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Phillies Profile – Joe Blanton

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 15, 2012 at 6:27 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 7 we preview Joe Blanton.

Joe Blanton – Blanton has been somewhat of a mystery man for the Phillies since joining them in a trade with the Oakland A’s in 2008. He arrived with the reputation of being a guy that was a consistent starter that could pitch a lot of innings. Upon his arrival, Joe posted a 4-0 record with a 4.20 ERA in the regular season. He also started 3 playoff games, with the Phils winning all them, while he posted a 2-0 record and a 3.18 ERA while helping the Phils win the 2008 World Series. Joe bounced back with a solid, although not spectacular season in 2009. He won 12, lost 8, with an ERA of 4.05 in 31 starts while eating up 195.1 innings. Joe also pitched in 3 post season games in 2009 but didn’t fare as well, although the Phils won 2 of the 3. He was not the pitcher of record in any of the games while pitching 15.2 innings and finishing with a 5.40 ERA. 2010, again brought another solid but unspectacular season. Joe recorded 28 more starts in his 29 appearances. He finished with a 9-6 record, a 4.82 ERA, while throwing 175.2 innings. In 2011, for the first time in his career Blanton fought the injury bug. He only logged 41.1 innings on the mound while compiling a 1-2 record with a 5.01 ERA. He returned healthy fo the end of season and was added to the Phils playoff roster.

Personal Analysis:

As we stated earlier Blanton has been a bit of a mystery. If healthy, the 31 year old is a solid but unspectacular 5th starter that should pitch more than 175 innings for the Phillies. With that said, Joe could be a #3 starter on a lot of other teams that don’t have the starting pitching horsepower that the Phils have. Trading Blanton is possible but not likely. Joe is due $8.5m in 2012. We’re going to look for Blanton  to start the season in the 5th spot and to win 12 games in 2012. If he falters, Kyle Kendrick will be ready to fill that spot in the rotation and Blanton will move to long reliever in the bullpen.

Tomorrow we will preview Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

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The Word of the Day – INVEST – Vermeil

In The Word of the Day on March 15, 2012 at 9:21 am

INVEST

“If you don’t invest very much, then defeat doesn’t hurt very much and winning is not very exciting”

Dick Vermeil

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5000 VIEWS FOR PHILLY PRESSBOX

In Uncategorized on March 15, 2012 at 8:14 am

We woke up this morning to find out that we had reached our first 5000 views. These are not Facebook views but views on our site https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com. Philly Pressbox would like to thank everyone for taking the time to look at our posts, to leave your comments and to Follow us. We hope to continue putting up Philadelphia sports posts that you enjoy. For those of you that haven’t checked it out, feel free to do so. Once you go to our home page you can click on the front page articles to read them individually, go to the bottom of the page and see our archives by category or by the month they were published. You can also click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right corner to add your e-mail and receive our posts automatically. Las,t please support our sponsor, www.shop.com/BobSullivan by clicking the link on the bottom right of our home page or at the bottom of our srticles.

Thanks again for your support.

Philly Pressbox

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Desean’s Back – Are You Happy?

In Philadelphia Eagles on March 14, 2012 at 8:57 pm

Well the Eagles stepped to the front of the line today with the signing of Desean Jackson to a 5 year – $51m contract with $15m guaranteed. My question is how do you feel about it? Frankly, I have very mixed emotions. As a season ticket holder that pays my hard earned money to go to Lincoln Financial Field every week I blame Jackson for the failure of the 2011 season.  Obviously, I wasn’t at practice or team meetings or in the Nova Care Complex every day, but apparently neither was Jackson. For Head Coach Andy Reid to suspend Jackson, his conduct had to be bad and ongoing. You don’t mess up one time and get suspended. Jackson missing the Arizona Cardinals game that the Eagles had to win but lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 21-17, at home, that was the final dagger in the heart of the Birds, dropping their record to 3-6 and pretty much out of the playoffs. I know that many fans will say that the Eagles still had the lead after three quarters and should’ve still won. You may be right but they didn’t. You can blame the defense and I’ll blame their most explosive offensive weapon who was home sitting on the sofa. In the final 7 games after his return Jackson contributed 29 catches for 458 yards and 2 touchdowns with “0” 100 yard games.

My final problem with Desean Jackson is what appeared to be lack of effort. I’m not talking about what was shown on national TV when they isolated on him and showed him not working hard. I’m talking about what I saw from my seat each week. There was far more lack of effort than what the TV showed. Every fan wants the Eagles to win, me included, so we can win that elusive Super Bowl and Jackson took that chance away from us in 2011 because he acted like an immature baby because he didn’t get his money when he wanted it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with pro athletes making their money, they are tremendous athletes.  I do expect them to work their butts off to win for their team, the fans, the organization and the entire city. If that’s too much to ask they should go find a job like the rest of us and buy a ticket to the games.

With that said, I think Jackson is an outstanding player. He’s the game breaker the Eagles haven’t had in a long time, if ever. He’s already been to 2 Pro Bowls and finished last season with 58 receptions for 961 yards and 4 TD’s, even under the circumstances discussed above. The 961 yards give him 2 – 900+ yard seasons and 2 – 1050+ yard seasons in his four year career and he’s only 25 years old.

