Ah, January. The bane of the baseball fan’s existence. It’s too far removed from last season, and too long to go until the next. It’s the middle of the road between a place you want to be and the place you want to go. Too far to turn back, not close enough to keep going.
It is at this time of year that us writers have to stretch out our journalistic muscles and pull some words out of our collective wazoos. Unfortunately, it’s been a slow off-season, as Ruben Amaro did most of the heavy lifting before Christmas. So, all that’s left to write about…is that there is nothing left to write about. It’s so meta!
But seriously, it’s a slow time for sports fans. If you’re lucky enough, then you have 11 other guys you can root for until February. But even then, you only get three hours a week. And basketball? Quite frankly, who cares about basketball? Unless some guy named LeBron is on your team, you might as well get your fill on reruns of “Law and Order: SVU” until the three months of playoffs start. And hockey? No offense, but how good can a sport be if it’s carried on a network whose chief programming is hunting shows hosted by guys named Chet Westerfield and Burt “Skaggs” Brookeston? Exactly.
So here we are, fans. The middle of January. It’s cold, the hot stove has simmered to a slow boil, and the biggest news as of late has been the will-he-won’t-he nuptials of Derek Jeter. And unless you count arbitration hearings as “exciting,” then hunker down and just be glad that you aren’t fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, whose biggest move this off season was signing Ryan Church. Also, there is the whole “having to live in Pittsburgh” thing to deal with. Talk about rough.
And as fate would have it, we aren’t Pirates fans. We’re Phillies fans, and lately, we’ve been able to deal with these mid-winter doldrums by being able to look forward to the next season without having a sense of dread that is known only by Henry VIII’s wives and Queens residents. As such, there isn’t a ton of suspense to be had in the off season, unlike years past, when we had to worry about suspect free agent signings (Adam Eaton), bad trades (Freddy Garcia) and Ed Wades (Ed Wade).
No, Amaro has wrapped everything up in a nice, neat package. The Phillies have Roy Halladay (admittedly, that is still strange to say), a lineup that boasts the best offense in the league, and a bullpen which…can’t get worse? Okay, so maybe there are a few things that are cause for concern.
But overall, we fans are in good shape. It’s like that last week of school after you’ve passed your finals, when it’s just a matter of time before the fun starts. Until then, we still have to kill some time. And without further adieu,here are some things that you can do until that glorious spring day when Roy Halladay dons a Phillies cap for the first time…
1. Planning a summer trip? Then head on over to Walk Off Walk and get in on this year’s Heist.
2. Get in on with The Adam Carolla Podcast.
3.Can someone please make one of those videos of Hitler reacting to “Avatar” winning Best Picture at the Golden Globes?
4. Hook yourself up with a sweet-ass Roy Halladay jersey.
5. Make fun of Benjie Molina and his hilarious on-base percentage.
6. Follow The Fightins Dot Com crew on Twitter. @meechone, @mistertug, @long_drive, @fuckthemets, @DashTreyhorn
7. On a more serious note, you can donate to the Red Cross to help with the relief effort in Haiti. Literally, anything will do. John Travolta is flying doctors in, George Clooney gave some cash, and hell, even Eric Hinske donated a few swinging strikeouts. Not sure how that one helps, but hey, it’s something.
63 Comments on “But At The Same Time, It’s January.”
Leave a Comment
Phila-Centric
- 700 Level
- Balls, Sticks & Stuff
- Beerleaguer
- Big Five Post
- Crane Kick Chronicles
- Crashburn Alley
- Finger Food
- Fire Eric Bruntlett
- Four Days Rest
- High Cheese
- High Hopes
- House That Glanville Built
- I want to go to the zoo with Roy Halladay
- In Ruben We Trust
- Long Drive
- Macho Row
- Maule of America
- Nittanydelphia
- Okayplayer
- On The DL
- On The Edge
- Phightin’ Phils Phorum
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Philled In
- Philliesflow
- Philly Gameday
- Philly Gossip
- Philly Skyline
- Phils-ville
- Phinally Philly
- Phoul Ballz
- Swing and a Long Drive
- The Good Phight
- The Insider
- The Shibe Times
- The Zo Zone
- We're the Team to Beat
- Whiz Witout
- Who Does He Play For?
- WSBGM’s
General
January 20th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
i like watchin the sixers.. reminds me of mid-late nineties phillies
January 21st, 2010 at 12:17 am
I know I defended Avatar on twitter to you, Dash, but Best Picture was somewhat heinous. But hey, it’s only the Golden Globes. It’s not like they actually mean anything.
