Phillie Phanatic Being Sued by Woman for Pool-Throwing Fiasco

The Phillie Phanatic has been a very bad boy.

At least that is what one woman is claiming after the Phanatic allegedly tossed her in a pool and caused her severe bodily harm. 

Oh boy.

I will walk a fine line in this article, so forgive me if I teeter over the precipice. I am being balanced on one side by my hatred for grown men in mascot uniforms generally creeping me out. On the other is my skepticism of the claim. 

Like a nice steak dinner, let’s work on the meat of this thing first. 

The Philadelphia Daily News picked up a report from the Courthouse News Services on a woman who is undoubtedly frustrated with mascots, pools and being thrown by one into the other right about now. 

Suzanne Peirce alleges the Phillie Phanatic, a great big green thing that tries to take people’s minds off Chase Utley, picked her up, as well as the lounge chair she was resting on, and threw them both in a nearby pool. 

The suit alleges the Phanatic lost his mind on July 17th, 2010 as Peirce was enjoying her sister’s wedding at The Golden Inn in Avalon. 

Let me state that Peirce’s claims are quite serious. 

Peirce claims she hurt just about everything in the incident, including suffering “severe and permanent injuries to her head, neck, back, body, arms and legs, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and tissues …” and more. The pool did have water in it, attorney Aaron Denker said, though Peirce was tossed in the shallow end.

As for who is being sued, Peirce is targeting Tom Burgoyne, Matt Mehler and anyone else who may have been wearing the Phanatic suit. 

In fact, I am sure she would lob a suit at anyone who dressed up as the Phillie Phanatic for Halloween if she could. 

The report continues: 

A Phillies spokeswoman said the team was aware of the lawsuit and does not believe the Phanatic engaged in wrongful conduct…

The lawsuit does not mention specific dollar amounts, but claims Peirce has spent large sums of money on medicine and medical attention and has also suffered from “humiliation and loss of life’s pleasures.”

Let me dial it back just a bit, because if Peirce was indeed hurt as much as she claims, she deserves every penny she is after. 

I just can’t fathom a situation where ligaments, bones, muscles and emotions were irreparably destroyed by being thrown into a pool. 

If so, I need to sue my father, brother, friends and every last person who has thrown my fat ass into a pool over the years. 

As for the Phanatic, he seems to be doing just fine, as his performance recently with Paula Abdul suggests. 

For those not wanting to test the waters (pun intended), please walk the other way if you see the Phanatic walking down the street. 

And for the love of all that is holy, run if you happen to be next to a pool. 

 

Follow me on Twitter for a humdinger of a time. 

Follow @gabezal

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Philadelphia Phillies: 4 Reasons Why the Time Is Now to Call Up Domonic Brown

I used to collect football and baseball cards pretty religiously when I was a kid.  

I would scrap together whatever money I could, fishing between couch cushions and doing odd jobs for the neighbors, to buy a pack for a few bucks.  Every once in a while, I’d see an individual card that I felt like was a must have.

Usually, that card was either an Eagle, like Randall Cunningham, a Phillie, like Darren Daulton, or a rookie with promise, because they’re the ones that end up being worth money.

Before they ever play a game, those rookie cards have value.  I remember buying a Curtis Enis rookie card way back when, and it immediately became the crown jewel of my collection.  You remember Enis—Penn State guy, drafted by the Bears, and few months later we realized all that “muscle” was really fat? It was worth 10 dollars, which is a lot when you’re seven.

Then, Enis took the field.  The next year, that card was worth three bucks.  The following year, it was down to a dollar.  Today, I’d be surprised if it’s worth a dime.

The value peaked based on promise, not performance.  

Now, it would be really mean to compare Domonic Brown to Curtis Enis—by all accounts one of the biggest busts in NFL history.  Still, though, I have a suspicion that Ruben Amaro Jr. sees him that way, to a degree.

Amaro knows what Brown is today—a toolsy prospect who has yet to prove himself on the big stage. 

He knows that, today, he could use Brown to bring in an impact player should the Phillies decide to buy at the deadline.

He also knows that, if the team goes into rebuilding mode, selling Brown as a cornerstone of the future would be a pretty easy proposition to a fanbase force-fed tales of his impending greatness.

That is why Brown is not a Phillie on June 12, 2012.  The moment he takes the field in what may be his last shot to show he can play in Major League Baseball, he loses his identity as a sky-is-the-limit-prospect.  Instead, he will be judged as any other player—by his performance.  

That’s a scary idea for a team will so few sure things going forward, seemingly fewer everyday.

Nevertheless, Brown should be the Phillies left fielder soon.  Like tomorrow.  Even if it makes his rookie card lose value.  

