***The Official Philadelphia Phillies 2013 Thread***

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  • jamminpearlsjamminpearls Posts: 7,078

    So the Phillies TV deal kind of sucks?

    Not if there gettn 100mil a year for 25.
    Well that is what they are getting but that's a lot less than all the other recent ones. Yankees, dodgers, Astros and Texas all have significantly bigger deals singed in the past couple years. People had to be expecting more than $100mil. Don't get me wrong. It's a huge amount of money and is more than they are currently getting and will not doubt help but I don't think it's a game changer by any stretch of the imagination
    That's because they only negotiated with Comcast. They could of had more but went this route instead.
    Go Birds!!!!
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,710

    So the Phillies TV deal kind of sucks?

    Not if there gettn 100mil a year for 25.
    Well that is what they are getting but that's a lot less than all the other recent ones. Yankees, dodgers, Astros and Texas all have significantly bigger deals singed in the past couple years. People had to be expecting more than $100mil. Don't get me wrong. It's a huge amount of money and is more than they are currently getting and will not doubt help but I don't think it's a game changer by any stretch of the imagination
    That's because they only negotiated with Comcast. They could of had more but went this route instead.
    That makes less sense than giving Ryan Howard a contract two years to early.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    it is a ridiculous amount of money in line with what kind of market this city is:
    http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

    it enables the phis to always be one of the top 5 or so spenders in the game for the foreseeable future, which is about what we all expected, i think. just gotta spend it right. looking at you, ruben.
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  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,710
    edited January 2014

    it is a ridiculous amount of money in line with what kind of market this city is:
    http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

    it enables the phis to always be one of the top 5 or so spenders in the game for the foreseeable future, which is about what we all expected, i think. just gotta spend it right. looking at you, ruben.

    But the Phillies were already a top 5 spender. As the article and ownership says, this doesn't change much but provides stability. I do find it interesting that this could be the last of the big deals. Not even a third of the league seems to have gotten in on it in time.

    Post edited by Cliffy6745 on
  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953

    So the Phillies TV deal kind of sucks?

    Not if there gettn 100mil a year for 25.
    Well that is what they are getting but that's a lot less than all the other recent ones. Yankees, dodgers, Astros and Texas all have significantly bigger deals singed in the past couple years. People had to be expecting more than $100mil. Don't get me wrong. It's a huge amount of money and is more than they are currently getting and will not doubt help but I don't think it's a game changer by any stretch of the imagination
    That's because they only negotiated with Comcast. They could of had more but went this route instead.
    That makes less sense than giving Ryan Howard a contract two years to early.
    Yes, that doesn't make a lick of sense -

    This essentially falls in line with what I was saying earlier: that these deals have been absolutely ridiculous, and that the Phils will get a modest deal but it won't be insane like the previous one. And this will probably be a good thing.

    I wouldn't be shocked if these cable companies end up defaulting on these payments because the revenue just wont be there down the line for the likes of The Rangers, Angels, Dodgers, Padres, etc.

    Keep in mind I believe teams like The Rangers are getting less payments from the RSN - something like $80M/yr or something. Point being getting an additional $100M/yr (even if it escalates per year) is nothing to sneeze at. Especially, since I have a feeling that this bubble is going to burst for other teams.... and the Phils are still getting their money comfortably from Comcast without the thought of this bubble bursting on them.

    Then there's the advantage of the Phils gaining a 25% stake in CSN (again), AND we don't even know what kind of revenue they bring in from advertising since they handle all that themselves. Remember that this is a very secretive organization, and I'm sure what they're bringing in by charging their own terms for advertising is huge.

    And, finally, going back to the genius comment about the Phils not wanting to negotiate with anyone else....yeah, no....the point is Philadelphia is OWNED by Comcast and that's never going to change. The Phillies most likely had zero leverage in creating a bidding war, as the Dodgers were able to do (and why that deal was so large), since the Republic of Comcast own this area.
  • The FixerThe Fixer Posts: 12,837

    polaris_x" said:
    [quote="The Fixer"]Anyone else considering the amsterdam or stockholm shows?
    i did the stockholm show last time they were there ... if you are planning to go - i can offer some pointers ... although probably not as well as the locals of course ...[/quote]

    I was considering until I saw how much flights were from Philly. After a ton of US shows this year and the MMJ One Big Holiday in Mexico next month, I can't swing it. I could hit a bunch of shows for the same amount.

