Kuzul

So wait. What just happened?

In the span of two weeks, the New York Yankees, my Yankees, the team that can buy any player it wants, just saw two All-Stars go to their biggest rival. Then, on Monday, we saw Cliff Lee, the guy we have been courting like a Shakespearian character for two years, settle for less money with the Philadelphia Phillies.

I am still confused, still wandering aimlessly around my house. How did this happen?

Gonzalez & Crawford

It was obvious that the Yanks were not going to get Crawford, no matter how many steak dinners they gave him. Gonzalez was more of a surprise, not because we had wanted him, but in the manner the Red Sox got him.

It is a brilliant trade, I have to admit. Gonzo (Which I am assuming is his nickname. What person with the last name Gonzalez hasn’t been nicknamed Gonzo?) is a real solid fielder, whose opposite field power will probably have him leading the American League in doubles for years to come. Fenway is probably the perfect ballpark for Gonzo’s game—a guy who consistently can hit the ball to left field on any pitch.

With the addition of Gonzalez, the middle of the Red Sox’s lineup is now feared, where last season it was decimated by countless injuries. Crawford also gives them speed, which other than the random Jacoby Ellsbury sighting, the team has not had since 1983.

Both of these additions make the Red Sox much more deadly to the Yankees, who are getting older and older and older (and older). Is it possible that we only see a small window for this Yankee team while the Red Sox run rampant in the American League for the next ten years?

Let’s look at the Yankees lineup, and project how much longer they have:

1B: Mark Teixeira- Has a big window, but his early-season struggles are pushed back later and later each year.

2B: Robinson Cano- Will probably be considered one of the five best players in baseball in a few years. At least that is what Tim McCarver is telling me.

SS: Derek Jeter- Tick. Tick. Tick.

3B: Alex Rodriguez- With the hips of a 75-year-old man with osteoporosis (and lack of PED usage), A-Rod is becoming more and more brittle.

LF: Brett Gardner- I feel like teams will realize next season that he refuses to swing at the first two pitches, no matter where they are. If Gardner stays the same, he could be in a supreme decline.

CF: Curtis Granderson- Streaky (adj)

RF: Nick Swisher- The man.

C: Jesus Montero- The future. Likely trade bait (I’ll get to that later).

On paper, this is obviously a contending team. But after five years, I am not sure. The Red Sox are definitely the team that is primed for the future, and the additions of Gonzo and Crawford solidify this.

Cliff Lee…Sigh

My thoughts on Cliff Lee are kind of jumbled up, so I will present my feeling on him in a kind of stream-of-consciousness train of writing.

It became pretty clear after a while that Lee was not coming to New York, I recognize that. But this is a guy the Yankees have been trying to pick up for the past two years, and we had been assured by Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankee “brain” trust that we were going to get Lee, no matter what. That probably should have been my first signal that we were not going to get him.

There is seriously no one else we can have other than Cashman? We have the highest payroll in baseball, and this is the guy we choose to spend that money? Give me a break.

I kind of had this sinking feeling that we were not going to get Lee after the story broke that some jackass Yankee fans had spat on his wife. As I have said many times since that moment, these morons should never be allowed to set foot inside Yankee Stadium again, and have YES removed from their cable package.

Could they have been Philadelphia or Texas spies, sent in to New York to sabotage the Yankees chances at getting Lee? Put that on my conspiracy theory list!

Part of me also feels kind of relieved that we did not get Lee. That could just be my denial talking, but he did pretty poorly in the World Series (0-2, ERA over 6), and he was not really that dominant last season (12-9, 3.18 ERA). I am not sure that he would be the proper to guy to give an absurd amount of money to.

One final thing about Lee: To all those mathematically-challenged, who think that Lee is a “great person” for not caving in to the Yankees big contract and going to where he really wants to be, Lee is still getting more annually ($24 million per year) than he would have in New York ($23 million per year). So chew on that one, Pythagoras.

This lack of picking up a big-name starting pitcher can only lead to one move by the Yankees. That is, of course, to trade all of their high profile prospects away to get that big-name guy. Here are the two guys who are likely at the top of the list.

Zack Greinke

He is probably the guy I want to avoid. He puts up solid numbers for an awful team that gives him zero run support, which is nice. But I do not want him playing in New York. This is a guy with a known social-anxiety disorder, which is probably not the best thing to have if you are playing in the biggest media market in the entire known world.

