The Philly Sports Journal

It was the kind of deal that had Pat Gillick written all over it. Phils GM Ruben Amaro even acknowledged that his former boss, now a consultant for the team, was involved.

Amaro didn’t go for broke, but he didn’t skimp out either. It wasn’t Broadway, but it was still big-time. He got a legit, front-line starter. And by keeping J.A. Happ, he gave the Phillies depth.

Halladay is Mr. Consistent, the closest there is to a sure thing, a second-to-none Number One. That’s not what Amaro got in Cliff Lee, who can slide in either ahead or behind Cole Hamels in the Phillies’ rotation. But, although Halladay would have packed more of a punch — and was absolutely worth the price — the Phillies retain a more balanced staff, top to bottom, with the Lee deal.

Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Happ, Moyer, Lopez and, soon, Pedro. Not too shabby. One of the best staffs in baseball, in fact.

Is it a staff built for the postseason? We’ll see.

It’s comforting that the Phils kept Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown and Happ. But who’s to say Jason Knapp — a 6-foot-5 righty with a 97-mph fastball at age 18 — won’t turn out to be the best of the lot? Cleveland sure seems to like him, and the Indians know a thing or two about young talent. They traded then-ace Bartolo Colon to Montreal a while back for a couple prospects named Lee and Sizemore. They also drafted and developed a guy named Sabathia.

It’s easy to say the Phillies “gave up nothing” to get Cliff Lee, but that might not be true. That’s why they should have gotten Halladay.

Still, I’m pretty excited about Lee.

Tags: AL Central, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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It was late in the East so lots of people missed it, but Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino left Wednesday’s game against Arizona in the seventh inning with a “left knee contusion.” He made a diving catch in the first inning and got up slowly. The Phillies downplayed the injury, and hopefully it’s nothing, but it’s rare for a gamer like Victorino to come out because he’s hurt.

· USC could be in trouble again for NCAA violations.

· TMZ has obtained the tape of Erin Andrews’ 911 call about “two assholes” sitting outside her house.

· Dale Hansen, who said the Dallas Cowboys might as well sign Osama bin Laden to play wide receiver when they acquired cornerback Pacman Jones, quit his job at the ESPN radio affiliate in Dallas after the Worldwide Leader mandated that the station not discuss the rape lawsuit against Ben Roethlisberger. Hansen also famously said that the only difference between Al Davis and Jerry Jones is the white jumpsuit.

· Fresno State coach Pat Hill faces an uncertain future.

Tags: Today's Brew
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Hold your breath, Ruben, and jump in. Close your eyes and pull the trigger. Go on up there, rook GM, and take a big-league hack.

Get Roy Halladay. Now. Please.

They want Drabek, Happ and Brown. Fine. I want another championship, and a Halladay/Hamels duo exponentially increases my odds.

And all you Phillies fans paralyzed by fear, it’s time to get on board. We’re big-time now. We’re major players now. We’re world champs. Realize what that means. This is not the time to wait and hope for tomorrow. Seize the day.

If you have so much faith in these sacred, pristine, untouchable prospects — about whom, I bet, you don’t actually know much (be honest) — then have faith in the Phillies’ ability to draft and develop other prospects. In the meantime, for the next two Octobers and hopefully beyond, we’ll have one of the best pitchers in baseball leading our elite club in its dynastic quest.

And Cliff Lee is no substitute. I won’t complain if we get him, but he doesn’t have the bulldog, big-game mentality Halladay has.

Ruben Amaro knows the Blue Jays are up against it. They need to deal Halladay, and with a year and a half left on his contract, right now is when they’ll get the best value. So Amaro is gambling that they’ll soften their demands just before the Friday deadline — and that no other team will swoop in and scoop him up.

Amaro may be right. But I don’t want to gamble, not on prospects and not on passing up Roy Halladay.

Tags: AL East, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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For more on Jim Johnson, and to share your thoughts, click here.
 