The Eagles organization seems to have forgiven Desean and obviously have no hard feelings. “We are thrilled to be able to keep one of the NFL’s top playmakers in Philadelphia,” Andy Reid said in a news release. “Desean is a game breaker, he has the speed and ability to score from anywhere on the field, and he has proven himself to be a big threat in our offense.”

I think Jackson was the best option in the market. If he plays the way he’s capable of playing and does everything required on the practice field the Eagles made a wise choice.

What do you think?

TIMES YOURS!

 

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Phillies Profile – Vance Worley

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 14, 2012 at 6:19 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 6 we preview Vance Worley.

Vance Worley – The Phillies had their eyes on Worley for a long time. He was drafted in the 20th round of the 2005 amateur draft out of high school but did not sign. The 24 year old was drafted again by the Phillies in the 3rd round out of Long Beach State in the 2008 draft. Before the end of the 2010 season Vance was in the big leagues. He made his big league debut on July 24, 2010 against the Colorado Rockies. Worley finished the season pitching in 5 games, 2 of them starts, totaling 13 innings. He won 1, lost 1 and had a 1.38 ERA.

Vance had an outstanding 2011 Spring Training but did not make the club coming out of Clearwater. He began the season at AAA Lehigh Valley. He was recalled by the Phillies and started his first game on April 29, throwing 6 innings of 2 hit, shutout baseball against the Mets. The “Vanimal” had arrived! Worley went on to pitch in 25 games, 21 of them starts, compiling an 11-3 record with a 3.01 ERA over 131.2 innings. He finished 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Personal Analysis:

There’s always a concern for a young player, especially a pitcher, coming off an outstanding rookie season of not staying focused entering their second season. Worley has been around town throughout the off season and has become a fan favorite because of his outstanding rookie season, his friendly personality and his nickname. All indications are that Vance reported to Spring Training very focused and ready to help the Phillies chase their 6th straight NL East title. The Vanimal has great examples around him in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels on how to prepare and stay focused. Worley will be competing for one of the final two spots in the rotation with Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick. Our opinion is that Worley will win out and fit nicely in to the 4th spot in the rotation. It may be unreasonable to expect great improvement from Worley over his 11 wins in 2011 so we’ll stay close and predict 12-15 wins for him. If he exceeds 15 wins out of the 4th spot in the rotation the Phils will run away from the rest of the Eastern Division.

Tomorrow we will preview Joe Blanton.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

Please click the following link  http://www.shop.com/ul!44451!Phillies+shopping-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies

  

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The Word of the Day – DISCIPLINE – Hough

In The Word of the Day on March 14, 2012 at 7:58 am

DISCIPLINE

“Discipline is not something I impose on you so I can control you. Rather, it is something you must develop within yourself so you can become the best person you can be, not the one who could have been”

Timothy F. Hough

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Phillies Profile – Cole Hamels

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 13, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 5 we preview Cole Hamels.

Cole Hamels – Cole is the pride of the pitchers in the Phillies organization. He was a 1st round draft pick, 17th overall, in the 2002 amateur draft by the Phils. He made his professional debut on May 12, 2006 throwing 5 scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He went on to start 23 games in his rookie year finishing with 9 wins, 8 losses and a 4.08 ERA. Hamels continued to improve in 2007 producing a 15-5, 3.39 ERA season and being selected to his first All Star team while increasing his innings worked from 132.1 in 2006 to 183.1 in 2007.  2008 was the year for Cole Hamels to break out! Again, Cole increased his innings worked, 227.1, while striking out 196 hitters on his way to a 14-10, 3.09 ERA season. The 24 year old lefty stepped up his game in the playoffs and the World Series. His playoff record was 4-0 in 5 starts with a 1.80 ERA. He was named the NLCS and the World Series MVP as the Phillies won their first World Series Championship since 1980.

2009 was a letdown for Hamels. His innings were down, 193.2, his strikeouts were down, 168, his ERA was up, 4.32, and his won-lose record was 10-11. His playoff numbers ballooned as well. He finished the playoffs with a 1-2 record and a 7.58 ERA. He gave up 5 runs in 4.1 innings in the Game 3 World Series lose to the Yankees. Coles struggles even had his work ethic and dedication questioned by the local media. In 2010, Cole was now pitching behind Roy Halladay in the rotation and he bounced back and continued his development. He finished with a 12-11 record, a 3.06 ERA and a career high 211 strikeouts. 2010 also included a 5 hit shutout in the clinching Game 3 NLDS sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.   In 2011, Hamels was now pitching behind Halladay and Cliff Lee in the rotation and settled in the #3 spot with his best statistical season. He finished 14-9 with an ERA of 2.79 and made his 2nd All Star team.

Hamels 6 season Phillies statistics read like this:

74 wins – 54 loses

3.39 ERA

1091 Strikeouts

2 All Star Teams

Personal Analysis:

The 28 year old lefty continues to improve each season. It is our feeling that this is the year that Hamels moves from “star” to” superstar” status.  As the #3 starter in the rotation behind Halladay and Lee he should always get a good matchup against the opposition and if the Phillies score some runs for him he will be very tough to beat. We’re looking for a career high 20+ win season from Cole. This will be his year and he will win the Cy Young Award.

