Kyle Kendrick: Unloved and Unappreciated

If your name is Kyle Rodney Kendrick, you have much to celebrate.

Just yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they had avoided salary arbitration with the five-year righthander, signing the 6-3, 201-pound Kendrick to a one-year, $3.585 million dollar contract. The pitcher you love to hate will be back in a Phillies uniform for at least one more season.

Kendrick fans, we are not. And yet, the question as to whether or not our negative perception of Kendrick is justified should be asked. A quick look at his career numbers suggest that KK has been a pretty good pitcher, sliding back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen numerous times. In 127 appearances (98 starts), Kendrick is 43-30 with a 4.41 ERA. 

Not terrible numbers. Who couldn't use a pitcher versatile enough to pitch in both the starting rotation and bullpen at a moment's notice? 

The problem with Kendrick is that when he's bad, he is bad. In two of his five seasons (2008 and 2010), Kendrick has been dreadful. The world championship season of 2008 saw him finish with a 5.49 ERA in 30 starts and somehow manage a winning record (11-9). Just further proof of the inadequacy of the win-loss statistic. 

The ugliness doesn't end there. Kendrick also hit a league-leading 14 batters that year, allowed 194 hits in 155.2 innings, struck out just 68 and walked 57. By any measure, ugly, ugly numbers. Incredibly, Kendrick had 30 starts in 2008, which might make their World Series championship even more impressive. 

The Phils grew tired of Kendrick, languishing him in the minors for most of 2009. KK managed just nine appearances that season, compiling a 3-1 record, 3.42 ERA, 15 strikeouts and nine walks in 26.1 innings. Decent numbers, but the small sample size negates any sense that Kendrick had any kind of impact.

In 2010, Kendrick got another shot at the Phillies starting rotation and promptly showed why he was demoted the year before. In 33 appearances (31 starts), Kendrick rewarded GM Ruben Amaro with an 11-10 record, but posted a 4.73 ERA, 199 hits in 180.2 innings, struck out just 84 and walked 49. 

Yuck.

Which brings us, finally, to his surprisingly effective 2011 season. In 34 appearances (15 starts), KK posted an 8-6 record, 3.22 ERA and career-best 1.21 WHIP. For the first time in his career, Kendrick allowed fewer hits than innings pitched (110 in 114.2). The strikeout (59) and walk (30) numbers were still pretty awful, but Kendrick was somehow able to be effective. 

Has Kendrick has finally figured out how to be effective, or have the Phillies finally figured out his proper role? Was 2011 just an anomaly?

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Time for Change

There's a time to be reasonable, but this isn't one of those times.

Today's brutal 38-20 loss to the New England Bradys is one of the very worst Eagles games we can remember. It is certainly the worst loss in the Andy Reid Era, and one that makes clear the need for this franchise to start over with a new head coach in 2012.

(CSN just now aired a rare Eagles PR spot. It ended with "HEART" in all caps. Think Jeff Lurie is feeling some heat? The Eagles NEVER buy air time.)

It has been 14 years and it is time. There were on-field disasters. There were sideline disasters, as CSN's Derrick Gunn reported that OC Marty Morningweg and D-line coach Jim Washburn got into a verbal altercation during the game (The Daily News' Les Bowen corroborated Gunn's report).

Vince Young was okay with his performance. Reid said for the thousandth time that he has "to do a better job." This team is coming apart at the seams and Reid is right - he is the one responsible. It is now time for Lurie to do the responsible thing and remove the coach who has occupied the top job since the tail end of the 20th century.

All things must end. Good, bad or otherwise. Losing eight of their last nine home games isn't just bad, it's ugly. The fans deserve better than this.

Philly Sports... A Disturbing Trend

With the St. Louis Cardinals victory in the World Series this weekend, it brought to a light a somewhat disturbing trend in Philadelphia sports: losing to the eventual champs. This marks the third straight year that the Phillies have fallen victim to this trend, after losing in the World Series to the Yankees in 2009 and the Giants in the NLCS last year.

But the Phils are not alone. In fact, only the Miami Heat losing in the NBA Finals kept all four Philly teams from pulling off this feat in 2011. The Eagles fell to the Packers in the first round of the NFL Playoffs, followed by the Flyers being swept by Boston in the 2nd round of the NHL Playoffs.

The Flyers can actually make this dubious claim for each of the last three years, as well. Prior to losing to Boston this year, they lost in the Stanley Cup finals to Chicago in 2010, and lost in the first round to Pittsburgh in 2009. They also lost to evenutal champ Tampa Bay in 2004.

