The Zo Zone

Kris Benson is a great move because of the low risk high reward capability of the deal. If people can't understand that, then they're stupid. They're probably the same people that don't understand the Ryan Howard arbitration process...people think the Phils should give him whatever he wants...too bad it doesnt' work that way.

Last year Beltran ripped Jimmy Rollins, saying "What Had The Phillies Won?". This year, Beltran is ripping off Rollins and saying the Mets are the team to beat. Apparently, Beltran is a year older and a year dumber. Hey princess, seven up with seventeen to go. Same Old Mets.

On the Kendrick prank video, KYW's Jack O Rourke looks like he is about 100 years old

It's not a great move unless Benson proves healthy and productive. Otherwise, it's irrelevant. Regardless, I still wonder how many mediocre #5 starter types are needed? Wasn't Durbin and Eaton enough? The Benson signing tells me that the Phillies have serious doubts about Kendrick and or Moyer and they should. Unfortunately, Benson is just more of the same. Maybe sometime around 2011 they'll finally complete a formidable pitching staff?

Please tell me Amaro came up with the Kobayashi name by looking at the bottom of his coffee mug.

The benson signing is a great move because there is no downside. If healthy and the guy he was a few years ago benson is a number 3 starter. #3 starters for the most part are average guys at best. If he can keep a sub 5 era pitch into the 6 or 7th he will be a good signing, if he can't we are out $100K. I say go offer colon the same deal.

Personally, I was a Chief Jay Strongbow fan. Couldn't pull that off in today's PC world. Benson is an insurance policy. He has Major League experience and has to perform to earn his $5m, I would say that's a pretty good situation. Keep in mind, with this team's offensive production, we don't need Bob Gibson on the mound. If Benson pitches 6-7 quality innings at a 4.00 ERA, he fits the bill. What will the upper-deck Benson fan club look like? Randy Wolf had the "Wolfpack". How about, "Anna's Bananas"?

I think Anna is the better acquisition of the 2 Bensons.

I disagree completely! Unless they find a way to move Myers back to the Pen to protect their new investment, they will be battling the Nats for third all year. If Myers stuggles again as a starter, everything goes down the shoot.

Todd, Hulkster is old and flabby. When he was in his prime, he was a monster. Hornswaggle is a little beast! I hope he kicks Vince's a$$ in the cage!!!!

Once again the bloggers miss the point. Obviously, there is a reason he is cheap, he has next to no chance of making an impact here. I hope he can but all this stuff about him wanting to be here is crap. He had no better offers out there, meaning all the other teams that saw him pitch didn't want him or detemined he was medically worthless/spent.
One hopeless blogger says if Benson is who was 3 yrs ago he will be a great pick up...Benson was a 3rd starter that got notoriety b/c his wife was a fluzy. When those in bloggersville wake up and realize that until this organization spends money "wisely" and stops hoping players like Benson, Millwood, Milton, Kendrick, Ashby, Garcia, Wolf or Eaton can pan out they will be what they are. An 84-88 win team. This year that may mean 3rd in the division.
Pay Ryan Howard NOW!

ken, Channel 6 said that Kobayashi is one of those eating champs. You know...1,000 chicken wings in 5 minutes type of things.

Truth,

I know you don't shy from making an idiot of yourself, but if you want to take really cheap shots and call someone's wife a floozy, please learn how to spell it.

You can call the Phillies cheap for picking up players like Benson, but tell me, if you want them to spend (which is the only respectable thing you think a team can do), tell me what pitchers are out there or who were out there in the FA market this year that they should have spent on? Its not like there was a great crop of pitchers and they settled for the rehab project. The pickings were/are slim..

As multiple media sources have said.....EVERYBODY needs pitching.

Who cares how much we paid, as long as Benson can produce.

Truth: notice that Jay and Twitchell disagree, but do so without insults or putting anyone down. That's what this board is, fanatic fans debating both sides of an argument. Disagreeing without being disageeable. I/we may not agree with your opinion, but that's Ok, doesn't mean I/we don't respect your right to express it. You seem like a passionate guy, with strong opinions, but geez, lighten up. It's a long season.

"Once again the bloggers miss the point". Yeah, once again, I guess I do.

The Phillies are the best orginazation around, PERIOD! They treat every player the same, and give them the greatest amount of respect! The Phillies are a class act!!!

clinton smokes some serious weed. I would like to have a hit of what he is smokin'.

