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Gerry Nugent was the owner of the Phillies from 1932-1942. In actuality, the majority of stock in the team was owned by Nugent's wife, Mae. Gerry Nugent married the secretary of team owner William F. Baker. Gerry was so helpful with suggestions about the team that Baker hired him to work in the front office as his own assistant in 1926. Years later, Baker died and left substantial ownership of the team to Mae. Gerry became acting owner and team president. Gerry Nugent was a shrewd judge of talent. He excelled at scouring the minors for unknown players. It was Nugent's idea to have the Phillies purchase Chuck Klein for $7500 in 1928. He acquired loads more players from the minor leagues, who would later become Major Leaguers, like Claude Passeau, Don Hurst and Pinky Whitney. Nugent's ability to spot and develop talent was only exceeded by his inability to hold on to it. Without question Nugent was at the mercy of factors not under his control, as money was not easy to come b

It may not be as bad for the Phillies at home as we all think it is. While the Phillies' record at home (10-14) is not very great, and the results on the current homestand have been just 2-2, some individuals on the team have excelled in Philadelphia this season. Pedro Feliz at home in 24 games- .321 avg, .904 OPS, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 15 RBI. Carlos Ruiz at home in 12 games- .333 avg, 1.136 OPS, 7 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Raul Ibanez at home in 24 games- .357 avg, 1.172 OPS, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 23 RBI. Chase Utley at home in 24 games- .256 avg, .943 OPS, 3 doubles, 8 HR, 17 RBI. Clay Condrey in 13 home games- 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 13 K's, 2 walks in 15 IP. Cole Hamels in 5 home games- 1-1, 3.38 ERA, 30 K's, 6 walks in 26 2/3 IP. In addition, Shane Victorino on this home stand, so far, is batting .563 (9-for-16) with 2 walks, 1 steal, 2 doubles and 2 runs scored through 4 games.

Phillies catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud was selected as a supplemental first round pick in 2007, with the 37th overall pick, out of high school in California. He currently is the starting catcher for the Lakewood BlueClaws and leads the team with 25 RBI. Baseball America ranked Travis as the 7th best prospect in the Phillies organization prior to this season. Fresh off his various dancing performances around FirstEnergy Park in recent days, Travis made time for some questions from PhoulBallz.com. First, I asked Travis about playing against his brother, West Virginia Power short stop Chase D'Arnaud, at the professional level- It's an incredible feeling. A feeling I want everyone to feel....being able to play in the same profession. Especially something as hard as baseball. I love it every day. Every second he's out there, I love it. It's kind of like being home away from home, ya know what I mean? And my dad's here too (father Lance attended last week's

Twenty years ago tomorrow, Mike Schmidt delivered a touching speach, announcing his retirement from baseball. That's twenty years since a Hall of Famer has played for the Phillies. As a salute to Schmitty, I'll be waking up quite early in the morning and at 5:48 AM, I will blow my car horn 20 times as a salute to Michael Jack Schmidt. If 20 and 548 don't ring a bell, that's Schmidt's jersey number and how many homers Schmidt hit in his legendary career. Please join PhoulBallz.com and toot your own horn, along with us. *DISCLAIMER* PhoulBallz is not responsible if you wake up your neighbors and they beat you with a Louisville Slugger as though they were Michael Jack and you were a Rick Reuschel curveball. "I could ask the Phillies to keep me on to add to my statistics, but my love for the game won't let me do that." -Mike Schmidt

JC Romero was nice enough to take some time today to answer some questions after his "rehab" appearance in Lakewood. Romero threw 2 perfect innings against the West Virginia Power, the Pirates' single A affiliate. Here are JC's comments... JC on today's appearance- I felt pretty good. I had a good sinker working today. I felt a little sluggish. Ya know, I think it was a little early (11:05am game). I'm not accustomed to throwing early. I felt good, but I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. Even though my sinker was moving, I was disappointed with my breaking pitches. On whether he had a pitch count today- Not really, just two innings. Just trying to get the feel for the game. It was a good outing overall. On his pitching schedule between now and June 3rd, when he is eligible to return- Twice. I'm going to Lehigh Valley- Saturday, Sunday...and, going back to back days. But today was the only day that I'll have actually pitched two innings. On if h

Yes, I linked to it yesterday, but after watching it again, it would be a disservice to not post the actual video. Above, you see BlueClaws players, Travis D'Arnaud, Moose Mattair, Jeremy Hamilton, Zach Collier, Jacob Diekman, Jon Velasquez and Ryan Ariall performing a little Cha Cha Slide during Sunday's rain delay. Turn it out!!

