WEST CHESTER: THE "NEW" KENSINGTON

Well, it appears as though the scumbags have invaded West Chester.  It was only a matter of time, and an even bigger relief for me that I am in a relatively safe section of Northeast Philadelphia instead of a town that is starting to decline.

West Chester Police announced the arrest of four men as part of a massive cocaine and heroin operation that centered around the home of one Vincent Marchant and at the highly controversial Star Social Club on the 200 block of East Market Street.

Charges against Marchant were held in District Court on August 23, however, on-line records indicate that the case was nolle prossed on at his formal arraignment on September 2 (CP-15-CR-0002922-2010). Though it's not clear why the case was withdrawn from Common Pleas Court, it appears that the U.S. Attorney's office may have taken jurisdiction of the case.  Why else would there be 11 arrests over a five day period involving drug transactions allegedly overseen by Marchant?

Marchant, you may be surprised to learn, has a bit of a history with the county and state prison systems.  Well, readers of my former blog might not be, but anyway:

• 1995: Marchant pleads guilty to Aggravated Assault after an August 1994 incident in East Goshen and is sentenced to 11 1/2-to-23 months at CCP (CP-15-CR-0002832-1994)
• 1995: Marchant pleads guilty to three separate PWID cases (CP-15-CR-0000516, 0000518, and 0000519-1995) and is sentenced to 30 months to 7 years in state prison.
• 2002: Marchant pleads guilty to three separate PWID cases (CP-15-CR-0003050, 3051, 3052-2001) and is sentenced to 5-to-10 years in state prison.

If the allegations are true, then what were the people in charge of the Star Social Club, who have already come under fire from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board after a 2008 raid (after which the LCB "assisted" the club's management in complying with the Liquor Code), thinking in allowing Marchant - a two-time loser under the state's drug dealing laws - to be on the property?

Section 4-493 (14) of the Liquor Code reads as follows:

It shall be unlawful ... [f]or any hotel, restaurant or club liquor licensee, or any retail dispenser, his servants, agents or employes, to permit persons of ill repute or prostitutes to frequent his licensed premises or any premises operated in connection therewith.

One would think that Marchant would fit the description of a "person of ill repute" but then again, the Pennsylvania liquor bureaucrats tend to be more of a "wink and nudge" enforcement agency when it comes to establishments.
In any event, on the heels of the arrest of four men over the weekend, West Chester Police have arrested three more defendants, who were arraigned earlier this afternoon:

• Holly Anita Ridgeway, 43, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000286-2010);
• Roger W. White, 44, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000287-2010); and
• Eriberto Roman, 40, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000288-2010).

All three defendants were arraigned on charges of Criminal Soliciation-PWID and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility.  Roman was also arraigned on charges of PWID and Possession of a Controlled Substance.  They were committed to Chester County Prison in default of $250,000 cash bail, with preliminary hearings scheduled for November 4.

In addition, West Chester Police have issued warrants for the arrests of five other suspects as part of the investigation:

• Tanya Lomax, 44, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000281-2010);
• Marta Marquez, 39, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000282-2010);
• Robert Ross Kullman, 30, of Honey Brook (MJ-15104-CR-0000283-2010);
• Garfield Meachem, 57, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000284-2010);
• Joshua Wilkins, 26, of West Chester (MJ-15104-CR-0000285-2010).

All five face charges of Criminal Solicitation-PWID and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility.  Lomax, Marquez, and Wilkins also charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Arrests and/or arraignments for all five suspects are pending.

If it weren't for the fact that a major state university and the Chester County government also call West Chester home, then the borough would really be no better than Coatesville, or even Kensington.

Of course, that's just my opinion ... and as always, you're entitled to it.

LOOKS LIKE HE CALLED IT - PLUS MORE ARGUEMENTS FOR "ROY II"

In a posting last week, I had noted that Delaware County Daily Times Phillies beat writer Ryan Lawrence had posted a scenario in the Daily Times on July 11 in which right fielder (and alleged blackjack pro) Jayson Werth, who is slowly devolving into Pat Burrell circa 2003-2005, would be traded for prospects, then in turn, the prospects would be traded away for a front line starter.

Well, after Jamie Moyer's career appeared to have, for all intents and purposes, ended last night after one inning in St. Louis, the pressure is on for the Phillies brain trust to bring in another top of the line starter to fill Moyer's slot.

ESPN's Jayson Stark and Buster Olney had separately reported that the Phillies were in discussion to (1) trade Werth to the Tampa Bay Rays and (2) attempt to acquire Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros.

Here's what Lawrence said about such a scenario:

Here’s something to stuff in the G.M. suggestion box: Phone a friend (Ed Wade?) and be the ringmaster in another multi-team trade to send free-agent-to-be Jayson Werth out (Boston?) and bring a top-of-the-line pitcher in.



