A Note from Ruben...

Dear Philadelphia,

It is I, your once beloved, and often talked about, General Manager Ruben Amaro Junior. I have been with all of you for a while now, from highly touted prospect to major league stud to assistant GM and protégé of the Legend Pat Gillick. And here we are now. Where are we now you may ask? That’s a good question.

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I thought I was the toast of the city. I am the man who brought you almost everything that you people could have ever wanted.

You wanted the surgeon from Canada, and I brought you the man they call “Doc”.

You wanted the fun loving Cleveland kid with an attitude of gold, and I gave you Clifton Phifer.

“Oh no! We need more offense!” Boom, I give you the kid who loves post game eats, Hunter Pence.

The gap between Jimmy and I was not only between his teeth, but also between money and years of a contract. Yet, I closed the gap not only between his teeth (Liquid concrete did the trick), but also got the deal done.

Fast forward about 6 months, and we have our current state. You all look at me like some high school boy who wouldn’t know the difference between a 5 year, $40 million deal, and one of those damn Algebra problems about which train is going to get to some fictional stop before the other one does.

Well, I have some news for you. Not only do I know how to make the big deal, but I know how to answer that idiotic Algebra problem too. The answer: I don’t give a shit which train gets their first, because they are both going to Philadelphia and they both have some high price talent that I bring in while staying under the luxury tax.

You can all be mad at me as much as you want, but quite frankly, I don’t care. All I have done is what you ask and now, I can’t foresee lingering injuries to our major stars, and I am a pariah? I know I should be Ms. Cleo, but because I refuse to wear that awful psychic wrap on my head, I can’t see into the future. I mean with this hair would you wear anything on your head?

I put together an amazing bench behind our cast of talent that included some major power and some good matchup type hitters. Also, I brought in some good competition, which Charlie and I always believe drives performance. Injuries are one of those things that no one can predict, and even if I could, I have no more minor league pieces to trade. If you want to know why, see above. Also, because Big Bill Giles is riding me to make sure I don’t go over the luxury tax, I couldn’t sign anybody worthwhile in free agency anyway.

All I have to say to all of you Philadelphia is take a pill or start watching the Sixers, the bar is set much lower there. I have done all I can to help improve this club and it is just Spring Training, we haven’t even given this team a chance yet. We still have 3 starting pitchers who are capable of compiling 60+ wins, and then add in the solid 15 wins Joe Blanton is going to get us, and we are already right there (I know what you are thinking and yes, I am kidding about the Blanton total, I actually expect 20 wins from him also). The offense may not be the dynamo it has been in the past, but if Jimmy and Shane stay healthy, there is no reason we can’t produce enough runs to get the wins we need. And don’t forget, I am the magic man at the trade deadline so it is completely possible I can add one more piece at the end depending on what we need.

Before you start throwing beer on my car and calling for my head, remember I still have done more than any other GM has done for this team in years (unless you count Ed Wade as a member of the Astros). Be a fan, don’t be a critic, and trust in the lineup that we have. In time, all wounds will heal and if we can stay competitive until everyone comes back, we will be fine for the playoffs. We have a target on our back for a reason, we are still number ones in everyone’s’ minds.

If you don’t like what I am saying, go to CBP South and stay there.

Love always,

Ruben Amaro Jr.

Phillies Christmas List

Its getting close to that time of year again. There is holiday buzz all around every department store and toy store in the country. It is still a week away from Thanksgiving, and we already hear Christmas music and see ads with Christmas trees and Santa Claus and reindeer and everything else that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. With this in mind, we decided to do a week long series of guys that would be on the Philadelphia Phillies’ Christmas wish list this year. Now remember, we have been good boys and girls this year so we are hoping that Santa Claus can bring us the presents we have behaved so well for (By this we mean sell out the stadium every game, buy ridiculous amounts of Phillies gear, all the stuff that a GM and its board look for in a fan base). So each night this week look for some of the players that we would put down on our Christmas list this year, and if Santa Claus thinks we were good enough maybe he will bring us a present when he does almost every year… December 14^th.

Now before we get started, these aren’t deals that are necessarily GOING to happen, but they could make some sense for the Phillies as low cost - high production types of free agents. Here is a couple free agents that could potentially be on our Christmas list this year.

1.     Michael Cuddyer

IM SO HAPPY TO BE IN THE BIG LEAGUES! I COULDN'T STAND THE MINNESOTA ACCENTS ANYMORE!

