This morning I woke up to hear the news that Cliff Lee, the top free agent of this year’s baseball class, had signed a five year 120 dollar deal with the hated Philadelphia Philles.  Of all the teams out there, I despise them them most, for their obnoxious attitude and their winning of the NL East year after year.  They are successful and the results of their winning allow them to spend.  It is a current situation of spending money to make money.  They have built up a solid fan base and with each successful year, they bring in more money due to games, clothing, etc…  That is why it is sometimes important to step up to the plate and spend the money when it is called for.

That being said, I must admit that this rotation is downright nasty, but only for the 2011 season.  First of all, for those that know little about baseball, their rotation stands as

1.  Roy Halladay

2  Cliff Lee

3.  Cole Hammels

4.  Roy Oswalt

5.  Joe Blanton

That is a scary rotation as the top four can be an ace on almost all teams.  However there is reason to worry at 2012 and beyond.  First of all, the Phils rotation is expensive; very much so.  They have two starters in their rotation making over 20 million dollars.  And while Roy Halladay is a beast, he is still in his 30′s.  Lee will be 33 when his contract begins, and with his contract having a 6 year in there or a 13 million dollar pay out, he will be 39 when it ends.  Lee was ok this year, better in the postseason, He also struggled with back issues all year so I would be worried he would break down.  Does that mean I would not sign him?  Hell no, they were smart to do so.

The Phillies have an opportunity to have a rotation that rivals the 1990s Braves rotation of Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery, and Leibrandt.  They were downright dominant and have three Hall of Famers in the rotation.  Currently I would just say that Roy Halladay is a HOF, maybe Oswalt but I think the Astros team he was on will hurt his numbers.  Cliff Lee, while good, is not HOF worthy, especially if Jack Morris isn’t in.

The Phillies farm system is in tatters.  They have traded everyone away and have little left in the minors to bring up.  The current starting 9, while good, is getting older.  Utley has been dealing with injuries for the past year, Ibanez fought in the First World War, Rollins has slipped since is MVP season, and Ryan Howard will slowly make the Phils regret that contract.

Again, would I have signed Lee?  Yes.  Will they be hampered by huge contracts and an aging team in two or three years?  Definitely.  But they are built to win now.  The only thing I could give for advice is that one day you will be like the Mets, tearing down a team that was built purely on money.  The Mets are now having to stand pat as everyone, including the Phils get better.  They have set aside a 5 million dollar spending limit; though Sandy Alderson says there is no limit.  But after this year, they will drop almost $60 million dollars from their budget.  Maybe they will spend smarter than before.

Now on to the Boston Red Sox.  This winter they started by trading three prospects for Adrian Gonzalez.  I think this is a good move, except his surgery, he should be a monster in Fenway.  He is a great defensive infielder and a heavy hitter.  He will give the Sox the hitter they have missed since Manny Ramirez.  The major issue will be the length of the contract.  Rumors are that it will be 160 for 7 years.  That is a long contract and if he gets hurt or hits a downslide, like Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, and Carlos Beltran.  That is a large hit it he fails or does not respond how Red Sox nation demands.  But overall, this is a smart move.  They are a big market club and they showed it.

The other contract worries me more.  I like Carl Crawford and think he is a good player but is he worthy of being one of the highest paid players in the game?  I am not so sure.  He will make 142 over 6 years and play OF for the Sox.  Crawford is very athletic and young.  Those are two good components to have and  a major reason they were willing to give both Gonzalez and Crawford contracts like that.  However, Crawford is all about speed.  He has stated that he is moving away from that.  What happens if he has hamstring issues?  Jose Reyes has been plagued by it and has become a major issue.  I would be more concerned by this.