He was a teacher to many players, both on and off the field, and devoted his life to the game of football. He had a positive influence on scores of young men, and leaves behind a wonderful legacy.   —NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
 

I’m not sure there’s a person that I’ve met that isn’t a Jim Johnson fan. He really represented everything this city is all about, with his toughness and grit. That’s the way he fought this cancer.   —Eagles coach Andy Reid
 

He was a tough coach who wasn’t afraid to let you know how he was feeling, but at the same time, he cared about us deeply.   —Former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins
 

I loved Jim Johnson.   —Former Eagles assistant coach John Harbaugh

Tags: Eagles, NFC East, NFL
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Aside from running a dogfighting ring and personally killing dogs, Michael Vick hasn’t had any character issues, Terrell Owens says. Therefore, he deserves a second chance.

Hmm… Can you count the number of things wrong with that statement?

Unfortunately, T.O. isn’t the only one who thinks Vick “deserves” a second chance. But Michael Vick already got a second chance — he’s not in prison anymore.

He got a second chance at making something of his life, a second chance at freedom. It doesn’t mean he simply gets to pick up where he left off in the NFL.

Owens says Vick has “suffered enough,” as if we should feel sorry for him, and that there are guys around the league who “have done far worse things” than Vick did and they’ve gotten second chances.

Really? Who?

There have been plenty of guys who’ve committed crimes, even crimes that have resulted in people’s deaths. But how many of those guys had the depraved intent that Michael Vick had when he derived pleasure from murdering dogs? What Vick did was irresponsible but it was no accident. It was how he got his kicks.

Here are my thoughts on Vick, which I laid out when he pled guilty. Maybe T.O. just doesn’t want to be the only outcast stuck in Buffalo.

Tags: AFC East, AFC South, NFL
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Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is considering lifting the lifetime ban on Pete Rose, thanks to the urging of several Hall of Famers, including Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan and Selig’s friend Hank Aaron. If Selig takes this long overdue step, Rose will become eligible for the Hall, where he belongs.

What Pete Rose did was despicable, but there is no evidence he ever bet against his own team or threw games. That wasn’t in his makeup anyway. Not to mention, steroids distorted the landscape of the game far worse than anything Pete Rose did. 

If a single steroid user gets in — like, for instance, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, who is somehow getting a free pass — and then hard evidence comes out later that he was a juicer, where does that leave baseball? Pete should be reinstated and inducted, and there should be a note about his gambling, and steroid users should get in too, with a general note about the Steroid Era.

Tags: Baseball, Steroids
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David Sale was 22 years old. He was from the Philadelphia suburb of Lansdale. He was at Citizens Bank Park with some friends for a bachelor party on Saturday afternoon. As the Phillies finished off the St. Louis Cardinals, David was beaten to death in the parking lot by a group of strangers, including a 35-year-old man and a 45-year-old man.

There had been a confrontation in McFadden’s bar, which is attatched to the stadium. It spilled out into the parking lot.

The murder came on the same day that anonymous fans pointed lasers at Cardinals batters, causing a delay in the game. Nationally, and even locally, the two unrelated events are being linked as an example of negative Philadelphia fandom. 

A fan was killed at an Angels game earlier this year, but Philadelphia, because of its reputation and because of characterizations based on preconceived notions by lazy journalists, is being ripped today for having the angriest fans in the country. As if a crime committed in the parking lot had anything to do with the Phillies game.

It was a murder over spilled beer. People here are horrified.

Philadelphia fans booed Santa Claus 40 years ago, and the Vet used to have a judge and a jail in the basement, so the fans here are viewed as the worst of the lot. I’m not saying Philly’s harsh reputation isn’t warranted, but I’ve been to Yankees games in the Bronx and Giants games in North Jersey, and I’ve been to Boston and Chicago. Those fans aren’t any nicer than Philadelphia fans. Those cities have the same sort of drunken, low-life trash that we have here — basement jail or not.

