Bloody Sunday: Phillies blow 4 run lead in Game 2

That was a rough day to be a Philly sports fan.  After jumping out to a 4 run lead, the Phillies couldn't put the Cardinals away and lost 5-4.  The Cardinals bullpen deserves a ton of credit for completely shutting the Phillies down for the final 6 innings.  Here are my thoughts on Game 2:

-The Phillies offense looked locked in right off the bat, working the count and getting solid hits off of Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter.  Carpenter was fortunate to get out of the first without allowing too much damage when he got Polanco to ground into a double play.  Think the Cards will ever use him on short rest again?

-After the second inning, the Phillies offense went into a coma and never woke up.  Tony La Russa trotted out pitcher after pitcher and the Phillies couldn't muster any kind of offense.  Only Jimmy Rollins managed a hit and he was promptly picked off trying to steal second.

-The Phillies looked especially clueless against Jason Motte.  I hope they don't need a key run against him in an elimination situation.

-That wasn't quite the Cliff Lee we've all come to expect.  Though he gave up a few hits early, he looked good through the first three innings.  The Cardinals starting tagging him after that, though, picking up a string of cheap hits to get themselves back into the game.  He wasn't helped by the wildly inconsistent strike zone but Lee is going to have to pitch better than that next time around.

-The Phillies bullpen was tremendous, allowing just one hit in three innings.  That was one big positive to come out of the game.

-Ryan Howard continued his great postseason with 2 big RBI's in the first inning.  He is putting that nightmare of a 2010 postseason behind him though it would have been nice if he came through in the 8th inning.

-That Jon Jay hit on Carlos Ruiz at the plate was the biggest hit of the day in Philadelphia.  Yeah, I'm looking at you, Eagles.

The Phillies still have another ace to turn to so there is no reason to panic.  What a horrible Sunday to be a Philly fan, though.

Roy Halladay will start for NL in All-Star Game

Even though basically everyone in baseball has made the All-Star team at this point, at least the best pitcher in baseball will be starting: Roy Halladay has been named the starting pitcher for the National League. Expect him to pitch an inning or two before exiting the game.

Halladay could end up being the only Phillie to play in the game. Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino are injured and won't play and Cole Hamels has already been replaced after pitching yesterday. There is a chance that Cliff Lee will pitch in the game but he did just pitch Saturday and would likely prefer to rest.

Even though this game "counts", it's nice to know I can turn it off after the second inning and likely not miss any of the Phillies in action.

Four Phillies named to 2011 All-Star Game, Victorino needs our help

The best team in baseball is sending four players to Arizona for the All-Star Game: Placido Polanco, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Polanco was voted in as a starter while Halladay, Lee and Hamels were no-brainer additions to the NL pitching staff.

Polanco was the only Phillies hitter named outright to the team, and probably justifiably so. With Chase Utley missing a large chunk of the season and Ryan Howard not having a great year by his standards, it's hard to make a strong case for any Phillies hitter. Shane Victorino has a shot at making the All-Star team but, just like in 2009, he is a part of the Final Vote, so he will need our help! Click here to vote and get Victorino to the All-Star game.

As for other Phillies pitchers that could have made the team, Ryan Madson certainly has a case to be there, though his recent injury could have kept him out. Antonio Bastardo has had a great season but probably doesn't have the name recognition to earn an All-Star nod.

Click here to see the full rosters for both leagues.

Cliff Lee strikes out 16, still takes loss for Phillies

Reason #540 why wins and losses mean very little for pitchers: Cliff Lee struck out 16 batters yet still took the loss in a 5-0 Braves victory over the Phillies. Yeah, that seems fair.

While Lee had a rough start to his outing, giving up 3 runs in the 3rd inning, he was nothing but dominant after that, striking out 11 batters in innings 4 through 7. In other words, of the 12 outs Lee needed to get in those 4 innings, he got strike outs for 11 of them. Lee's 16 strikeouts were not only the highest in the majors this season but they were also one short of the Phillies team record of 17, which is held by Art Mahaffey.