So in the end, I think they are all very smart moves, Crawford being the only suspect one.  I like the Lee move but hope his back doesn’t go out in the first few years of the deal.  In the fifth and six year, it does not matter.  I think they will be an old club by then looking to rebuild.  Sure they will have to sit on those deals until they run out, like Beltran, Perez, Castillo, but they will have a few more playoff appearances by then.  The Sox made some great moves and have a strong lineup, but how will the pitching staff support them.  Will Lackey, Beckett, and Dice-K make it back to form?  Will the Phillies have enough bullpen help to keep those wins.  The only thing I do not want to hear is that the Yankees only win championships by buying them.  The Red Sox and Phillies just did the same thing.  The Sox have bought or traded and paid for the following players:  Gonzalez, Scutaro, Saltamacchia, Beckett, Lackey, Dice-K, Cameron, Crawford, JD Drew.  Their homegrown talent is good but they have definitely used their Red Sox money to trade then pay for guys.  The Phils whole rotation except Hammels is bought and paid for, including two 20 million dollar pitchers there.  They have a homegrown infield, counting Pollanco for second run as a Phil, but that rotation is the key.

The key to success is to build talent, then trade it for major league players.  Keeping minor leaguers, like the Royals, only equal to having great minor league teams.  All the while, their major league club sucks, big time.  So the Sox and Phils made some great moves, however no more crying when the Yankees sign the latest free agent by throwing money around.  There is more than one guilty party there.

Now what do the New York Yankees do considering they planned on signing Lee, and maybe even Crawford.  Crawford is an excellent Plan B, but his early signing hurt Brian Cashman’s chances of picking his second choice, if for some reason, Lee signed somewhere else.  I think this will truly show if the Yankees just buy their talent or if Brian Cashman really is a good general manager.  For years, I have said that one major attribute that few clubs had, except teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, was an ability to make their farm system look like the Garden of Eden.  Every minor league player in each organization is a future HOF player.  Teams are willing to trade with both clubs because they feel their lower, cheaper talent is better than in other organizations.  However, teams like the Royals have major talent at the low levels but are never buyers, always sellers in the market.

Some of the steps taken by the Yankees are interesting, yet necessary.  First of all, they signed Russel Martin to a one year deal. This ensures that Jorge Posada has likely seen his final days behind the plate, providing them with a power DH.  The problem the Yanks have is that they have several of those exact players, as age is catching up to them.

The next player they signed is the oft injured, arm of a God-body of an old woman, pitcher Mark Prior.

This exact scene has been witnessed multiple times throughout his career.  Just one look at the picture and  I already know that we have a Prior and a trainer.

This is a low risk, high reward signing if he even comes close to reaching the potential he had out of college.  Will he?  I would not draft him in any fantasy league but one never knows.

So what do they do?  I have heard the names Zack Greinke or Carlos Zambrano.  Can they really handle the NY spotlight?  I wouldn’t think so, quickly reviewing their past issues.

In the end, who really won here.  Well in the short term both the Phils and Red Sox won.  Teams like the Mets, while unhappy, are not as affected as one might think.  They were not going to contend this year, as they do not currently have one ace, much less four.  It hurts teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, who were torn apart by free agency and the lack of finances.  It hurts teams like the Yankees and Blue Jays, who watched the Red Sox virtually take the AL Title.  It hurts the Rangers, who now need a plan B in finding someone to replace the loss of Cliff Lee.  It will be an interesting year, seeing how these contracts play out.  But more importantly, it will be fun to look back, say four years from now, to see who really was most affected by these moves.

“THANK YOU JESUS”

That is what Carl Crawford is saying at this moment.  Just yesterday, Jayson “Jesus” Werth signed a 7 year 126 million dollar contract with the Washington Nationals.  He will be 32 when the season begins and goes from a bandbox known as CBP to a cavernous stadium in Washington.  In total, he has had only one and a half good season.  Seems like a lot of money .  This will soon be on the worst MLB contracts of all time list, if it isn’t already.

If Werth got that contract, what will Crawford get?  8-10 years, 180 million?  Stay tuned true believers.  The Nationals just screwed up the market…Big Time.

