Did the Phillies Make the Right Move?

Yesterday, the Phillies went out and got their front end of the rotation help by acquiring Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, outfielder Anthony Gose and short stop Jonathan Villar.

The key to the deal was the fact the Astros will pay $11 million of the $23 million left on Oswalt's contract. This was key because it is well known that the Phillies wanted to keep their payroll at $150 million plateau. That was the reason the organization gave when they dealt Cliff Lee to the Mariners after the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now the debate begins if the Phillies did the right thing by trading away Lee. In some respects, the acquisition of Oswalt was the Phillies admitting to the league and to the Philly faithful that they made the wrong decision in dealing Lee.

Of course, there is no way to tell if the Phillies would have been in the same position they are in now if they had Lee or not. But the contract extension with Lee wasn't going anywhere at the time he was dealt. At the end of the season, the Phillies didn't want someone like Lee to just walk and not get something in return for him. So they thought at the time getting a couple of prospects in return for Lee would be better.

There is still a chance, but slim, that the Phillies will pick up Oswalt's 2012 option. But Oswalt will have to earn that option by his performance on the mound. Oswalt has to show that he can adjust to pitching in "the Bank." The Phils, by 2012, will have $22.5 million cleared out with the departures of Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge. This will create room for the Phillies to re-sign Oswalt and stay under the $150 million plateau the Phils brass want to stay under.

Time will tell if Phils just rented another playoff for a race to the World Series or if this will be an important cog to their machine for the future.

One Year Ago, Today, We Lost a Defensive Mastermind

One Year ago, on this date, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, passed away from melanoma at the age of 68. Last offseason was a tough one for the defense of the Eagles as the front office decided to not re-sign the hard and soul of defense, safety Brian Dawkins.

Later in the summer, during OTAs Johnson's health problems were noticable when he was riding in a motorized cart to coach the defense. Sean McDermott took over the defensive coordinator position and led the defense to 12th in total defense. In 2008, Johnson led the defense to third overall in total defense in the league.

Philly Sports Developments for Today

Here are a couple of Philly sports developments on this Wednesday, July 28th.

1. Phillies top prospect, outfielder Domonic Brown, has been called up to the Fightin's as Shane Victorino goes on the DL with an oblique injury.

The much await debut of Brown will be tonight and can be seen in right field wearing No. 9. This move most likely signifies that there will be no trade involving Jayson Werth. The 22-year old Brown batted .327 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI in 93 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

2. 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala made it threw the first round of cuts for Team USA basketball.

Igoudala is part of the final 15 players but the Team USA roster will be trimmed to 12 after a camp in New York City that will be from August 10th to 16th. Chester native Tyreke Evans didn't make the final 15.

3. Flyers winger Ville Leino is recovering well from hip surgery.

Leino, who made a huge contribution in the Stanley Cup Finals run this past year for the Flyers, will be on crutches for two more weeks and is expected to be ready for training camp. Leino had 21 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which tied a NHL rookie record.

4. Division I-AA National Champion Wildcats have been selected to finishfirst in the CAA this year.

This comes as no suprise that the Villanova Wildcats are the preseason favorites to win the CAA. Wide receiver and return man Matt Sczcur was selected preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Terence Thomas was selected as preason Defensive Player of the Year.

This Day in Fightin' Phils History

In 2007 on this day, general manager Pat Gillick beefed up the starting lineup and, later on, the bench by acquiring infielder Tadahito Iguchi for right-handed pitcher Michael Dubee.

Iguchi played a pivotal role in getting the Phillies to clinching the National League East crown, which was the first since 1993. The Phillies won the NL East on the last day of the regular season as the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen games remaining.

Iguchi had a .303 batting average in 49 regular season games with the Phillies. Iguchi had three home runs and 12 RBI. Iguchi stepped into the lineup immediately as Chase Utley was on the DL with a broken bone in his right hand.

