Kuzul

The Philadelphia Phillies have not had a losing season since 2002, when they finished 80-81. The last ten seasons have provided the faithful fan base in Philadelphia with more things to cheer about than to jeer about. Unfortunately though, the end is near. It wasn't the farcical Mayan Apocalypse that dashed the hopes of Phillies fans everywhere. No. It was the mismanagement of a roster and farm system that will cause the destruction of arguably the best decade of baseball in this franchise's history. Who is to blame?People will easily point fingers at the players. Most notably, Ryan Howard's disappointing lack of production along with an additional projected decrease as his salary increases through the next several years is causing flack among Phillies fans.Despite all this, Howard is not to blame.Charlie Manuel developed a reputation for being a manager who knows how to instruct and correct batting issues from the get-go. It ...

According to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has stated that there is no No. 1 priority for next year.  With no talk of improving the outfield and an obviously shallow free-agent pool at third base next year, Phillies fans may not be so enthusiastic about jumping into the 2013 season next year.  Phillies fans have been mired in disappointment this season after the last five.  A team that had all the makings of a dynasty was only able to secure one World Series championship in that time.This year, the reasons were quite obvious: poor situational hitting, an inept bullpen in the first half of the season, injuries to marquee players, a weak defense and an ineffective manager who could no longer ride the train once the wheels were no longer going "round and round." Charlie Manuel and his hitting coach, Greg Gross, have done nothing to improve the hitting issues.  Perhaps the team has ...

Could Ryne Sandberg be the Philadelphia Phillies' manager in 2013?Probably not, because Charlie Manuel is under contract to be the Phillies' skipper next season and the team likely doesn't want to eat the reported $3.75 million he's set to be paid in the final year of his contract. However, the fact that the Phillies haven't offered Manuel a contract extension beyond next year could be a sign of the team's future intentions. The typical move made in this situation is to offer a manager at least a one-year extension so that he doesn't look like a "lame duck" whose job status gives him little authority.Yet according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, Sandberg is highly regarded within the Phillies organization. The former Chicago Cubs second baseman is currently the skipper for Philadelphia's Triple-A Lehigh Valley team and could be a popular candidate to fill some managerial openings around MLB next year. If the ...

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the 2012 season as five-time defending NL East champions. All five of those division titles came under the sage-like gaze of manager Charlie Manuel.It is under that same sage-like gaze that the Phillies have gone from first to worst this season. They ended Major League Baseball's unofficial first half with a record of 37-50. As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out, it took a lot longer for the Phillies to get to 50 losses in 2011: The Phillies lost their 50th game last season on Sept. 12. They were 94-50. They are 37-50 right now.— Matt Gelb (@magelb) July 8, 2012 At the rate the Phillies are going, they're going to end the season with over 90 losses. For them to turn things around and make it back to the postseason, they're going to need both good health and a few miracles.If Jonathan Papelbon feels ...

The Phillies have seen drastic ups and downs for the past 20 seasons. They lost as many as 97 games in 2000 and won as many as 102 in 2011.  They have been to three World Series (1993, 2008, 2009) winning one and have won the division six times (1993, 2007-11).So who had the best seasons, by position during that stretch to make up the All-Phillies team of the past 20 years?  Who's the manager and best coach?Let's find out.Begin Slideshow

The Philadelphia Phillies won another game last night beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3.  It was their 93rd win of the year.  Roy Halladay was... well Roy Halladay as he allowed only 4 hits, one run and had nine strikeouts through eight innings.  He is now 17-5 with a 2.44 ERA.Ryan Howard provided almost all the offense the Phillies would need with his three-run home run in the first giving Halladay the lead before he even threw his first pitch.  Howard now has 32 home run and a league-leading 111 RBI. And Phillies manager Charlie Manuel got his 637th win last night moving him to second place in all-time franchise wins.  Soon he will surpass Gene Mauch, at 646 wins, to become the winningest manager in Phillies history.  And since Phillies wins are becoming as commonplace these days as Cliff Lee shut-outs, today's post is devoted to the unlikely story of ...

Yet again, the Philadelphia Phillies’ hitting does not show up, only this time, it resulted in a 12th inning 2-1 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night. Throwing eight innings, allowing only one run and one hit, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels continued to show why he is a reliable starter for the team. But although Hamels pitched a terrific game, he, along with other Phillies pitchers this season, didn’t receive the run support needed to capture the win. Jimmy Rollins acquired two of the Phillies’ minuscule six hits, and he obtained the only Phillies run of the night. The Phillies have averaged four runs per game so far this season, which seems pretty favorable when you consider that the Phillies have four aces in their starting pitching rotation who, when healthy, shouldn’t need more than four runs in support to win. However, if the ...

No true ace willfully gives up the ball with a game on the line.  As a fan, you admire this, but sometimes, you still have a hard time trusting them.  Maybe the closer should be called you think.But when Roy says he's got it under control, you just have to trust him, no matter how bad things might look.  Halladay has earned the right to be his own closer.I learned this last night in the ninth inning as the Phillies played the Nationals.  Through the first eight innings, Halladay was on cruise control, allowing only two hits and shutting out Washington.  Although he had thrown nearly 100 pitches, things seemed to be in control.That was about to change as Rick Ankiel led off with a double.  Jayson Werth followed with a single.  Just like that, Halladay was in his first jam of the night as the tying run came to ...

After receiving an MRI yesterday, it was determined that Brad Lidge's injury woes will continue: he has a strain in the back of his right shoulder rotator cuff. In other words, according to Courier Post Online, this is equivalent to a tear, and he could even be out until July.This is far from good news that the Phillies have received throughout this year's spring training. Domonic Brown broke his hand after ending a hitless streak of over 15 at-bats. Chase Utley is out indefinitely with tendinitis in his right knee. Placido Polanco hyperextended his left elbow, on which he received surgery this offseason. Roy Oswalt suffered a scare when he was hit by a Manny Ramirez line drive.And now, after returning from bicep tendinitis, Brad Lidge—who was healthy for spring training for the first time in a long time—remains on the list, which at this point seems endless.With every injury ...

Well, it looks like it may be a reality: Luis Castillo is reported close to signing a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Quite frankly, I am not sure how I feel about this. One would assume that there are some pros and some cons so let's take a look at some of them One major pro is that he is most likely going to be very, very cheap. He is already guaranteed $6M from the NY Mets, so the Phillies would be able to sign him for his qualifying league minimum, approximately $485,000. Cheap labor of this caliber is always a good thing and of course it makes it a very low risk/high reward proposition for the Phillies. Added Bonus: how great would it be to watch Castillo play against the Mets while they are paying him? Does it get any better than that? Another pro would be that Castillo ...