Would it weaken the team? Possibly. Although he has struggled lately and is as streaky as any hitter in baseball, Werth’s right-handed power bat may have more value in the Phillies’ lineup than what he would bring in return. He has batted behind Ryan Howard the last two seasons and both have enjoyed extensive success at the plate during that time.


But as the days pass and the Phils don’t announce a contract extension for Werth, it seems likely that he’ll go to the highest bidder after filing for free agency in November. Rather than wait for draft-pick compensation, the Phils may be better off trading Werth in the next three weeks.


They also have Brown waiting in the wings.


Would the Phils be too left-handed heavy with the left-handed hitting Brown replacing Werth? Not as much as you might think.


When Placido Polanco mends, the Phils will have three players — Polanco, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino — who could be the right-handed bat to break up the Chase Utley-Ryan Howard-Raul Ibanez-Brown run of lefties. Plus, you could platoon Brown or Ibanez with right-handed-hitting Ben Francisco.

But here is why executing a three-team deal to send Werth out makes the most sense: If you’re landing a top-of-the-rotation pitcher who is signed beyond 2010, you are undoubtedly upgrading your team?


What would you rather have: Werth for 2½ more months, or Roy Oswalt/Danny Haren for the next year-and-a-half and Brown in the majors?


If the Phils can land two decent prospects for Werth and package those with their own top pitching prospect, Jarred Cosart, don’t you do that if it means pairing Roy Oswalt (3.08 ERA this season, 3.22 ERA in his 10-year career) with Halladay and Cole Hamels at the top of your rotation?

Oswalt, who is making $15 million this season, is owed $16 million in 2011 and has a club option for $16 million — with a $2 million buyout — for 2012.

It’s a deal that would improve the Phils for this year and next.

So, nearly 10 days later, it looks as though Lawrence's "suggestion" may be coming to fruition.  The third team (Boston) may have been off, but if it's any consolation, at least the team reportedly involved (Tampa Bay) is in the same division.

So, if this Werth-Oswalt trade plays out, here's something for Phillies fans to chew on.  Oswalt is having a decent, if not great, season for a terrible Houston team.  Cliff Lee, who would've been a Phillie this season had he not been shipped off to Seattle (and, later Texas) is also having a decent season, but then again, so is Roy Halladay, the player who essentially took Lee's slot in the rotation.

Another possibility for the Phils, albeit a remote one, is Arizona starter Dan Haren, although this would run the risk of turning into a debacle, a la Joe Blanton.

So, at the risk of sounding redundant, here's how the stats of potential Phils Oswalt and Haren, current Phillie Halladay, and former Phillie Lee stack up:

Cliff Lee (combined stats for Seattle and Texas)

8-4, 2.59 ERA, 15 starts, 6 complete games, 1 shutout, 121 2/3 innings, 97 strikeouts, 7 walks, 8 home runs allowed, .231 opponents average; 3 starts where he surrendered 5+ runs: May 5 for Seattle vs. Tampa Bay (5 runs, 4 earned in 8 innings), May 21 for Seattle vs. San Diego (8 runs, 7 earned in 6 1/3 innings - his shortest outing of the year), and July 10 for Texas at Baltimore (6 earned runs in a complete game loss).  And remember that Lee missed the first few weeks of the season with an injury.

Roy Halladay

10-8, 2.40 ERA, 20 starts, 7 complete games, 3 shutouts (including that perfect game at Florida on May 29), 154 innings, 134 strikeouts, 19 walks, 13 home runs allowed, .248 opponents average; 4 starts where he surrendered 5+ runs: April 26 at San Francisco (5 earned runs in 7 innings), May 23 vs. Boston (7 runs, 6 earned in 5 2/3 innings - his shortest outing of the year), June 15 at the Yankees (6 earned runs in 6 innings), and this past Sunday at Chicago (6 runs, 5 earned in 6 innings).

Roy Oswalt

6-11, 3.12 ERA, 19 starts, 1 complete game shutout, 124 innings, 117 strikeouts, 23 walks, 11 home runs allowed, .220 opponents average; 2 starts where he surrendered 5+ runs: June 5 vs. Chicago Cubs (6 earned runs in 7 innings) and June 27 at Texas (8 runs, 7 earned in 4 2/3 innings).  His shortest outing of the year was on May 31 vs. Washington, where he surrendered 4 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings; he left his last start on Sunday at Pittsburgh after four innings after suffering a left ankle contusion in the second inning off a Pedro Alvarez liner.