And hey, Lance Armstrong is riding in the Tour Down Under in Australia right now. So, you know… there’s that.
Yeah, I got nothing.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:46 am
Let me know if you want a Roy Halladay jersey for forty bucks (not a typo).
January 21st, 2010 at 12:49 am
Hey, hockey is a great sport. It is true though, that it is run by morons, who think that a TV contract with Verses is a good idea, among many other bad ideas. Argh.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:37 am
Listen to Ricky’s new Phillies 2009 tribute. @ http://soundcloud.com/seantbonner/baseball-heaven
Mixing the audio made it so apparent that Scott Franzke needs to be the new TV announcer. The Tom McCarthy clips are redundant and annoying at times, while I did extra searching to find Franzke clips.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:58 am
@gonzo
Shotgun!
January 21st, 2010 at 9:33 am
@Gonzo
Really?
January 21st, 2010 at 10:28 am
Nice little job there, Ricky.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:14 pm
@Gonzo -
That is like asking a Mets fan if they would take an Oliver Perez jersey for 40 dollars. No brainer bro.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:21 pm
@Ricky…..have you been able to find Franzke’s speech before the game when Harry died? I would love to hear that again. I remember listening in work and being blown away by it. Such a great job.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:58 pm
i already called shotgun
January 21st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Cha-Ching. I’m in on the $40 jersey if it’s a realy thing! Do tell!
January 21st, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Joe D, here you go. Like most, we were at work and the only way to hear was through 1210. The harder it got for Franske, the harder it got to think of Harry as “just a broadcaster.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm_60DbdCPo
January 21st, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Thanks for posting that link, will.H. I wonder if I will EVER stop crying when I hear/see things like that.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:58 pm
rumor is the phils are drafting a press release regarding a 3 year deal for blanton.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:05 pm
3 years for Blanton? Jesus just let it go to arb Rube
January 21st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Thanks will.
Ruben calm down man…jesus. He loves being the first one in the pool for everything. He must premature ejac often too.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Joe Blanton gets $24 million over three years. Good signing by Ruben.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
lynnie i have to agree. it all starts around 1:48
its weird being emotional about a person we never really knew other than the bond of baseball. on the other hand.. we all understand each other which makes it less confusing.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I hope Blanton holds up over that deal. I’m waiting for the innings to wear on his arm. And already committing that money to him takes away from the pot to pay Werth long-term. But the more I think about it the more I think Werth is a goner after this season.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Not a fan of the Blanton deal. Money could have went torwards resigning Werth.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Yeah but there’s a Demon in the minors that can replace Werth and then some
January 21st, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Not a fan of the Blanton deal. Money could have went towards resigning Lee.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
@will.h
Don’t forget the puppy bowl. I wonder if they will be doing it this year without him
PS I like that blanton deal and think he is better then what people in this town give him credit for.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:06 pm
When will people start getting over the fact that Lee isn’t here? Oh, I know, the Opening Day no hitter against the Nats. Maybe that’s when.
As for the Franzke Harry call-I listened specifically to the radio, and not the TV, that day. I somehow never felt comfortable with T-Mac talking about Harry. Didn’t T-Mac get the assignment to roam the stadium and stay away from HK?
January 21st, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Let’s not forget that Joe Blanton is 28, and he was one of the best pitchers on the team in 2009. Granted, the Phillies didn’t have much of a rotation, but in six starts in June, four in July, and six in August, he put up ERAs of 3.62, 1.21, and 2.81, respectively.
He is durable, above average, and best of all, the Phillies don’t need to worry about the rotation until the offseason after 2012.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Cliff Lee is done and over with, move on.
And I always saw Brown as heir to left field.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:16 pm
@Gonzo
I’m not one to spam links or anything. but phillies jerseys for $35 here
http://richshoes.com/products.php?id=256&type=products
January 21st, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Phils sign Blanton – 3 years $24 Mil. He’s making more than Cole Hamels!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:24 pm
@wawa
wow I can get a Philadelphia Phillies 34# Miikka Kiprusoff Authentic Pinstrip jersey for 35 bux. sign me up!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:27 pm
@Muscles
I know! it’s one of a kind!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Re: Jerseys.
