Today was a tale of two totally different outcomes for Philadelphia's football and baseball team.

The Phillies have been hanging out in second and third place in the NL wild card race. They have been winning some games but have not been able to close teams out to make a strong push for the wild card lead.

Both the Phillies and Eagles had chances today to close out their opponents. The Phillies did, the Eagles did not.

With wins on Friday and Saturday over the Houston Astros, the Phillies completed a three game sweep today, behind two home runs from catcher Mike Leiberthal. The win moves them to within one game of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost their division lead with a loss to San Diego today.

The Eagles on the other hand, had a 17 point lead over the New York Giants heading into the fourth quarter. Horrible execution, or lack there of, cost them the game and the chance to close out the Giants and take an early two game lead in the division.

It's funny, the Phillies are so close to a playoff spot, yet I am more bumed out today over the Eagles loss than I am excited about the Phillies win. You would think that any positive out of a Philadelphia team would excite me.

But there is something about the Eagles and all of the disappointments they have had this century. Maybe it is the fact that I don't expect much out of the Phillies. Year in and year out, they come up way short. I don't expect them to catch the wild card lead. And if they do, I don't expect them to hold onto it.

But I expect more from the Eagles. They blew those expectations today. They could not close the door, and it cost them.

With the likes of Ryan Howard, Chase Utely, and Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell's name often gets lost in the shuffle.

It doesn't help that the Phillies slugger has been in a major funk. He is hitting only .255 with runners in scoring position this season, and only .157 with runners in scoring position with two outs.
That didn't matter last night, as the Phillies left fielder hit a two out grand slam in the first innning to stake Philadelphia out to a 4-0 lead over the Houston Astros.
But the Phillies did not have killer instinct. Instead, they held on for dear life and a 4-3 win.
Coupled with loses by San Diego and San Francisco, Philadelphia now stands alone in second place in the wild card, 1 1/2 games behind the Padres. For the rest of the story, visit: http://brianphillysports.blogspot.com/

Playing mediocre baseball down the stretch is not going to cut it.

The Philadelphia Phillies have a chance to take control of their own destiny and make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

But they have been unable to finish. The Phillies are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

They won the first two games of a four game series with the Florida Marlins, but failed to knock the Marlins out of playoff contention, losing the next two. They swept a double-header against Atlanta, but failed to complete the sweep with a 4-1 loss last night.

For the rest of the story, visit: http://brianphillysports.blogspot.com/

The decision was a tough one for the Phillies last year.  Trade their star first baseman Jim Thome or trade their up and coming star first baseman, Ryan Howard.  Former GM Ed Wade did not screw this one up - thank goodness.

Howard was the NL Rookie of the Year last year after only playing a little more than half of a season.  He has lived up to the hype this year.

The young lefty who won this year's home run derby leads the majors with 48 home runs and 122 RBI.  He is also hitting a cool .294.

But Howards means more to the Phillies than just stats.  He is right smack in the middle of a lineup that also consists of young stars Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.  But the Phils need Howard to roll.

The Phillies were out of the race when they traded players like Bobby Abreu and David Bell at the trade deadline.  Howard has led a resurgance ever since.  Before tonight, Philadelphia trailed in the Wild Card race by only a game and a half.

If not for Ryan Howard, the Phillies would not be in this race.  He is the most valuable player to his team.

Cather - current players are Mike Leiberthal and Chris Coste.  It is time for the Phillies to start over behind the plate.  With a high salary, it is unlikely Leiberthal will be back.  The Phillies could use a lower paid, good defensive catcher.

1st base - current player is Ryan Howard.  After trading Jim Thome in the offseason, Howard finally got a chance to be an every day player for a whole season.  He has not disappointed.  Howard leads the league in home runs and will be one of the young faces of this franchise for years to come.

2nd base - current player is Chase Utely.  Uttley has a 35 game hitting streak to his name this year.  He is evolving into one of the best offensive second baseman in the league.  Like Howard, Utely is young and has a lot of talent.  He will be around for a while.

Shortstop - current player is Jimmy Rollins.  He has speed, power, and is a great defensive player.  Rollins will be in a Phillies uniform for years to come.

Third base - current player is Abraham Nunez.  They traded away David Bell and Nunez has taken over as an every day player.  He is hitting below the mendoza line.  It is time for a change.

Outfield - current players are David Dellucci, Aaron Rowand, and Pat Burrell.  After trading away Bobby Abreu, Dellucci has proven he can be a quaility every-day player.  The Phillies shouls sign him.  Rowand is a terriffic center fielder.  Burrell is up in the air.  He has a big contract and a no-trade clause.  He is an ok player but if there is a chance to dump his salary, they should do so.

Veterans are supposed to come through when it really matters.

In a huge game that could have pulled the Philadelphia Phillies to within one game of the NL wild card lead, Tom Gordon allowed three earned runs in the ninth, allowing the Reds to once again put Philadelphia three games behind.

This came one night after Gordon blew a save opportunity.  Luckily, the Phillies were able to come back that time.