Dan Haren

7-8, 4.60 ERA, 20 starts, 1 complete game, 135 innings, 133 strikeouts, 27 walks, 21 home runs allowed, .287 opponents average; 7 starts in which he surrendered 5+ runs: April 10 vs. Pittsburgh (6 runs, 5 earned in 6 2/3 innings), April 20 vs. St. Louis (7 earned runs in 6 innings), May 16 at Atlanta (7 runs, 6 earned in 4 1/3 innings), May 27 at Colorado (8 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings), June 17 at Boston (6 runs, 4 earned in 5 2/3 innings), June 23 at St. Louis (5 runs, 3 earned in 8 innings), and on Friday at San Diego (6 earned runs in 5 innings).

With the exception of 2001, where he pitched in 28 games while starting 20, and 2003, where he started 21 games, Oswalt has started an average of 3x games for the Astros.  In 2003, Oswalt was placed on the disabled list with a strained groin on July 20, 2003 and stayed there for the rest of the season.  Oswalt spent the last few weeks of last season on the disabled list with lower back inflamation (retroactive to September 16, 2009).  So take that for what it's worth.

Still, in the overall scheme of things, the best move for the Phillies at this stage would be to do everything possible to obtain Oswalt, as he's signed through next season (with a club option for 2012).  Having a top three rotation of Halladay, Oswalt, and Cole Hamels (who has been getting better this season) certainly couldn't hurt the Phillies as their chances of a 4th consecutive division title slip away.

MEDICAL DRAMA THAT I COULD DO WITHOUT

The last 48 hours have been, shall we say, interesting.

Sometime during the early morning hours on Saturday, as I was walking to catch the 60 bus on Allegheny Avenue after stopping at a 7-11, I woke up surrounded by two female good samaritans and two medics from the Philadelphia Fire Department.  I have no idea how I ended up on the ground, nor do I know why it happened, but suffice to say, I was knocked out somehow.

One of the good samaritans stated that I had suffered from a seizure, which was very strange, since I've never suffered from a seizure before in my life.  At least that I'm aware of (I obviously don't recall my medical history from childhood).

Within minutes, I was at the emergency room at Temple Univerisity Medical Center - Episcopal Campus on Lehigh Avenue, Kensington.

After about three hours of sitting in a waiting room, it was determined that I had suffered a "closed brain injury" (read: a concussion), though I really have no idea how everything went down.

One minute I was crossing Westmoreland at Kensington; the next minute, I was on the ground.  Nothing was taken from me, so it couldn't have been a robbery.  Almost all of my aches and pains are on the left side of my body - abrasions to the elbow, bruises to the shoulder, thigh, and chest area - though I also had a laceration to the right ear and a bump on the head behind the right ear.

I get to the ER at Episcopal, and after a CAT scan, I was sent on my way three hours later.  The ER staff at Episcopal (1) never requested to see my ID during registration, or if there was a registration, I wasn't aware of it, (2) did not check any of my vital signs, and (3) didn't really do much testing other than the CAT scan.

So, after wondering if the ER at Episcopal rushed my treatment - or supposed lack thereof - I went to Chester County Hosptial to get a second opinion.  Let's just say the testing performed was night and day different from Episcopal.

I had a light flashed into my eyes on at least three separate occasions during my stay at CCH (compared to none - that I'm aware of - at Episcopal), I had blood drawn, and a urine sample was taken.  There was no need for any X-Rays, since there was no visible bruising (this despite a hell of a lot of pain).

The diagnosis, however, was the same.  No damage or any after effects from the concussion, nor was there any way that it could be determined if I in fact had a seizure (or if whomever called it in to 9-1-1 maybe misinterpreted what they saw as a seizure; I don't know).

Suffice to say that at least I'm still up and walking around, albeit with a hell of a lot of pain.  I can only raise my left arm to a 60 degree angle or so without feeling pain, lifting my left leg is pretty painful, and bending down to tie my shoes isn't exactly a ball of fun either.

But, at least I'm alive... Thank god...

In closing, let's just say I wouldn't wish a trip to the Episcopal ER on my own worst enemy.

OSWALT vs. HAREN - WHO WOULD YOU WANT?

As the Phillies start the second half of the season, the latest trading deadline rumors have the Phillies actively seeking to acquire either Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt or Arizona pitcher Dan Haren.  So, if it came down to those two, which one would you rather see in Phillies pinstripes?

Fortunately, since I have too much time on my hands, here's a breakdown of stats for both pitchers and their respective contracts, which should make for some interesting debate.

Roy Oswalt

Oswalt, a 10 year veteran who has played his entire career with the Astros, turns 33 on August 29.  He is making $15 million this season, and is slated to make $16 million next year with a club option for 2012.

