Nov 16th 2008 10:48PM by B (author feed)
Great, now we’re getting to that point in the offseason where every news update is about how the Yankees are “interested in” the big free agents and how some guy from some network interviewed them and they totally said they’d love to play for the Yankees, and on and on and blah blah blah. We’ve been doing this comic long enough to know the two great truths about the Yankees, and they are presented to you in chatroom form below.

Have the Yankees considered getting new uniforms? It works for everybody else. Maybe they can get a mascot. Make him a vague, shaggy grey thing named “OPS the Dog!”

Tonight’s giant-sized Dugout is after the jump.Continue Reading

Nov 13th 2008 12:00PM by Josh Alper (author feed)

As you could probably tell from the parade down Broad Street, everything came together for the Phillies in 2008. Cole Hamels made the leap from No. 1 starter to shutdown ace, Brad Lidge didn’t blow a save from April to October and the big three in the lineup kept on churning until the Rays were dispatched and Philadelphia rejoiced for the first time in 25 years.

Hamels, Lidge, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley will all be in their familiar roles when next season opens. No matter what the Mets do, that nucleus should make the Phillies the favorites in the NL East, not to mention the two steps beyond that, before next season. That doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do.

You don’t need to look any further than Pat Gillick’s retirement and Ruben Amaro’s ascension to general manager to see how little time there is to celebrate a title before thinking about next year. The Phillies don’t need any wholesale changes, but they can’t stand pat either. Like sharks, baseball teams need to keep moving or they’ll die where they sit.Continue Reading

Nov 6th 2008 12:37PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
With each passing day it seems more likely that Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday won’t be wearing a Rockies jersey come spring training. After trying to move their MVP outfielder before the trade deadline last season and not finding any deals that worked, Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd is back at it again. With Holliday scheduled to make $13.5 million in 2009, the Rockies feel they’d be better off moving Matt and using that money elsewhere.

Colorado would like to part ways with Holliday so bad, in fact, that it appears they’re even going to lower their asking price.Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd increased the likelihood Matt Holliday will be traded with his admission Wednesday he doesn’t have to receive a proven starter in return.

O’Dowd is looking for the best deal, not the best pitchers, with multiple opposing executives predicting that Philadelphia and Oakland are the most likely trade partners.

“There is not much pitching in the market available. Period,” O’Dowd said. “And any pitching we get will likely be projection pitching. Not that guy that has been there, done it. We are completely open-minded to anything.” Continue Reading

Nov 6th 2008 2:15PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
A high school football coach in suburban Philadelphia gave nine of his players the boot after they defied his orders not to skip school by attending the Phillies championship parade last Friday. Not surprisingly, the decision has generated a lot of negative attention, especially when you consider attendance at all public high schools in Philly was down 20 percent the day of the parade.

What’s the harm in letting the kids have a little fun, right? Surely the coach is on an unfortunate power trip … right?

Before you make a knee-jerk reaction, consider this: the kids were forced to sit out Friday’s game due to the local high school association rules, which presumably states a student is ineligible to participate in an event if he didn’t attend school that day — a common rule that a lot of high schools enforce.Continue Reading

Nov 5th 2008 2:35PM by Matt Watson (author feed)

After the Phillies won the World Series, thousands of fans poured out in the streets of downtown Philadelphia and celebrated in an extremely peaceful manner. Of course, we only remember the idiots. Unfortunately for those who like to park in the street, a favorite pastime among celebrating idiots is flipping over cars.

We saw them in action last week, and in the video above you can see one poor guy dealing with the aftermath. As the car owner explained on his blog, since he wasn’t able to afford an insurance policy that covered vandalism, the drunken decision made by a handful of fans has left him completely screwed. So he’s asking for help:
So I was thinking…

There was alot of people on Broad Street last night. If all the people who were hanging out near Broad and Washington (where the car was flipped) gave me ten dollars I could probably buy a new car… or if all the people who actually flipped my car gave me a thousand dollars that could work too.
You can go to his blog and make a donation via PayPal. Hopefully enough fans, even if they weren’t even out celebrating that night, will feel bad for the guy and toss him a few bucks.

