Are you down with Your Team ?
by tophatal
MLB posts within this site
At this point of the MLB season , we can now assume a number of teams are ready to bail on their respective seasons . Nowhere does this now appear to be relevant than with the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies . Among the highest salaried baseball franchises in MLB , both teams now find themselves in unenviable positions . It would not be remiss to suggest that both managers are under a microscope as well as a great deal of pressure to succeed .
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Slide show .
For Charlie Manuel having tasted success with the Phillies in that franchise’s most recent success , in winning the 2008 World Series . It was felt that the team was built for long-term success at the highest levels . In the subsequent it years , they have been filled with highs and lows . Perhaps this season , unlike any other , it has been one of sheer ineptitude , with little by way of any tangible success or redeeming quality. GM Reuben Amaro , has been at a complete loss to explain the team’s lackluster performances on all levels. It has now reached the point where he is beginning to consider breaking up the roster and trading away players he believes are superfluous to the Phillies’ needs . Among the players now said to be on the “chopping block” , is outfielder Shane Victorino . The player is perhaps one of the franchise’s most beloved and respected players in recent Phillies’ history . This however , does not explain away the apparent woes of this organization from a competitive standpoint . Injuries asides , players such as Cliff Lee , Vance Worley , Roy Halladay , Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Blanton have under-achieved this season . The sole bright spot on an otherwise dour pitching staff has been the pitching of starting ace , Cole Hamels . And the player may well be in line for the NL Cy Young Award consideration , if he is able to maintain his current form . Hamels , alongside R A Dickey , Gio Gonzalez , Johnny Cueto , Ryan Dempster and Matt Cain might be considered amongst the favorites for the award within the NL .
Inasmuch , as the Phillies have had their problems with regard to their pitching , the offense has proven itself to be just as inept . Without the productivity of Hunter Pense and Carlos Ruiz , this team would certainly find itself in a far graver situation than at present . Currently , lying fifth , in the NL East , with a record of 44-52 . It seems hard to understand how Charlie Manuel and his staff will be extricate the team from out of this position . Not content with the fact that they are now 14 ½ games out of first place , currently held by the Washington Nationals (53-36) . The Phillies now have to be content with a situation that also finds them 11 games out , in the wildcard standings within the NL . Talk about a dire situation or what .
If the Philadelphia Phillies are to have any semblance of success over the remainder of the season , then their upcoming schedule and series of games will determine the direction that they will ultimately be heading in. Next up for the Phillies on their agenda will be a three-game home series against the San Francisco Giants (51-40) . Taking the mound for the Phillies will be Vance Worley (3-4, 4.30 ERA) against Tim Lincecum (1-6, 5.84 ERA) of the Giants . The Philadelphia Phillies are not just in need of wins but consecutive series’ wins , anything short of that would have to be seen as a disaster .
Two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) can buy you a whole lot of luxury , if you are a multi-billionaire , as it the case , with Miami Marlins’ owner , Jeffrey Loria . This was the money spent during the off-season to acquire the presumed talent that team President David Samson and GM Michael Hill felt would be good enough to win a World Series , adding to the organization’s triumphs in 1997 and 2003 . In the nine years since that last piece of success the Miami Marlins have remained in the wilderness , with changes in player personnel as well as their managers over that time-span . The organization had the inaugural opening of the Marlins Ballpark , a $575 million resplendent edifice , built largely in part with public funds made available via a bond issue , guaranteed by the city of Miami . That asides , with the addition of Ozzie Guillen brought in to manage this team , everything was meant to be in place for the franchise to mount a serious challenge not just within the division but also across the MLB landscape .
In a season has been anything but that , in terms of the Marlins actually mounting a serious challenge . There have been inconsistencies on both sides of the plate , with several of the high-priced players on this roster repeatedly coming up short , Guillen and his managerial staff have no answers as to what ails the team . At 44-47 , it is hard to explain how things could go so badly for an organization that was said to be so ambitious from the outset , this season .