Oswalt is 6-10 in 18 starts, but has a 3.08 ERA (slightly below his career ERA of 3.22), has struck out 112 and walked 33 over 120 innings.  He has surrendered 11 home runs, but did pitch a complete game, 1 hit shutout in his last outing on July 8 vs. Pittsburgh.  Opponents are hitting just .213 off him this season, 5th best in the National League (by comparison, Roy Halladay's stats for the Phils so far - 10-7, 2.19 ERA, 7 CG, 128 K, 19 BB, 11 HR allowed, opponents hitting .246).  This is Oswalt's worst season of his 10 in the bigs, but in his defense, he plays for a pretty crummy Houston team.

In Oswalt's first eight seasons in the majors, he averaged 16 wins per season, including a pair of 20 win seasons in 2004 and the Astros' pennant winning season of 2005.  Oswalt has been dependable this season, going at least 6 innings in all but two starts - May 31 vs. Washington (2 1/3 innings, 4 earned runs) and June 27 at Texas (4 2/3 innings, 8 runs, 7 earned).  Oswalt has had only one other start where he was shelled, and that was on June 5 vs. the Chicago Cubs, who torched him for 6 earned runs over 7 innings.

Dan Haren

Haren, who turns 30 on September 17, is in his eight year in the majors.  Haren began his career with St. Louis in 2003 before being traded to Oakland prior to the 2005 season.  He is currently being paid $8.25 million by the Diamondbacks this season, is due $12.75 million in 2011 and 2012, and has a club option for 2013.

Haren is 7-7 in 19 starts with a 4.36 ERA, has struck out 125 and walked 26, but has given up 19 home runs, which makes Haren tied for 3rd in the National League with Cole Hamels in that category.  Former Phillie and current Brewer Randy Wolf leads the NL with 21 homers surrendered, and, with the two homers tonight against the Cubs, Jamie Moyer likely moves into 2nd with 20. 

Opponents are hitting .283 off him this season.  Haren has averaged 14 wins and 34 starts over the previous five seasons with the A's and Diamondbacks.

Hurting Haren's ERA were six games in which he surrendered 5 or more runs - April 10 vs. Pittsburgh (6 total, 5 earned), April 20 vs. St. Louis (7), May 16 at Atlanta (7 total, 6 earned), May 27 at Colorado (8), June 17 at Boston (6 total, 4 earned), and June 28 at St. Louis (5 total, 3 earned).

So, what next?

Oswalt would seem to be a better fit for a pitching staff that has Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer (tonight's debacle at Wrigley notwithstanding) and two major question marks (Joe Blanton - the mother of all epic pitching fails this season - and Kyle Kendrick).  Considering his numbers this season for a pretty bad Houston team, perhaps a change of scenery to Broad and Pattison will help.

On the other hand, Oswalt's contract is double that of Jayson Werth (last year of a 2 year deal worth $7.5 million per), who the Phillies are reportedly trying to trade.  The payroll was a big reason why the Phillies didn't keep Cliff Lee (or so they claim).  If the Phillies weren't willing to keep Lee past 2010, would it seem likely that they keep Oswalt to 2011 or 2012?

Meanwhile, Haren is less expensive and is still three years younger than Oswalt.  However, the things against Haren is that teams would have to give up more to acquire him in a trade and Haren's erratic and borderline Blanton-esque outings this season are bound to give fans at the Bank more heartburn before Brad Lidge throws his first warmup pitch.  It would be a pretty dubious feat to have three pitchers in the top four in homers allowed in your starting rotation.

If the Phillies are committed to getting back into, at a minimum, the Wild Card race, it would be best for them to pursue Oswalt.  One trade rumor that had been circulating was a three-way deal between the Astros, Phillies, and Red Sox, in which Oswalt comes to Philly, Werth (and his beard) are traded to Boston, and some prospects are traded from both the Sox and Phils farm system.

I don't remember the exact rumor off the top of my head, but that was one variation of the rumor.  Though no teams were mentioned, had Werth being traded for prospects to another team (read: Boston), who in turn would be traded for a front-line starter (read: Oswalt).  At least that's what Delaware County Daily Times Phillies beat writer Ryan Lawrence threw out there in his blog on July 8.  Subsequent speculation is what filled in the blanks.

While it would be tempting to go for the cheaper Haren, the Phillies would essentially be stuck with another Joe Blanton.  That would pretty much end any shot at a third straight pennant.

Of course, that's just my opinion ... and you're entitiled to it...

SAY GOODBYE TO THE R5 (in name only at least)

PHILADELPHIA - Come July 25, the R5 (along with the R1, R2, R3, R6, R7, and R8) as most commuters know it will vanish into the history books.

