Doc's work out causes delay in commercial release

In the midst of a recent filming of a commercial for MLB 2K11, Roy Halladay halted the production.

He needed to work out.

Halladay, a freak of nature when it comes to working out, extended the expected time of 1 1/2 hours to complete the commercial, to an astonishing 1 year.

"The filming interrupted my workout routine," the Phillies ace said.  "I had to prepare for the 2010 season.  They tried to convince me to film between starts but I just could not find any time.  I was so busy working out, eating, and sleeping."

The crew phoned Halladay in early January of 2011 to see if they could complete the commercial.

Halladay, despite needing to get in another workout, obliged. 

"It came down to the Chooch doll," he said.  They told me if I did not finish the commerical I could not keep the doll.  Chooch means everything to me."

It was later found out that Chooch phoned Halladay, demanding he finish the commercial so that Chooch could become an internet sensation. 

"I was so cute in that commercial," the Phillies catcher said.  "It was my chance to reach stardom.  There is no way I was going to let Doc ruin that for me."

It is believed Chooch threatened to not catch any pitch Halladay threw in the 2011 season if he did not return to film the remainder of the commercial.

"Well, I did need to exercise my fingers, so I agreed to do the final scene where I was playing PS3."

Utley injury concerning

I'm a little nervous about Chase Utley.

Utley was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis in his right knee and has yet to appear in a spring training game.

While I am very appreciative of Utley not using injuries to make excuses, he also tends to play through these kinds of things. There have often been questions about Utley's health whenever he goes into a prolonged slump.

The Phillies need their All-Star second baseman in the middle of their lineup.

Let's hold our breath that Utley is being honest about this injury not being too serious.

MLB.TV - boy have I been missing out

Baseball is back, and it is glorious!

The Phillies opened their grapefruit league schedule today, beating the Yankees 5-4.

The best part about the game today was not the fact that the Phillies won. It was not the fact that Cole Hamels pitched well. No, the best part was that I was able to sit down with my son and daughter and actually watch them play.

Having moved to Ohio in 2002, I don't get to see many Phillies games.

That will change this year.

Gone are the days of missing games. I have entered the world of technology by signing up for MLB.TV this season.

As much as it would have been nice to see guys like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins play, I was completely content watching Jason Grilli close out the game.

It's baseball season. And for the first time in many years, I will be able to watch the Phillies.

That's good enough for me.

Don't forget Roy Halladay

Everyone in Philadelphia is goo-goo-ga-ga over Cliff Lee, and rightfully so. Lee adds to a Phillies rotation many now consider one of the best starting rotations of all time.

But don't forget Roy Halladay.

Remember that guy?

If not, let me remind you what he accomplished last year: Cy Young award winner with 21 victories, perfect game, and playoff no hitter.

Pretty impressive.

Amazingly, not many people are talking about Halladay, who was the Phillies big acquisition after the 2009 season.

It's Lee, who the Phillies traded at the same time they acquired Halladay and then reacquired this past December, that has been the focus of many Phillies fans.

While Lee is a very good pitcher, remember that Halladay is even better.

If you need a reminder, think back to the Phillies first playoff game in 2010 against the Reds. Halladay dominated, throwing the first hitter since Don Larsen did in the 1956 World Series.

In 2010 Halladay became only the fourth pitcher to throw two no hitters in a season and the first since Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat in 1973.

So while it is certainly understandable that Lee has been the topic of conversation, Halladay is the Phillies true ace.

Phils looking Phantastic - baseball season arrives

It's finally here - the day that pitchers and catchers report!

Monday is a day I have been looking forward to since that painful 2010 October night when Ryan Howard watched strike three go by and the San Francisco Giants celebrated the National League pennant at Citizens Bank Park.

The 2011 season begins on Monday as pitchers and catchers will partake in the season's first official workout.

Last season was not supposed to end without another World Series title for the Phillies. But it did.

The Phillies were the best team in baseball during the regular season, anchored by Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay.

