Another Tough Guy... In Goal?

Will Ray Emery soon wear a Flyers jersey? This is the question all Flyers fans are asking themselves recently. What we really need to be asking ourselves is…Are we ready to take the risk? The 6’2”, 202lbs. goaltender has many aspects about him that would raise eyebrows in other cities. However, in the city where Ron Hextall is still worshiped, one would think Philadelphians would welcome the gamble. Although our passionate city loves a good fight, the NHL is far from similar to when Hextall graced the ice. We led the league in penalty minutes this past season, which had less than desirable results attached to it. With such tough guys as: Asham, Cote and Carcillo out on the ice for us, can we afford for our goalie to receive penalties as well?

Razor (Emery’s nickname) has had many problems with his temper in the past as well as issues off the ice. No one can forget when Emery unleashed on Martin Biron and Andrew Peters during the ’06-’07 season. He was also suspended for three games in ’07 for smacking Maxim Lapierre in his face with a stick. Unfortunately, he does not only take his anger out on opposing teams. There are numerous reports of Emery starting verbal and physical altercations on his own teams. Philly has already been through those shenanigans with T.O. and the Eagles, can we handle a second round on the ice?

After Ottawa bought out the remainder of Emery’s contract (2008) and he was basically blacklisted from the NHL, he was signed to a $2 million deal as the Atlant Moscow’s goalie in the KHL. Razor was actually pretty solid this past season. He went 22-8 in the games that he played. His save percentage was .926 and had a respectable 2.12 GAA. “He was arguably the top goalie in that league.” stated J.P. Barry (Emery’s agent). Philly has no doubts about his talent, but we are skeptical about his behavior.

Of course, Holmgren is being as vague as possible when it comes to the Emery situation. We do know that several meetings have taken place between the two parties. This possibility excites many because of Emery’s passion, hunger and new outlook that he has something to prove. He has stated that he wants to be a Flyer, which is music to our ears. We love players who recognize how unique our organization is and want to unite with our society as an outcome. With that recognition comes respect for our history, mission and die hard fans.

In conclusion, Emery; although an obvious danger, would be a good fit in Philadelphia. Also, his talent and spirit might lead us to a genuine run at the Stanley Cup, which we all long for. So Emery, your tattoo “Anger is a Gift” doesn’t scare us. We accept your downfalls and think you could legitimately help our “Fly-guys” meet Lord Stanley once again.

NBA Mock Draft (6/05/09)

FIRST ROUND
1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma
2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet C UConn
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jordan Hill PF Arizona
4. Sacramento Kings – Ricky Rubio PG Spain
5. Washington Wizards – James Harden SG Arizona State
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Tyreke Evans PG/SG Memphis
7. Golden State Warriors – Jrue Holiday PG/SG UCLA
8. New York Knicks – Stephen Curry PG/SG Davidson
9. Toronto Raptors – Brandon Jennings PG Italy
10. Milwaukee Bucks – Jonny Flynn PG Syracuse
11. New Jersey Nets – DeJuan Blair PF Pittsburgh
12. Charlotte Bobcats – DeMar DeRozan SG USC
13. Indiana Pacers – Gerald Henderson SG Duke
14. Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark SF Louisville
15. Detroit Pistons – James Johnson PF Wake Forest
16. Chicago Bulls – Austin Daye SF Gonzaga
17. Philadelphia 76ers – Eric Maynor PG VCU
18. Minnesota Timberwolves – B.J. Mullens C Ohio State
19. Atlanta Hawks – Ty Lawson PG UNC
20. Utah Jazz – Tyler Hansbrough PF UNC
21. New Orleans Hornets – Terrence Williams SG/SF Louisville
22. Dallas Mavericks – Jeff Teague PG Wake Forest
23. Sacramento Kings – Sam Young SF Pittsburgh
24. Portland Trailblazers – Chase Budinger SG/SF Arizona
25. Oklahoma City Thunder – Omri Casspi SF Israel
26. Chicago Bulls – Nick Calathes PG Florida
27. Memphis Grizzlies – Gani Lawal PF Georgia Tech
28. Minnesota Timberwolves – DaJuan Summers SF Georgetown
29. Los Angeles Lakers – Patrick Mills PG St. Marys
30. Cleveland Cavaliers – Wayne Ellington SG UNC

SECOND ROUND
31. Sacramento Kings - Darren Collison PG UCLA
32. Portland Trailblazers – Marcus Thornton PG/SG LSU
33. Washington Wizards – Taj Gibson PF USC
34. Denver Nuggets – Curtis Jerrells PG Baylor
35. Memphis Grizzlies - Jerel McNeal SG Marquette
36. Detroit Pistons – Dionte Christmas SG Temple
37. San Antonio Spurs – Lester Hudson SG Tennessee-Martin
38. Portland Trailblazers – A.J. Price PG UConn
39. Detroit Pistons – Toney Douglas SG Florida State
40. Charlotte Bobcats – Derrick Brown SF Xavier
41. Milwaukee Bucks - Damion James SF Texas
42. Los Angeles Lakers – Wesley Matthews SG Marquette
43. Miami Heat – Stefon Jackson SG UTEP
44. Detroit Pistons – Jerome Jordan C Tulsa
45. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jeff Adrian PF UConn
46. Cleveland Cavaliers – Goran Suton PF/C Michigan State
47. Minnesota Timberwolves – Tyrese Rice PG Boston College
48. Phoenix Suns – Craig Brackins PF Iowa State
49. Atlanta Hawks – Ben Woodside PG North Dakota State
50. Utah Jazz – Jonas Jerebko SF/PF Sweden
51. San Antonio Spurs – Danny Green SG/SF North Carolina
52. Indiana Pacers – Jeff Pendergraph PF Arizona State
53. San Antonio Spurs – Josh Heytvelt PF/C Gonzaga
54. Charlotte Bobcats – Jermaine Taylor SG Central Florida
55. Portland Trailblazers – Robert Dozier PF Memphis
56. Portland Trailblazers – Jon Brockman C Washington
57. Phoenix Suns – Dante Cunningham SF/PF Villanova
58. Boston Celtics – Josh Akognon PG Cal State Fullerton
59. Los Angeles Lakers – Chris Johnson PF/C LSU
60. Miami Heat – Jack McClinton SG Miami

