Two new posts by me on the bleacherreport.com.
Check them out at:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/649444-philadelphia-phillies-open-season-against-affiliate-houston-astros
and
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/649715-2011-philadelphia-phillies-5-reasons-why-they-will-win-the-world-series

How do you like them Grapefruits: Notable Notes

One face you'll be seeing a whole lot more of is former NY Mets' 2B Luis Castillo. The Mets released the 2B and are eating up the $6 million they owed him this year. He cleared waivers Sunday afternoon, and the Phillies acquired him without hesitation shortly thereafter. However, Mets fans seem to be glad he's gone. Lately, Castillo's performance has been lackluster, with age and injuries catching up to him. At age 35, he's no longer the base-stealing kleptomaniac he used to be and he only played in 86 games for the Mets last year. I think the Phillies should have passed on Castillo and worked with what they've got until Utley's ready. Fortunately, the Phillies only signed Castillo to a minor league deal (they owe him nothing if he doesn't make the opening day roster), so this move has very low risk attached to it.

One person the Phillies will not miss seeing 18 times a year is legendary manager Bobby Cox. Bobby finished his long career with 2,504 games won and 14 straight NL East titles in Atlanta. Cox retired and has been replaced by former Florida Marlins manager, Fredi Gonzalez, who compiled a record of 276-279.

Final note, John Mayberry Jr. is emerging as a viable platoon mate for Ben Francisco in right field. After Domonic Brown went down with a broken hand, Mayberry Jr. stepped up his game, making a strong case for a position on the active roster.Mayberry's five HRs and 11 RBI are a team best in spring training this year.





(imported from thepenslanding.tumblr.com)

How do you like them Grapefruits: NL East Foes to Watch

With so much attention devoted to the Phillies in the off-season, it's easy for us to overlook our NL East opponents, but without a doubt they will do whatever it takes to prove the media wrong and make it as difficult as possible to win their fifth straight NL East title. With the Phillies facing each NL East opponent 18 times a year, which new NL East players (or players in new uniforms) will the Phillies need to pay special attention to this year and who will continue to prove to be formidable foes?

New* Players:



1. Jayson Werth
Washington Nationals, OF 
We've all seen what Jayson can do at the plate, on the bases, and in the outfield. Expect him to hit several solo shots off Phillies pitching. (Remember his terrible average with runners in scoring position? .186 or 26 for 140, in case you forgot) He hit 18 home runs at Citizen's Bank Park last year, the same number of solo home runs he hit last season. Werth gunned down eight base runners last season and 11 the year before. Don't be surprised if he throws a little harder against his former club if there's a play at the plate.


2. Matt Stairs
Washington Nationals, PH
In case you've forgotten about journeyman Matt Stairs, he was the guy that hit this bomb against the LA Dodgers in the NLCS in 2008. If the Nationals keep him on the roster, they would be his 13th major league team in 18 years. He's compiled 265 HRs in that time and no doubt has a couple left in him if he gets the chance to bat against the Phillies in a clutch situation. I saw him play for San Diego against the Phils last year, and he was giving a roaring round of applause. He proceeded to get a single and then proved that he's full of surprises by swiping second base with Joe Blanton on the mound.


3.  Adam LaRoche
Washington Nationals, 1B
Adam LaRoche called the NL East home for 3.5 seasons in two stints as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He is a lifetime .271 batter and cranked 25 HRs with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. Hitting 25 home runs a year is typical for LaRoche. Towards the end of the season his numbers peak, .295 average after the All-Star break. Expect the same output from him this season.


4. Dan Uggla
Atlanta Braves, 2B 
Former member of the Florida Marlins, Uggla brings considerable power with him to an Atlanta team that could cause problems for the Phillies this year. Last season, Uggla batted .287, hit 33 HRs, and batted in 105 runs, claiming an NL Silver Slugger award. Uggla batted much better outside of Florida during his 5-year tenure there and could have an even better season this year getting most of his at bats at Turner Field.


