The 2009 Ballzy Awards

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly bring to you the inaugural edition of THE BALLZIES...PhoulBallz.com's annual awards given out for the finest achievements in the Phillies organization as well as related things and stuff. Without any additional delay, let's get this thing rollin'.

Major League Player of the Year- Ryan Howard

Howard

is one of the most consistent hitters in baseball today. He's had four straight seasons with 45 or more homers and over 135 RBI. Howard also won the most valuable player award of the NLCS in 2009. He is one of the greatest Phillies hitters of all time. There's not much else to say.

Minor League Player of the Year- Domonic Brown

The

Phils' #1 prospect hit for a .299 batting average in 106 games while smashing 14 homers, 64 RBI and swiping 23 bags. When watching Brown play it is easy to tell he's got the right tools and he is a pure athlete. Speed on the bases, range in the outfield, an excellent arm, a solid bat...it's all there. Brown projects to be a Major League starter and the sooner Jayson Werth prices himself out of the Phillies' budget, the sooner phans could expect to see Brown in red pin stripes on a full time basis.

Team of the Year- Lakewood BlueClaws

The 'Claws won the South Atlantic League championship this September. Led by great Phillies prospects like Anthony Gose, Trevor May, Travis D'Arnaud, Troy Hanzawa, Sebastian Valle and Jim Murphy as well as manager Dusty Wathan, Lakewood clinched a playoff berth with a strong first half of the season and beat the Greenville Drive for the league title. It was Lakewood's second ever SAL championship.

Game of the Year- NLCS Game 4 Dodgers @ Phillies, Jimmy Rollins walk-off 2 RBI double!

I was there for the most unforgettable game of the year. With 2 outs, my lady grabbed her bag and said she was getting ready to leave. I replied and told her I was getting ready for a WIN! Jimmy Rollins immediately followed with the biggest hit of his career to put the Phillies in control of the National League Championship Series. Tremendous!

Best Non-game Moment(s) of the Year- HK Sign Toast

After winning both the division title and the National League Championship Series and clinching a second consecutive trip to the World Series at home, Phillies players took to toasting the late Harry Kalas with beers and champagne at the left-center field sign that honored him. Without Harry, there could be no more perfect moment.

Best PhoulBallz Interview of the Year- Michael Taylor

Taylor's Q&A can

be found HERE. It's a good look at the prospect who was dealt twice in one day this month as part of the Roy Halladay deal. Taylor was remarkably well spoken and excited about his own blossoming career. Oakland's newest prospect is a 5-tool talent who will join former Phillies prospects Josh Outman and Gio Gonzalez with the Athletics. Expect to see Taylor facing Major League pitching in 2010.

Best Sarge Quote- "You jerk off the ball."

Link to the clip,

brought to you by The Fightins Dot Com. Adding some of his usual questionable color to the game broadcast, Gary Matthews Sr. described the trouble with swinging too hard, during an August Jayson Werth at bat.

Most Influential PhoulBallz Sunday School Subject- Roy Thomas

Thomas was

a turn of the century (1900) Phillie who was so proficient at slapping foul balls that baseball rules were changed. In 1901, NL president William Hulbert grew so frustrated with Roy drawing out at bats the he petitioned the rules committee to institute a new two-strike rule. Prior to that, fouls only counted as strikes if the catcher caught them. If Thomas were still around today, he might be a spokes person for PhoulBallz.

Favorite PhoulBallz reader- YOU

Yeah, winner, you are this site's favorite reader. I bet you are wondering how to know if I am really talking to you, or if this is just some generalized nonsense. Well, star...take my hand and let's shine together while I prove it's you that means so much to me.

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Feel free to honor YOUR OWN best things from 2009 in the comments section. I wish you all the best as you ring in the new year.

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Rappers in Phillies Caps

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...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...

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