With a year that seems to be imploding right in front of the fans’ eyes at the ballpark event with the advent of sold-out attendance for a number of games . It now appears that David Sansom and Michael Hill are prepared to give up on the season , simply gambling on what the outcome might be . Wildly scurrilous rumors , not necessarily from the most reliable sources has the Marlins’ front office now prepared to pull off a mega-trade that would send Heath Bell and Hanley Ramirez to the Boston Red Sox , in exchange for outfielder Carl Crawford , draft prospects and cash consideration . Now as enticing as that trade might appear to be , I seriously doubt that the Red Sox are prepared meet the demands of the Marlins . Then again , I could very well be wrong , given the AL team’s present predicament , with them languishing in the AL East several games behind their arch rivals the New York Yankees .
Courtesy of USA Today
By Bob Nightengale , USA Today
Blockbuster trade proposed between Marlins, Red Sox
The Miami Marlins strutted into their glitzy new digs three months ago, looking glamorous for the TV cameras and thinking their offseason brilliance would make everyone want to come to South Florida .
They may have spent nearly $200 million on free agents and have the highest payroll in franchise history, but they look like the same Marlins. Management is so exasperated by their performance, they are contemplating dumping star players, including Hanley Ramirez.
The Marlins have informed the Boston Red Sox they’d be willing to trade Ramirez and closer Heath Bell for left fielder Carl Crawford and a prospect, according to four officials with knowledge of the talks. The four spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing.
PHOTOS : MLB trade tracker
MORE : Deadline primer: 10 teams, players to watch
Two of the officials who are from the Red Sox told USA TODAY Sports there have been trade talks, but they were initiated by the Marlins. The Marlins, who sent vice president Dan Jennings to Boston to watch Crawford this week, say the talks are active, but they’re trying to determine whether to abandon their postseason hopes before pulling a trigger on any trade. They were 44-46 entering Wednesday, nine games out of first place in the National League East .
“Anything is possible,” said Crawford, who does not have Miami on his no-trade list, when approached Wednesday by news reporters. “Nothing really surprises me anymore.”
The trade would involve players signed to contracts guaranteeing $239 million, making it the second-biggest swap of contracts in baseball history. The 2004 trade that sent Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees from the Texas Rangers for Alfonso Soriano involved more than $257 million in contracts.
Crawford, a four-time All-Star who missed the first 89 games of the season before returning Monday, is in the second year of a seven-year, $142 million deal, a record for outfielders; Ramirez, a three-time All-Star and 2009 batting champion, is in the fourth year of a six-year, $70 million contract; and Bell, a three-time All-Star, is in the first year of a three-year, $27 million deal.
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Click on the above link to read article in full .
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For Carl Crawford , ever since his departure from the Tampa Bay Rays , in signing that multi-year contract (7 years $142 million ) , it has remained something of a struggle for the player to live up to that highly compensated deal . As we know , the season has been a dire one for the Boston Red Sox , and there has been a great deal of indifference between the fans and the newly installed manager Bobby Valentine . The Red Sox manager has tried just about everything in his bag of tricks , and about the only thing has not done has been to run across the center field of Fenway Park , stark naked , as a way inducing his players to be more forceful and productive . Wait a minute perhaps that may well be the next thing that Valentine tries . What do you think ?
To state that the Boston Red Sox are having a bad season would be akin to suggesting that the poll ratings for Congress are somewhat skewered , and does not reflect the true position and popularity of that legislative chamber . Just kidding , as the US Congress is , and has been as fuc#ed up this year , as it has ever been ! In the case of the Boston Red Sox , the departure Terry Francona has seen this organization take a tailspin almost into oblivion . Whatever possessed GM Ben Cherington and team President Larry Lucchino to hire Bobby Valentine , is a still a question being asked and of which in reality , no one has been able to give a succinct answer to . That is unless you just happen to be one of the moronic insiders and MLB analysts within ESPN who still looks upon Valentine , rather favorably . Not I said the fly . Neither , do I ! He is the wrong person for the position , who just happened to be in the right place , at a time when the franchise was said to be in desperate need of an experienced manager .
Whether or not this proposed deal is cultivated and the players in question are sent in opposite directions , it is by no means a certainty that it will all bear fruit for the teams in question by way of immediate success . One thing is for sure at present within the Majors , and that is , these are desperate times , calling for desperate measures for a numbers of teams looking to resurrect their seasons . The Philadelphia Phillies , Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox are ball-clubs fitting that description .
