to 2 year 3 million dollar contract.
http://www.csnphilly.com/06/30/10/Leighton-Inks-Two-Year-Deal-With-Flyers/landing.html?blockID=263695&feedID=704

RTB Take: GOOD MOVE!! Better to dance with the date you brought... Now trade Carter, beef up the defense (**cough** Ottowa's Volchenkov **cough**) and wait for the Parade!

* Happ still not ready. Worried Yet??
http://www.csnphilly.com/06/30/10/Phils-Remain-Concerned-About-Happs-Readi/landing.html?blockID=263671&feedID=704
RTB Take: REAL WORRIED!!

* Nuggets might trade Carmelo Anthony. Solid move if you think about it. After this year I don't think any other franchise wants to be put in the same situation that Cleveland is in right now. To quote a friend " Lebron James is like Cleveland's Wife who all of a sudden likes to bang other guys why Cleveland sits there in the corner crying their eyes out with their hand down their pants watching..."
RTB Take: EXACTLY LIKE THAT!!!

* Um....Roy Halladay is 5-7 since he won four straight to start the season....Should we have checked under the hood before we bought this car??
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100630_Reds_beat_Phillies__Halladay__4-3.html
RTB Take: Getting real tired of seeing Halladay come up small in big early season games.

* Also Cliff Lee is not coming back to the Phillies. OK out of ideas, going nowhere Daily News Staff!
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/Sports_Video_PHILLIES.html

Are You Really Going To Sue The Phillie Phanatic???

http://www.the700level.com/2010/06/woman-sues-the-phillie-phanatic.html

Dom's first AAA homer

VOTE NOW

Tomorrow night is the deadline to vote for the MLB All-Star game. Chase Utley holds a commanding lead at 2nd base while Placido Polanco is barely hanging on at 3rd by 20,000 votes over Mets 3rd baseman David Wright. Jimmy Rollins is in 2nd behind Hanley Ramirez, and so is Ryan Howard behind Albert Pujols. Jayson Werth is 4th among outfielders and Shane Victorino is 6th. Carlos Ruiz is 4th among all NL catchers. Fans can vote up to 25 times each.(If you have more then 1 email account you can vote more). So follow the link below and vote for all the Phillies on the ballot. You don't want to see a Met starting instead of a Phillie do you?

http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp

Randall Cunningham's 2 year old son dies

Awful news that Cunningham's 2 year old son drown at his home in Las Vegas. Randall was and always will be one of my all time favorite Eagles. Condolences go out to him and his family.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/homepage/97481504.html

Phils Beat Reds In the 10th, 9-6

Brad Lidge of 2008 started the 9th inning but then the ghost of 2009 showed up. Lidge let up a tying 3 run blast to Joey Votto that put the game into extra innings. The Phillies were in control of this game until that point with Country Joe Blanton starting to get back to form. Fat Joe pitched 7 2/3 innings only allowing 3 earned runs on 8 hits. Jose Contreras came in and got the final out for the 8th inning and the Phils had a 3 run lead going into the 9th. Lidge got the first 2 outs then walked Brandon Phillips and let up a single to Orlando Cabrera, then Votto did his damage only before Lidge got the 3rd out in 9th.
Earlier in the game 2 bench players filling in for the injury plagued Phils stepped up offensively and each belted 3 run homers. Brian Schneider hit one in the 2nd to take a 3-1 lead with Howard & Werth on base. Wilson Valdez who started at 2nd for the first time this season, although it seems like he has been in the starting line-up most of the season somewhere in the infield, hit a 3 run shot in the 4th for the Phils to increase the lead to 6-1. Then the Reds crawled back with some help from Brad Lidge.
Heading into the 10th inning was Arthur Rhodes who had 33 straight scoreless appearances for the Reds this season which is a major league season record. Ryan Howard started the inning off with a lead off double and Jayson Werth walked next. Then Raul Ibanez doubled off the glove of Drew Stubbs who juggled the ball off the centerfield wall and Howard scored to take the lead. A few more runs were knocked in and the Phils had a 9-6 lead with JC Romero closing out the game for his 3rd save in 4 tries.
Charlie Manuel was ejected in the last inning for arguing balls & strikes with home plate ump C.B. Bucknor. Bucknor looked to be calling very low strikes and Manuel was pissed that he wasn't calling it for both sides. Manuel let him have it and it may have appeared that his hat bumped Bucknor.
Tonight Roy Halladay takes on Aaron Harang in the rubber match.

