Holes exposed, Phillies fall to Diamondbacks again

Adam Eaton allowed three runs over seven innings, but it wasn't enough as the Phillies managed just two solo home runs and five hits in a 3-2 loss to Arizona.

The Phillies have now lost four of their last five and are in danger of finishing their 10-game road trip 3-7. Charlie Manuel's team must turn it around, but the harsh truth is they may not have enough team-wide talent to kick it in gear.

The holes were exposed last night in the seventh inning when Adam Eaton hit for himself. After the game, Manuel suggested it would have been nice to have more bullpen options when answering questions as to why he kept the bat in Eaton's hands to drive in the go-ahead run with runners on the corners. Aside from Eaton being a decent hitting pitcher, the truth is Manuel doesn't have a bullpen, or bench, he can trust.

Another low-scoring loss in the second-straight game Ryan Howard sits raises more questions as to where the talent is coming from. Who is capable of stepping up? Night after night, the lineup is sprayed with marginal or part-time talent, some of it with no business on a Major League team. Perhaps a better manager would get more out of this group. Then again, it might be asking miracles.

As much as any game this season, last night exposed the Phillies for what they are: a marginal baseball team, one that could conceivably struggle to finish with more than 81 wins.

Comments

[clout]

What a surprise that the bullpen has been a chronic problem, having a ripple affect on Manuel's decision making. Nobody could possibly have seen that in the offseason, right Parker? Right, kdon? Right, BedBeard?

I'll repeat again what has been the most astute post of the year so far (and I can't remember who posted it): A major league scout described the Phillies as a core of A level talent surrounded by C level talent. The end result of that combination is what you now see on the field.

[Dave Kingman]

Jason, you hit the nail on the head yesterday. They have about 6 or 7 very good players and the rest are very marginal. What has the current GM done to help, there were better players here before he came then there are now. Burrell right now is almost worthless. He has 1 hr and is hitting .242. Might as well play Bourn he won't hit for power but he can manufacture runs with his speed like the other night plus his fielding will be much better.

[phillieanthropist]

It's hard to admit as a die-hard, but you're 100% right. These guys are mediocre, at best. Maybe they'll surprise, but I think it's finally time to reduce expectations.

[curt]

Unfortunately, I need to amend my pre-season prediction that they would struggle to reach .500. They will struggle to beat the Nats. The sad thing is that 2008 is shaping up to be even worse.

[GM-Carson]

I doubt this club finish .500. They're absolutely terrible.

[curt]

I don't live in the Phila. area, but I beg those of you who do to stay away from that ballpark. If the seats are filled, the next 25 years will be just like the past 25.

[Mike Cunningham]

Sitting victorino... turned Victorino's season around... The same should be done with Burrell and Helms. Defensively, Bourn and Nunez will save you some runs that you are not scoring anyway with Helms and Burrell in there.

Right now... it's time for Manuel to take some risks to turn this season around. Even though much of the flaws of this team are due to Gillick's off season moves, if Manuel keeps putting out the same lineup and they continue to lose, he's done. If he shakes it up... thinks outside of the box... maybe he can jump start something. Or else we're in REAL trouble.

@curt -- not going to games does nothing to show owners anything. The place is still profitable whether or not a few thousand don't show. You will be heard better, by filling that stadium... and BOOING heartily at the mistakes on the field. Taking your ball and going home is an immature response and worthless.

[MPN in Iraq]

Curt: That is a great emotive answer, but what will that bring? You really think that will force the current ownership to sell? Did you happen to follow this team from 1994-2000? The only thing that a fan boycott would bring would be a massive fire sale which would lower the payroll, increase the team's revenue sharing, and prolong the agony.

Gillick's record has been mixed, to be positive about it, other GMs do much more with less revenue. I'm starting to wonder whether a Hunsicker as GM counterfactual would have done more than a Leyland instead of Manuel scenario.

[JJ]

Gillick is proving to be a lot smarter than we all thought. He said the club wouldn't win this year and he was right. Last season's late surge wasn't the Phils on the cusp of being a playoff team; it was the definition of overachieving.

