MUST BE DREAMING: TEMPLE IS 9-2?
Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawian Christmas Day ...
It must have been a pretty good Christmas for Shane Victorino, although I imagine it was a pretty good Christmas for everybody who played a role in helping the Phillies win the World Series. Fortunately for us, Jim Salisbury had a chance to visit with Victorino earlier this month during the winter meetings in Las Vegas. I'm guessing Salisbury pushed to meet Victorino at the In-N-Out Burger, although I could be mistaken.
"The parade was incredible," Victorino said. "I remember toward the end of Broad Street looking back and seeing the flood of people following us to the stadium. People were everywhere. I still don't know how the trucks got through. It seemed like there were two or three generations of people there. Old men were doing the sign of the cross, saying, 'Thank you, thank you.' People had tears in their eyes. I was like, 'Did we really do this for the city? Did we really create this feeling?' It's such a well-deserving place. I'm happy we could do it. And I'm happy I could be a part of the team that brought that amount of joy to that many people. It will stay with me forever."
Pitchers and catchers officially report to Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 14.
That's 50 days away.
Merry Christmas, everybody!
I'm guessing most people who check out this blog regularly received some sort of Phillies merchandise for the holidays.
Phil Sheridan writes in today's paper that Christmas is a day to appreciate the gifts you've been given or wallow in misery over those that didn't come. He would like Philly fans to appreciate the Phillies championship a little more before 2009. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Blaine Neal grew up a Phillies fan in South Jersey, where he was a star at Bishop Eustace Prep. He now has a chance to play in the Phillies' organization.
Phil Anastasia caught up with Neal, who signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies and is a non-roster invitee to camp this spring. Like Philadelphia native and non-roster invitee Mike Koplove, Neal is expected to open the season in triple-A Lehigh Valley as a relief pitcher. But if he has a good spring and pitches well for the IronPigs he could see time with the Phillies in 2009.
"It's a good situation for me in a lot of ways," said Neal, who has pitched in the big leagues with Florida, San Diego, Boston and Colorado.
One of them being this is the team he grew up cheering. And he cheered when the Phillies won the World Series.
"I waited 25 years just like everybody else," he said. "I was like 4 or 5 when the Sixers won it [in 1983] and I don't really remember that. I was like every other fan when the Phillies finally won it. I couldn't believe it."
Ryan Howard informed Team USA manager Davey Johnson that he won't compete in the World Baseball Classic this spring.
"He feels like he needs to spend his time in the spring getting ready for the season so he gets off to a better start," Johnson said.
Jimmy Rollins will play for Team USA. Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge also declined invitations.
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Thanks to everybody who came to Barnes & Noble in Deptford last night for the signing of Champions!, which is No. 6 on amazon.com's best seller list for sports books. We sold every book in the store. Obviously, I'm biased, but you won't find a better book to commemorate the 2008 World Series championship season. The photos inside this book are incredible. (The writing isn't bad, either.)
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I saw this today at We Should Be GM's. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. But at least WSBGM's had the good sense to apologize in advance.
Well, that's no fun.
New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya had a chance to tell the whole world the Mets are better than the Phillies, but he didn't fan the flames.
"We're not better than them, no," Minaya said. "Right now, they're world champions."
Wait, what? What is this? Reverse psychology? The Phillies are on to you, Omar!
"The only way you get to be better than them is to beat them," he said. "You've got to go out there and get it done. You don't win championships on paper. I've never believed in that. Do I think we've improved our club? Yes. But the bottom line is the Phillies have won the World Series and they won the division twice. They have a good team and the experience of being in playoffs and World Series - that is huge. So we have a lot of work to do."
Mets manager Jerry Manuel commented on Cole Hamels' "choke artists" comment, "That's his opinion. It probably adds a little fuel to it, which is a good thing. Anytime you can add fuel to the fire, it's good. Players have to be ready to respond and answer the bell. That's good, that's good stuff."
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Inquirer and Daily News photographers David Maialetti, Michael Perez and Yong Kim will join myself, Bill Conlin, Paul Hagen and David Murphy for a Champions! book signing tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in Deptford (1553 Almonesson Road, Deptford, NJ).
