Phillies Offseason Thread 12-13

[Don Ho]

San Diego is a great town.  Good restaurants, best weather on the planet, nice beaches and some very cool surrounding communities like La Jolla, Carlsbad (Legoland is one of the coolest places for both kids and adults), Coronado, Pacific Beach (my bro lived there while attending San Diego State). 

True it is a horrible sports town.  just to many transplants living there and the whole Southern Californiaidis thing going on.

My lasting impression of El Cajon were those brush fires about 10 years ago.  That was insane.

[Don Ho]

"If we're not the top bullpen in Major League Baseball [next season], we'll definitely be the top in the National League," Jonathan Papelbon said after the Phillies finished 2012 with a lackluster loss to Washington at Nationals Park.

Oh my God!  I forgot about this last year.  Asked to explain he responded with:

The only reason I said that is because I see a very eerily similar bullpen to the one I was in during the 2006 season," Papelbon said. "Then we came out of that and into 2007 and went on to win the World Series. It was almost identical bullpens except for the fact that I'm a little bit older now. Overall, it was very, very similar."

Oh, OK.  Feel much better now.

[Rome]

I've found that completely ignoring the diarrhea that streams from the mouths of athletes is the best policy.

[Sgt PSN]

I've found that completely ignoring the diarrhea that streams from the mouths of athletes is the best policy.

Unless they love their pets.

[BigEd76]

igs' new favorite Phillie

BenRevere9
Happy black history month! Lol

[MDS]

hes mcnabb for the new generation, carbon copy

[ice grillin you]

two phillies made BA top 100 prospects

jesse biddle @ 89
roman quinn @ 100

[ice grillin you]

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Whether it's Cliff Lee or Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay or Chase Utley, the first name they rattle off when they're asked about the new players in camp is the same.

Ben Revere.

He might have the shortest resumé of the players Ruben Amaro Jr. added this winter, but Revere also could have the biggest impact. The aforementioned players all know Revere because of his defense.

"If a ball had any hang time, you better watch out," said fellow newcomer Delmon Young, "because you're going to see Flying Revere."

Young knows more than anyone in Clearwater. Revere and Young were teammates in Minnesota in 2011, the former's first full season in the big leagues.

Young remembers seeing a lot of "Flying Revere," but the play that sticks with him is the one that came a week after he was traded to the Tigers in mid-August 2011.

"The catch he made against Vladimir [Guerrero]," Young said, smiling. "He turned every which way."

The catch is worth seeing: Type "Ben Revere catch Vlad" into your search engine. On the play, Revere makes like Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series, except he runs about 30 yards farther, collides into the centerfield wall feet-first and holds onto his hat, too. MLB Network was impressed enough to run a 2-minute feature on Revere's grab, complete with analysis.

"You're going to see a lot of highlights, and you're going to sit there and try to understand how he even did it," Young said. "Philly fans are going to like him, because he's one of the fastest guys in baseball."

Many Phillies fans have already gravitated toward Revere, despite the fact that he hasn't even played in a game for their team yet. The 24-year-old is a hit on Twitter (@BenRevere9).

No one tweet encapsulates Ben Revere's Twitter personality better than the one he sent out to the world just before 8 a.m. on Wednesday: "Another day of baseball!!"

Revere had gained more than 12,000 followers since the Phillies sent pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May to acquire him in a trade 2 months ago.

"[Phillies fans] are very active," Revere said. "It's like the most [active] behind the Yankees. I wake up in the morning, send a tweet and boom-boom-boom, everybody is on it. They're active from morning to night. It's good, though."

Revere was somewhat reserved while sitting at his locker before the official workout began a little less than an hour later, but his childlike enthusiasm is infectious. And it's not lost on his new teammates.

"The little man out in centerfield, Tootsie Pop, Ben Revere, he's going to bring that energy," Jimmy Rollins said.

The origin of Tootsie Pop is a bit of a mystery. It's also far from the only nickname Revere has been given at some point.

"Some people call me Rev, Rev Run, Firecracker," Revere began. "Benjamin Button, Benny Boy, Benny and the Jets. They just make up anything."

"I call him B-Rev," Ryan Howard chimed in.

With fancy catches, continuous tweets and a never-ending run of nicknames, Revere is adequately taking over in an outfield that lost a healthy heaping of energy when both Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence were traded away in July.

But interacting with fans is easy. Keeping them on your good side when the games begin? That's not as easy with a sometimes unforgiving fan base.

"It's just trying to not do too much," said Revere, who is switching to a full-time gig in centerfield after playing in right and backing up Denard Span in Minnesota. "I know everybody will be kind of watching out for the new guy, especially a big-market team like the Phillies. But I'm just going to play my game and be the same person like I was with the Twins. Be the goofy guy in the clubhouse, but on the field I'll be serious and ready to play and try to help my team win a game."

In addition to his glove, Revere should help with his bat. He hit .294 with a .333 on-base percentage in 124 games with the Twins in 2012. He has stolen 74 bases the last two seasons.

"He'll turn routine ground balls into hits just by flat-out beating the ball to first base," Young said.

Revere's speed leads to the obvious question of whether he'll dethrone Jimmy Rollins at the top of the Phillies' lineup. Even Rollins agreed to the debate: "He's definitely a leadoff hitter."

Just don't ask manager Charlie Manuel.

"I don't think you guys ever see the value in Jimmy Rollins," Manuel told reporters before running off Rollins' production numbers. "He's been my leadoff hitter ever since I've been here. When I see Ben Revere hit and see him play, we'll sit down and talk about where he's going to hit and where he's going to help us the most. I've got an idea. We'll find out where we want him. Nobody is going to tell me where to hit somebody."

When Manuel was asked about Revere's defense, he repeated the same refrain: He wants to see him play in a game first.

Revere doesn't care where he hits. He's just happy he's no longer "trapped" in rightfield and is able to run free in center again.

"You feel like a dog running in the backyard or a big open field," Revere said. "I felt kind of like I was trapped in a corner. Now, I'm happy."

[Geowhizzer]

Give him the Willie Mays Hayes treatment.  Hit the ball in the air, 20 pushups.

[Rome]

Nobody is going to tell me where to hit somebody.

Paging Ryne Sandberg...

[ice grillin you]

jarred cosart in the game for the stros

heidi with two scorless today

games online for free

[Geowhizzer]

You know it's spring training.  Pete Orr just hit a home run.

[Don Ho]

You know it's spring training.  Pete Orr just hit a home run.

PETE PETE PETE PETE PETE

just practicing for opening day.

[ice grillin you]

phils traded schwimmer to toronto for some loser

[Rome]

So no more Ross from "Friends" jokes?

I'd call that a win.