[Tony]

We're the team to beat! What a joke that was.

They'll go on a run later this summer when the pressure is off and 80% of the sports fans in Philly write them off in favor of Eagles Training Camp in Lehigh.

[clout]

JJ: Last season's late surge came against teams that were a collective 12 games below .500.

[curt]

Mike - some would say paying ownership $50 night after night to boo bad ballplayers who can't help it that they are bad ballplayers is "immature and worthless."

MPN - I don't see how it is better to be teased with a handful of highly paid players who can never win anything, rather than acknowledge that fact at the beginning.

[Willard Preacher]

I never understood all of the preseason optimism around this team. I guess I don't get why this is such a "surprise" to everyone. I like to think that I can occasionally don a pair of red-colored glasses with the best of them, but any realist has said (clout being one of them) that this team will struggle to be competitive in an already weak National League.

Not sure that a better coach could get much more out of this squad. Maybe another win or two, but nothing that puts this team solidly "in the hunt." There are just too many glaring holes - lack of OF power production, a 'pen full of guys who'd struggle even in AAA ball, and defense that can bring flashbacks of the Bad News Bears (like them throwing the ball all over the field late in the game last night before nailing the runner at the plate).

As a Phils fan to the very core, I'll continue to watch this team, however any thoughts of glory, a la last season's Cardinals, can safely be put to rest short of a massive revamping. I will give a rare kudos to Cholly for moving Rollins to the 3-hole last night, though.

[GM-Carson]

I really don't know what to say. I think we can all admit it's the collective fault of everyone associated with the Phillies. Owners, GM, Manager, players, scouts, minor league coordinators...everyone!

I wish I didn't care, but I do. I believe I'm developing an ulcer. Don't worry, the Phils will be getting my medical bills.

[yt]

JJ, is this supposed to be sarcasm?

"Gillick is proving to be a lot smarter than we all thought. He said the club wouldn't win this year and he was right."

Who's job is it to put together a team that can win games? This is the silliest thing ever!

He says: "I'm not going to do a very good job," then he goes ahead and does a crappy job and people say "Wow thats impressive that he saw that coming, he's smarter then I thought."

Ridiculous.

[Willard Preacher]

yt, in JJ's defense, Gillick's statements weren't solely to downgrade expectations for the current year. That is a portion of his comments which were made to cement that he had a long term plan, not band-aid fixes for the upcoming season. I think that he was insinuating that he was a bit handcuffed by some contracts that were put together by Wade (Burrell?).

That's all fine and dandy, however, if he has this long-term vision, I guess I don't see it. It sure as hell can't hinge on farm system prospects.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Clout-I never said the bullpen was a strong spot. I just reiterated the point that most of the relievers out there in the offseason were junk not worth overpaying. I stand "Pat" with that. Overpaying is what Ed Wade did and that's partially a reason why we're in this mess. PG tried to trade Burrell for pitching help from the O's and Rowand for Linebrink. Who knows what other deals may have been tried.

Matt Smith was supposed to step up and be the lefty, Madson was supposed to be the setup man. They have to do their jobs. And frankly, the biggest hole was the aging closer.

I did drink the Kool Aid pre-ST that this team was going to be good. Too much optimism -should've realized it was the Phillies we were talking about.

And-the Phils still had to win those games last year, despite who they were playing.

[yt]

Well Preacher, you are not wrong exactly, but he is the GM, and he had some options.

I don't want to spend too much time re-hashing all of the off-season moves, but just for the sake of arguement, how many wins do you figure he added to this team by spending a combined 4.8 million on Barajas and Helms?

Are either of them an improvement to this team? Could Coste or Kingman have struck out and booted as many balls? If so, after paying them a combined .5 million to do that, what could he have done with that other 4.3?

But, because of the salary cap (yes the one that does not exist), Gillick knew in 2006 he would be forced to sign crappy players for 2007, what a genius.