Nov 4th 2008 9:30AM by Mullet (author feed)

Personally, I think too much money is wasted on these attack ads. These mascots need to stick to the issues instead of spending their money on slanderous attacks like the ones above. I mean, you don’t see the poor Pirate Parrot sinking to their level (although the evidence brought forth by Penguins mascot “Iceburgh” is pretty damning.) Oh well, don’t forget to go out and do your civic duty and vote, whether it’s Obama, McCain, or Parrot.

Nov 3rd 2008 10:55AM by Josh Alper (author feed)
It wasn’t a secret that Pat Gillick was going to step down as Phillies general manager after this season which meant the team had plenty of time to figure out his successor. The only problem was they had two top-notch candidates in house as replacements. Assistant general managers Ruben Amaro and Mike Arbuckle both played a big role in building the world champions but one was going to be left holding the bag.

It wound up being Arbuckle. Amaro was named the team’s new GM at a press conference today. Amaro played for the Phillies and served as Gillick’s public face on many occassions the last couple of years. He was widely seen as the former GM’s protege. Arbuckle handled scouting and player development and, upon learning he wouldn’t get the top job, informed the team that he’d be leaving for other opportunities.

It’s a big loss. The Phillies lean heavily on players that Arbuckle brought into the organization. Six of the nine players who started Game 5, in fact, were drafted under Arbuckle and the guy who closed the game was acquired in exchange for three players Arbuckle selected. That’s a big loss as will be the other guys Arbuckle poaches when he lands another job.Continue Reading

Nov 3rd 2008 2:30PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
John McCain and Barack Obama are shuttling across the country today, trying to close the deal on an election that’s coming to an end after what feels like a decade of campaigning. In a couple of swing states, they’re getting help from baseball players who are trying to use their popularity to try and rally votes in their candidate’s direction.

Curt Schilling is putting his New England cred to use by stumping for John McCain in New Hampshire. He compared Obama’s edge in money and polling to the one held by the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
“The size of the payroll has nothing to do with the heart and talent of the team. They’d have you believe that we’re down 3-0, but let me tell you I have a little bit of experience with that and it doesn’t mean anything.”
Not to be outdone, Jimmy Rollins, a pretty popular guy in parts of Pennsylvania these days, is throwing his support behind Obama.Continue Reading

Nov 2nd 2008 7:00PM by Mullet (author feed)
It was only a matter of time before David Wright was asked about the Phillies, and the entire NL East for that matter, hating the Mets’ guts, especially after the Phillies rode their Mets hatred to a World F’n Championship. Well, not that he sounded too convincing, but Wright returned serve.”I don’t like those guys,” Wright said. “I know they don’t like us. There are guys that I respect on that team. I respect them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to be friends with them. My whole career, I’ve tried to stay away from that. I’ll shake somebody’s hand and say hello, but I’m not going to be buddy-buddy with anyone before the game.

“I’m not a big fan of the teams in our division just because we play them so much. I would hope as a competitor that you would have that edge, that you would have a genuine interest to go out there and beat them by as much as you can.”Far from a blanket statement. Sounds like Wright was kinda nudged into saying that. Besides, it’s not like Wright’s bitter or anything. Far from it.
Continue Reading

Nov 1st 2008 2:39PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
You’ll have to excuse Chase Utley here. After all, winning a World Series is pretty awesome, and when you get to celebrate that achievement in front of all your fans, sometimes the emotion can get the best of you.

So what if your celebratory rally is being broadcast on live television throughout Philadelphia, sometimes you really need that F-bomb to drive your point home. Oh, and the video is NSFW if you haven’t figured that out already.

Damn f—-n straight.Continue Reading