BY SPENCER REITER, Contributor

After an intense two weeks of winter meetings in the Phillies organization, with the signing of Roy Halladay, Phillies fans have yet to shift their focus from pitching. The team’s main focuses going into this off-season were their troublesome bullpen and shoring up the rotation, but as we get even closer to Spring Training, there is still plenty of work to be done.

With the signing of Roy Halladay the rotation for this season seems to be extremely dangerous, except for the few missing pieces, and what crucial pieces they are.

The Phillies still need to find the final  part of their rotation. Many have wondered what Jamie Moyer’s role will be with the organization this season. Moyer, 47, who has been an effective pitcher through his storied, lengthy big league career, had a somewhat rough season last year and was hurt for the end of the season and the entire postseason. Whether or not Moyer can bring himself to become healthy enough to become a starting pitcher again remains a question mark. Team doctors are saying his procedure should allow for him to fully recover and pitch with out issue this season. However, so far, things have gone far from routine. Moyer has been back in the hospital with complications from the proceedings since his postseason operation.

As of now it looks like Moyer could play an important role in the Phils bullpen. Moyer, who is known as a off speed pitch type of guy, could be helpful by switching up the flow of the game. With pitchers like Halladay, Hamels, Blanton and Happ, who all have good fastballs, Moyer would be able to change the tempo of the game.

Finally a man we would all love to see in the final spot of the rotation, Pedro Martinez. Although he struggled after first joining the team, Pedro proved himself as a Phillie in the postseason, pitching a few wonderful games. If the Phils choose to sign Pedro again, he would continue to be a great help to the rotation, and definitely a reliable contribution to the team.

To then pen we go now, where the Phillies are looking to improve a shaky, to say the least, group from 2009. While there are no signs of the Phillies acquiring someone who could change the bullpen drastically, the Phillies still have some key players who can help improve the pen with experience. J.C Romero, who missed the first 50 games, for testing positive to banned substances and then battling an injury last season, could be a huge factor in the bullpen, and help secure the middle and late innings, which was the main problem for the team last year.

Ryan Madson, although put in at times as a closer last year to help the struggling Brad Lidge, could become a threat for late innings to set up Lidge. With closing pressure off of his shoulders, Madson will now be able to work on his pitching for the late innings, and therefor become more effective when it matters.

Finally, Lights Out Lidge will be back to join the Phils for another year. We all know how Lidge struggled all through last year, coming off a perfect season in 2008. Charlie Manuel showed the fans numerous times he had faith in Lidge. Faith is a good thing, but your gut feeling isn’t always going to work out. This season, Lidge needs to work on his mental preparation, and getting out of bad situations. If Lidge is able to accomplish this, we could see the old, perfect closer we had in ‘08. The bullpen needs some work, but don’t doubt that the Phillies will do everything they can to improve on a talented nucleus.

If the Phillies can put together these two main factors, it should make for a successful season.

BY HOMER PLATE, Columnist

All I want for Christmas from each Phillie is…

Ryan: Please, I don’t mind the strikeouts every other at bat. But for Christmas this year, can you give me one where you don’t look like an epileptic on ice skates?

Chase: How about a smile? You have an $86 million dollar contract or so, get some dental implants and open up that yap. Also, for one game could you get a big giant perm? That whole Gumby character thing you got going on is a little creepy. If you ever crash into the Delaware on the way home from the Bank, Greenpeace is gonna be all over your ass for the massive oil slick you cause. Hell, I went to the Maine Moose Mating festival last year and it didn’t compare to your volume.

Mr. Rollins: All I want from you is to know what the hell your nickname is. Is it J-Ro? J-Roll? Jelly Roll? Jelly freakin Crimpet? Boston Creme? Chicken McNugget? How about if we call you “not hitting .179″ 58 games into the season next year.

Placebo Polanco: Who the hell names there son Placebo? I mean, I have a brother named Pharmaceutical Trial but he was born in the Philippines.

Raul: The only thing I need from you is to show up after the 4^th of July. I know we love ya brother but cha gotta do more than chew tobacco in August and September.