    Can't hit them all I guess.

    Oh and I went to Butcher and Singer for lunch Monday 8-)
    Those damn burgers...

    Nice dude. I really wanted to hit that MMJ shit, but my national sales meeting is the same week. Only week of the year I cannot do. My sales meeting is always a good time (taking the wife out to san diego for a few days beforehand), but I wish it was a different week.

    I want to do a europe show or two, but I don't think it's gonna happen. Have a bach party to plan, but most of the guys are lame and will want to do something shitty like AC (we aren't 27 anymore)
  • The FixerThe Fixer Posts: 12,837

    So the Phillies TV deal kind of sucks?

    Not if there gettn 100mil a year for 25.
    Well that is what they are getting but that's a lot less than all the other recent ones. Yankees, dodgers, Astros and Texas all have significantly bigger deals singed in the past couple years. People had to be expecting more than $100mil. Don't get me wrong. It's a huge amount of money and is more than they are currently getting and will not doubt help but I don't think it's a game changer by any stretch of the imagination

    It's bad. Typical phillies. Apparently fox sports wanted a presence in a major NE market and was willing to break the bank for the phils TV rights. Sounds like the phils jumped the gun and re-upped with comcast. why? well because they're the phillies and they're one of the worst organizations in sports. they gave comcast a discount for no apparent reason other than they have done business with them before. it's just like giving ryan howard a franchise crippling contract because he had a couple of good seasons.

    in summary, they are fucking morons. I'm sure amaro will spend any extra money they have wisely. I can see him giving another closer a record deal...even though he's already ridiculously overpaid adams and papeldouche.

    god I hate rooting for these idiots
  • The FixerThe Fixer Posts: 12,837
    Dodgers recent TV deal gives them average annual rights of approx $320 million. the Phillies new deal gives them average annual rights of $100 million.

    At the phils peak of popularity in 2011, the phils averaged 300,000 viewers per game...LAD averaged 125,00.

    Phils could have gotten way more than what they agreed to with comcast. this is a prime example of montgomery and the rest of the owners grabbing easy money in spite of what's best for the team and fans.

    what a joke...I implore the rest of you to cancel your season tix if you haven't done so already
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    i'm not sure how you write an entire article critiquing the phillies broadcasters without mentioning fucking tom mccarthy, but none the less, this is a good read. the first two commentators are on the ball with mccarthy being the biggest problem though. i've been saying it the last couple years, the thing that has made these last couple years tougher to bear is that we have to listen to these schmucks call the game. at least growing up we had harry and whitey guiding us through baseball misery...

    http://www.thegoodphight.com/2014/1/7/5267382/what-do-we-want-from-baseball-announcers


    What Do We Want From Baseball Announcers?

    By RememberthePhitans @CthuL0L on Jan 7 2014, 11:00a 41
    LA in LA. - USA TODAY Sports

    We all whine about Chris Wheeler. Many of us love Scott Franzke. Why? What makes one gag-worthy and the other a pleasure to listen to?
    Tweet (6) Share (6) Share 41 Comments

    Here is the current Phillies broadcast team. All of us have our favorites and our whipping boys. Like Chris Wheeler, though I am loath to put "Chris Wheeler" and "whipping" and "boys" in the same paragraph. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but I digress.

    I have listened to a fair amount of baseball in my time, mostly over the radio, and I have been spoiled. I listened to the Orioles as a kid and got large doses of Chuck Thompson at my grandparents' house in Severna Park. Later, I got to spend time listening to Jon Miller at my mother's house in Parkville, but not for long enough.

    At my grandparents' house in western PA, my primary source of Phillies TV was the 8 foot satellite dish that brought in TBS and WGN. I loved the Cubs in the NL East, even though I had to deal with Harry Caray and a declining Phillies team getting whooped up on by the Cubs. Still, my baseball schedule was a prized possession, since it let me know when I could actually see a game on TV.

