PhoulBallz.com

Over on one of my other internet homes, PhilliesNation.com, top guy Pat Gallen surveyed the contributors of that site for New Year's resolutions pertaining to the Phillies. Included were several interesting points of view including concerns related to Charlie Manuel, Placido Polanco and Cole Hamels. Read ahead for my thoughts on this roundtable subject... My resolution is for the fans. To the Philadelphia faithful that sell out the Phillies' home park on a daily basis, stop acting a fool. Many members of the fan base despise the manner in which they are depicted by the national media and while pointing out how other city's ticket holders don't get generalized in the same fashion, however the Philadelphia region's fans have continued to fail themselves in recent years. We're all familiar with the events when individuals who lacked good judgement, while in attendance at Citizens Bank Park, caused mischief , violated others or took violence to the ultimate level ....

Phillies prospect Freddy Galvis has wrapped up his Venezuelan League season after playing in 47 games for the Aguilas del Zulia. The 22-year-old, who was ranked as the Phillies' 4th best prospect in an August survey of Phillies minor league experts conducted by The Reading Eagle, struggled at times in the off-season league played in his native country. Overall, the switch-hitting shortstop posted a .249/.308/.333 line with 7 doubles, 4 triples, no homers and 24 RBI. Galvis, who was signed by the Phillies in 2006 at age 16, picked up the pace late with Zulia, as he sported a .326 batting average with 10 RBI over his final ten contests. After an abbreviated Venezuelan League effort last off-season that saw Galvis spend an extended stretch working out under the supervision of Phillies personnel at the team's spring training home in Clearwater, FL, Galvis stood out offensively in 2011. Always regarded for his defense, the glovesmith's bat was steadily disregarded, until he de...

The following is a guest post written by friend of this site, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler. A pro baseball broadcaster, Jesse is a life-long sports fan, who calls it like he sees it. The problem with baseball is not that the games go on for over three hours, or that Tony La Russa and Ron Washington used their entire bullpens in each World Series contest, or that the umpires' strike zones are inconsistent. It's much more simple than that. Baseball is my favorite sport. Basketball isn't. Yet this page of the NBA's greatest shots is better than anything baseball can ever produce online. Why? Because it has video links. Baseball's media department, run by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) prohibits the sharing of any MLB video away from the official Major League website. It's asinine and counterproductive, and promotion of the game suffers because of it. If I wanted to show someone why Barry Sanders was so good, I type 'Barry Sanders' in...

The annual NHL Winter Classic is set to be played on Monday, January 2nd and will pit the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Rangers. Recently, NHL.com writer Adam Kimelman published quotes from a few important Philadelphia basball figures in regards to the upcoming outdoor contest, to be played at the Phillies' home, Citizens Bank Park. He spoke with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., team president David Montgomery and the most tenured player on the team, Jimmy Rollins. Amaro: "It's pretty cool. It's been pretty neat watching the development, the things that are happening. … I've been watching every single day we walk in. I take a route in through the concourse and check out the progress. It's been neat to watch." "I'm born and raised here, a big Flyers fan. I was here when the Broad Street Bullies were big-time. I think I was 9 or 10 years old when they were winning. And it's exciting. I've always been a big Flyers ...

It's that time of year that gets you in the mood to be jolly. The biggest of all holidays is loved by all, for many reasons. Phillies prospects are no different. I checked in recently with several minor leaguers to find out what stands out for them as reasons to get excited for Christmas. Highly ranked lefty pitching prospect and the Phils' #1 draft choice last year, Jesse Biddle (pictured), took part....as did outfielders Brian Gump , Tyson Gillies and another former top draft selection Anthony Hewitt ...right-handed hurler Tyler Knigge also offered his thoughts along with slugging first baseman Jim Murphy . What's your favorite holiday movie? Jesse Biddle: My favorite movie is easily "Elf" with Will Ferrell because he plays a character perfect for my sense of humor. There is something about the innocent slapstick humor that I find hilarious. Brian Gump: Probably "Nightmare Before Christmas", I think that counts as a Christmas movie right?...

Regularly throughout the off-season, we'll take a look at Phillies players who are participating in various winter leagues around the world. As you might suspect, the time has come once again to provide updates on the prospects and big leaguers staying active in foreign professional leagues. - Wilson Valdez , playing with the Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican League, has posted a weak .213/.255/.301 line in 35 games. In addition, Valdez has slugged 2 homers, driven in 18 runs and stolen 6 bases. The 33-year-old infielder batted .249 in 99 games with the big league Phillies in 2011. -Phillies utility man Michael Martinez has not seen action since December 9th with the Estrellas del Oriente in the Dominican League. Through 19 games, Martinez posted a .113 batting average with just 1 extra base hit, a double. The 29-year-old has been playing shortstop for the Estrellas. Martinez batted .196 in 88 games with the Phillies in his first MLB season in 2011. -Lefty reliever Juan Pe...

