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The 2009 Phillies recorded their first win today! Rejoice, everyone! Our Phils recorded this win against the team they won their last game against, in the fifth and final game of the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays. Pat Burrell made his return to Clearwater , for the first time as a visitor. Pat was 1-for-2, with a double. Pat's return helped set a Brighthouse Field attendance record at 10,270. Burrell actually looks great in his new uniform. The letters on his hat and helmet no longer stand for Tampa Bay, by the way. It's now "The Bat". Prior to the Phillies ' scheduled game on Wednesday April 8 th , the Phillies have planned their World Series championship ring presentation. The Phillies have invited Burrell and he will attend that ceremony. The Rays are in Boston that night to face the Red Sox , and the schedule works out to allow Pat to make a trip to Philadelphia in the afternoon. John Mayberry Jr. continues to look like a quality acquisition, as he...

...And we should all feel fine. I know where everyone's heads are. Some phans may be thinking the worst. The Phillies have begun the pre-season with 3 losses and no wins. How can we ever recover? Relax...it's not that bad. I'll tell you method #1 for recovery- release Adam Eaton. Method #1, completed! That is all. Still not feeling better? Just consider that these games mean nothing. And take notice of the fine spring performances so far for Jamie Moyer, Carlos Carrasco, "Jay" Happ, John Mayberry Jr., Raul Ibanez, Pablo Ozuna, Greg Dobbs, Jason Donald, JC Romero and Gary Majewski. Oh also, forget about the awful spring performances so far from Andrew Carpenter, Sergio Escalona and Joe Bisenius. So, back to Eaton. Yes, the Phillies finally bit the proverbial bullet and gulped down hard to eat the $9 million that they owe him. Eaton spoke to reporters after the release and the most intriguing comment he made was this..."I know there's a lot still left in my...

To follow up on the Scott Eyre/frozen assets story, the Phillies have offered to advance Eyre some of his 2009 salary, so that he can pay his bills. Read all about it here . Pedro Feliz has still not begun swinging a bat, despite telling reporters that he feels good this week. Mickey Morandini is in Phillies camp for the first time, this spring, as a guest instructor. His time spent with the team will include a few days at Carpenter Field with the minor leaguers next week. Morandini told The Sporting News recently that he really likes the signing of Chan Ho Park and the contract given to Ryan Madson. He added, "We all know how important the bullpen is, and to have Madson, Park, Scott Eyre and Chad Durbin to get you to Brad Lidge is very important." John Mayberry Jr. and Raul Ibanez, the Phillies' left fielders in the Grapefruit League opener, each drove in a run in the team's loss . Mayberry Jr. could be the righty bench bat that the team was hoping to find. Don'...

Graefruit League baseball games won't start till tomorrow. However, there are a few Phillies who have already found ways to compete and have fun, after growing tired of drills and practice. Raul Ibanez vs. Pat Gillick- Staring Contest! They are stiilllll going. Stay tuned to your PhoulBallz network to see who blinks first. Over the weekend, the Phillies played dress up. Here, Scott Eyre is seen helping Colbert Hamels with his attire and reminding everyone that the Phillies are #1. ******************** News update- MLB.com reports that Phils reliever Scott Eyre is suffering great financial setbacks because he invested money with scammer Robert Allen Stanford . Federal regulators have frozen assets tied to Stanford, and this includes accounts belonging to Eyre, and other MLB players, while the investigation is ongoing. Happy Baseball Games Eve! Scott Lauber, of The News Journal , reports tomorrow's Grapefruit League opening day starting lineup for our Phillies is as follows.....

Tim McClelland, the Major League umpire famous from the George Brett pine tar incident, was the guest speaker at an Iowa baseball dinner last week and he had some interesting things to say about the steroids issue, in his sport. Here are some gems, from McClelland... "I'd like to see people kind of get over it. It was part of that era. In 2004, baseball instituted the ban on steroids. The previous 15 years, you just have to realize there were a lot of people taking steroids." "They used it to make themselves better. I can't fault a player for doing that." The Brett/pine tar incident was during a 1983 game with Brett's Royals visiting Yankee Stadium. While trailing in the 9th inning, Brett smacked a homer off closer Goose Gossage, and gave the Royals a lead. The Yankees knew of Brett's habits of adding too much pine tar (a legal substance used on bats for grip), too far up his bat. The Yanks chose a crucial time to point it out, and Tim McClelland rev...

