A look back at the 2006 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2006 team.

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Following a year in which he won Rookie of the Year, first baseman Ryan Howard took home the league MVP. It was the first time in 20 years that a Phillie had been voted the most valuable player (Mike Schmidt - 1986).

Howard led the majors in home runs with 58 and had 149 RBI.

The Phils won 85 games and finished in second place in the division, drawing 2.7 million fans.

Chase Utley had 32 homers, Pat Burrell had 29, and Jimmy Rollins had 25 to go along with 36 stolen bases.

Brett Myers had 12 wins, Ryan Madson had 11, and Cole Hamels had 9. Tom Gordon had 34 saves.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2007 season.

C Mike Lieberthal (60)
1B Ryan Howard (159)
2B Chase Utley (156)
3B David Bell (90)
SS Jimmy Rollins (157)
LF Pat Burrell (126)
CF Aaron Rowand (107)
RF Bobby Abreu (97)

SP Cole Hamels
SP Cory Lidle
SP Jon Lieber
SP Ryan Madson
SP Brett Myers

RP Clay Condrey
RP Rheal Cormier
RP Ryan Franklin
RP Aaron Fultz
RP Geoff Geary
RP Arthur Rhodes
RP Rick White
CL Tom Gordon

#00 Rick White
#2 David Dellucci
#3 Abraham Nunez
#4 Danny Sandoval
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Ryan Howard
#8 Alex Gonzalez
#8 Jose Hernandez
#9 Michael Bourn
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#12 Randall Simon
#13 Sal Fasano
#18 Shane Victorino
#19 Jeff Conine
#21 Jon Lieber
#22 Arthur Rhodes
#23 Ryan Franklin
#23 Joe Thurston
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 David Bell
#26 Chase Utley
#27 Chris Coste
#29 Chris Roberson
#30 Cory Lidle
#33 Aaron Rowand
#34 Gavin Floyd
#35 Cole Hamels
#37 Rheal Cormier
#39 Brett Myers
#40 Matt Smith
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Julio Santana
#45 Tom Gordon
#46 Aaron Fultz
#47 Scott Mathieson
#48 Brian Sanches
#50 Adam Bernero
#50 Jamie Moyer
#51 Carlos Ruiz
#52 Fabio Castro
#53 Bobby Abreu
#55 Clay Condrey
#56 Geoff Geary
#58 Eude Brito
#63 Ryan Madson

A look back at the 2005 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2005 team.

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The current Phillies team continued to take form in 2005, as a youn guy named Ryan Howard was called up from the minor leagues are Jim Thome went down with an injury.

Howard won rookie of the year and Thome was later traded. Howard, who only played about half the season, but hit .288 with 22 homers and 63 RBI.

Pat Burrell led the team with 32 home runs and Chase Utley had 28.

The Phillies finished 88-74 and in second place, drawing 2.6 million fans.

Their lineup included the likes of Howard, Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

Cory Lidle, Jon Lieber, Brett Myers, and Vicente Padilla formed four of the five starters, while Billy Wagner was the closer.

Guys like Ryan Madson, Placido Polanco, and Shane Victorino were on the team.

Lieber won 17 games and Myers won 13. Wagner finished with 38 saves.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2006 season.

C Mike Lieberthal (117)
1B Ryan Howard (84)
2B Chase Utley (135)
3B David Bell (150)
SS Jimmy Rollins (157)
LF Pat Burrell (153)
CF Kenny Lofton (97)
RF Bobby Abreu (158)

SP Cory Lidle
SP Jon Lieber
SP Brett Myers
SP Vicente Padilla

RP Rheal Cormier
RP Aaron Fultz
RP Geoff Geary
RP Ryan Madson
RP Ugueth Urbina
CL Billy Wagner

#3 Todd Pratt
#4 David Bell
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Ryan Howard
#7 Kenny Lofton
#8 Shane Victorino
#9 Tomas Perez
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#12 Ramon Martinez
#13 Billy Wagner
#21 Jon Lieber
#22 Jason Michaels
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 Jim Thome
#26 Chase Utley
#27 Matt Kata
#27 Placido Polanco
#29 Marlon Byrd
#29 Danny Sandoval
#29 Michael Tucker
#30 Cory Lidle
#33 Aquilino Lopez
#33 Jose Offerman
#34 Gavin Floyd
#37 Rheal Cormier
#38 Tim Worrell
#39 Brett Myers
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Vicente Padilla
#46 Aaron Fultz
#47 Endy Chavez
#48 Pedro Liriano
#50 Robinson Tejeda
#51 Terry Adams
#53 Bobby Abreu
#56 Geoff Geary
#57 Amaury Telemaco
#58 Eude Brito
#63 Ryan Madson
#74 Ugueth Urbina

A look back at the 2004 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2004 team.