Lee was dominant but Derek Lowe was better for the Braves, no-hitting the Phillies for 6 innings before allowing a pair of hits that chased him out of the game. The Phillies offense then had their chance to make a comeback but failed, striking out three straight times with two runners in scoring position in the 7th.

This just in: Cliff Lee is good. The Phillies starting pitchers have so far held up their end of the bargain, giving the team quality innings and special outings on a regular basis. The fact that Lee has a record of 2-3 is much more indicative of an inconsistent Phillies offense than anything he is doing. I have a feeling the "great pitching but inconsistent hitting" theme could be an ongoing narrative to the Phillies season.
(AP PHOTO)

Cliff Lee wins in his return to the Phillies

Cliff Lee didn't disappoint in his much-anticipated re-debut with the Phillies, leading the team to a 8-4 win over the Astros. While Lee wasn't perfect, he was dominant, striking out 11 Astros while allowing 4 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings of work. Seeing Lee doing work in a Phillies uniform again was everything we expected it would be as he threw strikes and confused hitters all game long.

The rumors of the demise of the Phillies offense were clearly exaggerated as the Phils rocked Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez, jumping on him for a pair of early runs before tacking on 5 more in the middle innings. It was a team effort with the bats as every Phillies starter got a hit and either scored a run or had an RBI. While they haven't hit the ball out of the park yet, most hitters seem to be making good contact, so it's only a matter of time before they crush one.

In injury news (ugh), Shane Victorino left the game after he got tangled up Ben Francisco. Early word was that Victorino had a sore calf with no information on whether he would miss any time due to the injury.

Two games into the season, the Phillies remain perfect. Sure, they are playing a pretty bad Astros team, but they are performing exactly as we expected, getting strong performances from their starting pitching and backing that up with timely hitting. The quest for 162-0 remains alive!
(AP PHOTO)

Phillies aces on cover of Sports Illustrated

In an extremely smart decision, Sports Illustrated has decided to put the Phillies Four Aces (and Joe Blanton!) on the cover of their baseball preview issue that comes out this week. Before you get too worried about any kind of curse, remember that Roy Halladay was on the cover of their baseball preview last season and he did just fine. Try not to get drool all over the cover.

3 Phillies in the Top 10 MLB jersey sales

The Phillies are well-represented in the MLB Top 10 jersey sales list:

1. Derek Jeter
2. Joe Mauer
3. Roy Halladay
4. Chase Utley
5. Cliff Lee
6. Albert Pujols
7. Josh Hamilton
8. Dustin Pedroia
9. Alex Rodriguez
10. Tim Lincecum

The Phillies as a team finished 4th in licensed product sales in 2010. With all the Cliff Lee love going around Philly, don't be surprised to see him move up this list.

Happy HoLEEdays from All Things Philly Sports!

ATPS would like to wish you a Happy Holidays! Hopefully you got all the gifts you wanted, though I'm sure we're all satisfied with Cliff Lee!
(Cartoon via NY Post)

Best rotation ever: Phillies land Cliff Lee

The signing that was too good to be true actually happened: Cliff Lee has signed with the Phillies. Forgoing more years and more money in offers from the Yankees and Rangers, Lee has chosen to return to Philadelphia in a 5 year deal worth more than 100 million dollars. The fact that Lee took less money to play in Philly likely instantly makes him the most beloved player in the city.

With the addition of Lee, the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball and possibly the best rotation of all time. Take the perfection of Roy Halladay, the dominance of Lee, the brilliance of Cole Hamels and the toughness of Roy Oswalt and you have a rotation with four legitimate aces. As an added bonus, the rotation can even be set up to go right, left, right, left to give the opponents fits.

Now that the Phillies have used all of their money on another pitcher, it's unclear what their plans are for the rest of the offseason. Priority number one will be dealing Joe Blanton to free up salary with more possible salary dumps on the way. After that, the Phillies still will likely look for another right handed bat to add to the outfield but don't look for them to do much more than that. After all, when you have a rotation like this, you really don't need that much offense.

It's a testament to the city of Philadelphia and its fans that Cliff Lee has left money on the table to return to play for the Phillies. Lee knew that the fans here were in love with the guy the moment he put on the uniform so he jumped at the first chance to return. With a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Oswalt, the next few seasons are going to be incredible.