On that day, SEPTA will officially drop the R designations and refer to it's Regional Rail lines by line names only.  For example, the R5 Paoli-Thorndale Line will simply be referred to as the Paoli-Thorndale Line. The only other Regional Rail line that will see a significant name change is the soon-to-be-former R6 Norristown line, which will be re-branded as the Manayunk-Norristown Line.  SEPTA will also be branding it's Regional Rail lines as a single color instead of the several different colors used to designate each rail line.

The new Regional Rail line names had been given a "soft launch" in recent weeks, as the R-desingators were removed from all city and suburban transit timetables starting with the June schedule change.  This marks the latest "re-branding" SEPTA has done for it's lines over the past couple of years, which has also inlcuded:

• The re-naming of the Route 100 rail line between 69th Street Terminal and Norristown as the "Norristown High Speed Line."
• The re-branding of all light rail lines - city and suburban - as a single color (green) on the SEPTA rail map.
• The discontinuation of the term "subway-surface" to designate the Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36; they are now simply "trolley lines."

Separate from the name changes, SEPTA will be adjusting schedules on most of it's Regional Rail lines with the exception of the Airport, Chestnut Hill West, Cynwyd, and Warminster lines.

But, as long as were changing the names of most of the rail lines, why stop there?

Presently, there are eight bus routes that have letters as opposed to numbers.  This is a holdover from the old days in which bus routes were designated with letters and trolley and trackless trolley lines were designated with numbers.  During the 1980's and 1990's, most of the lettered bus routes were rebranded into numbered routes (for example, the E bus was re-branded Route 65).  The last route to be re-named was Route X between Chestnut Hill and Northeast Philadlphia via Glenside and Jenkintown, which is now Route 77.  This took place in 1995.

As long as SEPTA is making changes to everything else in the system - including renaming Pattison station after a major telecom company whose cell phone service leaves a lot to be desired - perhaps it's time to finish re-naming all of the remaining lettered bus routes into numbers.  There are enough gaps in the numbering system to make this possible.

For example, Route C - of which there are two separate branches that are essentially be two separate routes - would be re-named Route 41 (Cheltenham and Ogontz Avenues to City Hall) and Route 51 (Fern Rock Subway Station to Broad and Geary Streets).  SEPTA, in fact, attempted to re-name the C a few years ago as part of one of the doomsday route restructuring.

The Ogontz to City Hall branch would've been branded Route 41, but have been cut back to Olney Terminal; the Fern Rock to South Philly branch would've been named Route 72 and cut back to Broad and Erie.  Outcry from transit activists (save for the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, which supported the plan as part of its platform to redirect passengers off of bus routes and onto the more efficient rail system) put a stop to that plan and similar plans to cut back the 3 bus to Front and Berks and the 31 bus to 63rd and Market to avoid duplicating the El.

As for the other lettered routes:

• Route G between Overbrook/Lankenau Hospital and South Philadelphia would be re-named Route 45.
• Routes H and XH between Broad and Erie and Ogontz Loop would be given to separate designators: the H via Mount Pleasant and Easton Road would become the 63, while the XH via Washington Lane would become the 69.
• Route J between Germantown and Frankford would become Route 76.
• Route K between East Falls and Frankford would become Route 49.
• Route L between Olney and Erdenhiem/Plymouth Meeting Mall would become Route 16.
• Route R between Wissahickon Transfer Center and Frankford Terminal would become Route 4.

The reason the 74 designator is not being used in this example is becuase I have on at least two occasions over the years proposed that Route 74 be a limited stop bus route along Roosevelt Blvd. between Frankford Terminal and the Neshaminy and Oxford Valley Malls.  Despite the fact that the existing 14 bus is extremely busy, it's a long, lumbering trip because of all the stops along Roosevelt Blvd.

Also, Route 78 is being held as a proposed new route connecting the IRS campus in Northeast Philadelphia with Cornwells Heights Rail Station and 30th Street Station.  The rumored new route, which is scheduled to be launched in September, is being designed primarily for IRS workers whose shifts end after the R7 (oops, I mean, Trenton Line) ends service for the night.

Speaking of bus routes, since SEPTA no longer refers to the Market-Frankford Line as the "Blue Line" or the Broad Street Subway as the "Orange Line" - this was a half-hearted attempt to turn the SEPTA urban rail system into WMATA's MetroRail system as far as naming was concerned - answer me this.

Why are the night owl bus shuttles for both rail lines still referred to as the "Blue Night Owl" and "Orange Night Owl" when the colors are not used for the rail lines themselves?

Perhaps it's time to give these routes numbers instead.  San Francisco and Chicago have overnight routes with dedicated numbers that are not used during the day, so why not SEPTA?

Hence, the Market-Frankford Owl is designated Route 81, while the Broad Street Owl is designated Route 82.