As a Mets fan, it pains me to put this in writing.  In fact, I think I am currently throwing up in my mouth as I type.  But I believe that Roy Halladay has to be the best pitcher in baseball and deserved the unanimous vote for the 2010 Cy Young.  First off, I will just give you the numbers.

21-10

2.44 ERA

1.04 WHIP

219 Ks

1 Perfect Game.

1 Playoff No Hitter (only the second in playoff history)

9 Complete games

What has always awed me was the fact that the manager, whether Manuel or Gaston, can easily rely on Halladay to complete 1/2 of his games.  In the past three years he has 27 complete games, 10 more than anyone else.  This is at a time where many pitchers might have one or two throughout the entire season.

Roy Halladay has been a stud since 2002.  What made me realize how dominant he is was a short special on the MLB network.  They were reviewing the CY Young voting and talked of his past.  In 2001, he was dropped of the MLB roster, as the Blue Jays sent him back to the minors, and not to AAA but to their Single A affiliate.  Since he has returned to the major league roster, he has now won two Cy Young awards, one in each league, as well as been in the top five for voting.

My personal Roy Halladay experience came this summer.  My wife, as well as Keith’s, bought us Mets/Phillies tickets for an August game in NYC.  This was our first time there, and I should write a post about our experience there, but we also were able to see a game in lovely Citi Field.  The pitching match-up was ripe for a no hitter, with the masterful Halladay pitching against future HOF pitcher Pat Mitsch (ok probably not).  The game was over in about 2 1/2 hours.  Seriously, Halladay just mowed them down, one by one, running through innings, in no time flat.  Our wives missed three innings just by going to the concession stand.

So where does Doc Halladay rank as active pitchers in baseball?  Unfortunately, he is currently the best pitcher in the planet.

Well, on my travels today I had to tolerate the poor pitiful Red Sox talk that has overwhelmed me for quite some time.

Fact: The Sox have had more than their share of injuries and are still having a very successful year with many players that wouldn’t ever sniff the big club in most years. The frustrating part about this is that despite their success, I am listening to the excuses that many fans say they don’t make. It’s one after another and get this…they’re still in the race for the postseason. So what’s to complain about.

Fact: There are other teams that have more than their share of injuries and are still in the playoff hunt. The Dodgers have had quite a few players injured (in fact one individual starting tonight had to send letters to teams letting them know that he was available if any were interested).

The reason I have written this is because the sports casters were discussing how NO team has had many injuries. Then I counted the Phillies DL list. They have placed 15 very key players on the DL for significant amounts of time. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (3 MVP caliber players) have all missed very long stretches of time. In fact there are only 2 starting fielders who have not spent time on the DL along with many back up players. All the while, the Phillies are in hunt as well. We can get into the argument of AL versus NL at some other point. We can also look at the fact that the Sox are chasing two very good teams.

What I want is for Sox fans to just enjoy the run they’re on. They could still make the playoffs and this is something enjoyable to watch (although I know it is difficult cheering for this many reserve players night in and night out). This is not your typical red sox season as of late but it’s not a wash. So please just stop complaining, stop throwing in the towel, stop asking for sympathy. It could always be worse…think of the fans in KC, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Now onto the issue at hand. I’d like to express my enthusiasm on getting Roy Halladay and at the same time my sadness at losing Cliff Lee. What an ideal rotation it would have been to have Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Haap and whoever they chose as their fifth starter. Unfortunately the powers that be did not think this was a reality.

Now, many people have asked me for my opinion. Many of these same people made comments about how much better it would have been to get Halladay the first time around and now are insisting this is a bad move.

While Lee’s postseason run was epic it is no way a guarantee that he’ll repeat this effort year after year. Yes I know he’s won a Cy Young award but, he has also been demoted to the minors so consistency has been a concern. That being said, it was not my concern but it is legitimate. I also got the impression that Lee’s agent was playing hard ball and wanting a Sabathia style contract but that’s neither here nor there. There was no promise of having Lee in Philadelphia after this year and despite his comments to stay apparently Ruben Amaro Jr. did not see the reality of this either.

