PhoulBallz.com

Today I took part in a writers round table over at one of my other internet homes, PhilliesNation.com . One particular question to the panel of writers, pertaining to what the Phillies' most pressing need is right now, was left out of the piece. I'd like to take this opportunity to share my answer to that question. What is the most pressing need right now? A back-end bullpen arm or a right-handed bat? My answer would surely have been a right-handed bat, in previous weeks. However, with recent news that Jose Contreras won't even throw a baseball for two weeks and Ryan Madson's finger numbness both added to the ever-extending absence of Brad Lidge, it seems as though the Phillies will need to add a solid arm to their relief corps. The Phils have been lucky that in-house addition Mike Stutes has pitched above and beyond expectations (3-0 record, 2.92 ERA, .179 BAA). And while a couple more home grown Mikes, Zagurski and Schwimer, are confident and ready to join the...

With another Major League Baseball season ready to get underway, I inquired with several baseball aficionados this week, to investigate how the 2011 season will pan out in many aspects. The individuals I spoke with were all baseball experts in their own right...Tyrone Johnson, who hosts 97.3 ESPN's Weekend Sports Guide , Michelle O'Malley of the blog known as Chicks Dig The Long Ball , Bill Baer of CrashburnAlley.com , local sports reporter Kevin McGuire , Dick AKA "The Man With the Golden Arm" of 1BlueJaysWay.com , Peter AKA "Whole Camels" from TheGoodPhight , Pat Gallen of 97.3 ESPN and PhilliesNation , Mike Frohwirth from Philliedelphia.com and author of the new baseball themed mystery novel Game 7: Dead Ball Allen Schatz. I provided my own answers to the inquiries as well. In the graphic below, you will see each contributor's predictions for Phillies wins, how many games Chase Utley will play this season, playoff teams, World Series results as wel...

March Madness is upon us once again. But, I don't mean the college hoops variety, baseball fans. The madness I am referring to is the wild bracket that pits all the best Philadelphia baseball blogs against one another in a winner-takes-all bragging rights fest. **Now in the third round, PhoulBallz has advanced to the Sweet 16 of this tournament. Click HERE to vote!** This site, PhoulBallz.com, brings the public closer to the Phillies on a daily basis, as it covers the organization from the bottom to the top. Please allow me to share with you, a list of reasons that PhoulBallz deserves your vote in the The Phield's 2011 Tournament. 1- In the past year, this site has brought its readers TWO exclusive interviews with the Phillies' general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr. No other site has done that. Those interviews can be heard HERE and HERE . 2- Speaking of interviews...PhoulBallz has media access, thanks to its affiliation with Millennium Radio Group's Shore Sports Network. ...

Courtesy of Dave Gershman, author of the MLBlog SPANdemonium and contributor to another site that I write for known as 1BlueJaysWay.com , here is a recent interview with the Phillies' newly acquired minor league second baseman Albert Cartwright. Talk about the transition from class High A Lancaster to Double A Corpus Christi and what adjustments you had to make. Lancaster was a good league with a lot of good pitchers, but I thought when I got to Corpus the pitcher had a better plan and didn't stray away from it until you made the adjustment yourself. Describe what you think is the biggest part of your game and how you can improve upon it. The biggest part of my game is my speed, so I try to work it into my game the best that I can, meaning; taking the extra base, bunt, tagging up when necessary. Anyway I can make the defense uncomfortable that's how I try to play this game of baseball. You set the Cal League record for most triples in a game. Whats a record you'd like...

Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Jay Floyd. For years I have written on this site under my nickname, Jay Ballz. During my time covering games at the ball parks I have always used my real name, since for some reason nicknames are not welcome or happily included on media credentials. The name switch was something I wanted to make happen over this off-season. It was urged forward, to sooner rather than later, when I was invited to join the crew of contributors at PhilliesNation.com . I figured there was no better time to make the change than at a time when I would be introduced to thousands of brand new readers at the other site. My work with PhilliesNation is not expected to change what I do on this site and should serve as a great way to reach new readers and a way to bond with other solid baseball writers and enthusiasts. To those not familiar with PhilliesNation, it is a solid place for Philadelphia baseball coverage brought to the phans by a collection of writers and led by...

Each season around this time, PhoulBallz.com calls upon some phriends to predict the winners of the upcoming playoffs. I surveyed a few local sports radio hosts, some popular baseball bloggers and, appropriately for the playoffs, a couple Wild Cards. This year's collection of playoff fortune tellers includes Tyrone Johnson, host of 97.3 ESPN's The Weekend Sports Guide , Joe Giglio & Mike Krenek of 97.3 ESPN's Just a Bit Outside , Chris Jones from TheFightins.com , Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley , Phillies pitching prospect Mike McGuire , play-by-play man for the Lakewood BlueClaws Greg Giombarrese, former ECW and WWE wrestler The Blue Meanie, Dick from the Toronto blog 1BlueJaysWay and yours truly, Jay Ballz of PhoulBallz.com. Check out what each of us had to say about all the upcoming playoff action, as each panelist attempted to predict all of the winners and the Most Valuable Players for the League Championship Series as well as the World Series. ALDS- Twins vs. Yank...

