Yeah, it's been a long while since the last post. I figured at least 3 posts for 2011 would be a good round number. Although, now I have a lot more time on my hands as I wait for the MLB season to begin again, so why not start writing. I need something to keep my office skills and WPM up while looking for a job/waiting for former employers to finally give me a call back.
The last post that was on this page was my prediction on the teams most likely to sign Albert Pujols after he played out his contract in St. Louis. I was really pulling for him to land in Washington, as he could fit right in that lineup, putting them in a good position with their young rotation and it would benefit any possible rivalry between the Phils and Nats. Alas, the Angels were on my list of potential landing spots and that's what happened. Doesn't hurt a team when they get a big boost in their television contract like that (just ask the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets...).
Should make for a good race in the AL West. This has been a good Hot Stove season for baseball, but we still have a number of days until pitchers and catchers report. Until then, there is NFL Playoffs, meaningless regular season NHL games, the start of the NBA and hopefully a number of blog posts from both me and my co-author (although I am making this post unbeknownst to him). Follow me on Twitter @cor820 and keep posted to the blog. I intend for more updates before the end of the year.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Now batting, number five...
It has been well documented as spring training begins that Cardinals firstbasemen Albert Pujols will not be negotiating a new contract during the season since he is in the last year of his deal. So, by the end of the 2011 season, the best player in baseball will be free to sign with any team he pleases. Here are a few team I believe have the best chance to sign him:
As I said, this is just mere speculation on my part looking at teams that could potentially be in the market for one of the all time greatest hitters of all time. Of course, Pujols could surprise us all and re-sign with the Cardinals before the season ends. It will be interesting to see how far it goes; reports from spring training are saying Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright has a significant elbow injury (Tommy John surgery?). If their season crumbles, is it possible Pujols could become a rental player by the trading deadline? We shall see.
- Chicago Cubs
- Los Angeles Angels
- Texas Rangers
- Washington Nationals
- New York Mets
- New York Yankees
As I said, this is just mere speculation on my part looking at teams that could potentially be in the market for one of the all time greatest hitters of all time. Of course, Pujols could surprise us all and re-sign with the Cardinals before the season ends. It will be interesting to see how far it goes; reports from spring training are saying Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright has a significant elbow injury (Tommy John surgery?). If their season crumbles, is it possible Pujols could become a rental player by the trading deadline? We shall see.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Things We Learned from Super Bowl XLV
Yep, I know it's been awhile. Time to start writing again. And what better way than to take a look at some things we learned from the most watched Super Bowl of all time.
- The NFL is human. It seems like all the things that could go wrong, did go wrong in the world of Jerry. From workers getting hurt by an avalanche falling from the stadium to fans getting displaced because of temporary seating that was not cleared by the fire marshal, or Christina Aguilera forgetting the national anthem, and the Black Eyed Peas halftime show which had lights malfunctioning (and I don't mean Taboo's seizure inducing get up) and Fergie's mic problems at the beginning, things just didn't go smoothly.
- The Super Bowl should only be held in places with nice, warm weather. Okay, honestly I will give the league a pass on this one this year. Jerry Jones built a palace in Dallas with the idea of hosting a Super Bowl and he is a major part of the success the league is enjoying today, so they threw him a bone and just to see what it would be like. And when you think Dallas in February, you don't normally think major ice storm. But from now on, I would keep it in Phoenix, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego (when they improve their stadium situation) and maybe New Orleans. Too bad 2 of the next 3 games will be played in weather questionable 'cities' (Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, New Jersey).
- A team based around throwing the ball can win the Super Bowl - with a great QB. You know Andy Reid got excited watching that game with all the throwing Aaron Rodgers was doing. That is, if he was watching the game and at Ruth Chris Steakhouse with Jon Gruden, of course.
- Seeing Alex Rodriguez getting fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz makes for great television. To me, this was the highlight of the game. Not because it was a huge surprise or because ARod committed a 'violation' as some have said but imagine being the director of that broadcast. On one of your cameras, you have Arod getting popcorn fed to him like royalty by his actress girlfriend. You just HAVE to get that on screen.
-The real defensive player of the year was Clay Matthews, not Troy Polamalu. When the game was on the line, Matthews actually made a play forcing a fumble. Polamalu, on the other hand, was absent for the Steelers.
