It’s their party, they’ll cry if they want to. And they have. Like a 6 year old girl stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum, the Phillies have tried to justify their poor play and offensive ineptitude recently on anyone but themselves. Claiming that the Umpires were largely to blame in their first two losses to the Houston Astros, the Phillies are starting to show signs of fatigue and frustration. First it was the Michael Bourn play, then it was Ryan Howard’s check swings the following night.

The Phillies need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and understand that they, not the umpires, are in control of their destiny. A game should never come down to one call, and if the Phillies were playing well, they wouldn’t be putting themselves in a position where an umpire’s mistake loses them the game.

The character and heart of this Phillies’ team has played an integral part in their success over the last few years. They’ve carried with them a certain swagger and confidence that makes other teams take notice when they come to town. But recently, they’re not playing well, and their crying about it and blaming the umps. This is not the Phillies team I’ve come to love and respect so much. I know they’re a mentally strong bunch, but they’re not acting like it right now.

Due to the talent level and experience on this team, they’ll probably sneak into the playoffs despite their recent setback. But if they want to make a run at a third straight World Series berth, they’re going to have to recapture the mental toughness and resilience that made them such a feared opponent in the first place.

When the Phillies take the field tonight as the open a four game series against Houston, they will be putting out their opening day lineup for only the 8th time all year. The Phillies have recovered just in time to make a run at their 4th straight NL East crown. After last night’s victory over the Nats, the Phillies sit 2.5 games back in the division and hold a 2 game lead over San Francisco in the wild card race. Oswalt (9-13) exacted revenge over the team that spoiled his Phillies’ debut a only few weeks ago, pitching 7 scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory.

Tonight, the Phillies will face in old friend in Brett Myers. The former first round pick of the Phillies was essentially told to take a walk this off season after his contract expired and Ruben Amaro Jr. made it perfectly clear that he no longer wanted such an immature moron roaming his clubhouse. A Kenny Powers wannabe, Myers’ off the field issues overshadowed his success on the diamond, a major reason Amaro Jr. was happy to show him the door. Had he shown a little more class and maturity in his final years in Philly, he might have been worth a decent contract. His injury towards the end of last year made it an even easier decision for Amaro to let him go.

In all fairness to Myers, he pitched well during his time in Philly, and he’s been the Astros most consistent starter all year. Up until two weeks ago, he had pitched a minimum of 6 innings in every single one of his starts this year, pretty impressive. The talent was always there with Myers, but he’s a classic case of someone with a million dollar arm and a 2 cent head. It’s a shame because anyone that followed him closely during his time here knows how much he loved his time in Philadelphia, and he could still be here contributing to the first place team that drafted him if he wasn’t such a hothead. Well, his loss, and if nothing else I’m sure he fits right in with everyone down south.

The Phillies, on the other hand, certainly have not missed Myers this year. Their starting rotation continues to be their biggest strength down the stretch as they gun for the streaking Braves.

Westbrook is being brought in to back up the 49ers workhorse on offense, Frank Gore, an unfamiliar role for the Eagles all time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns by a running back. Always a dynamic threat out of the backfield or even in the slot as a receiver, Westbrook carried much of the load offensively for the Eagles during his time there. Accepting a lesser role may not be the smoothest of transitions for Westbrook, but it shows how much he wants to win at this stage in his career.

Westbrook is the most recent of many household names being shown the door in recent years by an Eagles team that, as much as they don’t want to admit, are in a major rebuilding stage. Andy Reid and Eagle management were forced into a complete roster overhaul and subsequent youth movement after it became clear in January that they were not even close to matching the talent level of the Dallas Cowboys, on both sides of the ball.

The Phils will have have their hands full tonight as they get set to face one of the best young lefties in baseball, Clayton Kershaw. Joe Blanton takes the mound for the Phils as they try to win the rubber match before of this series before heading up to Citi field for a weekend rematch with the Mets. Despite his struggles in 2010, Blanton has pitched better recently and seems to have regained the form that made him such an integral part of the Phillies success over the last two seasons.

Tonight’s game should be a low scoring duel that may very well be decided in the late innings. Charlie Manuel will most likely go with a heavy right handed hitting lineup to counter the tough Dodger southpaw. And don’t look now, but closer Brad Lidge is 10 for his last in 11 save opportunities and hasn’t allowed a run in 6 appearances.

