Philadelphia

What was the strength of last year's World Championship team is now the weakest link on the team.

Brad Lidge.

He was perfect in 2008.

Already a situation that might prompt Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell to declare a state of emergency, the Phillies suffered a devastating blow today with the news that Brett Myers will likely miss the next three to four months with a hip injury.

Statistically, Myers has been the Phillies' best starting pitcher this season.

Myers’ hip injury will likely require surgery, though the right-hander says he will try to find a way to pitch through it.

Not a surprise considering this is a contract year for Myers.

It was a long, warm night.

It was one where quality came with quantity...12 innings of it. 

But it didn’t start out that way.  After the first inning, it seemed like it was happening all over again.

I know I'm a little behind in the cycle to be writing an article about Harry Kalas, but I definitely feel it is important to write, even if only for myself.

Anyone who reads what I write regularly, you may have noticed that I rarely ever use the word "I" or "me".  I feel like we are all writing our own opinions on here, so why should I make any of my statements about me??

On Tuesday, March 31, the Phillies parted ways with veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins, an underproducing hitter who wasn't worth the eight million dollars he commanded in 2008.

I have to say, I really do not see a lot of teams competing for the National League Championship this year.  Many of these teams look good, but I cannot see them going deep in the playoffs.

Starting with the west, you have teams with very good pitching.  The Diamondbacks have a great one-two punch with Brandon Webb and Dan Harren.  After them, it gets shaky.  A lot of these starters really don't make batters nervous.  

When the word survivor comes up, immediately you think of the television series.

By definition, survivor means to prosper spite of opposition.

It just seems fit to call Chris Coste the "Ultimate Survivor" as he once again proved all the doubters wrong - like he has in the past.

Coste's back-up job seemed to be in jeopardy when the Phillies traded for catcher Ronny Paulino this past offseason, except that experiment failed when the Phils traded Paulino to San Francisco for Jack Taschner - Paulino was then spun to Florida.

When I think of the perfect baseball player, I envision a guy who goes out there every day, plays his best, and most of all, does it just for the love of the game. Names like Willie Mays and Cal Ripken, Jr. come to mind.

These were guys who were icons for the sport during their career. They led their respective teams to World Championships, became a fixture on All-Star teams, and were among the best in the game in both their offense and defense.

The start of the new baseball season is still several weeks away, but I have to admit I am getting pumped up for my Phillies to defend their 2008 World Championship.