The Cliff Lee Love Affair

If last year I told my buddy Jay Wrizight "Cliff Lee is great and all but I think they can unload him and get Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt" He would have told me "Your trashed, and don't do anything stupid like running on the field and getting tasered."

Here we are, that exact scenario has played out. The Phillies are in the best position to win a World Series since this run has started. H2O or Trip Aces or any other nickname you can think of are about to take us deep into October. Everything could not be better right? Why must I see Cliff Lee's name on every blog about the Phillies? As much as I appreciate everything he did for the Phillies last year they are better without him. Here is why.

There is only one reason Cliff Lee is no longer a Phillie....MONEY! Ruben Amaro has been obsessed with Roy Halladay for a long time now. It was well documented last year when Halladay was the main focus for the Phillies at the trade deadline. Cliff Lee was 'Plan B'. Ruben still wanted Halladay this off season and got him. Amaro told the world the Phillies traded Cliff Lee to replenish a depleted farm system. Biggest lie since "Weapons of Mass Destruction." It was all about the $9 million Cliff Lee will earn this year. For all the Cliff Lee Homo's who say they should have Lee and Halladay, Amaro never had that option available. The Phillies ownership group gave him a $140 million dollar budget to work with. Lee or Halladay was his choice, not both. Since Roy Halladay will probably win the NL Cy Young he made the right decision. Halladay will also be a Phillie for at least the next 3 years, Cliff Lee will go to the highest bidder this off season.

Adding Roy Oswalt only makes the decision to let Lee go more solid. Oswalt is 7-1 since joining the Phillies with an ERA under 2.00. The Phillies are 9-1 in games he's started. Now the Cliff Lee fan club say we should have all three, Lee, Halladay and Oswalt. The Phillies never would have made a play for Oswalt if they had Lee. Compare Oswalt's numbers to Lee's since Oswalt has arrived and Amaro got it right again. Lee was 1-6 in August with a +5 ERA. This whole run against Atlanta may never have happened if we had Lee and not Oswalt. Ed Wade is paying most of Oswalt's salary this year. Thanks Ed, you are doing more to help the Phillies win now than when you were GM. And the final nail in the coffin in the Lee or Oswalt debate, Oswalt is signed for next year and the Phillies have an option for 2012. Cliff Lee will probably be wearing pinstripes next year and not the Phillies variety.

Can we get over Cliff Lee people? This is the greatest run in the teams 127 year history, enjoy it. The Fightin' Phils are 41-15 since the All Star break and 15-3 in September. They have a great chance not only to get back to the World Series but win it. I don't care that the three prospects we got for Cliff Lee stink. If we have another parade they can rob a liquor store and I'll drive the get-a-way car.

"I wish Judis didn't trade Jesus for those gold coins."

Keep it Classy Philly!

DB29