The bar I go to each Wednesday has Quizzo. And the quizzo guy sells jerseys for 40 bucks. Eagles, Flyers and Phils. Last night he just got the Halladays. (He was also selling Lidge and Myers for 20 bucks.) as well as a Bill Barber old school jersey. The thing is, his selection is limited. He only has the home whites and cream jerseys available.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:29 pm
@wawa, the typos and the fact that it says the #45 jersey is a Tug McGraw jersey when it is a Pedro jersey make me feel very comfortable buying from that site.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I love that the Lidge one is on sale…hahaha.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I don’t like it; could have let him go to arb, and even if he managed to win his $10 mil, you pay $2 million more than the AAV of that deal for this year and you have increased payroll flexibility next year. There are plenty of Joe Blanton fish in the free agency pond.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:34 pm
What Bar Gonzo? I’m headed to the cannonball tavern in tacony, I doubt its a fine establishment such as the CT but i would be willing to take a visit for some cheapies.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:36 pm
…wondering if people will ever realize that Blanton was the most consistently dependable pitcher throughout ‘09 (a black horse MVP if there was one, cliff lee don’t count), and fared well in ‘08 as well. At this point, Blanton should be more trusted than Hamels until the queen shows he still is what we all think he is (I think he will, but I digress).
Blanton is waaaay underrated. I can’t figure out why or what it is. It just seems like one of those Philly things where lots of people don’t seem to like a player for no particular reason, even if that player is of some quality stature.
And chalk up one more vote in the “get-the-fuck-over-Cliff-Lee” category.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:43 pm
gonzo, i don’t accept cream jerseys, i just give them
January 21st, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Blanton for $8 million a year is a fair deal. He’s never going to be an ace starter but he eats a lot of innings at a respectable ERA. Glad the team is holding on to him.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:49 pm
@will.h
http://www.instantrimshot.com
January 21st, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Sweeney’s Saloon in the Northeast. It’s across the street from Whiskey Tango, and smoking is encouraged (it’s outside the city). Show up after 9pm.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:03 pm
The Blanton deal is a good deal in my opinion. When you consider that he is only 28 and that his asking price for this year was already over 10 million, its a nice pick-up. His durability has never been a problem so I wouldn’t worry about that either. At least they won’t be giving the money to Jamie.
This has absolutely no relevance to Lee or Werth. Everyone knew that Lee was a steal at 9 million this year and that is why we still got promising players for him. And Werth is a goner. GONER. He is gone after this year unless he has an undying loyalty to the Phillies for some reason. With the Phils talking multi-year deals with Vic and the Demon in AAA next year, there is no point in trying to save funds for JDubs.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:04 pm
@Joe D
I and multiple other people have ordered Eagles jerseys from there and the transaction went smoothly. They use paypal too.
There seems to be a big influx of “authentic” jerseys being sold for cheap in the northeast these days. A guy I know often times updates his Facebook status with what he has available.
@Gonzo
Just a heads up it doesn’t matter if Sweeney’s is outside the city or not. The smoking ban is statewide. The law allows for smoking if the establishment sells more alcohol than food and doesn’t allow anyone under 18 inside.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Blanton is not underrated. He’s just a league average pitcher. That’s it. SPs comparable to him in value in 2009 include: Brad Penny, Zach Duke, Derek Lowe, Aaron Harang, Kevin Correia, Kevin Milwood, Jon Garland, Jarrod Washburn, Rick Porcello. There are guys at that level always floating around the free agent pool. Instead of tying up $24 MM for the next 3 years, they could’ve let him go to arb, and the worst case scenario is you pay him $10 MM this year. Then in 2011 you can put the money towards other needs if they are present, or try and strike a deal with him again if you need to.
He had an awful 2008 after being acquired, did fine in the 2008 postseason, started off terribly in 2009 again but then got hot and finished with league average production. He doesn’t have the service record that says “this guy will be reliably productive for the next 3 years.”
The bottom line is, when you have a rotation with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels at the top, and J.A. Happ (who is under team control for several seasons to come) holding down the fourth slot, you can fill in the rest of the rotation with cheap FAs, low-ceiling internal solutions, and low risk high reward projects, and never find yourself saying “SHIT! I NEED JOE BLANTON!” I have nothing against Blanton at all, but this was just an unnecessary signing.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Not a huge Blanton fan, and I still think $24 mil over 3 years is too much…but he’s a reliable middle rotation guy, and he provides the only real sure thing we have besides Halladay.
Also, I would much rather they kept Werth over Vic. Nothing against Shane of course, but we have a bunch of little Shane’s running around the Minor League’s right now, and no little Werth’s to replace Jayson.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:13 pm
“He had an awful 2008 after being acquired,”
????????????
not losing a game in a phillies uniform translate to an awful 2008?