Remember those various "Phanatic Around Town" statues that were placed all throughout Philadelphia as part of a public art project, led by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and the Phillies, that features twenty, life-sized Phillie Phanatic statues located at local attractions? Well, the Phanatic statues will soon leave their posts and an online auction for the many uniquely painted Phanatics will begin on Friday, August 27th, to benefit Phillies Charities Inc. Former Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams, along with RadioShack, is calling on all area residents to join him in the LIVESTRONG Challenge 5K walk/run that’s taking place in Philadelphia on Saturday, August 21. As a co-captain of “Team RadioShack”, Mitch is looking to participate in the 5k with as many athletes, cancer fighters and survivors, baseball fans, and everyday folks that the Philadelphia region can get. If you are interested in participating, you can sign up to participate along side "...

As a social butterfly when it comes to baseball, I often hear and read phans complaining about those Phillies TV announcers. Had it up to your eye ball region with Tom McCarthy's obvious fanboy love for young stars like Hanley Ramirez? Can't take Chris Wheeler spitting his own silly ism's during another important game? Have trouble enjoying Gary Matthews Sr., after you see what sort of hat he's wearing? Well, PhoulBallz.com brings you the solution. Put that HDTV on mute tonight and click the link below to listen to the finest adult humor webcast in the area. Local guys Fab, Chris and Marco talk about hot news, pop culture and much more each Tuesday evening...but this week, I will be joining them in studio for the full 2 hours, adding some baseball chatter to the mix. Check out the show on Tuesday nights from 8-10pm EST. We would love to have you. Enter the chat room to join in the conversation and we'll shout you out. Click the image below to head on over to the Jer...

Prior to the 2010 season, PhoulBallz.com checked in with various baseball heads...broadcasters, writers and bloggers alike...and got everyone's take on how the MLB season would play out. Each participant gave his thoughts and predicted the various awards given to outstanding performers, which teams would advance to the post-season and some Phillies related matters. Click here to read the original post. The panel of fortune tellers included me, Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley , former Phillies beat reporter Mike Olshin, Joe Giglio & Mike Krenek of Millennium Radio's The Shore Sports Report , Carson of We Should Be GM's , Kevin McGuire of Macho Row and Justin Evans of Red Pinstripes are Cooler . Without over analyzing, I'll offer a quick tip of my cap to Joey Votto (.314 avg, 22 HR, 60 RBI) and Robinson Cano (.336 avg, 16 HR, 58 RBI) who have outperformed players in their respective leagues and would be considered the Most Valuable Players of the first half, if there w...

Phans, this Thursday, you can come on out to Chickie's & Pete's in Bordentown, NJ and experience a fun night of baseball, even though the Phillies will be on the road. With the Phils away for a series in New York, Citizens Bank Park public address announcer Dan Baker will be in the house at Chickie's & Pete's to make the calls, just as though he was working at the ball park. The event will of course feature the divisional rivalry of the Phillies & Metropolitans and Dan Baker, as well as Dan's Phillies trivia and prizes between innings. But, that's not all.... Come on out and join the PhoulBallz.com party and meet yours truly as well as some other special Phillies blogger guests. The nearly famous Tug Haines from TheFightins.com will be in the house. Plus, Chris, the man in charge at Long Drive will be present. The mysterious men (Shep & Gil) of The701Level are expected to make their first public appearances. And some of your favorite Philly sp...

Here's a list of can't miss posts from around the bloggerhood... Written by me, 1BlueJaysWay has an article detailing former Orioles starting pitcher and #4 overall draft pick Adam Loewen's great strides to reinvent himself as an everyday player after injuries to his arm ended his pitching career. Check that article out by clicking here . Martin Frank of The News Journal's Philled In Blog, that was defeated by PhoulBallz.com in The Phield tournament, has all your details on the Rays designating Pat Burrell for assignment. Check that out by clicking here . Todd Zolecki's The Zo Zone has info on Jamie Moyer becoming the 2nd pitcher in MLB history to allow 500 homeruns. The other man who allowed 500 homers...Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. Read the Zo Zone by clicking here . This week, Pal of PhoulBallz, Ryan, guest posted in the weekly male gender slot at Chicks Dig the Longball . It's the all MLB Uemployment team! Check that out here . Meech of The Fight...

Phans, Ryan Howard's contract extension is an occasion worth celebrating. So, jam with me. Haters are not welcome. And while you're still all about Ryan Howard, I'll make this your one stop shop for all the worthwhile posts relating to "The Big Piece" from around the bloggerhood. TheFightins.com reviews all the crazy hater talk out there from baseball writers. Check it out by clicking here . Joe Giglio's Shore Sports Scoop says that Howard is worth every cent. Click this link to read that article. If you understand stat geek jargon, Bill Baer's Crashburn Alley should be your next stop. Have a look at his Howard value drop-off break down by clicking here . In Ruben We Trust has a butt load of solid ideas about what Ryan Howard could spend his big bucks on. Check that out by clicking here . One of the gals at Chicks Dig the Long Ball has some mixed feelings about the extension, as it relates to other players. Read that post by clicking here . Balls, Sti...