It's a great day for links... Phan Amanda and IronPig Pen talk about John Mayberry Jr.'s impact. BlueClaws Blog has fun stuff detailing Sunday's rain delay dance party... here and here . Phillies Nation has a review of the Phils' state on Memorial Day. And lastly, to review what I said last week and still feel applies to Brad Lidge, read here and here .

Sherwood "Sherry" Magee was an outfielder for our Phillies from 1904-1914. Long regarded as one of the all-time best Phillies, Magee made a name for himself with his bat, his arm, his speed and his temper. During his time with the Phillies, Magee led the National League in RBI three times, won a batting title and stole 387 bases, which still stands as third best all-time in team history. Sherry was also the most outstanding run producer on the team for over a decade. In 1906, Magee swiped 55 bases, which stood as a single season Phils record, until Juan Samuel broke it in 1984. His finest offensive year came in 1910, when he led the National League in RBI, runs scored, total bases, slugging percentage and batting average. Had the MVP award existed then, Magee surely would have been awarded the honor. Magee's RBI total in 1910 was 123...the next highest total in the NL- 88. Despite that remarkable season, Magee made the most headlines 1911, when his volatile temper got the

Jimmy Rollins is enjoying the Phillies' current road trip. His excellent offense has definitely contributed to the teams' success lately. Our Phils are 7-1 so far on this road trip with two games left against the Yankees. In those 8 games, Rollins is batting .389 (14-for-36) with 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 4 SB, 4 walks, 9 runs scored, and 5 RBI. Rollins' batting average has gone up 41 points during this road trip, from .199 to .240. Furthermore his OPS (on base % + slugging percentage) has gone up over 100 points, from .534 to .635. Rollins hit his franchise leading 29th career lead-off homerun Friday, off Yankees starter AJ Burnett. It was his first this season. Also, J-Roll has hit safely and scored in 10 of the Phillies's last 11 games.

The Phillies (22-17) head up to New York to take on the Yankees (24-17) in their new digs this weekend. It should be a fun Memorial Day weekend at the new Yankee Stadium. A record 75 homeruns have been hit at Yankee Stadium in the first 20 games there. The Phils haven't visited the Bronx since 2000. Read on for pitching match ups, game times, and plenty more notes. Friday, 7:05pm. Brett Myers (3-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. AJ Burnett (2-1, 5.02 ERA). Myers has had one career start against the Yankees. He won that game, in June 2006, by throwing 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and giving up just 2 earned runs. Myers is 3-0 on the road this season. Burnett has a 5-7 record in 16 career games against the Phils with a 4.57 ERA and 2 complete games. Burnett at home this season has no record in 4 starts, with a 4.15 ERA. Greg Dobbs is 4-for-6 in his career against Burnett with a double and 2 RBI. Matt Stairs is 2-for-8 off Burnett...both hits are homeruns . Saturday, 4:10pm. "Jay" Hap

Josh Willingham and Pat Listach celebrating with each other. Perhaps these two would like to hang out with Ryan Madson and friends at Bourbon Blue next weekend, when the Nationals are in town.

Josh Outman was dealt to Oakland last July in the trade that brought Joe Blanton to town. At the time of the trade, Outman had a 3.20 ERA in 33 games for double A Reading. Outman went on to make his Major League debut for the A's last September, and posted a 4.56 ERA in 6 appearances for Oakland in 2008. This season in the Majors, Outman has thrown in 8 games, 6 of which have been starts, and has a 3.31 ERA (excluding his worst single outing, his ERA would be 2.82). Over his last four games, all starts, Outman's ERA is 2.42 with a strike out to walk ratio of 20:7. By comparison, in Joe Blanton's last four starts, his ERA is 6.56 (that is actually better than Joe's season ERA, which is 6.86) and he has a strike out to walk ratio of 17:12. Things like these Outman/Blanton differences jump out at me...especially when Phillies starting pitchers have a combined 6.24 ERA. What other starters have the Phillies let get away that would be an improvement over the average ERA by t