But last night, it was too much.  The Phillies did score one run in the ninth on a Jimmy Rollins home run.  But with two guys on and Ryan Howard at the plate, Cincinnati closer Eddie Guardardo got the NL homerun leader to strike out swinging.

Although Philadelphia is led by youngsters Chase Utley, Howard, and Rollins, it is the veterans who are going to have to come through if the Phillies have a chance at making a run at a playoff bearth.  Arguably their best pitcher this year and an All-Star, Gordon has faltered the past two nights. 

"I just didn't have the feel that I'd like to have," Gordon said after the game.

Well, if the Phillies want to have a shot this year, they will need to be able to close out games.

Hopefully Gordon can get that "feel" back soon.  Otherwise, it will be yet another long offseason.

So the Phillies have life afterall.

Philadelphia overcame deficits in the eigth and ninth innings last night to pull within two games of the wild card lead with a thrilling 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th, Aaron Rowand hit a line drive over the second basemans head. Earlier in the at-bat, a pitch was thrown that almost hit Rowand. But he mistakingly moved out of the way.

David Delluci led of the 14th with a single, Chase Utley walked and Ryan Howard was intentionally walked to load the bases. Because the Phillies did not have any position players left, relief pitcher Aaron Fultz had to bat. He lined out to a drawn in infield.

The Phillies have won seven of ten after dealing quite a few players at the trade deadline.

General Manager Pat Gillick addressed the media after the frenzy of trades and said the Phillis may not be in a position to compete until 2008. But the players have another idea. They think they can compete this year.

Stranger things have happened. Philadelphia is currently two games under .500. Arizone, Houston, and San Diego stand between them and the Reds.

There is no doubt the Phillies lineup is capable of scoring runs. But the doubt comes in their starting pitching, which has been at the bottom of the pile in the National League. The return of Randy Wofl will help. But it may not be enough to catch teams with strong pitching like the Reds and Astros.

But all you can ask for is a chance. And the Phillies have put themselves in a position to have a chance.

The problem is that the Phillies have to play the best team in the NL, the New York Mets, seven times this month.

We should know for sure sometime over the next couple weeks if the Phillies are contenders or pretenders. Whichever, they are fin to watch right now. With two more games against the Reds, the Phillies could be tied for the wild card lead by the end of the weekend.

Bobby Abreu.  David Bell.  Cory Lidle.  Sal Fasano. 

All gone from Philadelphia courtesy of a lousy season and the trade deadline.

Yet somehow, the Phillies have caught fire and are only 2.5 games out of the wild card lead.

You have got to be kidding me.

Coming fresh off a sweep of the powerful St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia beat the first place New York Mets last night. 

What in the world is going on?  Too bad the Phillies got nothing in return for any trade they made, especially the deal with Abreu and Lidle going to the Yankees.

Is it possible Philadelphia could make a run at a playoff spot?

I will admit - the last couple of days a glimmer of hope has emerged in my mind.  Anytime a Philadelphia gets close to any type of success, I can't help but hope.  After all, the cities last title came in 1983.

But I know all too well how the story ends.  Just as you think they have a shot, all hope is ripped out from your heart. 

Without a doubt, the Phillies will stumble - and probably soon.  With nine more games against the Mets this month, there is not a chance they will still be in the wild card hunt heading into September.

That is what logic and history tell me.

But I fan can hope, right?

The rebuilding for next year has officially begun.

The Philadelphia Phillies have traded Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for 20-year-old minor-league shortstop C.J. Henry (their No. 1 pick in 2005) and 27-year-old left-handed reliever Matt Smith, reports ESPN.

Abreu must approve the deal, but he has said he would play for the Yankees.

Earlier this week, the Phillies traded third baseman David Bell, but moving Abreu marks a big change for the future, as he frees up a lot of salary that the Phils can use elsewhere in the offseason.

As much as I liked Abreu and as good of a player he is, Philadelphia did the right thing in moving him because of his high salary.  I am hoping that they will also move Burrell.

The Phillies really don't have a chance of making the playoffs this year.

What they really need to do is trade some of their better players, shed some salary, and get a few good young prospects in return.

But GM Pat Gillick is hanging on as long as he can before making any trades, to see if the Phillies can climb back into thw wild card race. If they do pull to within a couple of games of the wild card, Gillick may put the future on hold and try and win now.

As much as I want the Phillies to win now, I know they are not going to. It would be in their best interest to start building for next season.

However, they have won two in a row and in the middle of a four game series with the Atlanta Braves (who they are now tied with), Philadelphia has a chance to put themselves in a better position in the playoff hunt. There are stil seven teams in front of them, but Cincinnati, who leads the wild card race, is only 5.5 games up.

If the Phillies hang in there, Gillick might decide to keep what he has and look for a postseason berth this year.

Big mistake.

It is inevitable that the Phillies will crumble down the stretch. And if they do not attempt to trade guys like Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Corey Lidle, etc now, they will have made a big mistake.  Of coarse, they should only trade these guys if they get get fiar market value in return. J

uly 31 is quickly approaching and with three more agains the Braves, three against Arizona, and four against Florida, Philadelphia could greatly alter their course of action should they get hot.

