When The Franchise speaks.....

The Franchise is just about to head out the Fluid Nightclub this Thursday night, but wanted to make sure I had my post up and ready for Franchise Friday. Hair Gel. Check. Bathed in Kenneth Cole Reaction Cologne.Check. Pre-gamed with Jagerbombs. Check. Now to drop Phillies knowledge on my fans.

The Franchise looked back at the years the Phillies went to the World Series since 1980 and did some Bill James type sabermetrical extrapolations. What came to me was that to be a World Champion many things must happen....or not happen, but the number two hitter may be the most important person in the lineup. 1983, 1993, and 2009 the Phillies had underperforming two hole hitters. Len Matuszek, Mickey Morandini/Mariano Duncan, and Placido Polanco won't cut it. Bake McBride and Chase Utley can. If you have your head in your ass you won't realize The Franchise is talking about 80 and 08. The years the Phillies won it all. So that brings us to 2011. Will the number two hole hitter even matter? The starting staff is so good. Nonsense. The number two slot is the most important person in the lineup. So now who I think should be in the two slot and why.

Chase Utley is a GREAT two hole hitter. He is a below average three hole hitter. His last great year was 2008. Also the last year he was the Phillies two hole hitter. I could put the statistics to prove this, but you imbeciles obviously have the Internet...so look it up yourselves. The Franchise has DJ Tiesto pumping in the background, his DVR set to record The Jersey Shore, and is about to unleash a Top 9 list even The Wriz will like. The batting order. I may be Italian, but I am not going to pull some Tony LaRussa pitcher in the eight hole bullshit.

Victorino- Look for a 40 steals year and .285 average
Utley- Return to form hitting over .300 with 30 + bombs
Rollins- Perfect spot for the uppercut swing
Howard- Ho hum 40 HR's and 120 RBI's
Francisco- Breakout year with people pitching around Howard to get to him
Ibanez- Don't expect him the be a Phillie by years end
Ruiz- This guy is consistent and deserves the bump to 7
Polanco- Perfect second leadoff hitter in the eight hole
Pitcher

Now we know that last year's lineup simply did not click. Thinking it should stay the same this year just is not a smart move. The way The Franchise has set up the lineup breaks up the righties and the lefties VERY nicely as well. Will that formerly fat hillbilly see it The Franchise's way? I dunno. Will the reader's of this blog be able to stop brushing their tooth, take their Geritol, strap on the Depends and see that this lineup will have me pumping my fist and Chase Utley saying "World Fucking Champions!" once again?

That's it for The Franchise for now.Later on tonight if you are wondering where your girl or wife is...They may be getting Franchised. Special thank you goes out to The Wriz's cousin for the pic above. She sure knows how to handle the stick and The Franchise loves her two hole.

Boom Boom Pow!