It was not enough, so the Phillies made a huge and stunning free agent signing, luring fan favorite Cliff Lee back to Philadelphia. Lee turned down more money from the Yankees to rejoin the team he so greatly loved during his short stay in 2009.

And with that, the Phillies became immediate World Series favorites.

Expectations are extremely high. And why wouldn't they be with Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels.

Repeat - Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels. Again - Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels.

That would be three Cy Youngs, 10 other top-five Cy Young finishes, a World Series MVP award, two LCS MVP awards, 18 Opening Day starts, six 20-win seasons and 13 trips to the All-Star Game.

Wow!

Joe Blanton, who would be a solid three/four starter on many teams, has become a forgotten man. He will be the Phillies five starter and probably the best five starter in any rotation in all of baseball.

The Phillies have pitching. Boy do they have pitching.

Oh yeah, they also have some prety good hitters too - after all, they were second in the National League in runs last year.

Yes, the Phillies have questions - who will start in right field? Who will fill out the bullpen? Can guys like Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard return to form?

But remember this - pitching wins championships. The Giants proved that last year.

If your hopes are high, I don't blame you. Mine sure are.

It's World Series or bust for the Phillies.

I can't think of a season that involved this much anticipation. And it is finally here!

Some random thoughts

Some random thoughts:

NHL - What in the world was Eric Staal thinking when he took goalie Cam Ward with the first pick of the NHL fantasy all-star draft? Maybe he forgot he could choose someone not on his Carolina Hurricanes team - such as Alexander Ovechkin or Steve Stamkos. I highly doubt Ward was going to go in the first five rounds. Cole missed a great opportunity to build up another portion of his team with this wasted draft pick.

I will give Cole credit for also drafting Jeff Skinner, the 18 year old Hurricane player. Team Staal will have the home crowd behind them.

NHL - What was up with Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews? He looked annoyed for not being picked earlier in the draft. Seriously, there were some other good players Mr. Stanley Cup winner.

NHL - I don't know who to cheer for in Sunday's game. Danny Briere is on Team Lidstrom and Claude Girioux is on Team Staal. I think I'll go with Briere's team as they also have coach Peter Laviolette.

NFL - Are these guys ever going to get in a room to start working on a deal that will prevent a lockout. I know one way to not get a deal done - avoid each other. That is exactly what thw owner and player representatives are doing. Grow up and figure this thing out. A meeting might be a good idea.

MLB - Only a few more weeks until pitchers and catchers report. Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels...Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hames...I can't wait!

NBA - Who cares?

My top momments in Philadelphia sports history

Disappointment is a term well known by Philadelphia sports fans.

More often than not, high hopes fall by the wayside. Guys like Scott Rolen, Eric Lindros, Allen Iverson, and Donovan McNabb come and go without bringing the city a championship.

Everything changed in 2008 when the Phillies won the cities first championship in 25 years.

The perception of Philadelphia has changed and there was evidence of that when Cliff Lee left about $30 million on the table to re-sign with the Phillies rather than sign with the Mighty Yankees.

It got me thinking of what the top memories I have in my life of watching way more losses and disappointments than watching successful teams and players.

Number 5
Roy Halladay had waited his entire year to pitch in the playoffs. He finally got his chance in 2010 and his first start was historic. Halladay pitched only the second no hitter in MLB history, leading the Phillies to a memorable win over the Cincinnati Reds. As the game went on, I actually was more excited for Halladay to get the no hitter than I was for the Phillies to take a 1-0 series lead. As Brandon Phillips, the last batter of the game, hit a little dinker in front of the plate and Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz scrambled to find the ball, my heart stopped. I jumped up and down as Phillips was thrown out. You would have thought the Phillies had won the World Series.

Number 4
I was 13 and had no rememberance of a successful Phillies season. They were absolutely terrible for most of my childhood. 1993 was a different year. The Phils had a bunch of filthy scrubs who loved to play the game. There are so many memories I have from that season, the best watching Mitch Williams jump 2 feet off the ground and into the hands of catcher Darren Daulton as the Phillies celebrated their first trip to the World Series in a decade.