- The NFL would be crazy not to get a deal done with the players. Coming off the highest rated televised season in the history of the league, I cannot imagine the NFL missing any weeks of this upcoming season. I won't get into details about the CBA but there is way too much money to be lost with not playing, by both the league and the players. I'm not saying a deal will be reached by March 4th, but I believe something will get worked out so zero regular season games are missed.
These are just some of the things we all learned from this past Super Bowl. The commercials were unimpressive overall, with my favorite being the Kim Kardashian spot late in the fourth quarter or the Faith Hill 'rack' commercial. Let the countdown begin for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a week.
- The NFL is human. It seems like all the things that could go wrong, did go wrong in the world of Jerry. From workers getting hurt by an avalanche falling from the stadium to fans getting displaced because of temporary seating that was not cleared by the fire marshal, or Christina Aguilera forgetting the national anthem, and the Black Eyed Peas halftime show which had lights malfunctioning (and I don't mean Taboo's seizure inducing get up) and Fergie's mic problems at the beginning, things just didn't go smoothly.
- The Super Bowl should only be held in places with nice, warm weather. Okay, honestly I will give the league a pass on this one this year. Jerry Jones built a palace in Dallas with the idea of hosting a Super Bowl and he is a major part of the success the league is enjoying today, so they threw him a bone and just to see what it would be like. And when you think Dallas in February, you don't normally think major ice storm. But from now on, I would keep it in Phoenix, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego (when they improve their stadium situation) and maybe New Orleans. Too bad 2 of the next 3 games will be played in weather questionable 'cities' (Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, New Jersey).
- A team based around throwing the ball can win the Super Bowl - with a great QB. You know Andy Reid got excited watching that game with all the throwing Aaron Rodgers was doing. That is, if he was watching the game and at Ruth Chris Steakhouse with Jon Gruden, of course.
- Seeing Alex Rodriguez getting fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz makes for great television. To me, this was the highlight of the game. Not because it was a huge surprise or because ARod committed a 'violation' as some have said but imagine being the director of that broadcast. On one of your cameras, you have Arod getting popcorn fed to him like royalty by his actress girlfriend. You just HAVE to get that on screen.
-The real defensive player of the year was Clay Matthews, not Troy Polamalu. When the game was on the line, Matthews actually made a play forcing a fumble. Polamalu, on the other hand, was absent for the Steelers.
- The NFL would be crazy not to get a deal done with the players. Coming off the highest rated televised season in the history of the league, I cannot imagine the NFL missing any weeks of this upcoming season. I won't get into details about the CBA but there is way too much money to be lost with not playing, by both the league and the players. I'm not saying a deal will be reached by March 4th, but I believe something will get worked out so zero regular season games are missed.
These are just some of the things we all learned from this past Super Bowl. The commercials were unimpressive overall, with my favorite being the Kim Kardashian spot late in the fourth quarter or the Faith Hill 'rack' commercial. Let the countdown begin for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a week.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Corey Live.
Well, it certainly has been awhile since my last update. Almost two months but I guess it is better late than never. Joe Buck Live airs once every three months, so I can do the same. I just won't have Artie Lange to "entertain" my readers.
A lot has changed since that last post. Michael Vick is a free man. Brett Favre has come back, then changed his mind, then set a date to let the Vikings know he is interested in coming back (I guess that's not really a change). I have co-hosted my first and second radio show on 91.7 WKDU, Fridays 11-1. We have seen another all-Williams Wimbledon final and the second greatest Men's Singles Championship Match ever. And former Phillie Lenny Dykstra lost his title of "Financial Guru" on one of the most comical segments I have ever seen on Real Sports.
Speaking of the Phillies, in my hiatius, they played .500 ball basically, then struggled getting swept in back to back series by the Blue Jays and Orioles. Now they are in the middle of a tear that is wrapped around the All Star break, baseball's unofficial mid-season point. Now, they are on an eight game winning streak, taking 12 of their last 13 games. They hold a six and a half game lead over the Atlanta Braves and the Mets are in 4th, nine games out! That is something that makes this so much sweeter. The Phillies dominating this division is wonderful but seeing the Mets struggle might even be sweeter for me.
