In Case You Missed It...

Earlier this week, Phils assistant General Manager Chuck Lamar resigned. For a little bit of background for everyone, Chuck was head of player development and scouting for the team. This usually meant that he was in charge of packing our farm system full of the young talent that Big Rube has been using to acquire proven talent such as Roy Halladay, Hunter Pence, etc. He had been with the Phillies for four years, and based off of the acquisitions they have made with just minor league players - we'd tend to say that he's done a pretty good job.

"You're a nice looking young man. I'd like to get my hands on you for my team..."

Not really much was made about the story. Sure, it was odd. You had an Asst. GM leave more than 3/4 of the way through the season in a season in which he probably had a pretty decent shot to get a World Series ring from a team he had a big hand in putting together. Other than the oddity of the situation, everyone pretty much said, 'Oh well, he had his reasons'.

Now, there are a lot of reports coming out about those reasons...

At the beginning of the week, Lamar reportedly asked for and got a meeting with the big guy - Rube. The topic? Well, Lamar has been running this entire scouting and minor league system with (approximately) $5 million to use yearly for salary for the kids in the farm system. Now, $5 million sounds ok, but that's A LOT of players in a farm system to satisfy with that kind of money. Anyway, Chuck (understandably) wanted Rube to part with some more money to be able to make the job of recruiting and signing quality players a bit more manageable. Rube apparently wasn't very keen on that idea...

The reports are saying that after some time in the meeting, Lamar's voice volume rose a bit... followed by Rube's voice elevating...

The end result being that Rube didn't part with more money, but he did part with a pretty successful, tested scout and assistant General Manager. Lamar walked out after the meeting. Resigned.

What can we make out of this?

Well, it isn't good. Again, Lamar has done a great job in scouting over the past four years. The Phils have had a fantastic farm system in place it has helped them do a lot. The minor league teams are important - we're talking about the future. Especially with an aging team like the Phils have... Regardless of whether or not you want to notice it, it's there. The Phils are getting old and their window for success with this team is closing. We will need to, at some point sooner rather than later, start to part with the guys on this time (which will be awful) and say 'hello' to new fresh talent. Right now, we've been stripped bare in our minor league and now don't have the head honcho to help put it back together. It's not as simple as just drafting talent in the farm systems in baseball. Most of these kids are coming right out of high school, and if a team drafts you that doesn't have a whole lot of money to offer... why wouldn't they just say, 'thanks, but no thanks' and go to college instead of coming to the Phillies?

Our take is that Rube made a bad decision. We know that the Phillies have a giant payroll at this point and parting with the extra money may not have been the easiest thing for Rube to do... but it was probably a necessity. Chuck Lamar has done a great job with not a lot of money - wonder how the next guy will do?

We'll find out sooner rather than later...

Eagles 2011 Season - Sunday

How are YOU feeling about the Eagles' game this weekend?

Do yourself a favor and watch this video - Merrill will take care of the rest...

Also, please note the oddly flexible abilities of Cullen Jenkins. Please.

Alright, now that that's over with and everyone is done loving everything about it... Let's talk Birds for a bit.

Here's the bit:

Don't get frustrated on Sunday. The Rams are not going to be as bad as some people think. Also, regardless of the talent level, it will still take a few weeks for these guys all to mesh and get used to each other. We're going to win games, but we will not be 16-0 (well, we might- but probably not). As long as we're winning when it matters and come playoff time - THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS.

If the Eagles aren't the new 'show on turf' Sunday when they play the Rams... Everyone relax. They need time to adjust.

Sidenote: IF we hear anyone whine Monday about how they're worried, we here at continued success will absolutely lose our minds.

With all of that being said, The Birds should win - so sit back and enjoy week 1...

I've got Sunshine...

On a cloudy day.

It is rainy here, but sunny in the hearts of Phillies fans everywhere.

As you can tell by this awful post title, we have sunshine here at continued success even with the awful weather in the Philadelphia area this week and its based solely on the Fightin’ Phils domination of the Braves. The Phils have absolutely demolished the overmatched Braves this week and if this is any indication of a series that could take place in October, the Braves might as well stay home and let their pitchers rest for next year. Derek Lowe can get back to drinking two saucy mojitos and then driving his baby blue Prius home before getting pulled over for being hammered. His wonderful pitching coach, Roger McDowell, will conversely be cursing and swearing at young kids while making insensitive discriminatory remarks until he gets arrested for exposing himself in a local community center. Let’s not give all the credit to the Braves though, there have been some amazing things that have been clicking for the boys of summer through the first couple games of the series. Let’s break down those amazing things that have happened:

Vance Worley brings the sunshine to the park.

"My mom always tells me how much my glowing smile makes her happy."

