Phightins

FYI, Ed Snider and Peter Luuko couldn't care less about the Sixers. If you mean president/GM, then perhaps. Anyway, I have seen so many conflicting reports about this. Won't believe it one way or the other until the trade deadline passes and Andre is either still here, or elsewhere.

Yeah they were showing that on NHL Network. I have caught bits and pieces.

Whoever does this will be my hero.

"24/7" starts tomorrow night on HBO. I am pretty excited for it, even though I am not very fond of the Penguins and Capitals. It should be very cool.

I agree, but A) they don't have the money for Beltre and B) they have a fine third baseman under contract for two more seasons. And yeah, the outfield situation is interesting. Brown needs to show something in spring training (ability to hit lefties, improvement in the field), otherwise I honestly would rather see him in AAA. I do not want him in a part time role.

Polanco is a perfect fit in this lineup. Prototypical 2-hole hitter, basically the only guy in the lineup not prone to strikeouts. They chose him over Beltre last winter when they had their choice of the two (of course, they also had Jayson Werth under contract then....). Not saying that Polanco is a better player, just that he's a great fit. Plus, Polly is signed for two more years. So no, Beltre is not an option (unless he wants to learn how to play the outfield!).

I think you are being incredibly narrow minded here. I understand your love of Reyes. If the Phillies were in a similar spot, I would hate to see them trade Chase Utley, or something similar. All I am saying is that the Mets should be open minded. They may very well not get a worthwhile offer for Reyes. But to just say "ok we are not listening to offers for this guy period" is incredibly dumb, IMO. They are not in a position to do that. If someone blows them away with an offer, I don't see why you wouldn't want to consider it.

A's sign Hideki Matsui Pirates sign Lyle Overbay

Ohai, Derrick Burgess.

Several pitching coaches feel quite the opposite about his mechanics. And what about the two prior regular seasons, when he was arguably the most filthy/dominant pitcher since prime-Pedro and won two Cy Youngs? He went through a bid of a down period for 2-3 months last summer, but I think we should be giving him credit for making the adjustments and being as dominant as ever in the postseason.

OK....now that the initial shock is over, here are my thoughts. This is obviously fantastic. It was only 8 years ago when the Phillies were overpaying for big free agents to come here (Jim Thome, David Bell) to establish credibility. Now, guys are leaving significant cash on the table to come here (Lee, Roy Halladay). It's an amazing thing. I fully expect the Phillies to unload some salary now. Obviously, everyone is talking about Joe Blanton. He should have some value once Carl Pavano signs. The SP market is rather weak, I am sure somebody will take a chance on him. I wouldn't be shocked if they try to move Raul Ibanez either, although finding a taker for a significant chunk of his remaining contract will be tricky. Long term, the Phillies have a bunch of payroll flexibility (Rollins, Lidge, Ibanez, potentially Oswalt come off the books next winter), but the key will be finding a way to squeeze everyone in for this season.

So I just woke up. Had this crazy, realistic dream that the Phillies signed Cliff Lee. Wait, what?

Because he loved it here and realized that last year, it was a business decision. The Phillies realized that Roy Halladay wanted to sign an extension here, and Cliff Lee wanted to test free agency. They had no idea at the time that he'd leave $50 million on the table to extend here. But it all works out in the end! I just wish we could have gotten more from Seattle last year...

Because the team is terrible, and doesn't look to be improving any time soon. Nobody should be untouchable. If a trade can vastly improve the team, you consider it.

The Red Sox rotation is vastly overrated, outside of Lester and Buchholz.

And tomorrow, I will be putting the final payment down on my season ticket renewal. Good good good [expletive].

This was his mindset, I am sure.

Roy Halladay left a ton on the table to come here as well. I think a lot of this credit needs to go to Charlie Manuel. I have never seen a manager/head coach that so many players are in love with and want to play for. ....or that I am so in love with.

He left a [expletive] load of money on the table.

Okay

My Cliff Lee t-shirt is no longer useless. Except he won't be 34 anymore. But all is well. [expletive], somebody pinch me.

I can't even put this into words. I feel like I have been puffing on a J for 20 minutes. Is this [expletive] happening? OMG.

Is this real life? Holy. [expletive]ing. [expletive].

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/philsphan1210/randy.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/philsphan1210/Picture1-29.png http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/philsphan1210/Picture2-7.png Ugh....if this doesn't happen now....epic let down.