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Leifdawg was right...

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  • Leifdawg was right...

    PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies slugger Pat Burrell will have season-ending wrist surgery Friday, another blow to Philadelphia's playoff hopes.

    Burrell, who injured himself in batting practice last Tuesday, was hitting .263 with 18 homers and 68 RBI. He'll be replaced in left field by a combination of Doug Glanville, Jason Michaels and rookie Lou Collier.


    "It's terrible," Burrell said Monday. "The timing is awful because we are playing good at this time. The guys are starting to come together in the last six days and things have been going pretty good.


    "To not be a part of it is tough, but you have to deal with it, take care of the problem and hopefully be ready for spring training."


    The injury-plagued Phillies trail the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves by 5½ games going into Monday night's game against Colorado.


    Philadelphia also is minus closer Billy Wagner, starter Kevin Millwood and top setup reliever Ryan Madson. Third baseman David Bell is day-to-day with back spasms, and right-hander Vicente Padilla is due to return from the disabled list on Tuesday.


    "I've never seen a season with this many injuries to key players," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said.


    Earlier in the day, general manager Ed Wade bolstered Philadelphia's rotation, acquiring right-hander Cory Lidle from Cincinnati for two minor leaguers and a player to be named.


    Burrell hurt his wrist taking a swing in batting practice before a game against the San Diego Padres last week. He remained in the lineup and went 1-for-4, but had to go on the disabled list after his wrist swelled the next day.


    After being examined by hand specialist Randall Culp on Monday morning, Burrell decided to have surgery rather than have his wrist placed in a cast for six weeks and hope it heals.


    "I can take a chance that it heals, but there's no guarantee. There's ligament and tendon damage," Burrell said. "I wasn't anticipating anything serious."


    Burrell, in the second year of a six-year, $50 million contract, had rebounded well from a disastrous season in which he hit .209 with 21 homers and 64 RBI and was benched at times during the stretch drive.


    The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Burrell had his best season in 2002, hitting .282 with 37 homers and 116 RBI.


    "It's tough for us to handle," Wade said. "We're going to miss the power in the lineup."


    Wade said he's talking to teams about the possibility of acquiring another outfielder. The Phillies sent outfielder Ricky Ledee to San Francisco for reliever Felix Rodriguez before the July 31 trade deadline.


    "Every time you think you have one thing covered, something else develops," Wade said. ``That's just the nature of the game."



    This really drives your point home about the losingest franchise arguement, LD. Although I'd still love to see the proof that they actually have more losses than any other pro franchise, this atests to how much of a hard-luck club they are. In a year when they were clearly a team to beat in the NL come October, they seem to be just about done.
    I have never done steroids. Period. Well, not today, anyway.

  • #2
    The one thing we dont have covered is how terrible Wade is.

    There's a slim chance we catch up with the Braves but since the rotation sucks and the burrell out, there's no chance we go anywhere in the playoffs.

    thank god football season is here.
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