For most of us, having our team be 5 games back and pulling off one of the biggest trades of the season to give our team the most dominant 1-2-3 starters in the league would be all we could hope for.  Certainly, Atlanta, who leads the Phillies by 5 games, must be concerned.  And, odds makers somewhere just changed the betting line on whether the Phillies will return to the World Series.  If Philadelphia makes it back, it will be the first time in about 70 years since a National League team made 3 appearances in a row.

If I were sitting in the stands last night or today in Philadelphia, I would be so unbelievably excited.  After all, I want my team to win.  The baseball season is growing old, and the time to make the push is now, and finally, the Phillies seem to have the guys running the show that want to win as much as I do.   What more could a fan want?

Roy Oswalt was acquired for JA Happ, a young pitcher with a high-ceiling who has been injured so much this year, if I’m a Phillies fan,  I haven’t really gotten to see him pitch.  I don’t really know what he can do.  The Phillies also gave up two guys I haven’t even heard of.  Its seems brilliant.

And it could very well be.  The Phillies, if they make it back to the World Series this year, could ride this run for a couple of years.  Oswalt along with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels are under contract through 2012.  That should make a lot of Phillie fans feel secure.  But the Phillies traded away Cliff Lee last off-season because they were concerned about their minor leagues and concerned about payroll.  Adding Oswalt, who is making more than Lee cannot help that latter concern.    And Oswalt is older than Lee.  By 2012, the Phillies will no longer be that really young scrappy team.  With several Octobers notched on their belts, those veterans will have played considerably more games than any other players and a much more intense and stressful level.  These guys are going to look old.  And will the organization have the money to fill in the holes around them and survive season-ending injuries?

Again, it comes back to short- and long term decision-making.  While in some ways, the trade of Cliff Lee and then the acquisition of Roy Oswalt might actually be a balance of both- with the acquisition of younger players for Lee- one has to ask if the team has just boxed it itself into a win now at all costs approach.  It might be the right thing to do, because  the reputation the team is building over these past three years can carry them into sold-out houses for some less than successful years.  And hopefully, the team can rebuild quickly during that time with these young players they are filling their system with.

But if I am a fan of the Phillies today, I don’t care about next year.  I really don’t care about two years from now.  Of course, its nice to be able to say my team is building a winner responsibly- but that doesn’t really help you in October.  Today, Phillies fans should rejoice.  The odds just tipped in their favor.  Lunch is free for now.  The Fighin’ Phils have the best 1-2-3 punch in the National League.

Buck Showalter will be the next manager of the Orioles and this has to make many an Oriole fan happy.  Showalter is the first real name to manager the team in a very long time, and he comes with a strong reputation for discipline and fundamentals.  And that is something that this Orioles organization needs.  No one is going to get away with any lazy or sloppy play on the Camden Yards diamonds.

As the past couple of managers have had stars to deal with, Showalter will not.  He will have a lot of very young players, and some very talented ones. And those players don’t need a manager to be their friend, they need someone who will show them how to succeed. This Mike Kingman piece traces Showalter’s history, and speaks of his strong relationship with his father, who passed shortly after Buck took over as manager of the New York Yankees in 1991.

At first, I wasn’t too keen on this hiring- it seemed like going to far the other way from where the team was.  But after doing my reading yesterday and this morning, I think I have done some warming up.  Besides, Showalter doesn’t have to be the manager forever, but for the next few years he can help the franchise remember what is like to want to win.  This quote from Don Mattingly about Showalter as his manager confirmed that he is the right guy for the Orioles- just what they need right now.

“We were floundering, and Buck gave us stability,” said Don Mattingly, New York’s six-time All-Star first baseman. “Buck kept saying, ‘We’ve got to get guys in here who are bothered when we lose, and get rid of those who aren’t.’

There may have been some other candidates out there who could do the same thing.  But the difference here is Buck Showalter has the reputation to impress the owner- a less experienced manager might waiver under the eyes and the temper of Peter Angelos.  Showalter will gain the respect of Peter Angelos the tighter he takes control of his team- and that right there will help the organization. This is a move that will change the American League East, maybe not tomorrow, but in years to come.

Going to just do a quick overview of all the trades on the last 24 hours here:

Scott Posednik to the Dodgers for two minor leaguers

Benefit to the Royals- they make room for Alex Gordon to play every day in left field, with no one sharing the position, and they get two players who are further along developmentally then what they thought the could get for the compensation picks if he signs elsewhere in the off season.  One of those minor leaguers, Lucas May is a catcher and batting .296 in AAA.

Benefits to the Dodgers- They get a good bat to replace Manny while he is on the DL, and real threat off the bench once he returns, and Posednik is a pretty cheap solution.