January 21st, 2010 at 4:17 pm
@Muscles he pitched 70 innings, put up a 4.20 ERA, gave up 5 earned runs in 1 of those starts, and 4 earned runs in 4 of them. Awful may have been an exaggeration, but his record, as usual with win-loss, masks the fact that he really was not pitching that well.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:18 pm
And if you’re talking about all of 2008 he finished with a 4.69 ERA.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
http://www.walkoffwalk.com/2010/01/pete-rose-worlds-greatest-tv-pitchman.html
More proof that Pete Rose is crazy!
By the way, some of the best commercials ever.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@Phylan Of course, we (and the Phillies) need to consider the possibility of Happ’s production dropping off in 2010. His fringe statistics would indicate that he was more lucky than good in 2009. Considering the farm system and the F.A. market for pitcher’s next season, the Phillies made the right move in inking Blanton to this deal. The best FAs after 2010 are Josh Beckett (club option), Matt Cain (vesting options), and Cliff Lee.
After that, it’s a steep drop. Bronson Arroyo (club option), Jeremy Bonderman, Jorge De La Rosa, Jeff Francis (club option), Doug Davis, Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden, (mutal option) Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Kevin Millwood, Brad Penny, Javier Vazquez, Brandon Webb, Chris Young (club option), Jake Westbrooke, Dontrell Willis.
The best of the bunch is Vazquez and Webb, but considering age (Vazquez) and injury (Webb), the Phillies are not likely to pursue either of those, which means they will likely have to shell out too much money over too many years for someone else.
Given that Blanton is younger and less injury prone than most in that group, this contract is going to prove to be a good deal.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:24 pm
I’m just saying…. you can’t spell awful without atleast one L
January 21st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
@Dash You don’t have to tell me that Happ got insanely lucky last season, I’ve been screaming about it for months. Despite that, even when he regresses, he’ll be a serviceable 4th guy. Obviously nothing is a sure thing with injury and the like, but he’s only got about a year of service time, so he’s cheap for several more seasons.
The thing is, almost all the guys you listed in the 2nd paragraphs as steep dropoffs are comparable in value to Blanton (obviously not Willis). Jake Westbrook is Blanton’s top comparable via Baseball Prospectus. That’s the point really – there are a lot of annual Joe Blantons in the free agent pool, enough to make it not worth it tying yourself up in a 3 year deal with a guy that at best gives you league average production and at worst . . . well who knows?
January 21st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
@muscles I can: Adam Eaton
January 21st, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Muscles.
Nice. +1 for the defense of Blanton’s ‘08.
-1 for endorsing putting your paws on the glass of the doors of public establishments. If you are afraid of germ letting and acquisition, use the outter frame of the door at it’s height extremes. That should take care of your germ fears as well as keep the door free from your hand muck.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I got some experience in the whole “having to live in Pittsburgh” thing…. ugh, at least it’s not cleveland.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Phylan- of the guys mentioned above, four of them made over 10 million last year. The rest of them are younger guys still under arb or guys with injury concerns. So assuming that Blanton deserves to be associated with that group of players, doesn’t 8 million a year as he enters his 30s sound like a decent deal? It’s certainly better than the 14 million Harang made last year or the 60 million dollar deal Lowe got.
Plus, as Jayson Stark points out, we only have to pay Joe 7 million this year because of the extension and can use the difference to get another bullpen arm.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:41 pm
@BigMiles Yes it does. It’s not the money I really have a problem with though, it’s 3 years of that money towards a slot that you can fill fairly easily.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:46 pm
@Phylan My guess is that Ruben and Co looked at the free agent landscape in 2011 and didn’t like what they saw. Blanton might be a number three comparable to Westbrook, but given the other names on that list, Big Joe looks like the best pitcher, in terms of age and health, of the bunch. I guess my point is the Phillies would have likely overpaid for a pitcher comparable to Blanton next year, or they would have had to wait for someone’s value to drop and get them on a cheap deal. In that case, why not save money on getting a pitcher that you are familiar with?
January 21st, 2010 at 4:55 pm
In the Blanton Debates, point goes to Dash Treyhorn.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:14 pm
@Dash they probably didn’t like the ‘11 FA landscape, primarily because I think they’re just overvaluing Blanton here. In 2011 or 2012, the Phillies’ biggest need may not be a league average starter. $10 MM in arbitration would’ve been a bit much if he had won, but it’s worth it to pay that out if it gives you increased payroll flexibility for ‘11 and ‘12.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Assuming past performance is an indicator of future performance, I’m fine with the Blanton deal. Watching his delivery, however, I can’t understand how he hasn’t thrown out an elbow yet in his career. That elbow snap delivery is scary in the long term.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I’m ok with breaking even…
January 21st, 2010 at 9:34 pm
..way to shoot for the stars..