A Couple of Digs for You

I have been reading the posts and comments from the last week and it has inspired me. Not in the way that you'd imagine because apparently I'm old, so I'll assume that I am wise too. While it is considered impolite to ask a lady her age, I will proudly tell you that i am younger than Jamie Moyer. I have never colored my hair, yet I have no gray. That could be attributed to not having any children or grandchildren, but mostly by keeping assholes out of my life.
Chris told us about the 10 million dollar scoreboard. There is a lot of money being spent beside the players' contracts. We still don't know who will be patrolling right field but that will be revealed by the end of Spring Training. There are positions that need major changes and from your comments I can tell that you agree with me.
This is the last year in Scott Franske's contract. It is imperative that we sign him to a long term deal and put him on television. He is too good-looking for radio, plus he is the best play by play man the Phillies have. Scott is from Texas and the Rangers interviewed him for their tv play by play position. Luckily, since we have him signed through this season, the Rangers had to settle for John Rhadigan. From what I've read, the Rangers fans are not all that excited to hear Rhadigan. I believe that Franske was the top choice by the powers that be.
Since we lost our beloved Harry in 2009, Tom McCarthy has taken over 9 innings of play by play. I had no problem with that for the remainder of the 2009 season. I can't believe that they let the tv/radio lineup to remain the same in 2010. Well it's 2011 and I think we'd best get going on a major campaign to rectify this situation: letter writing, emails, a facebook petition.
The worst part of all of this is Chris Wheeler. He stumbled into his position after the Phillies clinched their first NLE Division title in 1976. I read this in Chris Wheeler's A View from the Booth. I thought I'd give you a little background info in case you weren't born yet. It was the first game of a doubleheader in Montreal. Harry and Richie, being the original Drunk Phils Fans, were unable to broadcast the second game due to some hardcore celebrating. Wheeler got his shot and Phillies fans have suffered ever since.
Franske is the perfect straight man to Larry Andersen's zaniness. They are becoming a legendary duo much like Harry and Richie. I am not comparing them but they are just being their true selves and that is irresistible. Their passion, respect and love of the game and each other is felt through the radio waves. At the very least they need to rotate innings to give TMac and my ears a break. Most fans' solution is to sync their tv to the radio broadcast. That's fine but take it a step farther and let management know your feelings. If they get enough negative feedback perhaps they would rectify the situation.
Wheels has just gotten worse over the years. SHUT UP!!! Do you even breathe? It's a baseball game. There are subtleties and nuances that are not allowed to be experienced due to all of the constant chatter. We all know that he grew up here. He has gotten to meet his childhood idols and he is just so impressed with himself. We get it. Stop trying to impress us. It's not working. Do you think he knows that there are drinking games every time he says, "no doubles defense" ? Probably not, he never hung with the cool crowd. And what is that on top of his head?
Sorry for all of this negativity but a change is long overdue. Please let me know what you think but more importantly let the front office know.

*Snow shoveling tip: for the big dig, take a six-pack with you. Space out each beer individually deep into the snow to keep it cold. Shovel your way to the next beer. Drink and repeat.

The Wriz's Response

The Wriz's Response

It wasn't long after 1 yesterday afternoon when the Wriz's cell started blowing up. I was informed "some guy" ripped me on DPF. My response was pretty simple. I'd go home read what this guy wrote and choose my course of action. When I read it, what I was to do seemed pretty simple. Nothing. It's a non-issue. Then, why the response you ask. Simple. The loyal readers of the Wriz wanted one and the Wriz never disappoints.

The Franchise claims he's going to bring "a winning spirit to the Blog." I never knew any winners who threw their teammates under the bus. I have, however, seen several Mets and Yankees do this. He says wants to "constructively criticise" to make the Wriz and DB29 better. That's fine. I know I'm not Shakespeare. Although I feel a private email would suffice, he chooses to do this publicly. Its OK, but all I read were some shots what he thinks the Wriz does in his personal time. I will say this: The only dragons the Wriz deals with are happy dragons which is where he gets his sweet and sour chicken and angry ones which are what me and Momma Franchise do in HER basement.

As far as my lame Top 9 lists being 90% of my material, I write one article per week and usually the appear on Wednesdays. I did not actually go back at count every article, but I estimate that I did in the neighborhood of 30. I, also, believe that I did 3 top 9 lists or 10%. I guess they don't teach math or common sense where you're from. None of the list were written DURING the baseball season.

One of the things I pride myself on is being creative. Its a shame it seems the franchise and I will be getting off to a rocky start as I could have helped him in this aspect. As most of his writing was simply "borrowed" from other sources. The quote was Toby Harrah's. The Parker Lewis thing was in like every terrible rap song in the early 90's. Apparently, his logo is from a pit bull website. (I have not confirmed this. A comment left suggested it.) The mom's basement and D& D line, well, BL Chris uses that one all the time. And lastly, I'm not sure if he stole the women want me and men want to be me from Ric Flair or Big Poppa Pump they both say that line. But I do know this maybe the only thing more pathetic than D&D is staying in on a Friday night because you can't miss this week's Smackdown.

So FranCheese, good luck to you on DPF and Good Job!