Happy opening day to everyone! With another Phillies season ready to get underway, I inquired with several baseball afficianados to determine how the 2010 season will pan out in many aspects. The men I spoke to were Carson of the baseball blog We Should Be GM's , Mike Olshin former Phillies reporter for the Times of Trenton, Joe Giglio the cohost of The Shore Sports Report , Michael Krenek the other cohost of The Shore Sports Report , Kevin McGuire of the Phillies blog Macho Row , Bill Baer of the Phillies blog Crashburn Alley and of Baseball Daily Digest , Justin Evans of the Phillies blog Red Pinstripes Are Cooler , along with some predictions of my own thrown into the mix. In the graphic below, you will see each contributor's predictions for Phillies wins, Roy Halladay's wins, Playoff teams & winners in each league, World Series results, along with award winners in each league. The consensus obviously shows that we all are confident in the Phillies, Yankees and Card...

A lazy day brings you a lazy post. Here are some links to exciting stuff around the baseball bloggerhood today. David Murphy's High Cheese lays out the upcoming pitching rotation for the Phillies and who starts which games, from today through April 18th. It includes Cole Hamels going in the home opener for the Phils. Click here to check that out. I took part in another pre-season round table questionnaire. This time it is with a site known as Red Pin Stripes are Cooler . Subject matter includes whether or not the Phillies will re-sign Howard & Werth, which current Phillie will be a Hall of Famer and what our favorite tail gating foods are. Check that out by clicking here . Mark Zuckerman has all the information on President Obama throwing out the first pitch at next week's opening day game against the Phillies in Washington DC. Check out the Nats Insider by clicking here . Matt Gelb of The Phillies Zone compares John Mayberry Jr. to Jayson Werth and wonders if Mayberry ...

Future PhoulBallz.com correspondent Aaron (AKA- "A-Ballz") recently stepped up to the plate for a great cause. In solidarity with children who have been stricken with cancer, and who typically lose hair during treatment, Aaron participated in a St. Baldrick's head shaving event to support the victims of the illness. More American children die of cancer each year than any other disease. Help Aaron, a left-handed pitcher and outfielder for his little league team in Central NJ, raise money to support cancer research by clicking this link . ------------------------- Be sure follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

Well known Philadelphia Phillies blogger Bill Baer inquired with a dozen or so other Phils bloggers, including myself, about several questions surrounding the upcoming 2010 season for the defending National League champions. Bill's site, CrashburnAlley is always worth checking out, but today's roundtable, that features loads of solid opinions, is can't miss. Here is a direct link to the Phillies preview questionnaire. Ahead, I've listed some of my answers that did not make the cut in Bill's piece, as he tried to distribute equal exposure for all involved. How concerned are you about Cole Hamels going into 2010? I have no great concern about young Colbert for the 2010 season. I've seen and read enough in a few weeks of spring training to know that his off-season conditioning improved his physical state to this point. Half way through spring training he is leaps and bounds beyond where he was half way through even April in 2009. Phillies phans should be confiden...

Something huge happened around the Phillies blogosphere on Tuesday evening. Timothy Malcolm, a former regular at PhilliesNation, debuted a 65-blog tournament bracket pitting all the best, worst and everything in between Phillies blogs against each other to determine the King of Philly. The tournament and the site that hosts it are known as The Phield. Check out their site by clicking here . My very own blog was ranked as a 6 seed, which I may disagree with, but I will refrain from going all Joe Budden on Tim and anyone else who put their efforts into the bracket and site. I respect them, the tournament and the other bloggers and writers involved. In the first round of the tournament, PhoulBallz.com is pitted up against the 11 seed, a blog called Team to Beat , which should not be confused with a blog, that I must admit was more familiar to me, called We're the Team to Beat , which is competing in another bracket. Of course, I am writing this to rally all PhoulBallz readers to vote...

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...

There's plenty going on in the early going this week with the Phillies down in Clearwater, Florida. Here's a tour of the Phils bloggerhood and links to stuff you shouldn't miss. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki set the internet, around the Philly region, on fire this morning with an image sent out over Twitter featuring Jayson Werth's tremendous beard. Zolecki's Zo Zone Blog can be found at this link . *UPDATE*- Matt Gelb contributes to the Inquirer's Phillies Zone blog. He's nice enough to bring us another shot of Jay-Dubya's beard! More from Gelb & the Phillies Zone here . News broke this morning that Chan Ho Park has signed with the Yankees...a 1 yr, $1.2 million contract, with incentive bonuses. Crashburn Alley has all your information on how badly Park made out by waiting for that deal. The Good Phight has an interview with Baseball Prospectus prospect guru Kevin Goldstein. Check that out here . PhilliesFlow is talking about the Phillies' succe...