See?  Problem solved.  Of course, this being SEPTA, the chances of any of these bus route name changes ever taking place are slim and none.

Of course, that's just my opinion... And, as always, you're entitled to it... =)

RECAP OF ALL STAR HOME RUN DERBY (Round 1)

Now, for the benefit of those who have yet to become followers of me on Twitter, here’s a recap of my running commentary from last night’s first round of Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby.  Unfortunately, some technical issues prevented me from covering the final two rounds, but it looked pretty obvious that David Ortiz was going to win, much to the delight of Red Sox Nation.

Anyone who has ever read Bill Simmons’ columns at ESPN.com may recognize the format, up to and including a few references that you may or may not understand.  This is just a sampling of what you will encounter when your humble blogger gets into gear for football season.

My #Home Run Derby prediction: Chris Berman will annoy the hell out of me and lots of homers will be hit #Duh

The obligatory warning that Chris Berman is about to butcher yet another telecast for ESPN.

I don't want to say #Train was bad, but they should rename themselves "Vespa". #WorstTrainFailSinceSEPTAR5

I would've rather heard @SonOfADeitch @ToddZolecki duet of "Purple Rain" with @ryanlawrence21 on backup #vuvuzula than #EpicTrainWreck

@KevinMcAlpin @CrossingBroad I'm trying to remember the last time Train was relevant... This may take a while

While I didn't hear the actual performance, I did read a lot of the comments on my Twitter feed.  Suffice to say that it was not exactly one of the best performances in sports event history.  Kinda ranks right up there with the Destiny's Child fiasco at Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Center.  Remember when some of the girls came out wearing Laker colors at what was a 76ers home game?

By the way, when was the last time that Train actually came out with a good song?  I can't seem to remember.  The reference to "Purple Rain" is an inside joke between a couple of columnists who in recent days have been commenting about various karaoke performances over the years.  I'd explain it more, but you have to follow me on Twitter...

First round of #HomeRunDerby: Chris Young (ARZ), Vernon Wells (TOR), Corey Hart (MIL), Nick Swicher (NYY) ...

#HomeRunDerby lineup cont.: Matt Holliday (STL), "Lil' Cuz" (BOS), Hanley Ramierez (FLA), Miguel Cabrera (DET)

The starting line-up... Self explanatory.

Chris Young (ARZ): 1 (or as many HR as Matt Stairs in '08 NLCS) #Homerunderby #MLB #YesAMattStairsReferenceInHRDerbyTweet

So how does this Chris Young guy get into Home Run Derby and neither Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, or Albert Pujols take part?  Meanwhile, I couldn't resist a Matt Stairs reference after Young's epic fail first round.  After all, Stairs only hit the most important home run in Philadelphia sports history since 1980...

Wells (TOR): 2; 1, 1 HR (hahaha); 2, 2 HR (hahaha) #Homerunderby #MLB #CountVonCount

The first two #HomeRunDerby participants were paying tribute to the #WorldCup final with their low output

Wells wasn't muich better in his first round effort than Young was.  So we went from 1 home run to 2 home runs.  Pretty natural segue, right?  That is, if you remember Sesame Street.

BTW, the #HomeRunDerby tracker at mlb.com - far superior to espn.com. TAKE THAT STUPID SCOTT!

There were stretches when I wondered if espn.com was actually working last night.  They seemed to lag significantly with the updates.  However, mlb.com not only had it's live home run tracker working, they also had the ESPN feed from the Home Run Derby.  Which is how I was able to keep track of the first round last night.  Thumbs up, mlb.com!

Hart (MIL): 13; If only the rest of the Brewers were more interesting than the sausage racers #HomeRunDerby #MLB #BratwurstsTopSupporter

Wasn't it just a couple of years ago when the Beermakers were actually a playoff contender?  Just saying.  Anyway, Corey Hart didn't exactly stick with the pattern as far as home run counts were concerned.  Although, there was a "3" at the end of his count, so the pattern kinda held true.


Speaking of mlb.com, they're running a live feed of ESPN's coverage of #HomeRunDerby; feel free to mute Berman and A-Rod

Correction: Feel free to mute Berman and "A-Roid" #HomeRunDerby #RepairingBotchedJoke #OhAndJoeMorganToo

@phillykelly i think everyone would be more happy if i took chris berman's job.

@phillykelly I know I would be... You and @hewish with @SonOfADeitch doing the interviewing #ChicksDigLongBall #HomeRunDerby

See later in this post for a link to Berman's "greatest hits" - such as they are.  One of my followers, Kelly Bloor, offered the suggestion that she took Berman's jobs.


You know, Berman was funny about 25 years ago when I was much younger.  Now, not so much.  Berman is the sportscasting equivalent of 50,000 vuvuzulas going at full blast.