Phillies called up Greg Dobbs and infielder Brian Bocock from Triple A for the game.

The Phillies are 2.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Flyers News

Just read the chat transcript from Pannchio at CSNphilly. Said that the Kings asked for Jeff Carter to begin trade talks for either one of their goalies and Flyers balked. Also intersteing take on a senators d-lineman....

http://www.csnphilly.com/06/29/10/Tim-Panaccio-Flyers-Chat-Transcript/landing.html?blockID=262892&feedID=704

Utley and Polanco to the DL

ESPN's Jerry Cransick is reporting that sources tell him the Phils are putting Chase Utley and Placido Polanco on the DL later today. DAMN!! Get Iguchi on the phone!

Tee Times for Aronimink, Tiger after Lunch...

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/homepage/20100629_Tigers_tee_times_set.html

Domonic Brown #1 Prospect in Baseball

Now that Stephen Strasburg has entered the majors there is a new player at the top of the prospect list, and that player is none other then the Phillies own Domonic Brown. Here is what ESPN's Keith Law states about #1 prospect Brown....

"Is there anything he can't do? He's destroying everything in his path in Double-A and is probably just some defensive refinements from being big league ready. I don't think he's next off the list for the big leagues, but with Raul Ibanez providing below average offense and defense in left, I'd have to think the Phils are looking at Brown for a second half call-up." Previous rank #7

I am hoping they call him up for the 2nd half. This kid looks like an offense machine with speed and could ignite a spark for this team in the closing weeks of the season even if it is just coming off the bench or for 1 or 2 starts a week replacing Ibanez.

Phils - Orioles taking a peek at each other...

CSN is reporting that the Phils and O's have been scouting each other trade wise....Jeremy Guthrie as a fifth starter....interesting...

http://www.csnphilly.com/06/28/10/Phillies-Orioles-Shaping-up-as-Trade-Par/landing.html?blockID=262407&feedID=704

Heard in the Bleachers

* ESPN reports that Lebron, Wade and Bosh to all play for the Heat after super secret meeting at the Hall of Justice...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5338472

* Flyers deny report that they made offer to Marty Turco....Thank God!!
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100629_Sources__Flyers_never_made_offer_to_Turco.html

* Jamie Moyer Hall of Famer???
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100629_Bill_Conlin__Jamie_Moyer_a_Hall_of_Famer_.html

*Chad Millman has a formula that will show where Lebron will show up....One Question....who the Hell is Chad Millman???
http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/blog?name=millman_chad&id=5339548

* Carlos Zambrano's Future with the Cubs looks real bleak....Good.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/features/rumors

* Disney is making a sequel to Roger Rabbitt??
http://movies.ign.com/articles/100/1006704p1.html

The PGA Tour Invades Newtown Square, Aronimink Golf Club

AT&T National Tournament will be hosted by Aronimink Golf Club this week as the Philadelphia area has not had a major tournament like this in years. First thing you need to know. Tiger Woods is the defending champion. He will be here to defend his title. If that isn't enough to get you out to the golf course and check out one of the greatest golfers in the history of the game, then you probably hate golf and think it is a sport for old men in bucket hats and funny pants. Then stop reading and ignore the link below listing times and news on the event. When the tee times are available tomorrow I will post them as well.

http://www.attnational.org/home/default.sps

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/golf/97286494.html

Lenny Dykstra did Steroids?

