Kuzul

Injuries have continued to plague some of the biggest names in baseball. With David Price the latest Cy Young contender to come up with a sore arm, Bryce Harper bouncing his head off an unprotected section of fencing and Ryan Howard limping again, we can only wonder about the hours that the medical staff is putting in.And while those good men and women work 18-hour days, we're left wondering if anyone else seems to care. I'll pass on stepping back up on my normal soapbox here. You know the next stanza on your own by now. At some point, some team will realize the advantage it can gain.In the meantime, we're left trying to find where the advantages are in our own fantasy world. You'll know if your favorite team is serious about managing injuries, but on a fantasy team, it's a game of minimization and prediction. The simplest way ...

At their best, sport stars allow us a respite from our daily worries and personal tumult. Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp was just the latest to lift the spirits of one particular fan while giving the rest of us a reason to smile—or get a little misty. Kemp—currently mired in a lackluster season—was apparently informed by Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach that there was a young man who wanted to meet him. Kemp did much more than that. The video below was spotted by blogger Roberto Baly of Vin Scully is My Homeboy and features Kemp giving everything from a signed ball to the shirt off his back to a fan. As of this writing, there isn't a great deal known about the fan who received a treasure trove of Kemp paraphernalia after a recent Dodgers vs. Giants game at AT&T Park. We simply have to go with what we can find in the description ...

A lot of questions confronted the Philadelphia Phillies as they headed into spring training.  Would their aging stars bounce back from long stints on the disabled list and regain their effectiveness?  Would those who had avoided the DL be able to avoid Father Time for one more year?  Would youngsters come up and fill voids left by core players departing?With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the answers to those questions are going to finally start being answered.  Some are already sharpening into focus.This weekend, my girlfriend and I have jetted down from the New York Metro area to Clearwater, Florida, to soak in some spring matchups.  Here are some eyewitness takes on some of the team's biggest issues after Friday's win against the Braves, from the health of men like Ryan Howard and Chase Utley to general news and notes.Begin Slideshow

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 ...

When Ryan Howard ruptured his Achilles tendon on the final swing of the 2011 NLDS, a silence swept across Phillies nation like nothing heard since Joe Carter ripped a 2-2 Mitch Williams slider over the fence in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.Rumors swirled that Howard might never return and if he did, he never would be the player he once was.When Howard returned to Philadelphia in early July of this past season, optimism began to pulse through the veins of Phillies fans. But through 71 games and 260 at-bats, Howard put together the worst campaign of his entire career, resulting in many fans believing that he shouldn't have returned at all.Howard finished the season batting just .219 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. He also struck out a disgraceful 99 times, or 38 percent of his at-bats.For his career prior to 2012 season, Howard struck out 1207 ...

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 ...

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley's best days are behind them. That much we know for certain.Age and injury have turned the pair of former MVP candidates into players who are good, but no longer great.Their absence from the lineup for nearly half of the 2012 season and subsequent subpar production is as good an excuse as any for the Phillies' disappointing 77-74 record.The first and second basemen have anchored the lineup for years. Can we expect them to bounce back in 2013? Will Utley's knees hold up over the long haul? Can Howard cut down on the strikeouts and reestablish himself as a feared cleanup hitter?The trends for both players don't look great. Even before Howard ruptured his Achilles tendon on the final play of the Phillies' 2011 season, he was headed in the wrong direction.Howard hasn't hit more than 33 home runs in a season since 2009. His average ...

Ryan Howard's highly anticipated return following his devastating Achilles tear was the talk across Philadelphia for quite sometime, but once Howard took to the field, it was clear that he was not same player he once was. The injury has definitely left a hitch in Ryan's step and the Phillies are left with a player they owe a lot of money to in the coming years. $20 million in 2013 and $25 million from 2014-2016 and a 2017 $23 million club option with a $10 million buyout. Is Ryan Howard really going to be the difference maker in whether or not the Phillies will make the playoffs in 2012? Probably not. The Phillies should protect their investment, let him sit the remainder of the season and get a head start on rehab for 2013.Since Howard's return, he has struggled immensely to make solid, consistent contact. Through 227 at-bats, he is batting a ...

The next few months will belong to Ryan Howard and his fiancee Kystle Campbell and it all starts with an episode of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress."Dan Gross of Philly.com (h/t Big Lead) reports the couple who are set to marry on December 1 have some wedding news for all to enjoy. First things first.We need to consider chipping in on this couple's gift, because their wedding registry is sitting there filled with expensive itemsGross already did some digging for us at their Macy's registry and found the following: Most expensive item: A pair of Swarovski crystal toasting flutes. They seek three pairs at $390 per pair. Cheapest: 13-inch washcloths for $17. The couple are hoping to receive 6. You could always get them a Swarovski bottle stopper like they request. They are going off at $130 apiece.Perhaps the rest of us continue to just plug the cork back in the bottle, ...

Most nights, for an inning or so, it all still makes sense—the Philadelphia Phillies still look like the Phillies. Friday night's game, for example, saw Roy Halladay take the ball.  He gave up a solo home run to Carlos Beltran in the first inning, but after that he was really excellent and never in any serious trouble. Just how you remember it.  The Phillies' first four batters in the game were Jimmy Rollins, Juan Pierre, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  Four legitimate major league baseball players, two former National League Most Valuable Players.  Or to put it another way, an aggregate of over $47 million in salary to four hitters. Save for the occasions when Jonathan Papelbon ($11 million) comes in at the end of the game (as he did Friday night), that is where the similarities to the Phillies you remember ends. After Howard on Friday night, the next ...