Want To Own Hunter Pence's Shoes? Now You Can!

Everyone's newest favorite Phillie, Hunter Pence, made quite a first impression with his new team when he showed up at the plate wearing his old Houston Astros spikes, only spray painted red to fit the requirements that the Phillies have about red spikes. Luckily, the Phils got him some red spikes after a few games, but Pence did wear them out onto the field for a few games against the Pirates.

Now that Pence has settled in with the Phillies, he's placed his old spikes on eBay, with the proceeds from the auction going to his baseball academy. The listing itself is great, so I'll let you check that out. Trust me, it's worth the read.

Anyone got $1,100 that they don't need so I can buy these bad boys? They'd make a great conversation starter.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Nationals-0

Game Recap:

Roy Oswalt pitched eight shutout innings, striking out nine, and the offense plated five runs against John Lannan, giving them a win in the second game of their series in Washington.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 and drove in two runs.

Hunter Pence was 1-4 with a home run.

John Mayberry had two more hits and scored a run.

Carlos Ruiz went 2-3 with two runs scored.

Wilson freaking Valdez did his job again, driving in two with a triple in the fourth inning.

Roy Oswalt looked like the pitcher the Phillies traded for last year. He went eight innings, giving up eight hits and no runs. He struck out nine and walked one.

Michael Stutes pitched a scoreless ninth inning to finish the game.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-3 with a strikeout.

Ryan Howard went 0-4 and stuck out once.

Game Analysis:

After the implosion by the bullpen in the ninth inning last night (that's all I'm going to say about that), the Phillies needed not only a bounce back game, but a good effort from Roy Oswalt to help keep the bullpen fresh. Tonight, they got both of those things, as Oswalt found his Fourth Ace form, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out nine as the Phillies beat John Lannan once again, this time by a 5-0 score.

Oswalt looked better in his last start against the Nationals, but tonight, he was on a totally different level. His nine strikeouts were the most since he was traded to the Phillies last season, and were the most he had in a single game since the 2008 season. He still gave up some hits, but was rarely in a lot of trouble, and looked excellent out on the mound. It's the kind of performance that reminds you why the Phils wanted to trade for him last year, and it makes you more confident going into this last month and a half of the season. Since coming back off the DL, Oswalt is 2-1 and has 18 strikeouts in 21 innings of work, compared to just four walks, and he's looked better in each start. He's getting his feel back out there on the mound, and it's only going to get better with every start from here.

At the plate, the Phillies still took advantage of the big inning, like they did last night, but this time, they had two innings with two or more runs. The first came in the top of the fourth, when Wilson Valdez drove in John Mayberry and Carlos Ruiz on a triple. Just like Oswalt's last start, the Phils took advantage of a mistake by Washington, as Ian Desmond committed an error when Mayberry attempted to steal second base. Without that error, Mayberry is out, and the inning is over. Instead, Ruiz walked, and Valdez brought them both in. Mayberry had a solid defensive play in the bottom of the fourth, throwing out Ryan Zimmerman at the plate and ending the last real threat that the Nationals mounted.

The sixth inning started out well when Hunter Pence led things off with a home run and Mayberry and Ruiz followed with back to back hits to chase John Lannan from the game. Wilson Valdez grounded into a fielder's choice, luckily avoiding grounding into a double play before Oswalt sacrificed Ruiz and Valdez over. Jimmy Rollins did the rest, driving them both in with a two run single that capped the scoring. Even though the Phillies didn't need any insurance runs, it was nice to see them added to the board, especially following last night.

This was exactly the type of game that the Phillies needed tonight. They bounced back well against a pitcher that they usually own, and they got a great showing out of their starting pitcher, which helped save the bullpen a lot of work. With the win, the Phillies move to 81-43 and still have a 7.5 game lead on the Braves in the division.

Tomorrow, Roy Halladay (15-5, 2.53 ERA) goes for his 16th win of the season as he faces off against Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 4.22 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Diamondbacks-1

Game Recap:

Rain kept Vance Worley from going more than three innings, but David Herndon and John Mayberry did the heavy lifting last night, leading the Phils to their 80th win of the season.

What went right?

John Mayberry was 1-4 with a two run home run.

Chase Utley was 2-4 and scored a run.

Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI double.

Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

For the three innings that he pitched before the rain came, Vance Worley looked excellent. He didn't allow a run while giving up just one hit and striking out two.

David Herndon pitched extremely well after the rain delay. He pitched three shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out four.

