Charlie smells what the Ballz is cookin'!

Two days into the winter meetings in Las Vegas NV, and the Phillies' have made no additions.

On day #2, the Phils retained the services of their manager, Charlie Manuel, for an extra season. Charlie's club option for 2010 will be picked up, and Manuel was extended through 2011.

Manuel's 2009 salary will be $1.5 million, and just about double that by 2011.

Day 1 of the winter meetings was fairly uneventful in Vegas, at least as far as the team roster and staff goes. There was some fun had here at home though. 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins attended the live World Wrestling Entertainment program Monday Night Raw at the Wachovia Center, where he was seated in the front row. A WWE star nicknamed "MVP", Montel Vontavious Porter, targeted Rollins with a Philadelphia diss-filled rant that saw Porter claim he was a real MVP, unlike the fluke J-Roll. Porter also claimed to be better than Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. It was a classic heel tirade. Insult the home crowd's sports teams to get some extra heat. It makes the fans that much more interested in "the good guy". "MVP" was jokingly pictured here on The Phoul Ballz last month in an post about the end of the Phillies' streak of most valuable player winners.

To view the segment featuring Rollins, check out the following link. Skip to the 0:58 mark. J-Roll is shown at 5:17, and is also seen celebrating the result of the match around the 6:17 mark. WWE star Charlie Haas, a former Seton Hall wrestling stand out, has an on-air gimmick where he mocks other wrestlers. His persona in this edition of Raw is "Most Valuable Charlie". I'm sorry, but Phillies phans know who the real MVC is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydNIour_ffk

From the Hot Stove rumor mill...There's a 3 or 4 team deal being talked about that might see the Phils giving up lefty "Jay" Happ or righty Kyle Kendrick for infielder/outfielder Mark DeRosa. The Phillies and Yankees are reportedly the two main teams targeting free agent starting pitcher Derek Lowe. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed that if the Phillies sign Lowe, then Jamie Moyer would no longer be persued by the Phillies. Amaro continues to state that the 5th starter role will be filled from within with guys like Happ, Kendrick, Joe Bisenius, Adam Eaton, and so on, competing for the job.

In rival news...the New York Mess signed some guy named Francisco. He's supposed to be the best closer from that other league. The Mess sure love signing guys who are supposed to be the best free agent(/player) at their respective positions to huge dollar contracts. Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and now "K-Rod". I'm sure spending $37 million on a guy who plays in roughly 4.8% of your innings will prove to be money well spent.

Watch Out For the Bat Boy

Stop ice grillin' the Phillies players, bat boy. I am watching YOU. I don't know what is on your mind, bat boy, but don't even think about doing something slick. You might wear the Phillies' uniform, but it is clear that you are a Yankees fan. It's all over your pale little "I wanna grow up to be like the Robert De Niro character in The Fan " face. The World Champs should be cautious around this kid. He could be dangerous. ------------------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE !

What the hell else was I going to write about...?

It will be too late for many people's liking, but it's really about time to NEVER USE BRAD LIDGE IN A SAVE SITUATION ON THE ROAD AGAIN. Lidge in 2009 road games- 0-6, 8.10 ERA, 15 saves, 10 blown saves. One of my favorite statistics that I regularly update here on PhoulBallz is the percentage of games that Brad Lidge has allowed earned runs in this season, compared to the 18% he allowed in 2008. This year, Lidge has allowed earned runs in 43% of his outings. And, as a reminder, in 2007 Brett Myers allowed earned runs in just 21% of his relief appearances. Considering Lidge's season-long struggles, what is the solution when Brett Myers is ailing with a back muscle/shoulder injury, when Chan Ho Park has an injured hamstring, when Ryan Madson looks just as inept in the 9th inning as Brad Lidge seems and when JC Romero is still unavailable to pitch due to a forearm injury? Well, on Wednesday night, with Hanley Ramirez batting with two outs and the tying run on 3rd base, your an...

Greatest Comeback I've Ever Witnessed

I was lucky enough to be in the building for the Phillies' game 4 NLCS walk off victory. I would like to write about it as though I'm reporting on it. I'd love to be able to jot down a story and go off to bed, like I did after game 3, but I don't think that is possible. I feel like I did last year following game 5.2 of the World Series. I was up all night, unable to come down off of that Phillies high. I have the same feeling right now. You all know what happened. I don't need to tell you all a story about the game. It's very likely you've got the image of Jimmy Rollins lacing that double off Jonathan Broxton burned in you brain, frame by frame already. I know I do. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, my lady began to collect her things, strapping her purse on across herself. I shot her a quick look as though to convey, "What are you doing?" She shot back, "I'm getting ready to go." I replied, "I'm getting ready to...

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