Phillies Nation

Stutes wowed some people with a strong showing in Clearwater. (PHOTO: AP)

Michael Stutes, who impressed the Phillies so much that they kept him around through the first round of cuts, was sent down to the minor league camp this morning along with Vance Worley, INF Jeff Larish, SS Freddy Galvis, OF Brandon Moss, LHP Dan Meyer and LHP Juan Perez.

Stutes was always a long shot to make the club when camp breaks later this month, but he did open some eyes with a very consistent showing. He may now be the first call up from the minors should an injury occur this season.

Worley is likely to be a starter with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and I know for a fact the Phillies brass really likes this kid. He has to the potential to be a part of any rotation in the big leagues, although he’s currently blocked in Philly.

Galvis has had a so-so spring thus far. He only hit .240 with the big club while committing two errors in 12 appearances at shortstop. For Galvis, it all comes down to being able to hit for average, something he’s been unable to do at the lower levels.

Continue reading Odds and Ends: Cuts, Lidge, Franzke, Castillo

We all know that there are rabid Phillies fans all around world. Some have moved away from Philly because of business or family, some are born abroad, and some are away protecting our country.

We at Phillies Nation salute those who put their lives on the line every day so that we can enjoy things like the freedom to assemble and watch a Phillies game. We want to give something back. That’s why we’re collecting donations to help put together Phillies care packages for our fellow fans overseas.

We’ve identified some brave men and women through our Facebook fan page to receive packages, but need your help getting them there. Each package will cost $40 including overseas shipping. Please make a donation today and help show the world that Phillies fans are the best fans and people in all of sports.

100% of donations will go towards sending care packages.

Just read an interesting piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning about the Worlds Greatest Mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, and his litigation troubles. It seems that our green friend injured a woman at a Reading Phillies game; she’s seeking $50,000 in damages.

The woman’s lawyer said that those around him liken it to “suing Santa Claus.” It’s understandable if you read the article; the woman has arthritis and the Phanatic’s horseplay set it off, causing her to seek medical attention. But does the Phanatic need to walk around with a waiver form nowadays?

The person inside the costume, Tom Burgoyne, is one of several parties being sued in this case. It’s certainly an unfortunate chain of events, but you figure something like this was bound to happen. And actually, it’s happened several times before, although just a few times in the last decade.  The Phanatic has been sued before!?

We normally don’t go all politico on you, however, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic…

UPDATE: Please help by emailing the people in your contact list (gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.) to help get the vote out. Click here to send a message to all your friends.

In case you haven’t heard, Phillies Nation is currently competing in a bracket to determine the best Phillies blog in the world. We were thankful to get a 1 seed, but have our eyes set on winning the whole thing.

Today, Phillies Nation takes on one of its biggest rivals in the blogging game, “The Fightins.”  Meech and the Boys over at Fightin’s have a huge following and have used it to their advantage through the first few rounds, garnering some high tallies. BUT, with YOUR support, we can move on to the Final Four today!

RIGHT NOW, VOTING FOR THE ELITE 8 is OPEN!!. Please take a few seconds to visit The Phield and cast your vote for Phillies Nation.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, says Chan Ho Park.  The former Phillies reliever signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the New York Yankees today, according to Dave Murphy of the Daily News.  There are also $300,000 worth of incentives to be had in the deal.

To me, this seems like a steal by the Yankees.  And, although Jose Contreras is wowing some people with his arm early in the spring, I think Park is still the better option presently.  Both Park and Contreras signed for similar money, so did something happen behind the scenes that led the Phillies away from Park, or vice versa?  At a full million dollars less than last season, Park would have been seen as a steal had the Phils locked him up. Now, he’s just been stolen by the former champs and the richest franchise in baseball.

I think the question here is, who would you rather have had for ’10: Chan Ho Park or Jose Contreras?

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

On today’s podcast, I welcome Matt Cerrone from Metsblog.com and SNY.tv to help recap the four-game weekend series between the Phillies and Mets.  We touch on subjects like Billy Wagner, Johan Santana’s injury, and how impressive the Phillies have been recently.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 3

Cerrone is the lead writer for Metsblog, which reaches more than 3.5 million people per month.  In 2007, he partnered with SportsNet NY, the TV home of the Mets, to help develop more in-depth content for MetsBlog.com, while working to create new team-specific blogs for their website, SNY.tv. Cerrone has been interviewed as an expert on radio, including WFAN, ESPN, and on television with SNY, ESPN, WNBC and WPIX, among others.

You can subscribe to future podcasts by using the feed here or directly through iTunes here.

The Phillies Nation bus trip to CitiField will take place this Saturday! Over 200 people are set to attend, but there is room for a few more.  So if you’d like to watch the Phils embarrass the Mets further than they’ve already done themselves – sign up now!

Luxury Coach from Philly, Upper Level Ticket, Tailgate – $149 ($179 for lower level ticket in Section 131)

Upper Level Ticket and Tailgate – $119

Luxury Coach from Philly and Tailgate – $79

Tailgate only – $35

For those people that have already signed up, you will be receiving an email with the final details soon. Most importantly, be in the Jetro Lot (Lot M) by 12:30 pm.

Also, can someone please make a big sign with the NL East standings?

Scott Lauber reports that Rodrigo Lopez will be moved to the bullpen.

“My job is to get people out. I definitely like being a starter. I’ve been a starter most of my career. I think I can pitch as well in the bullpen, but I just feel that I’m good enough to get people out, whether it’s coming out of the bullpen or in the rotation,” Lopez said.

Since his callup, Lopez is 3-1 with a 3.62 earned run average and 1.54 WHIP in five starts.