Antonio Bastardo needed just eight pitches to get through the eighth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Madson worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

What went wrong?

Hunter Pence went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Ross Gload was 0-4.

Brian Schneider was 0-3.

The Phillies left seven men on base.

Game Analysis:

In a game with a two hour rain delay, no Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco or Shane Victorino, you wouldn't have been too upset if the Phillies had taken a loss last night. Instead, using a lineup that resembled more of a Spring Training lineup and a bullpen pitcher that has struggled this season, the Phils took out Ian Kennedy with three early runs and won their 80th game of the season.

You can't really look into how Vance Worley pitched last night, because he only went three innings due to the rain delay. However, while he was in the game, he was solid. He struck out two and gave up just one hit and once again looked like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Last night's biggest story was David Herndon, the oft-maligned long relief pitcher who normally only comes into a game when the lead is too big for him to lose. Against Arizona last night, Herndon looked like a great pitcher, striking out the side in the fifth inning and working three scoreless innings of his own to keep the Phillies in front. It was very comforting to see Herndon pitch like that, because the Phils are going to need him more and more down this final stretch of the season. When other pitchers can't go, Herndon will need to step up again and again. Last night was a good start.

There's little else that needs to be said about Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson. The two of them have taken their roles as the eighth inning man and closer and ran with them this season. Bastardo has come into his own, allowing just seven earned runs so far this season while stranding 93% of inherited baserunners. Madson, meanwhile, has given up just ten earned runs this season and is 23/24 in save chances. When a team can have a rotation like the Phillies and then have the back of the bullpen like Bastardo and Madson, all the offense really needs to do is score three to four runs a night, and they're going to win. It's a good feeling seeing this pitching staff, especially compared to where they were not that long ago. The emergence of Bastardo and the dominance that Madson has had in the closer role this year have been two surprises that I'm very happy about.

The John Mayberry bandwagon got a few more supporters on it last night as well. Mayberry, who is an extra base hitting machine, had another one last night with a two run home run in the third inning. Since he was called up from AAA at the start of July, Mayberry has hit seven home runs in just 75 at bats. With Raul Ibanez struggling this season, there's going to be more of a ground swell for Mayberry to get more time in left field, and he probably should, but I'm not sure how well he can perform as an every day starter. For the moment, at least, he's a very good option off of the bench or in a spot start situation, like he had last night for Shane Victorino. He's going to get some more time as the season finishes up, and that's going to help him for the playoffs and going into next year. However, Ibanez can get hot over stretches, and he needs to play for those stretches to happen. Plus, the Phillies have won 80 games with him hitting under .240 for the season, so he's not hurting the team that much at the plate. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's no questioning that, though.

It's difficult to break down rain delayed games, especially one that was delayed by almost two and a half hours. The Phillies didn't go out there with a full deck at the plate last night, but they still got the job done. They've already reached 80 wins on the season, and are still holding an eight and a half game lead in the NL East over the Braves. Their series winning streak continued, as they took two out of three from Arizona and now they have to wait and see if they meet up with the Diamondbacks again in October.

Tonight, the Phils head down to Washington, D.C. for a three game series with the Nationals. Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) will be on the hill for the Phillies. Livan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21 ERA) will go for Washington.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Diamondbacks-2

Game Recap:

The Phillies took advantage of mistakes by Arizona in the seventh and eighth innings to break away and win the second game of their series, 9-2. Cliff Lee pitched seven strong innings to pick up the win, his 13th on the season.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins started the game with a home run on the very first pitch he saw, and finished by going 2-3 with two RBI, a run scored, a walk and a stolen base.

Shane Victorino went 2-4.

Hunter Pence was 2-2 with two walks and three runs scored.

John Mayberry went 3-4, scoring twice and driving in one.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-4 with a huge two run double in the seventh. He also scored twice.

Cliff Lee pitched very well, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on three hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson worked the eighth and ninth innings and kept Arizona from coming back.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-5.

Yep, that's all tonight.

Game Analysis:

Those of you that were worried about the Phillies on offense after last night, please sit down. Tonight, the Phils only scored two runs in the first six innings, but came alive when the Diamondbacks made mistakes, scoring seven runs between the seventh and eighth innings for a 9-2 win. Couple that with the Atlanta loss, and the Phillies are once again eight and a half games up in the National League East.