As reported by several sources on Monday evening, former Phillies general manager Ed Wade is set to return to the Philadelphia organization in the role of a scout. The 55-year-old, who was fired last month from his position as general manager of the Houston Astros, began his front office career as an intern with the Phillies' public relations department in 1977. After that gig, he worked various positions for multiple big league clubs before he returned to Philadelphia in the capacity of assistant to the general manager in 1989. Wade later became assistant general manager with the Phillies (1995-1998) and, of course, general manager for the team (1998-2005). During his time at the helm of the Phillies, Wade became notorious for trading away All-Star Curt Schilling. As the top dog in Houston, he helped stack the Phils with All-Star talent by dealing Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence to Philadelphia. Wade was terminated by the Astros after the team collected a Major League wo...

Throughout the autumn and winter months, I'll check in with various Phillies minor league players and inquire about how they try to maintain their baseball acumen during the long, drawn-out off-season. This edition features 12th round draft pick from 2010, right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Knigge . The Idaho native posted a 4-3 record with a 3.32 ERA while striking out 54 batters in 65 innings last season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. The 6-foot-2-inch 215-pound Knigge, who sports a fastball that regularly registered around 94 MPH during the 2011 season, took time recently to answer a couple questions regarding his routine during the off-season to stay in shape and more. How have you been using your down time to stay active and avoid getting rusty? The off-season is great. My day to day routine goes something like this...I wake up at five and I go workout (lift for an hour), go home, shower and get ready for work. Be at work by 8 a.m. and work till 5 p.m. After work I go...

Reports on Saturday by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick stated that the a new contract for Jimmy Rollins with the Phillies is imminent. The contract is believed to be for three years with a vesting option for a fourth year. Rollins' choices became limited as his free agency wore on, and he was said to have been presented with a solid offer from Milwaukee recently, but ultimately it came down to him wanted to stay at home, where he has built a family on and off the field. CSN's Jim Salisbury reports that the contract is worth $33-million over three years. The deal virtually completes general manager Ruben Amaro's to-do list for this off-season as other voids on the roster have been filled with the likes of Jonathan Papelbon , Laynce Nix and Ty Wigginton . The return of Rollins solidifies the greatest concern on the roster entering the autumn and winter months, which was, of course, the shortstop position. In 142 games last season for Philadelphia, Rollins posted a .268 ba...

Ask a child about his Christmas wish list and the tyke might not be quite as excited as Tyson Gillies is when he talks about being on a baseball field on a daily basis. The Phillies' young outfield prospect has spent a great amount of time away from the diamond, as he has suffered repeated injuries over the past two seasons. However, at long last recently, Gillies has been on the field, training at the Phillies' spring training facilities in Clearwater, FL. "I took a week to ten days off for Thanksgiving and when I came back I started hitting straight away. (I've) been taking fly balls in the outfield and I'll be starting to run again here soon. And basically, I've just been lifting weights, hitting and fielding a little bit. I love being on the field!" The Canadian born Gillies was acquired by Philadelphia as part of the December 2009 Cliff Lee trade with Seattle, along with pitchers J.C. Ramirez and Phillippe Aumont . Fresh off a stellar cam...

The Phillies have signed lefty pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a one-year contract reportedly worth $1 million plus incentives. The well-traveled veteran has pitched with the Marlins, D-Backs, Tigers and most recently the Reds. Early in his career, Willis used his tricky delivery and fierce velocity to rack up solid strike out totals that have dwindled in recent years along with his electric speed. A former Rookie of the Year Award winner (2003), Willis also finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2005 when he finished the year with a 22-10 record and a 2.63 ERA. The signing of the two-time All-Star is certainly a risk worth taking, as Willis still has the tools that can make him a key contributor, especially as a situational left-hander out of the bullpen. Having appeared almost exclusively as a starter in his big league career, Willis’ effectiveness at this stage of his career might be better in a role where he is used in shorter stints. A strength of Willis has cont...

Throughout the autumn and winter months, we'll check in with various Phillies minor league players and inquire about how they try to maintain their baseball acumen during the long, drawn-out off-season. This latest installment features the most popular player in Lakewood BlueClaws history Jim Murphy. A 17th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2008, the Washington state native Murphy has played as high as Class A Advanced Clearwater and has posted a .265 with 47 homeruns and 217 RBI in 420 regular season games during his four years as a professional. The slugging first baseman injured his left hand in the final week of the regular season and has been rehabbing the injury following surgery. I spoke with Jim about his recovery, his training, helping out with local youth clinics and more. Read ahead to see what he had to say. I just wanted to check and see how the off-season has been going for you. How has recovery been and how are you staying in shape? Anything specific y...