Let’s not generalize what happened in the stadium parking lot as representative of Philly fans, because it had nothing to do with sports. It represented a larger problem of violence, which exists in Philadelphia and other big cities, and it was a tragedy.

Tags: Baseball, Phillies
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The Eagles have opened training camp. They even have a new defensive coordinator in Sean McDermott. Their top pick, Jeremy Maclin, remains unsigned, and questions linger about the health of Brian Westbrook.

In years past, Philly fans would be abuzz about the Birds, but the Phillies are the world champions — who are in first place and have won 17 of their last 20 — while the Birds have fallen short the last several years.

Just another reason why now isn’t the time for the Phils to pull an Eagles by standing pat instead of going for a game-changer like Roy Halladay. Negotiations continue…

· Former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress is staring down the barrel of two years in jail. That’s what Michael Vick served.

· Not everyone is a fan of Florida messiah Tim Tebow. I couldn’t agree more. All the idol worship of Tebow is nauseating and undeserved.

· There are some intriguing questions about the Big 12 this year.

· The Kansas City Chiefs are fleecing fans, with the help of commissioner Roger Goodell.

· The state of Delaware hit a snag last week in its effort to legalize sports gambling.

· Speaking of gambling, Las Vegas is still betting on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who’s facing a civil suit for rape.

Tags: Today's Brew
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Last night, Manny Ramirez made his triumphant return to Los Angeles, appearing in his first home game since his two-month suspension ended. Although he had been booed on the road, Dodger fans welcomed him back with open arms, just as any fans would if he played for their team.

But overlooked in all the fanfare were some comments by Joe Torre the other day, when the Dodgers were in Milwaukee and Ramirez hit his 536th career home run, tying Mickey Mantle at 15th on the all-time list.

“Manny’s a special talent, he’s a special player, so was Mickey, obviously,” said Torre, who cemented his own historic legacy with the Yankees. “I know there’s going to be some questions for the rest of his career. I’m not sure you can question how many he hits, it’s how far they go. I think that’s really what affects it more than anything else.”

Not how many he hits, but how far they go?

Torre wasn’t prompted for a response about steroids. He volunteered it, barely pausing after acknowledging Manny’s accomplishment.

Read between the lines, and Torre — an MVP as player, a guy from the old school, forever a Yankee, despite how things ended in the Bronx, and a manager known for “managing personalities” — was taking a shot at his own player.

Torre knows Manny is great, but it turns his stomach that he cheated.

Tags: Baseball, NL West, Steroids
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If Phillies slugger Ryan Howard stays on his current pace, he’ll be a member of the 500-home-run club in six years. Last night against Florida, he reached 200 homers faster than anyone in history.

It was Howard’s 658th game, which is almost exactly four big-league seasons. In other words, he’s averaging 50 homers a year.

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner had been the quickest to 200, and Howard beat him by 48 games. Kiner, who became hampered by injuries late in his career, only ended up playing 10 seasons.

Howard is 29 years old. Babe Ruth played until he was 40. Hank Aaron retired at age 41, and Barry Bonds was blackballed at 37. If Howard plays until he’s 40, and in the unlikely event he continues at his current home run clip, he’ll be bumping into Aaron and Bonds on the all-time list.

· Former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who went undrafted, will try his hand in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he’ll compete for the starting job against four other QBs.

· Kelly Blair, who used to own a gym in Houston, said he never supplied Roger Clemens with HGH and looks forward to testifying in front of a grand jury.

· The Cubs signed closer B.J. Ryan to a minor league deal. Meanwhile, Cubs manager Lou Piniella visited the White House and spent a few minutes with President Obama.

· Washington Huskies offensive lineman Skyler Fancher, who has a broken leg, chased down a purse snatcher.

· NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes says Broncos coach Josh McDaniels can’t be trusted.

· That’s all for now. See you next week.

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