Phillies press release:
Ten players have been invited to Phillies spring training as non-roster invitees, Chuck LaMar, Phillies assistant general manager, player development & scouting announced today.
· Dave Borkowski, RHP … Borkowski, 31, split last season between the Houston Astros and triple-A Round Rock. In his 26 appearances with Houston , he was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA, while with Round Rock he posted a 2-2 record with two saves and a 2.43 ERA in 27 games (1 start). Borkowski has appeared in 181 major league games, going 13-20 with a 5.87 ERA between Detroit (1999-2001), Baltimore (2004) and Houston (2006-08).
· Mike Cervenak, 3B/1B … Cervenak, 32, played for triple-A Lehigh Valley this past season where he finished fifth in the International League in batting average (.311) and tied for seventh in doubles (30). On the year, he hit 10 home runs, recorded 66 RBI and was named to the IL All-Star team. Cervenak also made his major league debut in 2008 with the Phillies, hitting .154 (2-13) in 10 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter.
· Ozzie Chavez, SS … Chavez, 25, combined to hit .232 (63-271) with four home runs, 33 RBI and 23 runs scored in 94 games between triple-A Nashville and double-A Huntsville in the Milwaukee organization. For his career, Chavez is hitting .250 with 22 home runs and 297 RBI in 889 games. He is currently playing for Azucareros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.
· J.J. Furmaniak, INF/OF … Furmaniak, 29, who was originally selected by San Diego in the 22nd round of the 2000 draft, did not play last season. He has appeared in 29 career major league games between Pittsburgh (2005) and Oakland (2007) and is hitting .186 (8-43) with two RBI. For his minor league career he is hitting .270 with 84 home runs and 408 RBI in 889 games.
· Mike Koplove, RHP … Last season with triple-A Las Vegas, Koplove, a Philadelphia native, went 2-1 with nine saves and a 3.46 ERA in 41 games. Over his seven major league seasons, Koplove, 32, has posted a 15-7 record with a 3.82 ERA in 222 games for Arizona (2001-06) and Cleveland (2007).
· Justin Lehr, RHP … Lehr, 31, spent last season with triple-A Louisville, where he went 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 16 games (8 starts). He is currently pitching for Yaquis de Obregon in the Mexican Winter League. Lehr has pitched in 66 career major league games, posting a 4-3 record with a 5.31 ERA between Oakland (2004) and Milwaukee (2005-06).
· Blaine Neal, RHP … Neal, 30, finished tied for 2nd for the IL lead in saves (26) while pitching for triple-A Toledo in 2008. Overall, he went 1-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 38 appearances and began the season converting his first 17 save opportunities. The native of Marlton, N.J., has appeared in 133 major league games, all in relief, going 5-4 with a 5.08 ERA between Florida (2001-03), San Diego (2004), Boston (2005) and Colorado (2005).
· Terry Tiffee, 3B … Tiffee, 29, spent last season with triple-A Las Vegas, where he led the Pacific Coast League in batting average (.378), finished 3rd in doubles (39), 4th in on-base percentage (.416), 8th in hits (148) and 10th in slugging percentage (.561). Tiffee also appeared with the Dodgers in 2008 playing in six games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He is currently playing for Venados de Mazatlan in the Mexican Winter League.
· Andy Tracy, 1B … Last season, Tracy, 35, played for Lehigh Valley , where he hit .288 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 124 games. He led all IL first basemen in fielding percentage (.997), finished 2nd in the league in doubles (34) and tied for fifth in RBI (85). Tracy also made four pinch-hit appearances (0-2, RBI) for the Phillies in 2008.
· Chris Walker, OF … Walker , 28, hit .257 with one home run and 27 RBI in 78 games for triple-A Salt Lake this past season. Originally selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2002 draft, Walker is hitting .270 with 16 home runs and 217 RBI in 685 career minor league games. He is currently playing for Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexican Winter League.
