After missing out on Mark Kotsay, and shying away from Aubrey Huff due to his 2009 salary, the Phillies have acquired the left-handed bat off the bench they were looking for. Reports are the Phillies acquired outfielder Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later.

Stairs, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week by the Blue Jays, has had a disappointing season so far, hitting .250 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI's.

I'm really not a fan of this move. The Phillies really had a chance to make a bigger splash by the August 31st trading deadline, by going heavy after a guy like Kotsay, or bringing in Huff. They once again settled for the bargain. Instead of getting an outfielder who can platoon with Jayson Werth and contribute regularly, they go out and get a 40 year-old outfielder whose only purpose will be riding the pine. Maybe one day the Phillies front office will realize when you shop at a yard sale, all you're getting is other people's junk.

If there's one bright spot to this move is it's Stairs career numbers at Citizen's Bank Park. In 8 career games he's batting .444 with six home runs and 10 RBI's.

The Phillies arrive in Chicago for a four game set against the National League leading Cubs on Thursday back to a half game behind the New York Mets for first place in the East. The Phillies and Mets split a short two game series at Citizen's Bank Park, the last of the year in Philadelphia.

It was an exciting series to be sure, involving two come from behind wins, perhaps giving us a sneak preview for the kind of baseball we can expect in the final month or so of the season.

The Phillies now have to turn their attention to perhaps their toughest series yet. The Cubs boast the best record in the major leagues, including an astounding 49-19 record at home. They are 8-2 in their last ten games, including a current five-game winning streak.

The series opens up on Thursday with Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.20) and Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.85) on the mound. Dempster has arguably been the Cubs best pitcher this season, and is without a doubt the biggest surprise on the team. He is looking for his career high 16th win Thursday, coming off a great outing against the Nationals in which he gave up only one run in 7 1/3 innings. He has 18 quality starts this season and also leads the league in sacrifice bunts with 16 this season.

Hamels finally received some run support on Sunday after receiving an average of just two runs a game in his previous four starts. He went seven innings against the Dodgers, allowing just two runs on five hits. Despite a mediocre record, Hamels continues to be one of the best pitchers in the majors this season. In four career starts against the Cubs, Hamels is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Friday night showcases two pitchers who were teammates on the Oakland Athletics just two months ago, Joe Blanton (6-12, 4.75) and Rich Harden (9-2, 2.00). Harden has been everything short of spectacular since coming over to Chicago this season, striking out 11 in his last outing against Washington. He now has seven double-digit-strikeout games in his career, five of them coming as a member of the Cubs. He gave up one run and has an 0.47 ERA in his last three starts. He also did not walk a single batter in his last start, the sixth time he's avoided that in a start in his career.

Despite a record that indicates a really tough year, Blanton has pitched pretty well since joining the Phillies before the trade deadline. On Sunday night, Blanton turned in his third quality start in seven outings since the trade. He gave up just one run on six hits in six innings against the Dodgers and has a 3.00 ERA in his last five starts.

Saturday pits Brett Myers (7-10, 4.49) against Ted Lilly (1307, 4.23). Lilly is perhaps the Cubs weakest starter this season, and he still has 13 wins. His last time out against the Pirates he went seven innings and gave up only two painful hits, both homeruns. Historically, Lilly presents the best chance for the Phillies to pull out a win as he 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA against in his career against them.

Myers, however, has been on a tear since spending three weeks in the minors in the middle of the season. Since returning Myers is 4-1 with a 1.66 ERA, which includes a current streak of 16 scoreless innings, which started with a complete game shutout against the Nationals and continued with seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers. In eight career starts against the Cubs, Myers is 6-3 with a 2.63 ERA.

Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.81) and Carlos Zambrano (13-5, 3.53) face off in the series finale on Sunday. Big-Z has struggled mightily in August, with a 7.43 ERA in five starts this month. In his last outing Zambrano was only able to get through 4 1/3 innings. He is 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA in his career against the Phillies.

Moyer came into his last game riding a league leading---game streak of outings in which he did not allow more than three runs. That streak came to an abrupt end against the Mets when he gave up six runs on nine hits in just three innings. Like Zambrano, Moyer looks to rebound against the team in which he broke into the majors in 1986. His other outing against them this season, Moyer allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings on his way to a no decision.