Frank O'Donnell (Don) Hurst played for the Phillies from 1928-1934. Hurst was acquired from St. Louis in 1928 for catcher Jimmie Wilson. Promptly, Hurst was installed as the everyday Phillies first baseman where he would excel. In his very first game as a Phillie, Don Hurst reached base all four times, going 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI. Hurst was one of the rare guys who could hit for both power and average. In 1929, Hurst had his career season high in homers, when he hit 31, including at least one in four straight games. 1929 also marked the first of two seasons when Hurst would drive in 125, or more, runs...and it was the first of four straight seasons in which Hurst batted over .300. In 1932, Hurst had his best year. He led the National League in both RBI and batting avg. (143, and .339, respectively). For that performance, Hurst felt that he deserved more money. Thus, he held out the following spring, missing training camp, and he never again delivered such high-end perfor...

The Chinese Taipei team is out of the World Baseball Classic. Chinese Taipei was voted out of the WBC this week by confused phans who didn't grasp why Taiwan, just couldn't go by the name Taiwan in the world of sports. To avoid confusion and fan unrest, WBC officials and Phillies blog magnates have found a new team to play in The Classic. Lost Island will field a team for the first time in organized sports. Lost's head coach Jacob will rely on slick fielding Korean import Jin-Soo Kwon, veteran pitcher John Locke, slugging thirdbaseman James "Sawyer" Ford and slugging outfielder Sayid Jarrah to compete with the likes of China, Korea and Japan in the Group A bracket. Lost Island's Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications is said to have played a major role it getting this team its place in the WBC line up. Lost Island will make history in multiple ways, other than being the first replacement team. Speedy infielder Kate Austen is slated to ...

Us ually the Mets wait till September to have a huge collapse, but yesterday the final remaining portions of Shea Stadium came tumbling down.

There is loads of news coming out of spring training this week. Most of which is from the Phillies' home of Clearwater, FL, but some is from Port St. Lucie, FL, where the Mets train. The New York media continues to ask every Metropolitan possible about the remarks of Jimmy Rollins in past years (about our Phils being the team to beat), and the statement by Cole Hamels, in December, to a NYC radio station about the Mets being "choke artists". It seems that the Metropolitans players are getting a vibe from all the media questions that the Phillies players are speaking about the Mets endlessly, when the fact is that the only material going is from the reporters who wish to build this rivalry, in order to get page views, sell papers, and gain viewers for NYC sports programming. Carlos Beltran was nice enough yesterday to state the Mets' desire to end Cole Hamels by saying, "The only thing I know is that he will be watched every time he faces us. Hopefully, we kill hi...

The Phillies are World Series Champions and, thus, are world wide celebrities. This recognition isn't enough, I tell you. Some of the champs could very well be confused with other major celebrities around the globe...or at least around my house. Let's dig in... Two look-alikes in particular have been widely discussed. Geoff Jenkins even made a sign on the table covering at his autograph station at last year's Phillies Phestival that he is not Brett Favre or phormer Phillie Randy Wolf. ------------------------------------------------------- Jayson Werth may be on his way to Wrestlemania. Jay-Dub is aware that he resembles Heavyweight wrestling champion Adam "Edge" Copeland. Are you? -------------------------------------------- Carlos Ruiz's fame was boosted by TBS during the playoffs, but he might be ready for his own Comedy Central sketch show, as he looks very much like Carlos Mencia. Dee dee dee! -------------------------------------------------- And whi...