It was just another good night at the ballpark for Cliff Lee, who has followed up a shaky July with a great August. Aside from a walk and home run that he gave up in the second inning, Lee was lights out all night long, and looked just like the pitcher who is second in the National League in strikeouts this season. Yes, believe it or not, Lee has somehow become even more of a strikeout pitcher this year, while still keeping his walk total down. Lee has struck out 184 batters this season while walking only 36. Think about that for a second. Tonight, Lee struck out seven and walked just two. That's not quite on par with his numbers for the season, but it's more than good enough for me. He's pitched well enough to win at least two or three more games than he has this year, and is two strikeouts away from a new career high. It's safe to say he's going to get there.

Aside from Lee, the bullpen pitched well once again tonight. Antonio Bastardo might be the most unrecognized great setup man in baseball at this point. When Bastardo comes into a game, you might as well start planning for the next inning, that's how good this guy has been this year. In 45.2 innings this year, he's struck out 51, walked just 16 and given up 18 hits. That's a WHIP of 0.74. Couple that with his eight saves, and you have a man that can pitch the ninth inning if he has to, and the eighth inning any day of the week. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth tonight to stay loose, and while he allowed a base runner, nobody crossed the plate, so it was a good night for him as well.

The offense had some issues in the middle innings, but was alive to start. Jimmy Rollins swung at the first pitch and took it into the stands for a lead off home run. After Arizona took the lead in the top of the second, Hunter Pence doubled to start the bottom of the inning, and John Mayberry drove Pence home, despite Pence's slide into third base. After that, it came down to taking advantage of the mistakes Arizona made. The Diamondbacks are a young team, and they'll slip up from time to time. Tonight was no different. In the bottom of the seventh, Pence started things with a walk, and went to third on Mayberry's single. Wilson Valdez drove in the eventual game winning run with a two run double, and Ben Francisco hit a near home run that ended up being a sacrifice fly that scored Valdez. It wasn't as pretty as home runs, but it worked. The Phillies had a 5-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was more of the same, as the Phillies scored four runs, with only one of them being earned. That's what good teams do when they have to win. They take advantage of mistakes by the opposing team. Tonight, Arizona had two errors in the eighth inning that the Phillies turned into four runs to put the game out of reach. That's the killer instinct that this team was somehow missing last year against the Giants. This year, they seem to have found it again, at least right now anyway.

Save for the Brewers, the Diamondbacks are the hottest team in the National League, and the Phillies may have just cooled them off a little bit. We'll see what happens the rest of the season, but I'd rather see them in the playoffs than the Giants.

Tomorrow, Vance Worley (8-1, 2.85 ERA) tries to lead the Phillies to their 80th win of the season. He'll face off against Ian Kennedy (15-3, 3.12 ERA). Where the hell did Kennedy come from?

Phillies Recap: Diamonbacks-3, Phillies-2

Game Recap:

Roy Halladay struck out 14 in a complete game effort, but didn't get much support at the plate as Arizona scored twice in the top of the ninth to beat the Phils in the first game of a three game series.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a two run home run, providing the Phillies with their only runs of the game.

Chase Utley went 3-4.

Roy Halladay was tagged with his 5th loss of the season, but it wasn't his fault. He allowed three runs on eight hits while pitching a complete game. He struck out 14 and walked just one while going 2-3 at the plate with his first career double.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins scored on Shane Victorino's home run, but was 1-5 with two strikeouts, including a strike out to end the game.

Ryan Howard went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Hunter Pence was 1-4 and struck out three times.

Michael Martinez was 0-3 with a strikeout.

Raul Ibanez was 0-4.

The Phillies left eight men on base, and only scored two runs on nine hits.

Game Analysis:

At first glance, you want to blame this loss on Charlie Manuel. After all, he let Roy Halladay go back out onto the mound after throwing almost 110 pitches through eight innings. By any stretch now in baseball, that's more than good enough for the win. After all, Halladay had already struck out 12 batters and hadn't given up a hit since the fifth inning. The Phillies were in great shape, right?

Well, not so much last night. The Diamondbacks have made a season out of late inning comebacks, and last night they did it against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Halladay managed to strike out another two Arizona batters in the ninth, but not before Lyle Overbay drove in the game winning run with a double into right. You can see why people would be upset with Charlie today. Halladay was gassed after throwing eight excellent innings, and after giving up back to back hits to start the ninth, Ryan Madson should have been warming up as quickly as possible in the bullpen. However, I'm not blaming Charlie or Halladay for this loss. Honestly, this loss falls on the offense, and their lack of run support.