I give him a lot of credit for bouncing back from this condition, and he is obviously a huge role model in the social-anxiety community. But he should not be playing in New York, and I am pretty sure that he knows that too.

Career stats against the Yankees: 2-3, 5.27 ERA

Not exactly eye-opening numbers.

Career against the Red Sox: 1-4, 2.88 ERA

He seems to be a victim of bad run support, if anything. But can he really see himself in a late September game in Fenway with the division on the line? How would he handle being booed? I should not have to worry about these things, especially if we are going to give up prospects like Jesus Montero for him.

Felix Hernandez

Probably the dream pitcher to get, if you are the Yankees. Cashman should be willing to part ways with guys like Montero in order to get the best pitcher in baseball, but he probably won’t.

This could be the type of situation, that mirrors the A-Rod trade (Yankees need to fill in a void, so they go out and trade for the best player in baseball at his position). Hernandez went 3-0 with a 0.35 ERA against the Yankees last year, by the way. Unfortunately, there is a growing theory (brought to us by SI’s Jon Heyman), that Hernandez has the Yankees on his no-trade list.

This is obviously a mistake by Felix. He wouldn’t want to play in New York? The overbearing fans, trigger-happy upper-management, the incompetent manager—who wouldn’t want to play here?

Brendan O’Hare writes The Attic Fan column on www.theatticfan.blogspot.com. You can also find him on Yardbarker, and on twitter at theatticfan. Email him at theatticfan@gmail.com

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Calm down.

…Relax

…Take a deep breath

Are we good?  Great.

Now, for all you Yankees fans and Yankees haters out there, I just want to let you know your worst fears or best hopes will not come to fruition.  The Yankees will be fine.  Yes, I took the plunge; the Yankees will be fine.*

(*Do I have a crystal ball you ask? No, but do you?)

In recent weeks, the Yankees have seen other teams improve quite dramatically while they have “sat back” and done nothing.  Their prize free-agent target Cliff Lee, the toy they HAD to have, spurned their offer and returned to Philadelphia.  Their arch-enemy, inter-divisional foe, the Boston Red Sox, made a splash for a former San Diego first baseman and a speedy left fielder.  

So yes, if you feared that the Yankees would lose out on Cliff Lee and that Boston would actually try to improve themselves after missing the playoffs, your worst nightmares have come true.  While at the  same time, if you were hoping the opposite of what was just mentioned above, than you are probably either popping the champagne corks or naming your child Cliff or Adrian.  Hell, maybe you’re doing both.

However, with this said, we must all take a step back and look at this “situation” the Yankees find themselves in with a rational perspective.  We must check our biases at the door and ask ourselves two questions.

1. What team are we talking about again?

2. When was the last time that the Yankees didn’t do anything?  And by this I mean, when was the last time the Yankees did not put a winning team out on the field?

If you could answer these two questions without much thought, then we are on the right page.  If you couldn’t answer these questions without having to search through a baseball almanac, or if you immediately started yelling at your computer screen because you hate where I am going with this, than you might just want to stop reading and find something else to do to waste your time.

So, if your still actually reading this, let me answer the questions I posed above.  First off, this team we are talking about is the New York Yankees.  The team we either love or hate.  For a team this polarizing, they must compete.  There is no “bridge year,” there is no “next year’s champion,” there is only the here and the now.  They have an image to keep, and more importantly, the have a new $1-billion-plus stadium they are interested in keeping your behind in. 

So, they can’t fail, they won’t fail.  They might not win the World Series, but they will keep you coming back for more.  They want you to root for them, they want you to hate them.  As long as we talk about them, they won’t stop trying to win.

Which, already answers my second question for me.  The Yankees haven’t had a losing record since 1992, when they went 76-86.  So what makes you think this coming season will be any different?  For God’s sake, it is only December 18.  Are they currently the best team on paper?  No.  Will they be when the season starts?  Maybe not.  Will they be competitive this season?  Very likely.

I guess what I am trying to say, in so many words, is that the Yankees are the Yankees and winning is what they do.  Yes, it must be nice for those Yankee haters out there right now when they can talk about how the Yankees won’t win and how Boston or some other team has overtaken them.  Let them enjoy it.  Let them talk about, it plays right into what the Yankees want.  And for all you Yankees fans out there walking around with brown paper bags over your head, really?  You must not know your own team.