The performances of the teams within baseball this season pre All Star Game and post mid-season event has been something of an indication as to how susceptible the fans are to first impressions . While the pitching has been in some cases truly exceptional in others, it has been truly inept . At the same time in terms of offense we have seen the likes of Josh Hamilton , Andrew McCutchen , Carlos Ruiz and Matt Kemp provide us with some scintillating performances in the first half of the season . The second half may well provide us with a great deal more but that would also be predicated upon the teams , their play and in particular that of the players , themselves .
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Picture gallery .
What are your expectation as the baseball embarks on the remainder of its schedule ? Which teams do you believe will be among the major players by way any perceived blockbuster trades ? Simply leave a comment on this and anything else you believe pertinent to the subject matter . Thanks as always , for the continued of this site , the encouragement and incisive comments brought to the fore . Greatly appreciated by myself and the other patrons of this forum !
Picture and slide show details below .
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(1) (1) Philadelphia Phillies’ Shane Victorino scores on a Carlos Ruiz single as Los Angeles Dodgers as catcher A.J. Ellis applies the late tag in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. AP Photo/Reed Saxon ….
(2) LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 18: Matt Kemp (27) of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates as he runs to home plate after hitting a walk-off two-run home run to right center field against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 12th inning to win the game 5-3 at Dodger Stadium on July 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jeff Golden/Getty Images ….
(3) Chicago Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano , left, smiles as he arrives at second base on a thrown wild pitch by Miami Marlins starter Josh Johnson during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh …
(4) CHICAGO, IL – JULY 18: Manager Ozzie Guillen (13) of the Miami Marlins (R) takes out starting pitcher Josh Johnson (55) as catcher Brett Hayes (9) stands on the mound during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 18, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Brian Kersey/Getty Images …
Chicago White Sox’s Paul Konerko watches the flight of his double hit off a pitch by Boston Red Sox’s Jon Lester in the first inning of a baseball game in Boston, Tuesday, July 17, 2012. AP Photo/Steven Senne …
(6) Chicago White Sox’s Alex Rios slides out at second on a steal attempt as Boston Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles , right, makes the play in the first inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, July 17, 2012. AP Photo/Steven Senne …
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MLB Standings @ 18th July 2012 & wildcard standings
MLB probable starting pitchers 19th July 2012
This day in baseball history (19th July)
MLB Standings 18th July 2011 ….. & wildcard standings one year ago
So Carl Crawford isn’t averse to moving on and leaving the BoSox . Wow ! I guess when you’re hamstrung with a contract like that and you’ve failed to produce for the BoSox , what else can you but wimp out !
“Look I ain’t no punk a#s bitch I’ve been playing hurt or I’ve been on the DL . So fu#k y’all ” ! Carl Crawford
Ozzie shows his appreciation for Bryce Harper by telling us that he’d like to take a couple of swings at the player before sodomizing him with a bat .
“Son you don’t know me from sh#t off course I’m not worried about losing my job . I’ve paid my dues in this game but what I am worried about is whether or not the price of Viagra will go up ! ” Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel
Ozzie Guillen and Charlie Manuel , both their ass#s are currently on ” the hot seat “ , anyone who believes to the contrary will be in for a big surprise .
” When I make a return to the game as a manager I can guarantee that I will have the formula for success because beyond being , an idiot I also happen to be knowledgeable about this game , as well as being a god-damn genius ” ! Bobby V
If Valentine manages to pull off the impossible and has the Red Sox contending in late August , then , he’s deserving of the AL Manager of the Year Award . Personally , I can’t see that premise arising at all , as of now , . that team is literally dead in the water and are essentially shark bait !
tophatal ……………..
The absence of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hasn’t helped matters. That’s $35 of that $200 mil you’re talking about right there, but Phillies fans don’t want excuses, they want W’s.
At 13 games back, let’s see if they can field some sort of second half comeback. If they do, it’ll be all anyone will be talking about and their lousy first half will be all but forgotten.
Chris Humpherys
Isn’t that why a team mains an active roster of 24 players for emergencies such as when players of the caliber of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley go down injured , they can fill in those gaps ? They got rid of a productive player in Raul Ibanez who has been producing for the Yankees this season and at the same time he’s being paid a rather light sum in terms of his salary .
The rest of July and into the months of August and September , let’s see how the Phillies will fare . If they’re out of contention , I truly believe that Charlie Manuel and Reuben Amaro have to be relieved of their positions within the organization .
tophatal ………..
