JFLNYC wrote:The Phils currently have no regular with an .800 or better OPS (Byrd leads at .782). If that continues through the end of the season, it will be the first time since 1988. In 2009 they had 5 hitters with an OPS of .800+, including two over .900 and a third at .899.

That's actually impossible because Amaro was the GM in 2009.

Squire wrote:Seems telling that some people at least held out the possibility that it was real.
Its like no degree of incompetence is actually farfetched.

that was exactly the gist of my jest

CRAPELBON has a lower ERA as a Phil than he did as a Sox

15.5 back in the division and an elimination number of 16.

9 back in the wc and elimination number of 23

Stop it.

Cole apparently adding to the growing Ryno-disrespect theme

giles is already a top 5 righty reliever and has 5 years of control left. as crazy as it is to think about this, i'm not sure there is another reliever i'd trade him for in entire bigs. only comparable production/age/contract guys are betances (but he's headed for super 2 in future) and maybe boxburger

kimbrel has the track record but he aint much better than current giles and he's making 10+ aav. chapman is in a class by himself but is impending fa.

too bad the rest of this roster is elephant poop

Grotewold wrote:CRAPELBON has a lower ERA as a Phil than he did as a Sox

this is his best season as a Phil by ERA- and FIP-. for his career, it's his 4th best by ERA- and 6th best by FIP-

ERA+ as a Red Sox was 197
ERA+ as a Phil is 163

CalvinBall wrote:Stop it.

The org actually thinks this way.

how many 2015 wins better is a phils regular lineup featuring ruf, franco , and sizemore relative to one with howard, asche, and brown at 1b, 3b, and left?

[assume that this means the bench is asche-(howard?)-brown-jayberry-galvis-c instead of franco-(ruf?)-sizemore-jayberry-galvis-c with bench guys getting at most 150 pa's each]

i think the answer is 6. pretty huge, but that's what you get when your 1b and lf occupants are in the running for least valuable major leaguers of 2014

if we had management smart enough to make though changes and to upgrade the backup outfield spots by getting better platoon hitters who actually can play defense, next year's team could be a lot more fun to watch, even though the rotation holes and the aging of rollins/utley/ruiz/byrd/hamels/papelbon still will keep them out of playoff contention.

if only....

I think I'm more worried about my own aging at this point than Hamels' and Papelbon's. You have to think you can get more, maybe way more, next year than what you got from Burnett and Kendrick -- and Lee, cross your fingers -- for that money. Bullpen shouldn't be a shit show for the first few months.

Still, the offense. Need at least one new dynamic bat in addition to a strong season from Ruf and/or Franco (and rational Howard usage)

joe table wrote:giles is already a top 5 righty reliever and has 5 years of control left. as crazy as it is to think about this, i'm not sure there is another reliever i'd trade him for in entire bigs. only comparable production/age/contract guys are betances (but he's headed for super 2 in future) and maybe boxburger

kimbrel has the track record but he aint much better than current giles and he's making 10+ aav. chapman is in a class by himself but is impending fa.

too bad the rest of this roster is elephant poop

the guy is really otherworldy..imagine when his BABIP calms down

stevemc wrote:Cole apparently adding to the growing Ryno-disrespect theme

Yeah.....he needs to check himself on that one.

He just blew a 3 run lead and 5 of the last 7 hitters had reached base including a game tying home run. They probably should have just put in Giles to start the 8th.

The Phanatic does 'The Wobble' and Phillies broadcasters have no idea what it is with video!

As the Phils were hosting the Nationals the intrepid Phanatic busted out his best wobble, much to delight of everyone at Citzens Bank Park. Meanwhile, McCarthy and Stairs chuckled up in the booth admitting they had know idea what exactly they were witnessing.

Props to the ump for getting into it.

havent watched the full clip but I highly doubt that's a real ump

Good point. I'm so used to seeing him mess with the actual umps that I just assumed.

Took my daughter to a Phanatic appearance here at the Richmond minor league park last month and he got the first base ump to dance with him. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.

that's an employee that does the phanatic's schtick every night.

yeah that's a "replacement" ump. Sometimes "real" umps will play along. In reading the article there was a link where 'ol friend Laz Diaz did a little dance. But it's pretty common for a fake ump to appear for the more elaborate numbers- which often ends with the ump peeling off their umpire uniform to reveal them as something else.

That's the guy who sang "What's The Phanatic Say?". He's another one of the Phanatic's "best friends".