For the Yankees know what needs to be done, and trust me, they will do whatever they can to accomplish that goal.  But in the meantime, relax, gloat; do whatever your crazy little heart desires.  But, when all is said and done, the sky won’t be falling; the sky will only be the limit.

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December 15th is a historical date.  In 1794, the United States Bill of Rights became law.  In 1933, the 21st Amendment went into effect, legalizing alcohol.  Russians landed on Venus in 1970. And now, in the year 2010, Cliff Lee re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The signing will obviously not impact our society in such way as the Bill of Rights or the 21st Amendment once did.  And it is doubtful that December 15th will be named a national holiday.  However, this is still a historic occasion for the City of Philadelphia.

The following is a list of five ways in which the Cliff Lee deal has made a positive impact on the team, the city and the fans.

Begin Slideshow

On Monday night, Cliff Lee shocked the baseball world when he signed a five-year, $132 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Interest in Lee’s 2011 destination began as soon as he threw his final pitch to the Giants in the World Series, and all signs pointed to New York. 

When the Phillies announced Monday that Lee would become a member of their already elite pitching staff, baseball fans around the country wasted no time in dubbing this fearsome four the best staff in baseball—and possibly, of all time.

On paper, it is hard to argue otherwise.  The “Fearsome Four,” or “R2C2” of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels is a staff that one would have a difficult time assembling for a video game roster, let alone a Major League season.  Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and the other three would be considered number one starters on at least 25 of the other staffs in baseball.  Only the Giants boast a staff that is comparable, which brings us to the point of this column.

The question at hand is whether the 2011 Phillies pitching staff is the greatest ever assembled—and it is one deserving of serious debate.  In reviewing various articles that address this question, I noticed something was missing from the debate, and from the conversation altogether.  The Phillies are clearly the favorites to win the National League Pennant, and they will—barring injuries—hold opposing teams to very few runs over the course of the season. However…so will the San Francisco Giants. 

The 2010 San Francisco Giants pitching staff was finally able to thrust itself into the national spotlight when the group pitched itself past a solid Braves lineup, out-pitched the “best staff of all time at the time?” 2010 Phillies and then shut down the best lineup in all of baseball in the Texas Rangers.

  Claiming that R2C2 is a better staff than the Giants’, I can accept.  Forgetting to mention the Giants in the conversation altogether, I cannot.

The Braves of the mid ’90s had one of the best pitching staffs of all time. Their top three of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz all pitched in different styles, and all put together Hall-of-Fame numbers in the steroid era.  The media seems to assume that the Phillies are destined to duplicate the success of this Braves staff. 

They will run over their competitors in the National League and come face to face with the Boston Red Sox in the World Series: a perfect showcase of dominant hitting vs. the best rotation in baseball  (Giants vs. Rangers anyone?).  Another possibility is that the youthful and exuberant Giants pitching staff will do exactly as they did last year and beat the teams dubbed “unbeatable.” 

The potential for a matchup between these two teams in the 2011 NLCS is the real story, and it is being ignored.  I find it almost comical that fans, writers and analysts can forget to mention the Giants in argument with the supremacy of the 2011 Phillies.  Do you not learn from your mistakes? 

The Phillies may be the best pitching staff of all time in 2011—they certainly have the potential.  Yet, so do the Giants.  Perhaps the articles prematurely slobbering over the Phillies and Golden Boy Cliff Lee should wait until NLCS Round 2.  Halladay, Lincecum, Lee, Cain, Oswalt, Sanchez, Hamels, Bumgarner: A line of names such as these only exists in Cooperstown.  This is the real story behind Cliff Lee signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.

To attempt to make the debate as simple as possible, I have compared the pitching of the Giants and Phillies in slideshow format, comparing each starter head to head.  Before I address specific players, first let me address the pros and cons of each staff as a whole. 

The Phillies are aging, but not necessarily for the worse.  I believe, however, that Oswalt may be losing a bit of extra life on his pitches.  The Giants are incredibly young, with only Zito aging for the worse.  The Phillies’ incredible starting staff will hand games over to a solid, albeit limited bullpen, and a closer plagued by inconsistencies from season to season. 

The Giants’ starters will hand games over to an elite bullpen.  It is better than the Phillies’, and it is not even especially close.  I consider the closer a primary contributor of a staff, and it must be noted that the Giants are superior here as well.  Let’s now take a look at the starters.