 Tomorrow we will preview Vance Worley.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

Please click the following link http://www.shop.com/ul!44451!Phillies+shopping-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs as well as any other shopping needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies

 

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What Can Drexel Do?

In Misc Philly Sports on March 13, 2012 at 9:11 am

What more can you do if you’re the Drexel Dragons? Drexel finished the NCAA regular season with a 27-6 overall record and a 16-2 record in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), yet was still not selected to participate in the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament as one of the top 68 teams in the nation. There a few reasons why Drexel wasn’t selected: First, they lost to VCU in the CAA Championship game 59-56. The win gave VCU the automatic berth in “The Big Dance” from the CAA and left Drexel on the selection bubble. Second, the CAA is not considered a “major conference” and despite the Dragons having a 19 game winning streak and winning 19 of its last 20 games it wasn’t enough to get them selected.

So what can the Dragons do? WIN the NIT! If Drexel is as good as Coach Bruiser Flint has been saying all season they need to prove to the nay-sayers that they can compete at the upper level and should’ve been invited to “The Dance”.  They open the NIT as the #3 seed Wednesday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center against the University of Central Florida, 22-10. A win in that game would put the Dragons in a match-up with either neighborhood rival St. Joseph’s, the #2 seed, or Northern Iowa, 19-13. St. Joe beat Drexel in November, 62-49. If everything played out for Drexel, they could meet #1 seeded Seton Hall in the quarterfinals to get to the Final 4. They will have to earn their way.

In order for this to happen the Dragons will need to stay focused and not think about what they don’t have but rather on winning the NIT one game at a time. They must continue to play good defense. They allow only 55.4 points per game. During the final 20 games of the season opponents only scored more than 70 points one time and over 60 three other times. If you keep your opponents under 60 points you have a good chance of winning. The flip side is the Dragons use balanced scoring with four players averaging in double figures while averaging just 64.7 ppg on offense. The scoring leaders for Drexel are Frantz Massenat, 13.6 ppg, Damion Lee, 12.7 ppg, Samme Givens, 11.4 ppg and Chris Fouch 10.5 ppg.

The Dragons have had an outstanding season that could end well by winning the NIT or be considered a major disappointment if they’re eliminated early in early in the tournament.

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The Word of the Day – ATTITUDE – Blandi

In The Word of the Day on March 13, 2012 at 6:11 am

ATTITUDE

“Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force”

Tom Blandi

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Phillies Profile – Cliff Lee

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 12, 2012 at 10:15 am

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 4 we preview Cliff Lee.

Cliff Lee – Cliff is in his second stint with the Phillies after being obtained at the trade deadline in 2009 and leading the Phils to the World Series before losing to the Yankees. He brought with him stellar statistics from the American League Cleveland Indians. Lee posted a 83-48 career record for the Indians, 4.01 ERA which included a 22-3, 2.54 ERA in 2008 in which he won the Cy Young Award. Once arriving in Philadelphia, Cliff finished with a 7-4 regular season record with a 3.39 ERA. In the playoffs Cliff showed his real value. He pitched two games in the NLCS and the Phillies won both of them. He threw a complete game in a Game 1, 5-1 victory. He came back and pitched 8 innings in the Game 5, 5-4 win. He continued his fine work in the NLDS throwing 8 innings in Game 3 and beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-0. Cliff continued his brilliance by winning two World Series games, Game 1, a 6-1 complete game and Game 5, 8-6. Lee threw 8 more innings.

Cliff was traded to the Seattle Mariners after the 2009 season and later moved on to the Texas Rangers before  returning  to the Phillies for the 2011 season and continued his dominate pitching. He finished the season with a 17-8 record and a 2.40 ERA while leading the league with 6 shutouts and finishing 3rd in the Cy Young Award voting. The season was going great for Lee until Game 2 of the NLDS when he was given a 4-0 lead after 3 innings but couldn’t hold it. He gave up 5 runs on 12 hits in 6 innings. The Phils offense didn’t help much getting only 1 hit against 6 Cardinal relievers after getting 5 hits off starter Cris Carpenter in the first 3 innings. Had Lee held on to win that game the Phils would’ve taken a 2-0 lead in the series by winning both of their home games. They did win Game 3 but lost Games 4 and 5. Lee did not pitch again in the series.

Cliff is a quality starter that’s as good as any #2 in baseball. His career record is 119-69 with a 3.65 ERA while average 221 innings pitched per season while making 3 All Star teams including in 2011 for the Phillies.

Personal Analysis:

We look for Lee to continue his dominance and add another 17-20 wins while continuing to eat up innings by pitching late into games. As mentioned earlier Cliff would be near the top of the list of #1 starters in baseball so the Phillies have a real luxury in having Lee as their #2. Just as he did last season Cliff could make a run for the Cy Young Award again in 2012.

Tomorrow we will preview Cole Hamels.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

Please click the following link http://www.shop.com/ul!44451!Phillies+shopping-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs as well as any other shopping needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies.