Philly SportsCast

With all of the fuss happening on the defensive side of the ball at Eagles camp this year, Clark Judge, CBSSports.com Senior Writer, brings us all back to reality with the REAL problems this team has going into the season and play against the NFC East - a division where even the defending Super Bowl Champion is not favored to win.

I worry about the Philadelphia Eagles holding up in the NFC East mostly because I worry about their offensive tackles, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, holding up against pass rushers like Jason Taylor, DeMarcus Ware, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Thomas is 33 with a history of back injuries, and Runyan is 34, and it just seems as if the Eagles are asking a lot of each when the guy they’re protecting -– quarterback Donovan McNabb -– hasn’t played an injury-free season since 2004.

And that’s when I hear a voice saying, Wake up, jerko, it’s the defense that determines what happens to the Philadelphia Eagles, not Runyan and Thomas. The defense wasn’t all that great a year ago, and neither were the Eagles. So draw your own conclusions.

“There you go,” says the voice.

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Buster Olney, senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, said on ESPN radio this morning that the Phillies are not going to set the world on fire before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

“They’re not going to do anything big,” Olney said. “The Phillies don’t have the prospects to get the Holiday deal done but may be looking for an arm.”

This is not good for the Phillies as this Mets series proved the team’s offense needs a spark - and clubhouse disciplinary action ain’t it.

Ryan Howard needs to hit the ball - anywhere.

Also, Jayson Stark in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column has this to say:

The Phillies are focused on a left-handed reliever, with Brian Fuentes, Damaso Marte, George Sherrill, and Jack Taschner in the mix.

The Phillies were scared off by the asking prices on Matt Holliday and Xavier Nady, and never even made an offer. They still could acquire a lesser hitter.

Philly SportsCast #142 - July 23, 2008

While the Phillies took the “L” tonight in New York, there is no reason to get down. If we recorded this podcast only one day earlier, there would be all kinds of euphoria on the microphones.

Enjoy.

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Are the Phillies out of the mix for Brian Fuentes? If the Rockies are looking at these cats, the blockbuster we’ve all grown to love seems like their best deal.

The Rockies are playing an intriguing game of poker with closer Brian Fuentes. The price is high, causing most interested teams — the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees and Mets, the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins — to consider other options. Colorado wants a premium starting pitcher, a fair demand save for the fact the teams interested in Fuentes see him as a two-month rental, not a long-term solution. All already have closers, and Fuentes is determined to test the market before considering signing somewhere as a setup man.

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What the hell just happened? Phillies come from behind to beat the Mets 8-6.

We at Philly SportsCast are taking up a collection for Billy Wagner’s doctor - God bless the dude who sat him - interested in chipping in?

UPDATE:

Looks like Wagner sat himself…

On Tuesday, the Mets’ medical people advised the bruised Billy Wagner that he needed one more day of rest. Wagner subsequently met with Manuel to affirm the doctors’ decision. Manuel said that had Wagner made the case that he wanted to pitch, that he was ready if needed, he would have called on him. Wagner made no such case. He opted to sit this one out. Later, he told reporters that after watching the bullpen get slapped around, he had second thoughts.

Too late.

I wonder, Billy, was that the Mets’ way, the Yankees’ way or your way?

What would Mariano Rivera have done?

Wagner said that had this been September, it might have been a different story.

Guess what: There might not be a September story for the Mets.

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What happens to this Phillies team if it gets swept at Shea this week? Does Gillick make that Holliday trade that seems to be there for the taking? Does the team go into the tank and realize the bottom of the lineup is going to murder this team the rest of the way?

Or does this team do what it has been doing for the past few years? Realize that there is no time to waste, get on the horse and in the immortal words of Jake Taylor, “Win the whole fuckin’ thing.”

The key to this series is Jimmy Rollins. If this cat can move his ass out there, get on base and play with that fire that made him an MVP, the Phillies will score runs and win the series.

Also, if the Phillies can get to Santana tonight and he again adds to that off year we’ve seen develop this season, the Mets lose confidence in their ace - that may be worth the series right there.

I remember that the Phils beat Santana won the game Santana started to open the teams’ most-recent series at CBP, and then lost the second and third games, but every loss Santana takes a little bite out of this team - and that’ll be worth plenty down the road.

Here’s the breakdown:

Phillies get swept: This team is screwed, realizes it doesn’t have what it takes to get over the hump and that management is not willing to toss away the future for a sure-thing today. Players stop playing. Game over.

Phillies win one of three. This works well for this team - they get out of that cesspool with their balls still attached and work through the grind that is the rest of the dog days. Winning one is good; borderline great and gets Gillick back on the phone.

Philies sweep. This is, of course, ideal. However, getting this done will really take a minor miracle. Figuring out the Mets was easy last year - this year it’s gonna take that extra effort that is just not in this team this season.

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