The following players were signed as minor league free agents: right-handers Yorman Bazardo, Yoel Hernandez and Justin Pope, left-handers Jason Mackintosh and Joshua Shortslef, first baseman/outfielder Brian Stavisky and outfielders Casey Craig, Kevin Mahar, Wilkin Ruan, Mike Spidale and Rich Thompson.
The Phillies introduced Raul Ibanez this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Here is some of what he said:
On being 36 years old and being able to maintain his productivity throughout the length of his contract: "I love hearing it. It's one of the things I enjoy because I know that I can continue to be productive. I know this. The good Lord has blessed me with ability. He's blessed me with what I believe to be an incredible work ethic, and an incredible drive to attempt to succeed no matter what. So I think I can continue doing this for a while. As a man I couldn't have come here unless I was able to do that."
On if he feels fresher because he didn't become an everyday player until he turned 30 in 2002 with the Kansas City Royals: "That's exactly how I feel about it. That's exactly how I felt when I was 30. Guys kept telling me, 'Wait until you're 30. You can't train that hard when you're 30.' Then I heard, 'When you hit 35, those day games after night games are going to be killers.' So, finally, I talked to Edgar Martinez about it. I said, 'Edgar, what is this thing about 35. Everyone talks about 35. What is this? At 35 I feel just as the same as I did when I was 30.' ... Edgar said to me in his super wise way -- it's like going to Yoda, you know? -- he said, 'That's for the guys that don't work as hard as we do.' He told me his best years were after 35. His best year was when he was 37."
On his success last season against lefthanded pitching, which is relevant because he fits in the middle of a lineup that includes Chase Utley and Ryan Howard: "I think I've always had quality at-bats against lefthanded pitching. But last year I did implement more into my routine, seeing lefthanded breaking balls. I did do that more. I have a cage in my house and I spent time hitting off of a breaking ball machine a little more."
On his defense: "I hope people will be pleasantly surprised. I think in this game you get a label and it's very difficult to shake that lable. People will come up with whatever formula they can to try to prove that label."
On if he has heard how tough Philly fans can be: "I've heard that before. Everyone has heard that. It's irrelevant. I'm here to help the club win. No matter what, however accountable they're going to hold me, I'm going to hold myself 10 times more accountable than that. Being held accountable is not a bad thing."
On if he cared to make a statement about the Phillies-Mets rivalry after Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez called the Mets the team to beat (never hurts to ask, right): "I'm sorry. I'm a pretty boring guy."
The Phillies later today will introduce Raul Ibanez as their new leftfielder.
It is expected to be their last "major" announcement before spring training in February. If you want to know how your 2009 Phillies will look, take a look at today's roster:
Between today and spring training the Phillies are expected to make Park's signing official. (He is scheduled to take his physical next month.) They also could try to add a righthanded bat to the bench because the Phillies currently have three lefthanded ones: Dobbs, Jenkins and Stairs. If the Phillies added a righthanded bat, they could move Jenkins or Stairs to help make it happen. Other than that, I think the Phillies' off-season business is mostly finished. Of course, something could pop up, but I don't see the Phillies making any major changes right now.
Storylines in spring training -- in terms of roster spots -- should be pretty clear at this point:
Obviously, there are other things that could develop -- injuries, etc. -- but those seem to be the most obvious at the moment. The bullpen is pretty much set, assuming Park is in the bullpen. If he somehow makes the rotation, that would open up a bullpen job.
"We have as good a chance of repeating a world championship as anybody," Moyer said yesterday. "It's going to be a competitive race. I'm not going out predicting that we are going to win, but we have as good a chance as any other club out there. It's not like we've lost four or five players to free agency and key players and things like that."
"I think that we're pretty good," Manuel said.
Agree?
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Chase Utley held a news conference today at Citizens Bank Park to talk about his progress after surgery on his right hip. Jamie Moyer talked to reporters in a teleconference a couple hours later about the two-year contract extension he just signed with the Phillies.
Here are some highlights:
"Now I kind of have a nice little pretty hip," said Utley, who said he expects to be in the lineup come Opening Day. "It’s pretty. You should see the x-rays. It’s pretty.”
