Doesn’t matter where the Phils are in the standings. There are plenty of reasons to love this team.

The Phillies are now over .500 for the first time since April 5, 2012. We should not be excited.

The Phillies have strung together 5 wins in a row. We should not be excited.

After all: The Phillies are in last place. Who wants to be excited about a last place team?

I do.

Let me be clear: I don’t want to be excited because the Fightin’ Phils are over .500 again for the first time since Opening Day. I don’t want to be excited because they have won five in a row. There are far greater reasons to be excited.

Because It’s the Last Shot With the Keys to the ’08 World Series

This could be the last year that we see Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, and Shane Victorino in Phillies pinstripes. From the 2008 World Series-team, only these three and Ryan Howard, Kyle Kendrick, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, and Chase Utley remain. If they are leaving, I want to see them go out on top. Blanton (2.96 ERA, 5 K/BB) is having his best start to a season ever, quietly putting together a career year after almost being traded in the off-season for Bobby Abreu who was to be parlayed into AJ Burnett (5.12 ERA). Hamels (2.28 ERA, 9.32 K/9 IP) has put himself in the early mix for the Cy Young and will be in consideration for an All-Star nod of his own. And Victorino has had a slow start (.248/.298/.401) but has been an absolute pest on the basepaths (12/13) and is providing his usual above average defense.

Because Chooch Will Be an All-Star

We were the first Phillies blog to tackle it on May 7: Chooch has been outplaying and outperforming just about every catcher in the National League and the American League for that matter. He leads all catchers in AVG (.363), ISO (.257), SLG (.619), wOBA (.432), OPS (1.024), is second in OBP (.405), and leads NL catchers in HR and RBIs. Chooch’s 4-5 night last night with 3 RBIs further accentuated his climb to the upper-tier of catchers, moving Ruiz to 9th in the MLB in OPS and 5th in the Majors in BA (.363). Reminder: Vote for Chooch here!

Because Cliff Lee DIDN’T Win a Ring in 2009

We all remember it: the nonchalant catch in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. Lee won Games 1 and 5 for the Phils but the Phils perished 4-2 in the Series. Lee returned the following season as a member of the Rangers, but again was on the losing side. This man needs a ring, people. Speaking of people who need World Series rings…

Because Roy Halladay Has Never Been to the World Series

I’m not sure if Halladay has ever been to the Philadelphia Zoo. There are folks lining up to take him there, though. One thing I can assure you? Halladay has never pitched in the World Series. Halladay has a 2.37 ERA in 5 postseason starts, with a 3-2 record. I don’t want to start to get antsy but Halladay turned 35 Monday and has likely this and two more seasons with the Phillies. The window isn’t closing on Doc necessarily, but this is not the time to be jumping off of the bandwagon.

Because It’s Fun to Root For the Ageless Juan Pierre

Pierre raised his average last night to an astounding .343, second on the Phillies only to Ruiz. At the beginning of the season, many Phils fans and Phillies Nation commentors were upset that Pierre beat out Scott Podsednik for what was perceived to be the last roster spot and would receive playing time over John Mayberry Jr. Pierre has been bad in the field and frustrating on the basepaths (6 of 8 in SB attempts) but there is something endearing about a guy who looks like he could be your cool uncle. Pierre is getting on base at a near .400 clip and is a pleasant surprise near the top of the Phillies line-up.

Because There’s a Lot of Talent in the 25-26 Year Olds Bullpen Club

While much ado was made about signing closer Jonathan Papelbon for $50 million, the rest of the Phillies bullpen was up in the air. There were many questions about Mike Stutes’s, 25, effectiveness entering the season injured and questions if Antonio Bastardo had hit the wall. Bastardo, 26, worked through a slow start to be phenomenal (1.50 ERA, 10.50 K/9 IP) thus far in the early going. David Herndon, 26, had been relatively effective (4.50 ERA, 8:1 K/BB) before hitting the DL, while Joe Savery has earned some major frequent flier miles getting shuttled back and forth between Philly (4.50 ERA, 1:1 K/BB) and Lehigh Valley (1.59 ERA, 6:1 K/BB).

Mike Schwimer, 26, told me in Phillies Nation Episode 9 that the young arms are pitching for team success, has had a rough stop in Philly (8.53 ERA, 3:5 K/BB) but is excelling again in Lehigh Valley (team-leading 0.71 ERA, 1.03 WHIP). Finally, Cloud County Community College alum Jake Diekman, 25, emerged during Tuesday’s matinee as a potential stopper of the future, striking out 3 of the four batters he faced en route to his first Major League win. Diekman was in Class A Lakewood as recently as 2010.