This is a guy right now who would make the most sense for the Phillies. Michael is not a free agent that is going to haul in a big contract, which is something the Phillies really can’t afford anyway, and yet he would be a great fit. One of the biggest reasons he is a great fit is that he is another right handed bat. As you may have noticed, we have a lot of left handers in our lineup and adding another solid righty would always help our matchups especially in late game situations. He hit lefties at a .311 clip last year with 10 homeruns. That kind of production is something that our offense could use, and do not forget that he did that mostly hitting in Target field versus AL pitching. If you put him in CBP with some good ole fashioned NL pitching, we could see .330 with 15 HRs versus lefties. Also, he did hit for a good average last year at .284 overall and even though he is a career .272 hitter, if you can put him in a lineup with some serious power like the Phillies CAN provide (we realize they don’t always provide it), we can see the same kind of production from him going forward. Finally, our last argument for Cuddyer is that he is a swiss army knife in the field. He can play first with Thome while Howard recovers, he can play some third with Polly to give Polanco the much needed rest that he needs, and we can play him at a corner outfield position if need be. Considering center field and right field are locked in, we can always use him out in left just in case something goes awfully wrong with Johnny Mayberry to start off the season. He has even played some second, so in case something happens to Chase, WE GOT IT COVERED. Cuddyer could be invaluable to an aging lineup that throughout the course of a year may have a lot of holes to fill due to injury. 

If At All Possible, Philadelphia Just Got Classier...

 OK, so it wasn’t a midnight fly-by-night Cliff Lee signing that shocked the sports world, but Big Rube made a good, solid deal on Friday.

As if we need to even tell you, Gentleman Jim Thome is back in town.

Yeah Jim, Power to the People.

Let us tell you really quickly why this is a great move…

1.     Your Opening Day Roster Needs Him.

We know you’ve tried to block it out but let’s go back to that final out of our season where Ryan Howard grounded out but never made it all of the way down the first base line…. Hmmm… Why not? Oh, that’s right, he tore his Achilles tendon. From what we’ve heard about recovering from this surgery, it’s not pleasant and it won’t be short. The very early estimation was 6-8 months. That puts us anywhere from April to June. Pull out your calendars because if you haven’t put two and two together yet, the season is well in full swing at this point. Jim, at the ripe old age of 41 yrs old, is going to need to fill in our need at first in some capacity. Will he be our opening day first baseman? It’s unlikely, but possible (especially with the Phillies heavily looking into Michael Cuddyer).

2.     Congratulations, You’ve Just Signed a Player/Manager, Ruben

Ruben just made one of the deals of his lifetime for one big reason: He basically just got a 2-for-1 deal for a measly $1.25 million (reportedly). Even when Ryan comes back and is ready and able to go, you’re still getting a well-seasoned and successful veteran. This vet may need to help a team that will be looking to start bringing up farm talent to fill in spots and to ‘see what they have waiting’ for a team that is aging (no surprise there). Anyone (not just rookies) is going to listen to Jim Thome. How many other guys in that locker room are able to say they’ve hit 604 homers in the MLB? My guess is none of them. Not to mention the guy that taught him how to swing the lumber to the extent that he is was Uncle Charlie. Everything Charlie preaches will be echoed by Jim and pounded into the heads of the guys that are in slumps or just need a little help. Not to mention that if the Phillies can hang onto Ryne Sandberg, and he becomes the bench coach, then you’ve got the best coaching staff in the league – without question. One of the top three won’t even be considered a coach and can still even swing the bat and help out in a game. Don’t underestimate this aspect.

3.     Bottom 9, 2 on, 2 outs, you need three runs quick… Gload or Thome?

Everyone got fed up quickly this year with Ross Gload’s lack of production. Albeit, the guy did have a bad hip and did his fair share of work, but we never really had that guy that everyone was confident in off of the bench. In years past, we had Dobbsy, Stairs, Valdez or the GREAT Tomas Perez. But this year we really never had that guy that came up in the 9^th and had everyone saying, ‘Everyone chill out – he’s got this.’ Mayberry took the role early, but he wasn’t that guy. Jim could easily become this guy that we look for a homer out of in a clutch situation. We especially needed this in the left-handed variety.

Aside for all of these points, the city got another great man and great ballplayer that WANTED to be back here. This is also a man that is only surpassed in home run total by 7 other men in the history of baseball. This should continue to add to the mystique and legendary status of an already fun team to watch. Whether or not this is another move to add another piece to a World Series-caliber team is something that can only be measured 11 months from now – in October. 

Just What the Doctor Ordered...

We'll go out on a limb and say that this was probably a strike...

For 11 years, Roy Halladay suffered through losing seasons. Year after year after year, Halladay, one of the greatest pitchers in MLB, had to sit there and suffer on a perennial losing franchise. Although he would never officially come out and say it in the media, because he is too classy, he wanted to leave and go to a contender; everyone knew that the Doctor wanted a chance to go to the playoffs. For several years at the trade deadline, rumors would come and rumors would go, but one thing would remain constant: Roy Halladay wearing the #32 Toronto Blue Jays jersey. During those years of unrest, two more things remained constant, a clamoring from Philadelphia fans to have the best pitcher in baseball on the roster and the desire of Big Ruben Amaro to have the Blue Jays’ ace in red and white pinstripes (usually very slimming). Eventually, when push came to shove, and the offseason came around, Big Rube could no longer control himself.