See you on the Blog...and at the next Monday night Raw taping!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Welcome....THE FRANCHISE!

Well my name is The Franchise and I plan to bring a bit of class, knowledge, and humor to this blog. I also will bring a younger perspective. I mean let’s face it, the average writer’s age on the blog is 40, yet the average reader’s age is 28. It obviously lacks a bit of all three from the 3-Headed Monster of The Wriz (The Ugly), DB29 (The Bad), and Katie (The Good).  A little bit about myself then…

                I am 30 years old and come from South Philly. All the guys want to be me and all the girls want to be WITH me. I can’t lose…kinda like Parker Lewis. I am bringing youth and a winning spirit to this blog. I want to constructively criticize the two guy writers and make them better. The Franchise doesn’t criticize the ladies. Katie is nice and sweet...and old...like The Franchise's grandma.

The Wriz is a caricature. 90% of his posts are some lame Top 9 list. I am guessing he can’t count to ten, but 9 may be his thing. You have flashes of being good Wriz. The flashes are brief, dim, and few and far between…but flashes nonetheless. I picture a normal night for The Wriz being in his Mom’s basement talking trash to 10 year old on Xbox Live. That is until DB29 comes over and they play a quick game of Magic The Gathering or D&D.

                Now DB29 has more substance to his work, but he is long-winded. My favorite part of a DB29 post is the last period. Quality not quantity DB. He seems like he was the last guy picked in the street baseball games and I root for a guy like that. Keep up the adequate work DB29.

                The Franchise says, “Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything.”.  I plan to unveil my first article on what I call “Franchise Friday”. I will be taking a look at what the Phillies lineup should be and why. Based on statistics and a solid knowledge of the game. The platinum standard has arrived to the Drunk Phils Fans blog folks….and his name is THE FRANCHISE!

Boom Boom Pow!

The ‘Chise

I Have Golden Tickets! Let's Make a Deal!

I received an interesting e-mail from the Pittsburgh Pirates. It reads as follows.

As a pirates.com E-Bucs subscriber, you can receive special access to purchase individual game tickets for the 2011 regular season online before the general public!

Get front-of-the-line access for all the best games including:
Thursday, April 7 - Home Opener vs. Colorado Rockies
Saturday, May 21 - Neil Walker Bobblehead Night
Saturday, June 11 - Skyblast I
June 24-26 Series vs. Boston Red Sox
Saturday, July 9 - Skyblast featuring .38 Special in Concert
Saturday, August 6 - Skyblast featuring Train in Concert
Saturday, September 24 - Fan Jam featuring Steve Miller Band

Why am I posting this you may ask? I purchased tickets through the Pirates web site in 2007 and they still send me e-mails. They have probably the most beautiful ballpark in baseball, they also have terrible attendance. I wonder how long it will be till the Phillies send me an e-mail like this. If you want tickets to any game this upcoming season in Pittsburgh all you have to do is call, go on line or walk up to their ticket window on game day. Here it's a little different. Back in the days of the Vet you could do pretty much the same thing. You would wake up and realize the Phils were playing a 'Business Persons Special'. In an instant you decide to play hooky. You would hop on the Broad Street line, and walk up to the ticket window, You would have your choice of roughly 40,000 seats. Those days are long gone. Now going to the Phillies games takes planning and money. Lots of money if you decide to go the Stub Hub route. I have a 17 game plan, I have for years. There was a time pre 2008 that I would occasionally have to just give away tickets to the few games I couldn't make. I haven't had that problem in recent years. People still ask me "Do you have any 'extra' tickets?" And by 'extra' they mean free. To quote Whitney Houston the answer is "HELL TO THE NO!" Some tickets may become available but they are not going to be free.