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The Phillies finished in second place, going 86-76, while drawing 3.2 million fans.

Third baseman David Bell became just the 8th Phillie to hit for the cycle.

The Phils best months were May (17-11) and September (19-8).

Jim Thome had 42 home runs and 105 RBI. Bobby Abreu had 30 homers, 105 RBI, and 40 SB.

Jimmy Rollins had 30 SB.

Eric Milton led the team with 14 wins and newly acquired closer Billy Wagner had 21 saves.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2005 season.

C Mike Lieberthal (129)
1B Jim Thome (134)
2B Placido Polanco (109)
3B David Bell (142)
SS Jimmy Rollins (154)
LF Pat Burrell (122)
CF Marlon Byrd (92)
RF Bobby Abreu (158)
DH Jim Thome (6)

SP Kevin Millwood
SP Eric Milton
SP Brett Myers
SP Vicente Padilla
SP Randy Wolf

RP Rheal Cormier
RP Geoff Geary
RP Roberto Hernandez
RP Todd Jones
RP Ryan Madson
RP Felix Rodriguez
RP Amaury Telemaco
RP Tim Worrell
CL Billy Wagner

#2 A.J. Hinch
#3 Todd Pratt
#4 David Bell
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Doug Glanville
#9 Tomas Perez
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#12 Ryan Howard
#13 Billy Wagner
#21 Eric Milton
#22 Jason Michaels
#23 Shawn Wooten
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 Jim Thome
#26 Chase Utley
#27 Placido Polanco
#29 Marlon Byrd
#30 Cory Lidle
#33 Ricky Ledee
#34 Kevin Millwood
#35 Roberto Hernandez
#37 Rheal Cormier
#38 Tim Worrell
#39 Brett Myers
#40 Paul Abbott
#41 Gavin Floyd
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Vicente Padilla
#46 Elizardo Ramirez
#47 Felix Rodriguez
#47 Amaury Telemaco
#50 Josh Hancock
#51 Brian Powell
#53 Bobby Abreu
#56 Geoff Geary
#57 Amaury Telemaco
#58 Lou Collier
#59 Todd Jones
#63 Ryan Madson
#75 Jim Crowell

A look back at the 2003 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2003 team.

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The Phillies started a string of winning seasons in 2003. Since this season, they have gone 619-515 (.546) in that span, which is the second-best record in the league and the fifth-best record in baseball behind the Yankees (.600), Red Sox (.582), Angels (.568) and Cardinals (.554).

The culture of the Phillies changed as they moved into a new ballpark and welcomed a top notch player in Jim Thome.

Thome was the first Phillies home run champion since 1986. He finished with 47 home runs.

Another highlight of 2003 was a no-hitter thrown my Kevin Milwood on April 27.

The Phillies finished in third place with 86 wins and drew 2.2 million fans.

While their home record was an outstanding 49-32, they struggled on the road, going 37-44.

Pat Burrell was second on the team with 21 home runs while Bobby Abreu had 20.

Milwood, Brett Myers, and Vicente Padilla all had 14 wins and Jose Mesa had 24 saves.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2004 season.