Lenny Dykstra was one of my favorite players on that 93 Phils team. How could you not like a guy nicknamed "Nails"??? But over the past few years this guy has become a disgrace. Here is the link to him saying he was a pioneer of "juicing". Enjoy...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-28/lenny-dykstra-admits-being-steroids-pioneer-according-to-the-zeroes/

Phils drop 1st game to Reds 7-3, Utley to get MRI on thumb

The Cincinatti Reds have been a hot team lately winning 6 out of there last 7 to stay atop the NL Central. Johnny Cueto redeemed himself from his previous start against the Phillies and only allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run on the evening throwing 8 innings of baseball. Scott Rolen hit his 300th career home run against his former team and was trying to be all cute and everything by saying "I actually wanted to do it yesterday with my parents celebrating there 45th wedding anniversary" You are such a bad son Scott. I hope your parents disown you now because you didn't hit a home run on there wedding anniversary.
Kyle Kendrick started the game solid retiring the first 10 batters before things started to go south after Rolens 2 run blast in the 4th inning. Kendrick ended up giving 5 earned runs before being yanked in the 7th. It wasn't a horrible start but the Reds hitters found him out finally and started pulling away. Ryan Howard had a double and a triple with Raul Ibanez hitting a 2 run shot in the 9th but the Reds finally closed the game down.
In the 4th inning Chase Utley tried stretching out a single and was tagged out on a throw from center fielder Drew Stubbs at 2nd which was a great throw but it appeared Utley was safe. Utley jammed his right thumb on the play but wasn't pulled until the 9th for a pinch hitter. Chase will get some tests done today on the thumb, and we find out the results we will let ou guys know.
Charlie Manuel said "We hit some balls hard and they made some plays. We had some freak things happen to us as far as the game."
It was that type of night for the Fightins and they hope to get a W tonight with Joe Blanton facing rookie Mike Leake on the mound.

Phillies vs Reds June 28-30

The Phils head over to Cincinatti to take on the 1st place Reds in a 3 game series starting at 7:10 this evening. Here is a look at the probable starters in the Great American Ball Park....

Monday June 28

Kyle Kendrick RHP (4-2, 4.71) vs Johnny Cueto RHP (7-2, 3.79)

Will the real Kyle Kendrick please stand up? Maybe I should refrain that, will Kyle Kendrick just pitch solid consistent baseball. At least until J.A. Happ is back in the rotation. Lets also hope the Phils repeat what they did to Cueto last time around when he was yanked after 2/3 innings and the Phils put up 9 runs against him.

Tuesday June 29

Joe Blanton RHP (3-5, 6.53) vs Mike Leake RHP (5-1, 2.92)

Is Joe Blanton back? Mr. 7 solid innings with only allowing 3 runs every start Mr. Blanton would be great if he showed up to this dinner party. The right handed rookie Leake was held back 2 days to lessen his work load and it seemed to help his last outing allowing only 1 run in 6 innings. Lets hope the Phillies bats keep ahead of Fat Joes earned runs in this one as well.

Wednesday June 30

Roy Halladay RHP (9-6, 2.29) vs To Be Announced

Doc looks to be returning to form again as well after a 7 inning scoreless game against his former franchise. The win stopped a 3 game losing streak but the bats were silent for those starts so Doc gets a pass. I don't know much about this To Be Announced person but chances are Doc takes this game as well

Cliff Lee Watch

via MLBTraderumors.com:

The Mets will be in on Seattle ace Cliff Lee - that appears certain. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Omar Minaya has notified Jack Zduriencik of his interest, and the Mets are scouting Lee's starts.
Contrary to a Kevin Burkhardt report last night, Sherman says the Mets "would not need a negotiating window to sign Lee long-term even if it includes top prospect Jenrry Mejia in a package." However, between the injuries to potential trade chips Mejia and Angel Pagan and the ownership approval needed to pull the trigger, Minaya faces hurdles in acquiring Lee.
Sherman writes "the Mets have little interest" in Roy Oswalt and Fausto Carmona. Instead, Cubs southpaw Ted Lilly might head up their list of Lee alternatives. Lilly has been excellent since signing a four-year, $40MM deal with the Cubs in December of '06. The contract has about $6.4MM remaining. Though Lilly profiles as a Type A free agent after the season, an arbitration offer is in question. I doubt Lilly's limited no-trade provision will be an obstacle, as he's probably eager to return to the playoffs. The Cubs have about a month to decide whether to cash in their chips, and Lilly is their best one.


RTBs Take: He won't be going to the Mets. In our opinion he will be a Texas Ranger by August..Mets only have one passable prospect and that is Mejie while the Rangers have the best farm system in the Minors.

But if he does head to Flushing.....

Phillies Legend of the Week

To go along with the many changes here for RTBs we have decided to honor our Phillies legend with an entire week instead of just 24 measly hours. So to kick off our return we give you....