In his four seasons in the majors, Iguchi had a .268 batting average in 493 regular season games. Iguchi had 91 doubles, 44 home runs and 205 RBI. In 2005, Iguchi also finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting as reliever Houston Street took that award home.

A Slow Start After the All-Star Break leads to Thompson's firing

After winning a 2-0 extra inning game against St. Louis on Thursday, Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson was relieved of his duties as hitting coach. Greg Gross, who has been helping with Phillies player development in the minor leagues, will take over as the Phillies hitting coach.

The firing of Thompson was a bit surprising but the move could be understood. The Phillies haven't performed up to their offensive capabilities but there is a reason for that. The Fightin's have suffered injuries to key players. Short stop Jimmy Rollins hasn't been able to get things straight at the plate after suffering a calf injury. Also, third baseman Placido Polanco as spent time on the DL. Most importantly, the bat of second baseman Chase Utley can't be expected to be replaced by Wilson Valdez.

As a team, going into Saturday's game, the Phillies ranked sixth in the National League and 12th in the Majors with 443 runs scored. Rollins is currently struggling at the plate with a .234 batting average. Along with Rollins' struggles, Ibanez, Victorino and Utley have had down years. Plus, the bench for the Phillies has been basically non-existent.

Even though Valdez and Juan Castro have been asked to play everyday for Rollins and Utley, the Phils have shown the ability to not get the clutch hit or win the low scoring games. Greg Dobbs, who normally has the best bat of the bench in previous years, has been sent down for a little bit because of his .202 batting average.

The Phils in the past six years, under Thompson instruction, has finished in the top three in the NL in runs scored. But is it Thompson's fault for the injuries to Utley, Polanco and Rollins? Thompson job is to help the Phils offense produce. That could be through helping a batters swing.

The Phillies can't go ahead and trade every player that isn't performing well so the organization made the easiest and cleanest decision by firing Thompson. The firing most likely was done to send a message to the offense to get things done and provide more run support. The Phils, before Saturday's game, are six games out from the NL East lead and 3.5 games out of the Wild Card.

The Phils have a slim chance to grab a playoff spot and may actually be buyers at the trade deadline on July 31st. The firing of Milt Thompson was made to send a message to the whole Phillies roster that the team needs to step it up to make their fourth year in a row to the playoffs.

The Day Has Come, Gagne dealt to Tampa Bay

Today, the Flyers have dealt Simon Gagne, the longest-tenured Flyer, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth-round draft pick. This is the second time this summer the Flyers and Lightning have been trade partners. Earlier in the summer, the Flyers acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros from Tampa for a second-round pick.

Gagne finished his Flyers career by playing in 664 regular season games, placing him tenth all-time in Flyers history. Gags scored 259 regular season goals, ninth all-time in Flyers history, and had 524 points, tenth all-time in Flyers history.

In 2000, Gagne scored 20 goals and made the all-rookie team along with goaltender Brian Boucher. In 2001-02, Gagne was named co-Most Improved Player on the Flyers along with defenseman Dan McGillis.

Gagne had his best goal scoring year in 2005-06 with 47 goals, when he was linemates with Peter Forsberg and Mike Knuble. In 2006-07, Gagne scored 41 goals and was named the team MVP for the second time in a row.

The career highlights for Gagne include an overtime game-winner that forced a Game 7 in the 2003-04 Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also, Gagne played a crucial part in the Cup run made by the Flyers this past season, even after missing four games to have screws inserted to into his right big toe. Gagne scored the game-winner in Game 7 against the Bruins, to seal the magical comeback from an 0-3 deficit.

But his career with the Flyers has always been stunted by the amount of time he would miss from different injuries. In 2002-03 season, Gagne played only in 46 games while dealing with groin and concussion problems. In 2007-08, Gagne missed 57 games and the run to the Eastern Conference Finals due to concussion symptoms. Even this past year, Gagne missed the first 24 games of the season due to abdominal surgery, along with the four games Gagne missed in the playoffs due to the broken right big toe.

