Phils Offer Arbitration to Werth; Decline on Durbin

       The Phillies have decided to offer salary arbitration to Jayson Werth. However, the team declined arbitration on Chad Durbin, that according to beat writer Todd Zolecki.

Durbin is nowa free agent and can sign with any team.

       By offering arbitration to Werth, who is a type A free agent, the Phillies guarantee draft pick compensation if he decides to sign elsewhere, according to MLB's rules on arbitration. Since Werth is a type A free agent, the Phillies would recieve a 1st round draft pick from the team he signs with, according to Major League Baseball's official website. By declining arbitration on Durbin, the Phillies risk losing him and not being compensated for it.

       These woud be reliable sources becuase of where they are coming from. Zolecki is paid to follow the Phillies and what's going on around them. Obviously whatever information he produces will more then likely be true and able to put to use. Using the MLB's official website would also count as a reliable source. They have the official records and rules of the game, so it should be encouraged to use this site.

Halladay Wins Cy Young Award...Again

        Roy Halladay was named the 2010 National League Cy Young award winner on Monday. According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Halladay is just the 4th active pitcher with a 200 strikeout season in both leagues, along with Javier Vazquez, Johan Santana and A.J. Burnett. Stark also pointed out on his Twitter that Halladay faced 993 batters this season and only walked 30, the fewest amount of walks with that many batters faced since Grover Cleveland Alexander.



This is the 2nd Cy Young Award for Halladay

       Halladay won the award unanamously, recieving all 32 first place votes. According to Major League Baseball's official website, Halladay is only the 5th player to win the award in both leagues and just the 16th player to win multiple awards. 

      Both of these sources can be considered reliable. Jayson Stark works for the largest sports aggregator in the world (ESPN) and MLB.com is the official website for Major League Baseball, meaning they have access to any and every statistic that can be researched.

Cliff Lee Return to Philly Possible, But Not Likely

       According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies have shown interest and will continue to do so. He questions whether they will have enough money to do so though. Rosenthal also points out that 7-8 teams total have serious interest in Lee. Jon Heyman also seconded the notion of 7-8 teams, one being the Phillies, being interested in Cliff Lee.

       As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick points out, the Phillies have a philosophy in which they believe in not giving pitchers contracts for more then 3 years. Crasnick believes that this will be a major obstacle to overcome if they want to get a deal done.


Philadelphia hopes for a return of Cliff Lee, but does he have different plans?



       With all that in mind, MLB Trade Rumors reported that Yankees General Manager, Brian Cashman flew down to Arkansas early Wednesday to meet with Cliff Lee. While it was scheduled to be just a meet and greet, the possibility of a deal being offered still exists.

       For the most part, these can be considered reliable sources. Obviously, the writers like Rosenthal, Heyman and Crasnick have sources in and around the game. MLB Trade Rumors is a relatively new site, however, most of it's content comes from the Twitter accounts or perosnal blogs of many of the beat writers from across the country. I think it would be a good thing to cite these sources in a potential story.

Jayson Werth Time in Philly Over?

       Jayson Werth's tenure in Philadelphia looks more and more to be coming to an end. According to Jayson Stark, one Phillies official said the odds of re-signing Werth were "No chance. None. Zero." Stark breaks down the Phillies' reluctancy to re-sign the slugger.

Werth may be giving his final curtain call to fans in the coming weeks.

       Jon Heyman points out via Twitter that the Boston Red Sox have already touched base with Werth about possibly signing. Heyman also says he believes the Red Sox are the favorite to land him.

       These are both reliable sources who have built up a set of their own sources that give them inside information. These guys can definitely be cited in any story written, as long as it's not an opinion piece.

Eagles Are Favorites at Home?

       The Eagles head into Sunday's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts as three point favorites.  Some people question this call considering the Eagles weak defensive performance last time out versus the Tennessee Titans. It is the Eagles first game off the bye week. Moving the Chains blog looks at the Eagles history under Andy Reid after the bye week.

DeSean Jackson returns back to action week 9 against the Indiapolis Colts.

       In other related news, Les Bowen says on his Twitter that his sources have told him that Eagles wide reciever DeSean Jackson will return to action this week after missing 2 games with a concussion.

       Both of these sources can be considered reliable. Although they are pretty much independent in essence, they are connected through philly.com. Any information being disseminated through a major outlet such as philly.com, will produce correct information more times then not. The information provided from Moving the Chains took more of an analytical look at things but the stats provided were well researched and useful for the audience.



Phillies Searching for Replacement to Jayson Werth?

       As first reported by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Phillies offered Jayson Werth a deal worth about $66 million for 4 years. But as Heyman points out on his personal blog, Werth automatically shot this offer down with hopes of testing free agency and getting more money and years.



Werth hopes to strike it rich through free agency this offseason.

