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By the time current Phillies television analyst Gary Matthews Sr. joined Philadelphia as a player, he was already a veteran of eight full Major League seasons. An outfielder, Matthews was named as the National League Rookie of the Year in 1973 as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Matthews debuted in the Majors at age 21 in 1972. Having only played 20 games, as a late season call up, he was still considered a rookie the following season. In 1973, Matthews posted double digits in stolen bases, doubles, triple and homeruns while batting .300 en route to being named the senior circuit's top freshman. During his years in San Francisco, Matthews, a first round draft pick by the Giants in 1968, continued to be a steady contributor. Following the 1976 season, the Giants and Matthews could not agree on terms for a new deal and Matthews was granted free agency. Matthews would sign with Atlanta where he became an All-star. His best season as a Brave came in 1979, when Matthews posted a .3...

As many fans know, not every baseball player gets a huge signing bonus or a large salary. Many minor league players find themselves working in the Autumn and Winter months to supplement their income and to stay busy. A question often wondered by fans: What do prospects do during the off-season? The answer is simple...pretty much anything and everything. Phillies first base prospect Matt Rizzotti is an individual who typically finds himself working during his time away from the baseball diamond. However, Rizzotti is not working this Winter as a result of having spent much of this off-season continuing to play baseball. Following the 2010 regular season, Rizzotti went to instructional ball in Clearwater for a month, then spent another five weeks playing for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .333 with an .865 OPS in 19 games. Last year, however, Rizzotti, who was a physical education major at Manhattan College, went back to his roots and worked as a full-time teachers assis...

The stove stays hot during the off-season, but there are Phillies and Philadelphia prospects playing games around the world. It's time for another review of the various Winter Leagues. In the Puerto Rican League- Righty hurler Julio Rodriguez has pitched very well for the Gigantes. A native of Puerto Rico, the 20-year-old Rodriguez has posted a 3-1 record and a 2.00 ERA in 11 games (9 starts) while striking out 25 batters in 40 innings pitched. In the Venezuelan Winter League- Lefty reliever Sergio Escalona , who pitched with the big league Phillies in 2009, has appeared in 22 games for the Tiburones. He has yet to record a decision and has a 4.50 overall ERA. In his last 10 games, Escalona has posted a 2.45 ERA and allowed runs in only 1 appearance. In 50 games at Double A Reading in 2010, Escalona had a 4-8 record with 10 saves and a 3.81 ERA while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. Escalona turned 26-years-old in August. Fidel Hernandez , a 24-year-old Venezuela nativ...

PhoulBallz.com recently had the opportunity to connect with a legend of sports broadcasting, live on The Heaven Hotline. I spoke with Radio Hall of Fame honoree Harry Caray, who called baseball games for decades in Chicago. Harry chimed in with his thoughts on the return of Cliff Lee to Philadelphia, the state of the Cubs and more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview. _______________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE . Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Larry Hisle was an outfielder with the Phillies from 1968-1971. Hisle was a solid athlete who played a season of college basketball at Ohio State before signing with the Phillies and playing professional baseball. Hisle made his debut as a late season call up in 1968 at the age of 21, after batting .303 in the minors that year. The following year, in his first full season in the Major Leagues, Hisle slugged 20 homeruns and drove in 56 runs to finish fourth in National League rookie of the year voting. Hisle's HR total was good enough for second on the team that year and helped to get him named a Rookie All-star by Topps that season. In 1970, Hisle struggled and lost confidence, posting a low .205 batting average and only 10 homeruns. After a period of offensive strife, Hisle found himself back in the minors by the middle of the 1971 season. Following the season, Hisle was traded to the Dodgers for utility man Tom Hutton. Hisle spent a year in the Dodgers' system without playing...

On behalf of myself and The Shore Sports Network, I'd like to wish a happy Christmas to all of our readers that celebrate it. In recent weeks I've checked in with a several Phillies minor leaguers from various levels of the organization, as holiday spirit was building, to inquire about some of the players' favorite Christmas things. Check out the list of answers from the players I spoke with below. Santa De Fratus FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD- RHP Jarred Cosart..."Favorite food during Christmas is chicken, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, okra, salad. Ha ha...you name it, I'll eat it." RHP Justin De Fratus..."My favorite holiday food would have to be tamales. I don't know how many Phillies fans would know what those are, but if you are ever in Southern California during Christmas time, you have to have some." RHP Jake Borup..."Father-in-law makes red chile enchiladas!" LHP Nick Hernandez..."My favorite food, or dessert I should say, now wh...