    For actual Phillies-side coverage of games, we were all blessed with Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn, especially during that magical 1993 season that brought me back from the baseball dead.

    I can tell you that I loved Chuck Thompson, Jon Miller, and Harry Kalas. Scott Franzke is not in that league yet, but he is my current favorite of all the broadcasters who cover the Phillies.

    What is that je ne sais quoi that makes us enjoy some announcers while we loathe others? That's what I'm after, but it is elusive. Mostly, I am looking for something that isn't there.

    There is a restaurant on North Charles Street in Baltimore. It serves Indian food from a small basement space. You have to walk down from street level to get there. It has been a fixture on the Charles Street restaurant map for a long time. It is the Akbar. No, it is not a trap. They have great food, good prices, and excellent service. If you go there, things magically appear and disappear. Your water glass is empty, and then you turn around and it is full. You are not confronted with a toothsome, sassy, corn-fed teeny-bopper who thinks that smiling and chatting you up is good service. "No, I did not go on a date with *you*, Ms. Applebee's waitress -- my date is across the table from me. Now buzz off."

    This illustrates something about my favorite announcers. Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn. Can you hear that mike picking up nothing but stadium sounds for 5, 10, maybe 15 seconds sometimes? Remember that? That's my broadcast team right there. Lay off the caffeine and keep your mouth shut sometimes. It's the notes you don't play in jazz. Ashburn and Kalas were perfect.

    Silence today is lost revenue. Why not work in "safe and secure at second" for a few bucks? Because it is aesthetically appalling. I can live with it though -- that sort of thing has been with the game for a long time, and it helps to pay the bills. How about filling that time with an inane and irrational anecdote that flies in the face of baseball research for the last 30 years? Wheeler.

    Silence and letting through just the crowd and the ballpark -- that takes you there. It works leading up to a big pitch in the crunch or during the Sargasso Sea of middle innings where my recaps sometimes take a "Here there be (boring) monsters" turns.

    This gives me my first and most-important rule for baseball announcers:

    Rule #1: Be quiet once in a while. Push the envelope here.

    Why do I loathe Chris Wheeler? He's violating Rule #1 by trying to say too much, and therefore he ends up saying nothing useful, but it is more than that. It is possible to be inane and be entertaining. That's the stock in trade of Gary Matthews, but he's kind of endearingly goofy. Wheeler is just annoying.

    Larry Andersen used to annoy me more when he was new and he forced bits or small set pieces. The forced bits and set pieces were a war on silence, but he does them much less now, and he's better for it. Now, his interaction with the play-by-play (Franzke now) seems more natural. I like his grumpy homerism. He's still capable of being fun and going down some strange roads, but he's somehow not annoying. He'll also be quiet once in a while.

    Rule #2 is more of a corollary or something. "If you have nothing to say, don't say something just because you have a mouth and you are still breathing through it."

    Rule #3 is kind of my "Are you from Saber or are you from Venus" issue.

    Newsflash: Readers of this site are not typical baseball fans. Whoa! Really? Yup. You pay extra for this kind of analysis, folks.

    In his defense, Chris Wheeler is doing his "broadcasting" for baseball fans of all stripes. Imagine the financial reporter who is trying to reach an audience including you, your parents, and the now retired (I guess) Ben Bernanke. There are millions of listeners who have checking accounts, but maybe just one who reads the Beige Book. A commercial broadcast will skew toward less Bernankishness.

    We all get this. But during games, I tend to forget it. My memories of Chuck Thompson, Ashburn and Kalas, and Jon Miller all predate my current baseball fandom, which is light years past my unenlightened understanding from 5+ years ago. #sabersince09, right?

    Franzke and Andersen incurred my wrath at times last year for riffing on WAR, but we do hear more about OPS and OBP than we used to. Still, if I want heavy-lifting analysis, I am not relying on the announcers to give it to me. They are not Fangraphs or TGP. They can't do it on the fly anyway.

    I need to learn to accept that I will not get a hard core stats team. It will not happen anytime soon, certainly not in Philadelphia.

    Rule #3 is for me, and not the announcers: "Accept that traditionalism will rule the airwaves for at least another 10 years, so engage the past with equanimity."

