Phillies Season Preview

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Phillies Season Preview

Phillies Season Preview

Health, 'pen among season's keys 03/31/2008: By DAVID MURPHY , dmurphy@phillynews.com

For the Phillies to return to the playoffs and advance, they will need the following five questions to be resolved in their favor:
Bill Conlin: Nucleus to test team's core values 03/31/2008: OPENING DAY 1947. Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Boston Braves. Jackie Robinson made history that day as manager Burt Shotton's first baseman. Pee Wee Reese was at shortstop. Carl Furillo was in right. They would become the early core of a long-running lineup known as the "Boys of Summer."
Gillick hopes to get last laugh 03/31/2008: By PAUL HAGEN , hagenp@phillynews.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Seagulls swirled above the nearly empty seats at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, scavenging for scraps of food the spectators had left behind. Most had departed long ago, sensibly enough, since the exhibition game between the Phillies and Rays had ended nearly an hour earlier and leaden clouds and gusting winds accurately forecast the heavy rains that were soon to follow.
BREAKING DOWN THE WHEELER-DEALER'S TENURE HERE 03/31/2008: * Best trade: Pat Gillick's first one, getting Aaron Rowand and his indomitable spirit and clutch bat from the White Sox for Jim Thome, freeing up first for Ryan Howard.
A lineup we'd pay to see play 03/31/2008: By MARCUS HAYES , hayesm@phillynews.com

EXCITEMENT is subjective. Fun is hard to gauge. So this year, in honor of Jimmy Rollins winning the 2007 NL MVP Award, we'll rank the top 20 players we'd pay to watch by stressing speed, defense and special achievement.
Fair to middlin' doesn't cut it 03/31/2008: By DAVID MURPHY , dmurphy@phillynews.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. - As Tom Gordon walked to the mound at Shea Stadium on the night of Sep. 14, he faced a situation scary enough to coax a sweat from the coolest of pitchers.
Yankees, Red Sox remain AL's top plot 03/31/2008: 1 New Joe, same ol' demands for game's sagging empire Joe Girardi is answering the phone now, and it's probably George Steinbrenner's son Hank on the other end. But the "win now" mantra hasn't changed, only building in volume for a franchise that hasn't won a World Series since 2000.
SCALING THE HIGHEST PEAKS 03/31/2008: By PAUL VIGNA

This talk about MVPs and great seasons got us thinking about the best season by a Philly athlete. So we tapped into the expertise of four of our writers for their list of the top performances in each franchise. And we invite you to vote for what you think is the greatest one, at go.philly.com/bestever. Look for the results in next Tuesday's issue of the Daily News.
THE YEARS AFTER 03/31/2008: By PAUL VIGNA

How well do players fare the year after they win their MVP? Take a look at Philly's MVP champs and their performance the year after, with year won in parentheses:
NL's top storylines 03/31/2008: 1 Where politicians will spend their recess It's Washington's turn to flip the lights on a new ballpark, this one seating 41,000. Fans likely will see everything on the monster scoreboard (101 feet wide by 47 feet long) except, well, any congressional hearings into you know what.