:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56048561/usa_today_10197360.0.jpg)
Thank you for joining us for this Friday edition of news & links! With a week full of such heavy, unpleasant news, let’s do something light for Friday.
Ricky Bottalico accuses a recent Phillies player of cheating
Yup, that’s just the light news I was looking for.
This happened Thursday night on CSN Philly, and my good friend Jeff caught it all.
Wait...did Botallico just say that one of the Phillies that just got traded was cheating? Wow.
— Jeff (@Wing2J) August 4, 2017
in the context of talking about Niekro and Sammy Sosa unnamed former teammates doctoring the ball, he said:
— Jeff (@Wing2J) August 4, 2017
RickyBo: "There may have been some on the Phillies"
— Jeff (@Wing2J) August 4, 2017
LeslieG: "Nooooo."
RB: "One of them may have just gotten traded"
LG: "Noo" /immediately throws to another segment
— Jeff (@Wing2J) August 4, 2017
Jeff later realized that the woman he’d identified as Leslie Gudel was actually Amy Fadool Kane, but everything else was right. And he had the video to prove it.
— Jeff (@Wing2J) August 4, 2017
So what the hell is Ricky Bo saying here? Is he actually, seriously saying that one of the pitchers that the Phillies just traded had been doctoring the ball? It seems that way. There’s just no way for us to know who he’s talking about or if it’s true. There is a defined set of players who were traded at the deadline, and it includes three pitchers: Joaquin Benoit, Jeremy Hellickson, and Pat Neshek. I’m not going to speculate as to who it could have been, since it could be 100% untrue. Plus, Ricky offered no evidence of any kind, he just let a ridiculous accusation slip from his mouth for no reason other than to get the audience to go “WHAAAA?”
Ricky Bo, if you have evidence, let it be known. Otherwise, it’s a bad idea to let unfounded accusations out on live TV.
Oakland Athletics can’t outrun the Philadelphia Athletics’ financial history
The always fantastic Ken Arneson wrote a post on his blog about the Athletics, and how their recent trade of Sonny Gray is in line with their troubled financial history. Connie Mack didn’t believe in the concept of the farm system, and in some ways, they’ve been playing catch-up ever since. Give it a read, it’s really great.
The Phillies made some (bad, terrible) history
Hey everyone, the Phillies set a record!
Phillies have lost 12 straight to the Angels, longest losing streak by any team in interleague history.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) August 4, 2017
Womp womp. Yup, the Phillies lost to the Angels last night, and they’ve lost to the Angels a lot. They’ve lost enough to set a record. In a season filled with dubious accomplishments, this one might be the dubious-est. This really puts the whole thing in perspective.
The Phillies were swept in Anaheim. They have not beaten the Angels since 2003. They'll try again in 2020.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 4, 2017
At least it’s over, right?
Tweet of the day
Why not go for something topical?
.@FelskeFiles #139@SteveGrossMCall: Galvis vs Crawford@jcrasnick: MLB Trade Deadline@phoulballz Nick Fanti intvu https://t.co/0CpezCKLAK
— John Stolnis (@FelskeFiles) August 4, 2017
New Felske Files! Download! Subscribe! Rate! Review! It’s awesome! You’ll love it! Yay!
Have a great weekend, all.