CalvinBall wrote:Some significant news regarding the Phillies will be dropping in the next few weeks.

Ace Rothstein wrote:Is this the Penn St thread?

cshort wrote:

CalvinBall wrote:Some significant news regarding the Phillies will be dropping in the next few weeks.

Comcast deal

CalvinBall wrote:Some significant news regarding the Phillies will be dropping in the next few weeks.

JFLNYC wrote:It would be an extremely bold and risky move for the Phils. A joint venture with Fox would result in lower guaranteed money for the Phils with a higher potential upside. The new channel would start with no major-team programming other than the Phils and Comcast would make carriage deals on their systems a nightmare to negotiate. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Phils go in that direction, but I'd be surprised.

INQ: Have negotiations begun on a television contract?

Montgomery: We are in a position where we can only talk to our incumbent. We are having some discussions. I don't know how fruitful they will be.

INQ: Why is that?

DM: Contractually, we have a period of time with Comcast where we can only talk to them about a renewal.

INQ: But you can talk to others before the deal expires?

DM: Oh sure.

INQ: Why are the talks not fruitful?

DM: We'll see.

NQ: What sort of moment is that for this organization?

DM: It's an opportunity. The only thing I will cautious is, compared to others, we've had a nice deal. You see some situations where clubs have had a substandard deal. We've enjoyed a very solid relationship with Comcast ever since we were a part of forming Comcast SportsNet in 1996. Yes, we are coming to the end of the current deal. Yes, we are in a period of time to only speak to them. We'll see whether we can take advantage of that.

INQ: It expires after the 2015 season, right? DM: Correct.

INQ: Is there a possibility of an ownership stake in the network?

DM: Possibility. But we'll see where it really leads.

Soren wrote:Sandberg announced he's going to make players do pushing on the on-deck circle if they pop-up with men on base

But what about Ruf?

Ruf, 27, is not unlike Brown a year ago. He's had chances in the major leagues, but he's never been given a full-fledged opportunity for a long stretch, either.

Entering yesterday, Ruf was hitting .262 with a .350 OBP and .879 OPS with 16 home runs in 68 major league games. Since the All-Star break, only Washington's Jayson Werth (13) has hit more home runs than Ruf's 11 among National League players.

Amaro doesn't seem as concerned with Ruf's defense as he was this spring, using the words "comfort" and "adequate" in his analysis. So how does Amaro evaluate Ruf's offensive contributions?

"Obviously he can be streaky at times," Amaro said. "The league is adjusting to him, he's going to have to adjust to the league a little bit. But you can't teach power. And that's obviously an element of our team we don't have - particularly power from the right side. So he's a guy who becomes very valuable because he has that element."

Earlier in the afternoon, manager Ryne Sandberg spoke at length about Ruf's progress as a hitter. Sandberg praised Ruf's ability to use the whole field and make adjustments within a game, while saying he just needs to make more consistent contact.

Ruf's 55 strikeouts are the fourth most among NL players since the break.

"Will he be an everyday player for us, who knows?" Amaro said. "But we're giving him a chance to be that guy. So far he's handling it pretty well. We're not going to hand over jobs to people right now for 2014. Because our job is to put together the best possible lineup we can. Can he be that guy? Possibly. He can be a part of the mix. Can he be a guy who plays left, plays first, and right and get 400 or 350 at-bats? Maybe. A lot of it depends on the makeup of our outfield overall and our team overall."

Upon taking over as manager last month, Sandberg somewhat surprisingly offered centerfield as a spot the Phillies needed to find stability in going forward. So perhaps the Phils pursue a centerfielder this winter while using Revere and Ruf as a platoon in left with Brown in right.

Or maybe Ruf does what Werth did in 2008, beginning the season in a platoon and eventually winning an everyday job by way of his bat.

"We could add a bat and make people share positions," Amaro said. "A lot of it depends on the overall makeup of the club. Sometimes, having flexibility is good."

Among the crop of free-agent outfielders this winter: lefthanded hitters Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo and Curtis Granderson, righthanded hitters Michael Morse and Corey Hart and switch-hitter Carlos Beltran. Of those names, Choo, Granderson and Ellsbury have all played considerable time in centerfield in the last 2 years.


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phi ... CbEurPx.99

JFLNYC wrote:It would be an extremely bold and risky move for the Phils. A joint venture with Fox would result in lower guaranteed money for the Phils with a higher potential upside. The new channel would start with no major-team programming other than the Phils and Comcast would make carriage deals on their systems a nightmare to negotiate. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Phils go in that direction, but I'd be surprised.