But still, this team is in a prime position to add one of the games most dominating pitcher, Roy Halladay. We are 11 days from the trading deadline and we know the Phillies are interested. We know the Blue Jays want a ton of prospects, in which the Phillies may not want to give up. Of course, if I were Amaro I would pull the trigger and we would be on our way to our second straight World Championship. But it's not that simple and there are many details we don't know. I understand the difficulty there is in trading a prospect because of the 'what-if' factor. A few years ago, Ed Wade offered an up and coming Ryan Howard to the Pirates for SP Kip Wells. Thank goodness the Pirates are, well, the Pirates. So some of the names getting thrown around could turn out to be like that. But they could also fail. When thinking of Drabek, remember the names of Garrett Stevenson, Brandon Duckworth, Carlton Loewer, Gavin Floyd, hell even Brett Myers was a supposed stud. So before we appoint Drabek the next ace of the staff (which he very well could be), think about now and the players on the roster contributing today. They aren't getting any younger and could possibly be part of a multi-world championship team.
Also in my absence, the NHL and NBA held their respective draft of amateur players. I could go on and on about the NBA but: A. I don't care about it, and B. the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic and possibly the Nuggets will be the only teams contending for a title. All I really can say is I think Blake Griffin will be a bust. And the NBA shouldn't have allowed Brandon Jennings to pull the shinangans he did.
In the NHL, all I really care about are the Flyers, and they pulled off the steal of the century. I mean, they got their big, physical, brusing defensman that will stop the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin...won't he? That's what the team hopes and many Flyer fans buy right into that line of thinking, of course. Well I think differently. Yes, Pronger is an upgrade on defense, but that is no reason to start planning a Stanley Cup parade. He will be 35 at the start of the season and is not the same Chris Pronger that won MVP in 2000. Yeah, he played every game last year in the 08-09 season but mid 30s is about the age a physical player like CP starts to break down. So I suspect they may get one really good season - two at most - out of Pronger. By that time, Sbisa could be an all star and Lupul, well you can find forwards like him everywhere - supposedly. Of course, I may be contradicting myself because I would trade for Halladay in a heartbeat, but I don't like this trade one bit. But what do I know, I never have played hockey.
Well, that's about it for right now. With training camps opening soon, an NFL Preview will be up soon. No promises when though. It will before the next Joe Buck Live at least. With or without Artie Lange.
What to watch: The T.O. Show, 10pm on VH1
A lot has changed since that last post. Michael Vick is a free man. Brett Favre has come back, then changed his mind, then set a date to let the Vikings know he is interested in coming back (I guess that's not really a change). I have co-hosted my first and second radio show on 91.7 WKDU, Fridays 11-1. We have seen another all-Williams Wimbledon final and the second greatest Men's Singles Championship Match ever. And former Phillie Lenny Dykstra lost his title of "Financial Guru" on one of the most comical segments I have ever seen on Real Sports.
Speaking of the Phillies, in my hiatius, they played .500 ball basically, then struggled getting swept in back to back series by the Blue Jays and Orioles. Now they are in the middle of a tear that is wrapped around the All Star break, baseball's unofficial mid-season point. Now, they are on an eight game winning streak, taking 12 of their last 13 games. They hold a six and a half game lead over the Atlanta Braves and the Mets are in 4th, nine games out! That is something that makes this so much sweeter. The Phillies dominating this division is wonderful but seeing the Mets struggle might even be sweeter for me.
But still, this team is in a prime position to add one of the games most dominating pitcher, Roy Halladay. We are 11 days from the trading deadline and we know the Phillies are interested. We know the Blue Jays want a ton of prospects, in which the Phillies may not want to give up. Of course, if I were Amaro I would pull the trigger and we would be on our way to our second straight World Championship. But it's not that simple and there are many details we don't know. I understand the difficulty there is in trading a prospect because of the 'what-if' factor. A few years ago, Ed Wade offered an up and coming Ryan Howard to the Pirates for SP Kip Wells. Thank goodness the Pirates are, well, the Pirates. So some of the names getting thrown around could turn out to be like that. But they could also fail. When thinking of Drabek, remember the names of Garrett Stevenson, Brandon Duckworth, Carlton Loewer, Gavin Floyd, hell even Brett Myers was a supposed stud. So before we appoint Drabek the next ace of the staff (which he very well could be), think about now and the players on the roster contributing today. They aren't getting any younger and could possibly be part of a multi-world championship team.
