Waiting For The Season To Begin

This headline from the Phillies' website caught my eye:

Scott Palmer gets the breakdown from Freddy Galvis on what's so special about the shortstop's bat

My reaction?  Nothing!

You're kidding, right?  No, there really is a video on the site under that heading.  I declined to watch it.

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So, Dom Brown isn't going to be ready for the beginning of the season because of tendinitis in the Achilles tendon.  I guess the off-season didn't provide sufficient time for Dom to get in shape.  Let's give him the benefit of the doubt:  maybe he just has a chronic condition that no amount of rest is going to completely correct.

OK.

So, let's look at this another way:  Dom is never going to be ready in the larger sense.  He's been a top prospect, a bust, a first-half sensation, then a bust again, then a real big bust.  Dom has used up his nine baseball lives.  Maybe his mother just should have tossed him completely in the River Styx.

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Then there is J-Roll, the West Coast edition.  Jimmy should have kept his trap shut and just put on that Dodgers uniform and thanked his lucky stars he'd escaped the disaster that is the Phillies, but, no, that wouldn't be Jimmy.  He had to take a few shots at the Phans.  It's a national past time and Jimmy couldn't resist.  It does him little credit and will likely increase the percentage of boos when he returns.  Then he can say I told you so. 

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The Phils have precious little pitching.  They have even less hitting.  Their defense isn't going to make anyone feel better about their prospects either.  If they win 63 games it will be a miracle.  So, how does the brain trust that runs the show react?  They still force season ticket holders to purchase plans that include the meaningless Spring Training game that takes place at Citizens Bank Park after the club heads north.  No amount of fan appreciation days is going to compensate for that insult.

Pepper

If it's Spring Training time we must be talking Chase Utley's health.

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The Sixers may have a plan but no one including their GM can predict how draft picks turn out.  Just remember Shawn Bradley and Leo Rautins.

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Could Ron Hextall finally be ending the Flyers' streak of terrible deals and signings?  The last few days would suggest so.

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Let's hope Cole Hamels, always a slow starter, comes out of the gate healthy and strong.  If he isn't gone by Opening Day, he will be by the July trade deadline.  The worse case scenario for the Phils would be he suffers an injury.  The best case scenario is that a contender with plenty of elite prospects to trade sees Hamels as the key to getting into the post season.

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The stories coming out of the Eagles' front office this off-season are hardly reassuring they will begin the process of filling their many holes come the draft and free agent market.  Let there be no mistake the Eagles weren't close to an elite team last year.  They have too many holes to fill to contend with the best of the NFL.

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Speaking of the Eagles, a good friend recently pointed out the biggest disadvantage to Chip Kelly's hurry-up offense is that with 3 and outs the defense is back on the field that much quicker.

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Mike Schmidt can work all he wants with Domonic Brown regarding his swing.  When you've been in professional ball this long you deserve the swing you've got!

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Go ahead, name five players on the Sixers team.

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I watched the last ten minutes the other night as the Flyers held off the Rangers to win 4-2 (the final goal coming on an empty net).  Steve Mason was brilliant.  The defense was decent.  The offense hardly mounted any offense those final ten minutes.  Mason was the entire difference.  The Flyers scoring difficulties will keep them out of the playoffs for another year.