Phillies Breakfast Links, July 14, 2009: Phillies Run this All-Star Shiz Edition

Phils to sign Pedro Martinez; physical today
Yeah, he's a flyball pitcher, but so are Hamels, Blanton, and Myers, and look what they did last season.

Mets hope Johan Santana stays out All-Star Game and Phillies to comply
Most awkwardly worded headline ever from the NY Daily News. If they don't want him to pitch, then he should have withdrawn. It's not like it's his first/last/only trip there.

National League aims to end the streak
The last time the National League won: 1996, in Philadelphia. It's our time now.

PhillyBurbs.com:  Phillies glad Victorino stuck with it
Their All-Star center fielder almost gave up the game in 2004.

Gillick's belief in Ibanez memorable
Maybe revisionist history, but a nice story.

National League All-Star manager Manuel at home in the spotlight now
We gon' manage.

As All-Star starter, Halladay trying to tune out trade speculation
I feel bad for the guy, he's in a no-win situation when he's asked about this.

Bill Conlin: For Phillies, Sergio Escalona's shifts have saved rocky moments

As for the can't-miss therapy the addition of Halladay would represent, don't buy into the hype. The 1977 Reds stunned the baseball world by trading at the deadline for the great Tom Seaver. The Phillies were eliminated by the Dodgers in the playoffs that season. Despite Seaver's 14-3 contribution for Sparky Anderson, the Reds won just 88 games.

CC Sabathia, last year's prize, was last seen in the National League Division Series watching Shane Victorino touching 'em all behind three teammates. And CC hasn't exactly been dealing B-Bs for the Yankees. Sabathia has the same 8-6 record as Jamie Moyer.

What

Generally another crypto-witty piece by Conlin making the case for Sergio Escalona as somehow being emblematic of the Phillies' season, but those two grafs are just gold.

The Fightins " Welcome to the Baseball Capitol of the World, You Moran
More education dollars in Missouri, please.