-       Thanks to another great pitching performance, Vance Vance Revolution (Vanimal, Goggles and whatever well deserved nicknames you want to give him) has made yet another strong showing in favor of becoming NL ROY. Now, it is almost a sure thing that Craig Kimbrel will win it because of his save totals, but Vance has been almost as good in an extremely important role for this Phillies pitching staff. The Phillies have won the last 14 games that Vanimal has started, that is the longest streak since the St. Louis Cardinals won 17 straight starts by Chris Carpenter in 2005, and for the Phillies, it is the longest streak since Steve Carlton’s 15 straight back in 1972. His ERA for the season is 2.85 and his WHIP ((Walks + Hits)/Innings pitches) is an astoundingly low 1.17. To put that in perspective, his WHIP is good enough to put him at 10^th best in the NL, and 24^th in all of MLB while his ERA is ranked 8^th best in the NL and 13^th in MLB. Those are outstanding numbers for a rookie 23 year old who has gone from no expectations in the beginning of the year to being expected to pitch almost a shutout every single time out. His transformation came full circle when he faced the Braves on Tuesday night and looked like a mature pitcher who got out of his jams on the mound while only giving up 2 runs over 6 innings without his best stuff. He has shown that if needed, he is ready to take his game to the next level in October.

Lee provides rain on Braves’ parade.

(No comment needed)

-       Like our first report, Lee has been almost unhittable as Worley has throughout much of the season, but especially as of late. Lee has the ridiculous stats that you probably know about: 3^rd in the NL in ERA (2.47) and WHIP (1.03) and also 2^nd in the NL in SO (204). Along with this, have been his amazing months of June and August. In June, his ERA was an amazing 0.21 and in August it was a measly 0.45. Monday night was just a prime example of what Lee does best. He went for another complete game shut out with an overwhelming performance. His stuff was so crisp he could put the ball wherever he needed to get the next out. He has looked so good that he has actually surpassed Roy Halladay on a lot of experts’ NL Cy Young award watch list. If he closes out the season the way he started it, we could see an NL Cy Young and a World Series MVP in his near future.

The Phillies offense brings the thunder and lightning to Braves pitching.

Offense is looking "up"

-       The bats have come alive since Hunter Pence has joined the team, and although too many people complained about them before that, it has only gotten better. At this point in the season, they are 12^th in the league in runs scored, 15^th in batting average, 10^th in on base percentage and 14^th in slugging percentage. The numbers may not be the highest, but they are far better than people are making them out to be and when your pitching is THIS good, you don’t need 10 runs a game, do you? Aside from this, they have dominated a very good pitching staff of the Atlanta Braves over the past couple nights. Howard is still having a monster year even though everyone continues to get on the Big Piece’s back about his batting average. He has still hit 31 HRs and 108 RBIs (1^st in the NL) to this point in the year. Ibanez is in one of his upward swings in which he is so hot, you can call him 9-1-1 sauce on buffalo wings. Victorino is having an MVP type season, Utley is rounding back into form, and Chooch is having an amazing year that we all know will only get better in October when he becomes his superhero alter ego Senor Octubre. The lineup is now balanced with Pence and the availability of Johnny May off the bench when needed versus a left handed pitcher, and they are looking nowhere but up over the last couple months of the season. As the weather continues to be cold, look for these bats to remain hot (caliente para Senor Octubre) throughout the playoffs.

Two Class Acts, One City.

Here is the magazine cover for 'Philadelphia Magazine' recently…

Aside from the fact that this is a hysterical picture and title…

AND that this little caption right above the UPC code makes me feel like a 17  year-old girl…

OH EM GEE.

Seriously think about how lucky we are in Philadelphia to have these two guys at the helm of our teams…

If nothing else, it made us here at ‘continued success’ think about why these two guys should be heralded.

Charlie first –

No one is complaining or arguing (at least, we don’t think) about why Charlie should be praised. He has brought us (with all of the talent around him) a fun, energetic ball club to watch every spring, summer, and fall. Oh, and he has also brought us one World Series and two appearances. Not to mention, a fun little heap of NL East Division Championships…

This hasn’t been a one-way street either. The city has embraced Uncle Cholly and turned a jolly ole’ nervous Southern boy into a Hollywood starlet with his own show. The nervousness is still somewhat there during the press conferences, but you definitely get the big smile because he knows no matter what comes out of his mouth we’re all just going to chuckle and go, ‘Oh Uncle Charlie, what won’t you say?’

He’s not without some frustration though. Those following closely enough know Charlie’s inability to go for a bunt… EVER can get a little bit annoying. But hey, it’s not enough to not like the guy. He has built the team up with a relaxed attitude and a ‘No big deal – let’s go get ‘em’ mentality. We’re lucky to have this guy at the helm for our Fightin’ Phils.