5. Omar Infante
Florida Marlins, INF
A surprise selection to the All-Star team last year as a representative of the Atlanta Braves, Infante looks to fill the void left by Dan Uggla at 2B in Florida. Infante is a career .274 hitter, but batted a remarkable .321 last season.


Familiar Faces


Atlanta Braves


A healthy Chipper Jones (left) and Jason Heyward (middle) coupled with Brian McCann (right) could spell trouble for Phillies pitchers this year. Jones is expected to bounce back from last year's season ending injury with a batting average circa .275 and with 15 home runs. In the past three years, Chipper has batted .348 against the Phillies, higher than any other NL East opponent.

Heyward missed 20 games mid-season last year with a thumb injury. He still managed to hit .277, 18 HRs, and 72 RBI as a rookie last year. He remains touted as future-MVP, and will no doubt improve on last year's numbers this season.

McCann's batting average dropped 20 points from 2008 to 2009 and another 12 points in 2010. His average most likely will not dip much further in 2011 and he is entirely capable of hitting 20+ HRs and 80 RBI.


Washington Nationals


The Nationals were busy this off season, bringing in: Jayson Werth, Tom Gorzelanny, Adam LaRoche, Henry Rodriguez, Rick Ankiel, Chad Gaudin, Chien-Ming Wang, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Todd Coffey, Matt Stairs, Alex Cora, Cla Meredith, Corey Brown and getting rid of: Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, Justin Maxwell, Wil Nieves, Joel Peralta, Willie Harris, Adam Kennedy, Miguel Batista, Kevin Mench, Tyler Walker, Scott Olsen.

3B Ryan Zimmerman escaped the Nationals binge and purge and remains a threat to the Phillies. In five seasons, Zimmerman has 55 RBI against the Phils. Last season, Zimmerman showed his prowess in the clutch, batting .365 with runners in scoring position and two outs and recording 24 RBI in those situations.


Florida Marlins



Mike Stanton (L) and Hanley Ramierez (M) can not be overlooked as offensive threats in 2011. Stanton, a rookie last season, blasted 22 HRs in 2010, and is expected to hit at least 30 this year. Ramierez sat 20 games last season with nagging elbow issues, but should bounce back this year. Ramierez is a lifetime .319 hitter and provides 20+ HRs and 30+ steals for the young Marlins. Pitcher Josh Johnson (R) had the Phillies number last season. In two starts against Philadelphia, Johnson gave up just one run (unearned) and that unearned run came during Roy Halladay's perfect game. He finished the season 11-6 with a 2.30 ERA and 186 strikeouts.


NY Mets


SS Jose Reyes (L) and 3B David Wright (R) will try to keep the Mets afloat in the NL East this year. Reyes missed most of 2009 and part of 2010 with injuries, but if healthy will remain problematic to the Phils. Reyes had 23 hits, 3 SBs, 3 HRs, and 12 RBI against the Phillies last year. Wright will most likely have another .280+, 30 HR, and 100+ RBI season this year as the Mets will rely on him for the majority of their offense.

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The Madness has begun: Bracketology

Click to join The Pen's Landing Bracket Challenge

No matter how many hours of footage and commentary of NCAA basketball we digest, every year, there's always someone in our March Madness bracket pools that unexpectedly makes all the right picks and gets the cash prize. 

Meanwhile, we're left staring at our piles of crumpled brackets wondering if the above person  even watched a game all season. What is the secret that these swamis-of-bracketology possess? Pure intuition or pure luck? When all your tried-and-true methods fail, here are some methods at your disposal that you may not have considered:

1. Always, and I mean always,  pick the coolest school names:

Xavier sounds awesome! I don't even know how to say it, but how many other schools outside of China do you know that start with X? The only other school I can think of with an X is that X-men Academy. Ooh, Gonzaga, now that really rolls off the tongue. But I don't think they can beat Xavier's mutants in the championship game.