As far as Halladay goes, you’re getting a pitcher who is just as much of a work horse. Throws complete games like he’s from the golden age of baseball, has a nice compliment of pitches to chose from, put up great numbers while pitching in Toronto, and has had much success and has while facing the Red Sox and Yankees for about a third of his starts. That’s not exactly having the runner up for homecoming queen as a date now.

Unfortunately Lee’s time in a Phillies uniform has endeared him to many Phillies fans (myself included). And quite possibly an injury to one or both pitchers could make this argument look very different, however, the extension Halladay signed allows the Phillies to be competitive for years to come and also still gives them money to play with down the road.

I think this was in many ways a lateral move (as they moved one ace and obtained another) but it also has long-term potential to solidify the Phillies as dynasty in the years to come.  I think Halladay, despite being a year older, has the slight edge since his numbers have been great against a tough AL East and most of Lee’s numbers match up with the AL Central.  In the end it could be a wash either way, or it could turn out to be a bust. 

Pitchers and catchers is right around the corner and then it’s time for spring training. Bring on the hard ball…it’s been a long winter without baseball and I’m ready to watch the defense of that NL championship.

A few days after Christmas, the Mets signed Jason Bay to a four year deal with a fifth year option.  The total contract will equal roughly 80 million if he gets the vesting option on the fifth year.  Is that a lot of money?  Sure.  A week later, Matt Holliday signed for 7 years and roughly 120 million.  The Cardinals will also be paying him well into the 2020s, giving him a smaller yearly income, much like the Mets are STILL doing with Bobby Bonilla.

On CNNSI.com, Jeff Pearlman writes a whole article on why Jason Bay will be a bust for the Mets.  Will he be?  Maybe.  But there is also an article on the site about how the Holliday deal was better than the Bay deal.  Two years and twice the money for an good player.  Their logic seems to be built more on the failure of the Mets organization than that of the players themselves.  When the Sox go out and sign players like John Lackey, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro, the press say they are buiding with pitching and defense.  They don’t mention the pressing need in Boston is power, which none of those players provide.  Beltre has been more of a bust than Bay, yet the Boston press look at his 10 million dollar contract as “worth a shot”.  When they spent 12 million on players like Brad Penny, John Smoltz, and T. Saito, sports networks called this a smart move because one of them would work out.  Even after they failed, especially Smoltz and Penny, people blew it off as a team taht has money to try those manuvers.  When the Yanks spend money, and they do, people get mad at the money thrown around, not the players themselves.

Do the Mets make mistakes, yes they do.  Do they have more pressing needs than Bay?  Some would say their pitching is suspect (which they are correct), but they also needed a powerhitter and a left fielder.  Will he be worth the money by the time the fifth year option comes around?  Probably not.  But he could very well succeed in New York, surrounded by players such as Beltran, Wright, Reyes, Franceur.  The Mets won’t make the playoffs without a SP or two, but Bay’s numbers and potential in New York should not be based on things he can’t control.

Now I hate both teams but for different reasons.  With the Yankees, it comes down to being crosstown rivals, calling themselves America’s Team, and having the opportunity to throw massive amounts of money to any player they want.  The reality is that every teams spends money, just some more than most.  Unlike years past, the Yankees spent it on good players in their prime.  I think the Burnett signing might bite them later on but the others, like CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, will benefit them for several years.  Red Sox fans can complain about the Yanks spending money but they, and the Mets, do it as well.

The Philies are a different story.  They are division rivals.  Each year they have a player that assures their NL East title, and they follow through.  They are made up of a series of blowhards, like Shane Victarino, Jimmy Rollins, and Brett Myers.  They play in a ballpark that is the size of Purnell Field (replace this with any little league field in your area).  They sign Pedro Martinez to a contract and gues what, he is successful.  The Mets paid him 55 million for taking up DL space and the Phils get a good pitcher.  How does that work?  Finally, my brother is a rabid Phillies fan and to give him more fuel for the fire during the offseason and into next season is more than I can take.  How can I honestly prove the Mets can win the East when they blow it, big time, year after year.