Big Red next –

The big guy is going to get more mixed reviews than Charlie will, but you won’t ever hear us complaining (Alright, that’s a lie – his 2 minute offense does drive us nuts, but that’s another story).

And here’s why –

We have become the CLASS of the NFC during and because of the time that Andy has spent and poured into this team since he took over in 1999. No, we haven’t won the Super Bowl, but we have become a force to be reckoned with for 10+ years in the NFC and it’s thanks to the stability and leadership that Andy has provided. Players have changed, coordinators have come and gone, and we’ve even changed stadiums, but the one constant has been Big Red. He’s even been the real genius behind our drafting. You can sit back and whine about the lack of a Super Bowl or be a man (or woman – we don’t want any lawsuits for discrimination) and admit that this whole organization was complete garbage 13 years ago and Big Red has built from there.  Oh, and did we mention that he has these honors as well:

-  -      most wins in team history (107)

-       best winning percentage (.611)

-       most playoff wins (10)

-       and this

So, mock the man’s sons, make fun of his play sheet that looks like a menu, yell at him when we call a timeout with 2:01 left in the 4^th quarter of a big game, but give the man a break and just acknowledge all that he has and will continue to accomplish in the City of Brotherly Love.

Regardless of which one coach it is, the big difference is that they are players’ coaches. Guys look up to and respect these coaches and will go to battle for them each and every week/day. They have created a sense of respect in the locker room and a goal of nothing else but a W. It has given each of these guys the success that they deserve.

But on a sidenote – can you imagine what these two would look like on a date? They’d definitely spend the day giggling, talking about favorite players, and just eating terrible food. If only we could be flies on the wall for that one, wow – we’d definitely even pick up the bill. The two of them are a match made in heaven with this city.

Tropical Storm Sarge

Great job of filling time today by Wheeler and T-Mac in this 8-0 laugher versus the Gutless Braves...

The next star of any major sitcom... Now accepting offers.

In case you missed it, Wheeler and T-Mac double teamed an amazing story about Sarge and his recent mishaps on the road in Cincinnati in which is rightfully called "Tropical Storm Sarge". The story basically outlines how Sarge recently fell asleep in his hotel room on the road with the sink running, and due to Wheels' "expert analysis" of a situation, they discovered that there was an overflow. We say "expert analysis" because when he saw the wet floor, he called the hotel engineer instead of just knocking on Mr. Matthews' door to see what was going on. After a bunch of dumb extra details that were unnecessary they get to the best part of the story. When Sarge is confronted about the situation, he tells Wheels, "I can't believe they sent us to a hotel with faulty sinks." In classic Sarge fashion, he shows yet again that he is not only an amazing baseball analyst, but also just a flat out entertainer in every sense of the word. If he isn't picked up for a sitcom soon, we question the integrity and talent evaluation of every major network television channel in the United States of America. Thank you for the great question from an amazing new twitter segment, "Ask the Booth." We look for more great things like this to come.

In-Game Twinsights

If you’re not watching the Phillies game right now, we beg of you…

TURN IT ON.

Forget that the score is 8-0 and we’re cruising. The boys right now are playing with energy, tenacity, and a little bit of straight ANGER.

We all hated to see that bush league loss yesterday but maybe it left the little sour taste in the mouths of the Phils that we needed to fire us up for tonight.

Things to watch:

Shane is back to playing the way he usually does versus the Bravados. He’s running everywhere for the ball in center, getting great at-bats, getting big hits, and even trying to get creative with his base running to go for a double steal.

Chooch is so fiery that whether or not the umpire is calling the third strike, he has been sprinting away from home plate as soon as he thinks it is. Multiple times in the game now, he has had to come back to finish catching an at-bat because he thought it was strike three so he took off for the dugout.

Utley threw in one of his trademark glove flips to first on a close play (We’re Lovin’ It.)

Howard (still struggling a bit running the bases from just being beat up) is making ballerina-like dives in foul territory for balls. (Oh and don't forget the mammoth long ball he just hit - Wow, Mr. Big Piece)

The Boys are cookin’ – just sit back and soak it all in – we’re getting the Phils’ version of September baseball.

Funny detail from the game today: During one of Wheelers' senseless rants today about who knows what, something funny popped up on the bottom of the screen.

L- Wheeler (2-2)

Now this was obviously speaking of Dan Wheeler, the relief pitcher for the Red Sox, but this automatically made us think about how Wheels loses in the hearts and minds of Phillies fans on a daily basis with his awful stories and repetitive unfunny sayings. In our record books, he is more like (2-1008).