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Re-Ranking Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 25 Prospects After the 2012 MLB Draft

After trading away most of their top prospects in blockbuster deals over the last few seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies went into the 2012 amateur draft with one goal in mind: Add top talent back into the system.

Of course, that’s not an easy thing to do when you don’t own a single selection in the draft’s first round. The Phillies wouldn’t choose a player until the 40th overall selection as compensation for losing Ryan Madson.

Even then, the Phillies didn’t do what we expected them to. It seems as though they never do. Instead of selecting a college player with a clear path to the MLB, they select a high school pitcher with a high ceiling by the name of Shane Watson.

Then they selected another high school player. And another. And yet another. They would continue to select high school players as their first five selections in the draft, blowing their pre-draft strategy to smithereens.

Then again, the Phillies’ real strategy for the last couple of seasons has been to draft the player they believed to be the best available. That’s how they wind up with so many high school players.

But there is an obvious risk in drafting high school players. Nine times out of 10, they come into the organization as a project. Their tools are extremely raw, and though they may possess a ton of that natural, raw talent, it will likely take years to develop it into an MLB skill-set.

That’s why there are just two players from this year’s draft class cracking my top 25. The Phillies didn’t draft any clear-cut, top prospects this year. That’s not to say it was a bad draft. They selected a boatload of potential, but few players have the current skill set to be considered a top prospect, at least, in my opinion.

So with a crop of new players ready to come into the system, it’s time to re-rank the Phillies’ top 25 prospects.

That comes with a caveat of sorts: This list is my own opinion and not affiliated with any other prospect lists. For help with evaluation, I referred to the greatest source for Phillies’ prospect information on the web, Phuture Phillies. 

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Cliff Lee: Why Philadelphia Phillies Fans Should Be Fed Up with Losses

OK, I get it.  Lee hasn’t received much run support this season and wins is an overrated stat in determining the effectiveness of a starting pitcher.  With that being said, the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans should be expecting—and getting—more from Cliff Lee.

After the Phillies’ 5-4 loss Sunday, Lee is now 0-3 with a 3.18 ERA.  He has struck out 74 in 70.2 innings while walking just 13.

This season, Lee is the third-highest-paid pitcher in all of baseball, behind the Mets’ Johan Santana and the Yankees’ CC Sabathia. For $21.5 million, Lee is not getting it done, and at some point, he lost the ability to shut teams down once the Phillies have the lead.

It started in the NLDS last season against the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. After the Phillies roared back to crush the Cardinals 11-6 in Game 1, they handed Lee a 4-0 lead that should have put the NLDS on ice. 

However, Lee was torched by the likes of Ryan Theriot, Jon Jay and Rafael Furcal to blow the lead, the game, the series and the season.

For some reason, though, Lee gets a free pass from Phillies fans. Why?  I guess because he chose to come back to Philadelphia and spurned the New York Yankees.  But it’s not like he came back as a charity case.  Again, Lee is the third-highest-paid pitcher in all of baseball.

Let’s examine some of Lee’s starts this season:

• Had a 1-0 lead in the sixth vs the Pirates. Lee couldn’t hold it, Phils lose 2-1.
• Next start gave up three in the first to the Mets, Phils lose 5-2.
• Next time facing the Mets, had a 2-1 lead in the sixth, gave up a run and only lasts six innings in a 10-6 loss.
• Against Boston, allowed five runs in first three innings, burying the Phils as they lose 5-1.
• Staked a 2-0 lead early vs. the Cardinals on May 25th, then gives up a solo run in three consecutive innings to fall behind 3-2 only to be bailed out this time by the Phillies’ bats.
• Gave up a two-run double to Elian Herrera in his last start with two outs in the eighth to relinquish a 1-0 lead.
• And, today, given a 4-1 lead, promptly allows a two-out, three-run bomb to Steve Tolleson.

Now, look at these teams and think of how offensively challenged they are:

• Pittsburgh Pirates
• New York Mets
• San Francisco Giants
• New York Mets
• Houston Astros
• Boston Red Sox
• St Louis Cardinals
• New York Mets
• Los Angeles Dodgers (minus Matt Kemp)
• Baltimore Orioles

That’s who the third-highest-paid pitcher in baseball has been asked to face this season.  The Cardinals and Red Sox have solid lineups.  The rest do not. Yet the Phillies are 3-7 when Lee starts.  A .300 winning percentage—unacceptable.

At some point, a pitcher of Lee’s caliber needs to shut an opponent down when given a lead.  This Phillies team is awful once the other team comes from behind to tie the game up or take the lead.  A definite lack of fight. That’s another story altogether.

The free pass should be up for Lee.  He’s being paid like an ace, it’s time to win like an ace.

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Where Philadelphia Phillies, Playoff Contenders Would Be If Season Ended Today

One-third of the season has come and gone and the Phillies have spent the majority of it in last place in the NL East. 