So I guess it can come down to players and who I would like to see win a World Series.  While it would be nice to see Father Time, Raul Ibanez, win a WS ring, I cannot cheer for a team that employs Pedro.  That bastard stole money and should be paying the Mets back for the last two years of that contract (not like the Sox didn’t warn us though).  For the Yanks, I would like to see Tex and Sabathia both win since they are both hard working players in the perfect situation.  But do I want to see A-Rod win?  It is funny that New York was looking for ways to void that contract after the steriod information leaked.  Now he is a Yankee hero for batting about .400 in the playoffs.
I guess I watch the World Series and cheer for no one.  I don’t care who wins.  If the Phils win, I hope Pedro has nothing to do with it.  If he does, he should send his ring or money to the Mets, since they not only paid him 55 million but also paid and took care of his surgeries.  If the Yanks win, I hope it is because of CC, Tex, and Jeter.  I just don’t want to see A-Rod have a Reggie Jackson moment in the W.S.

PS…both teams suck…GO 2010 NEW YORK METS-Your next World Series Champs.

I would like to congratulate Keith and Elaine Derosby on this wonderful day.  As Keith’s brother and friend, I am honored to be speaking on his behalf.  I thank you both for having the ceremony at the church.  I have to check with my mom, but I think this means that was my mass for the week.

Elaine, you look amazing.  I am sure your parents, family, and friends are all very proud of you.  Keith, I always wondered what that giant nose on the Afrin commercials would look like in a tux, now I know. 

 After the wedding Keith will be moving down to LA, the city of lights, Lewiston Auburn.  As Elaine always says when talking about Lewiston Auburn “It’s happening here”.  I wonder how Little Canada will accept the olive skinned, camel riding, turban wearing Lebanese boy from Waterville.  It seems like LA is slowly turning into the “Its’ a small world” ride at Disney.  Just another group to add to the diverse mix of Lewiston Auburn. 

I would also like to thank you for moving for another reason.  Maquel and I  have been looking to bring Sofie to an animal park like Yorks but since you seem to have one in your apartment now with all your pets, we will just bring her there.  By any chance, do you have those pellet dispensers at your place so Sofie can feed your animals?

Elaine, I still remember how giddy Keith was when he first met you.  Always giggling, laughing like a little schoolgirl.  The first day we found out about you was when we went for a ride and every two minutes he was getting messages on his phone.  He would go into a corner and whisper, not wanting us to find out.  When I finally called him on it, he confessed that he met this girl named Elaine and she was updating him on the Phillies score.  Of course I wanted to know more about this “Elaine”.  What did she look like, what did she do for a living?  I found out she was a special education teacher, perfect for dealing with Keith.  She coached, which was good for Keith because maybe she could teach him how to…actually coach.  He described her appearance, brown hair and eyes, short, very attractive.  Now Keith has always been drawn to girls named Elaine.  He liked Elaine Bennes on Seinfeld but his biggest crush has always been that sassy, radiant, funny, brownish/red haired beauty from Mr. Rogers, Lady Elaine Fairchild.  I know for those of you who know who I am speaking of, yes she was a puppet. That is whole other issue Elaine will have to deal with.  When we were younger, Keith and I were made to share a room.  While I had a poster of Rachael Hunter from the SI Swimsuit Edition on my side of the room, Keith had a picture of Lady Elaine in a swimsuit on his. But knowing Keith’s forbidden passion for Lady Elaine Fairchild, I didn’t know what to expect when meeting Elaine.

Well, needless to say, Elaine is not a hand puppet, even though she is only a few inches taller than one.

But Keith was happy and even after two years, he still has that glow.  I am very happy for the both of you and glad you found one another. 

I thought, as newlyweds, you would want some advice from married couples in order to help yourselves out.  I asked my wife and Craig for some advice. 