[GM-Carson]

Whether it's Manuel's fault or not, people will continue to argue about the varying degree of his influence on this team, but how much longer can the Phils justify keeping him at the helm?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

That's a good point GM-Carson. It's not all Manuel's fault, but he's shown too many times, that he can't coach.

A combined $4.8 million on 2 players is not a lot of money for a MLB club. However, if we actually had some MLB ready prospects, we wouldn't have had to spend it.

[bay_area_phan]

When Gillick said they wouldn't compete until 2008, he was operating on the premise that the Phillies were going to go with a young pitchers like Hamels and Mathieson who would take a few years to develop. But, as it turns out, they've got 4 veteran pitchers in their rotation -- and a 5th one who they moved to the bullpen. And the one young guy on the staff happens to be the team's best pitcher.

Gillick may have said that the team wouldn't contend until 2008, but his actions show that he was trying to win this year. Therefore, he should be held accountable for the fact that it isn't happening. Besides, even if you take Gillick's words at face value, what exactly is that plan for 2008? Does anyone seriously think this looks like a team that is one year away from contention? They have been one year away from contention for about the last 5 years & they are getting worse, not better.

[J. Weitzel]

bay_area_phan: Great post.

[Alby]

Oh, Manuel can coach -- hitters. What he can't do is manage. Cleveland was an American League powerhouse team with the kind of overwhelming offense the Phils keep thinking they have but don't. A not-especially-bright 10-year-old could do the minimal button-pushing required in that situation. IN the National League, with a marginally talented team like this one, he's overmatched -- very literally out of his league. Every day he stays on the job is another day the season won't be turned around. Don't get me wrong, it might be beyond anyone's ability to salvage the season at this point, but it could not be any clearer that Cholly can't do it. Unfortunately, after the dust-up with Eskin, Gillick (or Montgomery) decided to circle the wagons against the team's critics, meaning the trigger won't be pulled anytime soon.

Oh, and the notion that "they still had to win those games" is laughable. Remember, please, that before this road trip they put together a short run against weak competition. That's the definition of a .500 team.

[Dave Kingman]

Thanks YT I may have struck out as many times but at least I would have hit some home runs too. I think the contracts given to both Gordon and Eaton are good examples of over paying so I guess Wade isn't the only one who does that.

[curt]

Gillick doesn't get a pass because he's on a budget. Everyone on the planet knew in Oct. that the Phils needed 3 things to contend: relief pitching, relief pitching, and relief pitching. Instead, our GM got us a 6th starter, another backup catcher, and a 3B who isn't good enough to back up Nunez. That, folks, is the definition of a wasted winter and wasted $$.

[yt]

It is not the amount of money that is the point, it is how it is spent. Eaton gets 7.2 this season and sports a 7.43 ERA, while Wolf goes to LA and gets 7.5 and sports a 4.61 ERA.

You spend 2.5 on Barajas to hit .195 replacing a guy who hit .328 and would have made 385k.

Not only did PG manage to make this team worse than it was last season, but he managed to spend more money to do it.

Then to top it off, people give him credit for being prophetic in declaring last season that we would not compete this season, when it is HIS JOB to find the players to make this team competitive.

I hate Manuel as much as the next guy, but if you think that this team gets better when he is gone, you are way off. This team only gets better when we get a GM who can work within the budget and find players who can play.

Other GMs do this every year for teams that spend less money.

[Billy Mac]

Great point Bay Area Phan. In that memorable press conference where Gillick said the team wouldn't compete till 2008, he also said he preferred a younger starting staff and a veteran bullpen. Currently he has assembled the opposite. To those who said that Gillick would be a breath of fresh air and drive change. What changes to baseball adminstration? Take a look at the 2007 media guide and compare it to 2001. With the exception of Charlie Kerfeld, the names are the same: Arbuckle, Amaro, Green, Noworyta, Wolever, straight down the line. The guy has 40 years of baseball experience and doesn't know of anyone who can be an upgrade in their front office or scouting ?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I'm kind of tired of hearing how good Manuel is as a hitting coach. Exhibit A-Pat Burrell.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Billy Mac-there in lies the problem. I have a hunch (gut feeling, no evidence) that he ain't allowed to touch those guys.

