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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 .

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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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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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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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.

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Phillies Profile – Roy “Doc” Halladay

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 11, 2012 at 3:16 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.  Day 3 in our series is our first look at a player, Roy “Doc” Halladay

Roy Halladay – “Doc” has clearly been the best pitcher in the major leagues over the last 10 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Phillies. In the first 4 seasons of his career Doc carried an 18-17 record. That all turned around in 2002 when he became a 19 game winner. He led the league in innings pitched for the first time and made his first All Star team. He followed that up with 22 wins in 2003. He led the league in complete games and again in innings pitched, made his 2nd All Star team and won his first Cy Young Award at the age of 26. Halladay pitched 6 more seasons for Toronto amassing 89 more wins, including a 20 win season in 2008, and 45 loses over that time while making 5 more All Star teams. Following is a summary of Halladay’s Toronto Stats:

148 wins – 63 loses, 3.43 ERA

49 Complete Games

15 Shutouts

1495 Strike Outs

6 All Star Teams

1 Cy Young Award

In 2010 Doc became a Phillie. Since then he has won 40 games while losing 16 for The Fightins. His ERA is 2.40. He won the Cy Young Award in 2010, with 21 wins. He finished second in 2011. He has also led the league in complete games in both of his seasons with the Phillies with 9 in 2010 and 8 in 2011. The individual highlights of Halliday’s Phillies career are his perfect game on May 29, 2010 against the Florida Marlins and his playoff game no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on October 6, 2010. Docs Phillies 2 year statistics are as follows.

40 wins – 16 loses, 2.40 ERA

17 Complete Games

439 Strike Outs

2 All Star Teams

1 Cy Young Award

Halladay prepares to begin his 15th big league season. He will turn 35 in May. Doc has led the league in innings pitched 4 times and has thrown over 200 innings 6 seasons in a row while averaging 236 innings per season over his career. With the announced retirement of Tim Wakefield, Halliday is now the active career wins leader with 188. He should also reach the 2000 career strikeout mark this season.

Holliday’s combined career stats:

188 wins – 92 losses, 3.23 ERA

2531 Innings Pitched

66 Complete Games

20 shutouts

1934 Strikeouts

8 All Star Games

2 Cy Young Awards

Personal Analysis

Halladay is the anchor of the Phillies outstanding staff. His work ethic off the field and concentration on it are legendary. Doc leads the younger members of the staff by example. His performance has shown no signs of declining as the numbers show. We see Doc winning 18-20 games and to continue to eat up innings as he has in the past taking pressure off the rest of the staff by facing the number one pitcher on each of the opposing staffs. As stated earlier, Phillies fans should have the opportunity to celebrate Halladay’s career milestones of 200 wins and 2000 strikeouts in 2012.

Tomorrow we will review Cliff Lee.

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.

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PHILLIES PROFILE – THE COACHING STAFF

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 10, 2012 at 12:36 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.  Day 2 in our series is on the most unrecognized position in all of sports the Assistant Coaches. These men spend endless hours behind the scenes working with the players as groups and individually either at home or on the road. These are thankless jobs that are held by baseball lifers. Here is a look at the 2012 Phillies staff.

The staff consists of Greg Gross, batting coach, Rich Dubee, pitching coach, Sam Perlozzo, 1st Base coach, Juan Samuel, 3rd base coach, Pete Mackanin, bench coach and Mick Billmeyer, bullpen coach.

Greg Gross – “GG” has spent nearly every year of his adult life in a baseball uniform beginning as a player in 1970. He reached the big leagues in 1973 and played for 17 seasons with the Astros, Cubs and Phillies. Of course GG was a member of the 1980 World Champion Phillies. When his playing career ended Gross started back at the bottom and worked his way through the coaching ranks. He began his coaching career at the high school level, moved to the Colorado Rockies organization and then back home to the Phillies in 2001. He is presently in his second stint with the Phillies at the big league level as the hitting coach after spending time at Batavia (A), Clearwater (A), Reading (AA) and Lehigh Valley (AAA).

Rich Dubee – Rich is probably the most well recognized of the Phils coaching staff due to his visibility during mound visits but also because he is the caretaker of what many consider the best pitching staff in baseball. Dubee is beginning his 30th season coaching in professional baseball almost exclusively as a pitching coach. He coached in the Kansas City, Montreal and Florida organizations before joining the Phillies in 2002. He worked at Clearwater (A) and Wilkes Barre (AAA) before being promoted to the Phillies in 2004 as pitching coach. He has held that position since.