This is an incredibly tough weekend for the Phillies and they need to at least split the series with the Cubs as they continue to battle the Mets for first place. The Wild Card is going to come out of the Central division this year with either the Cardinals, or more likely the Brewers, and if the Phillies hope to make the playoffs this season they are going to have to win their division. That means keeping pace with the Mets and winning as many series as they can. This weekend could perhaps preview the National League Penant Series and will certainly be an exciting one to watch.

Major League Baseball is officially implementing instant replay into its rules Thursday. It will start in three stadiums and expand to the entire league on Friday.

The system has been under consideration and study since November when the general managers voted 25-5 to explore its use and will debut in Oakland when the Twins face off with the Athletics, Anaheim when the Rangers visit the Angels, and in Chicago when the Phillies take on the Cubs.

"I believe this is right," said Commissioner Bud Selig during a late afternoon conference call unveiling the new system. "I think the umpires believe it. I think the players believe it. The evidence [for using it] became overwhelming the more I looked at ballparks. You've got an umpire running out and he's 300-400 feet away, and it became impossible [for him to make the right call]. I'm delighted we're able to make this adjustment.

"As you well know, anytime you try to change things in baseball, it's both emotional and difficult, but this [decision] everyone really thought was in the sport's best interest. And that's why I made it."

Replays will be limited to boundary calls, such as determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they went over fences. Umpire crew chiefs will determine when instant replay is to be utilized and will make the final decision on calls.

Up to three umpires will be able to review the replay, which will be provided in a war room of sorts at MLB Advanced Media in New York City. It's possible that during the postseason as many as five umpires could review a play.

There will be some sort of formal training for all umpires, not just crew chiefs.

Major League Baseball reached a formal agreement with the World Umpires Association last Wednesday. The Player's Association put out a press release stating that the union has endorsed the system for 2008, but reserve the right to revisit it during the offseason.

"Following the World Series, the players will review the matter, and then determine what course to take for the future," Don Fehr, the long-time director of the union, said. "While the use of instant replay is an experiment, we hope that over the balance of this season it will prove to be a success."

According to several reports, the technology being implemented at the Advanced Media center is state of the art. As Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports writes,

After touring the network operations center on Wednesday, I'm even more convinced that baseball would be foolish not to take this step, foolish not to give its umpires tools that officials enjoy in other sports, foolish not to use the electronic wizardry it has developed since forming its advanced-media division.

I have to give Commissioner Selig credit. I am one of his most vocal critics, but he deserves to commended for understanding that despite his own misgivings this is something that will be good for the game. Instant replay, as long as it is utilized in a limited fashion, will further improve the purity and accuracy of the game we all love, which is something I think we can all agree is a good thing.

The Phillies bullpen was nothing short of spectacular last night. They allowed only one run on four hits in ten innings of work. Unfortunately they used every bullpen arm they had and actually had tonight's starter, Kyle Kendrick ready to pitch the--th inning. Given the needed rest the bullpen needs this evening, the Phillies have recalled pitcher Andrew Carpenter.

Carpenter was one of the Phillies top minor league pitchers last season when he went 17-6 with a 3.20 ERA for Class A Clearwater. This season Carpenter hasn't found the same success. He struggled with his weight to begin the season, which actually caused him to miss a month of the season, and he struggled against Double A hitting. This season Carpenter is 9-11 with a 4.68 ERA between Single & Double A.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Phillies have designated Andy Tracy for assignment.

After last night's marathon I figured the Phillies would bring up a pitcher for depth, but recalling Carpenter is somewhat of a surprise. He's only a year removed from Single A ball, and was unable to get batter's out at the Double A level. To think he'll make any type of impact at the major league level is a stretch. Recalling Les Walrond, Brian Mazone, or Kris Benson (who is on the mound tonight for Lehigh Valley), would have been a better option.

Speaking of Benson, the Phillies also made another roster move today, moving Mike Zagurski to the 60-day disabled list, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster. With Benson healthy, and rosters expanding on Monday, he could be very well be added to the roster and pitching this September in Philadelphia.

