Unbe-Lee-vable

Once I got over the emotion of the Phillies not getting Roy Halladay and began to think logically, I came to the realization that the Phillies got one heck of a pitcher in Cliff Lee.

This is a guy that won 22 games last season. Let me repeat. He won 22 games last season. That is phenominal. The reigning AL Cy Young will absolutely dominate in the National League.

His Phillies career sure got off to a good start.

Lee pitched no-hit ball for 5 1/3 innings. He ended up throwing an outstanding game, allowing only one run on a sac fly and four hits while throwing a complete game.

Wow, what a start.

Lee was 7-9 with the Cleveland Indians, but his won/loss record is not indicitive of how he has pitched.

Coming into tonight's game, Lee had an ERA of 3.14. Not much run support in Cleveland. Lee will not have that problem in Philadelphia.

Leading up to the trade deadline, Halladay had been the main name on the block. Halladay has been all Phillies fans have thought about for the past few weeks. However, Toronto was asking for too much and the Phillies were not going to bite.

Instead of waiting, the Phils turned their attention to Lee and came away with a steal of a trade. The Phillies did not give up any of the prospects Toronto wanted for Halladay, thus holding on to their top pitching and hitting prospects, as well as JA Happ.

Make no mistake - Lee will have a huge impact with the Phillies.

Forget about Halladay, we still got ourselves another ace.

Lee to Phillies in blockbuster

He's no Roy Halladay, but Cliff Lee is still one heck of a pitcher.

Amid daily rumors of the Toronto Blue Jays and Phillies working on a deal for Halladay, the Phillies decided to change directions today, instead acquiring Lee in a deal that allowed the Phillies to keep their top pitching prospects.

In addition to Lee, the Phillies will also receive outfielder Ben Francisco, which will give them another right-handed bat off the bench. Cleveland will recieve pitchers Carlos Carasco and Jason Knap, catcher Lou Marson, and shortstop Jason Donald.

Halladay has been an obscession amongst Philly fans, however, reports indicated that talks staled over the past few days as Toronto was not coming down from their asking price of top prospects Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, as well as current starter JA Happ.

Lee is no slouch.

He won the American Leage Cy Young award last year after going 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA. He is 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA this year.

Lee will greatly strengthen the Phillies rotation and gives them a strong chance to make another run at a World Series. The Phillies will have Lee, 31, under contract through next season.

I still would have preferred a deal for Halladay as he would have been a better short term answer. However, in keeping their top prospects (which they would have had to trade to get Halladay), the Phillies have set themselves up for long terms success while still adding a strong arm.

What is Phillies deadline for Halladay?

The Phillies must add a starting pitcher before Friday's trade deadline, which brings up the question, what if things don't work out with the Toronto Blue Jays to get Roy Halladay?

At what point do the Phillies need to give up on landing Halladay and pursue other avenues?

It's possible the Jays will want to take the Halladay sweepstakes right up to the deadline, trying their best to maximize what they get in return for Halladay. Should the Phillies also go that long, with the possibility of risking someone else landing the prized pitcher or Toronto not trading him? If they do and things don't work out, the Phillies could be left with nothing.

It has been reported the Phillies look at Cleveland's Cliff Lee as plan B. The problem is, Lee is plan A for some other teams and may be traded prior to Friday. The Phillies may never get a chance to move to plan B should plan A (Halladay) not work out.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro is walking a fine line. He is holding out, waiting until Toronto's demands come down. At the same time, Toronto is holding out waiting for someone to make the move on their terms.

It's possible Amaro could wait to long and be left with nothing.

Timing is going to be everything in this deal. When do you stand pat? When do you budge?

That part is up in the air.

What is certain is that the Phillies need to add a pitcher, whether it be Halladay or Lee.

Monday's take on the Phils getting Halladay

With only five days left until the trade deadline, he is my take:

The Jays have to move Roy Halladay right now. His value will never be this high again - not in the offseaon and not at next year's trade deadline. Toronto is not going to win this year or next and it would be in their best interest to move him now while they can get max value and build for the future. Halladay has already said he will test the free agent market after next season.

The problem for the Jays is that other teams know this is when the Jays will get max value. And because they know that, they don't want to pay the high price they are trying to get. They don't need to.

The Jays GM said a deal is unlikely. I don't buy it, not one bit. Holding on to Halladay at this point would be plain dumb. He is just trying to drive up the price and have someone bite. Nobody has to this point. I can't blame him though. There is the hope someone will get desperate and do the deal on the Jays terms.

They have not come down in value at all, but should this thing get later in the week and nobody has made the deal yet, they will be forced to come down some.

Don't get me wrong, it will still take a lot to land Halladay - he is an ace. But it is not going to take as much as Toronto is currently asking for.

The only chance teams take now is another team getting desperate and making a deal. Beyond that, it behooves this other teams to sit tight and wait for the price to come down.

In my eyes, it is a big risk to take in waiting. But timing will be everything. There is a balance between waiting for the right deal but not waiting too long.

The Phillies have to make this deal and they are willing to make a deal. With the prospects they have and their financial situation, they are the best fit. They just need to wait for the right price.

Don't be fooled, the Jays need the Phillies just as much as the Phillies need the Jays.

My gut still tells me either he goes to Anaheim or another team swoops in and gets him.

As hard as it is to wait and as much as I just want the Phils to trade whatever they need to in getting Halladay, they are playing smart by waiting this thing out.

Waiting on Halladay news - I can't take it anymore

Over the past couple of days, the curiosity of whether or not the Phillies will trade for ace Roy Halladay has grown exponentially.