[don schell]

Have faith. There is still a lot of garbage out there who played for Gillick years ago.

[Tim]

they are not one year away. BUT IF they trade all the guys they can/should trade and then spend some serious cash it could be done.

if PG repeats last years no talent firesale his legacy here will be complete failure.

[bay_area_phan]

Tim,

True. Like any team in the middle of the pack, the Phillies could move their way to the front of the pack by spending serious cash. But that is not the Phillies' style. They have been on the same $95M budget (which is really a $90M budget) for the last 5 years, while everyone around them spends more & more. We may not like Burrell but, to find someone better in this inflationary market, it would likely cost even more than they are currently paying him. But, when everyone around you is raising their budgets & you are staying constant, there is no way you can compete for the top players on the free agent market.

There are basically 3 ways to lift a team out of the cycle of mediocrity. The first way is to increase payroll, which the Phillies, unfortunately, seem disinclined to do. The second way is to have a productive minor league system, which allows you to fill holes on the cheap & trade away prospects for established players. The third way is to have an astute judge of talent, who can find hidden gems that don't cost $14M per year. Gillick was supposed to be the guy that could come in & execute the second and third ways of lifting the team from its cycle of mediocrity. It hasn't hapened.

[JZ]

Is it too late to change the name of this team, this long-plagued team, to the Philadelphia Mediocrity?

Side note, I took great pleasure attending the Yankees game last night and watching Abreu "go back on the ball" at the wall and miss it as he lept heroically for it.

I never grow tired of watching Abreu in the outfield for another team. Granted, he was involved in a 9-4-2 out at the plate, but whatever. He crashed into the wall and was pinch hit for in the seventh.

The Philadelphia Mediocrity. Red Means Go Catch the Fever We'll Make You Squirm We Still Have a Good Core We're Good Guys at Heart We're Trying But We Keep Batting Our Starters in the Seventh Inning.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

#2 doesn't happen over night. There's pitching talent, and ok hitter(s) in the lower levels. Nobody that can jump in over night.

[MG]

Plenty of reasons to be disappointed with the Phils' road trip but if they win tonight (call me crazy but I like the Phils with Moyer on the mound in the battle of the geezers) they will have gone 4-6.

Not great but I don't think anybody expected much better than 5-5 or 6-4. Plus, the Phils have lost two of the their bullpen arms in Madson and Gordon. Any team in the majors would struggle if they placed 2 of their better bullpen arms on the DL.

[Lance Parrish's Forearms]

I read Beerleaguer religiously every day and have yet to post, so here's my two cents:

Manuel sucks...at everything. You will never convince me that he is a good hitting instructor. He had guys like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Sandy Alomoar, Jr., Richie Sexson, Kenny Lofton, Roberto Alomar, Omar Vizquel, etc. on those Inidians teams. Yeah, those guys really fell off without Charlie's tutelage (sarcasm, of course, intended). Remember, he was fired in the middle of his third season after finishing first and second the years before. I have NEVER seen an approach at the plate like these guys take. That's the fault of the manager/coaches. Without the longball, Charlie is lost. He has no concept of how to manufacture runs. Just because you're scoring without homeruns does not mean, by default, that you are "manufacturing runs."

Also, my take on the "we won't compete until 2008" thing was that Charlie's contract is up after this season and they won't win until he's gone. Management won't pay his salary and that of a new manager, therefore we're stuck with him...until 2008. Forgive me, if this point has been said before.

[J. Weitzel]

Well, we've got Lance Parrish's forearms, Bedrosian's beard. Anyone want to claim Dave Hollins' chin while it's available?

[MG]

The only other reason I am optimistic is that for the first time this season, the Phils finally got a turn through their starting rotation with a decent outing by everyone (including Garcia and Eaton).

This was supposed to be the major strength of this team and the starting pitching has been nearly as awful as the bullpen in the early going. If Garcia and Eaton pitch anywhere near their capacity, this team will be in a ton of ballgames for an offense that is still scoring a fair amount of runs.