According to a poll conducted by ESPN's Baseball Tonight program, as well as our own poll, Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt is the greatest Philadelphia Phillie of all time by an overwhelming margin.

The staff from BBTN picked who they believed were the top 10 players from each franchise and then the public voted on their top choice from those ten. The BBTN staff cast their own vote as well, and the top three from each group were revealed during BBTN. This was done for every major league team.

Schmidt, largely considered the greatest third baseman of all time, won with an overwhelming 77% of the vote in our own Hot Stove Philly vote, despite some heavy competition.

Schmidt was competing against the likes of Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dick Allen, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton, Chuck Klein and Robin Roberts.

In his rookie season with the Phillies, Alexander led the league in wins with 28, still a major league record, 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts while finishing second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA.

Allen averaged .292 batting, .534 slugging, and a .378 on base percentage over his career and is widely considered to be the best player not in the Hall of Fame.

Whitey is one of the most popular Phillies ever from both his time on the field and in the radio booth. He had the most hits (1,875) of any batter during the 1950s.

Lefty is undoubtedly the best pitcher ever to put on a Phillies uniform and is the only player to ever win the Cy-Young Award while on a losing team when he won 27 games on a 1972 Phillies team that only managed 59 wins the whole season.

Chuck Klein was the best hitter in Phillies history up until Schmidt emerged on the scene. During his career he had four home run championships, two RBI titles, and a batting title. Klein, Ty Cobb, and Jimmy Sheckard are the only three players to lead the league in home runs and stolen bases in a year. In his 17-year career Klein batted .320, with 398 doubles, 1201 runs batted in, 1168 runs, 2076 hits (870 extra-bases), and 300 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

In his 19-season career, Roberts compiled a 286-245 record with 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 4,688a..." innings pitched in 676 games. He is the only pitcher to defeat the Boston Braves, the Milwaukee Braves and the Atlanta Braves, a testament to his endurance and longevity.

That is some serious competition, but it was largely thought to be a foregone conclusion that Schmidt would prevail as number one. He is a three-time MVP, a 12-time All Star, and a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner. In 1976, Schmidt hit 12 home runs in the Phillies' first 15 games, including 4 in one game on April 1. No one had ever hit so many homeruns so quickly. This feat was later tied by Alex Rodriguez in 2007.

In the Phillies World Series season of 1980, Schmidt led the league in homeruns with 48 and won the NL MVP in a unanimous vote. He would win the MVP the following year as well, and his third in 1986. Schmidt led the league in home runs eight times, in RBI four times, OPS five times, and walks four times. He finished his career with 548 homeruns and 1,595 RBIs. They are just two of many Phillies' records that he holds. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 and received (at the time) the fourth highest percentage (96.52%) in history.

The roller coaster ride that is the 2008 MLB season continued Tuesday as the Phillies stormed back from a 7-0 deficit against the New York Mets to win 8-7 in the 13th inning off a walk-off single by Chris Coste to put them atop the National League East standings, again.

Despite being down 7-0 in the 4th inning, the worst outing by Jamie Moyer in three years, the Phillies showed exactly what they are capable of, despite largely underachieving all year. Tuesday night's game also showed why the Mets have a very real chance of not making the playoffs this year, as their bullpen gave up the final three runs and blew yet another save opportunity.

Mets' starter Pedro Martinez threw four strong innings, but visibly started to run out of gas in the fifth inning when he gave up two two-run home runs to Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Rollins went five for seven on the night and for the second game in a row was just one hit short of the cycle, this time missing the triple. On Monday's game against the Dodgers, Rollins needed a home run to complete the elusive honor. The embattled shortstop has been on fire the past two games after getting only three hits in a little over 40 at bats since making his now famous comments about Philadelphia fans. In those two games he reminded us how very important he is to this team and to this offense. As goes J-Roll go the Phillies. He continues to be the spark and the catalyst for this potentially very potent offense.

The hero of the game, however, was backup catcher Chris Coste, who came into the game in the eighth inning and subsequently went 4-4. Coste has started to heat up again, with six RBIs on six hits in the past five games.

The Phillies are riding a wave of momentum and need to keep it going Wednesday against Mets' ace Johan Santana and then into Chicago as they face the Cubs in a very tough five game stretch leading into next week. These next five days should show us the Phillies true colors and whether or not they are a serious playoff contender.