Believe it: Phillies are in on Cliff Lee

The rumor that just won't die suddenly has new life again: according to multiple sources, the Phillies are one of the finalists in the pursuit of free agent Cliff Lee. While it seems incredibly unlikely and improbable that the Phillies, a team already loaded with starting pitching, would be looking to sign yet another ace pitcher to their rotation, respected sources like Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and Jon Heyman of SI have confirmed that the Phillies, along with the Yankees and Rangers, are on the short list of teams that have a shot of landing Lee. Anyone interested in a rotation of Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt? Yes, please.

While it's hard not to get positively giddy about the possibility of Lee coming back to Philly, all indications are that the Phillies are longshots to sign him. With the Yankees and Rangers both making huge contract offers for a lot of years that the Phillies can't compete with, their best hope of signing Lee will be if he wants to take a pay cut to return to a team he is already comfortable playing with in a city that absolutely loves him. The Phillies would also probably have to move some salary to make room for Lee, with Joe Blanton and (hopefully) Raul Ibanez being the most likely candidates.

Before we get too excited about having the greatest rotation in baseball history, remember that Lee signing in Philly is a remote possibility. After all, when was the last time a professional athlete left money on the table and signed for less than his market value?

Oswalt struggles in Phillies debut but there is no reason to overreact

As Phillies fans, we've grown accustomed to our newly acquired aces having impressive debuts with our team. About a year ago, it was Cliff Lee who pitched a complete game 4-hitter and gave up only 1 run. Then, on Opening Day this season, Roy Halladay threw a gem of his own, striking out 9 batters and giving up 1 run in 7 innings. Fast forward to tonight's Phillies debut by Roy Oswalt, though, and you saw a much different outcome: Oswalt struggled against the Nationals, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) and 7 hits in 6 innings of work as the Phillies win streak came to an end. That's not what I would call a good first impression on his new team.

Most of you know, however, that there is no reason to panic. In Oswalt, the Phillies have acquired a known commodity who has established himself as an above average pitcher, not someone who is going to fizzle out and be terrible for the entire second half of a season. These types of starts happen to every pitcher, even Lee and Halladay, who weren't dominant pitchers every time they took the mound for the Phillies. For example, take a look back at three starts Lee made back in late August and early September of last season where pitched a total of 15 innings and gave up 17 earned runs. Even our beloved Roy Halladay has also had four starts this season where he gave up 5 or more runs.

My point isn't that Lee and Halladay aren't stud pitchers, though, my point is that bad games happen to every pitcher. You can chalk it up to nerves, chalk it up to trying too hard to impress his new team or just simply say that Oswalt had an off night; whatever the case, don't overreact to this one start and compare it to how J.A. Happ did in his Houston debut (0 runs in 6 innings) and rant about how the Phillies made a bad trade. Bad starts happen to good pitchers and Oswalt is going to do just fine with the Phillies.
(AP PHOTO)

Forget the Yankees, Cliff Lee traded to the Rangers

That didn't take long. After trade talks between the Yankees and Mariners fell apart, the Rangers have swooped in and grabbed former Phillie Cliff Lee. The Rangers had to give up quite a package, including top prospect Justin Smoak and three other minor leaguers, but they ended up with the best pitcher that is going to get dealt this season.

While some Phillies fans might still be upset that Lee didn't end up coming back to Philly, having him dealt to the Rangers is probably the next best thing as the deal keeps him out of the NL and away from the hated Yankees. While the Rangers do get that much closer to a World Series contender, the chances the Phillies will actually ever face Lee are very slim.

Bottom line, Cliff Lee was never coming back to the Philly. The Phillies may have had some talks here and there with Seattle about Lee but they could never have matched the package that the Rangers ended up offering to the Mariners. What you can get upset about as a Phillies fan, though, is the fact that the Mariners just got more for Lee than they had to give up to get him before the season. Ruben Amaro looks pretty bad for not holding out and getting more in return for a hot commodity like Cliff Lee.