When a team manages to get eight hits off of a pitcher in under seven innings, you would expect that pitcher to be out of the game fairly quickly, right? That wasn't the case last night, as the Phillies got eight hits and one walk off of Josh Collmenter in 6.2 innings, and only were able to score two runs. Both runs came on a home run by Shane Victorino, as he continued his excellent season. The problem wasn't Victorino or the top of the lineup, as Chase Utley went 3-4 in the game, but it was the middle of the lineup that had it's issues last night. Ryan Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez went a combined 1-11 with five strikeouts.

The first lost chance game in the bottom of the third, when Pence struck out swinging with the bases loaded and two outs. In the bottom of the fifth, following Victorino's home run, Chase Utley singled, but Howard and Pence both struck out. Inning over. The bottom of the seventh started well, with Roy Halladay doubling and Jimmy Rollins advancing him over to third. However, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley couldn't drive home Halladay, and that lost chance ended up being the worst one of all. Just scoring Halladay there would have given the Phils an insurance run, and Overbay's double would have tied the game, rather than given Arizona the lead.

Despite the poor showing by the offense last night, everyone just needs to remember that this was one game in a long season. Even with the Braves winning last night, the Phils still hold a 7.5 game lead over Atlanta, and there's still a lot of time left to play this season. Tonight, Cliff Lee (12-7, 2.83 ERA) will try and get the bounce back win for the Phillies, as he faces off with Joe Saunders (8-9, 3.76 ERA).

The State of the Eagles

Admit it, it's ok. Going into the NFL offseason, you had no idea what was going to happen with the Eagles this coming season. It's alright to say it, because no one did. No one was sure that the season would even start on time, and if it did, what players the Eagles would try and pick up. Luckily for us fans, a deal was made, the NFL only lost the Hall of Fame Game, and tonight, the Eagles start up their preseason with a new look team that no one expected to see on the field even a month ago.

The first step was taken in the NFL Draft, when the Eagles took offensive guard Danny Watkins with their first round pick. There were a lot of issues that arose right away, specifically, the fact that Watkins is 26, and will be 27 in November, making him one of the oldest rookies in NFL history. However, Watkins is also very talented, and should be able to pick up his blocking schemes right away. The Eagles needed an interior lineman badly to help with the running game and protect Michael Vick, so Watkins, if you can look past his age, is a solid choice. They addressed a lack of depth at safety by picking Temple's Jaiquwan Jarrett in the second round. Jarrett's a good safety net to have if either Kurt Coleman or Nate Allen have any injury issues, especially Allen, who is coming off of a nasty knee injury that ended his rookie season.

The next two impact picks came in the fourth round, where the Eagles took Casey Matthews, brother of Clay Matthews. You know who he is. He's the guy that knocked Kevin Kolb out of the first game of last season and allowed Michael Vick to get going. If he's anything like his brother, this was another good pick, and from where he is on the depth chart (more on that later), he's already looking like a steal. The other pick was Alex Henery, a kicker out of Nebraska. He's the highest kicker taken since Stephen Gostkowski by the Patriots, but he certainly could be worth it. First and foremost, Henery's selection spelled the end for David Akers as a member of the Eagles. However. Henery has a great leg, hitting a 57 yard field goal last season for Nebraska, and is the most accurate kicker in NCAA history. It's not a bad start, even for a rookie. The rest of the draft helped the Eagles fill a few more needs, such as a backup running back in Dion Lewis and a solid backup fullback from USC named Stanley Havili.

Then came the lockout, and a long period of waiting. Everyone wanted to see what the Eagles were going to do with Kevin Kolb, how they would address their pass rush and whether or not they could land Nnamdi Asomugha, the biggest free agent to be on the market. Three long months went without any sort of deal, and then it happened. Finally, the players and the owners reached an agreement, and the NFL was back on schedule. Now we don't have to deal with any sort of labor situation for ten years, and that's good enough for me. The salary cap for the season was set at $120 million, and with the Eagles only having about $80 million in contracts on the books, they had room to work. Everyone expected them to come out and make a big splash, considering they pretty much said that they were going to once free agency began.