With Sunday's trading deadline on the horizon, it's no secret the Phillies have needs; most notably in the outfield. With Geoff Jenkins sidelined with a hip flexor strain, the Phils are using Jayson Werth at the every day right fielder, and So Taguchi has effectively become the team's fourth outfielder. If the Phillies really want to contend, the addition of an outfielder who can be depended to play regularly is a must.

Well if the rumors are true, the Phillies might be looking to upgrade the outfield situation. Word is the Phillies are perusing Braves outfielder Mark Kotsay.

Kotsay, who has already cleared waivers, is have a good season with the Braves where he's batting .289 with six home runs and 37 RBI's. More importantly, Kotsay feasts on right-handed pitching hitting .309 against them this season.

While I still think Aubrey Huff is a much better option, if the Phillies can land Kotsay it'll be a good pickup. With Jenkins return is unknown, Kotsay would be Werth's platoon partner, letting them both play too their strengths and keeping them fresh for the final month of the season.

Another upside of Kotsay is his contract. Unlike Huff, who is signed through the 2009 season, Kotsay is a free agent at season's end, so the Phillies could use him for the remainder of the season, and not get stuck with a dodgy contract. Not to mention, a mid-level prospect should be all it'll take to land the thirty-two year-old outfielder.

Don't get too excited. This deal isn't close to being done. Kotsay can veto a trade to eight teams (which are unknown), and the Phillies aren't the only team showing interest. With JD Drew on the disabled list, the Red Sox are having their own outfield issues, and have been rumored to have Kotsay high on their list.

The Phillies continue to toil with our delicate emotions, first getting swept in an embarrassing fashion and then turning around and winning their next three series. After playing like a Single-A winterball team against the Dodgers in LA, the Phillies managed to take two out of three against both the Padres and Nationals. (In reality they should have swept both those last place teams but we'll take series wins however they come at this point.) Then the Dodgers came to town for another four game set and so far the Phillies have shut them down, winning the first three games. Sunday night's game was won in dramatic fashion off the recently mended bat of Pedro Feliz, who tied the game up in the 9th inning and then hit a walk-off home run in the 11th.

The Phillies continue to receive spectacular pitching from their starting rotation, including Jamie Moyer's league leading--th game in a row without allowing more than three runs in a game. They continue to keep the Phils in every game, giving the offense at least a chance to pull out the victory, which it has started to do this weekend against the Dodgers.

To help matters the Mets have hit a skid and have allowed the Phillies to crawl back within a half game of first place. A Phillies win and a Mets loss puts the Phillies back into the top spot in the NL East.

In football news, the Eagles continue to develop and impressed during their game Friday against the New England Patriots despite being without top receiver Kevin Curtis, who is out with a sports hernia injury and could miss a significant amount of time this season. This has led to speculation about whether the Eagles will sign free agent Joe Horn or trade for Cardinals' disgruntled receiver Anquan Boldin. In other injury news, veteran safety Brian Dawkins expects to be ready to start in the first game of the season against St. Louis.

In basketball news, the Sixers have found a replacement for center Jason Smith, who will miss the entire upcoming season with a torn ACL by signing Theo Ratfliff to a one year deal.

This week the Phillies look to close out the Dodgers and then make serious strides towards first place as the Mets come to town for a two game mini-series. They then head to Chicago to face the first place Cubs for yet another tough four game series.

The Eagles face off against the New York Jets on Thursday in their first matchup against Brett Favre with his new team.

Stay tuned to Hot Stove Philly as we bring you the latest game day stories, trade rumors, and insightful commentary you have come to expect.

Boy, do I like seeing the New England Patriots losea€¦

I don't care if it was the pre-season. A loss is a loss.

Your Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pats 27-17 in their third and most important pre-season game heading into the 2008-2009 campaign. The score, however, is not that crucial. Unless you are a degenerate gambler. By the way, the Eagles covered and hit the over. Not that I am counting. To me, though, the most impressive things on Friday night included both the offensive and defensive lines and the special teams units.

