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On the latest edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and I discuss the progression of righty hurler Jonathan Pettibone , Cody Asche 's potential, Tyson Gillies ' troubles and some injury updates. Also, we talk about Cole Hamels ' extension, John Mayberry Jr.'s unique place in my media career, Bryce Harper and tons more. Check out the media player below to hear the full show, or download it by clicking HERE . Additionally, click HERE to listen to previous episodes of the program. You can also subscribe on iTunes .

When reviewing the MLB Network's Phillies preview on their 30 Clubs in 30 Days program, their version of the All-time Phillies Homegrown team jumped out at me as pretty remarkable. Here's what the squad looked like. SP- Robin Roberts C- Bob Boone 1B- Ryan Howard 2B- Ryne Sandberg 3B- Mike Schmidt SS- Jimmy Rollins RF- Greg Luzinski CF- Richie Ashburn LF- Del Ennis RP- Ricky Bottalico Certainly, there are players on that list who are indisputable. Howard, Schmidt, Ashburn and probably Ennis (as I think Chuck Klein does not qualify because he was not drafted by, or originally signed by, the Philadelphia Phillies) have no competition in their respective positions. Ferguson Jenkins, also a Philadelphia product, could be an option at starting pitcher over Roberts, but there is likely no incorrect choice with either one of those. The most debatable assignment on the list is Ryne Sandberg. Aside from the initial displeasure of seeing Sandberg on the list, because he achieved his succ...

There were no new postings yesterday on PhoulBallz . This was partly as a day of silence, and partly because it was difficult to muster the enthusiasm to write anything worthwhile, after Harry Kalas passed away. I received an e-mail with a great Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas story from reader Nikki. With the permission of the author, I'd like to share it with you all. Picture it, Veteran’s Stadium, 1996 (possibly '97) Phillies ALS Phestival . I had found out about a month prior that Richie Ashburn was going to be signing autographs in the broadcaster’s booth. Father’s Day was coming up, and even though I personally did not know much about Richie Ashburn , I thought the autograph would be a nice gift for my Dad who grew up in Philly, then living in California , and was an Ashburn fan. So, after waiting for entrance into the stadium, I get on line- first one there. As more people came, I realized I was definitely on the younger end of the age range. Just about everyone els...

Last week I got together with a couple other bloggers from my bloggerhood and we decided to pick our all-time Phillies Phantasy teams. Requirements were 3 years service as a Phillie. Based on that, any Phillie ever was up for grabs. We each chose a full lineup, with 2 starting pitchers and a reliever. Amanda from Swing and a Long Drive selected first, Rolf from The IronPig Pen chose second and I picked third. We went in the same order, picking our teams, till each of us had a full squad. What we would like to do is get you, the readers to review and choose your favorite team, then visit each blog and vote for your favorite Phils Phantasy squad. Check out the teams below, and vote. My first choice was Richie Ashburn. Ashburn is easily one of the best Phillies of all time. Richie was elected to the Hall of fame in 1995. Ashburn led the Phillies in batting 8 times between 1948-1958. From 1949-1959, Richie led the team in hits 8 times. He won the NL batting title twice, and is the last Phi...

There is tons of lore about the 1950 Phillies, the team full of youth that fought off the Dodgers to make it to the World Series, but do you know about how the season finished? Do you know how the 1950 Whiz Kids nearly pulled a 2007 Metropolitans? Read on, little stars...and let's shine together. In the closing weeks of the 1950 season, our Phillies had a 7 game lead with just 11 games left to play. A World Series berth seemed almost locked up. It would be the Phillies first trip to the Series in 35 years. However, without warning, the team began to fizzle (yes the Whiz began to Fizz). They lost seven of nine, during the final weeks of the season, while the Brooklyn Dodgers won 12 of 15 games during a stretch in the closing weeks. The Phillies roster suffered a big loss, in September, when 17 game winner, pitcher Curt Simmons, an Army National Guard member, was drafted for the Korean War. The team kept fighting, however. In fact, 1950 was the year that the team got the nickname, ...

Eddie Sawyer was a highly regarded Yankees' outfield prospect until a shoulder injury knocked him out of action in 1939. Sawyer never made it to the majors as a player, but earned college degrees from Cornell University and Ithica College prior to playing in the minors. With his playing days over, he began managing in the minor leagues, trying to work his way up the ladder. In 1944, Sawyer took over as manager in Utica, which was the Phillies' Eastern League affiliate, in those days. There, Eddie Sawyer was responsible for moving a young Richie Ashburn from catcher to the outfield. Sawyer began the 1948 season managing the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Phillies' triple A team, and midway through the 1948 season, the Phillies fired manager Ben Chapman, and Sawyer was promoted to the big club. At the time, some press questioned the move of hiring a man who has never played in the majors, as the manager. Sawyer's arrival in the majors coincided with the development of some youn...