and michael young? and molina is hurt in st.louis, he can't use ruiz? so you have lee and hamels on your staff - great. gotta hit though and he didn't acquire any hitting. and their draft pick is a skinny SS. He better be buying and acquiring this offseason, bc the phillies hitting woes won't go away by opening day 2014.
What were the offers for them? No argument. A couple of the kids (Ruf, Ashe) need to be productive hitters next year, Dom Brown needs to keep it up, and Ruben's got a signing or two to make.
axe-i don't know if you know ex-phillie turned post and pre-game announcer on comcast - ricky bottalico. he said on wed night that the phillies "have already made up their minds that daren ruf is not the power hitter they thought he was and he has 3 problems in his swing." now that was his statement. i find it funny he said that considering the phils continued to give d. brown a chance when everyone, including me said he was a bust. after may, he hasn't done much, so im still half right. he and heyward were around the same time. look at heyward and look at brown? so how can they be impatient with ruf? howard is done for the year, so let the kid gets reps in at 1b and work against real MLB pitchers and not that slop in AAA. Very odd comment from Ricky Bo or as we used to call him Ricky Blowtalico for his blowing of many saves. haha.
If they've identified the problems, couldn't they be correctable...? I hadn't heard that about Ruf -- disappointing if true. I mean, wouldn't they have seen those "problems" when he was in the minors? What have they been doing with this kid the last couple years?
I haven't studied his swing or tendencies anywhere near enough to form an intelligent opinion, but what Ricky Bo said just doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, Ruf might have to make some adjustments, but the Phils would have known about this for a while now. It wouldn't make sense for them to bring him up with the intention of winning a spot on the big league roster if they didn't believe he could be a legitimate power hitter or or if he had clear holes in his swing that would be exploited.
Papelbon - He didn?t come to Philly for this?.well we didn?t pay $51 million for a closer who blows saves either! Stiff!
.. Ten greatest athletes in Philadelphia sports history A City of Great Sports History Has Plenty to Choose From Special to Yahoo! Sports - Philadelphia YCN greatest athletes by city. Yahoo! Sports photo illustrat ?more Editor's note: YCN contributor Kevin McGuire has compiled his list of the 10 greatest athletes for Philadelphia. Readers will determine by poll (upper right side of the page) who's No. 1. Results will be revealed Monday, Aug. 5. [Vote for No. 1: Los Angeles | Oakland | San Diego | San Francisco | Complete series] Philadelphia sports may feel like a chore to pay attention to these days, with one full calendar year without a single playoff game from any of the four main franchises in town, but the sports history is nothing short of legends and great history. Though championships have come few and far between over the course of time, some of the most iconic players in their sports and their generations happened to pass through the City of Brotherly Love. But which one would be considered the ultimate fan favorite? Icons such as Harry Kalas, Gene Hart and the Phillie Phanatic have a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia sports fans, but here we will stick with those who actually played the game on the field, court or ice. When considering whom some of Philadelphia's fan favorites are, here are a few key characteristics worth considering: Which players had the closest identity to the city's attitude and grittiness? Which players came through in the clutch the most? Which players built a legacy in Philadelphia? After giving this some thought and consideration, this list has been trimmed down to 10 Philadelphia athletes up for your consideration. So did Donovan McNabb, just one of two QBs to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, make the cut? Listed in alphabetical order are your nominees: Richie Ashburn (Phillies, 1948-59) Perhaps the one Philadelphia athlete who truly transcended time and spanned the gap among baseball fans was Ashburn. After establishing himself as a fan favorite as a player during the Whiz Kid era of Phillies baseball, Ashburn later returned to become one of the voices of the Phillies broadcast team, partnering with longtime broadcaster and play-by-play voice Harry Kalas. Steve Carlton (Phillies, 1972-85) The best left-handed pitcher of all time according to some, Carlton was certainly the best pitcher in Phillies' franchise history. Though he may have been a little shy with the media or a little weird for others, fans knew that when Carlton was taking the mound they would get a solid effort, even when the Phillies were among the worst teams in the National League. Bobby Clarke (Flyers, 1969-84) Former Flyers Bobby Clarke (R) and Mark Howe talk before the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game. (Getty ?It is not often that a team wins back-to-back championships, but the Flyers did just that with consecutive Stanley Cup victories in the mid 1970s. Clarke was the captain of the Broad Street Bullies, a team that embraced the attitude of Philadelphia that could only be rivaled by a small handful of teams in the city's sports history. While his stint as general manager may have failed to live up to expectations, Clarke will always be remembered for that patented, toothless grin, gritty puck handling, postseason success and intimidating the Red Army to the point where the Soviets retreated from the ice. Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors 1959-62, 76ers 1964-68) When it comes to the most dominant athletes in Philadelphia history, the conversation begins and concludes with Chamberlain. Some still debate Chamberlain to be the best basketball player in the history of the sport, topping Michael Jordan. Those who watched him play would probably tell you he was as physically dominant as Shaq in his prime, but Chamberlain's success was often overshadowed by the success of the Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell. Chamberlain played with multiple teams during his career, including stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Harlem Globetrotters, but the best days of his career took place in Philadelphia with the Warriors and Sixers. While known for his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey Stadium, Chamberlain was an 11-time rebounding champion, seven-time scoring champion, 13-time All-Star and four-time MVP in the NBA Brian Dawkins (Eagles, 1996-2008) The most recent athlete on this list, Dawkins was a clear fan favorite when in town. A kind and gentle role model off the field, Dawkins morphed into a different character altogether once he suited up with pads and a jersey. Weapon-X was the heart and soul of the Eagles during the Andy Reid era and no player embraced the Philadelphia fans the way he did during his tenure in midnight green. Dawkins gets the nod here over Donovan McNabb because the longtime Eagles quarterback was never truly accepted by the fan base the way Dawkins was, despite being among the best players in franchise history. Julius Erving (76ers, 1976-87) One of the classiest individuals to ever play the game of basketball, Erving was also one of the best. Before Michael Jordan took over as the icon of the game, Erving was among the league's top players with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Erving's dunks became a major draw once he came to the NBA and he not only won over the fans in Philadelphia but also became a likeable star everywhere he traveled. Allen Iverson (76ers, 1996-2006, 2009-10) Allen Iverson was once one of the NBA's most electric players. (Getty)Iverson may not have been the best role model for younger fans, but his effort on the court once a game started was never questioned. Iverson's crossover on Michael Jordan in his rookie year remains one of his top memorable plays, his MVP season of 2000-2001 captured an entire city and his step over Tyronn Lue in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, despite losing the series in five games, remains one of the top highlights in franchise history. While he was in town, perhaps no athlete was more controversial or loved by the fans. Bernie Parent (Flyers, 1967-71, 73-79) Parent was the goalie for the two Stanley Cup championship Flyers teams in the mid-1970s, and he remains a fixture in and around the city. A Hall of Fame goalie, Parent proved himself among the best in Philadelphia and continues to represent the franchise in the community. Mike Schmidt (Phillies, 1972-89) Arguably the greatest Phillie of all time, Schmidt took a while for the fans to truly warm up to him while he played in his prime. What some perceived to be a relative lack of hustle was really just Schmidt performing at his position the way few ever have. As his career drew to a close, fans started to realize the greatness they had witnessed, and today he is received with a standing ovation anytime he appears at the ballpark. Reggie White (Eagles, 1985-92) One of the greatest Eagles of all time. Though he would go on to achieve Super Bowl glory after signing with the Green Bay Packers, the Minister of Defense became a star while playing for the Eagles in one of the most oddly cherished eras in franchise history to some. White and the Gang Green defense of the Buddy Ryan era never achieved postseason success but White made an impact in the city on and off the field through his Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame performance and his community service.
yeah it was from yahoo. i gotta have concrete charlie over dawkins. and all of those philadelphia athletic players get forgotten too like foxx and others. and to be ashburn shouldn't be on the list over roberts, alexander or foxx.
I guess the phils realize the season is over and are packing it in for the rest of the year. glad we didn't trade anyone! brilliant.
Braves are up by 14&1/2 games & have the best record in baseball now. Maybe they are better than we thought? I wouldn't mention their 12 game winning streak because it is mostly against chumps like the Phillies, but they did start it by sweeping the Cardinals.
chumps? funny. for 5 yrs the braves were behind the phils! now they're rebuilding and they're chumps. typical braves fan.
So the 14 years the Braves won their division straight, 11 of them in the East with the Phillies was what? Things are back to normal.
but i would never disrespect the braves organization and say they were chumps while the phils were doing well in those 5 seasons. normal? every sports franchise has their highs and lows. the phils are rebuilding and have some bad contracts. the braves took on the upton brothers, so i know you know what i mean!
I don't know why they got the Uptons, but it doesn't seem to be effecting their ability to beat down the rest of the division. The Braves have the best record in baseball and I'm not sure if they are that good or the division is that bad behind them. They have won 12 in a row with half of those coming against Philly and the nats. Ok I apologize for calling your team chumps, but man the 4 teams behind the Braves are making it easy for them. I was looking at the schedule and the Braves seem to play teams from the East forever, which means they could wind up with 110 wins and get swept out of the playoffs when they actually meet a quality opponent. Just checked, they have 32 games left within the East division and the way things are going now I could see them win 30 of those games.
the east was bad before with the marlins and nats. then the nats got good and mets went bad. now the mets, marlins, nats and phils stink this year. i dont see the braves beating anyone in the playoffs. as for the experts they had the braves winning the east and the nationals as the wild card. so much for that. the east will be bad for a long time. and the braves 14 div titles? some bad years in the nl west so they mopped up titles. then they put them with the phils and sent teams elsewhere and did the east no favors. the pirates were the phils biggest rival and we play them only 6 times a year.
I got my fair share of crap years, I would watch the Braves on TV and catch a few games every year from 78 to 89 when I moved away from Atlanta. I still watched them on TV after that but no live games. The Braves were such a messed up team back then. I went to a Braves vs Reds game in I think it was 78 maybe 77 to see Pete Rose extend his 44 or 45 game hitting streak and the freaking crappy Braves shut him down. That Braves team could always find a way to disappoint you.
