November 2005, Catching Up.

Thoughts on issues, seperated:

EAGLES:
I don't want to believe that the ship has sailed for the Birds, but after 4 consecutive NFC Championships, it is going to be hard to come back from 4-4 to return to the big game. Losing Owens, for whatever a period of time, does not make this team better talent wise. Morale counts in the NFL, and that makes the Owens move seem more reasonable. I believe that McNabb played most of the first half of this season injured, and that is really hurting the team. Owens' presence on the field will be missed most of all, he was a distraction for the defense, drawing the other teams number one cornerback. It will take a very strong comeback for the Eagles to make the playoffs.

PHILLIES:
Speaking of disappointments, the ninety million dollar plus payroll speaks for itself. Much attention has been drawn to the fact that new Phillies GM Pat Gillick is sixty-eight years old, but the age doesnt mean anything to me. What I like about Gillick is that his name isn't Ed Wade. The Phillies are a very challenging job for a general manager, and there are many different ways to go about improving the results of last season. A call for pitching is a start, but at one game out of the playoffs, it should surprise no one when the Phillies do not make many moves this offseason. Personally, I would love to see Ryan Howard stick around, it makes financial sense and baseball sense. The emphasis has to be placed on scouting.
The White Sox, my old South Side Crew, won the World Series with a lot of guys that either came up through the system or were traded for guys who were. Prospects stack the deck and load the gun for a run at the title.