July 31 Philadelphia Daily News “The questions were everywhere. Coming off one of the most prolific seasons of his career, Raul Ibanez suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of a potential platoon situation. The club was about to call up its 22-year-old top prospect, presumably to share time with the veteran in leftfield. Ninety-four [More…]
July 23 Philadelphia Daily News columnist Paul Hagen “THIS IS THE busiest time of year here at Handy Dandy Advice Dispensary Inc. With the trade deadline coming up a week from tomorrow we are, quite frankly, swamped. So many helpful hints to hand out, so little time. This is when you have to prioritize, like triage, [More…]
July 19 Camden Courier-Post “Phillies manager Charlie Manuel insists he’s not platooning Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco in left field. The evidence is starting to suggest otherwise. Francisco started for the second straight game against a left-handed pitcher in this four-game series with the Cubs. In all, Francisco has started against lefties five of the [More…]