The first and second string o-lines gave up only one sack versus a very strong New England defense. To make things even better, they accomplished this versus the 3-4 defenses they usually struggle against. This also marked the return of the Big (Husky) Kid, Shawn Andrews, to the starting line-up. The collective group kept the Patriots defense off of Donovan and back-up Kevin Kolb enough to generate 280+ passing yards. They also made sufficient room for the core group of running backs to eclipse the 100 yard mark totaling almost 400 yards of total offense.

The defensive line accounted for three of the Eagles' four total sacks of New England QBs. They also held the Patriots' rushing attack to only 65 total yards (22 of which came from a Matt Cassel run). This is exact production we needed out of our d-line. If anyone remembers back to last year's Super Bowl, the Giants won because of their ability to pressure Tom Brady and throw off the timing of their passing game. God, I hate praising the Giants. It's ok Eagles fans, with the latest news of Giants DE Osi Umenyiora going down for the season with an injury, the Giants return to the promised land just took a HUGE hit.

Finally, how about that Rory Segrest! Special team genius! John Harbaugh who? Kidding, kidding. Well, let's not anoint Rory to the Pro Football Hall of Fame quite yet, but his special teams units looked mighty stellar on Friday. Where to begina€¦well, David Akers was perfect on all of his kicks on the night, converting two field goals and three extra points. Hell, even Sav Rocca punted the ball well. But the two highlights of the evening came courtesy of Quintin Demps and DeSean Jackson. Quintin Demps- you just made the team, young man. Sean Considinea€¦well, better luck next year. Demps, the rookie out of UTEP, took a kick-off back for 6 after running over the Pats kicker and running past John Lynch. By the way, did anyone notice how slow Lynch looked? Way to make the white man look good, John! Not too long after the kick-off return by Demps, Jackson fielded a punt cleanly then proceeded to slice and dice his way 76 yards to the house.

At the end of the first half, the Birds led the Pats 24-3 and the starters were pretty much done for the night. The next stop is against the New York Jets this Thursday in Philly to wrap up the pre-season. While I would want nothing more than to see us rough up John Madden's adopted son Brett Favre, I'd rather us head into the season healthy. So please, Andy, let the starters rest and the back-ups compete for the final roster spot.

Times yours.

Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins expects to play against St.Louis in week 1 after straining his ankle in the second quarter against the Patriots Friday. He was able to make it off the field on his own but with a noticeable limp. Dawkins had an MRI Saturday which revealed a strained right tendon and didn't practice Sunday. But when asked if Dawkins would be ready for week 1 coach Andy Reid said: "I believe so. It's really a day-to-day situation right now."

Also scheduled to be ready by week 1 is Reggie Brown with a sore hamstring. Coach Reid gave no update on Kevin Curtis who is out indefinitely after having surgery for sports hernia.

In case you missed it, the Phillies placed right fielder Geoff Jenkins on the 15-day disabled list with a right hip flexor strain. Jenkins hurt his hip running to first base on Friday night after singling up the middle. There is no timetable for Jenkins return, and the Phillies have recalled IF/OF Andy Tracy to take Jenkins spot on the roster.

Tracy, primarily a first baseman, has had a strong season for the Iron Pigs, batting .288 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI's. On paper he looks like a strong replacement. Unfortunately Tracy has made a career out of being a strong AAA player, but has never been able to produce at the big league level. I don't foresee that changing with this opportunity.

While Jenkins has been a complete disappointment this season, batting .243 with nine home runs and 29 RBI's, he will be missed in the Phillies lineup. Jayson Werth will get all the playing time in right field, and while he has had a good season (.268/17/47), he struggles against right handed pitching, and at times has looked silly at the plate. Werth is a good outfielder, but best used in a lefty/righty platoon situation.

As the roster stands, the Phillies don't have a player who suits that platoon role. I know some will say Greg Dobbs is the perfect candidate, but Dobbs has only played five career games in right field and he doesn't possess the arm needed for that position. Besides, I think he's best suited coming off the bench is a pinch hitter late in games, or giving Pedro Feliz a day off at third base.