Chris Humpherys
The Phillies’ front office as led by Reuben Amaro is bereft of intelligence !
tophatal ………..
I will always be a phillies fan. I’m a philly kid. I been through this shit since i was born in 1952. The bums have had a few years near the top but for the most part the Phillies sucked big time. My guys were the team to lose ten thousand games. That’s right tenm thousnad games. Look at our history and you’ll see. we always pack the place win or loses. this is the plight of a Philles or eagles fan. By Saam was the Phillies play by play cat for a long time, I got to know him well. Phillie for life. The schmucks took two outta three from the Dodgers, Will they win the East not in this life time. Maybe the shit heads will finish near five hundred.
Bobby Gee
I believe the issue within the Phillies’ organization is that they have s been complacent and their wish to spend money rather than develop talent through their farm system and by way nurturing what is already on their current roster .
Other than their triumph in 2008 and the missteps in the subsequent years in the true sense of the word , the Phillies have greatly under-achieved .
tophatal ………
Bobby Gee
I’d certainly like to think that the Phillies ownership are not taking the fans for granted but on appearance it now does look that way. Principal managing partner David Montgomery does come across as being something of an ass and totally self-indulgent !
Montgomery , second from the left also happens to be part owner (minority stakeholder) of the MLS soccer team the Philadelphia Union
tophatal …………..
The Phillies are out of the race this year Alan. Forget the 13+ games they’re behind. The last time a team made up that amount of games in the second half of a season was in 1978. And this Phillies team as currently assembled ain’t no 1978 N.Y. Yankees.
On another note, this is one great in-depth and well written article!
Props!
-Hank
Fantasy Furnace
Hank / Fantasy Furnace
Please pass that message on to ESPN’s … John Kruk as he’s become delusional in thinking that the Phillies will make the postseason .
This season the Phillies have been banal and an utter failure ! It is time indeed for both Reuben Amaro and Charlie Manuel to go !
Thanks for the props ! It is greatly appreciated and welcomed !
tophatal ………
It will be interesting to see who the sellers will be as the deadline approaches. The buyers will include the usual suspects, the Yankees heading the list. Pitching will be at a premium. I suspect the Rays to get some interest for Sheilds and depending on the Longoria situation Tampa Bay may just let him go for the right price.
Have a great weekend my friend. Cheers!
aero
I certainly hope that the Rays won’t be amongst “the movers and shakers” <a in terms any potential trades unless it’s of the utmost priority . Of late , the team has been far too …. inconsistent for my liking !
tophatal ……
Say it ain’t so ? The Rays are considering jettisoning their 2011 AL Rookie of the Year pitcher Jeremy Hellickson as well as Wade Davis . Once again this financially challenged organization has to bail on a season because of their ongoing predicament without really getting the needed fan support or anything else by way of assistance from the MLB hierarchy . But somehow Astros’ owner Jim Crane gets a $65 million rebate and ” sweetheart deal ” (having bought the franchise) as an inducement to mover the organization/ team from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013 . Why no outrage from the fans within the game ? Or is it simply because the vast majority of them are dumb and naive at the same time ?
tophatal …………..
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I couldn’t believe the Marlins wanted to get Crawford. Even though Hanley is under performing, it doesn’t seem like they should get rid of him unless he doesn’t like Ozzie…
chappy81
What might be even more incredible is that the Marlins still wants to assume Crawford’s contract in spite of his poor play this season .
Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes have been way too inconsistent and when you consider the money they are being paid . What else would you come to expect from an under-achieving team ?
I hear the A’s are getting in the mix trying to get Hanley. I guess we’ll see what happens, but I doubt Hanley stays in a Marlins jersey for long!
chappy81
Do you believe that the A’s front office are prepared to commit long-term to Hanley Ramirez given the money due and what is remaining on his contract ?
Marlins’ GM Michael Hill and team President Dave Sansome < gambled and lost because they were overly ambitious in building the roster with ill-fitting parts . Never-mind the fact that the so-called winning attitude that Ozzie Guillen was allegedly bringing in with him has been about as useful as pi#sing in the ocean and then waiting to look at the ripple effect .
chappy 81
For me it’s see the fall from grace of a team that simply was over-ambitious and was assembled like a jig saw piece being put together by a blind man . The Marlins have been horrendous throughout this season and that has been borne out by their results and standing within the NL East .
tophatal ………..