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I’ll be honest. I don’t watch postseason trades. I find them as futile as foreplay after forty or light beer chasers. But when I read that the phenomenal uniform philler-outer, Jayson Werth, had been signed by a division rival, I burned my bra in defiance.

Then I just had to buy a new one. That’s when I made an important discovery:

Not everything expands when it’s cold.

In this era of disclaimers, stipulations, and legal litigation, let me make one thing vividly clear:

I’d still do Jayson Werth.

But some people thought I’d take the news hard.

Hard? Hell, at least he didn’t run up the phone bill and stick my toothbrush someplace dreary when he left. Besides, who can blame him? Like my husband said, “It’s just a man taking care of his family.”

Considering a few years ago he questioned whether he’d ever play ball again, I take my hat off to him.

Okay, maybe a few other pieces of clothing too.

And the Nationals: Was it an accident that a team hoping to fill its stands with fans nabbed one of the sexiest players in baseball? I think not.

Was it a quirk that those new stalker laws went into effect shortly after I became a Phillies fan?

Nothing’s a coincidence.

Think of t-shirt sales alone. Nat fans are already stuffing their bras to embellish Jayson’s 28 on their chests (or like me, the 28 around my chest.)

Hey, aren’t there plans for a high-speed train from Philadelphia to DC?

Like my friend, Dave, said, “Jayson Werth is getting paid in Trident Layers.” I told him, “I’m one of them.”

So last week’s headline read: “Phils Have Hole to Fill as Werth Signs With Nats.”

Yeah, so did I.

This week’s is, “Hole Wasn’t as Big as We Thought.”

Heard that before.

There’s one major reason the Phillies signed Cliff Lee: So my husband wouldn’t have to hear me whine.

Cross that one off my bucket list, and my Christmas list, my delusional fantasy baseball list, my most wanted list, my Amazon wish list, and my own personal to “do” list.

Tell the truth: How many of you tried to redeem American Express points for him?

And why are we so obsessed with the one who compLEEtes me?

The behind-the-back catch.

A man that can do it with a hand tied behind his back is an odds-on favorite for the feline fans.

Whoops, did I just say feline?

I’m sorry. I was dreaming of Cliff Lee reaching every part of my body with his tongue.

From his mound.

I have no idea what that means.

So, while fans ponder which slot in the rotation he’ll master or if the 9-5 odds of the Phils winning the World Series will waiver, I wonder about the important stuff:

What month will he get in the new Phillies calendar?

And he’s getting Ruben Amaro Jr’s old number: 33.

Hey, that’s my lucky number. Hold on, I think that’s my IQ.

Wait, what’s an IQ?

Actually I don’t care what number he gets just so it’s ironed on his uniform in Braille.

Then it won’t be a violation to fondle him.

I really need to start that petition for women umpires.

Or cheerleaders.

Or just a block of seats for middle-aged perverts.

By Jayson leaving Philly for more and Cliff coming back for less, I don’t think Ruben has to worry about dissent in the stands.

And look on the bright side—I can still flash Jayson 18 times next season.

Hey, don’t scowl at me—I have a permit for that. I petitioned the court and called it “freedom of expression.” And they bought it because they agreed—there aren’t many ways I can prove I’m a girl.

And since I have a licentious license I told my husband for this year’s Christmas card we should flash the camera, then use the caption “Merry Titsmas.”

He answered with a new concept in grammar: The exclamation fart.

That means he doesn’t like it.

Or my casserole was a little rich.

So, with 2010 drawing to close, I’d like to serve up my graciousness for three things:

Cliff Lee is back.

If I miss Jayson, he’s only 150 miles away.

And my husband can still make me fart when he makes me laugh.

Let me proclaim my joy another way:

Oh Christmas Lee, oh Christmas Lee

How lovely are your britches.

In the meantime, while I wait to see if the Phillies sign another great butt, I’ll iron my pinstriped thong and wear it close to the part of me my husband truly cherishes.

Like he says, “At least it’ll keep something else from crawling up there.”

Happy Halladay everyone.

See you at the ballpark.

PS. Happy birthday, Dad.

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved

Catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter.

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Come on everybody let’s sing! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year, duh, duh, duh duh duh duh, blah, blah blah blah blah blah, it’s the most wonderful time of the year .”

That is, except for the obscenely manic, your compulsive over eaters, and New York Yankee fans already fretting over the state of their team and the very recently improved roster of their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox.  