[yt]

I'd like to apply to change my handle to John Kruk's gut, a true Philadelphia institution.

[Jobbers]

"Well, we've got Lance Parrish's forearms, Bedrosian's beard. Anyone want to claim Dave Hollins' chin while it's available?"

And who took Aaron Rowands shoulders . . . can he have them back please?

[GM-Carson]

Or John Kruk's 1-Nut

[Greg Dobbs' Sideburns]

"And who took Aaron Rowands shoulders . . . can he have them back please?"

Antonio Alfonseca probably took them. He collects spare body parts.

[curt]

Funny, burns.

[GM-Carson]

Wow, the Phillies have gotten so bad that Weitzel is now part of the pointless, but humorous banter. Way to join the dark side. Well, you're more like 333 (only half evil).

[Mickey Morandini's Wristbands]

Thanks, Carson.

[GM-Carson]

How about "Montgomery's Empty Cavity Where a Heart Belongs"? Nah, not catchy enough.

[helms' stone hands]

Sure could use the extra parts from AA's hands.

[GM-Carson]

How about Burrell's Two Left Feet?

[GM-Carson]

Schmidt's 70's Style Porn 'fro

Now that's a keeper!

[Crazy Jon]

"Right now... it's time for Manuel to take some risks to turn this season around."
How many more risks can he take?
- He made the staff ace a middle reliever.
- He's batted Rollins 3rd.
- He's batted Vic and Rowand 1st.
- He's sat Vic.
- He lets the starting pitcher hit to get another inning out of him.
- He pinch-hits for the starting pitcher early in order to try to score another run.
I don't know what other risks Cholly can take - the only one that I can think of is sitting PTB and starting Bourn - and I don't see that risk as being any more or less successful than the ones listed above.
This team has left at least 6 wins on the field this year.
This team has no more or less talent than 85% of the other teams in baseball. 4 of the players were listed on SI.com's 50 most valuable. Every team has bad bench players. Most other teams have bullpen problems.
The FO realizes that the team is in bad shape - that's why they are offering BOGO tickets Monday and Thursday, when they are playing the team with the BEST record in baseball.
Have you ever heard of them offering BOGO this early in previous seasons?
I've been saying that it's time for a managerial change since this team quit on the field during the Mets home opener (1-6).
This team has the attitude that early-season losses are okay because better times are around the corner - that's a direct reflection on the manager and his tone.
This attitude is unacceptable. I would get fired at my current place of employment for having that attitude, as would most of you.
A new manager would assuredly get more out of this team than the current one.

[dead head]

If this team is below .500 at the All Star break, Gillick will surprise you all and dump the whole staff save for Cole Hamels and bring us some top notch prospects to re-build the pen and starting 5. He will also make great trades for Rowand, Bahahas, Helms, Pulpo and Werth and get us solid prospects so the Phils dominate the NL east for the next 10 years.
Either that or he will just trade them away for a trash can and box of popcorn and we will suffer like we were meant to !!

[SWB Brad]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10172676

We should sign Rickey.

[D. Patrone]

You know I've been saying all along that they're a .500 team. Hell,even bad ST records over the last 2 years tell us that. I've ssid it before so I'll say it again. Ownership doesn't want to win, the GM either can no longer do his job (or is not being allowed to), the manager sucks and the team doesn't execute. Everyone on the bench and a few of the guys in the 'pen don't belong on a ML roster. With all of this known, how is anyone surprised with the team at all? They're done. Cooked. Finshed. Any one with half a brain knows that. When more players leave this off-season via FA, more money will be put back into the owners' pockets and the team might be a step above the Pirates. Don't expect miracles 'cause they ain't gonna happen. Look I read a lot of the posts and there are some of you who analyze every pitch. That's ok. But in the end, something bad will happen or a stupid move will be made and we'll wind up losing most of the games. That's reality. Does anyone think the D'Backs are a better team than the Phils? They're not supposed the be, but they beat us 2 of 2. Things won't change unless they start from the top. Gillick had a chance to change managers in the off-season and didn't. He had a chance to make the team the best in the NL and didn't. Most of his moves and trades suck. What did you expect? The Abrue deal told a lot about the GM. What did he do with the money? He gave it Utley. Not a bad move to lock him up but it didn't help the rest of the team. Manuel may be stupid but he can go to war with no bullets in the gun.