Shane: I doubt you will, but please don’t bitch about being in the seven-hole. Just think of yourself as the ugliest dude at a drunken orgy. Speaking of ugly dudes, as long as I’ve been alive I never thought I would see an uglier dude than Tom Petty. Then I saw the guy that played Vince Papale’s dad in Invincible. They mentioned his wife died of a disease. Marrying him, my guess is she blew her brains out when she got laser correction surgery.

Jayson: Could you just hit me one homerun without being one of the Three Little Pigs huffing and puffing and blowing my damn house down? Every time you swing I keep thinking Whitney Houston is about to move into the on deck circle reviving her role in “Waiting to Exhale.”

Carlos: Dude, you are so boring you’ve stumped the plate miester! But you are the man!

Doc: Welcome to the world of Homer Plate. I’ll keep this short. All I want from you is a record of 25-2, 13 complete games and be able to go every three days in the playoffs. We know ya got it in ya!!!

To all of you who have sent kind words since I joined High Hopes, thank you very much and I hope you keep reading. I will begin my annual holiday break after Christmas with my annual foray into the world of skanky naked chicks and massive amounts of drugs. Actually, I will be chillin’ with my cats, watchin’ the Owls win that bowl game, and hopefully, not shoveling any more snow. To the reader who wants a little less Camden Karen in his world I have met your demand. But she would like to offer this one line of a famous Yule tune….

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth….actually, she has them, they are just all black and funky and she can’t see them.

—

Holiday Note: Homer realizes that some of his word play can be offensive to some. Please understand that Homer is just having fun and understand that no one is perfect and Homer would never try to hurt anybody’s feelings. Except Howard Eskin’s, I suppose. But he is a dill cricket. Bye for now!

BY SPENCER REITER, Contributor

Philadelphia has done a good job of keeping the sports world on its heels this past year. This month itself, has been interesting for the city’s sports teams, and has caught the attention of fans everywhere. The moves, trades and pickups Philly has made this past year has made Philadelphia and the sports world talk like teenage girls gossiping at the high school lunch table.

Of course the Phillies made a huge trade this past week, shipping ace Cliff Lee to Seattle as part of a three-team trade to bring Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. While in Philly, there were mixed reactions, the rest of the country seemed to be a tad confused with this deal. Fans of course saw this past year how Cliff Lee pitched in the playoffs, and saw the deal as risky. Some wanted Lee to stay, and forget about Halladay, because he has already proved himself as an effective Phillie. Others hated the fact that Lee wanted to “explore” the market, which, for some, proved that his ego’s as big as Shaq’s bicep, and were just as ready to see him go. But whatever your stance is, Lee’s out and Halladay’s in and it’s got everyone talking.

Another move that has had people talking is the 76ers signing back old friend Allen Iverson. “The Answer” was loved in this city and when people heard he was coming back, they were again a mix of both enthusiastic and puzzled by the move. Fans wondered if this move was purely a stunt by general manager Ed Stefanski to plant more butts in the seats, which have been cold during Sixers games the last few years. And they were probably right, but he sure does entertain you.

One of the most controversial pick ups of the year is the Eagles picking up “The ConVICK”, Michael Vick. The entire sports world was shocked, especially Philadelphia, when the news broke on the Eagles signing the convicted dog fighter. No one expected Vick to get picked up so fast after getting out of jail, especially by a team who already has a solid number one quarterback and a backup who they selected with their forst pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. This news lead to a lot of publicity, mostly bad, however you know the saying, any publicity is good publicity. Of course, people were not happy with the signing of Vick, with the exception of a few fans who though he payed his debt and they might as well let him play. Either that or they were fans who just don’t care about what he did. At all. But not to get off one one of Homer Plate’s favorite tangents… However, as the year has gone on, people have seemed to come to ease about Vick. He has played well the past couple games and actually contributed to the community by helping out shelters and other community service projects.

