Gonzo: Fans weigh in on youth, age and the Phillies

Here is an excerpt from Monday's Ask Gonzo chat on Philly.com with columnist John Gonzalez:

Comment from Franko: Hey - [Ruben] Amaro wants to get younger. Is trading either [Chase] Utley or [Ryan] Howard while they still have value a possibility whatsoever? Individually, the lineup seems untouchable; however, they are not functioning as a lineup.

Gonzo: They just gave Howard a huge contract. And they've always been high on Utley. I can't imagine them trading either guy. But they have to make some sort of move. Amaro and Charlie Manuel are right. They're getting older. You don't have to blow the thing up, but you do have to add some youth.

Comment from Ron Mexico: Was Sat-Sun the worst 24-hour period ever in the history of Philly sports?

Gonzo: The Eagles lost to the Titans in a regular-season game. Disappointing but not the end of the world. The Phils side of things, however, was crushing.

Jayson Werth said it's tough to win it all every year. He's right. But to fail by losing to a Giants club that isn't exactly stocked with all-stars is tough. It's even tougher to watch Ryan Madson give up a homer to Juan Uribe. And tougher still to see Howard end the season with the bat on his shoulder. Ugly all the way around.

Comment from Jason: Can the Eagles honestly believe that Ellis "Toast" Hobbs is a starting NFL CB?

Gonzo: I like that the toast nickname has been brought back and it's starting to stick with Hobbs. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were making fun of Izell Jenkins. Laughter is the only recourse when an Eagles defensive back is getting crushed by the opposition.

Comment from RyHow6: What options are there to get young?

Gonzo: In terms of what they have here right now, Dom Brown is the obvious move. But Amaro said that Brown wasn't guaranteed a starting spot - that he'll have to earn one. That's fine. But I'm interested to see how Amaro is going to make the team younger.

Comment from Max: What would you do about the offensive core if you were Ruben Amaro?

Gonzo: I like Jimmy Rollins a lot. He's an excellent defensive player. But he hasn't had a good offensive year since he won the MVP back in 2007. I still don't understand why they don't take the money they might give to Jimmy after this year and allocate it to re-sign Werth. At this point, I'd rather have Werth than Rollins. Good middle infielders are tough to come by, but if you're only getting defense out of Rollins, you can find a lesser version elsewhere.

I'd also consider trading Victorino, but only if they bring back Werth.

Comment from ed stefanski: Why is everyone so down? Doesn't everyone realize the team I built starts its quest for the title Wednesday?

Gonzo: I hear good seats are still available for the opener against the Heat. When you can't even fill the building to see DWade and LeBron, you're in trouble.

Comment from Cheesesteak: Re-signing Werth to anything more than the money he's already making would be a mistake. Everybody forgets that we would've been happy to see him get traded before the deadline when the Phillies were scuffling.

Gonzo: But long-term deals always work out so well for the Phils. Danys Baez. Adam Eaton. Raul Ibanez. Jamie Moyer.

Comment from Frank: Everyone is getting on Howard for looking at strike 3, and deservedly so. However, no one is ripping Victorino for getting picked off 2nd in the 8th. He wasn't even close to getting back in time, and it is not like he needs a jump start. Could Victorino be the dumbest runner in baseball?

Gonzo: Yeah, that was inexcusable. That ball has to be through the infield before Victorino gets that far off second base. Terrible mistake. Trouble is, he makes boneheaded base-running blunders all the time.

Comment from Jack: [Allen] Iverson in Turkey? Are you serious? That is not going to work out.

Gonzo: Right? Didn't he see "Midnight Express?"