A cheesesteak for your thoughts on Philly.....

I've always felt Victorino was a bit overrated...plus, I'm not so sure he would have stayed put, cap space or not.

I like the fact that they've retained their pitching staff, although Blanton is rumored to possibly go. And it's hard to know what's going on in the clubhouse especially with Charlie's comments. Their farm system is depleted and the new outfielders will need to step up for sure. If that happens, they make some good off season moves, and everyone gets healthy again, I think they can bounce back. But "if" is a big word.

Now...how do I collect my cheesesteak? I prefer Pat's!

Sorry lhprhp, I'm a Gino's guy! I'm 99% sure I will be in Philly (@UPenn) in April 2014.

They had to retain their pitching staff to remain competitive with the Nats and Braves. They paid a premium for Hamels. I'm not faulting them for that. They can't do anything with Howard and his contract. My understanding is Utley's contract is up after next year. What to do with a hitting 2nd baseball that is missing knee cartililage. They have to try to trade him to the AL to become a DH, but (oops) the trade deadline just expired. I'm just trying to figure it out, and I don't think the Phillies have many options.

There are some things that transcend even baseball.

A good cheesesteak is one of those things.

Poor timing on the Hunter Pence acquisition set the foundation for what occurred this year. They gave up too much and then got too little back when they shopped him around. Scared too many potential buyers away. Now the rebuilding effort has gotten off to a slow start. They don't have much room for any mistakes down the road.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt13:
I've always felt Victorino was a bit overrated...plus, I'm not so sure he would have stayed put, cap space or not.

Decent point. Has never hit .300, 20 HR's, 70 RBI's or had an OBP over .360 in any season. He has had at least 500 plate appearances the last 5 seasons and will do so again this year. He is a older slower version of Brett Gardner with more power.

quote:

Originally posted by lhprhp:

Now...how do I collect my cheesesteak? I prefer Pat's!

Pat's is the way to go! I'll give a slight edge to Gino's bread but Pat's got the better steaks.

Before the trades the Phillies had $8 mil for 16 spots for 2013. With the 3 pitchers, Howard, Utley and Rollins they are top heavy. (Howard might be the most damaging of them all.) IMO yesterdays trades were about creating some $$ for next year. They desperately need bullpen help. It has been beyond bad this year. They also need at least one outfielder and a 3B.

With the starting pitching they'll have next year and Howard and Utley (hopefully) healthier they will be competitive next year I believe. As a lifelong Philadelphia fan I will gladly take the WS win in 2008 take what comes after that. Although they should have won more than one.

Now the important stuff...cheesesteaks. Of those two Geno's (not Gino's) is much better than Pat's. Every 5-6 years I'll try a Pats to see if my memory is correct and it's always the same. Not very good. Tough, stringy meat.

There are many cheesesteaks around the city that are better than both of those. There are two within a couple of miles of Pats and Genos. Ask someone how to get to Tony Lukes or John's roast pork. I prefer John's over any of these mentioned.

Tony Luke's

Got too old too quick. Still have to find someone to play 3rd and how much could Browne have improved in the outfield? He makes Pence look like a gold glove.

Still with the pitching and few extra run producers the team should be very competitive

Tony Lukes. Ive heard about that one. A friend of mine told me this where the locals go. Next time Im in Philly Im gonna go to Tony Lukes

Shane Victorino took out a full page in a philly paper to say good bye. Good dude. I hope the LA fans enjoy him as much as we did.

Thanks philsfan. That makes two of us Zombywoof. I'm always up for taste testing cheesesteaks. Tony Lukes is at the top of the list on my next Philly trip.

Class move by Victorino.
My wife’s favorite sandwich there is the roasted pork with Broccoli rob and provolone.
I’m a cheesesteak guy.

As likable as they were, both guys were a bit undisciplined. Pence didn't take the next step like many thought he would -- he's a good player but hasn't been hitting that well with RISP and made some pretty awful plays in the field this season.

While the Phils are definitely weighed down by contracts, a couple of them can be off the books at end of next year (I think Halladay and Utley) and their current TV deal will run out shortly thereafter, allowing them to get a big payday for the next one. I'm more concerned about a lackluster farm system (as lhprhp pointed out) than their ability to spend money.

I prefer Jim's to either Pat's or Geno's, BTW.