By now it's clear that what was the Philadelphia Eagles coaching search has culminated in the hiring of a Mr. Doug Pederson. Yes, that Doug Pederson. Former Eagles QB/coach and Andy Reid disciple. A climax that leaves many Eagle phans unaroused. For me personally the name Doug Pederson denotes mediocrity. An undrafted, career backup quarterback, who briefly held the fort down for the Eagles as we awaited the rookie debut of the highly touted Donovan McNabb. 

The disdain towards Ruben Amaro Jr. intensified this week when Amaro told Phillies fans, "they don't understand the game." As if we needed a reason to lash out at the man in charge of the Phillies demise, well RAJ gave us reason #223. 

Last season was not a good year for the big club as they lost 89 games. But something that went under the radar was the struggles and injuries in their minor leagues. Entering the season, most pundits ranked the Phillies minor league system in the bottom 3rd in baseball but there is obviously talent in this system. It may not be the coveted "MLB Ready Talent," but there are more than a few guys who have the potential to make an impact with the big club in the near future. In years where the big club will struggle, the only way to get through the season is to focus on the phuture. 

 Its hard to believe that Opening Day is just 8 days away! . Unfortunately the 2015 Phillies go into the season with their lowest expectations in a decade but its still baseball! It hasn't been a great spring health wise for the Phillies, as they will have at least 3 players start the season on the DL.  But every injury is just another opportunity to someone who is on the roster bubble. Today we learned the shocking news that Hamels will get the start on Opening Day. McClure also announced Harang will get the ball on "Opening Night", but he wouldn't commit on an order for the rest of the rotation. The roster is becoming clearer by the day, as just 36 players remain in the big league camp. 

This has been the kind of off season that most phans have been clamoring for but it is also one that we all secretly feared. After of 3 seasons of band-aids, the Phillies, mainly led by new President Pat Gillick have admitted that it is time to rebuild. They flipped the franchises all time hits king for two young starters, traded away veterans Bastardo and Byrd and have put a big for sale sign on anything not named the Phanatic. It can be had to look at the roster and try to find any reason to be excited about a team many national protagonists have predicted could be the worst in baseball, but if you look close there are a few reasons to be excited about the 2015 Phillies! 

Its that time of year again. As the snow begins to melt in the north east, the roster battles in Florida are heating up. This is the first year in a long time that the Phillies are in a clear rebuilding phase and that has the potential for them to structure their roster differently. Amaro and Gillick have find a way to blend current production with long term growth, both individual players and potentially flipping veterans at the deadline. Even though they are rebuilding, there are still a lot of veterans with a lot of money left on there contracts. Then you add in the few young pieces the Phillies have and there isn't an over abundance of open jobs but enough to make things interesting.

It feels weird writing a negative blog after the impressive 3 game sweep of the Braves. But don't let the Phillies recent hot streak cloud the fact they have been mismanaged over the last number of years. Amaro has taken the defending World Champs and turned them into a team that is struggling to compete in a bad division. If you didn't think the 1st 5 moves were bad, the next 5 will having you running to call David Montgomery and demand answers!