       With that in mind, Heyman pointed out on his Twitter that the Phillies may turn to Aaron Rowand or Magglio Ordonez as possible replacements for Werth should he leave town. 

       Information coming from a guy like Heyman is very credible and considering that he works for Sports Illustrated, one of the more prestigious sports magazines in the country. I think it would be very helpful and wise to use information from Heyman in a story because unless it's an opinion matter, it usually is credible.

Giants Pitching Makes History

       The San Fransisco Giants have finished off the World Series and set history doing so. Timely and clutch hitting played a huge part in their success. But as Jayson Stark pointed out on his blog, the Giants pitching set history and that is the real reason they are world champions.



The Giants celebrate after winning their 1st World Series victory since 1954.

       This can be considered a reliable source because Jayson Stark has long been considered one of the best baseball beat writers in the country. He has spent time as an ESPN insider as well as other major publications and networks. I definitely think that I would be able to cite this article as a source of another story. 

Early Offseason Decisions

       The Phillies season ended earlier then they would have liked it to. With the offseason now here, free agency will soon be taking off. The Phillies biggest free agent this offseason is Jayson Werth. Werth addressed the media at a press conference in Citizens Bank Park. In short, Werth said his decision would be a business decision and it seems most likely he will be leaving the team. This could be considered a reliable source because it came from the mouth of the player himself. It is coming from the primary source so one would have to look at this as credible.

Werth's days as a Phillie could be numbered





       The Phillies have already made a decision on one player about his future. J.C. Romero's $4.5 million club option was declined on Tuesday, that according to Josh Alper of AOL Fanhouse. This could be considered a reliable source for 2 reasons. One, it is coming from a pretty reputable source in AOL and number 2, in the article he cites Inquirer Phillies' beat writer, Matt Gelb's Twitter account.

Use Your Head

       The NFL is beginning to crack down on helmet to helmet hits to help prevent concussions and other head injuries. According to Eagles beat writer Les Bowen, Andy Reid said that the concussion crackdown is a "good thing" (via Twitter). If I were to write a story for this topic, it would most likely be an opinion piece on what players and coaches think. This would be a good source because it came from a primary source (Reid) and was reported by a credible reporter.



Desean Jackson is helped off the field after suffering his 2nd concussion in as many seasons

       Some players believe that the crackdown on heavy hits is detrimental to the game. Acccording to Jeff Darlington, the Miami Dolphins beat writer for the Miami Herald, Karlos Dansby said in a press conference that at the rate the NFL is going, "We'll be counting to 5 Mississippi's before 2012." This too would be considered a reliable source mainly because just like with Andy Reid, it was coming from the mouth of the primary source through a reliable reporter.
      
        Deadspin.com reported that James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers actually left the team and was considering retirement because he feels the NFL is trying to change the way he plays. Deadspin has gained some recognition and credibility over the years. Recently they broke a story about Brett Favre sending racy text messages to a former New York Jet co-worker, an incident which is now being reviewed by the NFL. Therefore, I do believe that this too could be considered as a reliable source to use in a story.    

Halladay Makes History

       Roy Halladay pitched a no-hitter in Game 1 on the NLDS Wednesday night, his first career postseason start. Halladay is only the second pitcher in the history of the game to throw a no-hitter in the postseason (Don Larsen, 1956 World Series). ESPN New York breaks down the signifcance of both no-hitters, comparing stats to determine which was a greater feat. This can be counted as a reliable source because ESPN is one of the most renowned sports outlets not only in the country but in the world. The stats they used in this article were certified MLB websites who keep records of such things.

Halladay is met by catcher Carlos Ruiz after throwing the second no-hitter in postseason history.

       According to Matt Gelb's blog on philly.com, Halladay is one of five pitchers to throw two no hitters in one season. If I were writing an article or story, I do think that this can be counted as a reliable source. Gelb is the Phillies beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. It is unlikely that a large newspaper like the Inquirer would not let false information be distributed.

Phillies look to rest

      With the postseason right around the corner, the Phillies realize that keeping players healthy will be very important down the stretch and remain focused on making sure they do everything possible to make that happen.

       When the Phillies clinched their 4th consecutive NL East division title Monday, they set themselves up nicely to rest key players and set up their pitching rotation the way they choose for the playoffs. According to Todd Zolecki's Twitter, Kyle Kendrick is expected to start this Friday in Atlanta instead of ace Roy Halladay. Zolecki also pointed out that by skipping Halladay in the rotation, it sets him up to start game one of the National League Divisional Series on October 6th.

Placido Polanco will recieve a coritsone shot this week.

 Zolecki also points out on his blog that 3rd baseman Placido Polanco will recieve a cortisone shot in his left elbow to help relieve some pain he has been feeling in his left elbow for the past couple of months. Polanco's bone spurs will require offseason surgery, that according to Jim Salisbury.