Charles "Red" Dooin was a talented catcher for our Phillies from 1902-1914. He excelled at blocking home plate from runners, despite his small size. Dooin's playing weight was roughly 165 pounds. From 1910-1914, Dooin not only played for the Phillies, but he managed them as well. Red's impact on the game wasn't only with his on-field performances, because he was the first catcher to use shin guards. Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan is widely credited for the innovation, but Bresnahan really only began wearing them after a collision at the plate with the well protected Dooin, in 1907. Dooin actually put Bresnahan in touch with his own sporting goods supplier, in order to obtain the shin guards. Dooin regularly wore his shin guards under his uniform, while Bresnaham wore his protection over his pants. Thus, fans and media took notice to one of the men first, instead of the other. Red Dooin's offensive statistics weren't overly impressive. His career homerun tot...

Happy first day of Spring Training to all of you. Most years I like to celebrate the first day of Spring Training just a little. In the past, I've gone as far as creating a hybrid flash card/greeting card that acted as a slide guide to help my lady learn new Phillies players' names. This year, luck would have it that the first day of Phillies spring training landed on Valentine's Day. So, I purchased a box of chocolates printed to look like a baseball for my lady, among other things, to recognize the joint occasion. My beautiful Valentine girl was thoughtful enough to realize the dates coincided as well, and she purchased a lovely box of baseball cards for me, as a gift. We are having a lovely day together, so far, and we are about to head out for a wonderful date. Let this be a lesson to all you phans out there. Romance is not dead. When all else fails, think (baseball) diamonds!

Adam Eaton is still owed $9 million by the Phillies. Yeah, NINE MILLION DOLLARS. His salary for 2009 is $8.5 million, and there is a buy-out option for 2010 at $500,000. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has made it clear that Eaton is not in the running for the 5th spot in the Phillies' pitching rotation. Eaton has accepted his own current status, as he's aware of the terribleness that is himself. Eaton, a former first round draft pick of the Phillies, is 14-18 with an ERA of 6.10 over the past two season for the Phillies. Just to provide a quick example of how significant $9 million is on the Phillies' payroll, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Scott Eyre and Chad Durbin combined will not make $9 million this season. When asked about the possibility of accepting another minor league assignment, Eaton had this to say, "If we get to that point, I'll be released. And I don't think that's the end of the world by any means. It would be ki...

This week, we've all been pounded (not in a Matt Stairs kind of way) with news about Alex Rodriguez and his positive test for performance enhancing drugs. Rodriguez came clean, in an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons, admitting that he took steroids for at least 3 seasons while playing for Texas, and admitting that he lied in previous interviews when asked about it. The test results were to remain anonymous, thus MLB is unable to punish Rodriguez over the maliciously released news. Instead, Commission Bud Selig can only chastise Rodriguez, saying that he has shamed the game. Rodriguez's confession has also drawn concern from the management of the Yankees. General Manager Brian Cashman stated, "I'm not confident about anything, about anybody." And manager Joe Girardi expressed his desire to keep a closer eye on players that he has concerns about. Alex Rodriguez is a cheater. Much like a cheater in school or in a relationship. Is the cheater sorry when he/she ...

Just pondering all the news and events going on lately, it really seems like a HUGE sports week. The NFL Pro Bowl was last weekend. The NBA All Star events and game are next weekend. Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking illegal performance enhancing drugs this week. Wrestler Chris Jericho was bombarded by fans after a WWE show, then was filmed shoving a female fan to the ground after she spit on him. The annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was launched this week. One of the biggest rivalries in all of sports, Duke vs. UNC men's basketball, sparks up this week, with both teams in the national top 5. Actress and MLB.com blogger Alyssa Milano will release a book this year, with a foreword written by Dodgers manager Joe Torre. All star shortstop Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying to congress during steroid investigations in 2005. But even with all those big stories in the news, the only one that I really care about is SPRING TRAINING BEGINS IN 3 DAYS for our Phillies.