In the offseason, following a 2009 loss in the World Series to the Yankees, Amaro decided to trade what turned out to be some pretty mediocre prospects, including Kyle Drabek, to the Blue Jays and brought Roy to his real home at Citizens Bank Park. This settled two things. The first thing it solved was that the best fans in professional sports got there man. It helped a fan base, who was grieving a big loss to the ugly troll of baseball, forget what happened and have hope for the future. Hope that in the upcoming years, they wouldn’t have to worry about the other teams, but that other teams would in turn have to start worrying about them. The hope that with the best arm in the majors, would come the best prize in MLB, a trophy and another championship, possibly even a dynasty. The savage fan base’s hunger was satisfied and the masses were quieted.

The second problem, which was more important, did not get fixed until the following October. In the following October, after years of losing, Roy Halladay got his biggest wish, he was going to pitch in the postseason. In his first game against the Cincinnati Reds, everyone knows what happened. Halladay threw only the second no-hitter in the history of October baseball. Halladay had given the fans what they wanted and had gotten what he wanted, to pitch in the postseason and become part of history again in a way that he had never imagined possible before. But, this story is far from over. Last year was just the appetizer; Game 5 on Friday night is the main course.

On Friday night, Halladay (and many other current Phillies) will get the ultimate postseason experience. Some men never get to experience what is about to happen on Friday night. A Game 5 is the absolute end all, be all of postseason baseball and this is what Doc wanted. If he wanted to experience the thrill, excitement and nerves of a meaningful fall game under the lights, this is what he wanted. Roy has waited his entire life for this moment. The moment when the ball, a season, and a city all rest in the care of his golden right arm. Knowing all of this, don’t expect him to fail. Don’t expect anything less than dominance, guts, and heart from the most dedicated man in professional sports. There is only one more thing to expect on Friday night: a win. Halladay has worked for this moment, October glory is his for the taking and expect him to take it.

Moments that only happen in October...

OMG!!! JAYSON WERTH IS NOW AFRICAN AMERICAN!!!

And now that we have your attention… here is what that ridiculous title means…

"If that ball drops in for a single I am going to be quite infuriated. I won't settle for anything less than a double."

As the title tells us in a very non-politically correct way, we may have found the second coming of Jayson Werth in our little Stanford Cardinal (Except hes in no way little and he better not leave us for a lot of money/losses). Yes, that’s right, the incredibly intelligent Ivy League man is showing in a big way that he can perform on a daily basis in the outfield.  Since Opening Day, in which he hit a walk off single versus the Houston Astros, John Mayberry Jr. has been finding a way to get the big hit and make a big impact for this talented World Series ready club. He also has the ability to become a super utility man when needed as seen when he filled in for Ryan Howard at 1^st, Raul Ibanez in LF, Ben Francisco in RF (Before we acquired the right hand hitting God), and extremely valuable time filling in for Shane Victorino in CF. Mayberry (Power) was acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers swapping “speed for power” as Big Rube called it, when we sent Greg Golson (Speed) to the Rangers (Once again proving he is the best GM in the bizzzz). Since then, I would say that the deal has worked out better for the Phillies than the Rangers, since Golson is no longer there and not on a Major League roster. But let’s take a look at some of the numbers since we recalled Johnny May from the minors.

A long long time ago, roughly two months ago to be precise, in a ballpark near you, there was a mythical creature who was promoted from being an Iron Pig to being a Phillie, and that is where the story begins. Okay, that was gay, we’re sorry, but since July 5^th when Mayberry was recalled and Vanimal was sent down, John Mayberry has turned the corner at the plate. When he was designated, he was struggling a bit to find his offensive groove, but since then, he has done it all.  He tweaked his stance which went from tall and slow to more compact and less slow, and that has translated well for Johnny May. Big John has been 26 for 82 (.317 BA) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HRs and 27 RBIs since the “great knee bend incident”. Oh yeah, lets add in there 4 BBs and a SB just for good measure too. Not to mention, he also plays solid defensively whether it is tracking down the ball in the outfield or digging a throw out of the dirt, he does it all.

The only question that John Mayberry Jr has left for the Phillies to contemplate is, should he replace Raul right away or just platoon him in there for Rightie/Leftie, Leftie/Rightie matchups? The one answer that is for certain is the John Mayberry has hit his way into Charlie Manuel’s lineup and isn’t going to stop anytime soon.