Swisher (NYY): 4; Well, it was almost numerical order if Hart would've hit 10 fewer (1, 2, 13, 4) #HomeRunDerby #MLB #Numerology

The pattern has returned! Yay!


WHOA! What's with that dude in the Angels jersey with the Mohawk? Perhaps the only #Train fan at Angel Stadium #HomeRunDerby #BadHairDay

Seriously.  This dude was wearing an Angels jersey and had a mohawk dyed in Angels red.  Ye gods...


Holliday (STL): 5; For those who had Holliday as your winner, you're in pretty good shape right now #HomeRunDerby #MLB #GoodPredictionFiles

That would've been Epic Fail City had Holliday not rattled off four in a row to finish #HomeRunDerby #MLB #ComebackKid

Holliday was down to his last out when he ripped off four home runs in a row.  Several prognosticators had chosen Holliday to win Home Run Derby and it had looked as though those prognosticators would have been off.  And, to make things more interesting, the pattern continued!



I didn't realize that David Ortiz was having a better year than I thought... So much of that "Lil' Cuz" crack earlier #HomeRunDerby #MLB

Young and Wells are eliminated. Bye fellas. #HomeRunDerby #MLB #Blanton'd (early exit references)

Ortiz (BOS): 8; Not quite "Big Papi" yet ... more like "Older Bro" (hope this is @phillykelly approved) #HomeRunDerby #MLB #CheckForRoids

I guess this shows how much attention I've been paying to the Red Sox this season.  I knew that Ortiz was struggling a little bit at the start of the season, but 18 ding-dong-kabooms at the All Star break isn't too bad.  I had made the "Lil Cuz'" crack not knowing this, so I slowly promoted him to "Older Bro".  Round two kinda put Ortiz back to "Big Papi" status again...


HanRam needs five to send that Yankee home... Anyone outside of NYC okay with this? #HomeRunDerby #MLB #IfYouDidntKnowIHateTheYankees

Hanley Ramirez - he of the lack of hustle that resulted in his benching earlier in the season - would've made 90 percent of baseball fans very happy if he advanced to the next round by getting more than 5 home runs.


Will Ferrell: Very funny in Anchorman. Other than that ... meh #HomeRunDerby #MLB #WillFerrell

Again, self explanatory.  Although a lot of people tell me that Ferrell was more entertaining than Berman was during his appearance on the telecast.  Again, I wouldn't know, I had the telecast on mute.  Anyway, I thought Ferrell was hilarious in "Anchorman" but I found some of his other movies ("Talladaga Nights" comes to mind) less funny than some of his Saturday Night Live work.  Not that I particularly care for SNL to begin with...


It is high, it is far, Swisher is Goooooone!!! Yankee loses, THHHHEEEEE YANKEE LOSES!!! #HomeRunDerby #MLB #BadJohnSterlingImpressions

This was after HanRam's 6th home run sent Swisher home.  I always love taking shots at the worst baseball announcer in the world (yes, Phillies Nation, there are worse announcers than Chris Wheeler).

Ramirez (FLA): 9; As long as he doesn't do that against the #Phillies, I'm okay with this...

Oh, and it's raining again in West Chester... Consider yourself warned, Delaware Valley #WeatherAlert

As soon as I wrote this, another band of rainstorms barrelled through West Chester.  Anyway, as long as HanRam doesn't go ding-dong-kaboom against the Phightins, I really don't have a problem with him taking out a member of the Evil Empire in the Home Run Derby.

Holliday is now over; back to work, St Louis #HomeRunDerby #MLB #WillAvoidTheObligitoryMadonnaJoke #hrderby

HanRam also knocked out Holliday, ending his Home Run Derby.  I was so tempted to break out the Madonna song, but opted not to.

Cabrera (DET): 7; And that conlcudes the first round coverage of #HomeRunDerby, I'm ctrabs74... #MLB

@ToddZolecki at the editors desk, our engineer @SonOfADeitch, and your conductors @phillykelly @hewish @kchristine #spoofingkyw1060andSEPTA

You know when KYW News Radio does their "You give us 22 minutes" line at :15 and :45 after every hour before the sports report?  The announcer typically runs down who's at the editors desk and who the engineer is.  Anyway, you know you can't really run a SEPTA Regional Rail train without a conductor and ticket collectors, right?

For those intrested, it's NL 28, AL 21 after Round 1; No reported Drew Brees sightings, though #HomeRunDerby #MLB #AlmostFootballSeasonYAY

Or, as Jayson Stark was quick to point out, it was the same number of total home runs (49) that were hit in the first round of last year's Home Run Derby.  Unfortunately, I couldn't cover the rest of the derby because:

Computer acting up at bad time; lost feed. GRRR. Well, I guess that wraps up my #HomeRunDerby coverage for tonight...