Also in my absence, the NHL and NBA held their respective draft of amateur players. I could go on and on about the NBA but: A. I don't care about it, and B. the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic and possibly the Nuggets will be the only teams contending for a title. All I really can say is I think Blake Griffin will be a bust. And the NBA shouldn't have allowed Brandon Jennings to pull the shinangans he did.
In the NHL, all I really care about are the Flyers, and they pulled off the steal of the century. I mean, they got their big, physical, brusing defensman that will stop the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin...won't he? That's what the team hopes and many Flyer fans buy right into that line of thinking, of course. Well I think differently. Yes, Pronger is an upgrade on defense, but that is no reason to start planning a Stanley Cup parade. He will be 35 at the start of the season and is not the same Chris Pronger that won MVP in 2000. Yeah, he played every game last year in the 08-09 season but mid 30s is about the age a physical player like CP starts to break down. So I suspect they may get one really good season - two at most - out of Pronger. By that time, Sbisa could be an all star and Lupul, well you can find forwards like him everywhere - supposedly. Of course, I may be contradicting myself because I would trade for Halladay in a heartbeat, but I don't like this trade one bit. But what do I know, I never have played hockey.
Well, that's about it for right now. With training camps opening soon, an NFL Preview will be up soon. No promises when though. It will before the next Joe Buck Live at least. With or without Artie Lange.
What to watch: The T.O. Show, 10pm on VH1
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The 5 Best Logos in the NHL
5. St. Louis Blues
I've had this conversation with people in real life situations, and whenever I bring up the Blues people can't believe it. This leads me to believe that people don't understand the Blues' nickname and logo, which is one of the best in the league. The team is named after the song "St Louis Blues", a famous blues song that's in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The logo itself is a 64th note, which is a very short musical note that is pretty much featured in the song "St. Louis Blues". It makes a lot more sense than Utah Jazz, anyway.4. Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have one of the most classic logos in all of sports, but most people have no idea what it is. The logo was once used by a cycling team who spun off into an amateur hockey team. This hockey/biking team was really good, winning a Stanley Cup back when anyone in any league could win it. When the Detroit Falcons were becoming the Detroit Red Wings, they purchased the rights to the logo of the cycling club, paying homage to the Stanely Cup champions. Apparently the logo is magical, because the Red Wings have since then been the stand out club in the NHL.
The Detroit Red Wings have one of the most classic logos in all of sports, but most people have no idea what it is. The logo was once used by a cycling team who spun off into an amateur hockey team. This hockey/biking team was really good, winning a Stanley Cup back when anyone in any league could win it. When the Detroit Falcons were becoming the Detroit Red Wings, they purchased the rights to the logo of the cycling club, paying homage to the Stanely Cup champions. Apparently the logo is magical, because the Red Wings have since then been the stand out club in the NHL.3. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks' logo is the first "modern" era logo on the list; both the Blue and Red Wings' logos are old time classics, while the Sharks weren't even a team until 1991. They've always had a similar logo, but the older one was bad, because the shark was too realistic looking. The new shark is a sleeker looking, more menacing figure, and the guys are a really good touch. Plus, I can blow your mind: the triangle is a shark tooth.
The Sharks' logo is the first "modern" era logo on the list; both the Blue and Red Wings' logos are old time classics, while the Sharks weren't even a team until 1991. They've always had a similar logo, but the older one was bad, because the shark was too realistic looking. The new shark is a sleeker looking, more menacing figure, and the guys are a really good touch. Plus, I can blow your mind: the triangle is a shark tooth.
2. Montreal Canadiens
I asked a lot of people for input on this list, and most of them brought up the Montreal Canadiens as one of the best logos of all times. At first, I just shrugged them off, because this isn't about the most classic logo or the most historic logo, and aesthetically this logo isn't that great; it's just a C ala the Chicago Cubs. However, I really looked at I realized that yeah, this logo not only is historic and nostalgic, but it's also very good. Simple, yet a strong representation of what the Canadiens really are; a team whose fans are permanently behind them and who's history is grossly intertwined with the history of the NHL. After all, what's more hockey than the H in the Canadiens' logo?