The Flyers made the papers in Philly this season with a story other than them losing (ouch). In 2006, as the Flyers were at the very bottom of the NHL, they hired Jon Stevens, a coach who was supposed to help the Flyers get back to a place where they could win it all, but this season the organization made a surprising move in firing Stevens. Fans thought Stevens was doing a good job, and it was the players faults for not playing up to their standards. Now, Peter LaViolette has the reigns and hopes to steer the Flyers back on the winning track. Unfortunately, not all is going according to plan.

These four major teams in Philadelphia are always keeping us Philadelphians on our feet, as well as the sports world. So, while all of us baseball fans are bored during the off-season, we can be count on our beloved teams to keep up going and ready for April.

BY SHAY RODDY

It was a year ago today that I sat down at this very desk and wrote a goodbye post to Pat Burrell, the very first story that ran on Phillie Phanatics. That day, I knew nothing about blogging, little about writing and too little about how great the fans of this city are. I wrote nearly each day from there forward, covering Spring Training, Opening Day, the death of Harry Kalas, the Cliff Lee acquisition, the division title, the playoff run, the World Series, the GM Meetings, the Winter Meetings, the Roy Halladay trade, and everything in between.

Phillie Phanatics continued for about 10.5 months before a project I had worked for for weeks launched. The name was changed to High Hopes and we welcomed other writers into the fold. Homer Plate began his Out of Left Field column, Matthew Nadu joined, ready to lend his professional writing and broadcasting experience, and Spencer Reiter and Nick Staffieri began writing their brand of baseball.

I’d like to think we have established one of the better local sports blogs in the area. Obviously, we’re not quite into the upper echelon just yet, but we’re getting there. For only being around a year, I’m personally pretty pleased with our progress.

Of course, that all comes back to you folks. You are a part of the greatest fan-base in the world. You’ve proved it right here too. Thank you so much for your email, comments, phone calls, stopping me at the park, tweets, and any other way you’ve managed to get in touch with me. It adds a new meaning to what I write and keeps me motivated.

Please, continue to read High Hopes. Tell your friends about it, continue to comment, engage in discussion on the threads. Here’s to another great year of Phillies baseball!

BY SHAY RODDY

Cliff Lee was out one day on a hunting trip, just passing the time until Phillies Spring Training, probably relaxing and enjoying a cold one, when his cell phone rang. It was his wife, informing Cliff about the numerous rumors that had him being traded to Seattle in order for the Phillies to acquire Roy Halladay. But that’s all they were, rumors. Lee had no idea that the rumors were very real.

Lee hadn’t heard anything from the ball-club he helped to the World Series, nor from his agent. He had his agent call the Phillies who told Lee that they had no idea where these rumors were coming from and that there was nothing behind them.

With that, Cliff put his phone down and continued hunting, figuring there was no way he would be anywhere beside Philadelphia in April.

But he was wrong. Because, two days later the Phillies held a press conference introducing Roy Halladay, their newest ace, as part of the reported deal that shipped Lee to Seattle.

And Cliff Lee was shocked.

He held a conference call with local media, stating his disbelief. “The next day I was going hunting again on the Mississippi River and I got the call from Ruben [Amaro Jr.] on the way there and he told me that it’s for sure,” Lee said.

“At first I didn’t believe it because I thought we were working out an extension with the Phillies,” Lee continued. “…Obviously this goes to show this is a business and you never know what’s going to happen until you have a full no-trade clause.”

But now, Lee moves on to Seattle, where he’ll be met with the task of trying to get a team into the playoffs, in a spot to contend with the Phillies for the World Series.

“That’s what every player that plays this game should strive for, to get to the World Series and win it,” Lee said. “I’m hoping that’s Seattle this year. If it is, I’m all for it. That’s a huge part of it for me….

“I’m looking forward to helping the Mariners win. My initial reaction was disbelief and shock. After it sank in and I got to looking at that Mariners team and what’s going on there, I liked what’s happening there and I’m going to do everything I can to help them win.”

As far as his time in Philly goes, “I thought I was going to spend the rest of my career there. I loved my time there in Philly.”

