That collision sounded ugly on radio. I think the short-term move is, with Delucci day-to-day, to send Sanches down and bring up an outfielder (Bourn?). If Rowand ends up on the DL (seems likely), bring up another bat - enough already with this bench situation.

Up

One of the FOX commentators on yesterday's Yankees - Red Sox game was advocating raising the mound back up to 15". Looking at scores from the weekend, I'm inclined to agree that the mound should go up, but I'm not sure the full 5" is necessary.

In reviewing the moves that Gillick has made so far, they've been pretty bad, or underwhelming at the very least. Far too many (at least 5) are no longer with the club, and the number of quality players given away is just staggering. I guess the rotation is better now that it was last year, but the improvements have all come from within, and the rotation would be better with Lidle instead of Mathieson and the Madson experiment was just a disaster. The infield looks similar, but Bell was better than Nunez, and Tomas Perez was a better backup than Nunez or Sandoval. I think an outfield of Burrell, Victorino, and Abreu with Michaels and someone else off the bench would be at least as good as this outfield - I'm no fan of the folk hero Rowand, and would rather see him leave than Burrell for next year. The bullpen was better last year as well - Madson was more effective, Wagner and Urbina were, I think, better than Gordon and Rhodes. Fultz and Geary have been solid both years, and Cormier is a serviceable pitcher, unlike White, Sanchez, and Castro (though he's shown some flashes). Gillick had better improve - he's not doing much better than the previous stiff.

The Phillies are using three roster spots (Castro, Sanches, White) who have a combined 19 2/3 innings pitched in the month since the All Star break. Certainly one of these three bozos should be sent to the minors (or the curb) for another bat on the bunch. Not that there's much to choose from in the minor league system (Michael Bourn?).

For the month of August, the Phillies have the second-most runs scored (57) and are in the middle of the pack for runs allowed (39). For the season, they're 11th in runs scored with 583, and 6th in runs allowed with 589. They're giving up about four runs a game - which is about what this staff should do, if not a little better than expected. Asking the offense to score 5-6 runs-a-game to win looks good on paper, and is fun when they can do it, but I don't think it is sustainable.

Well, I'm not sure which is worse, the Eagles offense as led by Garcia, or the TV broadcasters. It's a shame the radio was six seconds ahead of the television feed.

The Phillies radio announcers point out that the last 31 games are against teams currently below .500. Atlanta, Houston, Florida, ChiCubs, Washington. The only teams above .500 they play in August are 10 against the Mets and 3 against the Reds.

I'm trying not to get caught up in this team, not to get excited, but there may be no avoiding it. And this is exactly what management wants - continued enthusiasm in the team while payroll is lower. And one of these years they may actually win the wild card, though they still don't have the pitching to make it in the playoffs.

Clubhouse

link

A player like this, a player with this kind of impact on the clubhouse, on the team attitude and moral, and on ownership, is exactly what the Phillies need.

There are more than a few similarities between the Phils and the Cardinals. Both teams have a lot of promise on paper, but have struggled to get it done on the field. Both teams have a history of losing and not trying very hard. Both teams have a new stadium and some exciting young players. And both teams have tried to bring in big-name free agents to change the franchise's fortunes. The Phillies, however, haven't brought in the right players, have traded them or let them walk away, and are right back where they started.

It really hurts to say this, but I think the Cardinals are more likely to reach the Super Bowl in the near future than the Phillies are to reach the World Series. And that's just embarrasing.

WR Blues

I think everybody and their sister who follows the NFL knows the Eagles need a wide receiver. It's not their style, but what if they were to make the Pats a tempting offer for Branch. Give more than is to be expected, try and get them to jump at something rather than negotiate with Branch. Unlikely to fool the Pats, but worth the effort, I think. I have a hunch that Lelie will end up being moved shortly before the season starts to some team looking to improve - perhaps even a team that wears green.