You won’t believe this news. Roy Halladay is a Phillie.
And we can connect the Tiger Woods drama to the New York Mets.
Leading Off
The mega-deal finally went through. It feels like the first time you saw “Phantom Menace.”
You remember that don’t you.
When the “Star Wars” emblem exploded onto the screen and you heard the majestic John Williams score, your heart fluttered.
Then, moments later you realized this wasn’t going to be as good as you had been dreaming for.
But, if you’re really honest with yourself, you realize you enjoyed the time. Sure, there were some major bumps along the road – Jar-Jar Binks, trading Cliff Lee. But the experience, overall was worth it.
Anyway, here are some of the top links.
Philly.com has nearly every Phillies angle covered. There’s Bill Conlin ruminating, Rich Hoffman bitter that Halladay and Lee aren’t on the same rotation and Phil Sheridan dissecting Ruben Amaro’s dice roll. Of course, Roy already told us this was a dream come true.
The Mariners are excited to have Cliff Lee around. Geoff Baker explains how the deal got done.
The A’s are drooling over Michael Taylor.
Regional Roundup
- The Orioles FanFest is January 23. Should be a fun day and the Southpaw plans on heading down. For $10, it’s a steal.
- Here’s a novel idea: The Nats cut ticket prices. Seriously, that’s a good move.
- There’s a live chat with Pirates GM Neal Huntington at 2 p.m. today.
Best of Rest
- So Jose Reyes worked with Tiger Woods steroid-tainted doctor. Needless to say, Woods was getting better treatment.
- The Red Sox had a fun press conference Wednesday.
- The Mets are changing their offer to Jason Bay.
- Does Derek Lowe want out of Atlanta.
- The Dodgers picked up Jamey Carroll. Yawn.
Batter’s Eye
- Drayton McLane’s impact on the Houston Astros will be felt for years.
The Closer
The Orioles have improved their bullpen a bit, landing Mike Gonzalez.
They also took a chance on Garrett Atkins, who had back-to-back 100 RBI seasons in 2007-08.
Atkins seemed sapped of his once-prominent bat last season, dropping from a 38-double, 25 homer, 114 RBI three-year average to a 12-9-48 year.
This could work out if he rebounds, but the Southpaw thinks signing Pedro Feliz when they had the chance, might have worked out better.
Either way, this is better off than team-killer Adrian Beltre.
Copy Editor Patrick Abdalla doesn't need performance-enhancing drugs to take a look at all things Major League Baseball. Whether it's arguing about the Hall of Fame, quizzing someone with a stat out of left field, discussing a good baseball book, or talking about "Field of Dreams," Pat always enjoys some infield chatter. 