Four-for-Four: The Broad Street Bullies Edition-A week in Philadelphia

PHILLIES

Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

RETURN OF MAD-DOG?

Perhaps it was losing Ryan Madson that caused the Phillies to plummet from a 102-win club to possibly one of the worst teams in the MLB. Madson, who was signed by the Reds following the 2011 season, never threw a pitch for Cincinnati after a torn ligament in his right elbow forced the young reliever to undergo Tommy John Surgery.

Having not pitched since the procedure, Madson appears poised for a comeback. If the early returns from his audition tryout are as advertised, I see no reason the Phillies should not take a chance and big on their former set-up man. It appears as if there are multiple suitors for Madson, but its possible the Phillies are a slight favorite given their past relationship. Something to keep your eye on.

DOM’S DOG DOMINATES

This past Sunday, Animal Planet held their tenth annual ‘Puppy Bowl’. The yearly showcase precedes the Super Bowl and has seen its fanfare increase every year. In the 10th installment of the event, Phillies fans had some extra incentive in one participant, in particular.

Dom’s puppy, Tyga, is 12 weeks old and carries himself with a similar level of ‘swag’ that his owner does.

SPRINGTIME SADNESS

One of the normal benchmarks of any Philadelphia sports fans calendar year is the Phillies annual trek to Clearwater for Spring Training. The departure of their equipment truck has become a beacon of hope for, not only a respite from the relentless cold of the winter, but for the birth of another hopeful season for the ‘Phightins’. Even last season did not have the same foreboding feel that the upcoming campaign does.

With ESPN predicting the Phillies as the 2nd worst team in baseball and national pundits across the map painting bleaker and bleaker pictures for Philadelphia, it feels almost insulting to have this fodder shoved in our faces. I will watch the team this season and probably, at some point or another, have false hope that they can make ‘one last run’. After two years of hearing the same, tired motto I can honestly say that they should have stopped asking for that ‘one more run’ when they couldn’t even get one in the last game of their 2011 season.