Hey Reuben, Cheers To a Happy Halladay

What do I want from Santa this year? Well...I did want a third basemen, a back up catcher, and a quality pitcher to fill out the rotation, but I think that is a little too much to ask for. However, as of Wednesday December 16th, Reuben Amaro Jr., Philadelphia's new Santa Claus, has granted all of my wishes this holiday season. When the Phillies trade with the Mariners and Blue Jays was finalized earlier last week, Roy Halladay, arguably the best right hander in the league, became a Phillie. That capped off a remarkable off-season for the club. Not only did Amaro reel in Halladay, he also brought in; career .300 hitter Placido Polanco and a solid back up Catcher in Brian Schneider, everything I asked for. My next wish for the Phils, to keep up the recent success, and that...just became a lot more likely.

While the Phillies lineup may have seemed flawless during points of the '08 season, the signing of Placido Polanco made it substantially better. While Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have been excellent catalysts at the top of the Phils lineup, they haven't been catalysts in every sense of the word. Victorino, in the two spot, swings and misses a lot, has trouble moving the runners over and really would benefit from taking a spot down in the lineup. With Polanco we are getting a guy who makes a living out of being a situational hitter, hardly ever strikeouts, and hits .300 consistently from year to year; the exact hitter that the club has been yearning for. With all of the homers, doubles, and late inning heroics, the Phillies' hitting has struggled with consistency, and that is exactly what Polanco brings to the table.

While Cliff Lee being Philadelphia's Jesus during the playoffs last year makes it all the more harder to see him go, the Phillies now have Roy Halladay and with that one of the strongest rotations in the league. What Halladay brings to the table; the pitches of a superstar and the mentality of a work horse. He just eats up inning after inning every year regardless of the score. An arm of pure rubber. As one of the best right handers in the league, Halladay joins a staff with the young developing star Cole Hamels and arguably the "real" rookie of the year in lefty J.A. Happ. While Cliff Lee was the ace that the Phillies needed, Roy Halladay is the pure star that this rotation has lacked since Steve Carlton in the 80's. Since the days of Carlton, Philadelphia has never seen anyone dominate the pitching hill like Doc Halladay. What does the signing of Halladay ultimately bring to the Phillies? Possibly an edge in the rotation that the club never had.

As for the new back stop, Schneider finally brings good balance to the position. While Coste could hit and not field, and Bako could field and not hit, Schneider can virtually do both and will be a solid off day replacement for Carlos Ruiz, as well as a solid bat off the bench as a pinch hitter. The experience of the NL East journeyman will be valued as well in the locker room and his savvy "vet" ways will also earn him a leadership role.

So in the end I am echoing my thoughts displayed in my '09 wrap up article; that the chances to win are better this year. The chances to win are now even better because, we upgraded at our one weak spot on the field, third base and brought in the best arm on the market. Want me to make a prediction right now? Halladay + Polanco + All of the studs that are returning from the '09 team = parade down Broad St. next November. The Yankees and Red Sox are tough, but we just got a lot tougher. What do I want for Christmas now? How bout a bullpen Amaro? Give me a reason to write again in a couple of weeks; for now, you've earned this one.

JD

The Flawed Election of 2009

The myth of the "Sophomore Slump" is officially terminated in College Football. When Crimson Tide Running Back Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy Saturday Night, he joined Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow as the third straight sophomore to win possibly the biggest individual award in all of sports. The crew that Ingram edged out: Longhorn QB Colt McCoy, Stanford Running Back Toby Gerhart, former Heisman winner Tim Tebow, and Nebraska defensive linemen Ndaumukong Suh, all seniors. While I was happy for the young Ingram as he accepted the award, I am still having trouble seeing how Toby Gerhart didn't win it. Is the Heisman even about stats anymore? If so, Gerhart was the clear cut winner. But that is when it hit me that the Heisman is barely about stats at all, but is merely a political election. If Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators beat Alabama in the SEC Championship, Toby Gerhart would be joining Jim Plunkett as the second Heisman winner in Stanford history. Instead, Ingram and the Crimson Tide are heading to the BCS Championship next month, and are bringing a Heisman Trophy with them, well deserved or not.

It wasn't only several second place votes that separated Stanford's Toby Gerhart and Mark Ingram, but also 11 touchdowns and 200 total yards in favor of Gerhart. The question is no longer why didn't Gerhart win, Because that is slowly becoming unanswerable. But rather why did Ingram win? And there is only one answer, he plays for Alabama. Say we swapped the two players, put Ingram on Stanford and Gerhart on Bama. Same stats, results, and team BCS positions. Gerhart wins in a heartbeat, and I guarantee you that not one Heisman voter would deny that, and that is the problem with the system. The Heisman Trophy is supposed to be handed out to the player who has the best season, regardless of where his team stands at the end of the year.

If Alabama gets defeated by Florida in the SEC Championship, Ingram probably wouldn't of finished top two, and Tebow would have most likely slid into a top spot in the voting, but Gerhart would have won. It is not Gerhart's fault that Stanford didn't have a good a year as Bama, but in the Pac 10 you can certainly not down play the numbers he put up. He did everything he could to help the Cardinal win this season, and played a lot of good defenses, where he played his best. This wasn't a case like Colt Brennan a few years back where it could be argued that he played in a very easy WCC and wasn't challenged all season. Gerhart was challenged, and when he was he came through. Rushing for 26 touchdowns and 1,7000 yards is no joke anywhere, especially in the Pacific 10 Conference.

What I am doing, is not downplaying what Mark Ingram did this year, but simply showing the flaws in the Heisman system. There is no doubt that Toby Gerhart should have won the award with flying colors. No doubt. But hey, congratulations to Ingram, he utilized a bunch of specialists who thought he was "2nd place" and is the one taking home the hardware, touche NCAA.

JD

Get Your Popcorn: Here Comes the Show

If you haven't heard yet, Allen Iverson is again a Sixer. Known for his scoring, chest pounding and.. explicit rapping, Iverson is back in a Sixers uniform to squeeze any magic that he may have left on to the floor of the Wachovia Center. With "The Answer" back in town, Philadelphia is slightly interested in the team that has the second worst attendance record in the league, I ask myself; am I the only one who didn't and still doesn't want A.I.? While I push out the image of Iverson infamously stepping over Tyronne Lue in the 2001 Final out of my head, I remember that were not talking bout a game, but practice.

While I may be in the minority in Philadelphia, I consider myself an actual Sixers fan who stays interested for 86 games (82+the four that it takes the Number 1 seed to beat us in the first round of the playoffs). This season, the Sixers are going through what every franchise in every sport goes through, save the Bronx Bombers, which is a rebuilding process. It is a time for young players like Jrue Holiday, Jason Smith, Thaddeus Young, and Lou Williams to get some minutes, get some experience and ultimately get their feet wet in the NBA. It is evident that the Sixers title run is not going to come again for some years, so why waste our time on someone like Iverson? Why hinder this process in which we breed our young players to mature into competent NBA players? There is a time to add question mark veterans who can make or break your team, and for the Sixers that time is not now.

While I will be on my feet like everyone else when A.I. hits a jumper at the top of the key to tie the game, or split the defenders to draw the foul while making the basket, I still wonder am going to be wondering why. What is Iverson going to bring to this team that will benefit the future? And with the team we have in Philly the future is where our eyes should be. If Iverson comes in and starts to drop thirty a game and we sneak into the playoffs yet again, I could be looked at as a naysayer who has been proven wrong; but to me, that is not the kind of success we need. We need to make sure that when the time comes, that these young players can be basketball players. That was supposed to start now, Iverson will certainly delay the process.