Sorry Phillies fans, Cliff Lee is going to the Yankees (or not)

UPDATE: Or not. Apparently talks between the Yankees and Mariners have fallen apart. Jon Heyman reports that the Mariners don't like the Yankees offer.

Those dreams of Cliff Lee returning to the Phillies appear to be over: word around baseball is that Lee is about to be traded to the Yankees for a couple of prospects, including catcher Jesus Montero.

While your initial reaction is one of depression at the fact that the Phillies won't be getting Lee back and dismay that he's going to the hated Yankees, it's much better that Lee is going to the Yankees than to any team in the National League. Sure, we all dispise the Yankees and can't stand that a player we like is going there but could you imagine if Lee went to the Mets or Braves and the Phillies had to face him multiple times this year?

The trading of Cliff Lee also seems to have increased the chances that the Phillies will be dealing Jayson Werth for a starting pitcher. One possible trade that has already been discussed is dealing Werth for Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez, who will be the odd man out in the New York rotation with the acquisition of Lee. Hopefully the Phillies set their sights a little higher than Vazquez; if Dan Haren is available, I'd love to see the Phillies do whatever it takes, short of prospect Domonic Brown, to get Haren.

Good luck with the Yankees, Cliff Lee. Hopefully the Phillies get a chance to beat you in the World Series.

It's official: Halladay in, Lee out

Despite the little hiccup this afternoon that a player had failed his physical, the mega-trade has gone through: Roy Halladay is a Phillie and Cliff Lee has been traded to the Mariners. The trade is actually two different deals, one between the Blue Jays and Phillies and the other between the Mariners and Phillies.

Here is the breakdown:

Trade #1:
Phillies get: Roy Halladay (now signed through 2013), 6 million dollars
Blue Jays get: Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis D'Arnaud

Trade #2:
Mariners get: Cliff Lee
Phillies get: Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, Tyson Gillies

First of all, I love the acquisition of Roy Halladay. He is one of the best, if not the best, pitcher in baseball. Having him atop the Phillies rotation for the next four years has me very excited. Even though it took the heavy price of Kyle Drabek, the Phillies traded an unknown commodity for a proven ace, which is a deal you have to make. The fact that the Phillies also got some cash in the deal that can be used to sign free agent bullpen help shouldn't be overlooked as another positive in this deal.

The second trade, the dealing of Cliff Lee, is obviously met with some disappointment. Lee was a stud down the stretch for the Phillies last year and a rotation that is anchored by Halladay and Lee, even for one season, would be unstoppable. What has to be understood, though, was that the Phillies gutted their farm system in their trade for Halladay and this second trade re-stocks it. While none of the prospects they got from Seattle are sure-things and aren't as good as who the Phillies traded to Toronto, the farm system won't see a huge drop-off. The other obvious factor in the equation for dealing Lee was money. The Phillies simply couldn't afford to keep his salary on the books this year.

Now that the dust has settled, every Phillies fan should be happy with this deal. The Phillies rotation for 2010 will be Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and either Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick, which is the best in the National League. While you may be disappointed that Cliff Lee is leaving, you can't forget that Halladay is better than Lee and he will be in Philly for four years. There was no guarantee Lee was going to stay beyond this year so that is why the Phillies had to pull the trigger on these deals.

Simply put, the best team in the NL got even better today. Time will tell if it will be enough to overtake the best the AL has to offer.

No Halladay yet: failed physical holds up trade

Someone failed to clear the last hurdle in the Roy Halladay mega-deal. According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, one of the players involved in the trade that would send Halladay to the Blue Jays and Cliff Lee to the Mariners has failed his physical. Since Halladay and Lee both already passed their physicals, we can assume that it's one of the 6 minor league players that will change hands.

Since it's unclear which minor leaguer has failed his physical, it's unknown which part of this trade is being held up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of the prospects from the Mariners (Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and Juan Ramirez) failed it so the Phillies can keep Cliff Lee. Of course, it could just as likely be Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor or Travis D'Arnaud from the Phillies that failed which would keep them from getting Halladay.

Don't worry, the Phillies have already agreed to a contract extension with Roy Halladay, so at some point or another he will be with the Phils. This thing just might stretch for a few more days yet.

