Kuzul

The Phillies have an early three game series against the rival Mets starting tonight (Tuesday). The Phillies have gotten off to a scorching hot start (albeit against the lowly Astros) and they look to keep the good times rolling.

The Mets won their first series as well, taking two of three from the Marlins.

This series most definitely means a lot more to Mets fragile psyche than the proven Phillies, but it is still always fun to kick a New York team while they are down right?

As expected, the Phillies have had outstanding starting pitching in their first three games. Their lineup has done their part as well (eh, Brett Myers) and the Phightin’s have again staked their claim that they are the beast of the East and the National League.

Here are the five keys to the Phillies vs. Mets series.

Begin Slideshow

The countdown is on to Opening Day. Expectations have never been higher in the entire 121 year history of Philadelphia professional baseball. Behind four of the top pitchers in the game in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels and a lineup that features two former MVPs and perennial and potential All-Stars.

The Phightin’s have won four straight National League East titles. They have appeared in three straight National League Championship Series, (NLCS) winning two of them, had the best record in the entire Major Leagues last year at 97-65 and won the World Series in 2008.

The most anticipated season ever is set to begin, and Philadelphia finally has the team to beat. We are now (finally) the Yankees (WITHOUT selling our souls to the devil.)

Then why has the attitude in Philadelphia gone from excited to anxiety? Whether it is the injuries to Dominick Brown or Brad Lidge or the potential ineffectiveness of the lineup, Philly Nation’s confidence has grown into a legitimate concern.

Then there is Chase Utley, one of the most beloved Philadelphia athletes of all time. He has been battling patellar tendinitis, chondromalacia and bone inflammation in his right knee and he will begin the season on the DL. Many pundits believe that this is a smoke-screen and he will require surgery that may sideline him for the majority of the year.

Utley said on Monday, “Over the past few weeks I think we have made some progress for obviously the good and we’re going to stay on top of what we’ve been doing. So I’m optimistic at this point and we’ll continue to do what we’re doing and go from there.”

Utley said he has consulted with several doctors, and the opinions they have offered have varied. This is extremely good news for fans, as they want Utley to exhaust every possible option he has in the hope of their best player being able to be a part of what could be a historic season.

The best thing about all of this is that many of the doctors suggestions were in the best interest of Philadelphia and its fans.

Here is what the top doctors in America have suggested that Utley should do for his knee.

1. “Chase, I would recommend you have the leg amputated and play second base with a peg-leg, thus increasing your longevity and the likelihood of taking out middle-infielders on potential double play balls.”

2. “Chase, you should take some of Joe Blanton’s excess (you know) and insert it right into the knee cap to increase comfort.”

3. “Chase should borrow Carlos Ruiz’s knee-savers, because he can wear them in the field as well as at the plate. They will not only help him “save” his knees, but also may become a fashion trend in baseball.”

4. “Chase actually should play second base while sitting on a stool, as he has done in Spring Training.

5. “Chase, the Phillies should invest in a Tempurpedic mattress for you to lay on at second base during games started by Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt or Lee as they will continue to dominate as they always have. Leg elevation would be best as well.”  

The same doctor called back this morning and was reported as saying:

6. “Upon further review Chase, the mattress idea would work for Blanton as well. You should be as comfortable as possible watching balls sail over the fence.”

7. “Chase, the peg-leg idea is the way to go as it can double as a leg and a baseball bat.”

8. “Do whatever Jamie Moyer is doing.”

9. “Stop crying, Philadelphia loves warriors.”

10. “Retire and let Brian Dawkins play second base, as he has been tweeting daily about his desire  to return to Philly.”

There you have it folks, some of the best doctors in America when it comes to knees and their suggestions for how Utley’s injury should be handled.

Soon to come, Joe Blanton and two dozen donuts are rumored to be on the move to the Yankees for a danish to be named later.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On March 2, 2011, Carlos Ruiz’s wife gave birth to his second son. Incredibly, the baby arrived nine months to the exact day of Roy Halladay’s perfect game.

Chooch has become a fan favorite amongst Philly fans because of his clutch hitting, defensive play and ability to call a game from behind the plate.

Carlos obviously thinks he has a good thing going as he named his first son Carlos Ruiz Jr. and his newest boy just Carlos Ruiz. Keep it simple, I like that.

Will Ruiz continue to name any future sons Carlos Ruiz? What will happen if he has a daughter? I guess Carlos Ruiz could work as a girl’s name? Why didn’t he name his newest boy Chooch? Couldn’t his middle-name have been Perfect?

There are far more questions than answers to this story, but I will try to give you the few answers that I have.

Here are 10 things that we can take away from this story:

1. Roy Halladay’s perfect game was arousing.

2. Chooch didn’t want a baseball or Roy Halladay’s cleats to commemorate one of the greatest pitching performances in Philadelphia history, he wanted another son.

3. Ruiz obviously thought he had more to do with the perfect game than Halladay, or the baby would have been called Roy.

4. Carlos Ruiz (the baby not the catcher) will be perfect in every way.

5. Carlos Ruiz (the baby not the catcher) will be wrapped in bubble-wrap to preserve his perfection and increase longevity.