Number 3
Wayne Gretzky, Grant Fuhr, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey - these are just some of the Hall of Famers the 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers had. But the singy Philadelphia Flyers took them to seven games, only to lose. But game 6 will go down as one of the best in the history of the franchise. Many say that this was the loudest it had ever been in the Spectrum. Brian Propp scored late in the third period to tie the game and JJ Daigneault set off an explosion as he fired a puck that bounced off the boards past Fuhr for the game winner.

Number 2
The year was 2004. The Eagles had lost three straight NFC Championship games. Their run was remarkable but without a trip to the Super Bowl it was empty. On that chilly day in January the Eagles finally got over the hump, beating the Atlanta Falcons and their quarterback, Michael Vick.

Could it be that Vick is now the one who will get the Eagles back to the big game?

Number 1
Brad Lidge going to his knees and embracing Carlos Ruiz. This was the first championship I had ever experienced in my lifetime - I was three when the Sixers won and a baby when the Phillies won their only other championship, so I don't remember those.

This was easily the best day of my sports life. The joy was tremendous. I was able to unleash years and years of frustration, disappointment, and wonder of what it would be like for one of my teams to win.

Now I am craving another title.

Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels - I might not have to wait much longer.

Another option for Phils - B.J. Upton

In game five of the 2008 World Series B.J. Upton reached first base on an infield single in the top of the sixth inning. He then stole second and third, scoring on the throw from Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz that bounced off of him into foul territory.

Upton is capable of making things happen. He is 26 and filled with upside.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Upton is thought to be available via trade, and the Phillies should consider him as an option.

It is unlikely that the Phillies will re-sign free agent Jayson Werth, leaving a huge hole in the middle of their lineup.

Why not sign the speedy Upton to be your leadoff hitter and then move Jimmy Rollins into the five-hole?

Yes, Upton has been on the decline - he's gone from a .300 average in 2007 down to .237 last season - but he has shown flashes of brilliance. He hit seven home runs in the 2008 playoffs and has over 40 stolen bases in each of the last three years.

Upton is a true leadoff hitter, unlike Rollins. He would give the Phillies a speedster at the top of the lineup while allowing the more powerful Rollins to fill a gap in the middle of the lineup.

Plus, he will only make 3 million this season.

Oh yeah, did I mention he was young?

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has said he wants to sprinkle youth into the Phillies lineup and this is a great opportunity to do just that.

Upton could play right field while gold glove center fielder Shane Victorino would remain in center.

The Phillies could also use the combination of Upton, Victorino, and Domonic Brown in the outfield for years to come, as Raul Ibanez is in the last of a three year deal. Sounds good to me.

Upton could likely be had for not too much in return given his recent struggles. The upside is high enough that the Phillies should take a chance on him.

A creative way to get younger and keep Werth

Agent Scott Boras has been selling Jayson Werth as someone who can play both right and center field.

That is exactly how the Phillies need to look at this.

Werth can play center field, so sign him and let him play there.

The Phillies need payroll flexibility to be able to afford the amount of money Werth is going to command. While trading left fielder Raul Ibanez would be ideal, it's not realistic.

The alternative is trading Shane Victorino.

By moving Victorino, the Phils would free up $7.5 million. While that would not equal what Werth will make per year, keep in mind another $10 million will come off the board after 2011 when Ibanez becomes a free agent.

Victorino would have decent trade value in which the Phillies could go a few different directions. They could look for major league talent to help fill a void they have, possibly a bullpen arm. Or they could move him for prospects in an effort to continue building for the future.

By putting Werth in center, the Phillies could start the season with a Ben Francisco/Domonic Brown platoon in right field. Brown is obviously the long term solution here and if he plays well enough he can take over, as Werth did in 2008.

By moving Victorino this would help offset what the Phillies would lose in Werth - a middle of the lineup, right handed power hitter. At the same time, it would allow Brown to get in the lineup, thus giving the Phillies on area they are beginning to get younger.

Should the Phils re-sign Werth?