Sam Perlozzo – Perlozzo is another baseball lifer. He begins his 40th season in professional baseball. He was drafted out of high school in 1972 and has never left. Sam was a player, mostly in the minor leagues, from 1973-1981. In 1982 he began his coaching career and has never left. He began his coaching career in the Mets minor league system serving from 1982-86. He was promoted to the big league level in 1987 working for the Mets, Reds, Mariners and Orioles before joining the Phillies for the 2009 season. He was the manager of the Orioles for parts of three seasons. Sam is presently the 1st base coach and is also responsible for baserunning.

Juan Samuel – Sammy is a Phillie fan favorite after spending the first 6 ½ seasons of his 16 year playing career, that included 7 teams, with the Phillies. As a Phillies player Juan was named The Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1984. He became the first player in NL history to reach a quadruple double in each of his first 4 major league seasons. He holds the Phillies record for most SB in a season (72 in 1984) in the modern era (post-1900). For the decade of the 1980s, Sammy ranks 3rd among all Phillies in AVG (.263), OBP (.310), SLG % (.439), at-bats (3503), runs (523), hits (921), doubles (176), HR (100), RBI (413) and total bases (1539), trailing Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and Von Hayes in each category. Sammy was inducted in to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008.

Sammy began his coaching career in 1999 with the Detroit Tigers before moving on to the OriolesHe returned to the Phillies for the 2011 season. He served as interim manager of the Orioles in 2010 and posted a 17-34 record. As well as being the 3rd base coach Sammy is also responsible for the outfielders.

Pete Mackanin – When it comes to coaching experience Pete has done it all. He has been a minor league instructor, a minor league coordinator, a minor league manager, a manager in the Dominican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan Winter Leagues, a pro scout, a major league advanced scout and a major league coach with the Expos and Pirates and an interim manager of both the Pirates and Reds before joining the Phillies as bench coach for the 2009 season.

Mick Billmeyer – Mick is another coach who started his career as a minor league player and never left. Mick played in the minor leagues for 9 seasons but never made it to the big leagues. He learned the catching trade well and immediately moved in to a coaching position with the Angles organization in 1994 as the bullpen/workout coordinator. Mick joined the Phillies organization in 2000 as the minor league catching coordinator. He was promoted to minor league catching instructor in 2004 and again to bullpen coach in 2008. 

Tomorrow we will start our player previews with Roy “Doc” Halladay.

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

Please click the following link http://www.shop.com/ul!46125!Phillies-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs as well as any other shopping needs. Shopping made easy right from your home.

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PHILLIES PROFILE – MANAGER CHARLIE MANUAL

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 9, 2012 at 7:19 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 Manual and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  Day 1 in our series is Manager Charlie Manual.

Charlie enters his 8th year as Manager of the Phillies. In his 7 years at the helm of the greatest era in Phillies baseball Manual has led the team to 646 wins and 488 loses, 1 World Series championship, 2 National League Pennants and 5 consecutive NL East titles. The Phils have never finished lower than 2nd in the East under Manual. Interestingly enough Charlie has never won the Manager of the Year award.  Below are a few highlights of Charlie’s career as the Phillies manager.

• Set the Phillies record for most wins ever by a Phillies manager (646), passing Gene Mauch on the all-time list

• Set the Phillies record for most wins in a single season (102)

• 2011 marked the second straight season he led the Phillies to the best record in the major leagues (102-60)

• Is one of only two managers in NL history, along with former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, to win 5 straight division titles since divisional play began in 1969.

• Is the only manager in Phillies history to lead the team to 5 straight division championships (2007-11)

• Guided the Phillies to the 2008 World Championship, the 2nd title in franchise history and 1st since 1980

• Managed the 2009 & 2010 NL All-Star squads, snapping the AL’s 13-year unbeaten streak in 2010

• Managed the Phillies to the 2007 NL East Championship, the first postseason berth for the team since 1993

• Became the first Phillies manager to have 4 straight full winning seasons since Danny Ozark had 4 straight, 1975-78

Personal analysis:

A key point for any coach or manager is that players want to play for them. This has been a strength for Manual. The players don’t play under a lot of rules, be on time and play hard all the time. The few problems in the last 7 years that have become public have been quickly taken care of behind closed doors and not aired out in the public or press. This is especially evident by the return of future Hall of Famer Jim Thome who credits Manual for his career success in baseball and Jimmy Rollins desire to come to Philly to finish out his career. They want to play for Manual. Winning creates more winning and Charlie Manual has been the leader of the Phillies. Another key item to Manuals success is his ability to remain even keel. He understands as well as anyone that the season is not a sprint but a marathon. He rests players when he feels they need it, he rests pitchers when they need it but overall never panics when the team hits slumps during the season. Theses slumps are part of baseball due to the long 162 game season. If Charlie has a weakness it seems his handling of the bullpen can come in to question, however, we’re going to give him a pass based on his overall success. Manual knows his players better than anyone else so if he makes what appears to be a crazy bullpen move it’s for a baseball reason and not normally a gut feel decision.