On July 27, free agency began, and the moves started coming in. Not one involved the Eagles, save for their announcement that they would not be bringing back any of their unrestricted free agents, meaning that players like Stewart Bradley, David Akers, Quintin Mikell and Sav Rocca would be finding new homes. Leonard Weaver was also let go after he could not pass his training camp physical. The NFL year was only one day old, and fans were already getting restless. Why hadn't Kevin Kolb been traded? What was taking so long bringing in a big name free agent? The team has money to spend, why aren't they spending any?

After another day with no big moves, things started to come into focus for the Eagles. Talks were in place for a Kolb trade, and there were rumbles about a few of the bigger free agents possibly coming to Philadelphia. What Eagles fans got instead was a tidal wave of moves that hasn't stopped yet. Let's break them down, one by one.

Jason Babin signs a five year, $28 million deal.

This was a great first move by the Eagles, and was probably one of the ones that a lot of people saw coming. The Eagles had a need for another pass rusher opposite Trent Cole, and Babin had his best success last year with the Titans, where current Eagles D-line coach Jim Washburn was last year. Babin is 31 years old, but the contract only has $5-6 million worth of guarantees, which means it won't cost that much to let him go if he does turn out to be a one year wonder or he starts to slow down in three or four years. Regardless, Babin fills a huge need for this team, and as one of the best pass rushers on the market, the Eagles got him for a great price. Just look at what the Panthers paid to keep Charles Johnson in Carolina.

Eagles trade Kevin Kolb to Arizona for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie & a 2^nd round pick.

Now, this was what every Eagles fan was waiting for. The only questions about this trade were where Kolb was going to end up, and how much would the Eagles get back for him? Arizona was the most likely destination, and the Eagles managed to get not only a second round pick for Kolb, but also Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a Pro Bowler back in 2009 who is only 25 years old. DRC is a tall, fast corner, though he does have some issues with tackling. In that regard, he's more like Asante Samuel, who goes for the pick and the big play rather than the tackle. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does put more pressure on the safeties to make sure that they can make a play if the corners don't. I like Kolb, I really do, but the fact remains that he's still an unproven quarterback. He's struggled at times during his few starts, and he's looked great in others. No one's sure what he's going to be, but he'll figure it out in Arizona. This was a good trade for both sides in my mind.

Vince Young signs a one year deal.

Who better to have back up Michael Vick than Michael Vick, Jr.? Young was released by the Titans at the start of free agency and quickly found a home with the Eagles. The deal is only for a single year, but Young has a chance to learn the West Coast offense, or whatever it is that the Eagles are running now, and mature more as a player. Young has looked great at times, but he can be a bit of a head case as well. Signing him as a backup puts little pressure on him, and allows him to relax more and fit into the system that the Eagles have going. This was a nice, low risk pick up by the Birds.

Just these three moves made fans happy, but the Eagles weren't done yet. The very next day...

Nnamdi Asomugha signs a five year, $60 million deal.

Just when everyone thought that the Eagles were out of the running for Asomugha, they swoop in and steal him away from the Cowboys and Jets. After getting DRC in the Kolb trade, no one thought that the Eagles would make a move for Asomugha, because they didn't think they needed him. The fact of the matter is that Asomugha wanted to come to Philadelphia. He left money on the table to sign with the Eagles for a chance to win right now. Where Samuel and DRC are more big play corners that can shut down opposing receivers, Asomugha is the best shut down corner in the NFL, save for maybe Darrell Revis. He's strong and can bang with bigger receivers, meaning that the Eagles can put him in the slot to face off against the strong tight ends that the NFC East just loves to have. Asomugha does give up big plays from time to time, but other teams just don't even throw at his side of the field in some games. He's that good. When you look at the Eagles' depth at corner, aside from Samuel and DRC, you were looking at players like a Trevard Lindley or Joselio Hanson. They're not bad players, but compared to Samuel, DRC and Asomugha, a lot of corners look weaker. In this more vertically based offense that is running through the NFL right now, there's nothing wrong with having three Pro Bowl cornerbacks.

Cullen Jenkins signs a five year, $25 million deal.

Another day went by, and the Eagles made another huge move in free agency, picking up Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins played on the end in Green Bay's 3-4 defense, but will be moved to DT with the Eagles in the 4-3. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Jenkins is a beast of a player that can get after the quarterback very well. His biggest issue is staying healthy, but even in just 11 games last year, Jenkins had seven sacks, a new career high. Jenkins was also one of the leaders on Green Bay's defense and helped the Packers win the Super Bowl last season. When you stack him up against Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, there's not much to compare, which leads to the next move the Eagles made.