It is easy to root for every one of these guys.

Because It Would Be Fun Awesome to See John Mayberry Jr., age 28, Break Out

It’s not common for players labeled as Quadruple-A players to break out in the second half of their 20′s, but last season, Mayberry (.273/.341/.513) looked like he could break the mold. Mayberry has lost much of the early season playing time to fast starts from Pierre, Laynce Nix, and Ty Wigginton, but has quietly posted a nice .278/.308/.417 line in his last 10 games. With Wigginton cooling off and seeing more time at third thanks to Polanco’s bumps and bruises and Nix headed to the DL, Mayberry should get more consistent playing time in the next few weeks. And that will be really fun to watch.

Because Freddy Galvis‘s D Has Been Better Than Advertised

Because Freddy Galvis’s O Has Been Better Than Advertised

Galvis is a human vacuum cleaner at second base who also happens to be hitting .324/.378/.529 in his last 10 games. Not only have the Phillies not lost anything on defense by having a 22-year old start at second base, they have found what appears to be a very good developing player there who is tied for the NL lead among second baseman in doubles (11). Gavlis has been young for every level he has played at and just keeps getting better. And better.

Because You Just Never Know When a Call-Up (Hector Luna) Will Hit a Grand Slam in his First Phillies At-Bat

Because It’s Really Awesome That 2 of the 3 Catchers on the 40-Man Roster Grew Up in the Greater Philadelphia Area

Because I Really Enjoy Watching Pete Orr Take Hacks from the Left Side

Because Mike Fontenot Needs a World Series At-Bat

Fontenot was a member of the 25-man roster for the 2010 San Francisco Giants and is listed as appearing in Game 2 despite not hitting or fielding. How? He was an announced pinch-hitter and then was pulled back due to a pitching change. If not for Doc or Cliff, we need to do it for Mike.

Because It’s Still Really Fun to Watch the Hunter Pence Commercial – I dare you not to smile.

Because No Matter How Far Out, No Matter How Late in the Season, 2007 Made Me Believe. Because of 2007, I’ll Always Believe There’s Still Enough a Chance We’ll See Papelbon River Dancing in October

It’s really easy to get caught up in the Phillies recent success, and their five game win streak, and start to root for them just for that. But as the peaks and valleys happen throughout the season, and there will be more, don’t forget, Phillies Nation, that there are plenty of reasons to root for the 2012 Philadelphia Phillies.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhilliesNation/~3/1FhyMp2uP8I/

Roy Oswalt auditioned for the Phillies last week in Mississippi. Photo (AP)

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Spots is reporting that the Phils watched Roy Oswalt throw a bullpen session last week near his Mississippi home while the Boston Red Sox took a look at him this week. Rosenthal Tweeted: “One source said Oswalt appeared in good shape, but not surprisingly, more in spring-training mode than mid-season form.” We will have more on this as it develops.

In other Phillies-related news, Rosenthal also Tweeted: “Baseball suspends #Phillies manager Charlie Manuel for one game stemming from incident that led to his ejection by Bob Davidson on Tuesday.” Lesson learned? Never argue balls and strikes.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhilliesNation/~3/Soc7JMMRBV8/

Crime news

Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012 12:04 pm
|


Updated: 12:24 pm, Fri May 18, 2012.

Westampton police searching for masked gunmen

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Posted on
May 18, 2012

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  Dave Levinsky
  

WESTAMPTON — Police are investigating an incident involving a resident who was approached by two masked men with handguns early Friday.

According to investigators, the 21-year-old resident was walking to his home on Howell Drive at 12:07 a.m. when the two men wearing ski masks approached him with guns. The men fled when another resident opened the front door of the home, police said.

The resident described the men as black males, one about 5 feet 11 inches tall with a stocky build and the other 6 feet 2 inches tall with a skinny build. One wore a maroon-colored hooded sweatshirt and dark pants and the other wore a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 609-267-3000.

© 2012 www.phillyburbs.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Article source: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/westampton-police-searching-for-masked-gunmen/article_ad4b6538-1200-522e-8f56-6c312f3b2b9c.html

The Philadelphia Eagles have again enjoyed a successful offseason signing key players at critical positions. After Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters ended his 2012 season before it started Philly brass added Demetress Bell formerly of the Buffalo Bills. They added Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans via a trade with the Houston Texans. Finally, the Eagles look as though they had a tremendous draft and have received high praise and grades from all the experts.

