smitty wrote:Cleveland city has lost a great deal of population

Life imitating the Drew Carey Show intro

Here's an article that suggests that full-scale rebuilds aren't worthwhile:

http://www.fangraphs.com/community/is-r ... -worth-it/

When viewing total revenue, annual revenue, and return on investment estimates from the last 20 or so years, spending more money on a team with a losing record will help speed the recovery process and leave the team in better long-term shape. The more an owner invests in a sub-.500 team the better the revenue streams and returns down the road. Even for those sub-.400 teams where investment returns are close to zero, the teams going forward beyond year 5 appear better positioned and less likely to alienate fans.

I agree full scale rebuilds aren't worthwhile. I'm actually really depressed now, because this paragraph seems spot on, and tells why full scale rebuilds don't (usually) work:

The Phillies were fortunate that things came together in 2007. Jimmy Rollins, Utley, Howard and Hamels all arrived on the scene at the same time and were reaching their physical peaks together. Players like Shane Victorino, Werth and Ruiz emerged from the thrift shop to become key contributors. The influx of talent combined with a new ballpark allowed revenue to leap forward, which further allowed the club to start spending like a large-market franchise.

In essence, the Phillies got very lucky. Over a century, it happened once. Wade in retrospect and Gillick got lucky. Amaro didn't. It's not that the plan didn't work. There never was a plan, and there isn't now.

Get used to buying a pack of delicious Phillies franks and going to the game for free again.

Unless the Phils get lucky again with prospects. Any chance for Greene to actually ever make the club? And should we look forward to Roman Quinn?

no; maybe if he can come back from his ACL tear next year without losing too much but right now probably not

Achilles, fwiw. Not sure it matters anyway.

Greene or Quinn?

This is going to be an awful decade. I could easily die of old age before the Phils sniff the post season.

don't worry, chances are you'll die in the planet's heat death well before that

tmac is going to outlive everyone on this board

We still have Maikel guys.

Sometimes, you know, what you know, what you know. Watching Richie Allen glide around the bases. Marveling at a Mike Schmidt howitzer shot over the left field fence. Observing the grace of Scott Rolen fielding a shot down the third base line and throwing out the runner with an arm like a cannon. Or applauding the grit and determination that made Dave Hollins a fan favorite? Third basemen all, and Philly had them. Prepare for the latest. Maikel Franco, get on board the "third base express."

bleh wrote:Sometimes, you know, what you know, what you know. Watching Richie Allen glide around the bases. Marveling at a Mike Schmidt howitzer shot over the left field fence. Observing the grace of Scott Rolen fielding a shot down the third base line and throwing out the runner with an arm like a cannon. Or applauding the grit and determination that made Dave Hollins a fan favorite? Third basemen all, and Philly had them. Prepare for the latest. Maikel Franco, get on board the "third base express."

...

Third baseman Richie Allen had a deep load. He hit good though. Hope Franco hits good too. That would help.

Matt Gelb @magelb 2h
One nugget: Ryne Sandberg basically put Freddy Galvis on the team tonight. "I could see him playing twice a week."
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I heard something last week on WIP -- might have been from Anthony - but it seemed like the premise was, that Amaro's hands have been tied and he's much more of a puppet than an autonomous leader?! That he and the Phils know they won't compete and are ok with that, because revenue is good -- they want Utley to retire a Philly, and blah blah.

That they did all they could do given the cost structure.

As some of you indicate upthread -- that if the success they had from 07-11 was a lot of luck - (in the sense that), there was no plan as much as things feel in to place and they kept spending to try to keep it alive --

Well, it's all interesting. And while the Phils have '08 and the best the Eagles have is '04 and a lot of "what could have beens" and it's apples and oranges in some senses -- but the Birds always have a plan. Might not agree with it, but it's there. Baseball is a tougher nut in some ways. 162 games not 16, and there's a lot of fluctuation, guys fall off and it matters. Brian Dawkins was still effective even when he lost speed and had some decline. Can Ryan Howard be effective anymore?

Also heard some disparaging remarks about Sandberg and his qualifications to be a top notch skipper?

I'm no Ruben fan, but I think really - I'm just not and have never been a fan of Phillie ownership and they way they run things, do business and their mind-set.

A lot of people are predicting the Phils for last place with 71 wins -- I'm hopeful that we'll make it to 81 wins - meandering around .500 with a few little streaks to give us hope. Hopefully Utley, Rollins and Howard play more than they spend time on the DL. I'm hoping to see Lee and Hamels both have a fantastic season on the mound and hope while there is a slim slim chance of a wild card or division - that maybe it can at least be a semi-fun season to enjoy the journey. I think Phils ownership and Amaro figure that the sports-rabid Philadelphia will always support the Phils to some degree. And profits will be steady.

x13

Some quotes from Ruben in Today's Inquirer...

On Howard's age coming into the season:

"That's ancient, I guess, huh?" Amaro scoffed last night. "I think people make a little too much of that. It is what it is. If people don't perform, it will be because of age, I guess. But I don't necessarily believe that. Was Boston a fairly old team last year? They did fairly well. They weren't a young team. They had older guys. They had experienced guys. But they had to perform. And they had to stay healthy. But I feel pretty bullish about the guys we have being ready to play."

On Howard's health:

"I think he's going to be on the field and healthy and he's going to provide solid offense for us," said Ruben Amaro Jr., the general manager whose popularity has waned along with his slugger's health. "And I know if he's on the field, that's what he's doing, and we'll win games because he is on the field. "He's 100 percent. There's nothing medically wrong with him. His knee's fine. His calf's fine. It's time for him to play and produce."

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20140128_Phillies___Big_Piece__now__Big_If_.html

Is arroyo still out there? Any news on aj Burnett? Although I have little hope for the team as constituted I still think they could contend if they add a legit #3 starter

If Lil' Vulture becomes a baseball fan, I think I'll encourage her to root for the Rangers.

Roger Dorn wrote:Some quotes from Ruben in Today's Inquirer...

On Howard's age coming into the season:

Was Boston a fairly old team last year? They did fairly well. They weren't a young team. They had older guys. They had experienced guys.

Besides this being a punchably arrogant thing to say, Boston had 1 "starting" player older than 32, and it was David Ortiz

This year we'll have at least 5 starting position players older than 34