Eagles trade Brodrick Bunkley to Cleveland Denver for a 2013 late round pick.

The original trade for Bunkley was to the Cleveland Browns, but Bunkley refused to report, so the Eagles sent him to Denver for a late pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The plus to this is that the Eagles got anything of value for Bunkley, who had worn out his welcome with the Eagles and never really played up to his potential. He looked like a stud coming out of Florida State, but could never put it all together when he was with the Eagles. Maybe a change of scenery is what he needed. Good trade by the Eagles, just to get anything out of it.

Ronnie Brown signs a one year deal.

After letting Jerome Harrison walk, the Eagles turned around and signed former Miami starter Ronnie Brown to a one year deal. Brown is a good power back, but he's had injury issues in the past, and had his worst season as a pro last year. However, as a backup to LeSean McCoy, there's not many people that you could find out there that would be better. Not getting as many carries should help him stay healthy, and he'll be great down at the goal line and in short situations. He can start in a pinch as well and can be used in the Wildcat formation if need be. This was another out of nowhere signing, but this free agency period was full of them for the Eagles, and they weren't done yet.

Ryan Harris signs a one year deal.

Not many people noticed this move, but it might be one of the best ones that the Eagles made in their spending spree. Harris was a starter in Denver and was pretty solid, but had some injury issues and has missed ten games in the past two seasons. However, when he's been healthy, he's looked like one of the best young offensive tackles in the league. This is a one year deal, which means he could just be here for this season, or, if he impresses, he could sign an extension and be in Philadelphia long term. Right now, the Eagles already have him as their number one right tackle, ahead of King Dunlap and the PUP Winston Justice. He's fitting in well with new offensive line coach Howard Mudd's scheme, and looks like a steal already.

Steve Smith signs a one year, $4 million deal.

This move just happened last night, and shocked more Giants fans than Eagles fans. Smith was expected to stay with the Giants, even after having micro fracture knee surgery in the offseason. However, last night the Eagles managed to sign Smith, leaving Giants fans angry and scratching their heads. While Smith probably won't be able to play for six weeks at least, he's another solid pick up, especially if he can come in at even close to what he was with the Giants. Smith is another great slot receiver, and if you pair him up opposite Jason Avant, opposing teams are going to have a hell of a time trying to stop both of them going over the middle. There's two trains of thought on this deal right now. There's people that love it and those that hate it. As you can tell, I love it. Smith is only guaranteed $2 million, so if it doesn't work out, there's no big loss. If he's healthy, the Eagles just stole another Pro Bowl player.

Those were just the biggest moves that the Eagles made, but there were more. Evan Mathis, Donald Lee, Jarrad Page, Akeem Jordan and Johnnie Lee Higgins all signed as well. Mathis is a solid backup guard, Lee is a good backup tight end and can provide insurance for Brent Celek, and the same goes with Page at the safety position. Jordan was the only free agent that the Eagles actually did bring back, and Higgins might be one of the fastest players in the NFL. He's a good kick returner and will help take DeSean Jackson out of those plays. Higgins is certainly an upgrade from Ellis Hobbs last year.

With all of these moves, the Eagles certainly do look like a completely different team. However, there are still some questions that surround them that could throw the entire season off the rails.

Is there enough depth on the defensive line?

Just after the trade that sent Brodrick Bunkley out of town, Mike Patterson had a seizure during a practice. An MRI revealed that he has a tangled cluster of blood vessels in his brain. While there are thoughts that he might be able to come back soon, his health has to be his number one priority. Cullen Jenkins also has had injury issues, leaving third year man Antonio Dixon as the potential last man standing at DT. The depth doesn't get much better after that, with Trevor Laws being pretty much the only name that most people have heard of, and that's not a good thing. Laws hasn't exactly panned out with the Eagles either. Hopefully, Dixon and Jenkins can stay healthy, and Patterson can come back, but if more injuries to happen, the Eagles will need to address that depth.

What is going to happen with the linebackers?

Right now, according to the Eagles depth chart, the starting linebackers are set to be Jamar Chaney, who played well at the end of last season, starting the last three games, including the playoffs. However, that's the start and finish of his starting time with the Eagles. Chaney was a seventh round pick just last season, and still has a lot to prove. On the other end is Moise Fokou, a seventh round pick from 2009 that started 11 games last year and picked up 51 tackles. In the middle is rookie fourth round pick Casey Matthews, who is slower than Chaney and Fokou, but has shown good ability in camp so far. Out of every position on the Eagles, linebacker scares me the most. There's potential in the three starters, but potential doesn't win games or pay the bills. Sometimes, having “potentially” good players out on the field can lead to more problems than anything else.

