Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia Phillies’

Why Don’t Free Agents Choose Washington?

Wednesday, March 6th, 2019

by Gus Griffin

gus

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of RMNB

Image courtesy of RMNB

When Washington Nationals All-Star and former NL MVP Bryce Harper departed last week via free agency for Philadelphia, it further validated a baffling phenomenon in sports for me; How come top-tier free agents neither stay in nor find Washington, DC to be an attractive destination?

 

Ok, for $330 million dollars, many of us who love DC would gladly leave for Mars. BH

 

But the evidence of this reality long preceded Harper. Kevin Durant would not even give his hometown team, the Wizards, an interview. The last big-name free agent to sign with a Washington team was Albert Haynesworth.

 

That did not work out quite so well.

 

Normally, I pose a question and answer according to the world of Gus…supported by as much history and current day facts as I can find. Not this time. I have no idea why free agent marquee athletes don’t consider Washington as a viable option.

 

There are the usual suspects as explanations go such as the “lukewarm” enthusiasm of the Washington fan base about its teams.

 

I must come to the defense of DC fans on this one. Other than the magical title run of the Caps last year, what have the collective of Washington Sports teams produced on a consistent basis that would excite any fanbase over the past 25 years? Besides, does anyone think that San Diego fans are any more hyped about the Padres? Yet, Manny Machado signed there for the same $300 million that the Nats offered Harper, and I am sure would have given Machado.

 

Then there is organizational mediocrity to outright dysfunction.

 

To that I say that the high functioning organizations are rarely big players in the free agent market because, by definition, they need the least help. How often over the past 20 years have the Spurs or Patriots been big players? Baseball is a different animal because it does not have a salary cap, and the luxury tax is hardly a disincentive for the likes of the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Yankees. Simply put, in most cases the team that the upper echelon free agent bypassed Washington for, is likely to be as dysfunctional as the DC team. Why is their dysfunction more attractive than ours?

 

So what the hell is wrong with DC? We have a bustling metropolis with diversity to spare. We are relatively progressive in a political sense. If the city is not one’s preference, there are the beautiful Maryland suburbs or the rural Virginia suburbs.

 

For young Black athletes, which make up the majority of the NFL and NBA free agents, I am even more mystified. Why on Earth wouldn’t a young Black man with a pocket full of cash and at the height of his physical prime not be attracted to Washington DC?

This brings me to a possible solution for the football and basketball teams: Howard University!

HU

 

Both teams need to partner with the venerable HBCU. No, not to hire young women in the classless, exploitative way some colleges do to lure recruits. They would simply arrange visits to campus during the fall and spring semesters. One stroll across “the yard”, and the free agent success rate will immediately improve.

 

I know! I AM A HOWARD MAN!

 

Otherwise, I am open for other ideas about why Washington cannot attract high-caliber free agents. I am all ears.

Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports

AFISW Discussion Post: MLB Coveted Lefties

Sunday, July 27th, 2014

by Gus Griffin

gus

 

 

 

Lefties

As the baseball trade deadline approaches, which top of rotation Left-Hander would you rather have; David Price or Cole Hamels?

 

Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports
 

Philadelphia Phillies 2012 Season Preview

Friday, April 6th, 2012

By Brandon Pemberton

Follow me on twitter @BrandonOnSports and @SportsTrapRadio

Listen to Sports Trap Radio Saturdays from 10am-2pm on ueradiolive.com, hosted by Brandon Pemberton and Chris Marshall (@215_Sports_Guy)

Hunter Pence and Jimmy Rollins need to carry the Phillies offensively while Ryan Howard is out of the lineup.

 

Ever since the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, expectations have been high here in Philly.  This has clearly been one of the best eras of baseball in town since the late 70’s-early 80’s Schmidt and Bowa led squads, and fans now have a “championship or bust” mentality.  How this team plays offensively without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for a good part of the season will be huge.  Barring injury, the pitching staff should be fine and I’m looking forward to the addition of Jonathan Papelbon as the new closer as well.

The Miami Marlins have added some pieces to go along with their young talent and should be better this season.  The Nationals are a year older and will have a starting rotation of Strasburg, Gonzalez, and Zimmerman at the top and could be potentially a threat.  The Braves fizzled out and lost a 9.5 game wild card lead in September, but also remember, they lost quality starting pitching late in the season as well and the bullpen was overworked something vicious.