It's time for the Phillies to look at the waiver wire, and make a move. A move that will have an impact for the remainder of the season, not like a last minute pickup like Pete LaForrest in 2007 or Jose Hernandez in 2006. I'm talking about a player who can actually make an impact on this club. Enough of these "bargain bin pickups" who do nothing for the team, but occupy a roster spot for a few games.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little sick of these low-cost options. While league rivals are acquiring Adam Dunn, CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez, and Rich Harden, we get Joe Blanton and Scott Eyre. It's a mentality this franchise has carried for too long, and a reason why most think that ownership really doesn't want to win a World Series.

I don't want to hear the excuse the Phillies don't have the prospects to make a deal either. That's crap. Lou Marson is one of the game's top catching prospects (who had an impressive Olympics), and Carlos Carrasco has been heavily scouted all season. If the Phillies really wanted to bring in a big time player, the means are there, it's the motivation that isn't.

If ownership really wants to bring a World Series championship to Philadelphia, they need to get motivated, especially with Jenkins on the shelf. Since players need to clear waivers before being traded, the pickings are now slim, but it doesn't mean there's nothing available. One player who would help the Phillies in the final month and a half of the regular season is the Orioles Aubrey Huff.

Huff, who has already cleared waivers, is having a fine season in Baltimore, batting .301 with 27 home runs and 89 RBI's. He would be Werth's ideal platoon partner in right field, and when Jenkins does return, Geoff could fill the role of a pinch hitter down the stretch. Given his offensive ability, Huff could also find a way in the lineup against left-handed pitchers. He holds a career .278 average against lefties and plays multiple positions. Aside from corner outfield, Huff can play both corner infield positions with admirable defense.

Huff isn't the sexiest name, but he's the best available, which is what the Phillies should be looking for.

While he can't be had for a bag of peanuts and a media guide, he could be had without giving up any of the Phillies higher end prospects. The likes of Fabio Castro & Gus Milner could get the deal done. For a team struggling at the plate, bringing in a guy who's on pace to hit 35 home runs and knock in 110, it should be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately knowing the Phillies front office a move like this is too great for them. The big move of the summer was to acquire Blanton. So instead of upgrading the outfield, look for the Phillies to solve this hole internally. Meaning So Taguchi will get an expanded role.

Are there still doubts as to whether The Eagles are capable of winning the Super Bowl. People, your Philadelphia Eagles have what it takes to go all the way. Speed, Youth, maturity, heart, and I could go on for paragraphs about the stuff. If they believe, and I have a feeling they do, then the sky's the limit. I know it was only a preseason game. And Tom Brady was M.I.A. That's all true. But I can see it. And if you look closely you can also.

Donovan McNabb (13-17 180 yrds, 1 td, no pics) was in game form. He had confidence in his receivers which in turn gave them confidence in themselves. The Birds had two starting receivers out and the word was we were going to have trouble with the pats' first team defense. Rubbish! The young DeSean Jackson Who had 4 catches for 69 yards Eagled Up the slack. His 79 yard dash of a punt return came a possession after Quintin Demps 101 yard kick return. This is on the New England Patriots' Super Bowl special team. Tom Brady doesn't play special teams either if you didn't know. And if he did he would have gotten smoked like John Lynch.

The Birds' first team offense Established it's self tonight. We have a lot of work to do but the progress is phenomenal. Hank Baskett redeemed himself tonight. Even though he couldn't hold on to the touchdown his hustle was Eagled Up. The team as a whole looked better. Trent Cole looked like himself with a bull rush sack. Jason Avant made a Jerry Rice catch for a touchdown early in the game. Of course every coin has two sides.

My boy DeSean Jackson did a pose like it was the Super Bowl. Or at least a crucial regular season game. This isn't the time for celebration. That's what parades are for! Get some solid regular season games under your belt even. The thing is, if we get over confident we get spanked. The NFL is not a joke. The level of conditioning is like none other. Any given Sunday someone can end your career in this league.

All in all I was impressed by the Eagles this week. They put the Pats on a hot stove. The Pats were done by half time. Granted this is a different team than we'll face in the regular season but you must admit the Birds soared Friday night in New England. No word on Brian Dawkins' condition after going down early in the first half. He didn't look like he was in a lot of pain if that's any indication. We take another step towards the regular season. A step closer to destiny.

