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By now, you've heard about the drug suspension imposed upon Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz earlier this week.  Following a second positive test for amphetamines, the 33-year-old Panama native will miss the first 25 games of the 2013 regular season. Following the news, Ruiz issued a statement to apologize to his team as well as the fans.  The Phillies also went public, stating that they were disappointed, but would continue to support their player.  Both of those are typical and were expected.  Also a sure thing are Philadelphia baseball fans' reactions to Ruiz upon his return.  The man they call "Chooch" is an individual that has accomplished a great amount while wearing Phils' red.  The "home grown" player has caught no-hitters.  He has become an All-Star.  He helped lock down a World Series championship and five consecutive division titles.  Philly faithful will absolutely continue to have their guy's back when he gets back on the field...

This past week the Phillies announced twelve nominees for the team's Wall of Fame. Annually, the Phils induct one individual that has made great contributions to the organization. Voting is being hosted at Phillies.com and will last through March 14th, as the field of options for the annual lone honoree is narrowed. Fans are able to vote for three different Phillies alumni and each vote is applied points, based on placement. A first place vote gets 5 points, a second place vote gets 3 points, and a third place vote gets 1 point. Following the deadline, the five individuals with the top point totals will be placed on the official ballot, which will be voted on by the official Wall of Fame Selection Committee, who will determine the man who will join the top names in team history in Ashburn Alley at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Vice President of Alumni Relations, Larry Shenk, informed me in 2010 that, "The Phillies Wall of Fame Selection Committee is composed of 15 ...

Darren "Dutch" Daulton, who was a 25th round draft selection by the Phillies in 1980 and helped lead the 1993 team to the World Series, will be honored by the Phillies on August 6th as the latest Phillie to be enducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. Daulton was a three-time All-star as a Phillies (1992, 1993 and 1995). He led the National League in RBI in 1992 with 109. Daulton was behind the dish for Terry Mulholland's no-hitter against the Giants on August 15, 1990. Also, he played 965 games at catcher for the Phillies in his career, which is 4th in team history, behind Mike Lieberthal, Red Dooin and Bob Boone. Looking at Daulton's overall Phillies career statistics (1109 games, .245 avg., 134 HR, 567 RBI, 48 steals, 489 runs), there is nothing overly impressive about them. "Dutch" is simply an icon in Phillies lore because he was the home grown guy who led the beloved group of cast-offs, including Mitch Williams, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, Danny Jackson a...

The following is my half of the content swap I did last week with Macho Row . The majority of this post appeared over on that site on Friday. I've updated it with details directly from the Phillies about the secondary voting process. Read and vote. Phans...want to have a say in Phillies' history? Do you feel like you know your team, and the sport, better than most people? Do you feel as though your loyalty through the years qualifies you to weigh in on historic team matters? Now is your chance. The annual Phillies Wall of Fame ballot is available online and voting is underway. The ballot is active through 5pm on Tuesday, March 23rd, so vote! The ballot, found HERE , lists 12 former Phillies. Some were players, some were managers. Phans are able to vote for three different Phillies alumni and each vote is applied points, based on placement. A first place vote gets 5 points, a second place vote gets 3 points, and a third place vote gets 1 point. Following the deadline, the top 5 ...

The following is a guest post direct from Kevin of Macho Row. PhoulBallz.com's own Jay Ballz is posting on the same topic over on Kevin's site, Macho Row . Check that out as well and stick around for all other solid content that his site offers. The Phillies unveiled their list of nominees for the Wall of Fame recently and are asking the fans for their input once again. The ballot will be available to fans until 5pm on March 23 so take the time to research the three players you will vote for and help determine which face in Phillies history will join the likes of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, Chuck Klein and Harry Kalas, who was posthumously inducted last season. Today I am pleased to announce to you the three players I will be voting for and why here on PhoulBallz.com. If you are looking for Jay Ballz 's thoughts, then be sure to check out his guest post on Macho Row . When you get through reading what we have to say go ahead and cast your vot...

Let me start by stating that I absolutely think the Phillies should honor Harry Kalas in as many ways as possible. We know about the restaurant at Citizens Bank Park, we're all aware that the team renamed their television broadcast booth after Harry, and of course it was a big deal when the team honored Harry with a spot on their Wall of Fame (unfortunately with a typographical error ). However, I am still not sure I am in love with the current methods of funding this project. The website HarryKalasStatue.com and the non-profit group Dear Harry Inc. have set out to collect a total of $80,000 in order to complete a 7 feet tall statue, which is slated to be created by local sculptor Lawrence Nolan. The goal, in the end, is for Dear Harry Inc. to present the statue as a gift to the Phillies. Dear Harry Inc. currently stands at roughly $15,000 raised. Check out the web site for full details. My issue is not with the idea or the group trying to make it happen. It's that the team do...

This week I came up with a quick questionnaire and asked 10 Phillies phans, 9 of which are Phils partial season ticket holders, 10 questions ranging from survey type inquiries to statistical trivia. My goal was to survey both genders in varying age groups. I spoke with 3 season ticket holding 50-something males. I spoke with 2 season ticket holding 30-something females. I spoke with 2 teenage males whose father is a season ticket holder (for the purpose of this small project, they've been counted as season ticket holders in the 9 out of 10 total). I asked a 25 year old male season ticket holder and a 30-or-so year old male season ticket holder. And lastly, I asked a 28 year old non-season ticket holding die-hard Phils phan. The questions are mostly Phillies oriented, with some generalized baseball trivia mixed in. Have a look at the questionnaire. See how you do, but don't research the answers that you may have a hard time with. 1- Name a Phillie who wore #4. 2- Name a ...

At the ballpark today for the first time since Harry Kalas was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on Friday, I noticed an error in the text on his plaque. Verbage on the plaque reads like this... Voice of Phillies baseball on radio and TV for 39 seasons. Teamed with Richie Ashburn from 1971 until 1997. Harry was on the air for all of Mike Schmidt's 548 home runs, five Phillies no-hitters, seven National League Championship Series, three World Series, the first and final games at Veterans Stadium and the Citizens Bank Park 2004 opener. Received the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award in 2002 for "Major Contributions to Baseball" and was inducted into the broadcasters' wing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. His calls were legendary, especially his signature home run call, "Outta heeere." On October 29, 2008, he brought utmost joy to Phillies fans: "The 0-2 pitch, swing and miss , struck him out. The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 Worl...

The race for the Phillies' fifth starter spot is still on. While it's not fully fair to compare Grapefruit League stats, when some of the pitchers have had "B game" and scrimmage outings mixed in, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco look to be falling behind Chan Ho Park and "Jay" Happ. Happ added to his solid Grapefruit League stats (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 4 games) today against the Rays. Pitching coach Rich Dubee had been displeased with Kendrick even before he surrendered 8 earned runs in 3 innings of work yesterday against the Braves. Park has been working on improving his change up, with (Coach) Jamie Moyer. Park noticed Moyer's location control on his change, so he sought out Moyer to teach him the grip and positioning of the ball. Moyer, of course, feels good about helping anyone on the Phils' staff. Park has been coached by greats like Nolan Ryan with the Rangers and Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers, so Moyer is in great company. Park is working h...