This September, right-handed pitcher Eric Pettis was tossed into the proverbial fire. The Phillies wasted no time moving their late-round steal, from this year's amateur draft, into the crucial postseason schedule of the defending South Atlantic League champions, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Pettis began his professional career swiftly after being selected by the Phillies in the 35th round of the 2010 draft with the Williamsport Crosscutters of the short season NY-Penn League out of UC-Irvine. The 6'2", 200 pound hurler started and pitched in relief en route to posting an 8-0 record and a 1.37 ERA while striking out 67 batters in 59 innings with Williamsport. By Labor Day, Williamsport had just missed the playoffs by the slimmest of margins and the BlueClaws were beginning their run at a second straight league title, so Pettis, who opened many eyes while becoming a NY-Penn League All-star, was added to the Lakewood roster in an effort to fortify the bullpen. Pettis was ...

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, phans of all ages....PhoulBallz.com proudly brings to you and your fancy cellular telephone- THE BRAND NEW PHOULBALLZ.COM iPHONE APPLICATION! The application will be the newest way to stay in touch with all the happenings around Philadelphia baseball and the minors. Get all the exclusive PhoulBallz interviews, player features, series previews and loads of other exclusive content that readers have come to depend on from this site. I expect to provide exclusive content to the application for those special folks that take the time to download this unique service. The versatile and fun app, that will allow users to view all the latest posts, with easy access to the PhoulBallz Twitter feed, all PhoulBallz Facebook updates and much more, can be used on your iPhone, your iPad and your iPod! Visit the iPhone App Store by clicking HERE to download the application for free. ____________________________________________________________ Special thanks to Paul ...

Fresco Thompson was a second baseman with the Phillies from 1927-1930. A righty batter who played in the Major Leagues in 9 different seasons, Thompson's best years in the bigs were with the Phillies. Thompson, whose given first name was Lafayette, made his MLB debut in 1925 as a member of the Pirates. After spending the 1926 season with the Giants, Thompson was acquired by the Phillies in a 3-team trade with the Robins (also known as the Dodgers) and the Giants, prior to the 1927 season. With the Phillies, Thompson posted impressive numbers in his first full season as an everyday player. In 153 games, he batted .303, hit 32 doubles, scored 78 runs and drove in 70 runs. Speed was also a key part of Thompson's game as he stole 19 bags and laced 14 triples in 1927. Over the next three seasons, Thompson would continue to contribute offensively, notching no less than 34 doubles each season and scoring 99 runs, or better, twice. Thompson was quoted reflecting on his time with the Ph...

Tune in around 1:25pm today (Saturday, December 18th) to hear me talking Phillies baseball with the one and only Tyrone Johnson. We'll be talking about the Phillies' stunning acquisition of Cliff Lee and other matters pertaining to your favorite MLB club. Tyrone is a multi talented Millennium Radio force. Music, politics, current events and sports are all topics you can hear Mr. Johnson discussing on various Millennium owned outlets. He hosts The Weekend Sports Guide each and every Saturday, from noon to 3pm, on Atlantic City's 97.3 ESPN. You can listen on the air or online . Check it out! _________________________________________________ Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

The Phillies hosted a press conference on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park to announce the signing of free agent pitcher Cliff Lee, who they traded away last December. Lee signed a 5-year contract worth a guaranteed $120 million on Wednesday. The deal's annual salaries are laid out like this- 2011...$11 million 2012...$21.5 million 2013...$25 million 2014...$25 million 2015...$25 million There is a vesting option year for 2016 that could pay Lee $27.5 million. The option year vests if Lee throws 200 innings in 2015, or a combined 400 innings in 2014 and 2015. If the option year does not vest, there is a $12.5 million buyout built in. Lee and his family loved their time in Philadelphia the first time, and that weighed greatly on his decision to return. Read all about this and more of what Cliff Lee had to say in the press conference excerpts below. On his return to Philadelphia- "It feels great to land back here in Philadelphia....I never wanted to leave this place in the first ...

Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was honored as the 2010 pro athlete of the year, in the latest edition of The Sporting News. In his first season with the Phillies, Halladay threw a perfect game during the regular season and notched the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history. His overall regular season record was an impressive 21-10 and his 2.44 ERA helped him lock down the National League Cy Young Award. As the Phillies' ace, Halladay threw more complete games (9) than any other team in the National League. The issue includes an article written by Halladay. In the piece he mentions the fancy watches he purchased for all his teammates and team staff following his perfect game in May. Halladay references the phrase he had engraved into each gift, "We did it together", and elaborates... "Looking back on the entire 2010 season, I feel it can be summed up in those four words. I might someday forget the details of the perfect game, the playoff no-hitter and and other ...