While the Red Wings and Canadiens have a lot of history in their logos, and the Blues and Sharks' have a modern era twinge one theirs, nothing comes close to even touching the Wild's logo. The overall logo appears to be a bear or wild cat head, but when you take a closer look the image changes to something else that's absolutely amazing. The mouth of the beast is a river, the ear is a moon, and picture is loaded with trees and a red sky. The best part is the eye of the creature which is the north star, a reference to the last hockey franchise that played in Minnesota. The whole thing is amazing; it's modern, it's got some vintage to it, and it's interesting and flashy, unlike a lot of modern logos which are boring.
1. Minnesota Wild
While the Red Wings and Canadiens have a lot of history in their logos, and the Blues and Sharks' have a modern era twinge one theirs, nothing comes close to even touching the Wild's logo. The overall logo appears to be a bear or wild cat head, but when you take a closer look the image changes to something else that's absolutely amazing. The mouth of the beast is a river, the ear is a moon, and picture is loaded with trees and a red sky. The best part is the eye of the creature which is the north star, a reference to the last hockey franchise that played in Minnesota. The whole thing is amazing; it's modern, it's got some vintage to it, and it's interesting and flashy, unlike a lot of modern logos which are boring.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Pedro "No Respect" Feliz
I feel like Pedro Feliz gets the short end of the stick. I, like a lot of Phillies fans, have really under-rated him in the past year and I feel like it's time for me to come out and say something. It's not our fault; it's just what we're used to. When you look at the Phillies infield, you see Ryan Howard, the slugging, clean home-run hitter; Jimmy Rollins, the face of the franchise who plays hard all the time; Chase Utley, the hustling second baseman who plays the game like it's the 1950s still; and Pedro Feliz...the third baseman.
The thing is, we used to have a third baseman who was going to be the next face of the Phillies. Scott Rolen came around in the late 1990s, the dog days of Veteran's Stadium. Back then there was no Utley or Howard; Rolen was pretty much it. However, for whatever reason, the Phillies management never got anyone to give him any support, instead surrounding him with has-beens like Travis Lee, and eventually, the whole "savior" thing faded.
Once Rolen was gone, we started to get some decent players at other positions, eventually leading to the roster that we have now. But third base has been a pretty empty spot in the Phillies line-up in terms of decent players.
The first person to replace Rolen was Placido Polanco. Polanco was a pretty good player, and since his departure from the Phillies he's done outstanding things at the plate, but during his tenure in Philadelphia, he was only so so. Polanco was more of a second baseman though, and he switched positions after only his first season. He was eventually traded to the Tigers for Ugeth "I Set People On Fire" Urbina.
Polanco was replaced by David Bell. Bell came to us from the Giants, but he spent most of his career as a journeyman bench player. but when he got here, he was suddenly the next big thing; he was going to be the third baseman that would complete out infield. His tenure here was marred with inadequate play and injury. His big contract and underwhelming play made the fans turn on him pretty quickly, and he fell out of favor and left the team.
During this time, there was also Tomas Perez, who was a decent bench player who was basically rotating time with Bell and third base. Tomas was the prankster of the clubhouse and was pretty much kept around to pie the player of the game. Seriously.
Next, the Phillies brought in Wes Helms, an older guy from the Marlins, who I like to call David Bell 2.0. Helms was, once again, supposed to bring the veteran influence to the clubhouse, but he ended up being another lame third baseman. The Phillies were paying him 5.5 million and he never hit more than .260. He also was pretty bad in the field, costing the Phillies a win at least once because of a fielding error.
The Phils also had some auxiliary players, some who are still around; Eric Brunlett, Abraham Nunez, and Gregg Dobbs.
Pedro Feliz had been on the San Fransisco Giants for his entire pre-Phillies carrier. He'd was an under-the-radar player for the Giants, overshadowed by Barry "Wow My Head is HUUUGE" Bonds. When the time came for the Giants to resign him, they let him go, snubbing a .255 hitter and one of the best defensive third basemen in the league.
His arrival in Philadelphia was went pretty much unnoticed, because people saw him as "another" third basemen who wasn't going to get the job done, and at first, it looked like they were right. Pedro only batted .249 and complained about a back injury for a lot of the season. But then the Phillies went on the magical run that was the 2008 playoffs and I started really noticing that Pedro was a really big staple in the line-up. He's solid, he's in a good spot, and he's someone you can count on. He's not one of the flashy names of the Phillies, but he gets the job done and doesn't seem to complain ever.