Phillies management finally decided to make adjustments with the pitching staff after Chan Ho Park's latest outing, where he allowed 5 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Statistically, that was the worst start by a Phillie this year. On Tuesday, manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee decided that it was time for "Jay" Happ and Chan Ho Park to switch places. Park will fill a role in the bullpen, while Happ will enter the starting rotation, and start against Andy Pettitte at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Park's season ERA stands at 7.08 in 34 1/3 innings pitched while his opponents batting avg. is .304. Happ's ERA is 2.49 in 21 2/3 innings pitched and his opponents batting avg. is .184. Here's to Happ. And as a tribute, Cheech Marin says "Waass HAPPeneen?" --------------------------------

The Phillies (20-16) begin a 3 game series in Cincinnati tonight against the Reds (20-17). Read on for pitching match ups and plenty of additional notes. Tuesday, 7:10pm. Cole Hamels (1-2, 5.04 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (4-1, 1.93 ERA). Cole was moved up a day ahead of Jamie Moyer, which will allow Hamels to face the Yankees this coming Sunday. In his career against the Reds, Cole is 3-0 in 4 games, with a 0.60 ERA and a .139 batting avg. against. Cole's ERA in his last 4 starts is 2.18. Reds players Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Alex Gonzalez combine for a 0.48 batting avg (1 for 21) against Colbert. Cueto has never faced the Phillies in his short career. At home this season, Cueto is 1-1 in 3 starts, with a 2.70 ERA. Cueto is third in the NL in ERA. Wednesday, 7:10pm. Jamie Moyer (3-3, 8.15 ERA) vs. Micah Owings (3-4, 3.95 ERA). Moyer, in 7 career appearances against the Reds, is 1-3, in 28 innings pitched, with a 5.46 ERA. Owings has a career 2-0 record and 2.57 ERA

Jim Thome smashed a homerun on Monday night off Jesse Carlson of the Blue Jays to tie Mike Schmidt for 13th most all time in MLB. Both sluggers have 548 homeruns. A tip of the hat to big Jim, from PhoulBallz.com, on this milestone.

The Phillies swept the Nationals in 4 games, over the weekend. In the series, the Phils' offense shined, led by Raul Ibanez, who won NL player of the week honors. Ibanez hit .481 (13 for 27) during the week, and had a 1.539 OPS. The Washington series was a good time for the entire offense. As a team, the Phillies batted .327 (49 for 150) in the four games. Jimmy Rollins raised his batting average 22 points, hitting safely in all 4 games, including 3 straight with multiple hits. ------------------------------------ Here we go with some links for today... Fox Network and MLB are planning to start post season games at earlier times . Pat Burrell was placed the disabled list with a neck strain by the Tampa Rays. Rays Manager Maddon makes lineup error, loses DH , wins game. Stairs Way to Heaven has Matt Stairs' presidential duties lined up. TheGoodPhight has a finalist in Baseball Prospectus Idol ! Superfan John, of HomeSide News , will have reports from Lehigh on JC Romero

Charles "Chick" Fraser was a right handed starting pitcher for the Phillies from 1899-1900, then again from 1902-1904. He made his major league debut in 1896 for the Louisville Colonels. Fraser struggled in his playing days, prior to the Phillies, posting a 36-66 overall record. Following the 1898 season, the Phillies purchased Chick Fraser from the Cleveland Spiders for the price of $1,000. That contract purchase would prove to be a great steal for the Phillies when the generally wild Fraser, who led the NL in walks in 1896, won 21 games in 1899 with four shutouts. In 1900, Chick won 16 games and led the team in ERA. Fraser left the Phillies to play for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901. Fraser would then lead the American League in walks, but won 22 games for the A's. Chick Fraser is the only pitcher to win 20 games for both the Phillies and the Athletics. A successful legal challenge by the Phillies, over Fraser's departure, would return Fraser, who left for a lar

I don't want to see Brad Lidge (back row, directly behind President Obama) with a smile on his stupid face until he gets his sh*t together. Plain and simple. I also think the next time I hear someone argue, "Well they just won it all, and he saved over 40 games. Cut him some slack", or, "He was perfect last year !" I am going to stab a chest or two. Being great in the past and performing superbly on previous occasions will only get you so far. If a fire fighter showed up to a big apartment complex blaze and aimed the hose toward the other side of the street, where everything was fine, and allowed the fire to burn out of control while he had his back to it...would we argue, "Aw, don't worry- that's the fire fighter who saved that family of 6, their dog, and 2 cats last October"? No!!! So shut your mouth, softy. Brad Lidge sucks right now and should not be trusted to save games. Good bye.