And you know what Cliff, we loved your time here too. Thanks for everything. And just for old time’s sake- CliftonPhiferLee.com.###

BY HOMER PLATE, Columnist

Okay, it looks as if the deal is done. And what a crazy deal it has been. I feel like I’m sitting at the final table at the World Series of Poker and Janet Reno is the dealer. But there is one thing that has really startled me over the past week and that is the reaction of the fans to this massive millionaire prisoner exchange. And that is are we really better off with Halladay than Lee?

This is all simply attributed to what I call “the known vs. the unknown.” To put it into perspective, I had my weekly visit with Camden Karen on Monday night and normally, I come out of that meeting feeling like Michael Jordan after one of his championship wins. This time, however, for some reason I felt like Magic Johnson.

This queasiness and random itch led me to my family doctor, who’s name is oddly enough, Dr. Tre Base. Doc Tre did a thorough exam and thank God, God, God, came back with the somewhat embarrassing, slightly boily, yet highly curable diagnosis of “testicular fungi.” My doctor is a bit of a loop job and he entered the treatment room dressed in full astronaughtical gear and historically proclaimed through his ridicules helmet….”This is one small step for man, one giant leap for manfunk” as he launched 750 cc’s of penicillin into my right arm. He then gave me my follow up treatment which oddly enough is called “ball baster.” I really don’t want to read the instructions…”baste your balls every fifteen minutes?” Talk about taking care of the holiday bird. But thank God I will pull through.

You see, this is exactly what all of you are going through (sans ointment). How you ask (you should know better than to ask me a question)? I spent the day dealing with the known vs. the unknown. Did I simply suffer from my biannual batch of crotch crickets or was my Aunt Betty going to have to crochet me a quilt of remembrance?

And this is the Lee – Halladay dilemma. We know what we have with Cliff Lee. Forget the crazy numbers put up for the better part of a decade by Halladay. Forget that he mows down the Yanks and Sox like Camden Karen on her riding mower in the back yard of her vacation home on the water in the lovely port of Kensington.

I also tend to think that there is something else we are all missing here. I think there is something with Cole Hamels that Ruben isn’t telling us. I don’t think that Lee and Hamels were a good fit. Halladay is just a hard working, Hall of Fame pitcher. Maybe Cole will be a little less intimidated by him and get back on track. Because whether it is Lee, Halladay, or a reincarnation of Cy Young, if Cole doesn’t win 15 strong next year, I’m bustin’ out my crochet needles and makin’ him a quilt.

BY MATTHEW NADU, Contributor

No it wasn’t a dream, the Philadelphia Phillies are still haggling a deal to get righty ace Roy Halladay.

Yet going into day two of discussions over whose going where, the whole situation’s turning into a nightmare, at least for everyone not getting Halladay.

After speculation from various sources that the Phillies would not part with beloved prospect Kyle Drabek the tides have shifted and it appears both Drabek and Cliffy Lee will both be shipped out of Philadelphia.

As it stands, the Phils would receive Halladay from Toronto, pending a physical on Tuesday and $6 million from Toronto to help cover the $15.75 million due to Roy Boy in 2010. It is also being reported that he will sign a 3-year extension worth another $60 million with a 1 to 2-year option after that.

It is also speculated that Phillies will receive Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and pitcher Juan Ramirez from Seattle, who will receive Lee.

General manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. made it clear last July and throughout the winter meetings in Indianapolis last week that the Phils would not send Drabek north of the border while corner outfielder Domonic Brown would become major trade bait but it appears that Brown will be staying in Philly while the untouchable will be manhandled in the trade.

Drabek will join Michael Taylor and catcher Travis D’Arnaud in Toronto.

But why get rid of Lee?

Halladay and Lee, both Cy Young winners would give Philly the best 1-2 punch in baseball but like all things in this dark world it comes down to cash.

Simply put- Halladay wants to sign with Philadelphia for below market value while Lee wants to try to get Sabathia money on the market and honestly if you could rock $100 million, who’d go elsewhere too.

The Phillies also couldn’t get rid of the $6.5 million owed to Blanton to clear room on their $140 million budget to keep both pitchers for 2010.