So I will breakdown this year’s team by the infield, outfield, and pitching staff, and then give my prediction on regular season wins and how far they get in the playoffs.

Pitching Staff

Starters: This staff is headlined by three aces and Cy Young award candidates: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee.  All three had great regular seasons in 2011 and I expect the same this season.  Vance Worley was a pleasant surprise in his rookie year, with an 11-3 record, 3.01 ERA, and 119 K’s in 131.2 innings, and hitters only had a .232 average against him.  Right now, Joe Blanton is penciled in as the fifth starter and the Phillies just need him to be solid, nothing spectacular, make thirty starts give them six plus innings per outing, and don’t give up too many big innings.

Bullpen: Jonathan Papelbon was signed during the offseason to replace Ryan Madson as the Phillies’ closer and the move really looks great now after the news came out that Madson will miss the entire 2012 season with Tommy John’s surgery.  Last season, Antonio Bastardo was great as the only lefty in the bullpen and the Phils will need the same from him this year.  Michael Stutes, a rookie last season, pitched well in the 7th and 8th innings of games and will be the setup man for Papelbon.  This year, lefty Joe Savery will be the 2nd southpaw and that should give Bastardo the needed rest as he wore down at the end of the season.  Kyle Kendrick was given a 2-year contract and will be the Phillies’ long reliever and emergency start if one of the regulars happen to get hurt.

Infield: The Phillies will start the season without their starting right side of the infield as Ryan Howard is still recovering from his ruptured Achilles tendon and Chase Utley is on the shelf to start the season to rehab his bad knees.  Ty Wiggington, John Mayberry Jr., and Jim Thome will all see time at first base and rookie shortstop prospect Freddie Galvis has been moved to second base with the injury to utility infielder Michael Martinez, out until possibly June with a fractured foot.  Pete Orr could also see some time at 2nd base if Gavlis struggles a bit at the plate.

Jimmy Rollins was re-signed during the offseason and his glove and arm are still elite, but the Phillies need him to have a big year at the plate, regardless of his spot in the lineup.  Placido Polanco got off to a hot start last season, but hit well below .200 over the last two months of the season and dealt with back and elbow injuries during the season.

Carlos Ruiz had a hot spring and has been a rock behind the plate for the Phils pitching staff.  He has been a clutch hitter in big spots over the past few years and is a fan favorite here in Philadelphia.  Brian Schneider provides veteran leadership and steady play off of the bench when “Chooch” needs a rest.

Outfield: Shane Victorino is a potential All-Star player for the Phillies and will be the lead-off hitter and catalyst offensively.  He’s also one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.  I would like a better approach at the plate, less strikeouts, and a higher on-base percentage as well.  Hunter Pence is in his first full season as a Phillie and the team needs big-time run production out of him with Howard out of the lineup for a while.  John Mayberry will get his chance to see quality time in the lineup after producing well in spot duty last season.  Juan Pierre adds speed, late game pinch hitting, and running to the Phils and Laynce Nix provides a left-handed bat off of the bench with some pop.

Prediction: The Phillies have an elite pitching staff who will win or keep them close in most games this season.  I’m not worried about pitching with this team as long as they stay healthy.  The question is the Phillies offense and how will they make up for the run production that Ryan Howard has  produced on a yearly basis.  Howard is unfairly scrutinized in Philly, but the numbers don’t lie, he’s been one of the best run producers in baseball over the last five years.  The Phillies will need to play more “small-ball”, cut down on the strikeouts in the lineup, and get timely hits in big spots.  Even with Howard and Utley out for a long period of time and the Marlins and Nationals making moves and having young talent, I still believe the Phils have enough to win the division.  They won’t run away with it like last season.  It will be a closer race than most think.

I really believe this is the year Philadelphia makes it back to the World Series.  I’m not saying they win it, but I predict they play the Detroit Tigers in the fall classic.

94-68, win the N.L. East, and represent the National League in the World Series.