So far this season, Brad Lidge has been scored on in 8 of his 15 appearances, including his last 5. Last season it took Lidge until Joe Blanton's first Phillies start on July 22nd, to be scored upon 8 times. In fact, through May 14th last year, Lidge had only been scored on once (his first run allowed was on May 13th). All of Lidge's runs this season are earned. It was August 3rd last season before Lidge let up earned runs for the 8th time. There have been rare occasions where Lidge struggled this badly. To start his career with Houston in 2002, Lidge was scored on in his first three appearances. In August 2006, Lidge let up runs in three straight appearances for the second time in his career. The following month, Lidge was scored on in 6 out of 8 appearances. Lidge's 2006 season ERA was 5.28. Other than that single rough year, Lidge's highest season ERA came in his first full season in the Majors, 2003, at 3.60. There have been no times in Lidge's career that he wa

I've read some sour reports and opinions online today about Jamie Moyer. Most are, more or less, leaning toward Moyer being replaced in the rotation. I'm not for that. The WSBGM guys consider Moyer going the route of Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton, as guys who were signed to considerable contracts, and were later cut and owed the full amount. Scott Lauber mentioned it, but simply touched on the idea of Moyer being bumped from the rotation in place of "Jay" Happ. Others are not pushing the emergency button yet and simply discussing Moyer's struggles. I'm not that relaxed either. Todd Zolecki quotes Moyer as not being worried, and Charlie Manuel saying "Our pitching is what it is. We signed those pitchers to pitch. Will I stay with them? Of course I'll stay with them." In just a couple of weeks, the whole Phillies world will reminisce, when on Friday May, 29th, we look back two decades and remember Mike Schmidt's retirement. Schmidt retired in

Last night, Jayson Werth led the Phillies to victory, by stealing 4 bases against his former team, the Dodgers....3 of which were in the 7th inning. It's a rare feat to steal your way around the bases, including home . It's only been done by 49 players in MLB history. If you still don't understand how big of a deal this is, just check out the screen capture below. Werth topped American Idol as the top news story on Yahoo this afternoon. For something to bump down weak-sauce competition program results on Yahoo's featured stories, it's got to be huge. The fine people over on TheFightins.com have all the footage of Jayson Werth's steal of home. Check it out, if you missed it, or wish to see it again.

Jimmy Kimmel Live's parking lot security guard Guillermo has been broken up since his favorite slugger got suspended last week. Here, he sings a tribute to Manny.

Tim Gradoville is a career minor league catcher, who once, as a September call up, was up with the big club for the proverbial cup of coffee. Slated to be the Phillies bullpen catcher, at a later date, Gradoville is currently assigned as a special instructor with the Lakewood BlueClaws. I had the opportunity to speak with Tim and here's how that went down... What's the atmosphere with the BlueClaws like so far this season? Well, I think we have a good mix of players. We have some veteran guys, and some young guys too, so it makes for an interesting mix. I think the guys like to have a good time, and they're pretty loose and that translates into winning games. They have a good time. With a young team, you never know what you're gonna get, sometimes, but they seem to gel pretty well together, so that helps to build team unity, helps guys get along. They're having fun, they're enjoying baseball. This game can be a grind sometimes, if you're not having fun. What

It's a rematch of last year's National League Championship Series! The Phillies won the series and all the games in Philadelphia. This season, the Dodgers are 8-8 on the road and the Phillies are 7-10 at home. Pitching match ups for the 3 game series are listed below with other notes. Tuesday, 7:05pm. Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 4.91 ERA) vs. Chan Ho Park (0-1, 6.67 ERA). Kershaw in 2 starts against the Phils is 0-1, with am 8.10 ERA in 10 innings pitched. Kershaw on the road this season has 10.29 ERA in 3 starts. Park has 5 career appearances against the Dodgers. In those games he is 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA. Also, for his career, May is Park's best month in batting average against at .236 and WHIP at 1.33. Juan Pierre is a .480 career hitter against Park (12-for-25). Also, the game is a sell out- Dollar Dog Night. Wednesday, 7:05pm. Randy Wolf (1-1, 2.95 ERA) vs. Jamie Moyer (3-2, 7.26 ERA). In 26 career starts at Citizens Bank Park, Wolfy is 8-7 with a 4.41 ERA. This will be Wolf&

Jayson Werth was hit by a pitch thrown by Jeff Bennett on Friday. This picture shows where the ball made contact with Werth. Drop YOUR caption in the comments area.