Walker, 30, posted 5 points in 66 games last year with the Lightning. The 6'4" 215 pound defenseman originally started with the St. Louis Blues in 1998. Walker has three years left on his deal worth $1.7 million per year.

I wasn't shocked at all to hear Gagne got dealt considering the fact that Gagne has one more year left on his deal worth $5.25 million. The Flyers were over the $59.4 million cap by $2.49 million and now this gets the Flyers under the cap. I also wouldn't be shocked to see another deal to occur to bring in a winger since the Flyers now have depth on defense.

This Day in Fightin' Phils History

In 1922 on this day, eleven-year old Bob "Tuffy Reds" Cotter caught a foul ball at the Phillies' Baker Bowl. Cotter refused to return the ball and decided to keep it. At that time, fans use to return foul balls but that day was a turning point. Stadium ushers arrested "Tuffy Reds" and sent him to jail. Cotter was freed the next morning by a judge who said that Cotter was "following his most natural instincts." The Phillies was the first team to create an official policy stating that fans could keep foul balls.

This Day in Philly Sports History

Sandhi Ortiz-Del Valle, on this day in 1991, was the first woman to officiate a men's professional basketball game. Ortiz-Del Valle officiated a United States Basketball League (USBL) game between New Haven Skyhawks and the Philadelphia Spirit.

This Week's Philly Sports Headlines

This is the top five headlines in Philadelphia sports this week.
1. The Phillies swept the Reds going into the All-Star break
2. The Sixers sign draftee Evan Turner
3. Flyers sign winger Nikolai Zherdev; re-sign Carcillo
4. Phillies activate Durbin from DL; designate Figueroa for assignment
5. Eagles sign draftee Riley Cooper

Honorable Mention:
Delonte West pleads guilty to weapons charges
Billy King hired to be Nets GM
Rockets match Cavs offer to Kyle Lowry

Did the All-Star Break Come at the Right Time for the Fightin's?

As baseball fans tonight sit down and watch their favorite players perform tonight, many of those fans whose teams are in contention right now might be debating if the all-star break came at the right time for their team. This debate is for sure occurring in the City of Brotherly Love. Some Phillies fans might already be hitting the panic button. But how is that different from any other year for the Phillies or for your Eagles, Flyers and Sixers.

Living out in Pittsburgh for the time being, I can't really catch all the Phillies on television. But I do try to see the highlights of the games. So when the Phillies came into town for a four game series against the Pirates, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to catch a Phillies in person at PNC Park. I thought it was an great opportunity for the Phillies to make up ground in the National League East as the next series would be against the NL East leading Braves. But that wasn't the case, the Phillies lost three out of four in the series and then lost two out of three against the Braves.

After losing three out of four to the Buccos, I felt like the Phillies missed out on a great opportunity and I started to sweat after they lost the next series to the Braves. The only reason why I started to only sweat was because I understood the Phillies were injury rittled the whole first-half of the season and currently still don't Chase Utley and Placido Polanco back yet from DL.

The pitching wasn't as big as a problem as the offense was in Pirates series. The offense showed an inability to hit with runners in scoring position.

Now, since the Phillies were able to sweep the NL Central leading Reds with four games straight of late inning heroics, the break has come at just the right time. Polanco will hopefully try to give it a go against the Chicago Cubs, the first series out of the break. But it's most likely he will come back against the Cardinals in the series that follows the Cubs.

The Phils better come out of the gates fast against the Cubs and have a successful series because the Phils go to St. Louis for four games and then come home for four against the Rockies. The Phils get a break, sort of, when the Diamondbacks come in for three and then the Fightin's go to the Nation's Capital, Washington D.C., for three.

The Braves face a tougher road coming out of the gate. They have to face the Brewers and Padres for three games each at home. The Braves then have to go on the road to face the Florida Marlins, Nationals, and Reds for three games each. The Phillies have an opportunity to make more ground up before the trade deadline.