There is no doubt Kolb is ready to be a starting QB in the NFL, but there is plenty of doubt about whether the people up front can protect him. The story of this year’s training camp for the birds has been injuries, most notably to the offensive line. Kolb is already being thrown into the unenviable position of following in the footsteps of Philly’s best ever QB, and now he has to do it with a different offensive line every week? What a nightmare. Sure, they have weapons on offense. And yes, despite the inept O line, I think the offense will score a lot of points. But….they will still have NO run game, and their defense is a major question mark at best.

Since letting Eagle legend, Brian Dawkins, walk and sign with the Broncos, the Eagles have tried unsuccessfully to plug in the void that Dawkins left behind. They finally think they’ve been able to do so after drafting Nate Allen with the 37th overall pick (received in the McNabb trade), but that’s a lot of pressure to put on a rookie safety. I don’t doubt the kid’s talent level, but this is a tough defense to learn and he’s going to need some time.

Simply put, the Eagles have way too many holes on defense. Their secondary can’t tackle, and besides Samuel, they can’t cover all that well, either. Getting Bradley back should provide a major boost, and top pick Brandon Graham has impressed everyone at camp so far. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re still light years behind the (god I hate to say it) Cowboys. Gun to my head, I say the Eagles finish third at best and win 7-8 games.

Philly fans got the major change they wanted when McNabb was shipped to Washington. But be careful what you wish for, this could be a dreadfully long season for the birds’ faithful.

Here are the 3 biggest keys to the Phillies making a fourth straight postseason appearance……

1) The Bullpen-The pen has been by far the Phillies biggest issue of late, especially with the struggles of J.C. Romero. Romero is the Phils only left handed option right now and he’s not simply not getting it done. If Manuel continues to put him in key spots late in games, the Phils are in trouble. The return of Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin has helped, and Lidge has been pitching well of late. But I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Phillies fan that says they’re comfortable with Brad “lights on” Lidge as the anchor of this bullpen. Manuel will continue to go with matchups late in games, even if it means using multiple pitchers in the 9th.

2-Howard/Utley return from DL- Jimmy Rollins may make this team go, but the Phillies are simply not the same without the big man in the middle of the order. Luckily, Werth and Ibanez have turned it on as of late, and the Phillies have done a nice job manufacturing runs recently without the home run ball.

3-Roy, Roy and Cole- The big three at the top of the rotation need to continue to pitch like they’re capable if the Phillies want to keep this division close heading into September. Without their starting pitching this year, the Phils might be 10 games out by now. Halladay and Hamels have both pitched better than their records indicate, but they’ve given the Phils a chance to win virtually every single one of their starts this season. Kendrick had a rough April and early May, but has been their most consistent starter after Halladay and Hamels since then.

They’re certainly in a good position to make another run, but we all know the Braves won’t be easy to catch this year, as they are playing inspired baseball for their legendary skipper, Bobby Cox.

by James at the Sports Fan Blog Network

However, many question why the Phillies got rid of Cliff Lee. At the time, they got some prospects for him. However, those prospects are not at the level of what they gave up for Oswalt. So essentially, they downgraded in prospects, as well as pitching. Regardless, this was a pretty necessary move and it really moves the Phillies back into Wild Card contention. It was a good move now, but the Phillies may regret not keeping Lee.

by James at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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The Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly shown interest in trading for Andre Iguodala. The team is lacking at the small forward position, with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, and Chris Kaman to fill out the other positions. Philadelphia hangs on to Iguodala year after year, despite it looking as if it is time to move on. Nothing will likely come about, but there is still hope that his tenure in Philadelphia is coming to an end.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Magic have added Chris Duhon this off-season, and well, that’s about it. They would likely lose to Boston in the playoffs, and realistically, the Miami Heat would eat them alive. For all the trade talk surrounding Gilbert Arenas, perhaps Orlando could look towards Elton Brand, as power forward is a position of need. A potential trade idea could be sending Brand, along with Thaddeus Young to Orlando for Vince Carter and Brandon Bass. Bass would replace Brand down low, and Young would make the deal a little more enticing for Orlando to take on Brand’s contract.

Brand could then join Dwight Howard in the post area, and then Rashard Lewis could move back to his initial small forward position. For Philadelphia, it would rid them of the Elton Brand contract that will haunt the team for the next few years. Plus, it would probably be best for Thaddeus Young to try his skills on a new team. The window for this Orlando team is closing, and they need to do something. And Philadelphia needs to keep going in the right direction, and rid themselves of the roadblock.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network