I have Golden Tickets and we are going to do this Bob Barker style. Let's Make a Deal! I will not sell them on Stub Hub to some strangers. I would love them to go to loyal Drunk Phils Fans readers. As the great Carl Spangler once said "There will be no money involved, but on your death bed you will receive total consciousness." Sorry, I digress, had a Caddy Shack moment. The sentiment still applies, I don't want money but their are deals to be made. Below is what I'm looking to get for tickets to the greatest baseball season this town may ever see.

So you know what your getting, 2 seats that are 5 rows from the field in right center. Let's hope you enjoy the smell of crab fries and BBQ.

- Any normal, non-give-away game. A 60 inch high quality flat screen, installed in my living room. I must approve of the brand and specs. Also you need to figure out how to have the radio broadcast come through the TV for all Phillies games. The TV must be TMac and Wheeler free.

- Any Give-away game. A Beer Mister of my choice with a year supply of Heineken. Do not pick this option if you do not have a truck or large SUV. Those kegs are heavy and I may require a few at a time. I will also require one of those Roy Oswalt bobble heads they give you at the gate.

- The Red Sox series. A weekend of golf at Augusta National. I will require transportation to and from Augusta. A private jet is preferred. Also limo service to and from both airports.

- Playoff game. A four year college scholarship for one of my kids. Either one of my current kids or a kid to be named later.

- World Series Game. Unless your name is Minka Kelly, Nadine Velazquez or you have been crowned Playboy Playmate of the Year do not inquire. If you are one of the lovely ladies I mentioned above give me a call. I have an indecent proposal for you.

Don't worry, the Fightin' Phils won't be the best team in baseball forever. Tickets will be easily attainable again in the future. If you really want to go this year just step up, everything has a price. If you are reading this I will see you at the ballpark when the Phils stink again. You will know it's me, I will have Minka Kelly on one arm and a Playmate on the other. WIFE IS LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER...ABORT, ABORT!!

Keep it Classy Philly!

DB29

10 Bleeping Million Dollars?!?!?

76 feet high and 97 feet wide. Now I am not Copernicus, or Galileo, but why would you need a ridiculously huge scoreboard when you are actually at the game? We aren't talkin' 'bout a sports bar...We talking 'bout the actual game!!!! It is preposterously ostentatious and completely unnecessary. Let me put this into perspective a bit. For 10 Million dollars the Phillies could:
1. Buy 30% of the Pirates(But Why??)
2. Pay Robinson Cano and get rid of that stiff Utley
3. Carl Crawford is getting paid 10 million this year. I would much rather have him than a Sony Dick-tronics scoreboard

I figured my tickets went up for the addition of Cliff Lee, but I am beginning to suspect it was for this electronic monstrosity. I for one do not look at the scoreboard for anything. You know who does? Dumb broads and jackasses who merely go to the game because it is the cool place to be ("Oh, wow..Rad!!! Look at that sweet TV dude. Let's go pound Miller Lites with the Wriz down at the Schmitter stand").  You don't need a scoreboard to tell you the count, or what type of pitch is thrown, or what that ass pirate Chad Durbin does for fun in the offseason. Watch the game! Learn how to score your own game. Be lucky enough to sit near DB29 and just listen to a student of the game. If you want to have a popped collar, off to the side ( a la CC Sabathia) trucker hat or a short jean skirt and Ugg boots and talk about the new Surfjan Stevens song instead of if Cole should throw a 3-2 change-up with one out and a runner on third.....Stay the fuck home.

The Phillies did a great many things right, but I am salty about the scoreboard and the playoff ticket situation. I am pretty close to kicking the dog (and this bottle of Jameson) so I will sign off and leave you with this: If a person has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, and the person chooses to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base then I don't want these type of people coming to the Phillies games.


BLC

A Remote Report from the Wriz

Honestly, I don’t think there is a time of the year I hate more than right now. The holidays are over. The flu is going around but little trade talk or rumors. Most all the important free agents have signed. (Carl Pavano is the only truly news worthy free agent who is still unsigned.) It’s still too early to start planning our fantasy draft and Pitchers and Catchers is STILL more than 4 weeks away. So what does the Wriz do to pass the time? I watch baseball related movies and TV Shows. What else did you expect?  Here’s my top nine:

9. The Bad News Bears. Of course the version staring Walter Matthau. The Billy Bob Thornton one sucked and you’d think for the millions of dollars they put into a movie, studio execs would want new ideas.

