Since we last spoke contracts, there has been plenty of re-signing going on at the WFC headquarters. After Madson inked his three-year pact, Shane Victorino ($3.1 mil), Joe Blanton ($5.5 mil), and Chad Durbin ($1.6 mil) all signed one-year deals and Jayson Werth got a two-year contract werth (tee-hee!) anywhere from $8 to $10 million total. Besides those dundees, Ryan Howard is going for another arbitration-winning record by requesting $18 million for his 2009 services. The Phillies countered with a reasonable — but not Big Brown worthy — $14 mil.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I hope Howard gets his 18. Mutherfucker is a MONSTER who was left to fiddle around in the minor leagues until he was 26-years old for chrissake.

And I believe I owe a certain Jewish GM an apology. Until further notice, I will no longer call you Rubex n00b in social conversations. And… I’m sorry.

I hope these links brighten up your day, sunshine:

• I can’t promise you that I’ll keep up with it, but if you would like a glimpse into the fast-paced, highfalutin lifestyle of a Phillies blogger, I’ve started one of those fancy Twitter accounts. I’m not really sure what it’s purpose is, or how to use it properly, but feel free to follow along you’d like. Rest assured though, Twitter is as far as I’ll go. No Facebook for me! [meechone's Twitter]

• My most-favorite drive time AM sports talker, Mike Missanelli, spent close to 10 minutes talking with Hollywood Hamels about new contracts, his movie watching habits, and the comfort of signing his first big contract. Be prepared though, the audio starts the instant you click on the link. [950 ESPN]

• David Brown of BLS fame lists his Top 10 reasons the Phillies should quit messing around and cut Ryan Howard a check pronto. BONUS! Check out the comments where clueless Yahoo! commenters debate Howard’s worth. [Big League Stew]

• Charlie Manuel is a pimp.

• The man known simply as Batting Stance Guy took that thing he does with him into Secaucus, NJ and performed for the boys over at MLB Network. Mitch Williams, being the good sport that he is, even commended Stance Guy for his World Series Game 6 Joe Carter impression. [Batting Stance Guy]

• Lastly, on More Hardball, the folks take a look at the best of the 1994 strike year replacements. Or as I liked to call them, the players that were never featured in an MLB licensed video game. DAMN SCABS! [More Hardball]

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