Results tagged “chrismustazza”

The Philadelphia Eagles begin their 2005 campaign to Super Bowl XL tonight in Atlanta. The game is a rematch of last season's NFC Championship game, which the Eagles won over the Falcons in order to get to Super Bowl XXXIX.

Chris Mustazza and Phil Sandick, our resident Phillies writers, return this week with talk of one-game wonder Eude Brito, Jim Thome and the Phils' playoff chances heading into September.

David Bell is hitting .251. Bell’s counterpart on the Chicago Cubs, Aramis Ramirez, is hitting .309 with 27 homers. David Bell has 28 homers in the last 3 years. After last night, Chris Mustazza and I are growing frustrated. Bell may be single-handedly bringing down the Phillies season.

Chris Mustazza and Phil Sandick, our regular Phils followers, are back again this week to talk about five issues surrounding our Phillies. This week, the duo examines how likeable this team really is, Ryan Madson's role, and Jim Thome's future in Philadelphia, plus much more.

We'd like to introduce to our newest weekly installment: Chris, Phil and the Fightin' Five. Each week, our resident Phillies writer, Chris Mustazza and Phil Sandick, will talk about five issues currently surrounding our flounderin' Phils. This week, the duo talks about Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins at the All-Star Game, Ed Wade buying and selling, and much more. 1. What should the Phillies do to resolve their first base situation? Chris: I know that Phil will disagree with this, but I have seen enough of Jim Thome this season. The sole reason they are playing him is the amount of money they are paying him, not for his performance - .207 average and 7 homers. It’s unthinkable to let a prospect like Howard rot away in the minor
leagues while the overpaid and under-motivated Jim Thome plods through the season without a care in his guaranteed contract world. So to answer the question, I would platoon Howard and Thome at first,
and, if I did not see significant improvement from Thome, begin to phase him out altogether. I would be willing to wager that you would get exponentially more production from Thome once his starting position was threatened – look at Padilla. Phil: Start Jim Thome when he's healthy and send Ryan Howard back to Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Thome is not at the end of his career, he is just hurt. The steroids rumors are inconsequential. You cannot bench Jim Thome, even if he were hitting .185 and striking out 3 times a night (which he's not, by the way - he has less than 200 AB's and 30 RBI and a .360 on base average). Ryan Howard needs at-bats everyday, even if he's ready to play in the big leagues. Howard is only 25. He will not help the Phillies as a bat off of the bench. Many good hitters are groomed extensively in the minor leagues. The Phillies are not in dire straits. It's not a preposterous suggestion that Thome should be benched but it is out of the question for this season.

On July 26, 2000, Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling (now the most-expensive set-up man around while he rehabs his ankle injury) was traded to the fesity Arizona Diamondbacks after winning 102 games in a Phillies uniform, including one in the 1993 World Series. Schilling was upset in Philly, he wanted out and the rest is history. The Phillies may not see a pitcher that good for 25 years. He’s up there with Steve Carlton and Robin Roberts as the best to ever pitch in Philly. The Phillies received what at the time seemed like a steal. They got pitching prospect Nelson Figueroa, solid veteran Omar Daal, power-hitting first round draft pick Travis Lee, and another prospect, hard-throwing 22 year old Vicente Padilla, who was striking out a batter an inning with the D-Backs. He was praised for his competitiveness by manager Buck Showalter, who did not want to part with him. The only thing the Phillies have to show from that trade five years later, aside from the everlasting hysteria from “The Bowa Years,” is Vicente Padilla. Although he represented Philadelphia in the 2002 All-Star Game, he was fighting to stay in the big leagues as he pitched against the Pirates in Pittsburgh last night. While Schilling has won 2 World Series, the Phillies have lost with, as Chris Mustazza affectionately calls him, “Sure-to-lose” Padilla. We all love Vicente, though; we do want him to do well. We know he’s the same pitcher Showalter praised, taking losses out on himself. It has taken a great toll on his confidence to pitch as bad as he has been pitching. But Padilla helped the Phils last night to come within four and a half games of the NL wild card leading Atlanta Braves.