Today's Birthday Wish to a Philadelphia Pro Athlete

I want to send an early birthday wish to Andy Ashby. July 11th marks Ashby's 43rd birthday. Ashby was signed as an amateur free agent in 1986 by the Phillies. He made his professional debut on June 10th, 1991 against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing five runs on four hits while striking out four and walking three in four innings. Ashby took the loss as the Phillies lost, 9-3, to the Reds. Ashby was selected 25th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 1992 Expansion Draft. But on November 10th, 1999, Ashby returned to Philadelphia in a trade from the San Diego Padres for Adam Eaton, Carlton Loewer, and Steve Montgomery. In three seasons as a Phillie, Ashby had a record of 6-15 with a 6.14 ERA. Ashby pitched 14 season in the majors and finished his career with a record of 98-110 and 4.12 ERA. Ashby also was selected to two all-star teams while as a member of the Padres in 1998 and 1999. Ashby pitched for the Phillies, Rockies, Padres, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Philly Sports Fans Now Aren't the Leader in the Clubhouse for being the Worst Sports Fans

Everyone now, even those who aren't sports fans, knows that LeBron James left Cleveland for greener pastures and more sun on South Beach. My personal feelings are that Kobe Bryant is the better all around player, especially the better closer, than the "King."

The media, especially my favorite network, ESPN, has created this media circus around where LeBron would call home. It all culminated, in what people thought, in the hour long special called "The Decision."

The decision seemed to be crystal clear when just 24 hours before Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided they would team up in South Florida to play for the Heat. Everyone knew James would go where he would get the best chance to win a championship and hopefully more.

Since it was hard to avoid to shake the day-to-day drama of where LeBron might call home, I was 95 percent sure he was going to Miami. So when James told Jim Gray he was going to Miami, I just immediately started to think about what could possibly going on in the city of Cleveland and the neighboring towns.

Just under five minutes after James officially announced his decision to join Wade and Bosh, there was video of LeBron's jersey being lit on fire in Cleveland.

I can understand how those fans feel and why they would do such a thing. They feel they are being betrayed and they hated how they were being dragged along up to the final second. But those fans should really understand what the Akron native did for the franchise.

He revitalized the Cavalier franchise and took them to new heights the team had never been taken before. LeBron pretty much did it by himself as well. He no supporting cast and he wants make the next step from a superstar to a legend. To be a legend you need to win a NBA title.

The disgruntled fans should be upset at the Cavalier front office to not surround LeBron with better players and to have a legitimate chance to win a title.

I hope to god what I see on television isn't the view and opinion of the majority of Cleveland natives. I hope they would be upset at losing out on James but be thankful for the memories the LeBron's most memorable moments.

I don't know much about Cavalier owner, Dan Gilbert, but the letter sent to Cavalier fans showed no class and immaturity. Gilbert could have written in a better way to still get his message across. I like when someone says something from their heart but the statement released was uncalled for.

I feel bad for Cleveland Cavalier fans because the teams front office still doesn't get it and will never get it. Blame it on your ownership and not LeBron. He is just trying to achieve the "American Dream," to be the best.

This Day in Fightin' Phils History

On this day in Fightin' Phils history, short stop Kevin Stocker made his professional debut in 1993 at the Vet against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stocker had a bit of struggle in the 7-6 Phillies victory that was 20 innings long. Stocker, a Phillies 1991 second round draft pick, went 0 for 6 including two strikeouts along with two walks. In the field, Stocker had four assists and two putouts along with an error. In 1993, Stocker appeared in 70 games and finished the year with a batting average of .324, two home runs and 31 RBI. Stocker finished sixth in the 1993 Rookie of the Year voting which was won by Phoenixville native, Mike Piazza, who was with the Dodgers. Piazza finished the season with a batting average of .318, 35 home runs and 112 RBI. On November 18, 1997, Stocker was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Bobby Abreu. Stocker played two and a half years in Tampa Bay until Stocker was released on May 25, 2000. But five days later, Stocker was picked up by the Anaheim Angels, where he played in 70 games. Stocker finished his eight-year career with a batting average .254, 23 home runs, and 248 RBI.