There's still a few options out on the free agent market, like Lofa Tatupu, who would be the best fit for this team right now. Tatupu would bring more experience and some leadership to the Eagles at linebacker, which is something that they do need. I like Matthews, but I'm never sold on a rookie being the leader on offense, unless it's a Ray Lewis or a Brian Urlacher type of player. These three guys in the middle of the defense are going to be the glue that holds the unit together, so they need to play well. If they don't gel, things could get bad.

Are DeSean Jackson and Asante Samuel going to be happy all year?

Jackson just reported to camp this week, and the Eagles are hopefully going to get negotiations going on a new deal with him. Honestly, Jackson has outplayed his current contract, which is paying him the veteran minimum without incentives this year. He's worth more than that, just as a returner. While having him back in camp is a good thing, you have to wonder how much he's bothered by the Eagles spending all this money on other players. He knows he's worth more than what he's making, and to see the Eagles, who have never spent like this before in free agency, break the bank for a lot of players could be seen as disrespect. I'm not saying that anything bad will happen, and hopefully a deal gets done, but we've all seen what happens when a wide receiver makes a stink about a contract. I don't want to go down that road again.

As for Asante, the additions of DRC and Asomugha have started rumors that he might be traded for a linebacker or draft picks. To say that he wasn't happy about the rumors might be a bit of an understatement, but for the moment, things seems to have died down on that end. The Eagles haven't made a deal to send him out, and they seem happy to keep all three Pro Bowl corners on the roster. On the depth chart, Samuel is positioned as a number one, opposite Asomugha. That's just amazing to look at, so I wanted to point it out. DRC is on the second team, but he'll see plenty of time on the field. Managing these egos at that position will be tough, but if all three can stay happy all season, then opposing defenses are going to have a rough time.

What's going on with Jeremy Maclin?

Maclin was late to camp because he's battling an undisclosed illness. Today, he left camp again to get more tests done to see what can be done to make him better. When you combine that with DeSean Jackson just getting into camp, the wide receiving corps looks a little thin. Steve Smith can't play yet, and there's talk that he was brought in as insurance in case Maclin's issues are worse than expected. Hopefully, he can get back on the field at 100% this season, because he was the best receiver that the Eagles had last year. Plus, if he can't, and Jackson goes down with another injury, the depth chart suddenly turns to Jason Avant and Riley Cooper as the starters if Smith isn't healthy yet. I like Avant and Cooper, but not as the two starting wideouts. At this point, I just want Maclin to get healthy and fix whatever's going on with himself.

How do the Eagles do this season?

That is the biggest question on everyone's mind right now. After adding all of these pieces and hoping they fit, all anyone has been hearing about is the Super Bowl. Honestly, it should be what people are talking about. The front office, after years of hearing about how they don't spend money, went all in at the table this year and brought in free agent after free agent after free agent. The offensive line looks a lot different than last year, and Howard Mudd was brought in to help fix that unit, while the defense is completely overhauled. The talent is there, that's for sure, but now it's up to the team to come together and win games. Chemistry usually isn't an issue with the Eagles, but this year, they might have some problems. There's just so many new players, none of us have ever seen this kind of movement with this team before. Can they all gel right away? Of course, but there could be issues along the way as well.

Then there's the regular season. Signing all of these players is one thing, but you don't win a Super Bowl in the offseason. If you did, the Redskins would have five in the past decade. The real test comes in September, when the games count and everyone plays four quarters. Looking at the Eagles schedule, it does seem pretty favorable. Before all of these moves, I would have pegged the Eagles as a 9-7 or 10-6 team this year. They'd probably have gotten into the playoffs through the backdoor and then gotten knocked out in the first round, like last season. Now, after all the moves, I see something different.

The biggest challenges on the schedule should be Week 2 in Atlanta against the Falcons, Week 12 at home against New England, Week 15 at home against the Jets and Week 16 in Dallas against the Cowboys. Of course, that doesn't mean that the Eagles can't win all of those games and lose others. The week after the New England game, the team travels on a short week to Seattle to play the Seahawks. That could be a trap game right there. Then, there's the fact that they play in the NFC East, one of the toughest divisions in the NFL where any team can take out one of their rivals any time. The Giants have more motivation now that the Eagles signed Steve Smith, Rex Ryan is already flapping his gums down in Dallas and Washington has Rex Grossman...who thinks the Redskins can win the division. He's so cute when he's delusional. The schedule does benefit the Eagles as well, as they only go out west one time for the Seahawks. The 49ers and Cardinals both come to Philadelphia, as do the Patriots and Jets, the two toughest AFC opponents the Eagles have this season.