    A good, modern broadcast is ultimately one that is (1) cleanly narrated (2) without superfluous jibber-jabber and with (3) me being medicated with enough alcohol that I can dissipate my expectations for something better. There is definitely more to it, though, and I haven't sussed out all the Rules yet.

    Part of the problem, is that I only recently started to think about this in a way that was more than "Damn, Wheeler annoys me" and I'm still trying to figure it out. In thinking about broadcasters right now, I feel a little like I did when I saw Falling Water the first time, and I tried to explain how much I loved it to someone a week later, and I realized that I lacked basic vocabulary and technical knowledge that could help to explain exactly what it was that made it aesthetically appealing to me.

    When we hear "Vin Scully is great" or when silverbacks like me rhapsodize about Whitey and Harry, it's great, but it provides very little guidance to broadcasters as to what it is, exactly, that we want more of and less of. It's one thing to say, "That guy is great! Be more like him!" and it is another entirely to be able to explain exactly how to do that. It's definitely something I'm going to pay more attention to this year.
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  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,710
    Han Dynasty is one of the top 10 new restaurants in New York.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466

    Han Dynasty is one of the top 10 new restaurants in New York.

    CARTWRIGHT!
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  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    http://www.thegoodphight.com/2014/1/8/5288328/breaking-news-chris-wheeler-and-gary-mathews-out-as-phillies

    wheels and sarge are out! what are the odds this happens the same day i posted the above article?

    thing is, mccarthy makes wheels worse than he really is. they should both be out. and i like the unintentional comedy sarge provides.

    i wonder who will be the color guy now....la?
    www.myspace.com
  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953

    http://www.thegoodphight.com/2014/1/8/5288328/breaking-news-chris-wheeler-and-gary-mathews-out-as-phillies

    wheels and sarge are out! what are the odds this happens the same day i posted the above article?

    thing is, mccarthy makes wheels worse than he really is. they should both be out. and i like the unintentional comedy sarge provides.

    i wonder who will be the color guy now....la?

    Haha, was about to post this...

    Well, we're 50% of the way to where we wanna go...

    Here's to hoping LA and Franzke are making their way to TV. And not hoping this means they bring in some rando's...
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20140108_ap_cc1da3425c724e91a45bc1bc901a3bd7.html?239284481=Y&mr=1&submit=Vote&oid=1&pid=239284481&cid=8500281#poll_questions_top

    Among those thought be potential replacements are former Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who was 48-for48 in save situations during the 2008 World Series championship season, Chris Coste, a backup catcher on that team, and former All-Star closer Ricky Bottalico, who currently serves as a postgame analyst.
    Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20140108_ap_cc1da3425c724e91a45bc1bc901a3bd7.html#LbQ2Ii3df2kGpu1V.99





    i was reading the franske said he and la actually prefer radio....damn it.
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  • I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one, but I'll actually miss Wheels. Sure there's times I've yelled "No shit Wheels!" or "Will you stop trying to cover up for these morons?" or "You cheat at Dodge Stump The Fans!" at the screen. But I'm used to him. The same way you spend Christmas with relatives that may be annoying or embarrassing at times, you spend Phillies games with Wheels...who can also be annoying or embarrassing at times....but he's family.

    I'll tell ya what, I hate Bottalico and would be very angry if he became the new color guy. It'd have to do the old "mute the TV and listen to the radio broadcast" thing. Coste may be good. Wouldn't know what to expect from Lidge. If it was up to me, I'd just bump Larry Anderson up to TV.

    Hats off to the Big Hurt by the way. A true slugger.
    2000: Camden 1, 2003: Philly, State College, Camden 1, MSG 2, Hershey, 2004: Reading, 2005: Philly, 2006: Camden 1, 2, East Rutherford 1, 2007: Lollapalooza, 2008: Camden 1, Washington D.C., MSG 1, 2, 2009: Philly 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010: Bristol, MSG 2, 2011: PJ20 1, 2, 2012: Made In America, 2013: Brooklyn 2, Philly 2, 2014: Denver, 2015: Global Citizen Festival, 2016: Philly 2, Fenway 1, 2018: Fenway 1, 2, 2021: Sea. Hear. Now. 2022: Camden, 2024Philly 2

    Pearl Jam bootlegs:
    http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953
    Used to someone is no reason to keep him around. He's definitely not family. That pedophile does about everything wrong as a broadcaster, along with Tits McGhee, who is the real shame that they're not getting rid of.....