Kim Batiste!!



If one person defines the term "Goat to Hero" in Phillies lore it is indeed Kim Batiste. Lets take you back...



After blowing the lead in the top of the ninth with a throwing error Batiste, who was labeled in the 1993 team highlight video as a "defensive specialist" came to the plate..... What would happen next would not only lead to one of the most magical moments in Phillies history but also one of the greatest Daily News Photo pullouts ever known...





Facing Braves reliver Greg McMichael and with The Kruker on base the future Atlantic City Surf star (for 12 games) would line a double past Terry Pendleton to score the game winner and halt any ideas of his friendly Philadelphia neighbors covering his house in a monsoon of eggs.



For so much Mr. Batiste we are greatful and for that take the rest of the week off!!

Heard in the Bleachers

* In his chat session today Bob Cooney believes that the Sixers will still trade Iguodala but not until the season starts and also had these hidden Nuggets about the Sixers off season:

Thad Young looks like he has bulked up while Maurice Speights looks like he has lost roughly about 20 pounds to prepare for this year
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Chat_Sixers_with_Bob_Cooney_0628.html

* Nick Kypreos has claimed that any Evgeni Nabokov deal with the Flyers before he hits free agency is off... via the 700 level.
http://www.the700level.com/2010/06/nabokov-talks-dead-on-arrival.html#more

* PPL park opened last night to a Union win...It might end up being the one (if only) nice thing about all of Chester

* 5 teams look to meet with Lebron James on the first day of free agency Thursday...the Sixers are not one of them

* Jamie Moyer has another stellar performance vs. the Blue Jays scoring his 9th Vvictory of the year....when will the steriod rumors start to kick up??

We're Back!!

Old Man Moyer deals another win as Phils take series from Blue Jays

47 year old Jamie Moyer hit the mound again on Sunday afternoon and delivered another victory for the Phillies. The 11-2 win helped the Phils take the series from Toronto and ended interleague play with a 9-9 record. The win was 8 out of the past 11 for Philadelphia and they are now 2.5 games behind the Bravos and still trail the Mets by 2 games in the NL East. The weather is getting hotter and hotter on the East Coast and the bats seem to be getting hot now as well. But Sunday was Moyer's day, and it seems like everytime he makes a start he passes another milestone. Moyer let up a 2 run homer to Vernon Wells in the 3rd which was the 506th home run allowed by Moyer in his major league career the most ever by a pitcher. Not the type of record as a kid you look forward to owning some day but it just shows the longevity of a player who has been in the big leagues for 4 decades now. He also became the 40th pitcher in the leagues history to clock 4,000 innings. The old lefty is now one win of tying Jim Palmer for 34th place in career victories with his 267th win. The man continues to baffle everyone and defy the odds of what a 47 year old man is allowed to do.
The bats got hot in the 2nd with Dane Sardinha hitting a 2 run double followed by rbi singles from Ben Francisco & Jimmy Rollins to take the lead 4-0. The Jays cut that lead in half the following inning but that is all they could do at the plate as the Fightins slowly beat them down as the game went on. Ryan Howard scored 3 runs on the day and several Phillies had great offensive games with J-Roll, Victorino and Francisco having 3 hits each.
The Phillies have now scored 75 runs in the past 11 games as this team has showed in the past when the weather gets hot, so do they. Now the Phils head to Cincinatti for a 3 game set with the Reds who hold a half game lead in the NL Central. Lets hope the Fightins continue the hot bats and solid pitching as they try to narrow the gap in the NL East.

Rooftop Bleachers will be returning soon.....

After a long, long break I am pleased to announce the return of Rooftop Bleachers in the upcoming days. Due to work and personal conflicts the site was shut down because the staff just didn't have enough time to put out quality posts that we felt were deserving of our fans and to ourselves. Now with a renewed energy our staff is ready to recommit ourselves and share our passion and love for the Phillies and all things Philly sports. Starting Monday June 28th the posts will be rolling out regularly. Videos, stats, opinions, game recaps and the favorite "Legend of the Day" will all be here for your enjoyment and for you to chime in on. So again sorry for the long break but we will be back....and better then ever.

Stock