Marlon Anderson Signs with Newark Bears

. It was the great musician Dewey Cox who once said, "This is my dark (expletive deleted) period!" None of the Phillies have had to deal with the trauma of losing both of their wives to free agency at the same time, or the accidental machete-halving of a younger sibling. (Though "The Pen" could reveal otherwise in future episodes, particularly if MLBN brings...

Ryan Madson blew a save opportunity last night and later watched Clay Condrey blow the game. It certainly wasn't a strong outing for the newly minted television stars of the Phillies bullpen. Charlie seems to think they may be tired.“We walked a lot of guys, so that might be a sign that they’re a little tired,” said manager Charlie Manuel, who saw five relievers walk...

Tonight's loss can be pinned on two areas: Jamie Moyer struggled with his command and the offense decided to take the night off against a pitcher they should have handled. Moyer allowed four early runs set up by the fact that he couldn't find the zone. To his credit, he settled in and started making some pitches, but with a depleted bullpen, Charlie Manuel asked a six-inning...

The Phillies are absolutely pathetic at home. Currently in the midst of a disgusting 1-5 homestand their home record has fallen to a dismal 13-19. Plenty of things have gone wrong during this 6 game homestand...*Raul Ibanez and Scott Eyre have hit the DL.*Clay Condrey has completely fallen apart (7 runs, 6 earned in his last .1 innings pitched).*The Phillies have committed 7 errors...

I needed a break from the regular series recaps, because there is only so much you can say every 3 games and still be moderately interesting. So, I pulled some interesting statistical numbers for the Phillies from ESPN, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus and actually found some real good stuff. Today I'm doing the hitters, and later in the week I will look at the pitchers. Since...

Cole Hamels’ season has boiled down to a pair of brilliant starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In many ways, Hamels, on the mound tonight to open the Phillies' series with Toronto, has been this season's missing player. Actually, he still doesn't have enough innings to qualify among lead leaders even if his numbers weren't as mediocre as they are. Much of that...

In case you missed it, and I hope you did, Joe Buck's new show, creatively titled "The Joe Buck Show", debuted last night on HBO. While it was mostly an abomination, there was one moment that all Phillie fans have to see. Buck was interviewing Mets third baseman David Wright in a New York restaurant when a Phillies fan walked by and taunted Wright, pointing to his...

Here's what happened in baseball last night when you were hiding inside, behind another door: Blue Jays 8, Phillies 3: I guess that new reality show about the Phillies bullpen on MLB Network is totally distracting the relief crew. I guess Ryan Madson and the like are too busy chit-chatting on their Blackberries with their agents about movie deals and guest spots on "The...

Many thanks to Mavericks' athletic trainer Casey Smith, who reminded me that a recent story about J.J. Barea's injured shoulder was cartilage damage, not ligament damage. Big difference, obviously. Many apologies to J.J. and anybody who got the wrong impression. Cartilage is by far the less severe of the injuries. --Eddie Sefko

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon announced on Wednesday their on- field staffs for the 2009 All-Star Game, to be played at Busch Stadium in the St. Louis on July 14.