    I'm with you on Ricky Bo, cause F that never-did-anything meat head. I'd much rather have Mitch, or a good one they were talking about this morning that I could see, but probably won't happen, is Doc.

    The ideal thing to do is put Franzke and LA on TV, but I guess that ain't happenin.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    how funny would it be if manual got the gig?
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  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953

    how funny would it be if manual got the gig?

    Ha. I would love it. The irony would be steep and rich.

  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    i meant to bring this up a while ago. we went to cap grill in kop on new years eve....2nd time in a row there where i've been less than satisfied. can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason this one just does not seem as up to par as the one in the city. anyone else been to both?
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  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953
    edited January 2014
    Matt Gelb is a good (rational) writer.

    Like I've been saying, Phils had little to none leverage in these negotiations. Good article -

    http://mobile.philly.com/sports/phillies/?wss=/philly/sports/phillies&id=239703991
  • pjhawkspjhawks Posts: 12,417

    Matt Gelb is a good (rational) writer.

    Like I've been saying, Phils had little to none leverage in these negotiations. Good article -

    http://mobile.philly.com/sports/phillies/?wss=/philly/sports/phillies&id=239703991

    very good article. helps explain why Comcast was the only choice and that the deal is really worth closer to $200 million per year with the Ad revenue and the revenue from CSN.
  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953
    pjhawks said:

    Matt Gelb is a good (rational) writer.

    Like I've been saying, Phils had little to none leverage in these negotiations. Good article -

    http://mobile.philly.com/sports/phillies/?wss=/philly/sports/phillies&id=239703991

    very good article. helps explain why Comcast was the only choice and that the deal is really worth closer to $200 million per year with the Ad revenue and the revenue from CSN.
    No one said it's worth 200 mil/yr other than Boras. The point is getting a shit load of money isn't the end-game since you can't get blood from a stone.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466
    hopefully inga saffron approves.

    it does look cool....i just wish comcast was a better company and wish i could be proud of the fact they are from this town.
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  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,710

    hopefully inga saffron approves.

    it does look cool....i just wish comcast was a better company and wish i could be proud of the fact they are from this town.
    What's wrong with Comcast aside from everyone hating the cable company?
  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953
    Jesus.

    Comcastadelphia is even closer to happening. Literally. Christ.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466

    hopefully inga saffron approves.

    it does look cool....i just wish comcast was a better company and wish i could be proud of the fact they are from this town.
    What's wrong with Comcast aside from everyone hating the cable company?
    that's kind of the nail on the head there cliff, as they are first and foremost a cable company.
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  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,710

    hopefully inga saffron approves.

    it does look cool....i just wish comcast was a better company and wish i could be proud of the fact they are from this town.
    What's wrong with Comcast aside from everyone hating the cable company?
    that's kind of the nail on the head there cliff, as they are first and foremost a cable company.
    Ah, well all I know is that I have dealt with 2 cables companies in my life, Time Warner and Comcast and at least from where Time Warner stood 6 years ago, I would take Comcast ANY.DAY.OF.THE.WEEK over Time Warner.

  • Jearlpam0925Jearlpam0925 Posts: 16,953
    Sweet looking building, though. Just wish someone else was occupying it.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 48,466

    hopefully inga saffron approves.

    it does look cool....i just wish comcast was a better company and wish i could be proud of the fact they are from this town.
    What's wrong with Comcast aside from everyone hating the cable company?
    that's kind of the nail on the head there cliff, as they are first and foremost a cable company.
    Ah, well all I know is that I have dealt with 2 cables companies in my life, Time Warner and Comcast and at least from where Time Warner stood 6 years ago, I would take Comcast ANY.DAY.OF.THE.WEEK over Time Warner.

    I've switched back and forth between Comcast and Fios for over 10 years. Each experience is worse than the previous.
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