[Shiny Demon]

I'm kicking myself for not using "Morandini's Mullet" as my handle.

[Tim]

i think the team could stay on payroll next year and compete at the same time. but it means getting young, cheap, ready to play guys for rowand, garcia, liber, et al. there is roughly 25 million coming off the books next year (not including arbitration guys).

i made the point when they hired manuel that he only ever won 93 games with that stud indians team. that team was capable of 100 wins a couple of different times. manuel is your classic nice guy who smiles his way to the top. good for him, bad for us.

[Dave Hollins' temper]

Man, Milt Thompson sure has a good gig, eh? Let the A level talent swing away and if they fall into a rut, just hide behind the Phils new, "Wait it Out" mantra.

[Karl in Norway]

Carson took my best one -- Kruk's One Nut -- but here are a few not so good ones:
Von Hayes' Five Tools (sic)
Juan Samuel's Jerri Curl
Jim Eisenreich's F'n Tourette's Syndrome

[Bob Boone's Bobble]

What. Nothin'?

[Alby]

Wouldn't the proper handle be "Hollins' Head," since Head was actually his clubhouse nickname? Kudos to Karl for the Eisenreich reference; I snorted loud enough for the guy in the next cubicle to ask what was so funny.

[GM-Carson]

Making fun of a man's ailment is not funny, that's just wrong. How dare you crack a joke at Eisenreich's expense?

Who am I foolin'? That stuff is funny!

[laramie]

I remember the feeling I had watching the demolition of the Vet, this feeling that finally the Phillies had been liberated from the ghosts of so many mediocre teams, so many losses. A new ballpark, new faces... I even bought season tickets for the first time. Surrounded by those thousands of people standing in the middle of the expressway at some ungodly early hour, all fueled by cheap beer and screaming at the implosion of that awful monstrosity of a stadium, it was easy to imagine things being different.

Well, things are different. Flag Man is gone, for one. Beer is more expensive. The food is admittedly better. But I still leave the ballpark with the same unfulfilled feeling. Citizens Bank Park sure doesn't smell as bad as the Vet, but the team damn well stinks the same as it has for years.

[clout]

Tim: You mean like the cheap, ready to play guys Gillick got for Abreu, Cormier, Padilla etc.? By the way where are those "ready to play" guys?

[Paul]

We used to call Jim Eisenreich
Jim "Eyes-ain't-right."

I echo the poster a few threads back who said the problem with this team is Montgomery. The reason we don't have Baez or Bradford, and possibly to some extent Borowski, was because they were too much money. Now, hindsight is showing us that we should've spent.

[Schmidt's Zits]

Carson, I'd like to amend your "Montgomery's Empty...".

In honor of Monty it should be:

"The Puppet's Strings".

[NYCMetsFan]

Wow, so much for the team to beat! What a formidable team. You guys should be feeding Rollins crow 3 times a day. That is if he can get his foot out of his mouth.

[AWH]

clout, Matt Smith and ...................................................................oh, never mind.

[MG]

Anybody actually want to talk baseball anymore?

[helms' stone hands]

Naw, we're talking about the Phillies today.

[Mike]

If Howard goes on the DL, will the call up Coste? He's been hitting the ball better lately raising his average from the low .200's to .260.

[Mike]

If Howard goes on the DL, will the call up Coste? He's been hitting the ball better lately raising his average from the low .200's to .260.

[GM-Carson]

Classic-

MG- "Anybody actually want to talk baseball anymore?"

Helms Stone Hands- brutally honest "Naw, we're talking about the Phillies today."

