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.