Phillies Links, 5/22/13: Return of the Prodigal Columnist, Date Night in D.C., and a Baseball-Fueled Soccer Abomination

In hindsight, Ryan Howard's contract an expensive mistake for Phillies
Come, Let us slay the sabremetric calf! Meanwhile, our own Peter Lyons seethes, because this is what he wrote on April 26, 2010:

only once in Howard's career, according to Fangraphs' WAR metric, has he been worth more than the $25 million AAV (average annual value) that this deal will pay him: his MVP season back in 2006.

Amaro believes offense will turn things around
Amidst the self-delusional talk, some interesting comments on Grilli, Ruf, and Zambrano.

Phillies fan seeks like-minded date to take to Nats Park
"We'll discuss the finer points of advanced statistics and look for metaphorical frameworks to guide future verse about the Phillies." Owait, that's my Craigslist ad.

Major League Soccer announces New York expansion team: New York City Football Club | MLSsoccer.com
Soccer-wise, this is an abomination unto heaven on a scale that makes Red Phanatic look like a two-bit corner pimp. The major US investor is a curious one, though.

Marks of the NL EastBeasts

Washington sequester fails to account for San Francisco animal menagerie, Giants win late - McCovey Chronicles
I've gotta admit: I thought the Nationals would be so much better than one game ahead of the Phillies.

Gattis's Heroics, Freeman's Walk-Off Lead Braves To Exhilarating Comeback Win Over Twins - Talking Chop
Exhilarating. Yeah. Don't worry, folks, Our man Vance Worley will lead the Twins to a salvager this afternoon.

Mets vs Reds Recap: Poor first inning, quiet bats doom Mets in 4-0 loss - Amazin' Avenue
Mike Leake is some kind of a wizard. Or the Mets' offense is just as pathetic as the Phillies'.

Worth Two in the Bushers

Phillies Minor League Report: Jesse Biddle dominates again
Jesse Biddle has pitched well enough so that his cap has been upgraded. Attaboy. Yo, Larry "Fudgie" Greene: please hit your first home run. Oh, and big game for Ethan Martin today.

Roman Quinn Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Lakewood BlueClaws Stats
The Roman Candle is starting to spark up in the last 10 games. Time to head up to Lakewood, y'all.

Phillies catching prospect Sebastian Valle's stock has dropped - Philly.com
And he's in the midst of international incidents within his own organization. h/t to Cormican for this one.