Looking forward to 2012 our prediction is that the Phillies will win their 6th straight NL East title, their 3rd pennant and 2nd World Series championship under Charlie Manual.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the Coaching Staff.

PICK YOUR FAVORITE 2012 PHILLIE

In Philadelphia Phillies on February 19, 2012 at 7:11 pm

Since the Pitchers & Catchers worked out for the frist time today and we’re all excited for the start of the season lets have a little quick fun to get Spring Training going. Opening game is April 5th in Pittsburgh and the first home game is Monday April 9th against the Florida Marlins.

So here you go, whos’ your favorite Phillie?

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, John Mayberry, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz, Jim Thome, Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton, Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo, Jonathan Pappelbon, Brian Schneider, Michael Martinez, Juan Pierre, Laynce Nix, Jose Contrares, David Herndon, Dontrelle Willis, Michael Schwimer, Phillippe Aumont, Ty Wiggington, Dominic Brown, Chad Qualls.

Barring a trade some combination of these guys will be the opening day roster. Can you come up with ONE name as your favorite Phillie? Better yet, if you could have a free jersey of any player to wear around town whose jersey would you pick?? Feel free to click the Comment button and Respond.

Mike pick? I can’t decide right now, Utley, Hamels, Halliday???

Let the Spring begin!!!

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Pick Your Favorite All Time Phillie

In Philadelphia Phillies on February 11, 2012 at 11:00 am

After watching a disappointing 1 point 76ers lose to the Clippers last night we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground and it’s still snowing. It made me think that we’re only a week from Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring Training in Clearwater. Opening day of April 5 is not far away!!!

 What a great time to look back at our favorite Phillies of all time.

 Depending on how old you are there are different groups of Phils that you would probably consider your favorites. I’m sure you have your own list but here are a few to jog your memory. Remember you only get to pick 5. It makes it a lot tougher.

1950’s – Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Del Ennis, Andy Seminick, Jim Konstanty, Willie “Puddin Head” Jones

1960’s – Jim Bunning, Johnny Callison, Richie Allen, Tony Taylor, Cookie Rojas

1970’s & 80’s – Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, Gary Maddox, Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Tug McGraw, Greg Luzinski

1990’s – John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, Curt Shilling, Dave Hollins, Jim Eisenreich, Mitch Williams

2000’s – Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Roy Halliday, Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge, “Chooch” Ruiz

Here are my 5 favorites Phillies of all time:

  1. Mike Schmidt – I could switch 1 and 2 with no problem. Schmitty played every day, hit 548 Home Runs, won 10 Gold Gloves and 3 MVP’s.
  2. Steve Carlton – There was no one better. Lefty won 329 games with 4,136 strikeouts. He won 4 Cy Young Awards. To put his career in perspective he has 141 more wins and over 1,200 more strikeouts than Halliday who’s arguably the best pitcher of this era.
  3. Brad Lidge – His perfect season in engrained in my head. In 2008 he was 2-0, 1.95 ERA, and 41 saves in 41 opportunities in the regular season and added 7 more saves in the playoffs. This is possibly the greatest season ever by a Phillie at any position. In 4 seasons with the Phils he had 41, 31, 27 and 1 save for 100 regular season saves and 12 post-season saves.
  4. Johnny Callison – My first favorite Phillie as a kid. He played for the Phils from 1960-1969 and hit 185 Home Runs. He was a runner up MVP in 1964 and the All Star game MVP.
  5. Chase Utley – Although it doesn’t look like Chase is going to get the Hall of Fame numbers I thought he was I still just like everything about the way he plays. He’s fundamentally sound player you love to coach and have on your team. As “Harry The K” would say “Chase Utley you are The Man”!!!

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Philly Broadcast Legends

In Misc Philly Sports, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies on January 30, 2012 at 8:06 am

Philly Pressbox originally published this article on January 30, 2012. We’ve been asked to republish it several times by our readers so here it is. We hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment.