Still, there is one looming position that still needs an upgrade. One final player that needs to be added for the Birds to consider this a truly exceptional offseason for the second consectutive season. That “need” would be adding a veteran presence to the Eagles safety position.

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who credited a league source, the Eagles might just be one step closer to achieving that goal.

The Eagles have been in discussions with soon to be former Miami Dolphins veteran safety Yeremiah Bell for some time now. Bell has narrowed his choices from four teams down to two — the Eagles and the New York Jets. So it’s safe to say that wherever he decides to sign he’ll not only be seeing green in 2012, he’ll be wearing it also.

Bell, an eight-year veteran, was selected by the Dolphins in the 2003 NFL Draft who has gone on to make it to the Pro Bowl after his level of play in 2009. In each of his last four seasons he has grown in to a productive member of the Dolphins defense recording over 100 tackles in each of those seasons.

There are a number of reasons why Bell (34) would look to Philadelphia as his final NFL home. The Eagles have been a consistent playoff contender and are once again believed to be contenders this season — on paper. However his close connection to Eagles new secondary coach, Todd Bowles, who is the former Dolphins interim head coach, could prove to be Bell’s deciding factor.

Currently the Eagles have a ton of potential talent on their roster, but all members have yet to prove themselves whether it be due to injury or lack of playing time. Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Kurt Coleman, Colt Anderson, and Tom Nelson are all on the Eagles roster as of right now. Allen, Coleman, and Jarrett are the front-runners to win the starting jobs, at this point in time. However if the Eagles manage to land Bell one of those players will become quality depth.

The Eagles are close to completing their offseason plans. Stay tuned as Bell will likely be making  his decision within the next few days!

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Article source: http://phillysportsnut.com/philadelphia-eagles-on-yeremiah-bells-narrowed-list/

* For the first time in a while, health didn’t dominate the conversation. It’s pretty much assumed at this point that all the dinged up bodies — including Paul Pierce (left MCL sprain), Ray Allen (right ankle bone spurs), and Avery Bradley (sore left rotator cuff) — will be playing through their aches and pains. All 15 guys were on the floor as the team prepared to launch into shootaround.

* Pierce did sport a bulky stabilizing brace over his left knee. Boston’s captain, who has clearly grown tired of the questions about his health and has lately resorted to saying he’s fine, clarified that he is unlikely to wear the brace during Game 4. Pierce politely suggested it was strictly precautionary by noting, “Well, when I first hurt (the knee) it was in a shootaround, why have another accident at shootaround?” Pierce suffered the MCL sprain when he tripped over a teammate’s foot before Game 4 of a first-round series against the Hawks.

* While health wasn’t exactly in focus, Rivers did spend a lot of time talking about the team’s decision this postseason to stay off the court on offdays, especially given the quick turnarounds with games staggered just about every-other day. “Well, we’re just old,” he quipped. “We’ve done that (each game), for the most part. With the way the series is constructed so far, we’ve yet to go on the floor between games. It’s just not enough time for recovery with our legs. If we were younger, we’d be able to do that, but with this team, we’ve learned through the season, they need days off.”

Rivers was quick to point out that a day off doesn’t necessarily mean the entire team is lounging by the pool with their Kindles.

“When we don’t practice, guys still work on their games,” said Rivers. “We didn’t do anything yesterday, but Kevin was over there shooting. Guys, especially veterans, more than young guys, understand what they need to do to keep them in rhythm. I think for young guys, days off are bad, because I don’t think they get that. They think a day off is a day off, they don’t understand what gets you to the next day or the next game. And I think a lot of our veteran guys, if they need a day off, they take it off. Ray rarely takes a day off; he’s running somewhere — down the street, riding a bike; Paul’s on the treadmill yesterday at the hotel. They just get their bodies. But they have the experience in that, so that’s an advantage for them.”

* Rivers also noted that Garnett still got some shots up during the offday hoping to maintain his rhythm after a dominant Game 3 performance. When a Philadelphia reporter joked that 76ers fans will be thrilled to hear Garnett was working on his shot, Rivers laughed and noted, “Kevin’s a creature of habit. The one thing we do know, he reminds me a lot of Patrick Ewing, who I played with. Days off, even though he needed them, were bad, because it would take him out of rhythm. So they both would always go to the gym.”