It’s not the start that Ruben Amaro or Charlie Manuel envisioned.  There is still plenty of baseball to play, but it’s typically the 40-game mark that determines what kind of team you have. 

If the Phillies do not get anything from Ryan Howard and Chase Utley and if they constantly have a starting pitcher on the DL (first Cliff Lee, Vance Worley and now Roy Halladay), then this team is probably right where it’s going to stay. 

They project to finish the season with a 78-84 record after their 9-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles last night.  Their only hope for the 2012 season are comebacks from Howard, Utley, and Halladay….and they must come back and play at something approaching an All-Star level.

With that being said, here is an updated look at how the postseason would look if the season ended today:

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Should the Philadelphia Phillies Focus on Looking for Bullpen Help?

The Philadelphia Phillies need reinforcements, and it seems as if they are going to start looking for bullpen help.

According to Jim Salisbury at Comcast Sports Network, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel “hinted” at looking for bullpen help.

However, the Phillies are struggling right now, and you have to wonder if the bullpen is really the biggest problem.

The Philadelphia bullpen does need help even though Jonathan Papelbon has been extraordinarily strong while Antonio Bastardo, Raul Valdes and Joe Savery are putting up solid campaigns.

The rest of the bullpen has been questionable, but in their defense, they have not always been handed the ball in the best situations.

In terms of runs scored, the Phillies are slightly above average with the 12th most in all of baseball. However, if you look at the results on game-by-game basis, there have been 14 games where the Phillies have scored one run or fewer.

That is not ideal production. They do well when they score at least a few runs, but if you can’t rely on that run production, winning becomes that much harder.

So what should Phillies do in this situation?

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will be returning eventually, but until then, the Phillies need to worry about the hole in their lineup rather than the perceived hole in their bullpen. Having a strong bullpen is great, but the offense needs to be able to generate a lead that the bullpen can then hold on to.

The Phillies will almost definitely be active throughout the trading season since they are currently sitting six games out of first place, so keep your eyes on their movements. Maybe something huge will develop as it often does when Ruben Amaro Jr. is in control.

 

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

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Grading Each of Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 25 Draft Picks

Given the way the 2012 season has gone for the Philadelphia Phillies, it was only fitting that this year’s amateur draft be an event filled with surprises for the club.

Heading into this year’s draft, experts believed that the Phillies would focus on college bats with quick paths to the MLB, and while they selected a few college bats that could possibly fit that profile, it is obvious and undeniable that the Phillies remained within their uncomfortable “comfort zone”—high school players with less-than-certain futures but huge ceilings.

With another draft in the books, it will be years before we can fully assess this year’s crop of talent, but Ruben Amaro Jr., Marti Wolever and Co. will certainly be hoping for the best.

The following slideshow will offer up an initial grade for each of the Phillies’ first 25 selections. Did the Phillies make the right selection with certain picks? Did they reach for a guy, or let one slip past them?

There’s only one way to find out.

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NL Worst of the Night: Chad Qualls Blows Phillies’ Chance at Comeback Win

Thursday’s games in the National League gave us two excellent—or terrible—candidates for our “Worst of the Night” award. (OK, it’s not really an award. But you knew that.) 

In a 14-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros reliever Rhiner Cruz surrendered five runs, three hits and two walks in one inning of work. He gave up a two-run homer to Shane Robinson. Yet he also struck three batters out.

When Cruz came in for the seventh inning, the Astros were down, 5-2.  By the time he left and all of his baserunners scored, the score was 10-2. 

Over at Citizens Bank Park, Chad Qualls entered the game with the Los Angeles Dodgers holding a 4-3 ninth-inning lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. But he could only get one out as he allowed four runs (three earned, thanks to a Mike Fontenot error) on five hits. When Raul Valdes relieved Qualls, the Phillies were down, 8-3.

So which was the worst performance between Cruz and Qualls? It’s subjective, of course. But given that Qualls entered a one-run ballgame and his team still had a chance to win, I’ll argue that his meltdown hurt his team more.

Plus, he only lasted 0.1 of an inning, while Cruz at least got three outs. That gives Qualls the winning (losing?) edge.

Middle relief has been a season-long problem for the Phillies. It’s among the many reasons that the team holds last place in the NL East and hasn’t been able to make much of a push up the standings.

To be fair, Qualls had actually pitched relatively well in recent games before his Thursday night outing. He hadn’t allowed a run in his past four appearances, giving up just one hit.

However, he’s struggled to put together a sustained streak of success. Prior to those four scoreless outings, he gave up three runs and four hits (three of them home runs) in 3.2 innings.

The Phillies could obviously use some help in their bullpen. But replacing Qualls wouldn’t completely turn around the team’s fortunes.