I started preaching the church of Pedro late last September, but no one believed me until Game 5 when he batted in Eric Bruntlett for the go ahead run; the run that eventually gave us a World Championship. That, my friends, is called a good point.
This year, which is closely approching the half-way point, he's batting .288, a new high for him on the Phillies, and only about 15 points away from his best average of his career. He's only got 38 RBI and 4 HRs, but he's having a career year in OBS.
Also, he's one of the most underrated defensive players on the team. He only has 4 errors, which means he's on pace for another career high.
We, as the Philadelphia Faithful, have spent years waiting for the next big talent at third base. Now, I'm saying that we don't need to worry about that. For the time being, Pedro Feliz is more than good enough; he's pretty damn good, and he deserves more respect than he gets. So next time you're at a game and someone around you goes, "Oh great, Feliz. Here comes out number 3", think about it. He's a lot better than David Bell.
The thing is, we used to have a third baseman who was going to be the next face of the Phillies. Scott Rolen came around in the late 1990s, the dog days of Veteran's Stadium. Back then there was no Utley or Howard; Rolen was pretty much it. However, for whatever reason, the Phillies management never got anyone to give him any support, instead surrounding him with has-beens like Travis Lee, and eventually, the whole "savior" thing faded.
Once Rolen was gone, we started to get some decent players at other positions, eventually leading to the roster that we have now. But third base has been a pretty empty spot in the Phillies line-up in terms of decent players.
The first person to replace Rolen was Placido Polanco. Polanco was a pretty good player, and since his departure from the Phillies he's done outstanding things at the plate, but during his tenure in Philadelphia, he was only so so. Polanco was more of a second baseman though, and he switched positions after only his first season. He was eventually traded to the Tigers for Ugeth "I Set People On Fire" Urbina.
Polanco was replaced by David Bell. Bell came to us from the Giants, but he spent most of his career as a journeyman bench player. but when he got here, he was suddenly the next big thing; he was going to be the third baseman that would complete out infield. His tenure here was marred with inadequate play and injury. His big contract and underwhelming play made the fans turn on him pretty quickly, and he fell out of favor and left the team.
During this time, there was also Tomas Perez, who was a decent bench player who was basically rotating time with Bell and third base. Tomas was the prankster of the clubhouse and was pretty much kept around to pie the player of the game. Seriously.
Next, the Phillies brought in Wes Helms, an older guy from the Marlins, who I like to call David Bell 2.0. Helms was, once again, supposed to bring the veteran influence to the clubhouse, but he ended up being another lame third baseman. The Phillies were paying him 5.5 million and he never hit more than .260. He also was pretty bad in the field, costing the Phillies a win at least once because of a fielding error.
The Phils also had some auxiliary players, some who are still around; Eric Brunlett, Abraham Nunez, and Gregg Dobbs.
Pedro Feliz had been on the San Fransisco Giants for his entire pre-Phillies carrier. He'd was an under-the-radar player for the Giants, overshadowed by Barry "Wow My Head is HUUUGE" Bonds. When the time came for the Giants to resign him, they let him go, snubbing a .255 hitter and one of the best defensive third basemen in the league.
His arrival in Philadelphia was went pretty much unnoticed, because people saw him as "another" third basemen who wasn't going to get the job done, and at first, it looked like they were right. Pedro only batted .249 and complained about a back injury for a lot of the season. But then the Phillies went on the magical run that was the 2008 playoffs and I started really noticing that Pedro was a really big staple in the line-up. He's solid, he's in a good spot, and he's someone you can count on. He's not one of the flashy names of the Phillies, but he gets the job done and doesn't seem to complain ever.
I started preaching the church of Pedro late last September, but no one believed me until Game 5 when he batted in Eric Bruntlett for the go ahead run; the run that eventually gave us a World Championship. That, my friends, is called a good point.
This year, which is closely approching the half-way point, he's batting .288, a new high for him on the Phillies, and only about 15 points away from his best average of his career. He's only got 38 RBI and 4 HRs, but he's having a career year in OBS.
Also, he's one of the most underrated defensive players on the team. He only has 4 errors, which means he's on pace for another career high.