The Halladay deal as it stands now

Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but, according to various sources, here is the Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee deal as it stands now:

The Phillies will acquire Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays, as well as some cash. They are also going to get prospects Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and Juan Ramirez from the Mariners. Roy Halladay will also sign an extension with the Phillies for three years, 60 million dollars. The contract extension is believed to be done except for a few minor details.

The Mariners will acquire Cliff Lee from the Phillies for the prospects listed above.

The Blue Jays will acquire prospects Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis D'Arnaud from the Phillies for Halladay.

Essentially, this isn't really a three team deal but rather two separate trades. While I will continue to wait until the deal is finalized to hash out my opinions on the deal, this whole situation is a bit of a head scratcher. I understand that Halladay is a better pitcher and that the Phillies can keep him for longer with an extension but I still hate the idea of trading Cliff Lee. I'm also not crazy about giving up a mega-prospect like Drabek who was apparently "untouchable" at the trade deadline last year. While the Phillies will get a few interesting prospects back from the Mariners, their farm system will definitely be weaker because of these deals.

That said, a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Jamie Moyer/Kyle Kendrick is one of the top rotations in the National League. Whether it's enough to get them back to the World Series is yet to be seen. It's just too bad they couldn't keep Lee and have a rotation that starts with Halladay, Lee and Hamels. Now that would guarantee a pennant!

Happy Halladay? Phillies in talks for blockbuster Lee for Halladay deal

The good news: Roy Halladay appears to be coming to Philadelphia. The bad news: it may be at the expense of Cliff Lee. The long rumored deal that would send Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay to the Phillies is on the verge of happening as part of an epic three team deal that will send Cliff Lee to the Mariners, prospects from the Phillies to the Blue Jays and prospects from Seattle to Philly. None of the details of the deal have been worked out as of yet and there are still talks that Lee won't be part of the deal but it appears that some kind of deal that gets Halladay to Philadelphia is imminent.

Rumors have been flying all day today after word spread that Halladay was in Philly to discuss a contract extension with the Phillies. The Phillies will only trade for Halladay, who will be a free agent after the coming season, if they can get him signed to a long-term contract extension. That would be the reason for the Phillies jettisoning Cliff Lee to get Halladay since Lee has been hesitant to talk extension with the Phillies. While I would hate to see Lee go, I would rather have 5 years of Halladay than 1 more year of Lee.

While this trade is far from official and speculation has run rampant about who the Phillies will give up from their minor league system (Michael Taylor? Domonic Brown? Kyle Drabek?), things seem to be closer with this Halladay deal than any other previous report. I will hold off on commenting about the deal until everything goes through but I'm all for the Phillies doing what they can to bring in Roy Halladay as long as the price they pay isn't too high. Cliff Lee was a monster down the stretch for the Phillies but Roy Halladay is one of the top 3 pitchers in baseball. When you can get a guy like that you do whatever it takes, within reason.

Utley's bombs send Phillies back to New York

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

This is why you can't give up hope, Phillies fans. Facing elimination, the Phillies came out and played inspired baseball to get past the Yankees in Game 5 by a score of 8-6 and push the series back to New York.

The hero of the game for the Phillies was Chase Utley, who hit two homers on the night, a three-run shot in the 1st inning and a solo homer in the 7th. Utley set the tone for the Phillies right away with his 1st inning homer, helping erase the Yankees early 1-0 lead and putting the Phils up for good. Utley's homers have now become historic as he has tied Reggie Jackson's World Series record for homers with 5. With Game 6 coming on Wednesday, Utley has a great chance at making the record all his own.

Phillies starter Cliff Lee did what everyone expected of him, pitching 7 solid innings before running into a few bumps in the 8th inning. In all, Lee's numbers weren't spectacular as he gave up 7 hits and 5 runs, but he ate innings and kept the team ahead throughout. Lee's confidence alone has to give the team a boost. Although things got dicey near the end of the game as the Yankees made the game close, the Phillies bullpen proved to be just good enough to back Lee up.