 1.  Don’t’ go to bed angry.  While this seems fairly obvious to most, this might be a challenge for Elaine at times.  Keith sometimes likes to argue.  He can argue about anything; sports, history, relationships, education, and politics. He will argue why a 45-year-old pitcher is worth a 3 year 15 million dollar contract.  He will argue about history, saying the Germans won the D-Day invasion.  He will argue about arguing, saying that you have a weak relationship if you don’t argue with your partner.  Now does he believe all this? I hope not. But when he argues, he is the ultimate Devil’s Advocate.  So Elaine here is how you handle it.  Turn to him, look deeply and lovingly into his eyes, place your hands on top of his and say these words “Keith you are right”.  Then get up and walk away.  Will this solve anything?  No, this actually gets him angrier but it is funny to see.  If you are going to bed angry at least get the most out of it.

2.     Don’t take each other for granted.  You are both great people and have great qualities to offer one another.  Through time, you will become friends, perhaps best friends.  (not Bert and Ernie sort of best friends).

Don’t become complacent with one another and always appreciate each other for what you have to offer.  Elaine is an extremely nice person with a great sense of humor.  She not only loves Keith but also respects him immensely, so much so that Keith holds himself to her standard.  On his bachelor party he was offered 75 dollars, the money that came from a poker game, if he were to take a few shots of Tequila.  Now most of us would have done that.  My wife would have wanted me to do that.  I mean that could have paid a bill got a babysitter and went to dinner, maybe even get me a video game.  But Keith said no, Elaine would respect him more if he didn’t do it and that she would want him to refuse it.  Now Elaine, do you respect him more with or without the money?

Also make sure you go out of your way to make each other happy.  Elaine will not hesitate to watch Keith’s piece of crap baseball team whenever they are on.  And Keith will always, and I mean always, go to the movies to see anything she wants.  He wants to impress Elaine so much so that he went to the theater to see Mama Mia.  That was nice enough but he didn’t have to buy the DVD and the CD for his own car.

 3.     Discuss all major decisions before making them.  This is an extremely important one in my opinion.  As a new couple, you now both have to answer for any decisions you decide to make.  It is always good to pass it by the other person to avoid any issues or arguments later on.  If Elaine decides to trade in her car and get something a little more fuel efficient, then Keith should know about it.  If Keith decides to buy a new video game, he should tell Elaine about it.  This is a team effort and you can’t make decisions on your own like you used to.  The reason I decided to use this piece of advice is because I see that they have already made a deal and it is something that Elaine knows won’t come to fruition.  However Keith is in denial so I am going to clear this up.  A few weeks ago, some of Keith’s friends and I helped him clear his apartment of some old furniture.  I brought up the idea of bringing it all to the dump because Elaine wouldn’t want that disgusting stuff in her house.  Keith shot down my idea and stated that yes she would, they agreed that it would be put in his “Man Town”.  Needless to say there were a lot of rolled eyes as us married men glanced at each other. 

 Now for those who don’t know what a Man Town is, it is a room, or rooms, specifically to house the man’s objects of affection:  video game machines, large flat-screen televisions, sports memorabilia, collectible figurines, books, and maybe a mini-fridge filled with his favorite cold beverage(Keith’s would be filled with either John Smith’s Extra Smooth or Schlitz) .  A Man Room is basically a sanctuary for the man of the house.   Sometimes there might even be a sign over the door that says “No Girls Allowed”. When the guys come over, Man Town is used to play poker, drink beer, pass gas, and watch the game.  My man town was going to be a library, filled with all types of books, maybe one of those ladders so I could move from one side of the room to the other, picking the book that interested me at the time. In the corner would be my 60 inch flat screen HD TV and the PS3 connected to it. I would have an espresso machine, with Café Lattes ready at a moments notice.  My wife would bring me a Guinness in a sexy French Maid’s outfit. 