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Utley famously dropped the f-bomb during the Phillies’ World Series championship celebration at Citizens Bank Park in October.
“World f------ champions!” he said on live TV.
“That was definitely an emotional day that we all had,” Utley said. “That drive down Broad Street to the park was one of the best days of my life. I imagine for a lot of Phillies fans it was the same. I could have used different words to express myself. At the time I didn’t. I tell all kids not to use that word. If they’re 29 and they win the World Series, I think they can say that. But I definitely would say to all the kids out there, kids, it’s a bad word. Don’t say. And I’m dead serious.”
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Utley is close friends with Pat Burrell, whose tenure with the Phillies ended when the Phillies came to a contract agreement with Raul Ibanez.
“It is going to be a little bit different around the clubhouse,” Utley said. “You cannot replace the personality that he brings to the field every day. He really is a special individual. It’s going to be a little tough at first. He kind of took me under his wing when I got to the big leagues. He showed me the ropes. I definitely appreciate that. You have to understand this is a business. The whole plan is to continue to win.”
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Moyer said he didn't think negotiatons with the Phillies dragged on longer than expected.
"Negotiations are negotiations," he said. "Both sides take their side for what they feel is right. I think things moved along smoothly. It's all about timing. I think the timing was right. Everything was resolved. I'm happy to be back to Philadelphia to defend our World Series championship. I'm excited about our club. I'm looking forward to a great year from everybody."
"Based off of last season, I feel that I threw the ball pretty consistently," said Moyer, asked about the importance of having two guaranteed years. "I felt no reason why I couldn't pitch next year and having the security of the second year it pushes me and it drives me. We'll see where it goes. I'm excited for this upcoming season. That's what I'm going to put my focus and attention to now. We'll deal with that following year when it comes."
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Moyer's contract is worth at least $13 million. He receives $6.5 million in both seasons and can make an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses each year: $250,000 each for 150, 160, 170, 180 and 190 innings pitched. His 2010 base can escalate up to $4.5 million: $250,000 each for 150 innings and 23 starts, and $500,000 each for 160, 170, 180 and 190 innings, and 25, 27, 29 and 31 starts. He also has a limited no-trade provision that allows him to block trades to six teams, no more than four in a league.
The Phillies have signed Jamie Moyer to a two-year contract extension.
Both years are guaranteed, meaning there is no club option for 2010.
"We're very pleased to have Jamie back," Ruben Amaro Jr. said today. "He's been a valuable piece of the puzzle for us, and obviously gives us some more starting pitching depth. He was a goal for us from the outset."
Moyer will be 48 when his contract expires.
"There's no question it's a concern," Amaro said of Moyer's age. "For us to go two years guaranteed, I think shows our committment to him, but he's probably one of our best conditioned athletes that we have. His dedication to his craft is as high as anybody's on our club. Jamie is going to do what he can to play out this contract and be an effective pitcher for us. We have every reason to believe with the way he works and the way he pitches that he can do just that, play out his contract."
The Phillies see four-fifths of their rotation complete with Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Moyer. The fifth spot? I think you'll see quite a battle in spring training. I think you're looking at Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, Chan Ho Park and Drew Carpenter competing for that job. Adam Eaton stands almost no chance. The Phillies have been trying to give him away lately, but have found no takers. As far as Park goes, I tend to think Park is entering spring training in a similar position as Chad Durbin last year. I'm sure he's been told he will have a chance to start, but I think you will see him in the bullpen when the season starts.
Here's how I see the pitching staff shaping up entering Opening Day 2009:
Starters: Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer and Kendrick/Happ/Carrasco
Bullpen: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, Clay Condrey and Park.
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Chase Utley spoke to reporters today and said he expects to be ready to play come Opening Day 2009.
“Rehab is going well,” Utley said. “Things are progressing very well. I don’t expect any setbacks. I feel like I’ll be ready to go, but it’s something I have to be careful of. I want to make sure that we rehab this right. I don’t want to have this problem again. But as of now it’s looking good.”
