Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! Twelve months and ten epochal collapses later, we're nearing 2008 and a fresh calendar year for career (or structural) decimation. Let's count 'em down from 10: 10. Pete Doherty (again) 2007 hasn’t been......

With 2 men on, a full count, two outs, and down by two in the seventh inning, Jimmy Rollins launched a high fly to deep right-field. Everyone who was watching the game held their breath – everyone but Rollins. He watched it take off, dropped his bat, took a quick skip, and began to round the bases. Confident as ever, Rollins walked back to the dugout and pointed and smiled to the crowd at......

by Ryan Dougherty Editor's note: In celebration of the Phillies' opener that's going on right about... well, now, here's a preview from a reader who'll soon be a writer. Enjoy! It’s Opening Day in Philadelphia, and the forecasts for the weather and the Phillies are bright. Which means a plurality of Delaware Valleyians is thinking one thing: “How are they gonna [foul] it up this time?” It’s hard-boiled and reasonable skepticism. As has been the......

Phillies pitching pheonom Cole Hamels has been scratched from his Wednesday start after he experienced shoulder pain from, of all things, playing catch. According to MLB.com, “Hamels described the sensation as a ‘pop.’” Now, there’s a lot of things that we like to go pop: pop up video, pop up books, soda pop, The Pop Shop. But not Cole Hamel’s shoulder. Jon Lieber will step in and take the mound a day early in......

They’re up, they’re down, they’re all around. The Phillies halted a five-game losing streak and a possible sweep by the Boston Red Sox, on Sunday afternoon. But they blew it in an up and down, 16-inning marathon 9-8 loss last night to the New York Mets. Ryan Madson might as well have been the starter – he came into the game in the ninth inning and pitched seven innings of relief, his longest outing......

Time to give another ballplayer the title of “Fighting Phil.” Centerfielder Aaron Rowand made a bang up catch in last night’s Phillies game – literally. He bashed his face into the center field railing, saving what could have been a triple in last night’s 2-0 win over the New York Mets. You gotta love a guy who breaks his nose to save a game. What you don’t gotta love is that padding for that......

The Phillies called up 22-year-old superstar Cole Hamels to the big leagues yesterday. There’s a few reasons why this is a great move: an 0.39 ERA over the starts in Scranton. In those three games, he allowed a whopping one run, and batters are hitting .128 against him. The starting rotation needs more ammo, but we hope Hamels is ready. This is the same kid who’s been set back in his major league course......

It wasn’t a pretty win. Far from it. Tom “Flash” Gordon blew his first save. The Phils managed to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth with Bobby Abreu up to bat. Last year, this was never a good sign – Abreu could never hit in clutch situations. And what he did last night wasn’t really a hit. It was a squeaker, really, but he bolted to first base, and when New......

The Philadelphia Phillies lost to the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park last night, 3 - 2. While the Phillies are not mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt, their chances are now very slim. They sit 2.5 games back of the Wild Card leading Houston Astros, who beat the St. Louis Cardinals last night, 3 - 1. The Phillies now have four games left to play, starting with this evening's "Fan Appreciation" night game......

A 2+ hour rain delay didn't deter many fans at last nights Phillies/Mets game at Citizens Bank Park. It didn't deter Jimmy Rollins, either. The red-hot shortstop extended his hitting streak to 31 games - tying the Phillies' all-time record - with a first pitch lead-off homerun. The hit put the Phillies in the lead, which they'd hold until the eighth inning when Ugueth Urbina gave up four runs - three of them earned -......

Every local sports columnist and TV anchor tried to remind us heading into the weekend that the Cincinatti Reds put an end to the Phillies' playoff hopes these past two years. They all seemed dead-on Friday night as the Phillies blew a 6 - 1 lead to fall behind the Reds, 10 - 6. The Phillies, it seems, had blown it again. Jimmy Rollins, though, continued his great run of hitting and leadership by getting......

Jimmy Rollins extended his league-leading hit streak last night against the Atlanta Braves, but that was about the only thing that went right for the Phillies. The Fightin's lost 4 - 1 against the Braves last night in Atlanta, leaving them two games behind the Houston Astros, who beat up on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams have 11 games left this season. The Marlins, sitting in third place in the Wild Card race, lost to......

The Houston Astros lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates last night, 7 - 0 at PNC Park. No no, this isn't suddenly Pittsburghist. We're interested in this game because the Astros were sitting a game and a half ahead of the Phillies heading into last night's action. After the loss, the Astros find themselves only one game ahead of the Phillies, sure to make the eventual Phillies collapse that much more heartbreaking. The Phillies, Astros and......

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. 1. Does Brito deserve another start for the Phils? Chris:I thought that Brito’s first start was great. He only gave up one earned run in five innings and left the Phils in pretty good shape. Unfortunately for him, he ended up getting a no decision instead......

WIP is reporting that Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Phillies closer Billy Wagner will join the National League's 2005 All-Star Team. The two are expected to join as replacements for Los Angeles Dodgers SS Cesar Izturis and New York Mets P Pedro Martinez. Rollins, who was recently inked to a contract extension by the Phils, is actually having a subpar year, especially compared to his career-year last season. His fielding is still strong, but he......

Charlie Manuel and Todd Pratt defended their pitcher against home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez's tight strike zone. Marquez, though, fought back and ejected both in the second inning of today's series finale between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets won the series with a 5 - 3 win in today's game. Pedro Martinez pitched six innings for the win. Jon Lieber pitchedo only four innings for the loss. Lieber wasn't bolstered......