C Mike Lieberthal (131)
1B Jim Thome (156)
2B Placido Polanco (99)
3B David Bell (85)
SS Jimmy Rollins (154)
LF Pat Burrell (140)
CF Marlon Byrd (131)
RF Bobby Abreu (158)
DH Pat Burrell (2)
DH Ricky Ledee (2)
DH Jim Thome (2)

SP Brandon Duckworth
SP Kevin Millwood
SP Brett Myers
SP Vicente Padilla
SP Randy Wolf

RP Terry Adams
RP Rheal Cormier
RP Dan Plesac
RP Carlos Silva
RP Turk Wendell
RP Mike Williams
CL Jose Mesa

#2 Tyler Houston
#3 Todd Pratt
#4 David Bell
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Jimmy Rollins
#8 Nick Punto
#9 Tomas Perez
#12 Andy Machado
#13 Turk Wendell
#19 Dan Plesac
#22 Jason Michaels
#23 Travis Chapman
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 Jim Thome
#26 Chase Utley
#27 Placido Polanco
#28 Valerio de los Santos
#28 Eric Junge
#29 Marlon Byrd
#31 Brandon Duckworth
#33 Ricky Ledee
#34 Kevin Millwood
#35 Joe Roa
#35 Kelly Stinnett
#37 Rheal Cormier
#39 Brett Myers
#41 Mike Williams
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Vicente Padilla
#47 Amaury Telemaco
#49 Jose Mesa
#50 Josh Hancock
#51 Terry Adams
#52 Carlos Silva
#53 Bobby Abreu
#54 Hector Mercado
#56 Geoff Geary
#57 Ryan Madson

A look back at the 2002 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2002 team.

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To date, 2002 was the last time the Phillies finished under .500, but just a tad under at 80-81. The Phils finished in third place.

In 2002, the Phillies drew 1.6 million fans.

The team started off slow, going 9-18 in April. After a strong 18-10 August, they struggled down the stretch, going 12-15 in September.

Bobby Abreu hit .308 with 20 homers, 85 RBI, 102 runs, and 31 stolen bases.

Pat Burrell had a huge year, hitting 37 home runs and knocking in 116. He had a respectable .282 average.

Vicente Padilla led the team with 14 wins and Jose Mesa had 45 saves.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2003 season.

C Mike Lieberthal (129)
1B Travis Lee (148)
2B Marlon Anderson (143)
3B Scott Rolen (100)
SS Jimmy Rollins (152)
LF Pat Burrell (157)
CF Doug Glanville (117)
RF Bobby Abreu (148)
DH Jeremy Giambi (8)

SP Terry Adams
SP Brandon Duckworth
SP Vicente Padilla
SP Robert Person
SP Randy Wolf

RP Ricky Bottalico
RP David Coggin
RP Rheal Cormier
RP Hector Mercado
RP Dan Plesac
RP Jose Santiago
RP Carlos Silva
RP Mike Timlin
CL Jose Mesa

#3 Todd Pratt
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Doug Glanville
#7 Jeremy Giambi
#7 John Mabry
#8 Marlon Anderson
#9 Tomas Perez
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#12 Eric Valent
#15 Dave Hollins
#16 Travis Lee
#17 Scott Rolen
#19 Dan Plesac
#22 Jason Michaels
#23 Placido Polanco
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#27 Ricky Bottalico
#28 Eric Junge
#29 Marlon Byrd
#31 Robert Person
#33 Ricky Ledee
#34 Nick Punto
#35 Cliff Politte
#35 Joe Roa
#37 Rheal Cormier
#39 Johnny Estrada
#40 Jose Santiago
#41 Brett Myers
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Vicente Padilla
#48 David Coggin
#49 Jose Mesa
#50 Doug Nickle
#50 Mike Timlin
#51 Terry Adams
#52 Carlos Silva
#53 Bobby Abreu
#54 Hector Mercado
#56 Brandon Duckworth

Flyers solve Brodeur, Devils

The Philadelphia Flyers were terrible for much of the first two periods against the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.

They had no sense of urgency, passes were all over the place, they were turning the puck over, standing around, and had multiple lapses in communication.

Trailing the Devils 2-0 with future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in net, things were not looking good.

Everything changed within the last two minutes of the second period, as goals by James Van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter tied the game.

Van Riemsdyk, the Flyers top rookie, hustled down the ice and snapped a shot past Brodeur. The goal gave the Flyers life as Carter snapped a one-timer into the net just 1:12 later.

After killing off two penalties, Flyers captain scored a power play goal at 12:02 in the third period.

As usual, Brodeur had his fair share of amazing saves, two of which were close range saves off of Danny Briere and Blair Betts with a little over two minutes remaining.

Kimmo Timmonen was called for boarding with just under two minutes remaining in the game, but the Flyers killed off the penalty to grab a win over the Eastern Conferences second seed.