Right now, they also need help all over the roster. Suffering a four-game sweep at home to the Dodgers extended their losing streak to six games. Philadelphia is the one team in the NL East that appears to be falling out of the race, six games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves and four back of the Miami Marlins. 

 

Follow @iancass on Twitter.

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MLB Draft 2012: Analyzing the Philadelphia Phillies’ Selections

Over the past five seasons, Philadelphia Phillies fans have been among the most fortunate in all of baseball.

At this point in June, however, a sense of despair is creeping into the heart of the city. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s best days are far behind them, Roy Halladay can’t stay healthy and Cliff Lee has been unspectacular.

Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence have not been able to carry the team, and their record is hovering around .500. They are currently in last place in the NL East and things are not looking great for the future. But with the MLB Draft underway, Phillies fans can get a glimpse of the future and hopefully regain some optimism. Here is a breakdown of their top picks thus far.

 

Shane Watson, RHP (40)

Watson is a top high school prospect out of Lakewood High School in California. At a lanky 6’4″, 195 lbs, this righty has the look of an MLB starter. He does not throw as hard as one would expect from someone with his length, hovering around 90 mph. His specialty is his curveball, which is considered one of the best in the entire draft.

He could turn out to be as high as a second or third starter in the rotation in a few years, but if he does not develop his fastball it would not surprise me if he never made it out of the bullpen.

 

Mitch Gueller, RHP (54)

Another pitcher out of high school, Gueller is more of a project than Watson. The righty out of W.F. High School in Washington was scouted as both a pitcher and position player, and his athleticism is a definite reason he went this high in the draft.

His fastball hovers around the low 90s, and he compliments it with a curveball and changeup, which both need improvement. Gueller is known for his poise on the mound, and if he improves his command, could end up being a third or fourth starter in the Phillies’ rotation. 

 

Dylan Cozens, OF (77)

One of the most intriguing players in the draft, Cozens had signed a letter of intent to play defensive end for the University of Arizona before being drafted and announcing that he would sign with the Phillies. Cozens is an impressive 6’5″, 235 lbs., and has a lot of power from the left side of the plate. The corner outfielder was rated all over the place on different experts’ boards, and the verdict is still out on how much he can produce at the next level.

 

Alec Rash, RHP (95) 

The third right-handed pitcher to be taken by the Phillies, Rash is a raw prospect out of Adel DeSoto Minburn High School in Iowa. His fastball reaches 95, but he has issues with his mechanics and release. The Missouri recruit stands at 6’5″ and has a lot of upside. If he can polish his delivery and improve his off speed pitches, the sky is the limit for this kid.

 

Zach Green, SS/3B (125)

Green is a hitter that Philadelphia hopes can develop to stick at the MLB level. The righty can play either short or third, but is lauded mostly for his bat. The Oregon State recruit has quick hands and a good build at 6’3″, 185 lbs. Scouts have said his swing can be developed to add power and make him a dangerous all-around hitter. If this happens, he could be a great pinch hitter in a couple of seasons.

 

Chris Serritella, 1B (158)

Southern Illinois is not exactly a hotbed for baseball prospects, but the left-handed Serritella made enough of an impression on scouts to land in the fourth round. The Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American batted .389 in his junior season to win the Missouri Valley Conference batting title. If Serritella hits well in the Minors, he could get a shot to steal some starts from Ryan Howard down the road.

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Has Roy Halladay Fallen off MLB’s Pitching Pedestal for Good?

As baseball fans around the country know by now, Roy Halladay is hurting, both literally and figuratively. Doc currently sits on the 15-day DL with a latissimus dorsi strain that could keep him out for six to eight weeks. And when he was pitching, he posted a 4-5 record with a 3.98 ERA. Not the 2012 that Doc nor baseball and Phillies fans were envisioning.

Halladay hasn’t been on the DL since 2009, and he hasn’t been on the DL for an arm-related issue since 2004…until now. In spring training, there were concerns that Doc’s fastball velocity had been dropping, but the reason why was unclear. Possibly aging, possibly wear and tear—after all, Doc has logged just over 2600 innings throughout his career, and he’s led his league, if not all of baseball, in complete games each of the last five years. Simply put, he’s a workhorse.

In light of these recent events, is it still fair to consider Doc among the league’s elite starters? Is Roy Halladay truly an ace anymore? Or is he just falling from grace earlier than expected?

I’d say yes to those questions, but more arise just as quickly. But is Doc’s reign of supremacy over the rest of baseball coming to a close? One could argue that Halladay’s career—which was seemingly improving following his trade to Philadelphia from Toronto before the 2010 season—is now on the downturn, and that within the next couple of years, Doc could call it a day and ride off into the sunset known as retirement.

Let’s take a look at whether Doc Halladay has still got it or if his best days are behind him.

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