Is this all just a case of bad luck? Or can you put a positive spin that the teams at least are in position to compete with the eventual champs? Personally, I've never been a proponent of the "root for the team that beat you" philosophy. I always hate watching that team move on while my team sits at home. But even more, watching that team beat everyone else serves as a cruel reminder that had our team simply beaten them, we could have been the ones celebrating in the end.

The Pick: Eagles-Cowboys

Andy Reid is a tidy 12-0 coming out of the bye week during his head coaching career.

That's also the number of wins (12-9) Reid has accumulated against the Cowboys in his time as the Eagles' head coach.

What does this mean? Perhaps nothing, but it more than likely means something. Like Joe Paterno - at least, the "old" Joe Paterno - Reid is really good when given extra time to prepare. The extra week will certainly aid freshman defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, who seemed to figure a few things out in last week's 20-13 win at Washington two weeks ago. Instead of running the "Wide-9" defensive front exclusively, Castillo effectively tightened his defensive ends in obvious running downs.

That shift in strategy will help the Eagles in their quest to rein in a hot Dallas running attack, led by rookie DeMarco Murray. Murray laid waste to the Rams last Sunday, running for 253 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 34-7 win. The Rams are a bad team, but 253 yards is 253 yards no matter the opponent.

Cowboys Will Play in a Real Football Environment

So you may have heard the Dallas Cowboys are playing the Linc Sunday night.

It marks the 105th time the two franchises have locked horns in a series that inspires intense emotion, at least among Eagles fans. Those inside JerryWorld don't count; they're sedated by the 11,520 square foot scoreboard and therefore most resemble zombies.

On the other hand, nobody has ever accused Philadelphia fans - especially Eagles fans - of being zombie-like. Dallas will get to play in a real football environment Sunday night, with real fans feeling very real (ahem) passion. A passion whose ultimate goal is to see the Cowpokes face their own destruction at the hand of the Good Guys.

Speaking of the Good Guys, the players wearing green will have a little motivation of their own to serve up some chin music. Much was made in the abbreviated preseason of Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan saying the Cowboys were going to "beat [the Eagles] asses." Now, it's a little strange considering Ryan will not be suiting up, and is a first-year DC in Dallas. All we can say is that it appears to be the Ryan family business to talk huge smack and never back it up.

Consider the source.

Wonder if Ryan knows Andy Reid is undefeated in his career coming out of a bye week?

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

Yes, Philadephia sports fans, there is a Santa Claus.

In one of the most stunning days in Philadelphia sports history, the Eagles snag the top free agent on the market in Nmandi Asomugha, agree to terms with quarterback Vince Young and DE Jason Babin; and the Phillies trade for Houston outfielder Hunter Pence.

The Eagles acquisitions came via the free agent market. The Pence deal is apparently for a pittance, as minor leaguers Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart are headed to the Astros' farm system. Once again, Ruben Amaro Jr. has consummated a major trade with his old boss, Houston GM Ed Wade.

And once again, the package of prospects the Phillies will give up is far less than what was rumored in the days leading up to this transaction. Domonic Brown, rumored to have been dangled by Amaro, thankfully remains in red pinstripes.

As for the Eagles, they now boast the best secondary in the NFL in Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel. That's assuming, of course, that Samuel is not going to be traded in the coming days. His absence, explained as excused and related to personal issues, immediately becomes conspicuous. It sounds as if Reid and GM Howie Roseman anticipated the Asomugha signing and therefore asked Samuel to stay away while they worked on dealing him to another team. Time will tell, but we wouldn't at all be surprised to see Samuel as part of a deal for, say, a big time linebacker.

Kemp Worth Any Price

While we wait for Kevin Kolb to finally be traded, we'll continue our recent series on potential trading deadline acquisitions for the Phillies.

So far, we've looked at Houston's Hunter Pence and Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. Is there a darkhorse candidate out there somewhere?

His name has been only occasionally mentioned in media reports, but could Dodger OF Matt Kemp be available?

The circumstances may be there. The Dodger franchise is experiencing serious money woes, thanks to the gross mismanagement of owner Frank McCourt. The team has struggled to meet payroll - unthinkable, considering this is the Los Angeles media market - and might be looking to shed a lot of payroll.

If Kemp is available, Ruben Amaro, Jr. should give the Dodgers whatever they want, within reason. That means Domonic Brown, Jonathan Singleton, Jarrod Cosart and others should be made available.

Surely, this scenario is a longshot. Money woes or not, it wouldn't make good business sense to trade one of the teams most valuable assets at a time in which Bud Selig is desperate to find competent ownership for one of the sport's flagship franchises.

That said, if Kemp is available, Amaro should offer the farm.

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