Next we have the New York Jets with Brett Favre at the helm. It should be interesting 8/28 at 6pm est. I expect the Birds to look even better next week. The coaching staff seems to be getting across the winning philosophy behind the Eagles offense. Score by all means!

Until next time stay Eagled Up!

Phillies' veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer continued his streak of starts of not allowing more than three runs in a game on Thursday, a streak that dates back to June 6 of this year. That is a total of-- games, five of which he has allowed one or less runs.

To further put in perspective how impressive that is, lets compare Moyer's numbers to that of some of the top pitchers in the major leagues this season. The winningest pitcher in the majors so far this year is Arizona's Brandon Webb with 19 victories. Since June 6, Webb has pitched 15 games, three of which he gave up more than three runs. In one game he gave up seven runs, five in another.

Webb's teammate Dan Haren has three such games, including outings of six runs and five runs. Chicago Cub pitcher Rich Harden has only one game in 13 in which he has allowed more than three runs.

Mets' ace Johan Santana (widely considered the best pitcher in the major leagues coming into this season) has had two games in which he's allowed more than three runs out of-- during that span. Perhaps the hottest pitcher in the majors right now is the Brewers' CC Sabathia. In-- games he has only one game in which he has allowed more than three runs.

American League Cy-Young frontrunner Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians has two such games, including one outing in which he allowed six runs. Fellow American League starter Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays has three outings of three runs or more in--.

Rising NL star Tim Lincecum from the Giants has allowed three of more runs in four different outings since June 6.

During the span of almost three months, Webb has nine wins, Haren has eight, Harden has five, Santana has four, Sabathia has 11, Lee has nine, Halladay has nine and Lincecum has six.

Harden spent six of his 13 games with the lowly Oakland Athletics, Lincecum with their Bay Area rival and fellow bad team the Giants, and Santana's Mets have one of the worst bullpens in the major leagues, blowing several of his wins.

Moyer, on the other hand, plays on a team that led the majors in offense last year and has the best bullpen in the league this season, and yet he only had five wins despite not allowing more than three runs during that entire span.

What is wrong with this picture? Moyer has allowed more than three runs in only four games this entire season. That is 21 games this season that he has held opponents below four runs, including three shutouts. The reason for Moyer's 11-7 record? The Phillies have averaged a total of three runs during those-- games.

If the Phillies raised that average to just four runs a game then Moyer would have eight wins in those-- games.

I don't know if winning more of those games would have put Moyer into serious consideration for the Cy-Young award, as he would be facing stiff competition in Webb, Sabathia and Haren. But he has been the most consistent pitcher in the majors over the past two and a half months.

His ERA over that span is 2.72, while Webb's ERA is 2.96, Sabathia's is 1.68, and Haren's is 2.90. Moyer has a better ERA than two of the top three pitchers in the National League.

That's a pretty compelling case as far as I'm concerned.

August 22, 2008

Mr. Jimmy Rollins

c/o Philadelphia Phillies

Citizens Bank Park

One Citizens Bank Way

Philadelphia, PA 19148-5249

Dear Jimmy Rollins,

I attended last night's Phillies Nationals game and per your request, I cheered you. I cheered you despite the fact that that you attacked my character as a fan; despite the fact that you blamed me for your .261 batting average, eight home runs and and 42 RBIs this season; despite the fact that you continually refuse to run out simple ground balls and play hard like we have all grown accustomed to you doing; despite the fact that you refuse to take ownership of your own failings this year, I cheered you.

During your interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Period you indicated that I, as a fan, should not boo you, or any other Phillies player, when you come to bat. Your point, I believe, was that booing before you have even had an opportunity to succeed or fail is self-defeating, that just because you grounded into an inning ending double play your last time at bat, you still have a job to do this at bat and booing just makes it harder for you to do that job. You asked that we cheer you and show you support and encouragement when you come to bat. We need to show you that we are behind you, that we support you and want to see you succeed.

I agree with you. I disagree with the way you went about making that point, by attacking (completely unprovoked I might add) our character and our actions instead of simply stating, "Hey, we are all in this together. Both us the players and you the fans want to see us win and make the playoffs and succeed, so lets work together. We'll make a deal with you, if you cheer us and support us and show your encouragement, we will promise to give it our all, leave it all out on the field, hustle every play, and try our best to win each and every game we play." Instead you called us front runners, which you apparently meant to infer that we only cheer and support you when you are doing well and that just makes your job harder.