Unlike all that turkey and gravy, pretty pies, whatever else your mama’s preparing for the holiday season’s biggest meal, I find that last described upset a little hard to digest.

After all, we are in the throes of another blustery winter, and for one, the New York Football Giants look strong heading into a highly critical Sunday match up with their own heated rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Just across locker room way, the Jets, while not looking anywhere near as muscular as they did a couple of weeks ago, still have a pretty legit shot at the playoffs. (He said tongue in cheek—I’m not much for the Green & White, can’t really imagine why anyone else would be either aside from the fatty corn beef and heady parking lot cocktails that start around nine o’clock on a typical, football Sunday morning and last, via flasks masked as thermoses—or is that the other way around?—until utter oblivion sets in sometime later that afternoon or evening.)

Knickerbocker basketball has almost magically returned from utter absentia. Amar’e and Co. are on a roll, Madison Square Garden is once again electrified and tonight the high flying men from Manhattan will be entertaining another team New Yorkers love to hate from the top down, Pat Riley, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and the Miami Heat.   

Even the Rangers, yes the once famed Blueshirts, (a hockey team that many city dwellers have been forced to forget about these past many years under threat of becoming overtly non responsive), are playing pretty well—20-13-1, fifth in the East—how’s that for a surprise?

So by no stretch of the imagination is this great northeastern metropolis lacking for easy to feature sporting news these days, in fact this may be the greatest collective abundance of good news multi team loving New Yorkers have had to embrace in a very long time. 

Of course that doesn’t do much for the endless breath of N.Y. Yankee beat writers dealing up columns for those things people used to read called newspapers. Lately there’s been a deluge of reporting over the Cliff Lee tragedy.  Oh fare thee well, Cliff, may you live long and prosper in the City of Brotherly Love & let’s see you out-pitch Giant ace Matt Cain or long haired, cannabis loving, Tim Lincecum next time the two or three of you should meet. 

But even with all the commotion over Lee, (finally dying down), and his truthfully, refreshing choice to take less and perhaps enjoy life more in Philadelphia, the notable focus of the expansive Yankee press is already returning to the teams near century old rival—the suddenly bigger spending Boston Red Sox.

You see with the laudable additions of speedster Carl Crawford and ex Pod slugger, Adrian Gonzales, the ‘Sawx, by popular report, have flown by the Yanks who’ve been relegated as of now—at least in the New York if not nationwide press—to nothing more than a potential Wild Card contender at best.

So with that in mind, or having been said, let’s take this opportunity to segue into a quick comparative, position by position look at the Red Sox & Yankee’s to see if things are really as hopeless as currently deemed—as if heading into the season as something other than a heavy odds on favorite to win it all is something to contemplate slitting ones wrists over—for a team that has won 27 World Championship Titles and forever has it’s collective mind on adding additional hardware to the worlds largest trophy case.  

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Philadelphia Phillies fans were devastated when they heard the news, especially the fact that it was so sudden.

It can also be said that it was shocking to see our everyday right fielder, Jayson Werth, sign to a team within our own division.

Well, like normal, Philadelphia fans panicked immediately, just like every time when something like this happens.

It’s hard to admit, but as a Phillies fan myself, it’s true.

But let me be the first to tell you that there isn’t too much to worry about.

Yeah, we lost our right fielder, but that’s why we have young prospects to take his place.

Not only that, but it will also make every other player know that they lost something valuable and they must step up their game in place of it. 

Without further ado, the 10 ways the Phillies can make up for the loss of Werth.

Begin Slideshow

The surprising decision of Cliff Lee signing with the Phillies ultimately had a major impact on our early starting pitcher rankings.  He always was going to be considered one of the better options in the league for 2011, but now he appears to be a borderline Top 5 option.  Let’s see where he ultimately falls, as well as all the rest in our updated rankings.