The Flyers held New Jersey's new sniper, Illya Kovalchuk scoreless, and moved to seventh place in the conference.

The last time the Flyers overcame a two-goal lead to beat the Devils was October 2005and it was the Flyers first win this season when trailing by two goals.

A look back at the 2001 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look at how the Phillies got to where they are at today. We started with 2000 and today will look at the 2001 team.

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Gone were the likes of long time Phillies Curt Schilling and Mickey Morandini.

Jimmy Rollins was in his first full season as the Phillies shortstop and Pat Burrell slid into his long tenure in left field.

The fiery Larry Bowa was in as manager and the Phillies responded with a very good season, going 86-76, finishing in second place, just two games behind the Atlanta Braves.

The Phils got off to a scorching start, going 34-18 in the first two months of the season. However, the cooled off significantly, going 52-58 the rest of the way.

The Phillies had four guys with 20-plus home runs (Bobby Abreu - 31, Burrell - 27, Scott Rolen - 25, and Travis Lee - 20).

Abreu and Rolen had over 100 RBI.

Robert Person led the team with 15 wins, Omar Daal had 13, and Randy Wolf had 10.

Jose Mesa had a nice year, saving 42 games with an ERA of 2.34.

The Phillies drew 1.7 million fans.

The Phillies continued to shape their future roster, drafting Ryan Howard in the fifth round of the amateur draft.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2002 season.

C Johnny Estrada (89)
1B Travis Lee (156)
2B Marlon Anderson (140)
3B Scott Rolen (151)
SS Jimmy Rollins (157)
LF Pat Burrell (146)
CF Doug Glanville (150)
RF Bobby Abreu (162)
DH Pat Burrell (5)

SP Bruce Chen
SP David Coggin
SP Omar Daal
SP Robert Person
SP Randy Wolf

RP Ricky Bottalico
RP Chris Brock
RP Rheal Cormier
RP Wayne Gomes
RP Eddie Oropesa
RP Vicente Padilla
RP Cliff Politte
RP Jose Santiago
RP Turk Wendell
CL Jose Mesa

#2 Rob Ducey
#3 Todd Pratt
#4 Gary Bennett
#4 Matt Walbeck
#5 Pat Burrell
#6 Doug Glanville
#8 Marlon Anderson
#9 David Newhan
#9 Tomas Perez
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#12 Brian Hunter
#13 Turk Wendell
#15 Eric Valent
#16 Travis Lee
#17 Scott Rolen
#19 Johnny Estrada
#22 Jason Michaels
#23 Kevin Jordan
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 Turner Ward
#27 Ricky Bottalico
#28 Reggie Taylor
#29 P.J. Forbes
#31 Robert Person
#33 Rheal Cormier
#34 Paul Byrd
#34 Nick Punto
#35 Cliff Politte
#37 Omar Daal
#39 Bruce Chen
#39 Dennis Cook
#40 Jose Santiago
#43 Randy Wolf
#44 Vicente Padilla
#45 Chris Brock
#47 Amaury Telemaco
#48 David Coggin
#49 Jose Mesa
#50 Ed Vosberg
#51 Doug Nickle
#52 Felipe Crespo
#53 Bobby Abreu
#54 Eddie Oropesa
#56 Brandon Duckworth
#57 Nelson Figueroa
#61 Wayne Gomes

A look back at the 2000 Phillies

Out of Bounds is taking a look back at how the Phillies got to where they are today. We'll take a look at the team from 2000 to the current team. Today we start with 2000.

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Terry Francona led the Boston Red Sox to its first would championship in 86 years in 2004.

He had no such luck as the Phillies manager.

In his fourth and final year at the helm, the Phils had their lowest win total since 1988 (not including the strike shortened 1994 season).

With a record of 65-97, the Phillies finished in 5th place, 30 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves.

Considering the Phillies have drawn over 3 million fans in 2008 and 2009, the lack of success showed in 2000, as they only drew 1.6 million fans.

However, the Phillies team was not all that bad.

Curt Schilling and Randy Wolf anchored the pitching staff, while Scott Rolen, Pat Burrell (his first season), and Bobby Abreu were the teams top position players.