Again, I agree with your intended point. So last night I attended a game for the first time since you made your now infamous request. Each time you came to bat I cheered you. I even cheered you after your at bats. What I don't understand, however, is why it didn't work? You still grounded out three times and popped out once, including a critical ground out in the seventh inning with Geoff Jenkins on second base that would have given the bullpen the added cushioning they needed to win the game.

What I really do not understand is after making those comments, you still are not hustling. How can you not hustle out your first two ground outs of the game? Your teammate Shane Victorino showed why every baseball player is taught in little league to run out every play in that same seventh inning (for the record, you did run it out on your ground out in that inning). Victorino grounded out to Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, but he flew down the line like he had hit in the left field corner. Since Victorino is so fast (much like yourself) it added pressure and urgency on Zimmerman to make the throw and it forced him to hurry the play and he ended up making a throwing error and Victorino made it to second. He would later score, tying the game.

If you want me to cheer you before every at bat, I think the least you could do is hustle on every play. So I'll make you this deal, if you hustle every single play from now until the end of the season, I will cheer you before every single at bat.

I am willing to do my part, are you?

Sincerely,

Jonathan S. Atwood

Hot Stove Philly Senior Writer

I know tommorrow is the huuuuuuuuuuuuuge Bar-A party for the Francesa Show but it won't be the same without Chris "Mad Dog" Russo welcoming the crowd with his routine of "Good Afternoon Mike, how are you?" and Mike's reply of "Fine, Dog." It's not just the show's jingle and the Russoism's that will be missed. It's the balance that Chris provided. Mike, with his Schwablike sports knowledge and love of baseball history can't be left alone for 5 and a half hours of afternoon drive in the NYC and over the net. Mad Dog needs to be there with his Yankee bashing, SF Giant loving, taking the callers Tank waves off.

These two are to sports radio what Laurel and Hardy are to comedy or Carville and Madeline to politics. No offense to the ESPN radio boys or Philly's own WIP but these guys basically invented the genre paving the way for Mike and Mike, Tirico and Van Pelt and Colin Cowherd. To think sports radio will go away is naive but to think it will be the same is simply inane. Wthout them guiding me from opening day through the February doldrums I don't know how my sports iq will stay above average.

It is neither my time or place to dissect the fallout of their relationship or Dog's new contract (Sirius/XM I believe his own channel, ala Stern), but since I've been listening to the fan since my Sony sports walkman, yes the yellow one, accidentally landed on Am while trying to listen to Loveline late night on Z100, I feel fine eulogizing the show. I've drifted off many nights to Schmooze, Beningo or Sommers' overnight shows, callers flirting with Ann Liquori, awoke to Imus and survived the afternoon bus ride home with Mike and Chris. For a young teenager in NY stuck on the bus for an hour and half to get home form high school, their insight provided the void for sports talk once I was the last one on the bus. I'll remember Mike's love of St. John's, Tony Russo calling in, Mike's illness, Dog's marriage and birth of kids, the lazy summer afternoons of them doing solo shows on horse racing and Saratoga or tennis depending on who was in the booth. These guys are as much an American institution as Derek Jeter in the playoffs, apple pie and 4th of July fireworks.

They were not the most knowledgeable on sports but they also mixed in world affairs, movies, politics, the economy, they had the pulse on New Yorkers the way Russert had a pulse on politics. Sure they were heavy on tennis and golf and barely acknowledge the puck but they were entertaining and diverse enough which is all you ask for. They knew their audience to a T. New Yorkers like all sports radio listeners are not just guys living in Mom's basement jockeying the register overnight at Blockbuster. Sports radio listeners are as different as Mike and Chris and they knew it. I look forward to the Francesa show if only because Mike will cover more St. John's basketball (his and my alma mater). But also for the hope that the void I feel now will continued to be filled.

Dog I wish you all the luck in the world. For all of us, lets just be glad they paved the way for us to have this site today as much as ESPN and AOL. Let's all go to Bar-A, raise a glass and be glad for the years they gave us, Is anybody out there? bmb