Ryan Bergh is a righty reliever for the single A BlueClaws. Bergh, a side-armed hurler, was a 26th round selection in the 2008 amateur draft out of Old Dominion University. He spent last season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. In 20 games in the GCL, Bergh led the team with 9 saves and had a 0.64 ERA. Through 10 games this season, Bergh is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 4 saves. Here's how my Q&A with Bergh went... Can I get your thoughts on your successful first 5 weeks of the season? I've just been fortunate, ya know. I've been locating my pitches, and getting guys out. Ran into a little trouble a couple outings back, not locating but, for the most part I'm able to keep the ball down in the zone and get guys out. Does your arm angle (side arm) help you out? Is that an advantage for you? I think so. I've been throwing like this since high school, so it's not really that strange for me, but obviously the hitters- it's a little bit different angle. Yeah, I t

J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i

Curt Simmons made his Major League debut for the Phillies at age 18 and, over time, became one of the team's most dependable starting pitchers. The lefty signed with the team in 1947 for $65,000 following an exhibition game set up by team owner Bob Carpenter. Much to everyone's surprise, Curt Simmons struck out eleven Phils in the game, which ended in a 4-4 tie. Upon signing, Simmons was assigned to Wilmington, in the minor leagues. After striking out 197 batters in 147 minor league innings, Simmons was promoted to the Major League club for the final week of the 1947 season. In Simmons debut, he beat the Giants at Shibe Park 3-1, giving up just 5 hits and striking out 9. The following season, Simmons had a rough go of it, and started off slowly. In his first start of the season, he struggled to find the strike zone, as he walked 7 of the 14 batters he faced. Over his first two full seasons with the Phillies, Simmons' control hurt him. He was a combined 11-23 in 1948 and 194

Tyler Cloyd is a 21 year old (22 next Saturday) right handed starting pitcher for the Low A ball Lakewood BlueClaws . Over six starts this season, Cloyd is 2-2 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 38 innings pitched. His strike out to walk ratio (38:6) certainly stands out and exemplifies his control. He's fresh off an 8 shut out inning performance against Kannapolis on Thursday, in which he struck out 8 and walked none. Cloyd was an 18 th round 2008 draft selection by our Phillies . He began his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in June and did not allow a run in his first two starts, earning wins in each. He was then transferred to Williamsport , where he pitched for current Lakewood manager Dusty Wathan . At Williamsport he went 5-4 in 65 innings over 12 starts, with a 4.57 ERA. I had a chance to speak with Tyler, and here's how that went down. What thoughts do you have on your early success thus far? Any secrets to you success? There are no secrets really.

For $500 in the category of ex-Phillies starters who have been demoted to the minors, the answer is: The stud muffin pitcher who is holding it down at triple A with a 2.61 ERA through 6 starts, trying to earn a promotion back to the Major Leagues, while blowing sweet little kisses our way... Question: Who is Kyle Rodney Kendrick? Correct!

Fresh off being swept in two games by the Metropolitans, our Phillies head home to begin a three game weekend series with the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies are 6-8 at home. The Braves are 8-6 on the road. Check out the pitching match ups and notes that follow. Friday, 7:05 pm. Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (0-2, 7.27 ERA). Reyes has 5 career appearances against the Phillies and has not done well. His record against the Phils is 0-2 and his ERA is 6.94. Jimmy Rollins is 0-for-13 off Reyes, while Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz combine for a .340 batting avg. (17-for-50). In 11 career starts against the Braves, Hamels is 6-3 with a 3.45 ERA with 73 innings pitched. Brain McCann is a .381 career hitter (8-for-21) off Hamels. McCann has been on the disabled list since April 25th, and is eligible to be activated on Friday. Saturday, 3:40 pm. Javier Vazquez (2-3, 4.19 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (1-2, 6.84 ERA). Vazquez is 10-7 with a 4.55 ERA