Amazingly, Andy Ashby was the highest paid player on the team at $5.9 million. That sounds hilarious on two fronts. First off, $5.9 million is nothing these days. Second off, no wonder the Phillies were so bad with Ashby being their highest paid player.

Rolen led the team with 26 home runs, Abreu had 25, Ron Gant had 20, and Burrell had 18.

While the Phils had a few nice players, they certainly had their shortcomings with guys like Desi Relaford at shortstop (hitting .221). Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins made his major league debut, but played sparingly in only 14 games. Good thing they decided to keep Rollins as the long term option.

The pitching staff was terrible. Ashby went 4-7 with an ERA over 5, Paul Byrd went 2-9 with an ERA over 6, and Schilling only went 6-6. Wolf led the team with 11 wins and Robert Person was second with 9 wins.

Jeff Brantly was the closer and finished with 23 saves.

June was the only month the Phillies had a winning record and a terrible September of 9-20 ended a miserable season.

Not all was lost in 2000 though, as the Phillies drafted one of their best players today, Chase Utley.

Of course, the Phillies also made a bonehead trade in 2000, sending Shilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks (where he would go on to win a World Series) for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee, and Vicente Padilla. Brilliant trade.

Below is the starting roster as well as the full team roster.

Next, we'll take a look at the 2001 season.

C Mike Lieberthal
1B Pat Burrell
2B Mickey Morandini
3B Scott Rolen
SS Desi Relaford
LF Ron Gant
CF Doug Glanville
RF Bobby Abreu

SP Andy Ashby
SP Paul Byrd
SP Bruce Chen
SP Robert Person
SP Curt Schilling
SP Randy Wolf

RP Scott Aldred
RP Jason Boyd
RP Chris Brock
RP Wayne Gomes
RP Mark Holzemer
RP Vicente Padilla
RP Steve Schrenk
RP Ed Vosberg
RP Bryan Ward
CL Jeff Brantley

#2 Rico Brogna
#5 Ron Gant
#6 Doug Glanville
#8 Desi Relaford
#10 Travis Lee
#11 Kevin Sefcik
#12 Mickey Morandini
#12 Tom Prince
#13 Tomas Perez
#14 Gary Bennett
#15 Clemente Alvarez
#16 Marlon Anderson
#17 Scott Rolen
#19 Brian Hunter
#21 Kent Bottenfield
#23 Kevin Jordan
#24 Mike Lieberthal
#25 Rob Ducey
#26 Alex Arias
#27 David Newhan
#28 Chris Pritchett
#29 Jimmy Rollins
#30 Scott Aldred
#31 Robert Person
#33 Kirk Bullinger
#33 Pat Burrell
#34 Paul Byrd
#35 Cliff Politte
#37 Omar Daal
#37 Bryan Ward
#38 Curt Schilling
#39 Bruce Chen
#41 Jason Boyd
#43 Andy Ashby
#43 Tom Jacquez
#44 Vicente Padilla
#44 Carlos Reyes
#45 Jeff Brantley
#46 Mark Holzemer
#46 Trever Miller
#47 Amaury Telemaco
#49 Mark Brownson
#50 Ed Vosberg
#52 Steve Schrenk
#53 Bobby Abreu
#54 Randy Wolf
#55 Chris Brock
#61 Wayne Gomes
#63 Reggie Taylor
#72 David Coggin
#78 Doug Nickle

NFL's best week is championship Sunday

Unlike the other major sports, the NFL's championship game loses a lot of luster because of its corporate feel and neutral location.

Because of this, the best week of the season is championship week, where the best teams in the AFC and NFC play for a right to go to the Super Bowl.

People don't watch the AFC or NFC Championship games for commercials. They don't watch just because every one else does.

No, this Sunday is all about football. It's about a stadium being full of passionate fans, all with one goal in mind - for their team to make it to the Super Bowl.

It is not a corporate event and instead of looking forward to commercials, fans dread having to wait to find out what happens next in the game.

I vividly remember every single Eagles NFC Championship game.

The anticipation leading up to the games was huge. The crowds were nuts. My stomach was in knots for every second of every single one of those games.

As the NFC Championship game loses mounted year after year, I remember the Eagles going into the 2004 conference championship game against Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons.

My thoughts raced as I wondered how they would stop Vick and how they would avoid stopping themselves yet again.