As the days pass and we are only two days away from the Blue Jays deadline and five days away from the MLB trade deadline, I can hardly take the waiting anymore.

Hour after hour, minute after minute - I can't stop surfing the net looking for new news, new opinions, new analysis.

Mlbtraderumors.com, espn.com, sportsillustrated.com, foxsports.com, philly.com, csnphilly.com, phillies.com, fan blogs, etc. I can't stop going from site to site.

As I type this I am tempted to check again, even though it has only been minutes since I searched each of the above sites.

All the while, I am waiting for disappointment. I am waiting to see a headline that another team landed Halladay or that the Blue Jays have taken him off the market.

I am all for the Phillies making this deal happen, no matter what it takes.

I just can't take the suspense much longer.

Phils turning down offer a mistake

Darn it. I am not going to be happy if another team swoops in and trades for ace Roy Halladay.

The Phillies had a chance to land Halladay, but instead turned down a deal for Kyle Drabek, JA Happ, and Dominic Brown.

Yes, that is a lot. But remember, they are getting an ace in return.

Drabek is going to have to be part of the deal, no questions. And the Phils don't seem to mind including Brown.

The holdup seems to be that the Phils do not want to trade Drabek and Happ.

So you are telling me that the Phillies are holding up trading for Halladay because of Happ?

C'mon.

Happ is having a very nice year, but he is no Halladay. He is at best a 3rd pitcher, while Halladay would give the Phillies two aces.

The Phillies need to make this deal happen.

Make the deal Ruben

The Phillies need Roy Halladay.

Sure, they would win the NL East without him. But beyond that, their chances of repeating as World Champions would be much greater by adding the Blue Jays ace.

Reports are that the deal Toronto is asking for is highly touted pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, current starter JA Happ, and outfield prospect Dominic Brown.

If that is what it is going to take, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I understand that the Phillies will negotiate and make a counter offer. It is believed they do not want to give up both Drabek and Happ.

But Halladay needs to be in a Phillies uniform for his next start.

Adding Halladay immediately makes the Phillies favorites to win the National League and maybe even the World Series.

It's not often a team has a chance to add an ace.

With the guys they have in their prime, now is the time to win for the Phillies. This team will only be together for the next few years.

Drabek may be an ace. May being the key word. Halladay is an ace.

Happ has had a nice year. But they should not let that hold up the deal.

Brown is a nice prospect, but the Phillies already have a crowded outfield and would still be left with outfield prospect Michael Taylor.

Do it Ruben. Bring Halladay to the Phillies.

MLB wrong with All-Star Implications

I love the baseball All-Star game, but I hate what implications it carries with it.

Major League baseball was wrong in its decision to have the league who is the winner of the All-Star game have home field advantage in the World Series.

Unfortunately, commissioner Bud Selig has no intentions on changing anything, citing the fact that the All-Star game is more competitive since the rule has been in place.

Of coarse I want the game to be competitive. But players already have the competitive juices flowing in their blood. They don't need extra meaning to care about a game. They hate to lose no matter what is on the line, even if it is just bragging rights.

The All-Star game in an exhibition. It's a popularity contest. Fans vote for the starters for crying out loud. And as long is it an exhibition, I have no problem with that.

Yes, it is better than when home field advantage rotated back and forth between leagues in the World Series. But what would not be better than that?

Baseball has this one wrong.

Phillies need to be bold and get Halladay

The Phillies NEED Roy Halladay and I don't care what it costs.

Having a one-two punch of Halladay and Cole Hamels would be lethal in any playoff series.

I understand that it would take a lot to land the Blue Jays ace. It would probably take more than it is really worth.

But with big risk comes big reward.

The Flyers made a bold move this offseason, trading two players and three draft picks for Chris Pronger. I am of the opinion that they probably gave up more than Pronger was worth. However, it was the right move and I applaud them for going for it all.

The Phillies do not get a pass for winning the World Series last year. They need to go for it again. While obtaining Halladay will not guarantee anything, it sure will put them in a much better situation than they currently have.

Halladay is a perfect fit for Citizens Bank Ballpark. He strikes guys out and gets groundballs. He is one of the best pitchers in the league.

With Halladay the Phillies would run away with the NL East and I think that makes them the team to beat in the National League.

Halladay has dominated over the years in a tough AL East against the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox. Imagine how good he would be in a much weaker National League.

The Phillies need him. Now they need to go out and get him.

Manny interruptions ridiculous

Manny Ramirez must have been on the verge of breaking some storied record yesterday, right?

Nope, just his second game back after being suspended from steroid use.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Fox cut from the Phillies-Mets game to catch every single Ramirez at-bat. He was not chasing a record. He was not in a pivotal end-of-game at-bat.

To give that kind of attention to a guy who was suspended for illegal activity was wrong and makes me wonder if Fox has any integrity.

Yes, Ramirez has served his time, and no, I don't have a problem with him being back in the game.

What I do have a problem with is the kind of attention he is getting.

Fox would not have cut to every Ramirez at-bat had he not been suspended.

But the fact that they are giving him as much attention for the national audience to see every at-bat is sending a bad message - do something wrong and get all of the attention.

Being a Phillies fan, I was frustrated to miss parts of an important divisional game between the Mets and Phillies.

Even for those not fans of the Phils or Mets should be disappointed.

Ramirez does not deserve the kind of attention he is getting. Never have networks left the game they were airing to catch at-bats of another player unless there was something important on the line - like a potential record breaking at-bat.

Fox was wrong in what they did.

Personally, I'm tired of "Manny being Manny."