Phillie of the Week

The honor of Ramblings Phillie of the Week goes to none other than center fielder Aaron Rowand. Aside form continuing his hit streak this past week, Rowand has come through in the clutch more often than not. A couple of key home runs, vaulting him further past Ryan Howard but not quite at Jimmy Rollins (how weird is that?), and showing patience at the plate, Rowand's bat has been the key ingredient in the recent success of the Phillies.

But as we all know his glove is his biggest asset. Rowand made some incredible plays in the outfield against Cincinnati and Washington that helped out the Phillies pitchers from facing any major problems on the mound.

I would like to see this continued play out of Rowand, so I am optimistic that this is the player they traded for in the Jim Thome deal. Rowand is in what they call a contract year, but he does seem to be playing more consistent of late. Here's hoping he remains injury free as well.

Congratulations Aaron Rowand! You are this week's Ramblings Phillie of the Week!

And now a recap/rant on Day One of the NFL Draft...

If you read my previous post then you are probably correct in assuming how delighted I was to see Brady Quinn drop so far. I was watching it wondering when the kid would get picked. When the first five picks went by I started looking at everyone coming up and pointed out that none of the teams were in a position to pick a quarterback. I started thinking that if he fell to the Kansas City Chiefs that they may take him, unless somebody trades up to get him. Sure enough, the Cleveland Browns did just that. I could have done without all of the ESPN "happy ending" story lines, showing a four year old Quinn wearing his Browns jersey and helmet. Reminded me of all of those young Manning brothers home videos.

As for the Eagles, I wasn't surprised that they traded down once their top two safety choices were already gone, however I was surprised they traded with the Cowboys. Once I saw what picks we got in return I was ok with the deal though. I wasn't too scared of the Cowboys drafting a defensive end out of Purdue, but I was stupefied when the Eagles drafted...WHAT?...a quarterback with their first pick?

The whole off season we scrutinized the dealings with Jeff Garcia and were emphatically told by the Eagles organization that they were 100% satisfied with what they have at quarterback, with the franchise QB in Donovan McNabb and a solid backup in AJ Feely. In the trade that brought in linebacker Takeo Spikes form Buffalo, quarterback Kelly Holcomb came with the package. Surely this meant that we were set at the quarterback position, no? The whole pick seemed like a waste of a pick to me. I would have picked up a linebacker or pass rusher with the pick, instead of wasting the pick. The Eagles are not at the point where they should start thinking about McNabb's replacement for years to come if you ask me. If it were not for their three other picks I would be criticizing them even more. Truth is I liked their three remaining picks from yesterday. They picked up a linebacker, a defensive end, and a solid running back.

Needless to say I am very pleased with the selection of running back Tony Hunt, out of Penn State. I don't say this because of my allegiance to the blue and white, but Hunt is a strong back who sees a hole and busts through it. He won't dance around trying to make pretty plays. HE also catches the ball well, so I can see Hunt jumping ahead of the likes of Reno Mahe and Ryan Moats before training camp even opens.

As for the other Nittany Lions, Levi Brown going fifth was widely scrutinized by ESPN, but the Arizona Cardinals need someone to protect their franchise quarterback Matt Leinart, and they couldn't run the ball to save their lives last season. Who else would they have taken? Brown is a physical lineman and he can move a pile. And Paul Posluszny going to the Buffalo Bills is alright. The Bills traded Spikes to the Eagles so they were clearly ready for a new linebacker. All Posluszny does is tackle guys. Defensive tackle Jay Alford going to the Giants was not a bad selection either. The Giants need help on defense, although I thought they'd take a linebacker before a lineman (I thought Posluszny would go to the Giants or Jets actually).

The second day is today (rounds four through seven), so if you're watching, watch the ESPN gurus try and pick out the next Tom Brady. It's the only thing they have going for them today. I'll be watching the Phillies conclude their series with the Marlins today instead.