The Philly Sports Journal

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 lazers 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.

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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.

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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.

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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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The state of Florida seems to have resolved its issues over election results, but when it comes to student-athletes’ grades, the Sunshine State is still a little fishy. There was the cheating scandal at Florida State, and now South Florida is wondering why one of its recruits had nine grades changed in high school. The NCAA is also on the case.

· The San Francisco Giants head into the second half feeling like contenders.

· Manny Ramirez returns home with the Dodgers tonight. However, just because he’ll be welcomed back doesn’t mean baseball fans don’t care about steroids. He’s a great player who’s fun to watch, and of course L.A. fans are glad to have him back.

· Last year, Texas Tech had issues finding a good kicker. Now the Big 12 has suspended the Red Raiders’ punter. 

· The University of Arizona will launch its own sports network this fall.

· Many college athletes are getting stuck with the bill after injuries.

· Arkansas State cornerback Paul Stephens was kicked off the team after he was shot while apparently trying to break into an apartment.

· Offensive lineman Kurt Wermers decided to leave Michigan for Ball State because he didn’t get along with UM’s coaches.

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As rumors continue to swirl about which team will get Roy Halladay, assuming Toronto decides to trade him, at least one team might be out of it.

The Yankees.

Although it would be crazy for the Blue Jays to deal their ace within their division — it would be like the Phillies trading Cole Hamels to the Mets or Braves — they said they’d be willing to do so for the right price. But the price may be too steep for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yanks may just be engaging in some poker-faced gamesmanship, but the Phillies remain the frontrunner. It’s all up to GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and whether he wants to part with certain prospects. Hopefully Amaro will remember one fact: It’s not about winning with Kyle Drabek; it’s about winning, period.

Halladay is a winner, and he’d give the Phillies the best chance to win, not only this year and next, but for several years down the road.

If the Phillies don’t pull the trigger for Halladay, it’s a bad baseball decision. The only other explanation would be that they don’t want to spend the money for Halladay’s contract. If stinginess is what prevents them from dealing for an ace, that’s an even worse decision.

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Tags: AL East, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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By signing Pedro Martinez, the Phillies are throwing a wild-card personality into a clubhouse that is known for its great chemistry. But I think he’ll fit right in. I think he’ll love playing for Charlie Manuel, and alongside Chase Utley and Victorino and Howard, and fans will embrace him. Besides, Pedro has something to prove. He wants to win, he wants to show up the Mets, and he knows that if he pitches well he’ll get a juicy new deal somewhere next season.

· Some folks in St. Louis rightly feel that Stan Musial, one of the greatest hitters and all-around ballplayers ever to live, was slighted again at the All-Star Game.

Here is a local review of Fox’s coverage of the game.

· Bernie Kosar is in deep financial trouble, and even considered suicide.

· Injuries are piling up for the Tennessee Vols.

· Some guy has recreated a photo from the 2006 Utah vs. Brigham Young game on his basement wall — using golf tees.

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Whether he was with the Mets, Red Sox or irrelevant Montreal Expos, or even when he broke in with the Dodgers, I’ve never rooted for Pedro Martinez. But I’ll root for him if the Phillies sign him for half a season.

It’s rumored they’d pay him around $4 million without many bonuses, which apparently is fine with Pedro, who was originally seeking more money but wants to latch on somewhere and wouldn’t mind sticking it to the Mets.

Although there may be concerns about him disrupting the Phils’ chemistry, at this point in his career Martinez is looking to fit in. As long as signing him doesn’t interfere with a possible trade for Roy Halladay, the Phillies have nothing to lose. Other teams have scouted Pedro and been less than awestruck, but he was decent in the World Baseball Classic. And he’d only have to stay healthy for a few months instead of an entire season.

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ESPN has made some changes to its lineup of college football commentators. Recently hired Matt Millen will have a prominent role, and the popular team of Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge will be split up. Also, unfortunately, Craig James is still with the network.

· Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford says the NCAA is as bad as the BCS.

· Dismantling the BCS may not automatically lead to a playoff system, but it’s a good first step.

· By the way, Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, who is chairman of the BCS presidential oversight committee, has used bogus, disingenuous arguments to defend the BCS all week. For example: A playoff system would distract student athletes from their studies (even though they’d be on winter break). His e-mail address can be found on this page.

· This guy is convinced Florida coach Urban Meyer will leave for Notre Dame after this season. It wouldn’t be surprising, but in the meantime Charlie Weis has a chance to win people over again in South Bend.

· Pass-catching tight end Tony Gonzalez may do more blocking in the Falcons’ offense.

· Former Yankee Jim Leyritz, who’s facing DUI manslaughter charges and also was arrested for allegedly beating his wife, broke down in court.

· The Oakland A’s will retire Rickey Henderson’s number. Remember this Rickey moment?

· LSU is adding its name to the front of its football jerseys.

· Have a good weekend. See you next week.

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GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he won’t mortgage the Phillies’ future to get Roy Halladay. That’s smart, but he shouldn’t be afraid to pay a high price.

Halladay, 32, is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he’s in the prime of his career. And, perhaps along with the Angels, the Phillies have the prospects and payroll to make a deal. The Red Sox and Yankees might too, but there’s no way Toronto is trading its ace to an AL East rival. The Mets aren’t in the sweepstakes.

I don’t want to part with Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ, but I’d wince and pull the trigger — and I’d even throw in another top prospect and a first-round pick — in order to get Halladay. Even at that high price, the Phillies have enough farm talent that they wouldn’t be gutting their system.

When the top of your rotation is Hamels and Halladay, you’re automatically in the running for a world championship. Plus there’s this: Rollins, Utley, Howard, Lidge, Victorino and Company are all in their primes. The Phillies’ time is now.

Halladay has a year-and-a-half left on his contract, and it would require close to $20 million per year to sign him to an extension. That’s worth it too. In fact, the Phils shouldn’t get him unless they do an extension, considering the high-end prospects they’d be giving up. They need to go all-in on this. A rental is how they’d get burned.

Halladay, who’s just two years older than Johan Santana and 14 years younger than Jamie Moyer, isn’t going to fade anytime soon. 

Making an extension easier is the fact that the Phillies will free up a combined $30 million in dead weight at the end of this season, when Brett Myers, Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton come off the books.

I’d be wary if the Phils were to go halfway and not give Halladay an extension, but even then they’d still have him for two Octobers.

Awfully tempting.

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Tags: AL East, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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