8. Summer Catch. Phillies Mike Lieberthal, Doug Glanville and Pat Burrell were in the film. The story wasn’t that good. The baseball wasn’t that good, but Jessica Biel walking by the pool was worth the price of admission.

7. The Baseball Bunch. I have many fond memories of this show. I’m sure you can find it in syndication somewhere or on DVD. I won’t watch it though. I’m afraid I’ll realize how bad of a show it really was and I prefer my perfect childhood.

6. Major League.  Wild Thing, Jobu, and Bob Uecker. It’s the only time I’ve ever liked Wesley Snipes in a movie. It would be much higher but they made Major League 2 and 3. Somewhere I know some Japanese groundskeepers are shaking their heads saying, “They’re shitty!”

5. The Sandlot. Most certainly a classic especially if you have kids. I even, at one point, tried to start every sentence with “yeah yeah.”

4. Eastbound and Down.  Baseball or no baseball it’s the funniest thing on TV right now. Only on its 2^nd season it could push further up on the list with a more sustained run.

3. Prime 9. If you’ve never seen it you’re missing out. It comes on the MLB Network and each episode they’ll countdown a specific category. Top 9 announcers. Top 9 Guys who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Top 9 Dominant Pitching seasons. It’s why all my lists are top 9 lists.

2. The Natural. Classic, pure and simple.

1. Eight Men Out. It’s a great movie. Nonetheless, I know I have to explain. I’m sure this is much lower on your list if it’s even on it at all, but this movie has special meaning to the Wriz. While I will watch most any sport, I’ve always been a baseball and hockey guy. After seeing this movie, I wanted to know more about baseball’s history and thus the legendary Wriz was born.

I know many of you are going to point out that I missed some of the greatest baseball films ever like Ed, Mr. 3000, and Rookie of the Year, but it is my list and it was written to raise arguments not end them.

See ya at the Boob Tube!

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

We got a Swimming Pool for Cliffmas

It's a New Year but some things never change. The Eagles ripped our hearts out yet again. The Dog Killer threw a season ending pick to bite Eagles fans in the ass. Bite Eagles fans in the ass...See what I did there? If you didn't know it was coming you must be new to this town. Every fall the Birds get everyone pumped up for a possible Super Bowl victory, they never get it done. Jaworski, Cunningham, McNabb or Dog Killer, it doesn't matter, the result is the same. Time to turn our attention to the Fightin' Phils.

We got Cliff Lee a few days before Christmas. It is still sinking in. The Phillies now have 4 aces. BL Chris could be their 5th starter and they should still win 100 games. The only downside to reacquiring Cliff Lee is it's like getting a swimming pool for Christmas. We need to wait till spring to really enjoy it. Since there are 33 days left till pitchers and catchers report I would like to list my New Year wishes to the best team in baseball.

1. Any injury free year for JRoll, Utley and Howard. The Phils found a way to win 97 games last year with Wilson Valdez playing a ton of games. If Jimmy, Utley and Howard get back to their previous form who knows how many games they can win.

2. A 'drop the hammer' curve ball for Cole Hamels. Cole had a great bounce back year, the fact that he added a cutter to an amazing changeup seemed to take him to the next level. If he can find a way to add a superior curve he could be the best pitcher on the staff not named Halladay.

3. Ben Francisco shocks the world. Maybe Ben can get the job done. He did hit 15 bombs the year before he arrived in Philly. Maybe we won't miss the bearded cat that used to play right. I know I won't miss the females yelling stupid shit to Mr. Werth. Sweetheart, if I think your a '3' you probably don't have a shot with JDub.