The Sunday School series is pre-empted due to #6 news. Ryan Howard has officially avoided arbitration and signed a 3-year contract with our Phillies, sources confirmed. General Manager Ruben Amaro said, Sunday, “We're very pleased to have avoided the arbitration process, not just for this year, but also for the next two. Ryan is clearly one of the top power hitters and run producers in the major leagues and is a very important part of our championship club.” Ryan's contract breaks down this way...$15 million in 2009, $19 million in 2010 and $20 million in 2011. It is also packed with incentive bonuses, including one of the most ridiculous we could have expected to see- $50,000 for winning the Gold Glove Award. Seriously? Ryan Howard has a GOLD GLOVE incentive in his contract? Is this a joke? With that never reachable incentive listed, the Phils should have included some of the following bonuses for Howard. $50,000 for winning the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss $51,000 for winnin...

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

Phillies Ball(z)girl Sam Arnone was kind enough to answer some questions for the PhoulBallz site and all of you. Sam will be entering her 3rd season as a Phillies ballgirl and is a junior at Drexel University. Sam hails from the great town of Mt. Ephram, NJ. 1- Since the Phillies are the World Champions of baseball teams, are the Phillies ballgirls the world champions of ballgirl teams? - Of Course!!! There are not that many teams that have Ballgirls, so the competition is a little scarce. I would definitely put my team up against any other Ballgirl team with full confidence! 2- What is your routine to prepare for a day of on-field duties? - Before a game, I am always a little nervous. Once I am ready to leave my house and head to the ballpark I triple check my bag to make sure I have my glove and then I check again. I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat because it keeps me full and gives me energy for the entire game. I guess I might have to find a new favorite sa...

Each year, around this time, moving day comes along. It is the day when Phillies equipment manager Dan O'Rourke and his staff pack up one huge trailer with everything the Phillies will need to call Clearwater, Florida home for 6 or 7 weeks during spring training. Every season, I enjoy glancing over the list of what O'Rourke and the team take with them. So, courtesy of Scott Lauber and The News Journal, here is a list of many of the items that make the trip to Florida. 15 cases of gum 12 cases of sunflower seeds 20 coolers and one half pallet of sports drink mix 300 helmets 350 pairs of shorts 450 pairs of socks 600 pairs of pants 600 ball caps 2,000 t-shirts 200 fleece tops 1,200 bats 10,000 12 oz. cups 15,000 baseballs 150 pairs of batting gloves They also take along hundreds of pieces of memorabilia to be auctioned off at the FanFest charity event at Bright House Field on Feburary 20th.

According to recent reports, the Phillies are confident that they can avoid arbitration with Ryan Howard. There is no confirmation whether the agreement would be a one-year or a multi-year deal. If an agreement can not be reached in the coming days, a panel of 3 arbitrators will hear arguments from both the team and the player, next week, and decide on either the Phillies' offer of $14 million, or Howard's requested $18 million. Two local BC Sports Collectibles will be hosting Phillies player autograph signings this week. BC Sports in the King of Prussia Mall will have Chris Coste signing autographs this Wednesday night, 2/4 at 6:30pm. And on Saturday, 2/7, Jamie Moyer will be at the Oxford Valley Mall starting at noon. There are 11 days till the 63rd year of spring training baseball begins in Clearwater, Florida. Jamie Moyer is 46 years old. Ryan Madson has changed his jersey number from 63 to 46. I have no idea if those numbers are all related, but this is a nice little parag...

Another Sunday, another lesson. This week, we'll talk about a premiere slugger from the Deadball Era, Gavvy Cravath. Clifford "Gavvy" Cravath joined the Phillies in 1912, when he was 31 years old. The "Deadball Era" was a stretch in the early 1900's, when pitchers were known to throw many trick pitches and games were regularly played with a single mis-shapened ball. These factors made hitting for distance quite a challenge. Gavvy was a rightfielder. He batted right and threw right. Born on March 23, 1881, Gavvy became the first major leaguer from the San Diego area. While playing ball in his younger days in California, Cravath picked up his nickname by hitting a seagull (which is gaviota in Spanish) with a batted ball. Gavvy's pro career began with the Angels of the Pacific Coast League. He made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1908. Prior to that season, Cravath's contract had been sold to Boston, where he bacame a 27-year-old rooki...