As Chad Lewis caught his second TD of the game and I knew they would finally win one, it was the best football moment of my life.

In fact, I'd put it as my second best sports moment of all time right behind the Phillies winning the World Series in 2008.

Yes, the Super Bowl decides the championships.

But people don't get together for parties just to get together during the conference championship games.

No, tomorrow is all about football.

Ruben Amaro has had major impact on Phils

Getting back to the World Series in 2009 was no small feat for the Philadelphia Phillies.

In a sport where there is turnover in every roster year after year, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has been aggressive while tweaking the team as well as building continuity for the future.

This is no small task for a guy who took over the World Champs after then GM Pat Gillick stepped down.

Amaro has proven to be a man who goes out and gets what he wants.

Phillies fans have raved over some moves and not been so high on others.

Whether or not you like what Amaro has done, one thing is certain - there has not been much of a drop off in the teams success since Amaro took over and it does not seem likely there will be any drop off for the years to come.
Amaro has been back at tweaking the roster in the past two days, so let's take a look at how Amaro has changed the team since he took over after the 2008 season.

1) Amaro's first order of business was letting long-time and fan favorite Pat Burrell go. In his place, Amaro signed aging veteran Raul Ibanez to a three year deal. Many wondering what the 37-year old would bring to the table. Ibanez was an MVP candidate through the beginning of the season and made his first All-Star team. Although he was slowed by a groin injury, Ibanez finished with 34 home runs and 93 RBI. Meanwhile, Burrell struggled for the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting only .221 with 14home runs.

2) Amaro then sured up the future of the Phillies, signing pitcher Cole Hamels and slugger Ryan Howard to deals that will take them through 2011.

3) In what was probably his best move considering what they got for what they gave up, Amaro made a major impact at his first trade deadline, getting ace Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco for four prospects. So much focus was on the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay that this trade seemed to come out of nowhere. Three of the prospects the Phils gave up - Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, and Loe Marson should be average players at best, and pitcher Jason Knapp has a high ceiling. Not too bad for an ace and outfield depth. Lee was unbe-lee-vable, going 5-0 in his first five starts. He was unhittable in the playoffs and World Series.

3) In what was first thought to be a move that would not have much of an impact, Amaro signed Pedro Martinez after the All-Star break. Martinez pitched brilliantly during his time with the Phillies, going 5-1 with an ERA of 3.63.

4) After falling short for their second straight World Series title, Amaro struck quickly this off season. Faced with the decision to keep steady Pedro Feliz at third base, Amaro instead chose for a steady bat to balance the strikeout prone lineup, signing Placido Polanco to play third base. Polanco was a gold glove second baseman for Detroit last year, so the jury is not yet out on how he will do at third. Funny how things work out - the Phillies wanted to move Polanco to third years ago when Chase Utley made it to the majors. He declined. Not this time.

5) Amaro finally got his man, trading for one of the best pitchers in baseball, Roy Halladay. While Phillies fans dreamed of adding Halladay at the trade deadline, this deal made months later came with a lot of criticism, as the Phils traded Cliff Lee in a separate deal to the Seattle Mariners. Halladay should absolutely dominate in the National League, but the thought that the Phils could have had both Halladay and Lee has left fans wondering what a rotation with both would have looked like. Needing prospects after trading four for Lee in the summer and top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, top catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud, and outfield prospect Michael Taylor for Halladay, Amaro chose to move Lee to Seattle for three prospects.

6) One major need heading into the 2010 season was rebuilding a bench that was absolutely useless last year. Gone are the likes of Matt Stairs and Eric Bruntlett. Greg Dobbs and Ben Francisco stay and the Phillies added Russ Gload, Brian Schneider and Juan Castro.

7) Another major need was rebuilding a bullpen that struggled last season. The Phillies were unable to re-sign Chan Ho Park and let Clay Condrey go. The Phillies signed former closer Dennys Baez and Jose Contreras.

8) Amaro continued to build continuity, picking up the 2011 option of Jimmy Rollins and signing Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino to three year deals.

Throughout the year and a half Amaro has been on the job, he has added key pieces to the team and also set them up to keep the core of their team for years to come.

While I don't like every move Amaro has made (trading Lee), I'd say he has done a pretty good job.

I expect the Phillies to compete for championships for years to come.