Getting a player for nothing certainly tickles the Phillies fan. To the contrary having to pay market rate for an exceptional player brings our bloggers to their knees. Benson is a hero because he is cheap, in fact a non-entity unless and until he makes the team. But the notion that the Phillies will have to pay Howard a major league wage drives our bloggers to the corners.

So yea Benson, thanks for signing for nothing. Boo Howard, how dare you for wanting to get paid. Don't you know that baseball has a salary cap and that the Phillies have no money?

Oh, I'm sorry there is no salary cap in baseball unlike every other sport and the Phillies brought in $200 million last year. Sorry.

I wonder if MLB teams are making enough money. Otherwise they would be screaming for a salary cap like all the other sports.

Howard will get either 7M or 10M. Obviously Howard thinks he is worth 10M. By going to arbitration, he will establish market rate.
Why is this concept so hard to grasp? What is everyone's problem?

Am I alone in thinking the "prank" on Kendrick was a really ill-conceived, stupid and thoughtless idea?

Creating that level of anxiety and stress just ain't funny. Try imagining yourself in that situation. Being told, out of the blue, that your job with an organization you're happy with, has ended and you're being shipped to Japan if you want to keep working. Got a family? Makes it even less amusing.

On the Kendrick prank video, the guy with the grey mullett in the front looks like he ate all the pizza in the press room.

Benson was a good move. He was a guy everyone wanted when he was with the Pirates. He was probably already hurt when he went to the Mets. Now he's had the surgery he'd probably needed for years and he has to build up arm strength. He will. It may take a month or more but it'll come back. The guy has talent. This move was a steal. Of course he wanted to come here. The more you win and the more your organization looks likes its going in the right direction the more guys will want to be part of it.

All the Phillies need from their 3,4 & 5 pitchers are guys who last 6 innings in most of their starts. You last six innings and your team is in the game. You can't have what Eaton did last year. You need what Eaton's history tells you he should do. You need healthy adequate starters. If the Phils get that and Hamels and Meyers pitch like they're supposed to they'll win the division.

The Phils need a good start, solid pitching out of the 3,4 & 5 spots, good health and a solid bullpen and their offense will mash most teams. They'll be up to 10 games better than last year. All the above requirments are easily reachable. They're realistic.

I can't wait for the season to start. Man, I love baseball season. The Phils are gonna be great.

I was thinking the same thing about the Kendrick prank. As funny as it was, it was uncomfortable to watch, as he looked like he was about to cry.

Also, what if he got mad and said something to someone. You can't "un ring" that bell even when you tell him it was a prank.

Love the Benson deal...if he flops it cost us nothing...if he logs 200 innings over 30 starts, $5 million is still a steal in this market.

Get Kris Benson. That just tell METS fans that you really never had a chance at repeating. Just the way you snatched ultimate victory from the METS last year will happen to you this year. Beltran predicted right, just like Rollins last year so just be ready for a wild card if your team doesnt continue to add to the 10,000 losses you already have!!!!

You expansion club fans cry like little girls.

Santana will be a bust, just like Schmidt and Zito. The Mets buy high and sell low. Thats what an unlimited budget gets you. Its easy to support a team like that. All of their mistakes are washed away by the ocean of money they play with. They should be ashamed that a team with a limited payroll took the division from them. 7 games up, 17 to play. To add to the joke, Randolph didn't get fired. I just don't get why anyone would support the Met's way of doing business. There is nothing noble or respectable about it. No intelligence or baseball knowledge needed, just buy everything. Something will work itself out.
Just hire some monkeys and put a monkey shit bullseye in the cage with FA names on the target. It'll be cheaper than paying a GM.

Todd, you said that "Benson must be on the 25-man roster by March 25th..." Salisbury's article said that "Benson must be on the major league roster by March 25th..."

Are these the same thing? Will the 25-man active roster even exist as of March 25th? When does it have to be submitted to the league office?

In my understanding, the "major league roster" is the 40-man roster; the 25-man roster is otherwise referred to as the "active roster" or "active list."

This isn't a trivial difference. Some of you guys have said things that imply Benson can opt out if he's not on the 25-man roster - before that roster is even final. Others have said things that imply all the Phils have to do to retain Benson is add him to the 40-man roster (from which they can then DL him if he's not ready to go). So which is it?