Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Somebody Get Me a Doctor...

Wow - Roy "Doc" Halladay is going to be a Philly. Let me get this straight, the best righthanded pitcher of the last six years is going to be wearing Phillie pinstripes. In this world, you have to give something to get something. Nothing worth having is ever easy. Yes, I am the king of cliches (as my Mom once labelled me as a young 11-year old). Bottom line, is that we have added the best pitcher in baseball to our team. I'm okay with this deal, even though we gave away some good prospects. Of course, they are just prospects. However, adding a right-handed power pitcher like Halladay will make our entire staff better, and now we have him locked up for the next four years. As a long-time Phillies fan and watching season after season of them trotting out guys like Joe Cowley, Floyd Youmans, Omar Daal and Robinson Tejada, its a bit surreal to have DOC Halladay actually want to play for the Phis. He even took less money to come to Philly. Consider this an excellent move.

Now, the second part of this deal is trading playoff stud Cliff Lee to Seattle for three prospects. The idea behind this trade is that the Phils couldn't afford Cliff Lee's $9 million salary and they wanted to restock their farm system after purging seven of their top 15 pospects to get Lee and Halladay. What I don't get is why the Phils didn't keep Cliff Lee. They already have the highest attendance capacity in the league. Make no mistake about it, they are making tons of money right now. You think their back-to-back World Series appearances didn't yield any additional funds? You think their attendance packing ballpark is genertationg enough funds? Granted their $140 million payroll is among the top 5 in the league, but the people of Philadelphia have financially and emotionally embraced these fightin' Phils. Hell, it's December, the Eagles are in first place and I'm talking about the Phillies!

My issue -- the Phils front office should have sucked up Lee's $9 million and played this season out. With a staff of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton and Happ we would have to be the favorite to win the World Series. At the end of the year, you thank Lee, let him go and get two compensatory draft picks from the team who signs him. His $9 million salary comes off the books and boom - you restock your farm system through the two picks. Instead Phils fans are left to dream about what could've been.

Eagles
This has got to be one of the most bizarre Eagles seasons in recent memory. They are 9-4, sitting in first place, and just beat the Giants in what was one of the most exciting games I've seen in some time. Granted the game wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for the Birds defense (giving up an astounding 500 yards). Before all of you Andy Reid and Donovan haters make noise, I want you to look at the numbers. Donovan is having one the best seasons he's ever had. You see how dangerous this offense can be when you get #5 some weapons. As far as Big Red goes I have definitely been critical of him and clearly he has his flaws (one of which is his inability to do a "chest bum") but I would still list him as one of the five best coaches in the NFL. I'm glad he got an extension and I hope that he and Marty continue to dial up plays the way they did on Sunday in New York. Go heavy on Desean Jackson, show patience and consistency with the running game, get the underrated Leonard Weaver involved, feed Brent Celek and mix in a few snaps for Vick. It is clear that Vick is rounding into shape in time for the playoffs, which is great. I just hope Andy doesn't try to get too crazy with using Vick. Donovan is still the man who should be taking 95% of the snaps. I'll be shocked if this team makes a Super Bowl run. I think losing JJ, Dawk and Stew Bradley is just too much for our defense.

In other news:
  • Isn't it kind of weird that Elin Nordegen never took Woods as her last name? Probably a good move on her part.
  • When the Phils traded for Cliff Lee, Summer informed me that we not only got Cliff Lee, but also Cy Young. Now she thinks we got Roy Halladay and an actual Doctor. Looks like I have some work to do
  • I think post-season statistics should count when figuring out career statistics
  • I love The North Face -- I love their gear, their logo, their tagline, but I think they should not have sued the young Jimmy Winkleman who came up with South Butt (Never Stop Relaxing). Check this out, before it gets shut down: www.thesouthbutt.com
  • Today I pitched a Christian radio station in Connecticut regarding an energy savings spokesperson. Next thing I know,she's telling me about Jesus and the miracle of Christmas. When I explained to her I was Jewish, she continued to tell me that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and for hers. I'm sitting here asking myself if this woman is serious and how long can she go on for? However, after being lectured to for 4 minutes and 38 seconds I hung up on her. It wasn't a discussion - it was a monologue and I couldn't take anymore. I have no issue with religion and feel very secure in my own beliefs. I was simply calling to pitch a story and received a lecture on religion. I was tempted to ask her if Jesus would forgive me for hanging up on her. I understand people have different motives and different spiritual connections for what they believe in. I support that. However, when you get an unsolicited one-sided religious lecture from someone without even asking for it pushes me further away from whatever it was she was trying to convince me of.