We, as the Philadelphia Faithful, have spent years waiting for the next big talent at third base. Now, I'm saying that we don't need to worry about that. For the time being, Pedro Feliz is more than good enough; he's pretty damn good, and he deserves more respect than he gets. So next time you're at a game and someone around you goes, "Oh great, Feliz. Here comes out number 3", think about it. He's a lot better than David Bell.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Phillies-Mets preview
The Phillies are in the midst of an awesome hot streak, but they also showed signs of slowdown during their latest series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. which resulted in a split and a sudden loss of faith in Brad "Lights Out" Lidge. Before the Dodgers series, they were absolutely amazing sweeping the San Diego Padres and MLB's newest joke squad, the Washington Nationals. They've also won 5 of their last 7 series, losing one to the Florida Marlins and splitting the Dodgers series. The Phillies lead the Mets in the NL East by 3 games right now, so even a sweep would only tie the standings.
The Mets are in a bit of a downward spiral, although the worst is probably already over. They hit rock bottom last week when, during the Phillies amazing run, they were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that hasn't been good in my entire lifetime. Over the weekend they beat the Washington Nationals twice but also lost 7-1 on Saturday. Their disabled list continues to grow, with JJ Putz joining Oliver Perez, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes.
To me, there's no such thing as home field advantage for New York in the series. The Phillies have an incredible road record at 21-8, which is currently the best in the Major Leagues. The Mets are pretty good at home, with a 17-9 record.
The projected starters are also pretty close. JA Happ takes on Johan Santana on Tuesday, which I'll admit makes the Mets the favorites for that game. While JA Happ has been pretty good, he's nowhere near Johan Santana, who is arguably the best stopper in the Nation League.
Wednesday we'll get Cole Hamels against Mike Pelfrey. Hamels started a little shaky this year, but he's definitely starting to hit his stride. Pelfrey has been surprisingly decent this year, and he has the same record as Cole Hamels. Honestly, most of their numbers are pretty comparable, the only exception being strike outs, which Hamels dominates. Honestly though, I believe in Cole Hamels, so the Phils have an advantage in game two.
The last game pits Jamie Moyer against Tim Redding. Both of these pitchers have struggled throughout the year, and honestly their numbers are really close. I'd rather have Moyer, but I'm pretty sure that's just the homer in me rooting for the hometown guy.
Overall, this is the biggest chance the Phillies have this year so far of letting everyone know that the Mets are secondary this year. They just got down playing the best team in the national league and split with them, but they still have trouble with teams they should steamroll, including mostly teams that are in their division. To me, this is a chance for them to prove that the whole will they/won't they thing with the Mets isn't going to happen this year. I'd like a sweep, but that probably won't happen. However, I'll be worried if the Phillies don't win two of three.
The Mets are in a bit of a downward spiral, although the worst is probably already over. They hit rock bottom last week when, during the Phillies amazing run, they were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that hasn't been good in my entire lifetime. Over the weekend they beat the Washington Nationals twice but also lost 7-1 on Saturday. Their disabled list continues to grow, with JJ Putz joining Oliver Perez, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes.
To me, there's no such thing as home field advantage for New York in the series. The Phillies have an incredible road record at 21-8, which is currently the best in the Major Leagues. The Mets are pretty good at home, with a 17-9 record.
The projected starters are also pretty close. JA Happ takes on Johan Santana on Tuesday, which I'll admit makes the Mets the favorites for that game. While JA Happ has been pretty good, he's nowhere near Johan Santana, who is arguably the best stopper in the Nation League.
Wednesday we'll get Cole Hamels against Mike Pelfrey. Hamels started a little shaky this year, but he's definitely starting to hit his stride. Pelfrey has been surprisingly decent this year, and he has the same record as Cole Hamels. Honestly, most of their numbers are pretty comparable, the only exception being strike outs, which Hamels dominates. Honestly though, I believe in Cole Hamels, so the Phils have an advantage in game two.
The last game pits Jamie Moyer against Tim Redding. Both of these pitchers have struggled throughout the year, and honestly their numbers are really close. I'd rather have Moyer, but I'm pretty sure that's just the homer in me rooting for the hometown guy.
Overall, this is the biggest chance the Phillies have this year so far of letting everyone know that the Mets are secondary this year. They just got down playing the best team in the national league and split with them, but they still have trouble with teams they should steamroll, including mostly teams that are in their division. To me, this is a chance for them to prove that the whole will they/won't they thing with the Mets isn't going to happen this year. I'd like a sweep, but that probably won't happen. However, I'll be worried if the Phillies don't win two of three.
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