That's the sad, sad truth, the Phillies suck and we all have our theories as to why, but we're exhausted with discussing.

[helms' stone hands]

Not when Chris Roberson and Lou Collier are both available.

[Lefties Fu]

How bout canning Charlie and making Moyer the manager? Would save the salary for the owners, help the pitching coach situation (dubee sucks), and the guy seems to have a great ability to motivate people!

[helms' stone hands]

I think he's too old to manage.

[AWH]

bay_area_phan actually had a couple of great posts. I'd like to expand on the first method you mentioned to improve, that is, expanding payroll.

This ownership group has been reluctant to operate as though they are in the 5TH LARGEST Metropolitan Statistical Area in the US. See this link :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Statistical_Area

for the numbers. The Walking Sphincter has a mediocre mind, and therefore thinks small. I'll leave it to you to speculate why. The Puppet basically does the sphincter's bidding, and sphincter's effect permeates the entire operation, most unfortunately, the entire baseball operation.

Billy Mac posted earlier:

Take a look at the 2007 media guide and compare it to 2001. With the exception of Charlie Kerfeld, the names are the same: Arbuckle, Amaro, Green, Noworyta, Wolever, straight down the line. The guy has 40 years of baseball experience and doesn't know of anyone who can be an upgrade in their front office or scouting?"

BedBeard replied:

"Billy Mac-there in lies the problem. I have a hunch (gut feeling, no evidence) that he ain't allowed to touch those guys."

If both of these esteemed posters are correct, and I believe they are, then increasing payroll is the only hope the team has of getting better.

If you missed the article in the NY Post yesterday about Clemens' contract, I'll summarize: It will shake up the system. If a 5-6 inning pitcher is worth $1MM per start, then what are players like A-Rod worth.

So, to wrap it up, you have a free agent market that is likely to get more expensive this offseason than it was last year, and an ownership group, the Bucks, Herb Middleton, Jr., Giles, et.al., who are unwilling to go the extra mile. (Oh, they've signed free agents in the past, Thome being the best example, but more often than not they've been as cheap as the day is long. Take a look at USA Today's payroll history and see what they payed to players in the late 80's.)

With a group of untouchable marginally talented operators on the scouting, drafting and development side, and a free agent market that's going to run away from this group because of expanding revenues, I don't hold out much hope.

Boy, am I depressed.

[AWH]

bay_area_phan actually had a couple of great posts. I'd like to expand on the first method you mentioned to improve, that is, expanding payroll.

This ownership group has been reluctant to operate as though they are in the 5TH LARGEST Metropolitan Statistical Area in the US. See this link :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Statistical_Area

for the numbers. The Walking Sphincter has a mediocre mind, and therefore thinks small. I'll leave it to you to speculate why. The Puppet basically does the sphincter's bidding, and sphincter's effect permeates the entire operation, most unfortunately, the entire baseball operation.

Billy Mac posted earlier:

Take a look at the 2007 media guide and compare it to 2001. With the exception of Charlie Kerfeld, the names are the same: Arbuckle, Amaro, Green, Noworyta, Wolever, straight down the line. The guy has 40 years of baseball experience and doesn't know of anyone who can be an upgrade in their front office or scouting?"

BedBeard replied:

"Billy Mac-there in lies the problem. I have a hunch (gut feeling, no evidence) that he ain't allowed to touch those guys."

If both of these esteemed posters are correct, and I believe they are, then increasing payroll is the only hope the team has of getting better.

If you missed the article in the NY Post yesterday about Clemens' contract, I'll summarize: It will shake up the system. If a 5-6 inning pitcher is worth $1MM per start, then what are players like A-Rod worth.

So, to wrap it up, you have a free agent market that is likely to get more expensive this offseason than it was last year, and an ownership group, the Bucks, Herb Middleton, Jr., Giles, et.al., who are unwilling to go the extra mile. (Oh, they've signed free agents in the past, Thome being the best example, but more often than not they've been as cheap as the day is long. Take a look at USA Today's payroll history and see what they payed to players in the late 80's.)