 Keith, I am going to tell you something, which might come as a shock; Man Town does not exist, and Elaine knows this.  Instead of these vast rooms filled with all kinds of neat and wonderful things, it is a basement, a small extra bedroom, or an area above the garage.  We are hidden like dirty little secrets in areas the woman cares nothing about.  Do you know what is in my man room besides my stuff?  Disney movies and a card-making machine.  Was that my dream?  To be sharing Man Town with my two favorite ladies?  I am soon going to move mine down to the family room downstairs in hopes of creating my utopia.  But alas, I will be sharing it with the cat and her cat box.  Jon Moody has a man town, in the basement, filled with boxes of stuff that shouldn’t be placed in there.  Should Man Town be housing Christmas ornaments?  Was this Jon’s dream?  I think not. 

 Keith, when making major decisions, you need to read the fine print.  Elaine agreed to this because she knows it won’t happen.  Please make sure you don’t get sucked into traps like this in the future.  As a former believer of a Man Town, I don’t want you to suffer the pain and anguish we all go through when we finally see that we were taken advantage of.  It hurts here (head) and more importantly here (heart). 

 4.  Learn to compromise:  You must learn to compromise as this is a main component of a relationship.  This is important because you both love baseball but will have to decide which team to watch, the Phils or the Sox.  Keith and Elaine will both argue who has the better 2nd baseman, Dustin Pedroia or Chase Utley, who is the better closer Jon Papalbon or Brad Lidge, better 1-2 punch in Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels or Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.  Don’t fight about this.  You both have good teams.  Reach that conclusion and you will be better off.  Combined your teams have won 3 WS since 2004, 3 Pennants, 3 Eastern division titles, and 3 Wild Card berths.  Since 2006, both teams have had 2 MVPs apiece, the Phils with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, the Sox with Manny and Pedroia.  Both have had a ROY with Howard and Pedrioa.  Now of course you both have steroid users that affected the playoffs and WS of 2004, 2007, and 2008.  The Phils had a reliever named JC Romero who was suspended 50 games for abusing steroids.  And of course we have Manny, Arroyo, and Ortiz.  Compromise is key in a relationship so make sure you don’t’ sit there arguing about whose World Series title is tainted more; all three of them are.

 In closing, I am again honored to be able to speak and give you some sound and needed advice.  To all those here today, I am posting this speech on the website www.derosbybrothers.com.  There you can not only read it but post comments, giving some honest opinions and advice to the newlyweds. 

If you could please raise your glasses to toast the bride and groom.

Keith and Elaine, all that left to say is well done, congratulations and I really do wish you all the very best for your future together. To the bride and groom.

Now to me this was too funny not to add to the site. Particularly the fact that to me it looks like J-Roll is about to burst out laughing. The supportive pat at the end tops it all off…great comedy from a great ball player.

Because my brother wants me to add other funny videos I decided to add the Shaq/Scrabble video. Shaq/Scrabble

And thirdly for my fiance’s sick obsession with Dustin Pedroia.  This is yet another funny sports commercial.  If there are others please draw our attention to them.

Dustin Pedroia, MLB-09

In fact, I believe it was on this site where my brother actually insinuated that the Mets had all but locked up the N.L. East title and was looking on to bigger and better things…little did he know that those better things were just better tee times.

Now on to this year.  The Phillies have managed to bring back most of the team, minus Pat “The Bat”.  This does make me somewhat sad, however at the time they were in communication it was a drastically different market.  All that said, once the Howard deal (albeit through arbitration or long-term agreement) then the off-season will be all but over and a run at another championship can begin.  With all the youth that is now coming into their prime, and the success they had in the playoffs could they make another appearance in October?  One can hope. 

From what I understand, Vegas has high odds of a Red Sox/Phillies Series…while this could make my life a bit complicated, I would not be opposed to the Phillies against anyone next year.

As stated before, I have waited quite some time to express myself about the breaking of the curse this past October.  Is it ironic that the year I make it to my Mecca in Philly is the same year that the curse of William Penn is no more?  Thanks to Elaine for getting me that present, because of you we were able to spark something special and be present at the beginning of quite an amazing run.