4. The bullpen has a great year. I know the consensus is the bullpen will only be needed every 5th day. Nothing could be further from the truth. The starters will go deeper, no doubt but they are not going to throw a complete game every time out. We have the same suspects that we had the last few years, lets hope they all have a good year at the same time.

5. Lets hope Charlie keeps it simple. Whatever Charlie has been doing the last few years is working. Charlie will never be mistaken for a world class orator but the man knows baseball. Keep it simple Chuck, don't mess with a good thing.

If any one of these wishes comes true the Phillies win 100 games. That should be good enough to win the National League East by 12 games.

Keep It Classy Philly!

DB29

More Fun with Numbers by Katie Casey

Thanks for playing along last week. There were many correct responses and many creative guesses, that was my intent and you surely did not disappoint. Below are my responses. I wrote both last week before posting them.

1
Rich Ashburn, who else could it be. He brought generations of Phils fans together with his dry wit on broadcasts. Older fans were lucky enough to witness his Hall of Fame career when he played centerfield for the Whiz Kids. He used to greet Garry Maddox with, "How's the Phillies 2nd greatest centerfielder today?" Once he was discussing the art of stealing bases with Juan Samuel and Sammy thought that he was just a broadcaster. Whitey pointed to the disc in the outfield of Veterans Stadium with his retired #1, growing up in the Dominican Republic, he had no idea that Richie played for the Phils. While 1 was Richie Ashburn's uniform number, that doesn't matter, because he is truly number 1 in our hearts.

39
The number of seasons that Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas called Phillies games. For most of us, that was all we knew. Summer will never be the same.

45
This being the Drunk Phils Fan site, you would be correct in assuming that this number stands for Colt 45. You would also be correct if you guessed Tug McGraw.
Actually, I could see Tugger with a cold Colt 45 after he clinched the Phillies first World Series. This was not his first. Tug was on the '69 Mets. He was still beloved by Phillies fans even though he was a former Met. It was his larger than life personality. When artificial turf was first instituted, Tug was asked if he preferred Astroturf or natural grass. In true Tug fashion, he answered that he never smoked Astroturf.

97
The number of wins the 2010 Phillies posted to give them the best record in Major League Baseball. It was the first time in their 127 year history that they had the best record in all of baseball. The best of 30 clubs! Better than the World Champion Giants. Better than the wild card Yankees. Let this fact comfort you during the cold bitter winter. We have had better records during the regular season with fewer teams in the league, but never the best.

101
The highest number of wins during the regular season. The Phillies won 101 games in consecutive years, 1976-1977. This was the beginning of the trifecta of NLE titles that eventually culminated with their World Series title in 1980.

128
This is the Phils 128th season. Who da thought, they look so good for their age. Yeah, we all know about their 10,000+ losses, but we're still here. In the beginning of the last century, Connie Mack's A's were the premiere team in town. Ownership has finally loosened up it's purse strings and with our homegrown core, it's the best time to be a Phillies fan.

420
Okay, we all know what this one means. Last year during the off season, Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum got busted for weed while driving. What i find interesting in this story was that he was speeding. Was he in a rush to buy some Doritos? It would have been fun if The Freak changed his uniform number to 420.

548
If you don't know this one, your bandwagon membership has been revoked. This is the total number of home runs that Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt had upon his retirement in 1989. While this is a respectful number let's put it in perspective. Michael Jack hit these bombs in the era of the cookie cutter stadiums. The only advantage he had was that Chicago was in the division at that time and he enjoyed a few windy days at Wrigley. Just imagine what his totals could have been with 81 games at CBP or hitting in the altitude of Colorado.

778
This is the winning percentage of the Phils in September of 2010, the best winning percentage in their history with a record of 21-6. While the last four Septembers have seemed very successful, only 2010 ranks in the top 5 Septembers in winning percentage.

778-2010
762-1887
759-1983
710-1916
704-2004

2413
This is the number of cheese steaks served in the visitors' clubhouse of CBP. In 2007, Citizen's Bank Park was awarded "Best Ballpark Eats" by the Food Network. Since the cheese steak is Philadelphia's signature sandwich, it stands to reason that the opposing players would also enjoy them. 2413 cheese steaks in 81 games, averages out to about 30 per game. There is no information available if they were wit or witout.