So, how will the Eagles do this year? I have them at 12-4, with 13-3 not out of the picture. If everyone can stay healthy enough, and the linebackers find their way, this is going to be a good season. I'm not going to tell you all to expect a parade in February, but it's certainly in the back of my mind. One thing is certain, though. It's going to be a hell of a ride, and it starts tonight.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Dodgers-8

Game Recap:

Vance Worley had his worst start of his young career, putting the Phillies down 6-0 by the third inning. The Phils came back with runs in the next three innings and completed their biggest comeback of the season by holding on for a 9-8 win.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins started the game with a 15 pitch at bat, and went 2-5 with a run scored.

Shane Victorino was 2-4 and scored a run.

Chase Utley only had one hit, but it was a two run single in the sixth inning that tied the game at 7-7.

Ryan Howard scored three times, walked twice and had the game winning two run home run in the sixth inning.

Hunter Pence went 1-4 with a two run home run.

Raul Ibanez was 1-5 with an RBI and had a great catch in the ninth inning that possibly saved the game for the Phillies.

David Herndon needed just five pitches to get through the bottom of the sixth inning.

Antonio Bastardo came in for Brad Lidge in the seventh inning and pitched very well, allowing no hits and striking out a batter in 1.2 innings of work.

Ryan Madson looked like someone that had pitched the previous two nights, but he closed out the Dodgers for his 22nd save of the season.

The Phillies went 9-1 on a ten game road trip for the first time in team history.

What went wrong?

Vance Worley got rocked today, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. He struck out six and walked three.

Brad Lidge only managed to record one out in the seventh inning before being taken out. He walked a batter, allowed a hit and struck out one.

Game Analysis:

Just take a minute to sit back and think about this game. After having Chad Billingsley throw 30 pitches in the first inning, the Phillies couldn't score a single run. Vance Worley had an even rougher go in the first, allowing five runs in the frame before finally recording three outs. The Dodgers would add another run in the third inning, and the Phillies were looking at a 6-0 hole early.

If there's one thing about this team that makes them even that much better than the last two years, it's the fact that no one even seems to give up. Today, Hunter Pence, the newest Phillie, got things started with a two run home run in the top of the fourth. Michael Martinez reached base on an error and Vance Worley added an RBI single of his own, and the lead was cut in half. Another error in the fourth inning turned a potential double play into a fourth run for the Phils, and Raul Ibanez made it 6-5 with an RBI single of his own.

Los Angeles got one back in the bottom of the fifth, but the game belonged to the Phillies after that. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard did what the number three and four hole hitters are supposed to do, driving in two runs each in the sixth inning, and just like that, a 6-0 deficit had turned into a 9-7 lead. That's what makes this team the best in baseball this year. Not the pitching staff, or the offense that people still think isn't that good, but really is. It's the heart that these guys have. They never give up, and never think that they're out of a game.

All you have to do is look back to the first game of this road trip, when they were down to their last strike. John Mayberry drilled a two run home run that tied the game in Colorado. Shane Victorino led off the next inning with another home run, and the Phils never looked back. They swept the Rockies, took three of four from the Giants and swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles for the first time since 1995. That's one hell of a good road trip.

Anyone that thinks that this team isn't at least the best team in the National League needs to get their head checked. The Phillies just wrapped up a 20 day stretch of games, and finished 16-4, with three of those losses coming against Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and Lincecum has two Cy Young Awards to his name. Since the All Star break, the Phillies have gone 19-6, and have taken every series but one. That's amazing, but the World Series isn't won in the regular season. The last time the Phils were 37 games over .500, like they are now was 1977, and they didn't win the World Series that year. Anything can still happen, but with the heart and skill that this team has, it's just fun to be along for the ride. For most of us fans, this is the first time we've ever seen a Phillies team play this well in the regular season, and it's a damn good time.

The Phils have a deserved off day tomorrow, and then take on Jayson Werth and the Nationals on Friday. Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53 ERA) goes against Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41 ERA).