Jayson Werth is one of the best right fielders in all of baseball. He is a five-tool players who hits for average and power, can steal bases, and who has a cannon from the outfield.

He's an All-Star caliber player and over the past three seasons has become a main-stay in the middle of the Phillies lineup.

For the fist time in his career, Werth is in line to make a lot of money.

And now the Phillies have a major decision to make.

With most of its core locked up, Werth has become the first major player in this era of Phillies baseball to become a free agent.

The Phillies face the biggest decision they have faced since their four year run of division titles started in 2007.

Do they try to sign Werth, sacrificing money they could spend elsewhere or do they let Werth walk?

Tough decisions.

The Phillies will certainly kick the tires on seeing what Werth and agent Scott Boras are looking for in terms of money and years. My guess is that the Phillies could pay Werth what he wants per year but that they will hesitate in signing him to the amount of years he is going to want to sign for.

There are two comparable contracts to look at.

The first one is a four year deal that Jason Bay signed with the Mets for $66 million. The second is a seven year deal Matt Holliday signed with the Cardinals for $120 million.

Werth is 31, so he is not going to get the seven years Holliday got. However, my guess is that he will want more than the four years Bay received.

So the first question is, how many years are the Phillies willing to go? My guess is four.

The second question is, how many years is Werth going to ask for? My guess is five to six.

Because of that, I don't think Werth will be back in a Phillies uniform.

Cons of not resigning Werth

If the Phillies do not sign Werth, it would be a major blow to the middle of their lineup. He was a power hitting right handed hitter in a left heavy lineup. He hit behind and protected Ryan Howard.

In the past three seasons Werth has hit 120 home runs and has knocked in 406 runs. Keep in mind, part of 2008 was spent in a platoon with Geoff Jenkins.

You don't just replace that kind of productivity with the snap of a finger.

Without Werth, the Phillies would either sign a lesser free agent or go with a platoon of Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown. Francisco is not a bad player and Brown is going to be a stud, although I'm not certain he is ready contribute as much as the Phils would need him to.

This is just not the same as having Werth's bat in the lineup.

Another thing to consider - who would bat behind Howard? No matter who it was, Howard would likely see less pitches to hit than he does now because whoever hits behind him is not going to pose the same threat Werth did.

With Werth gone, Howard's production could take a dip.

Pros of not resigning Werth

If the Phillies choose not to give Werth what he wants, they will have more money to spend on the bullpen, in which they currently have five openings. Only Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, and Danys Baez are under contract.

The Phillies will try to bring Chad Durbin and Jose Contreras back, but other than that they would likely be stuck with the hope that some younger guys step up into the remaining reliever roles. That's an unknown.

They could also sign a low cost, high reward reliever, which has worked with Contreras and Chan Ho Park in 2008. Again, this is an unknown.

Having so many unknown pieces in the bullpen could also hurt the Phillies starting pitching.

Aces Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are coming off seasons in which they had heavy workloads. This was party due to the inconsistency of middle relievers and the fact that manager Charlie Manual could not trust them.

Having unknowns in the bullpen again could cause Manual to again use his starters late into games, thus causing them to run out of gas for a long playoff run rather than being fresh.

The Phillies will also need to consider what Werth's production will be over the course of a contract. Is he still going to be the same player five years from now when he is in his mid thirties? Probably not.

With the entire starting lineup 30 or over, Werth would get old right along with the other Phillies starters.

Where would that leave them for the future? With a lot of high priced veterans on the downside of their careers. That is not a good position to be in.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has talked about sprinkling youth into the lineup. This is something he will have to consider.

Final thoughts

Not having Werth would definitely hurt in the short term. Having him under control for too many years would hurt in the long term.

I'd be for the Phillies signing him to a four year deal but nothing longer.

The Phillies don't need Werth. The Giants won the World Series this year with who in their outfield? Exactly.

Would Werth help - yes. But the Phillies must consider at what cost, what else that prevents them from doing, and what that does for a team that is already aging.

It's a tough decision and my gut tells me he will get 5-6 years from the Red Sox - something the Phillies will be un-willing to do.