A Right to Be Left

As a lefty myself, its nice to see the Phillies adhering to the idea of “lefties do everything right.” The Phils defied common baseball logic by stacking three left handed hitters in a row in the middle of the line-up. But Utley, Howard and Ibanez have combined for 46 home runs and 130 RBI in the first 50 games. That is some pretty impressive production. Charlie Manuel deserves credit for never trying to force Jayson Werth or Shane Victorino in there to break them. Instead, he left the heart of the order as it should be—with the three best hitters right in the middle. Good hitters can hit anybody. Both Ibanez (.333) and Utley (.311) have excelled against south paws. In fact, Utley has a better average versus lefties than he does against righties.

So with lefty success in the line-up, the Phillies didn’t hesitate to add another lefty to their rotation. Bastardo joined fellow lefties Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and JA Happ to go along with lone right-hander Joe Blanton. Just as many cursed the idea of three lefties in a line-up, many also called 4 lefties in a rotation blasphemy saying “teams will just stack their line-ups with righties.”

Instead of following baseball’s unwritten rules of right-vs.-left, the Phillies instead added the pitcher that they believed gave them the best chance to win. Bastardo had been dominating the minors and earned a chance to pitch with the big club. Why should he be penalized just because he throws with his left arm? Answer: he shouldn’t. At this point in time, he was the best option for the Phillies. And they should keep this in mind when pursuing a possible trade. Don’t shy away from a guy like Erik Bedard just because he’s left handed. If he can help this team win then go get him.

It has been working for the line-up, so why can’t it work for the rotation?

Bastardo Baffles Everyone

The injury to Brett Myers forced the Phillies to look into their farm system to find a replacement. With one start in the books, no one is missing Myers just yet. Thanks to the rocket left arm of Antonio Bastardo. The 23-year-old flame thrower surprised even the experts when his fastball tapped the radar gun at 95 mph. Bastardo, who with a name like that could certainly sell his share of jerseys, shut down the Padres offense to the tune of one run and four hits in six solid innings.

Bastardo’s start, if nothing else, has bought the Phillies a little more time to find a replacement for their number-2 starter. Had Bastardo laid an egg, the local club would have been stressing out to fill a hole. But instead, GM Ruben Amaro can breath easier for at least a week. Bastardo guaranteed himself at least one more start. But let’s not get too excited just yet. After all, Bastardo’s debut came against the worst hitting team in the National League. Not to mention Bastardo relied heavily on his fastball. The Phillies won’t be able to provide him with 10 runs every start. So we should enjoy what we saw on a Tuesday night in San Diego, but let’s wait until he has a few more starts under his belt before we decide that he is the answer.

Trading Theories

So the Phillies are in a bit of a bind right now. With Brett Myers’ impending surgery later this week, the starting rotation now has a hole that it needs to fill. Hard throwing left-hander Antonio Bastardo will take the ball on Tuesday night, but is he really the long term solution?

In baseball trade history, two contradicting ideals collide. There are those who say you “shouldn’t mortgage the future” in a trade. But the other notion of “you have to give something to get something” seems more realistic. But how much is too much and when is it okay to trade top youth?

In the case of the Phillies, they shouldn’t be afraid to unload the likes of Lou Marson or Carlos Carrasco if, and only if, they get a pitcher back who is under contract for more than just this year. The Brewers unloaded Matt LaPorta last year for a half season worth of CC Sabathia. It worked in the short term but now the Brew crew is without CC or its top outfield prospect.

Jake Peavy has been rumored to be available. He’s 28 years old, a Cy Young award winner and under contract for several more years. So it makes perfect sense that the Phillies would have to give up some top minor league talent for a co-ace. People who think the Phils could get him for Kyle Kendrick, Eric Bruntlett and a bag of sunflower seeds are crazy. If the Phillies are serious about bringing in a real deal starter—and they should be—they’ll have to come to grips with the fact that some of the guys in the system that they cherish will have to made available. The Padres (or the Reds for Aaron Harang or the Mariners for Erik Bedard) are going to demand top prospects in return. Its how the baseball trading heirachy works.

So the Phillies should pony-up with Lou Marson, Jason Donald or Carlos Carrasco and try and get a deal done. This club is capable of a return trip to the World Series, but Antonio Bastardo or Kyle Kendrick aren’t the answer. They need to acquire an arm from the outside. There’s no reason to “mortgage the future” for a rent-a-player, but if you really want to win then you’ll certainly need to “give something to get something” of value in return.