Back to zero. That’s what happens after the Philadelphia Phillies beat up on the hapless Atlanta Braves to get the best reg. win/loss record in franchise history. They finished with the best record in MLB and their 5th NL East penant. Charlie Manuel won his 646 game as Phillies Manager. All that is old news now. It’s the playoffs.

Everyone left is back to 0. Phillies start Saturday at CBP 5:07 PM.

Once and Future Phillies Pitcher Cliff Lee

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels will be in the same rotation in 2011 and possibly beyond.

via The Zo Zone: Yes, Cliff Lee Is Rejoining the Phillies.

All Phillies fans should give their Christmas gifts to charity.

UPDATE

For all the flack Philadelphia fans get, it’s ironic that idiot fans in New York may have had a hand in delivering Cliff Lee to the Phillies.

“When it gets that loud, it’s hard to ignore. I thought, especially the last three innings, it seemed liked it got louder every inning. It’s obviously one of the most electric atmospheres I’ve ever been in. It was pretty neat. It was something you obviously can’t ignore.”

via The700Level.com – Philly Sports & Minutiae: Quotable: Halladay On the Postseason Atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park.

A few words from Braves catcher Brian McCann:

“We knew what we were getting into coming in here. We knew who they were pitching. We’ve all faced them before and they’ve all got great stuff. They executed every pitch and when they got themselves in trouble, they got out of it. That’s what number ones do and all three of those guys are number ones.”

via The Zo Zone: Magic Number Is 4.

4 more wins to clinch the NL East.

Even though Cole Hamels is back to being a killer again and Carlos Ruiz hit his second walk off homer, we have to hear about this:

Another idiot fan ran onto the field last night. But this fan ran onto the field at the worst possible moment – just as Hamels was about to throw his first pitch in the ninth inning with a shutout on the line.

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright put it best: “That was tired, that was bad. You know what? The Phillies fans should be mad at that guy because he might’ve gotten in the way of Cole’s mojo he had going. That’s terrible timing. And if you don’t want to get Tased, don’t go on the field. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting Tased if you’re on the field.”

via The Zo Zone: Hamels Looks Like Hamels ’08.

No, tasing isn’t necessary and thankfully this jerk wasn’t TASERed. (and fucking with my Phillies versus a NL rival pushes my liberalism as much as anything does). They are police officers, they should be trained along with security to tackle the idiots no need to use a technology that isn’t as safe as we are normally told. Prosecute the idiots, fine them, ban them from the stadium, but exposing them to a potentially lethal method of apprehention is not justified in my opinion. Heaven forbid an officer pulls out a gun accidentally and shoots at the trespasser. Unless its the playoffs…then they can call in a CIA drone and blow their ass up. (kidding. sort of)

125 million dollar man

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard signed a 125 million, 5 year extension that will keep him in Philadelphia up until 2016. Many folks think Howard was overpaid based on past performance and age. I think they overpaid if we can’t keep Werth who is about the same age and is a right handed, power hitting pitch eater at the plate and a perfect fit behind Howard in the lineup.

What it really changes is the price tag attached to Albert Pujols. I am a Phillies fan, Ryan Howard is awesome to me and I am glad he will be here well into the 10′s. But Pujols is just better and Howard’s deal will be used as a starting point for Pujols because Pujols is just that much better of a hitter, fielder and base runner.

Some estimate if Howard is pegged at 25 million a year in his new deal, Pujols’ new deal would have to be 50 million per year. If that happens, who will be able to afford him and field a viable team? The only teams with higher payrolls than the Phillies $141 million plus total for 2010? The Yankees ($206m+), Red Sox ($162m+) and Cubs ($146m+).

Back to how it feels as a Philly fan, and yes there is a contingent of Howard haters (aka idiots), it feels great. Howard has worked and gotten better since he broke into the league. He has been in better shape, become a much better fielder and is still working on his plate discipline. An MVP who continues to work hard is fine with me.

“I think we’re blessed as an organization, especially at the Major League level, with guys who take a lot of pride in their craft,” [Phillies GM Ruben] Amaro said. “Ryan is one of those guys. He clearly has dedicated himself to being a very complete player. He’s worked on his defense. He’s worked on his body. He has a special attribute with his power and run production that not many in the history of this game have been able to accomplish. But yet he continues to work to be a better player.”

“It’s just a matter of going out there and doing what I’ve been doing the past couple years, which is just trying to stay ahead of my training,” Howard said. “Just making sure my body is staying good and staying healthy. I feel that what I’ve been doing over the past couple years, I feel pretty confident that down the road I’ll be right where I want to be.”

via Howard signs five-year extension | phillies.com: News.

Philadelphia Phillies cap logo (1970-1991) ™ Philadelphia Phillies

Only one team is happy at the end of every season and unfortunately the New York Yankees are that team after defeating an often out of sorts 2009 NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies team in game six to take the World Series 4-2. Hats off to them. Today you will see snide comments about the Yankees buying the championship, none of those sour grapes here. The Phillies are consistently have one of the top 10 baseball payrolls and are one of these big market teams that supports the salary cap-less MLB system and from what I can remember are fine with the status quo. I think the real turning point was Alicia Keys’ hips. I know I couldn’t concentrate.

Our 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels and our perfect 2008 closer Brad Lidge were shadows of their championship selves in 2009, and our prolific lineup and scrappy bullpen weren’t able to compensate for that on MLB’s biggest stage.

We couldn’t do it for Harry Kalas. If you turn on WIP 610 AM or ESPN 950 AM, I am sure you will hear Phillies fans who are ready to hate both of them forever. Not Me. As a fan of the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and to a lesser extent the Flyers, I refuse to forget any of the guys that brought us that drought ending championship parade down Broad Street on Halloween 2008. At 32, it was the only championship I actually remember.

Thanks to the Philadelphia Phillies for an exciting 2009 season. When do pitchers and catchers report?

“That hit by Howard was the biggest and most impressive hit I’ve seen in my career. The only thing that might have made it better was if it woulda went out of the yard. He came down to the end of the bench and said, ‘Get me to the plate, boys.’ He wasn’t lying. He got up there and drilled those runs in. That was huge. That was the game right there.” -Cliff Lee on Ryan Howard’s performance

via The700Level.com – Philly Sports & Minutiae: Quotable: ‘Get me to the plate, boys’.

You have got to love that, unless you are from Colorado.

Howard and Lee lead way for Phils | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/24/2009.