The Tigers acquire Johnny Peralta from the Indians for minor-league pitching prospect Gionvanni Soto

The Tigers get someone who can hit and play third while Brandon Inge recovers from a broken wrist- simple as that.  Peralta can play a few positions, so if Inge returns, Peralta can help  rest others down the stretch.

The Indians get a pitcher who they project to be a part of the major league club.  Soto is at single A with a 2.61 ERA.  They weren’t keeping Peralta past this year, so the deal gives them something tangible for him and relieves some salary crunch.

Astros could trade Oswalt to the Phillies- pending his approval

Probably don’t need to tell you that the Phillies get a third ace pitcher- which helps them a ton as they race towards October.

The Astros get some relief from Oswalts contract next year, and it sounds like JA Happ, a young starting pitcher and a handful of lower lever players as well.  They truly can begin the rebuilding process.

There was much talk yesterday about how the Hall of Fame is changing its rules for electing both officials and those players that did not get in via election from the baseball writers.  Those not elected will be grouped by era: 1871-1946, 1947-1972, and 1973- present.  Its easy to see why these era’s were created- pre-integration, post-integration and post free agency.  The rule has been made to lesson the difficulty with comparing the importance of players and officials from different eras to the game in any one era.  Yesterday, many were buzzing about how this could help George Steinbrenner, as he really was one of the most important piece of baseball post 1973, as noted in this Tyler Kepner piece.

Steinbrenner isn’t the only person this is going to help.  Marvin Miller could be the other big winner, as without him their would be no free agency.   And now, instead of being compared to officials from other eras, or even players from other eras, he will stand against those in the post 1973 era and he will shine.  They rest all stood on his shoulders- and that has to be recognized.

The committees to elect each will come from current members of the Hall who played during those eras.  That will help both Steinbrenner and Marvin as well.  No longer will Miller be kept out by players who didn;t benefit from having a union.  Now, players like Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, and George Brett will be voting of the post 1973 group, while Willie Mays, Yogi Berra and others who may not appreciate free agency in the same way will elect the best from another era.

This shift should also help all those specialists who didn’t exist prior to the 1970s.  The closers and the designated hitters that have long been help out of the hall should get another chance- if they were really that good- by getting on the ballot of their peers.

And it could, in the long run, change the way the steroid era is viewed.  In a few years, there will be the peers of Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds in the hall.  And after both have gone through, and been passed by, the regular election procedures, a jury of their peers will decide if they were really the best in the era, or if steroids changed everything.

The Hall will be shaped by those who are already inside.  And that should be exactly how the change should happen.

Pardon the Interruption this morning.  There were some technical difficulties that should never have happened- but you know what?  Its hard to keep ones on eye on the ball and mind the details sometimes.

Due to the difficulty this morning, we are going to save this week’s prize for next week, and make this week’s contest a grab bag.  This could be a number of items that I have gotten as I have traveled around, that are too small to be a prize all by themselves, or it could be a bigger prize tailored towards your favorite MLB team.  To win, be the first to answer the question correctly in the comment section below.  This one will be open to everyone.

Tuesday Trivia Grab Bag

Trivia Question:  Yesterday, Matt Garza pitched a no-hitter, the first in the history of the Tampa Bay  franchise.  Not bad for a team that had been no-hit already once this year.  if you have been watching Sportscenter in the last 24 hours, you will know the answer to this- what two teams still have never had a no-hitter thrown by one of their players?

How do you beat the Yankees?  Remember last October, when the Yankees became World Champions again, there was outrage among non-Yankee fans about the bombers payroll.  How could any other team compete?  Well, the Angels, and the Rangers earlier in the month both showed you how.  You don’t have to have more money, you just have to draft more potential players- and you have to make a deal that will take the Yankees coveted player out of the reach of that team in The Bronx.

The Angels yesterday traded for Dan Haren, the Diamondbacks pitcher according to most media outlets going into the weekend was destined to be the next guy in pinstripes.  Anaheim made the move to try to thwart- or maybe match- the Texas Rangers who is gaining a pretty good lead in the AL West.  But the Angels also took a talented pitcher out of the Yankees reach- when the Yankees needed it most. Don’t worry too much Yankee fans- there is still Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly and a couple of other talented guys who can eat some innings for the bombers before the deadline passes.

But there are enough teams still in pennant races needing starting pitching, and with strong prospects to trade that the Yankees might find it tougher to get the starters at the top of the heap.  They may have to take someone from a team that purely needs to dump salary- and those deals don’t happen until the last day of the trade deadline, when a team gives up hope of getting anything back.

The Yankees will be there in October.  They will still have the highest payroll in baseball.  But, for the moment at least,  it looks like they may not have the pick of every player on the market.  The question is will that help the other teams once October arrives.