* While Rivers initially griped about the spacing of the first four games of this series, Pierce said it’s actually worked out quite well, especially by avoiding the back-to-back games this round. “I think it’s great for us,” he said. “We haven’t played particularly well in back-to-back situations; the two back-to-back games we came here (in Philadelphia during the regular season), we got blown out. I think it works to our benefit. Not having back-to-backs and not having long layoffs — I don’t know how it goes down when we have three or four days off, but I kinda like the every-other day (schedule), it keeps us in a good rhythm.”

A two-day break looms before Monday’s Game 5 in Boston.

Article source: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post?id=4693781

The Boston Celtics find themselves in a great position heading into Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. They have just two more games to win before they can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and have two games on their home court to do it if needed. The odds are certainly in their favor.

While Paul Pierce was often the man to lead the Celtics during the regular season, Kevin Garnett has really stepped up to lead the team. At 36 years old (on Saturday, May 19) he may be “old” in terms of basketball lifespan, but he is proving there is still some gas left in his tank.

The Celtics squad knows they are playing in their last games together before the team will likely be dismantled to gear up for the future. Why not make some final memories by winning just 10 more games.

The matchup:

The Boston Celtics will take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center located in Philadelphia, Penn. on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 8 p.m. EDT.

The standings:

Boston comes into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semis finishing the regular season with a 39-27 record and was 15-18 on the road this year. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Quarters in six games.

Philadelphia enters the matchup having finished the season with a 35-31 record and was 19-14 on their home court this year. They defeated the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Quarters in six games.

The playoff series:

The playoff series is currently stands at 2-1 in favor of the Celtics.

Where to watch:

The game can be watched live nationwide on ESPN.

The playoff statistic leaders:

Boston: Kevin Garnett- 20.3 points per game, Rajon Rondo- 12.9 assists per game, Kevin Garnett- 11.00 rebounds per game.

Philadelphia: Jrue Holiday- 16.7 points per game, Jrue Holiday- 4.9 assists per game, Spencer Hawes- 7.8 rebounds per game.

Injuries to note:

Boston: Chris Wilcox (aortic abnormality), Jeff Green (aortic aneurysm).

Philadelphia: No injuries of significance.

More Boston Celtics Commentary from Paul Rados:

Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers, Eastern Semis Game 3: Fan Playoff Preview

Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics, Eastern Semis Game 2: Fan Playoff Preview

Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics, Eastern Semis Game 1: Fan Playoff Preview

Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, Eastern Quarters Game 6: Fan Playoff Preview

Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks, NBA Eastern Quarters Game 5: Fan Playoff Preview

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Boston Celtics fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook.

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-eastern-semis-game-4-154000336--nba.html

Manuel was suspended today for “aggressive arguing and inappropriate contact” with umpire CB Bucknor on Tuesday and fined an undisclosed amount.

“I said quite a bit to CB,” Manuel said in the aftermath of Tuesday’s game, which resulted in a 9-6 win for the Phillies. “I was screaming at him because he kept saying, ‘That ball’s not low.’ The ball was low. He called some bad ones all night.”

Manuel will serve the suspension in tonight’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park.

Davidson received a one-game suspension for his repeated violations of the Office of the Commissioner’s standards for situation handling.

Davidson, who has a reputation as one of worst umpires, recently had a run-in with Manuel. Manuel argued Davidson obstructed catcher Brian Schneider’s attempt to retrieve a dropped third strike during Tuesday’s game and was ejected for the confrontation.

According to Sports Illustrated, Davidson was ranked fourth on a players’ poll of worst umpires last year.

Article source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/05/charlie-manuel-bob-davidson-suspended/1

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox are used to being the top teams in their respective leagues. Yet Phillies fans like myself are having a hard time seeing this once powerful team fall to last place in the NL East. However, the Red Sox can relate due to their own rollercoaster slide to last in the AL East.

Whenever the Red Sox and Phillies meet in interleague play, it is usually dubbed as a World Series preview – although they’ve never met in the World Series in the modern era. Now Boston and Philadelphia are just trying to get out of the cellar, yet they have been making progress going into their interleague showdown starting on May 18.

The Phillies have finally gotten over a major hump by going over .500 for the first time since Opening Day. Of course, they still did it almost in spite of themselves, as Philadelphia nearly blew an 8-2 lead and narrowly held on to beat the Chicago Cubs by 8-7 on May 18. Nevertheless, it was the Phillies’ fifth straight win and it finally got them to a 20-19 record – which wouldn’t be any kind of achievement in any other season.