Now this is an interesting rumor:

A New York Post story is reporting a rumor that has Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and a player to be named beting traded to Philadelphia for Bobby Abreu Pat Burrell, David Bell and Tom Gordon.

However, A-Rod squashed any possibility of this rumor coming to fruition, saying "It doesn't make any difference. I would veto it." The Yankees third baseman has a no-trade clause.

Which makes me wonder. Would I want to play for the Philadelphia Phillies?

Putting aside the loyalty and being a Phillies fan, the Phillies have a horrible track record. The last time they made the playoffs was in 1993, and although they have come close the past couple of years, they have struggled big-time this year and look to be sellers at the trade deadline.

So why would a player like Rodriguez want to come to a team that has no shot of making it to the post-season?

Although A-Rod takes a lot of heat in New York, he is on a team that has a chance to compete year in and year out. With a no-trade clause, he controls his destiny.

If I were him, I would not want to play for Philadelphia either. But as a Philly fan, I would welcome the trade.

Dreaming of an infield with Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard makes me drool. It's not going to happen.

Oh well, the headline peaked my interest.

ESPN is reporting rumors of the Phillies trading outfielder Bobby Abreu to the New York Mets for Lastings Milledge.

This would be a great deal for both teams.

The Phillies would benefit by moving a big contract, freeing up money to spend this offseason. Milledge is also a very good prospect who could add to the young talent they already have.

The Mets would benefit because Abreu is a heck of a player. Mixed in with Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran would give New York one heck of a lineup.

Another rumor has Abreu going to Baltimore for Rodrigo Lopez. What a rip off that would be. Abreu is worth way more than Lopez.

The trade deadline is quickly approaching. Let's hope GM Pat Gillick hangs on long enough to get a very good young player in return, should he choose to move Abreu.

This year is a wash.

It's time for the Phillies to start building the future and get out of the mess Ed Wade created.

Philadelphia already has young talent to build around in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Aaron Rowand. They have young pitching who could prove to be a rotation to build around in the future with Cole Hammels, Brett Myers and Ryan Madson (although they have not pitched well this year with the exception of Myers).

But the true mess comes within the long term contracts Wade signed a few players to. David Bell and Mike Leiberthal will be gone after this year (finally). Which leaves Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu. Burrell will be tough to move because of how much money he is making and the struggles he has had at the plate.

Abreu on the other hand, while making a ton of money and having a no-trade clause, is a hot commodity. Dealing their star right fielder would be a great opportunity to get some young prospects as well as give the Phillies a little financial freedom to sign better players in the offseason.

However, I don't think Philadelphia should give up Abreu. After all, he is a heck of a player.

But if they can get a couple of good, solid young players in return and get a team to pick up Abreu's contract, I am all for them trading him and having money to spend elsewhere in the offseason.

Philadelphia teams sure cannot win a thing.

Just leave it to individual players.

Ryan Howard became the second straight Phillie to win the All-Star game home run derby, outlasting division rival David Wright of the New York Mets, on Monday night.

After starting off slow in the first round and neeting four home runs to advance without making an out, Howard dug in and finished fourth with eight home runs behind Miguel Cabrera (9), David Ortiz (10), and Wright (16).

But the second round was a different story.  While the three others in the semifinals hit a total of 11 homers, Howard put on a show, knocking out 10, a few of which landed in the river.

Wright led off the finals with four home runs, but Howard beat him with a fifth homer that went off a sign in right field to finish with 23 for the night.

While the Phillies have struggled mightily as a team this year, Howard took a special night to showcase his unbelievable talents and give Philadelphia fans something to cheer about.

For one night, I raised my arms in excitement over something a Philadelphian did. 

Thanks for the show Ryan Howard.

 

PLAYER	TEAM	RD 1	RD 2	F	TOT	LONG
Miguel Cabrera	Fla	9	6	-	15	471
David Wright	NYM	16	2	4	22	476
Lance Berkman	Hou	3	-	-	3	456
Ryan Howard	Phi	8	10	5	23	471
Miguel Tejada	Bal	3	-	-	3	461
Troy Glaus	Tor	1	-	-	1	450
Jermaine Dye	CWS	7	-	-	7	476
David Ortiz	Bos	10	3	-	13	488

 

Once again, disappointment has set into Philadelphia fans.

As usual, although much earlier this year, the Phillies got our hopes up, pulling to within a couple games of the New York Mets for the National League East division lead. But then they lost 15 out of 18 games and seven in a rwo - until beating Baltimore tonight.

So the long summer sets in as we wait for our next hope to win a championship for a city that so dearly craves a title. The last one came in 1983 when the Sixers won the NBA Championship.

I am optimistic about the Eagles. The national media has basically forgotten about the team that went to four straight NFC Championship games. A lot of the focus has been on the improvements made by the rest of the division.

Fine by me, I have no problem with the Ealges being the underdog. If they can stay healthy, they are a better team than two years ago, when they went to the Super Bowl. They have a lot of depth and playmakers. The only position they do not have a star that they had two years ago was...well, you know who. But who wants him anyway.

Either way, the start of the NFL season is still a little ways off.

So Philadelphia fans will have to sit and wait - again - and hope that the next season will finally be the year.