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Chris Bando

Posts Tagged Phillies

Stylin’ in New Tommy Bahama MLB Team Shirts

Mar 8

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Logos, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies | 5 Comments

It might be time for me to update my Yankees wardrobe — for games I usually go with the old-time 1903-era New York Highlanders cap and a home or away jersey over a Yanks or plain tee, at least during the warmer months.  While I don’t usually stray from the traditional (no multi-colored caps or inane “Got Rings?” t-shirts), these new offerings from Tommy Bahama combine the classic Yankees design with an updated look.

According to the Tommy Bahama news item, they will only be offering eight teams — the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, Phillies and Cardinals. I’m not sure how the M’s got in there over, say, the Mets, though I suspect the Ichiro effect on the Asian market might have something to do with it.

In any case, the company says that the Yankees and Red Sox shirts will be rolled out first, in time for their season opener on April 4.

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Over/Under a Fun Preseason Game

Feb 16

Posted by Jerry Milani in Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals | No Comments

I’m not much of a gambler, as my results in various pools would attest, and baseball is an especially difficult sport to handicap on a day-to-day basis.  But I do think it’s interesting to look at the pre-season over/unders for teams, even more so than the straight odds on winning the pennant.

Just like other gambling lines, the numbers don’t necessarily represent the win total that the oddsmaker thinks each team will hit, but what number can entice action on both sides.

I checked out SportsInteraction.com, which listed their preseason odds here.

Not surprisingly, the Yankees, at 96.5, and Red Sox, at 94.5, are the two highest listed.

I found it interesting that the next team is the Cubs, at 91.5, the only other team listed over 90.  The Phillies and Mets are both at 89.5, which seems to be completely against what their respective off-season moves would indicate.  Philadelphia won 93 games in 2009, added Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco, kept the rest of the lineup intact and still have the best offensive team in the National League.   The Mets won 70 games, and added Jason Bay and… well… Henry Blanco. I just can’t see the Phils and Mets battling it out for the NL East crown.

Here are a few over/unders that stand out for me, and my thoughts:

Orioles OVER 70.5 – I think this could be the surprise team in the A.L.  They won’t have enough to challenge the top three in the division, and it won’t help that they have to play 60 games against the Sox, Yanks and Rays, but 71 wins is very doable.

Reds UNDER 79.5 – The Reds have gotten a lot of notice among baseball circles for some strong off-season moves, and they’d only need to improve by 2 games from last year to hit this number, but their top-to-bottom pitching and inexperienced outfield make me think around .500 might be ambitious.

Royals UNDER 74.5 – That’s a low number to come under, and even with Zack Greinke going every fifth day and probably winning 15 to 17, the Royals would still need 60 or so wins in the other 130 games.  But Jason Kendall is the starting catcher, Yunieski Betancourt is the shortstop, and Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister are pitching three of the other four games.  Or Kyle Farnsworth, who may be tried out as a starter.  No, thanks.

Dodgers OVER 84.5 – I feel like they’re really teasing me here.  After all, the Dodgers won 95 games last year, and it’s basically the same team, with a couple of exceptions, albeit in what I think will be a stronger division across the board.  Still, I don’t see this team being 11 games worse than last year, with Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Padilla going four of every five games.

Mets UNDER 89.5 – This could be a trap. But I don’t think it is.

Phillies OVER 89.5 – Ditto.

Pirates OVER 68.5 – Maybe I just want this once proud franchise to break through, and there isn’t a whole lot to be optomistic about, except some good young talent and a so-so division that could maybe just lead to about 70 wins.  If God drops everything.

Nationals OVER 65.5 – The division is going to be tougher, but there’s some hope, and 66 wins is still a pretty low bar, so I’ll take the over, especially if Stephen Strasburg gets some innings beginning mid-year and Ryan Zimmerman gets some help from young guys like Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes.

As for the Yankees, 97 is a lot of wins, with Boston and Tampa fielding strong teams and the Orioles improved.  But they won 103 last year, pretty much coasting to the finish, so I think the number is set at an interesting spot.  I’d reluctantly take the over, even not knowing how the outfield situation will settle, especially since the rotation is so strong.

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The Week In Moves: 12/13-12/20/09

Dec 20

Posted by Tom Biro in free agency, trades | 1 Comment

Lots of movement on the roster front this past week, with the most notable move being the four-team deal that nets out with a paid of Cy Young winners getting shipped out – for each other. Cliff Lee is heading from the NL Champion Phillies over to the Seattle Mariners and Roy Halladay moves from Toronto down to the city of brotherly love. The Oakland A’s and Jays ended up with a number of high-quality prospects from the assortment of teams involved as well. Halladay moving was no surprise, but Lee’s quick exit from Philadelphia just months after he arrived there from Cleveland was a bit out of left field.

Check out ESPN’s Buster Olney breakdown on the transactions:

Cliff Lee was just as surprised by the move from Philly as the rest of us, telling the AP that he’d thought he would “be spending the rest of [his] career there.” Well, I think Phillies fans won’t be crying about this anytime soon, if Halladay handles the transition to the NL as well as Lee did.

As for Seattleites, they’re having a head-scratcher of a week, with the club bringing in one stellar starter in Lee while parting with a headache in Carlos Silva – for Chicago’s own headache, Milton Bradley. Bradley, who was suspended for the final two weeks of the season by the Cubs, is hoping to turn a corner in his new city.

Other moves of note:

  • The New York Yankees signed Nick Johnson, who had started his career with the team.
  • The Boston Red Sox have apparently waved bye-bye to Jason Bay, but have powered up by bringing in OF Mike Cameron and P John Lackey, who leaves the Angels in a lurch.
  • Those same Angels look to add a solid bat to their lineup, taking on World Series MVP Hideki Matsui with a one-year deal. As a Yankee fan, I’m definitely sad to see Matsui leave, and agree with some of the critics, who think Matsui could have stayed instead of the signing of Nick Johnson. Unfortunately, I’m not signing the checks.

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