With the passing of Penn State legendary coach Joe Paterno this week it was somewhat lost in the news of the passing of a Philadelphia legend Andy Musser. Musser was often below the radar in the Phillies broadcast booth from 1976 – 2001that was full of larger than life personalities but Andy was a true professional, a gentleman and a man that could broadcast any sport and do a great job of it. Many people know Andy from those Phillies years but he also broadcasted the Eagles from 1965-68 and the 76ers from 1965-71. That’s 34 Philadelphia sports season in the books for Andy. Great Job!!

Andy’s passing made me think about the broadcasters that we’ve had in Philadelphia over the years. Do you realize that if you were born after 1955 you had never heard a Phillies game that was not broadcasted by a Hall of Famer? When I first started watching and listening to Phillies baseball it was Bill Campbell, Rich Ashburn and By Saam. All are HOF members in their own way. Campbell as a broadcaster in the Basketball HOF, Ashburn as a player in the Baseball HOF and the legendary By Saam as a broadcaster in the Baseball HOF. Saam called Phillies games from 1939-49 and again from 1955-1975. Campbell was replaced by Harry Kalas and another 38 years of broadcasting from a Baseball HOF member. Add to that the one year stints of Hall of Fame players Robin Roberts in ’76 and Mike Schmidt in ’90 and “The Box” was loaded with All Stars. Another long time member of “The Box” is Chris Wheeler who just completed his 34th season with the Phillies as well as Musser and his 25 years.

Moving on to the Flyers, people my age learned the game of hockey by Hall Of Famer Gene Hart. Hart was a Flyers broadcaster the initial 67-68 season and then full time from 1971-1992. Who will ever forget Gene calling the games of the Broad Street Bullies and the Stanley Cups? The Hart legacy lives in with his daughter Lauren singing the National Anthem and God Bless America at all home games. Here’s an interesting Flyer broadcast fact for you, during the 1970-71 season Flyers Sunday games were broadcast by former Phillies 1st baseman and later National League Commissioner Bill White. White was the first black to announce an NHL game. The Chief, Bobby Taylor spent 16 seasons, Gary Dornhoefer 14 and now Jim Jackson has been bringing us games since 1993. Maybe HOF will be in JJ’s future one day.

The Eagles Merrill Reese, although not a Hall of Famer at this time, has been broadcasting games on radio since 1977 and does he do a great job? How many of you have turned down the TV to listen to Merrill do the play-by-play along with his many color commentators, Herb Adderly, yes the HOF player, Bill Bergey, Stan Walters and now Mike Quick call the game the way it should be called. Tracing way back to 1940 By Saam was doing the games up until 1955, minus the 50 and 51 seasons when Bill Campbell took over. Campbell called the games until 1964. In ‘64 Saam was back for one last year working with Campbell and former Eagle Tom Brookshier. Musser took over from 1965–1968. Charlie Swift covered from 1969-77 and Reese joined Swift in 1977 until now. What a run of great announcers! Did you know that future Baseball HOF broadcaster Jack Buck did Eagles games in 1961? Anyone who was able to go to games at Franklin Field and the early days at The Vet will never forget the booming voice of PA announcer Matt Goukas Sr. who handled the duties from 1953-1985. Goukas was legendary! His call of 2nd down and niooooooon (2nd & 9) is still in my head after all this years. Amazingly enough when Goukas retired Dan Baker took over and he has been the PA voice of the Eagles ever since not to mention handing the same duties with the Phillies since 1972 and doing Big 5 basketball from 1977-1989. Baker has been a busy man in Philadelphia.

Speaking of PA announcers we can’t forget “The Zink”, Dave Zinkoff. Zink was with the Philadelphia Warriors and then the 76ers from 1946-1985. Zink had many favorites but “Dipper Dunk” for Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Errrrrrrrrrrving and Moses Maaaaaaaaaaalone have to be at the top of the list. Of course we can’t forget Bill Campbell again. Campbell along with his work with the Eagles and Phillies called Warriors games from 1946–1962 and 76ers games from 1972-1981. Andy Musser followed and Mark Zumoff has been holding it down since 1994.

There can’t be another city that can say that they’ve had a run with broadcasters and announcers that Philly has had. From Saam to Campbell to Ashburn to Kalas to Musser to Hart to Goukas to Zinkoff to Baker to the present day guys of Reese, Wheeler, Zumoff  and Jackson it’s been quite a run. The bar has been set very high.

As Gene Hart would say, “Good Night and Good Hockey”!!!