With a group of untouchable marginally talented operators on the scouting, drafting and development side, and a free agent market that's going to run away from this group because of expanding revenues, I don't hold out much hope.

Boy, am I depressed.

[AWH]

correction: Herb Middleton was the father. The correct name is John S. Middleton.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Another thing to get depressed about: Marlins have a young nucleus, (who knows if they'll spend the money to go back to the next level) though) and the Nats WILL be spending a ton of $ this coming offseason. It won't just be the Mets/Braves to worry about.

[Lenny Dykstra's Steroids]

Coste should be the callup, although I've heard trade rumors involving him.

The whole Coste situation is Gilick's poblem in a nutshell.

[curt]

Watched the Marlins bring some guy (Lindstrom?) in for the 6th inning last night who blew the Dodgers away with 96-99 mph fastballs. Nomar had no prayer. If that's their 6th inning guy...

[Dave Kingman]

Now you can see why Curt said to boycott. Do you want to make this bunch of owners richer? Why should the ticket buying fan spend their hard earned money on this garbage we've been given year after year. If they want to run a small market team they should sell the Phillies and buy the Camden River Sharks.

[yt - Charlie Hustle's bookie]

Yes, extreme loyalty to his own guys, even if they don't perform is the halmark of the PG era. Watch him give Nunez and Werth extensions in mid-june.

I'm actually going to the game this Saturday, I hope Cole can turn around his day game jinx.

[Rich]

Unfortunately, since the Idiot Giles is in a terminally self-deluded state, I don't see much chance of this team being sold anytime soon.

[curt]

Here's a question for the multitudes. When PtB's billion dollar contract mercifully comes to an end, when he's finished his last evening occupying LF and the 5 hole, what do you see him doing with the rest of his life?

I can see him with bit roles in porn films, but maybe I'm aiming too low.

[JZ]

From mlbtraderumors:

27-year-old Indians reliever Jason Davis was designated for assignment on Monday, so the clock is ticking for Mark Shapiro to trade him. As a healthy, cheap pitcher with good control, Davis will draw plenty of interest.

Davis would like to return to starting after spending all of 2006 as a reliever. Like a lot of pitchers, Davis could really blossom in the National League. He gets plenty of groundballs and can keep his walk rate under 3 per nine.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer speculates that the Tigers, Blue Jays, Royals, Phillies, Giants, Reds, Braves, and Nationals would all make sense.

Mr. Weitzel? Thoughts?

[JH2]

Regarding the boycott, I am in my 14th year of boycotting. It hasn't helped yet but I made a vow that I am not going back until these owners sell and that is exactly what I intend to do.

[MG]

JZ - Great post. Davis is definitely worth a sniff with the current state of the bullpen. Hopefully the Phils pony up some cash and a fringe prospect for him.

[Bake McBride's Fro]

Don't forget the early 80's guys!

[curt]

Fringe prospect? We can offer them their choice of the back half of our ML roster, and offer to give Cholly back for free.

[Ivan DeJesus' Stirrups]

Word, Bake McBride's Fro!

[Bedrosian's Beard]

The whole organization, save a few players, is a fringe prospect.

[Jack D]

WOW both the Phillies and the R-Phils are both terrible.

[Tray]

I was the one, clout, who posted the A-level/C-level quote. By the way, whatever happened to the Jose Capellan sweepstakes? They're not trading him anymore?

[MG]

The A-level/C-level quote was from an anonymous scout that was included in one of Jayson Stark's columns on ESPN.

[Ben Keeler]

Being from Cleveland, I can say that Jason Davis isnt great, but he would be just below Geary and Myers in the bullpen. It is 100% worth the chance of picking him up. He is up and down, but he is solid pitcher. Cleveland just has no room for him with Carmona coming on so strong.

[Ben Keeler]

I mean to say that he could help this bullpen, as he is better than everyone except Myers and Geary. He is better than Condrey, Hernandez, Alfonseca, Castro, and Rosario.

Hell, even Cormier and Rick White are better than those guys.