But in this year where Philadelphia is just trying to keep its head above water, being just a game over .500 and only a half-game away from escaping last place is big. Taking care of Boston would further help out that cause, yet the Red Sox are starting to inch their way out of the cellar as well.

The Red Sox looked utterly buried in the first few weeks of the season, just as they did last year. Even now, Boston is just 18-20, but it is still better than what it was back in April. Like the Phillies, the Red Sox are still buried beneath a division that is much better than in the past, with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays leading the AL East instead of Boston and the New York Yankees.

Yet with one really good run, both the Red Sox and the Phillies could get into position for one more shot at another ring. They don’t have a lot of time to do it, since they are each closer to the end of their current mini-dynasties than the beginning. While Boston and Philadelphia still aren’t considered to be real last place teams, it could be a different story once their aging and struggling stars finally give out in the next few years.

But if the Red Sox and Phillies are going to make one more World Series run before their windows finally close, getting out of last place is a necessary first step. They’ve already been through a lot so far just to get close enough to do that bare minimum. So who knows what they will go through together this weekend – and whether there’s enough left in the tank for either of them afterward.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Phillies since he was eight years old.

Other stories from this contributor

Phillies welcome Lee back by costing him another win

Hamels suspension latest speed bump for Phillies aces

Hamels brushes past Harper to carry Phillies over Nationals

Phillies badly need to avoid sweep from Nationals

Phillies fail once again to just get over .500

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/phillies-red-sox-look-keep-recovering-poor-starts-134000055--mlb.html

Postseason Appearances: Six (one World Series title)

Notable Free Agent Signings: Pete Rose, Joe Hoerner

Notable Amateur Free Agent Signings: Juan Samuel

Notable Draft Picks: Tom Underwood, Larry Christenson, John Stearns, Lonnie Smith, Jim Morrison, Ozzie Virgil, Ryne Sandberg, Darren Daulton, Vince Coleman

Notable Trades

 - Traded Bill Champion, Don Money and John Vukovich to Milwaukee Brewers for Ken Brett, Jim Lonborg, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson.

- Traded Joe Lis, Ken Reynolds and Ken Sanders to the Minnesota Twins for Cesar Tovar.

- Traded Roger Freed and Oscar Gamble to the Cleveland Indians for Terry Wedgewood and Del Unser.

- Traded Mac Scarce, Del Unser and John Stearns to the New York Mets for Tug McGraw, Don Hahn and Dave Schneck.

- Traded Willie Montanez to the San Francisco Giants for Garry Maddox.

- Traded Barry Bonnell, Jim Essian and $150,000 to the Atlanta Braves for Dick Allen and Johnny Oates.

- Traded Dave Schneck to the Cincinnati Reds for John Vukovich.

- Traded Mike Anderson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ron Reed.

- Traded Alan Bannister, Dick Ruthven and Roy Thomas to the Chicago White Sox for Jim Kaat and Mike Buskey.

- Traded Rick Bosetti, Tom Underwood and Dane Iorg to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bake McBride and Steve Waterbury.

- Traded Gene Garber to the Atlanta Braves for Dick Ruthven.

- Traded Henry Mack, Derek Botelho, Barry Foote, Jerry Martin and Ted Sizemore to the Chicago Cubs for Greg Gross, Dave Rader and Manny Trillo.

- Traded Bob Walk to the Atlanta Braves for Gary Matthews.

- Traded Don Larson, Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles to the Chicago Cubs for Mike Krukow, cash.

- Traded Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to the Chicago Cubs for Ivan de Jesus.

- Traded Wil Culmer, Jerry Reed and Roy Smith to the Cleveland Indians for John Denny.

- Traded Jay Baller, Julio Franco, Manny Trillo, George Vukovich and Jerry Willard to the Cleveland Indians for Von Hayes.

- Traded Charles Penigar, Mark Davis and Mike Krukow to the San Francisco Giants for Al Holland and Joe Morgan.

- Traded Marty Decker, Ed Wojna, Darren Burroughs and Lance McCullers to the San Diego Padres for Sixto Lezcano and Steven Fireovid.

Other Notable Transactions: Gene Garber (purchased from Kansas City Royals), George Bell (left unprotected in Rule 5 Draft.)

Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1186262-philadelphia-phillies-grading-every-gm-in-franchise-history

A gas flare burns at a fracking site in rural Bradford County, Pennsylvania
(Stringer . Reuters, REUTERS / March 31, 2012)

Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-fracking-local-economiesbre84d16r-20120514,0,7671067.story