6. Carlos Ruiz (the baby not the catcher) will be welcomed in Roy Halladay’s house at any time.

7. Roy Halladay is a little weirded out about the whole situation.

8. Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee think this is a terrific story, and they couldn’t be happier for the Ruiz family.

9. No one asked Joe Blanton what he thought.

10. If Roy Halladay pitches a perfect game in the World Series, the entire Phillie’s roster will conceive a son that night and each shall be named Carlos Ruiz. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For Philadelphia Phillies fans, February 12th cannot come soon enough; that’s when pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Florida.

Expectations have never been higher in the entire 121 year history of Philadelphia professional baseball. Behind four of the top pitchers in the game in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels and a lineup that features two former MVPs and perennial and potential all-stars.

Quite simply, Philadelphia is in “Baseball Heaven.”

The Phightin’s have won four straight National League East titles. They have appeared in three straight National League Championship Series, (NLCS) winning two of them, had the best record in the entire Major Leagues last year at 97-65 and won the World Series in 2008.

The Phillies are loaded with some of the most talented, respected and highly-regarded names in all of sports.

Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley to name a few. Oh my!

Over the past five seasons, we have seen this team go from a solid, competitive team to a powerhouse that has been favored to come out of the National League the past three years by Vegas. 

How have they become this powerhouse? Well, the fans have been a HUGE reason why the team has been able to go out and acquire top-name talent. Others may argue that they are so successful because the core group of homegrown players have turned into top players at their respective positions.

But here is why Ruben Amaro is the MVP of the Phillies since he has taken over as general manager in 2008.

After learning under hall of famer Pat Gillick for three years as assistant GM, Amaro took over as head honcho. Since taking over as GM for the Phillies, Amaro has brought in more talent in the span of three years than any other GM in MLB.

Not only has Amaro brought in top-flight talent, he has brought in players with top-flight character.

Phillies Nation can look to a lot of players for the success of the Phillies, but here is a look at some of the players Amaro has brought in either through trade or free agency since he took over in 2008, and you will see why Ruben is TEAM MVP.

Brian Schneider

Schneider was acquired via free agency on a two-year contract.

Schneider has provided depth for Chooch and is a player that the pitchers on the team feel comfortable with when Carlos Ruiz needs a blow.

Placido Polanco

Amaro signed Polanco (who had played second base for the Detroit Tigers) on a three-year contract. Polanco was switched to third base and proceeded to bat .298, have an OBP of .339 and a .726 OPS. He also added six HR and 52 RBI.

Polanco is the type of hitter that the Phillies’ lineup had been lacking for years. He strikes out very rarely (evidenced by just 47 K in 554 AB) has a great eye (32 BB in ’10) and is capable of moving the runner along either by bunting or hitting.

Polanco’s defense has not been too shabby either. He has been named a Gold Glover twice with the Tigers and he committed just five errors last season while showing great range. A pretty seamless transition to say the least.

Cliff Lee

Amaro originally acquired Lee from the Cleveland Indians in August of 2009 at the trade deadline. While with the Phillies in 2009, Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts while racking up an impressive 79.2 IP. Oh yeah, he had 74 K to just 10 BB.

Lee was the extra help that the Phillies needed to get back to the World Series for the second consecutive year. In the playoffs, Lee posted a ridiculous 4-0 record in five starts and had two complete games. His ERA was an insane 1.56. In five games started, he pitched 40.1 innings, allowed just 27 hits and seven earned runs.

Amaro decided to trade Lee when the season was over to “replenish the farm system.” Phillies fans were upset, but they got over it when Amaro acquired…

Roy Halladay

“Doc” Halladay was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in December of 2009.

Everyone knows how this worked out for us: Halladay compiled a 21-10 record with a mind-blowing 2.44 ERA and 219 K.

Halladay lived up to the hype and more during his first year with the team that he took less money to join. Halladay threw nine complete games for the third straight season!

Halladay was so ridiculously good that his amazing May 29th perfect game was arguably his second-best start of the season, outdone by an unforgettable Oct. 6th no-hitter that was only the second in postseason history.

Did I mention he won the Cy Young? And Lee is back! Enough said.

Roy Oswalt

Oswalt was acquired from the Houston Astros at the July trade deadline of the 2010 season.

Not only did Amaro somehow manage to AGAIN get the best player available at the deadline, but our old friend Ed Wade decided to hand us $11 million to help pay the $23 million price tag of Oswalt.

Oswalt down the stretch may have been the best Phillie. He went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA.

P.S.: We saw him play a pretty good left field, just in case Raul Ibanez goes down.

Other players brought in by Amaro: Ibanez, Ben Francisco, Jose Contreras, Mike Sweeney, Ross Gload, Wilson Valdez and Scott Eyre, to name a few.

Hopefully by now you get the point. Amaro has this team locked and loaded for the 2011 season and beyond.

Time and time again he has somehow snuck under the radar of ESPN, FOX and every other sports station’s coverage of trades and free agency and has landed the top talent available. He has the Phillies’ rotation LOADED with a rotation for the ages.

He has clearly built a top notch locker room atmosphere, evidenced by the fact that Lee and Halladay left millions of dollars in guaranteed money on the table just to be a part of it! Spring Training can not start soon enough.

Cheers to Philly Nation towards another World Series and cheers to Amaro, team MVP, to keep em’ coming.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com