2744
Oops! My bad. How did this number get here. This is my ex's pin number.

3000
This number is usually a lock for Hall of Fame induction. There is only one player with exactly 3000 hits, Roberto Clemente. His last hit was a double in 1972 on the last day of the regular season before he tragically lost his life in a plane crash. 36 players have more than 3000 hits and all are in the Hall of Fame except for 3. Pete Rose, who is banned from baseball and ineligible, retired with 4256 hits. Rafael Palmeiro, with 3060 hits, is currently on the ballot but may not make to the Hall due to his steroid issues. Craig Biggio, with 3020, won't be on the ballot until next year.

8008
If you don't know what these numbers mean, what are you doing here? I just love the symmetry. This year is '11. Let's see how reflective those ones are.

358538
The number of dollar dogs sold in the 2010 season. In 2009, only 324,767 dollar dogs were purchased. The total number of dogs, dollar or full priced, consumed by the author, 0. I'm more of a Chickie's and Pete's, Bull's BBQ Pit, Tony Lukes kinda gal.

If you got 5 correct, that is enough to be a good Phillies fan. The most important numbers were 1, 97, 101, 548 and 8008. If you didn't know those numbers, you better renew you pass on the bandwagon because you're not ready to hang with the diehards yet.

The dollar dogs and cheese steaks numbers were provided by Larry Shenk's The Insider.

I didn't want to put just uniform numbers because numbers have changed over the years. Some players have changed their numbers. Word has it that Ross Gload will be sporting number 7 this season. The number of numbers that I put up for discussion, 14, the retired number of Johnny Callison. For some of us it will always bring fond memories of Pete Rose. If you played for the Phillies what would your number be and why?

Wriz’s Rocking 2011

To tell you the truth, I’ve never really care for New Years. To me it’s always been a let down. I can drink anytime I want. I don’t need a reason and I don’t need to be around the amateurs who act the fool St Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and the night before Thanksgiving. I don’t like the Mummers and I don’t feel the need to make resolutions that won’t make it into February. I think Dick Clark needs a friend to set him straight so he can keep his dignity. The one thing I actually do like about New Years is those “In and Out” lists. You know the ones that tell you what you’re SUPPOSED to like. And what’s not cool anymore. So, obviously, the Wriz compiled a baseball relevant list for 2011. 
Out                                              In
Greedy 1^st Base Coaches            Ex O’s managers .
                                                   coaching the bases


H2O                                             R2C2


Off-season Beards                         Hunting season


Swagger                                        I’ll let you know after
                                                     J-Roll tells me


Potent offense                                Dominating rotations


Walk-up ticket purchases               StubHub raping you


Season Tickets                                Waiting Lists


Every other blog                               Drunk Phils Fans


JC Romero                                       Dennys Reyes


Dennys Reyes                                    JC Romero


Penny pinching owners                      Eight dollar beers (?)


Bill Conlin                                          Jay Wrizight

The Wriz knows these things. I was going to put Mark McGwire out and my boy, Bert, in, but I didn’t want to jinx the man.

See ya on a cool holiday, like Groundhog’s Day.

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com

Fun with Numbers

It's the first full week of the new year and I am already screwing up the year on my documents. The first day looked pretty cool, 1-1-11. It'll look even better the second week in November, 11-11-11, when we're all accustomed to the year. This got me thinking about numbers. Below are some numerals for your entertainment. Please post in the comment section what the significance of the numbers mean. They are mostly dealing with the Phillies but some aren't, although they are baseball related. Be creative. Let's have some fun. I will post a response next week.

1

39

45

97

101

128

420

548

778

2413

2744

3000

8008

358538

They are some crazy numbers. Let's see what kind of crazy shit you can come up with.


Katie Casey
42 28 36..............................................................NOT!