We've lost another one. Danny Ozark , manager of the great 1976 and 1977 Eastern Division Champion Phillies, passed away today at age 85. Manny Ramirez is the latest big name baseball star to test positive for banned substances. He has been suspended for 50 games. Chase Utley's famed "WFC" speech drawing fines for broadcasters. Pitching coach Rich Dubee speaks on Brett Myers' early season issues. The Inquirer has a story on Chan Ho Park and adjustments he has made. **************************** Update- Click here for CoedMagazine.com's list of 50 Ways Manny Ramirez Could've Better Blown $7.7 Million. Click here to be reminded about how Jose Canseco is the most honest man in the universe. Click here to read about Manny's testosterone and erectile dysfunction. Click here to purchase some fresh PEDodgers shirts.

I've spent over an hour this afternoon trying to think of something worth posting that wasn't Chan Ho Park vs. Johan Santana related. I couldn't do it. There's really not anyone around the baseball world that thinks the Phillies will win the first of a two game series in NYC tonight, when the Phillies ' worst possible option faces the best pitcher in the National League. Park, who is 0-1 with an 8.57 ERA, will start for our Phillies and will face off against Johan Santana, who was just named NL pitcher of the month for April. Johan Santana has never suffered a loss to the Phillies . Santana's career stats against Philadelphia- 6 starts, 2-0, 2.85 ERA, .201 batting average against. Some Phillies struggle against Johan (Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino , Pedro Feliz and Chase Utley combine for a .121 career avg. against him...8-for-66), while others are not very troubled by the ace starter (Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth combine for a .359 avg. a

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Here's a collection of Phillies related notes for you and all of your loved ones on this glorious drinking holiday- Ryan Howard in St. Louis is a serious beast! In the city where he was born, Howard is 23-for-60 in his career (.383 avg.), with 7 homers and 28 RBI. Howard has played just 16 games in St. Louis. Howard's grand slam in the 5th inning of Monday night's game was the 7th of his career. That ties him for the all time Phillies franchise lead in grand slams with Mike Schmidt. Each slugger has 7. Shane Victorino has a 13 game hitting streak. Shane has walked or hit safely in all but 3 of the Phillies' 23 games this season. Raul Ibanez went 0-for-4 in Monday's game at St. Louis. This was just the third game in which he did not walk or hit safely this season for our Phils. Lefty reliever Mike Zagurski continues his journey back to the major leagues. Zagurski, or Zagz if you will, completed his third scoreless appearance for double-A Reading on Monday. So far, i

Four full weeks into the Major League Baseball season, the Phillies have a surprise star on the mound. While Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge and Jamie Moyer all have ERA's ranging from 5.65 to 8.41. And while Chan Ho Park, Brett Myers, Hamels and Blanton have all combined for just 1 win, righty reliever Clay Condrey has 3 wins, and a 1.26 ERA in 14 appearances. Clay's 0.77 WHIP and .167 batting average against also put him far ahead of his team mates. Condrey has undoubtedly become the most reliable pitcher on the staff. His excellent performance so far in 2009 may not be surprising to some. Condrey's statistics after the all star break last season were quite solid as well. During the 2nd half of the Phils' 2008 campaign, Condrey had a 2.73 ERA in 26 appearances. Not convinced that Clay is worthy of real praise? Still thinking, "Eh, he just looks better 'cause everyone else is off to a poor start"? Check out Condrey's combined numbers against di

Jim Konstanty was a pitcher with the Phillies from 1948-1954. Early on, Konstanty, was assumed to have little shot at a real career in the Major Leagues. His scholarly appearance and small repertoire of pitches did little to instill confidence in the clubs he pitched for. Konstanty, whose real first name was Casimir, was a 4-sport athlete at Syracuse University. He did not begin pitching till he had completed college. Konstanty pitched briefly for the Reds in 1944 but Navy service interrupted his progress and the next few seasons in the minors weren't great. Eddie Sawyer took over as manager of the Phillies' triple A team, Toronto, in 1948. Sawyer moved Konstanty to the bullpen, and when Sawyer got promoted up to manage the Phillies, he brought Konstanty up along with him. In 1949, Konstanty had a break through season for the Phillies and went 9-5 with a 3.25 ERA. 1950, however, was the year that put Jim Konstanty in the history books. That season, the Phillies won their first