Saturday, May 25, 2013
Chase Utley joins a growing list of injured Philadelphia Phillies so far this year.
Add Chase Utley to the list. Just when you thought the Philadelphia Phillies second baseman might make it through the year injury-free, Utley has now been shelved by an oblique strain. He's the latest casualty on a growing list of players that could sink the Phillies season before we hit June. Utley's out. And he joins Carlos Ruiz, who has a foot injury that will keep him out of action for several weeks; fifth starter John Lannan, who got knocked out after a few starts; Roy Halladay, possibly out for the year after shoulder surgery, and Mike Adams, the key set-up man to closer Jonathan Papelbon. And don't forget that Ryan Howard is battling injuries that could linger all season. It's not looking good for a team that needs every player …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi started The Hamels Foundation to support area schools and help build a future for children in Malawi, Africa.
About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains. After winning the World Series in 2008, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi founded The Hamels Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting education in the United States and establishing a school in Malawi, Africa. Patch caught up with the foundation to find out what inspired its start and how its been able to help those in need. Patch: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve taken on? The Hamels Foundation: The Hamels Foundation has a dual purpose to provide support for quality …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay may be riding off into the sunset with the team if he returns to pitch this year.
You hate the "What If's." You wonder what if "The Rotation" held up and made it through the 2011 season healthy. Would it have brought the team another World Series championship? We may never know. All we know is that Roy Halladay—once the franchise ace of the Philadelphia Phillies—may be riding off into the sunset. Doc's tenure with the Phils is bound to come to an end this year now that he is on the shelf facing shoulder surgery next week. Maybe he comes back at the end of the year and pushes the Phils into the playoffs for a World Series run. Doc's contract is up at the end of this year and there's no way the Phillies will pick up his $20 million option. So Doc may win that elusive World Series. But it just might be with another team …
Monday, May 6, 2013
A home run by Phillies slugger Ryan Howard fulfilled the wish of a 7-year-old Center Valley fan who is blind.
Ryan Howard's second-inning home run in Friday's game against the Miami Marlins came at the request of A.J. Moncman, 7, a fan from Center Valley, according to a Lehigh Valley Live report. The boy met Howard before the game as part of "Teacher Appreciation Night" festivities that included honoring A.J.'s teacher Bethann Molinari. A.J. was diagnosed with Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA) at an early age, according to USA Today. LCA is a genetic eye disorder that primarily affects the retina and causes severe vision impairment from a young age, according to the National Institutes of Health. A.J. met first baseman Howard before the game and gave him a bracelet. "I told him, 'I want you to hit a home run tonight just for this,'" A.J. said, in…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Philadelphia Phillies usually get off to a bad start in April. And they are once again this year.
They say you can't win the season in April. But you could certainly lose it. And after the first month of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies are letting April showers drown them. They stand at 9-14 going into Friday night's game against the New York Mets. Five games under .500 and their worst start since 2006. Basically there's one word to sum up their performance so far this season: pathetic. The starting pitching has been inconsistent. The bullpen has gotten rocked. The offensive bats aren't just cold; they're pretty much icy. The defense stinks. The fundamentals are lacking. Pathetic. Case in point was Roy Halladay's performance Wednesday night. The pitcher has turned things around since a shaky start and question marks about his …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The question of whether the Philadelphia Phillies have a successful 2013 is up to the top three pitchers, not the hitters.
They are the Big Three. But we're not talking about Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins for the Philadelphia Phillies. We're talking about Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. And it's that Big Three—as opposed to the Big Boppers—who will decide whether the Phils will have success in 2013. From the first two games, we all should worry. Hamels—the former World Series MVP with the big start who was pitching his first Opening Day—got shelled by the Atlanta Braves. Maybe it was Opening Day jitters or the chill in the air, but we Phillies fans expect Hamels now to perform like Steve Carlton when he takes the mound. In other words, we expect nothing short of perfection. That didn't happen Monday night as Hamels was sent to the showers…
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Philadelphia Phillies open 2013 on road against rival Atlanta Braves with lots of questions.
They're calling this the possible Last Waltz. It's the title of the last performance by the late great The Band, which decided to retire from the road and end its successful run. But is this the end for the band of Philadelphia Phillies still left from the World Championship team of 2008? Big Boppers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are finally healthy and they join the aging Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz as the core of champions past. Throw in Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee as staff anchors and Jonathan Papelbon and Mike Adams as bullpen stabilizers and you've got the makings of a strong nucleus. But can these Phils—who are wealthy—can also be healthy and wise too? Do they have what it takes to take on the rising Washington Nationals and the always…
Saturday, March 9, 2013
The Philadelphia Phillies won't have Shane Victorino or Hunter Pence to solidify the outfield this year.
Philadelphia Phillies fans are getting hopeful this spring that the team might be able to turn it around after an off-year. They're hopeful that Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halliday will rebound from injuries and that Cliff Lee will return to form. They're hopeful that Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz will have eben bigger seasons than 2012. And that some key additions in the bullpen like Mike Adams and Chad Durbin will provide some balance. But who is going to play the outfield? That is possibly the biggest question mark facing the Phillies this spring training. No longer does the team have Shane Victorino or Hunter Pence in the fold. In fact, the Phils have questions at all three positions. Centerfield does have a player. …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Spring training games start Saturday for the Philadelphia Phillies.
They may not be like the 1983 team dubbed "The Wheeze Kids." But the Philadelphia Phillies squad that takes the field Saturday to start a month's worth of spring training games before Opening Day is getting a little grayer around the edges. These aren't your World Champion Phillies of five years ago. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels are seasoned veterans now who have gone through the past few years nursing injuries and massaging egos after a season last year that put them out of playoff contention for the first time in a half-dozen years. Throw in Roy Halliday and Cliff Lee and this roster is really starting to look on the long side of 30. But don't tell Ryan Howard that. The Big Fella basically has been…
Friday, February 8, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies' pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater to start spring training in Florida on Wednesday.
This news for sports fans beats news that any groundhog could deliver. It's the sound of a baseball pounding a catcher's mitt with a solid thud that makes most of us feel warmer than any sunny day. On Wednesday, hope springs eternal when pitchers and catchers report to camp in Clearwater, Fla., for the start of spring training. After a dismal season last year, it's time to wipe the slate clean for Manager Charlie Manuel and company. Every team in Major League Baseball gets a new lease on life. And the Phillies could certainly use one after not making the playoffs for the first time in a half-dozen years. This spring training will be very interesting. There are so many questions for a team that didn't do as much as its competitors to …
Kevin Huff Sr.
8:53 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Everything is OK. The new Head Cheese is the current third base coach. Charlie Manuel can go now and all will be forgiven. They had a good run but the Phillies are older now and if I may quote the Roliing Stones,who know better than anyone,"time waits for no one,and it won't wait for me". more ›