Now the series shifts back to New York with the Yankees still needing one win to close it out. The Phillies will send Pedro Martinez to the mound for Game 6 while the Yankees will counter with Andy Pettitte, who will pitch on three days rest. Given the fact that Pedro is fresh, you have to give the Phillies the edge in that pitching matchup, meaning there is a great chance this series could be pushed to a 7th game. What the Phillies would do for a pitcher in that case is anybody's guess since Cole Hamels has shown he wants no part of pitching again this year.

Keep the faith, Phillies fans. This team has done what seemed impossible before, there is no reason not to hope they can do it again. Winning two more in New York won't be easy but the Yankees will start feeling the pressure the moment they fall behind in a game. Go Phillies, we believe!

3 more to go: Lee, Utley carry Phillies to victory

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Up until today, it seemed like the dominance of Cliff Lee was just something us Philly fans, and maybe some Cleveland fans, knew about. After his World Series Game 1 performance, the whole world understands what we have known all along: Cliff Lee is incredible.

For Lee, it was just another dominating performance, throwing a complete game against the Yankees to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 win. Lee made it look easy all night long, mixing in a few nonchalant defensive plays while striking out 10 batters and allowing only 6 hits. He made the potent Yankee offense look feeble all night, as most hitters that didn't strike out sprayed weak hits to the infielders. Cliff Lee was all business, making quick work of all the supposed sluggers in the Yankee lineup.

The offensive standout for the Phillies on the night was Chase Utley, who got the Phillies on the board in the first inning with a homer, then later added another homer. In fact, Utley was the entire offense for the Phillies until they added some insurance runs in the 8th and 9th innings. Even though they scored only two runs off of him, the Phillies kept the pressure on Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia all night long by staying patient and forcing Sabathia to throw strikes. By forcing Sabathia to make extra pitches, the Phillies were able to chase him from the game and get their insurance runs off of the weak Yankee bullpen.

The team that no one outside of Philadelphia picked to win the World Series just made a huge statement. They went on the road, gave up only one run against the best lineup in baseball and beat the opposing teams best pitcher. Even more importantly, the Phillies have already snatched away home field advantage from New York and have put all the pressure on the Yankees Game 2 starter, A.J. Burnett.

There is a reason they are the World Champs, folks. The Phillies always win the first game of a series and put themselves in the drivers seat. By doing that, they hold all the cards and force the other team to try to adjust to them. Now let's see if Pedro Martinez can pull a Cliff Lee in Game 2 and really give the Phillies a huge advantage.

SimpLee amazing: Phillies cruise to 2-1 series lead

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

It didn't take long for Philly fans to wash the disgusting taste from the Eagles loss out of our mouths. The Phillies, led by an early inning offensive outburst and a dominating performance by Cliff Lee, defeated the Dodgers 11-0 in Game 3 of the NLCS to give the Phillies a 2-1 series lead.

Lee was his usual dominating self, shutting out the Dodgers in his 8 innings of work. He amassed 10 strikeouts on the night while giving up only 3 hits and never allowed the Dodgers to even be a threat to score a run. Lee, who perhaps could be the greatest midseason acquisition in Phillies history, continues to step into the hole vacated by Cole Hamels as the team ace.

Offensively, the Phillies made an effort to not waste another good pitching outing like they did in Game 2, scoring 6 runs in the first two innings. Leading the way were Ryan Howard, who had a triple and 3 RBI, Jayson Werth, who had a 2-run shot, and Shane Victorino, who tacked on a 3-run homer in the 9th inning just for good measure. It was the type of offensive explosion we have come to expect from the Phillies, when they are on, they score their runs in bunches. If only they could have had a few of those hits yesterday.

The Phillies have to feel pretty good about themselves after this one. While any time Lee pitches the team should expect a win, the Phillies can hang their hat on the fact that they are one bad inning in Game 2 from having a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Dodgers. With the series continuing tomorrow in Philadelphia with Joe Blanton taking the mound against ex-Phillie Randy Wolf, the Phillies have a chance to put a stranglehold on this series. If they continue to hit the way they did tonight, nobody is going to stop them from being World Champs again.

Thank goodness for Cliff Lee and the Phillies. I almost forgot about how bad the Eagles were today. Almost.