1. Roy Halladay—Philadelphia Phillies
2. Felix Hernandez—Seattle Mariners
3. Tim Lincecum—San Francisco Giants
4. Jon Lester—Boston Red Sox
5. CC Sabathia—New York Yankees
6. Adam Wainwright—St. Louis Cardinals
7. Cliff Lee—Philadelphia Phillies
8. Clayton Kershaw—Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Ubaldo Jimenez—Colorado Rockies
10. Justin Verlander—Detroit Tigers
11. Jered Weaver—Los Angeles Angels
12. Francisco Liriano—Minnesota Twins
13. Josh Johnson—Florida Marlins
14. Chris Carpenter—St. Louis Cardinals
15. Yovani Gallardo—Milwaukee Brewers
16. Cole Hamels—Philadelphia Phillies
17. Zack Greinke—Kansas City Royals
18. Clay Buchholz—Boston Red Sox
19. Mat Latos—San Diego Padres
20. David Price—Tampa Bay Rays

Thoughts

• Cliff Lee posted strong numbers while a member of the Phillies, with a 3.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 8.36 K/9 over 79.2 innings. Over a full season, that would be his best strikeout rate of his career and while he may not match that mark, seeing him approach the 7.8-8.0 range now appears realistic. Over 220 innings, that’s at least 190 strikeouts. When coupled with his stellar control and good potential for wins, he becomes one of the best options in the league. Jumping back to the NL, he is a certain SP1 now.
• Injury concerns based on the number of innings he threw in 2010 is why Mat Latos fell a few spots in the rankings, but I am not going to drop him out of the Top 20 because of it. All we have heard since Tim Lincecum emerged was that he was going to miss time due to injury and it still hasn’t really happened yet. There’s always a risk when drafting pitchers, and you don’t want to bypass someone simply because of it. As we progress through the offseason things may change slightly, but he’s certainly going to remain a SP2.
• We all know that Gallardo is a pretty big risk, thus far being unable to put it together for an entire season. Still, he has as much talent as anyone in the league and has the potential to have a breakout campaign. He’s a risk, but one I would love to take.
• Is Dan Haren a Top 20 pitcher while in the AL? He’s certainly right on the cusp, but given his past second-half struggles and spending a full year in the AL, I have him just on the outside looking in.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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The reacquisition of Cliff Lee this week was the latest in a series of moves the Philadelphia Phillies have made this offseason that brought former players back to the fold.

Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel, and Mickey Morandini, all retired players, have returned after long absences from the team.

Lee, of course, returns to South Philadelphia to expand upon his legendary 2009 season in pinstripes.

Ruben Amaro’s admission that introspection played a role in Lee’s return should slam the book shut on all past speculation about why Lee left.

Basically the club was unwilling to commit to him long-term last year, saw how the 2010 season ended and decided that they needed him after all.

It is always good when people acknowledge being human.

The level of excellence that Pat Gillick inspired in everyone changed the culture of the Phillies brain trust and clearly has influenced his best student, the Phillies current GM.

He deserves credit for being both bold and humble.

Mickey Morandini

Morandini is the organizations new Williamsport Crosscutter’s (Single A) manager.

The second baseman on the famed 1993 “Macho Row” team is actually returning for his third tour of duty. He had two stints as a player from 1990-1997 and in 2000.

This fan favorite always exhibited a professional demeanor on and off the field. His depth of character should add to an already strong farm system and help to produce future stars who will play at Citizens Bank Park.

Two former second basemen also returned to the Phillies recently. Ryne Sandberg and Juan Samuel were promising prospects in a rich minor league system.

One that helped the big club to produce numerous summer blockbuster seasons, the sequels to which have not been seen until just recently.

Sandberg played the remainder of his career with the Cubs and retired in 1997. Samuel went on to play with six other teams and retired in 1998.

Both men were key figures in the Phillies fortunes, or lack thereof. 

Sandberg, the 2005 Hall of Fame inductee, was involved in a seminal 1980’s trade.

The 10-time All Star and 1984 National League MVP was hired to manage the Phils triple A team, possibly preparing for a future role in Philadelphia.

Juan Samuel, the new third base coach, was a dynamic young player who got his chance to play during that same era, in part, because of Sandberg’s departure.

Ryne Sandberg

“Ryno” was a minor league infielder, coveted by Dallas Green, himself a former Phillies pitching farmhand in the 1960’s. Sandberg only played a handful of games in red pinstripes, before he was sent on a plane to Wrigley Field.

His efforts in the windy city allowed him to write HOF under his signature, because he became one of the greatest second baseman of all-time.

So, why was his vast potential discarded?

Bill Giles

Phillies Chairman Bill Giles provides answers to that question in his excellent book, Pouring Six Beers at a Time.

Giles took a lot of heat during the period when Sandberg and Samuel were Phillies. His group purchased the team in 1981. Fans referenced him as a key source responsible for years of losing seasons.