Will Michael Leighton be the Opening Night Goaltender for the Flyers in 2010?

A day before NHL free agency was about to begin, the Flyers locked up their 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs savior in Michael Leighton. Leighton was rewarded with a two-year deal worth $3.1 million. But should have General Manger Paul Holmgren and the Flyers gone in this direction? Or should have the Flyers looked at a more proven netminder in Marty Turco or Evengi Nabakov.

Leighton could have another stellar season between the pipes in 2010-2011 but most likely he will never get back to the success he had last season. First off, if the Flyers want to stop worrying about goaltending being an issue, they can't rely on Leighton to be in net all 82 games. The journeyman hasn't shown he can with stand a whole NHL season. The most games he has played in a season was 35 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003-2004.

Sure, Leighton came in the regular season and playoffs after injuries to Ray Emery and Brian Boucher and did what was asked of him. But I am not sure Leighton is the man to be the Flyers full-time goaltender.

The other Flyers on the ice at any particular time can only do so much. It is up to goaltender to make the big save that could save a season or end one. My case and point, Patrick Kane's game-winning goal that seemed to find the net threw Leighton's pads that allowed the Blackhawks to raise Lord Stanley on the ice in Philadelphia.

Look for, sadly, one or two big names to be moved to clear cap space to bring in a goaltender that has a proven track record. The Flyers have a good mix of young and old talent on the roster but the window may be closing soon on a great opportunity. Don't let the goaltender be the reason why Orange & Black fans can't celebrate in June during a Flyers Stanley Cup parade.

Flyers aren't done after the wheeling and dealing they did on the first day of free agency. The roster has three very formidable defensive pairs with the resigning of Braydon Colburn, acquisition of Andrej Meszaros and the signing of Sean O'Donnell. The Flyers also added a little more grit to their team with the signing of winger Jody Shelley. Many Flyers fans may remember Shelley for not having a goal until the last two games of the season. Shelley, as a Ranger, almost single-handily kicked the Flyers out of the playoffs with his physical style of play on the ice and his new found scoring touch.

Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter have been linked for weeks now to possible trades to either free up space to sign a Turco or Nabakov or to lure in a young stud goalie in Jonathan Quick. Look for more fireworks to come with the shaping of the 2010-2011 roster of the Flyers.

The Time is Now to Move Jayson Werth

Today's news of second baseman Chase Utley needing to have surgery on his right thumb may have just forced the Phillies to seriously think about trading right fielder Jayson Werth. With Utley being out for the next eight weeks and third baseman Placido Polanco also being out with an inflamed left elbow, a Phillies lineup that once looked very potent now looks like a shell of themselves.

A couple of trades will needed to be pulled off by General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. to strengthen the lineup and possibly the back end of the pitching rotation. Werth will be movable piece on the Phillies since the club's top prospect outfielder Domonic Brown is waiting in the wings for his moment on the big stage.

With each day passing and no progress on a new deal for Werth, it looks more and more like next year the left fielder for the Phillies on opening day will be Brown. Why not now try to get something in return for Werth instead of just letting him walk at the end of the season.

The Phillies have been in this position before when Utley missed some action in 2007 season. That season, General Manager Pat Gillick went out and acquired Tadahito Iguchi, who fared to prosper while being a Phillie.

Even if the Phillies weren't in their injury depleted situation, they should have looked to move Werth anyways to acquire prospects to replenish the farm system. With recent acquisitions of pitchers Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee, and Roy Halladay, the farm system has been emptied out. Even with the Phillies trading Lee to Seattle this past off season, the farm system doesn't have the prospects that the organization should have if they run into a situation like being injury riddled.