Joe Banner Is The Devil And Howard Eskin Is His Bitch

[Rome]

It really is incredible.

In terms of SMUG he makes Amaro, Jr. look gracious and humble.

[ice grillin you]

Q: On whether he received inspiration from the Phillies to stock pile players during the NFL free agency period:

"No, not at all. It's so different. Are we building a pitching staff? No. It's a completely different evolution. We have a salary cap. We are just trying to maximize players. I think they've done a great job with the pitching staff there and I admire it. We're keeping up with the Jerry Joneses."

The Eagles organization seems well-positioned to weather all kinds of setbacks. Lurie and Banner grew up in the Boston area, and their youth has colored their approach to building the Eagles. Under their stewardship the Eagles have contended almost yearly, and their hunger for a ring grows with every season.

"I would use the Red Sox as an analogy," Banner says. "They have a great team and they still go out and get great players like Josh Beckett. We grew up watching Red Auerbach and a Celtics franchise that wouldn't rest. They looked for opportunities, and we feel like we had five or six that came free [in free agency]. What we were not going to do was hesitate. Not if you are going to win."

[Sgt PSN]

While the FO certainly deserves some credit for bringing in some excellent talent this year, I'm going to hold off on saying that "their hunger for a ring grows with every season."  Because if it in fact did, then they wouldn't go into every season with more cap space than most other teams.  The new CBA forces them to spend the money and that's why the Eagles have loaded up like they have.  I'll give them credit for spending the money wisely, but there's no way this off season happens under the rules of the old CBA.  Otherwise it would have actually happened sometime over the last 10 years. 

[Drunkmasterflex]

The cap floor hasn't started yet, I believe it is in two years.

[Sgt PSN]

Really?  I didn't realize that.  If that's truly the case, then I stand corrected and will gladly suckle on Banners teet. 

[Drunkmasterflex]

Yeah I just looked it up it doesn't start until 2013

[Sgt PSN]

I retract my previous statement then.  Kudos to the FO.  Not that I'll end up reading it, but where can one view the details of the new CBA? 

[Munson]

I could have sworn that they had to spend 98% of their cap space this year, and then in 2012 and 2013 it goes down to 89%?

[ice grillin you]

They're hard to like.

Some might argue impossible.

We don't believe 'em, we don't trust 'em, we wouldn't buy a scalped ticket from either one.

Well, maybe Lurie.

But only if Banner weren't with him.

Stuck in our civic craw this time around are two comments, one made by Banner, one by Lurie. Taken separately and - more important - with no prior history, they could be dismissed as a poor choice of words, an accident. But there is a history. And when it comes to public missives from the two, there are no accidents.

In heaping praise upon himself to Sports Illustrated, Banner likened the Eagles' approach to that of his favorite successful baseball team.

"I would use the Red Sox as an analogy," Banner told SI. "They have a great team, and they still go out and get great players like Josh Beckett. We grew up watching Red Auerbach and a Celtics franchise that wouldn't rest. They looked for opportunities, and we feel like we had five or six that came free [in free agency]. What we were not going to do was hesitate. Not if you are going to win."

Lurie, speaking to reporters at Lehigh, wanted nothing to do with any baseball comparison. Asked whether the frenzy of free-agent signings this summer was inspired by how the Phillies have operated, he said: "No, not at all. It's so different. Are we building a pitching staff? No. It's a completely different evolution."

Wow.

"We have a salary cap," Lurie continued. "We are just trying to maximize players. I think they've done a great job with the pitching staff there, and I admire it. We're keeping up with the Jerry Joneses."

This was said only a few days after the Phillies traded for Hunter Pence, who has yet to pitch for the Phillies. In minimizing the Phillies' success to three pitchers acquired, Lurie discounted both the architects and architecture that preceded that stockpile. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson are all homespun Phillies, as are youngsters Michael Stutes and Antonio basticho. Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco were free-agent signings. The Phillies' outfield next season will have no one over 31. Lurie is right to say the cap weakens comparisons between the sports, but to dismiss what the Phillies have done as a case of a few high-priced arms is erroneous and, it would appear, envious.

Why not use the question as an opportunity to heap praise on his next-door neighbors? It makes you look better, not worse, Jeff.

If you want to pick an aggressive baseball team to compare yourselves to, why not cite the Phillies, Joe? The Sox, after all, weren't even in the running when Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay were out there to be had.

Truth is, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein would love to have Ruben Amaro Jr.'s track record over the last 4 years. I just came from New England. John Lackey, J.D. Drew, even Beckett's recurring injury history - they are not as impressed with Theo up there as Joe B. is down here.

Against the backdrop of what is shaping up as a historic season for the Phillies, though - against the backdrop of the last four autumns and the explosion of Phillies merchandise onto what was once a predominantly green scene - both men seem at the very least petty in their reluctance to throw bouquets the Phillies' way.

The Phillies do that for the Eagles, by the way. Their announcers spoke freely and gushed over the moves of the last week. The members of their inner circle grew up here as Eagles fans.

Who knows, maybe some still are.

But the pettiness makes that hard. And it's so, so unnecessary. Lurie and Banner have surrounded themselves with layers of public-relations specialists, and they are arguably the most competent in town. I'll bet if they were asked, they would have advised an "Aw Shucks" approach to all the preseason praise their moves have received. Instead, they laud themselves as "risk takers" and tout their "aggressive" approach before anyone from the outside can do that for them.

The bottom line is that it leaves you with an icky feeling. At a time when the two could really turn the civic tide in their favor. There are plenty of books out there about how we think in these parts, documentaries, too. They might want to pick up a few before their next interview. Just a thought.

[Tomahawk]

Did a woman write that? The only good part of the article was  's filter changing Bastar*o to basticho

[ice grillin you]

you wouldnt understand being a mopar driving classic rock singing MA


this is city bidness dooks

[lurking wierdo]

Yeah, f the media. They are pissed that there were no leaks. They were as stunned by NA and they hate not being informed. They are a bunch of sniveling little weasels. As far as I am concerned, Banner and Lurie are gods. Who gives a shtein if they pump up the Phillies or not? I haven't seen David Montgomery and RAJ pumping up the Birds. Maybe the air staff has, but then againg we haven't heard Merril on the air yet.

[Tomahawk]

you wouldnt understand being a mopar driving classic rock singing MA


this is city bidness dooks

A) MOPAR (short for MOtor PARts) is Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth; the Riviera was made by Buick (GM)
2) I don't sing

[ice grillin you]

I haven't seen David Montgomery and RAJ pumping up the Birds.

you dont hear dave montgomery say anything because you dont care about the phillies and live in god who knows where....montgomery is always big uppin the eagles...hes a monster eagle fan...as is amaro...they are philly thru and thru...four for four son

its one thing for lurie and banner to be boston die hards...i mean thats where they are from cant fault them there...but to have utter contempt for the rest of the teams in the city particularly a model franchise like the phils is disgusting

but i wouldnt expect that to bother most people here....and thats cool as well

[lurking wierdo]

IGY, I lived in the area my whole life until this past February. To say I am not a Philly fan is retarded. I was at the Parade in 80 and 08. I was at WS games in 80, 83, 93 and 08. I helped break Bert Hooten in '78. I had season tickets in the Vet for 6 years. I couldn't care less what the Eagles brass says about the Phillies or vice versa.