However, he shares significant credit with a management group that is responsible for four World Series appearances and the 2008 champions; he was also one of the principle visionaries who enabled Citizens Bank Park to become Phillies fan newest friend.

This son of former National League president Warren Giles is an honest guy, whose heart was always in the right place. His sincerity and passion for the game is undeniable.

Like any baseball season, every long reign has its down times. So, any retrospective about his overall legacy deserves to be filled with positive words.

Sandberg’s career statistics (1981-1997):

Games: 2,164

Batting Average: .285

Home runs: 282

Runs Batted In: 1,061

Stolen Bases: 344

Fielding Percentage: .989

Dallas Green

Ryne Sandberg was traded with Larry Bowa after the 1981 season. They were acquired by former 1980 World Series champion manager Dallas Green, who had left Philadelphia to become the Chicago Cubs Executive Vice President and General Manager.

He took so many Phillies personnel with him and acquired so many Phillies players, that his Cubs team became known as “Phillies-West.”

Green’s exit signaled a new era—one where the Phillies developed little new talent. His departure was one in a series of blows to an organization that was at the tail end of its greatest era.

It set in motion the decline of the team, the Vet and the Eagles rise to prominence.

While the Phillies did appear in the 1983 World Series, their glory was dazed. Gassed after winning Game 1 against the Orioles, the Phillies then lost four straight.

The team failed to reach the playoffs again until 1993. Of course, that was “Macho Row’s” one year of wonder.

As Sandberg’s career was moving towards its twilight, Mickey Morandini was manning second by then.

Sandberg became a Hall of Famer, in one of the most referenced trades sports fans in this area still talk about. Coming full circle, the 51 year old Sandberg returns to the team where his baseball career was born.

He is also a natural selection to eventually join the major league staff, be mentored by and then succeed Charlie Manuel.

He won the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year award this past season, but was not picked to take over for the retiring Lou Pinella.

So, in a reversal of fortune come full circle, the Phillies now have re-acquired him 28 years after his infamous trade. Pat Gillick used to speak of restocking inventory and this move helps replenish the Phillies future coaching or managerial supply.

Since he was not chosen to replace Lopes on the coaching staff, it would seem reasonable to believe that the organization has placed him on a future managerial path.

Would the organization let him get away again, as it did in the past? With the situations are not comparable, it seems likely that he was specifically chosen with a plan in mind.

Juan Samuel

So, with Sandberg gone, Samuel’s position in the 80’s infield was set. He starred at second base for the Phillies in the 1980’s, earning two of his three All Star appearances.

“Sammy” was eventually involved in a 1989 trade that landed Lenny “Nails” Dykstra.

The San Pedro de Macoris native transitioned into coaching after retiring in 1999. He managed in the minor leagues and was an interim manager for the Orioles this past season.

Samuel, now 49 years old, was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008.

If Samuel were somehow a part of today’s team, he would fit in well. Personable, possessing a smile that belies a kind-heart, he made the best of his time and was well-liked because of it.

Samuel’s career statistics (1983-1998):

Games: 1,720

Batting Average: .259

Home runs: 161

Runs Batted In: 703

Stolen Bases: 396

Fielding Percentage: .973

Samuel’s time starts with the new season. That third base coaching position has proven to be challenging for many, so he will need to remain sharp.

His approach to coaching and overall loyalty are big pluses, so hopefully he fits right in.

With whatever the future holds, it would be great to also see Sandberg in our uniform at some point. Charlie Manuel may have a future opening on his staff, which Sandberg could fill.

He would likely prove to be as strong a coaching mentor for Ryno, as he has proven to be for his players.

This Hall of Famer could, eventually, lead this talented squad.

During the offseason, these are the type of recipes that all of us sports fans enjoy cooking on that old hot stove.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Spring training may still be two months away, but the cold winter months have had little success subduing MLB’s offseason hot stove.

The fall of 2010 has been an eventful one in the baseball world, even with the free agent class being as thin as it is.

As always, there are some teams that have added tremendously to their chances of World Series title contention in 2011, and plenty more that have been set back further, whether by their own missteps or by the unexpected choices of those they pursued (cough…Cliff Lee…cough).

With the likes of Adrian Beltre and Vladimir Guerrero still on the market, the hot stove might very well stay that way right up until Opening Day at the end of March 2011.

With that in mind, here’s a mid-December look at the offseason’s biggest winners and losers thus far.

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