53 Man Roster almost as good as #53 Hugh Douglas

After a lot of cutting going on today… here’s a knee jerk reaction to what happened today from the world of the Iggles.

Cuts that disappointed us:

"D'oh"

1.     This is the first and foremost disappointing release and that is WR Chad Hall. Chad is a rough kid who, even though he is not the biggest guy, has always shown he is up for whatever the team asks of him. He has shown himself to be extremely versatile, lining up anywhere on the outside, taking handoffs in the backfield, and on occasion, becoming our wildcat quarterback to add a wrinkle to the offense. Above all else he is a dynamic speed and quickness that can most easily be compared to a Wes Welker or Danny Amendola. On any other team that doesn’t have the best receiving corps in the league, this guy makes the team and gets some important touches each game. We understand why he was cut, but we believe that with some work it is possible he is a starter or solid contributor to a different NFL team this or next season.

2.     The second guy that we are most upset was cut from the nest today was Derek Landri. This guy isn’t the best player on the list or anything like that, but damn did he have a motor on him. In his action through the preseason games, he was always involved in the play and always excited about it. He is the type of player that we want in there 4^th and goal in the fourth quarter because he wants to make the big play and he wants to make a difference. Again, not the best defensive tackle, but he would have been a solid game by game contributor.

Head Scratchers

Speaks for itself. Dogs can't talk!

1.     We don’t like to question Andy Reid very often, but the one thing we don’t like is the keep of Cedric Thornton the UFA from Division II Southern Arkansas. We have not seen enough out of him to really think that this young kid is going to be able to contribute each game on a consistent basis. Now, we do get it, the kid is a monster at 6-4 309 and Jimmy Washburn loves himself some big old defensive lineman. As our good friend Jimmy Lynam taught us, “You can’t teach height,” .. and size and he has a lot of potential. Who knows, with the mad man Jim Washburn coaching him up, he could even turn into the next Albert Haynesworth out there, but right now, it is a long shot that he makes any difference on the Super Bowl run this year. Lets just hope this works out in the future so this kid looks like a smart move by the coaching staff.

2.     The next one is just really an overall head scratcher by the staff, and that is the lack of any big time return man on the roster (Relax, we know we still have Desean Jackson, but we don’t want him getting hurt out there.) We had two big time speed guys on the roster that could have contributed in a big way on special teams in the persons of Sinorice Moss and Johnny Lee Higgins. These guys have a ton of speed and are solid return men that you don’t have to worry about in a tight game coughing up the ball. Even keeping Chad Hall before would have been a solid place in the return game, but instead all three are ousted. It would have been nice to leave one of them on the roster to give Jackson a break. We will see how this works out, and we know there are other options on the roster, but any of these three would have helped to save our beloved #10 from unnecessary hits.

Finally, the one guy who made the roster that we are extremely happy is staying:

Philip Hunt!

"Once they got rid of Kevin Kolb, I was the obvious Houston Cougar replacement for this team!"

This guy has shown in the preseason that he is the real deal in every sense of the word. He even left Howie Roseman singing his praises earlier about how he flat out beat Daniel Te’o… nevermind the rest of the name isn’t even important he’s not a bird anymore. He has shown that he can be a disruptive force in the preseason in the NFL not just the CFL or at the University of Houston, but he does have an impressive resume overall. In his two seasons with the CFL (One of the NFL farm systems), he had 19 sacks ( 3 in the first year and then 16 in his second year) which is a nice total over the period. So coming into the NFL preseason and putting a good performance was important. It is always said that Jim Washburn can get the best out of any lineman and Hunt is taking advantage of having Jimmy coach him up. In the last preseason game of the year alone he had a sack and 3 solo tackles (2 of which were TFL). Congratulations Phil, now keep it together and keep working hard or you are going to be joining Daniel Te’o on the “We don’t care about you in Philadelphia anymore” list. Take advantage of the opportunity you are given and dominate, go steal time from Babin and Parker and make a difference on our run to the Bowl.

Welcome back to:

Jaqua Parker. You have done a great job for the Eagles for a while and you deserved a spot on the roster. There was speculation that you were going to be cut today, but we are happy you are here. You’re veteran leadership will be a great asset for the boys in green.

RIP to…

You used to be good. What happened?

Lito Sheppard. Okay, you are not an Eagle anymore, but say goodbye to your career. After a great tenure here in the Nest, you have done nothing for the Jets and now you aren’t even good enough to be a bench player for the Oakland Raiders. After being cut by the Crypt Keeper’s bunch of misfits, it is time to say goodbye to your career. Go use your wonderful Florida education to work at McDonald’s as a drive through associate.

For a look at all the cuts today...
Click Here!