2. Pick the school most closely related to your religious affiliation:

Father Robert agrees with me that St. John's can beat BYU any day of the week. But St. Peter's vs. Notre Dame is going to be a tough choice…

3. Never forget your roots, unless you're from wherever Morehead St. is.

4. Picking your favorite color also has been proven to work:

Those baby blue Tar Heel jerseys are just fabulous. Final Four here we go!

Five things I will miss this NFL season

If there is no football this season I will miss:

1. Michael Vick running all over opposing defenses and then having them ask for his autograph after

2. DeSean Jackson celebrating in (or right before the endzone)

How do you like them Grapefruits: PLAN 2B

Phillies' fans, before you press the panic button, there is still hope of winning the World Series even without Chase Utley if he opts for knee surgery that could sideline him for the majority of the season. While it will be extremely difficult for the Phillies this season to put up good offensive numbers without last year's No. 3 and No. 5 hitters in the lineup, don't forget that the Phillies did win 97 games last season despite the slew of injuries and the resulting offensive decline. If Utley is sidelined for most or all of the season, what are the Phillies' options for second base? Do they need to make a high profile trade or can they stay in house?

The Madness has begun

Watching the Villanova vs. Pitt game on Saturday, I felt like I had gone back in time (ok, not that far , but maybe this far). Without Corey Stokes in the lineup (injured hamstring on Thursday), Jay Wright had the Wildcats offense slow the game down so that the Panthers wouldn't run all over them. Wright's strategy involved wasting over 25 seconds off the shot clock each possesion and then using the remaining ten seconds to try to get a shot off over Pitt's much larger frontcourt. The result of the constant weaving 30 feet from the basket? Nova only trailed by four and the two teams combined for a total of 40 points in the half, yes 40 points.

Filed under random: Ibanez's beard revitalizes career?

Raul Ibanez arrived to spring training with a gluten allergy (Ciliac's disease) and a new beard. So while Ibanez can neither eat any wheat products nor grow hair on the top of his head, his beard may be just what the Phillies needed in the outfield to replace the All-Star beard of former Phillie Jayson Werth.

Before Werth decided to take his talents and his beard to Washington, Werth cranked 95 homeruns with the Phillies, leading many to believe the beard to be the source of his power. Guess how many he hit when he looked like this?

When asked about his new facial hair, Raul claimed that he wasn't trying to copy Werth's beard, he was growing it for President's Day (note: only five presidents had beards). I think Raul is just hoping to use it to catch the chew that dribbles out of his mouth and maybe even earn a contract similar to Werth's 7-year, $126-million deal. Hopefully it will inspire Raul to have a better season than last year.



Sports Illustrated has compiled a hall of fame of facial hair, and I must say, Walt Frazier's chops are pretty tough to beat. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0705/gallery.beards.moustaches/content.1.html

Filed under Random: A fate worse than running out of TP?

This morning I tweeted that "There are only a few things in life worse than running out of toilet paper." So after much thought, I was able to come up with six things that are truly worse than running out of TP.

How do you like them Grapefruits: Report Cards

As of Wednesday, all five Phillies starters have taken the mound in the Grapefruit League, which means it's time to assess their performance with a good old fashion report card. What's that, you don't think it's fair to grade them based on two innings of work? Well, guess what, life's not fair.

This Day in History: 100 points!

On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors accomplished the greatest feat in the history of American sports by scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks. It is a record that will never be broken in the NBA, not even by Kobe Bryant, who did school an amazing 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.

How do you like them Grapefruits?

Yes, Philadelphia, this is the year we've been waiting for. It's been a long three years since the Phillies took us to the promise land. It's about time they do it again. And if they don't do it this year, the world series window could close soon after. The Phillies have put all their eggs into one basket in hopes of winning now. I have all the faith in the world that they can do it, especially with the four aces, but I do have some questions as to whether this house of cards will be able to stay up.