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

@Phanatical Everytime we get hit with a "back back back back!" I answer with "quack quack quack quack!" Can't help it! #HRDerby #ASG #MLB

In case anyone wanted to endure torture not involving a vuvuzula, here's what Phanatical was talking about.

In closing, though, I guess it's safe to say Ortiz goes through to the finals... #HomeRunDerby #MLB #JustAHunch

That was pretty much a foregone conclusion after the second round.  It may be safe to say that "Big Papi" is once again "Big Papi" much to Kelly's dismay (sorry, babe).

In any event, the next posting will be sometime tomorrow, though I have no idea what I will be blogging about yet...

SENSELESS SHOOTING AT SEPTA STATION

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police are investigating a shooting at a major West Philadelphia transit hub in which a high school student was killed yesterday afternoon.

At around 13:30, police were dispatched to the SEPTA Market-Frankford El station at 52nd Street for a report of a shooting.  Michael Anthony Parker-Barham III, 17, a student at University City High School, was struck three times - in the chest, shoulder, and buttocks - as he entered the station.

Barham was removed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Investigators say that at least 14 shots were fired into the station.  Police have not revealed a motive for the shooting, however, at least one person told the Philadelphia Daily News that the victim was reportedly among a group of teens who stood outside the station selling loose cigarettes for 50 cents a piece.

Not so surprisingly, investigators appear to have been stymied by people who may have been at the scene but chose not to stick around to help solve the crime.  The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that at least a dozen people may have been in the area at the time of the shooting.

Of course, the video cameras at the El station should be able to provide clues as to the identity of the shooter.  Presuming, of course, they were actually working, which, given SEPTA's track record over the years, is no guarantee.

This is the second major violent incident at a SEPTA station in as many months.  A man was stabbed at the Oregon Avenue station on the Broad Street Subway last month, in an incident where numerous passengers fled the station after the stabbing, but none reportedly could be bothered to call 9-1-1.

Yeah, I'm sure people still feel safe riding SEPTA.  Just remember to (1) bring your bulletproof vests and (2) remember to call 9-1-1 instead of SEPTA Police.

SO, WHAT'D I MISS?

On a day after my muscles were aching from being in air conditioning for extended periods last week, I went down to Ocean City, Maryland for the day.  Unfortunately, the rain decided to come along for the trip as well.

There is bus service that operates from Wilmington to Rehoboth, where you can connect to a system of shorter routes that connect the Rehoboth boardwalk, Lewes, the Del. 24 corridor, and Ocean City via Del. 1.  Once you get to Ocean City, bus service along the main drag, in theory, runs pretty frequently, although there are stretches where you could wait 10-15 minutes between buses, then have 4 or 5 buses show up within the next 10-15 minute stretch.  Think of it as a coastal version of SEPTA's 47 bus.

So, how is it that the State of Delaware can have such foresight to operate a decent bus system for it's beach destinations but New Jersey Transit can barely get bus service to shore points in South Jersey not named Wildwood or Cape May?  Wanna get to Sea Isle City, Avalon, or Stone Harbor via NJ Transit?  Good luck with that; it's virtually impossible other than about 5 or 6 daily round trips scattered throughout the day.

And while we're on the subject, is there any particular reason why the Delaware River and Bay Authority - who operates the Cape May - Lewes Ferry - can't be bothered to run shuttle buses that meet all ferry arrivals at the Cape May (actually, Lower Township) terminal?  A two hour walk along poorly lit U.S. 9 and other back roads through Lower Township and West Cape May just to get to the bus terminal in Cape May City is not enjoyable, especially when it's dark out...

So, I heard there was some bike race in West Chester yesterday.  What was it, the "Tour de Farce" or something like that?  It certainly must have been if the Chamer of Communists (uh, I mean, Commerce) of Greater West Chester is involved.  Anyway, don't expect me to comment much further except to say that I'm glad I wasn't there.  Too bad they didn't have a fight break out as was the case after Stage 6 of the Tour de France...

Oh, and the Phillies swept the Reds in a four game set at The Bank.  Tell me, where the hell was this team when they lost two of three to Those Braves?  Anyway, the Phightins have always been a good second half team (as was the case in 2007 during the chase for the first of three division flags), so to be 4 1/2 back of My-Lanta and within striking distance of the Metropolitan Soap Opera of Flushing, Queens going into the All-Star Break considering that the Phils resemble a MASH unit more than the defending National League champs is no cause for panic.

And Brad Lidge actually got both of his batters out today in earning his 6th save of the year.  (And there was much rejoicing, yay)...

And, finally, the World Cup is finally over.  You can now resume your lives, already in progress...