Finally the trade for Halladay doesn’t go through unless the Phils give up Lee to Seattle.

Watch out! The underlying key to the trade is Dominic Brown. Shane Victorino and Jayson become free agents after next season. Keeping a powerful and promising Brown is key in the scheme of the Phils as they look to move the prospect into a corner outfield spot because let’s face it, one of those free agents will be outta here.

BY SHAY RODDY

Just a bit earlier tonight I sat down and chatted with two of our staff writers, Matthew Nadu and Spencer Reiter about the possibility of Roy Halladay coming to Philadelphia.

There’s information that is rapidly changing, speculation that seemingly comes from nowhere and all sort of other craziness to this scenario. The most recent information I have received indicates that the deal is being ironed out, sending Halladay to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to Seattle as part of a three-team trade.

Other reports indicate that another deal could be in the works including Joe Blanton and/or J.A. Happ who both took physicals today.

We try to break it down, as best we could for you in this High Hopes Podcast!

BY HOMER PLATE, Columnist

As we all sit here and drool over the possibility of having the best pitcher in baseball locked up for four years (actually, I’m drooling over the possibility of my favorite porn site giving me a free month subscription for December….I think the promotion is called “From Our Yule Log To Yours” or something, but I will update you on that later) I would like to shed some light on the dollars being tossed around.

It amazes me how we throw around the words $20 million a year. Having some past experience with money ( I beat my sister in Monopoly in 1988), I would like to put in perspective what $20 million a year for 3 years really means.

Let’s assume that Halladay has already earned a cool $50 million during his career. Now we add $75 million for the next four years. That is a total of $125 million large. Besides being able to buy more naked chicks and drugs than all of us put together, and I’m not talkin bout Camden Karen and two bottles of cough syrup here, I’m talkin about Congressman quality hookers and great coke, the number are truly staggering.

Here is how his money breaks down. After taxes, he would net give or take about $50 million. Yep, almost half to the tax man and a big chunk to agents and lawyers. Now, before you get all teary eyed and start dialing up Camden Karen, let me show you how $50 million really works.

First he would take about $10 mill to buy some homes, cars and other fun stuff and just have some cash for a rainy day. Then, he would get himself around $25 million in municipal bonds which would pay him about $750,000 a year tax free for many, many years. That’s right, about $60,000 a MONTH just to get out of bed….oh, and did I mention that he never touches the $25 million? Now, there is still $15 million floating out there in his wallet. Put $10 mill of that in the market for long term and the last $5 mill would be in US government bonds just in case everything blew up. Also, those US bonds would toss another $20,000 a month into the income basket but he would have to pay taxes on that! Damn, life sucks!

So there ya have it, $80,000 a MONTH rollin in and you still keep your money. Sucks to have that kind of cash, huh.

If he is really smart, he would take some advice from the Son of Shep and get himself a few poodles, some jumper cables and a hose and he could generate himself some back up quarterback money as well.

Everyone is also bringing up whether or not Halliday can perform in the post season? Would you mind if I use Shakira here again as an example? After watchin those hips swirl like a Baskin Robbins blizzard, do you have any doubts she’d be a dud in bed? Hell, she would raise more tents then the annual boy scout trip to that creepy ass island in the middle of the Delaware.

So after all is said and done, I think that this is a great move for the Phils. If Lee wants to go for the extra money (haha) then so be it. Big Roy obviously wants to put a nice, gaudy ring on his finger and hopefully two or three. And with that 80k a month rollin in, he can get Shakira off meth.

BY SHAY RODDY

Sources are saying that the Phillies have agreed on a three-team trade that would send Roy Halladay to Philadelphia likely and Cliff Lee to Seattle. Presumably, prospects will be included as well, though the source could not say who else might be included.

Around the time High Hopes learned of this, Jon Heyman reported the same on SI.com, originally saying the deal was done. Now he admits to being a bit quick with the trigger-finger, saying that the deal may not include Lee, however he would be likely a part of the trade.

Bottom line is everyone’s saying something different. What I heard initially is that the deal is as good as done.