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports & Sports Trap Radio, for War Room Sports

Derek Jeter’s 3000th Hit: Nobody’s Perfect

Monday, July 18th, 2011

by Jimmy Williams

So Derek Jeter has now hit for over 3,000 hits and has added to his legacy of being an all-time great baseball player. People are now arguing about where he stands in terms of Yankee greats.  I don’t know where he stands historically as a Yankee because I haven’t put any thought into it, and unlike most people I have the ability to form my own opinion.

Over his career, Jeter has been a great player who has stayed out of trouble, and has done nothing but play the game the right way.  He is also one of the most clutch athletes I have ever seen.  I don’t believe in praising people for doing what they should do, like staying out of prison, but with athletes being arrested on what seems like a daily basis, I feel like those who stay out of trouble like Jeter has, deserve credit.  This leads me to my problem with Derek Jeter.  He is a Yankee.  Being a Phillies fan, I cannot admire nor like a Yankee.  Yet I have been having a hard time finding anything to dislike about Jeter.  He recently sat out of the All-Star Game and I thought, “okay, here is my reason”.  But honestly I had no problem with him doing this.  All of the all-star games are a joke at this point but that is for a later discussion.  It really is difficult to dislike a guy who plays the game extremely well, has just as many hits with models & actresses as he does on the diamond, has made a boat-load of money, and is philanthropic.

But after a couple days of pondering about what I can say bad about Jeter, I finally found something.  Mr. Jeter…your cologne distributed through Avon STINKS!  That’s right…it is horrible and cheap.  It smells like a combination of polar bear urine and bone marrow from a dead alley cat.  How could you associate yourself with a fragrance as repugnant as that?  Your fragrance is called “Driven” but it smells more like an old Chevy driven by four homeless men and a dead, diabetic pig.

So now Mr. Jeter, I can throw you in the same boat as most Yankees I hate, like “A-Roid”, because you don’t have enough sense to smell a fragrance before you put your name on it.  So there you have it.  Although it sounds like I am dissing you in a weird way, I am actually giving you credit because that is the only thing I can find to make me dislike you.  But you are a Yankee, so FOH and go play in traffic!!

I’m Nice!!!

Jimmy Williams

The Phillies finally paid Charlie Manuel!

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Out From the Shadows

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

"The Phour Aces", "The Phour Kings", "The Phour (insert noun here)"

If you are a Philadelphia sports enthusiast like myself, then you are on a serious high right now.  First the uniting of the four kings, (Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels), and now this?  The Miracle at the Meadowlands part II?  Only one word can describe it; unbelievable.

ANOTHER Miracle in the Meadowlands!

Can you feel it in the air or am I just riding the hallucination train thinking we might go-all-the-way?  First, a little arena football team called the Philadelphia Soul brought home a championship, much needed in the city of drought.  This little team won and challenged all the major league teams to do the same.  Then the boys in red pinstripes rolled through Milwaukee, LA, to Tampa to bring home a much-needed World Series that sent this City into a euphoric state.  The Flyers, the ultimate Cinderella story, made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year when nobody thought they would even make it out of the first round.

Phillies Win the 2008 World Series!!!

I don’t know about you, but I can smell the polish they use to make that Lombardi trophy shine.  In my life, I have never seen anything like what I saw on Sunday and I have been watching football for a long time.  I could be naïve in thinking that we are going to the Superbowl, but what I saw Sunday gave me something that I haven’t had in a long time; hope.

2009-2010 Eastern Conference Champions!!!

There were so many blunders in Sunday’s game, a fumble here, an interception there.  It seemed like the Giants had Vick’s number and yet he still found a way to make it happen.  I love you Donovan, but you would have never been able to make this happen.

Mike Vick Never Says "Die"

We may finally be getting out from the under big brother’s shadow.  For now, we have the bragging rights over the Big Apple.  The only thing they can say is that the New York Knicks are slightly better than the 76ers and I’m okay with that.  All I know is that on a Sunday afternoon in December, I became glued to the television.  I watched history happen.  I watched Michael Vick turn an impossible to a possible.  I saw the speed of young man lift an entire city from its somber state.  I saw that same man celebrate in a way that I would usually frown upon, but this time he earned it.

Stephanie C. Curry, Guest Blogger for War Room Sports

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Parade

Monday, November 1st, 2010