{"id":75701,"date":"2014-08-04T18:33:47","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T18:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rcntv.rcn.com\/?p=75701"},"modified":"2014-08-04T18:33:47","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T18:33:47","slug":"the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"The SportsTalk Shop:  Eagles Camp &#038; Phillies Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While I was taking a few vacation days last week, two of the bigger summer sports happenings took place in the Delaware Valley: the opening and first week of Eagles training camp and the passing of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. I thought I\u2019d share this week\u2019s blog to touch on both topics.<\/p>\n<p>First, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.philadelphiaeagles.com\/\">Eagles<\/a>. Here\u2019s a look at insights and predictions from Eagles beat writers and our RCN TV football analysts on the Birds\u2019 first week of camp plus their thoughts on the 2014 squad.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RCN SportsTalk: Eagles Training Camp Preview\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j-bY4ycog6A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Now, a recap of everything the <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/index.jsp?c_id=phi\">Phillies <\/a>did at this year\u2019s MLB trade deadline\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Oh, wait they didn\u2019t do a thing, did they?<\/p>\n<p>Alright, since \u201cyou-know-who\u201d let us down again and did not make any deals\u2026let\u2019s try a different approach in analyzing the Phillies\u2019 second straight year of accomplishing NOTHING prior to the non-waiver deadline. And since I\u2019ve been getting hit with emails saying that I\u2019ve been too negative in regards to the Phillies this season (it\u2019s called being realistic, folks), let\u2019s try to be ultra-positive here and see just how the Phillies could actually have a chance at a playoff berth in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>(Before reading further, please note that, even with the extremely high pollen count this summer, I have not exceeded my allergy medication and am of sound mind and body. This is a possible\u2014albeit not probable\u2014way the \u201cPhightins\u201d can have a shot at a playoff next season. So let\u2019s hold hands, think happy thoughts, hum a few bars from Pharrell Williams\u2019s hit, and begin).<\/p>\n<p><strong>1) They have in-house \u201cpieces\u201d that can help.<\/strong><br \/>\nWhile I am not over-evaluating most of the current players like GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. has apparently done, I think there are some quality players in the organization who, if matched-up correctly, can help the team contend. Remember the 1993 Phillies? They used role players in the right spots (including three platoons and a couple offensive\/defensive switches) that made for one of the greatest rides in Philadelphia sports history. Neither <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=502126#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Dom Brown<\/a> nor <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=519184#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Ben Revere<\/a> look like solid, everyday MLB players. But a combination of Revere\/<a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=573131#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Darin Ruf<\/a>, or, say Brown\/Cam Perkins might be a serviceable combination to use in left field. They would still have to improve center field, but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=605125#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Cody Asche<\/a> can play third, second and left field. <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=400284#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Chase Utley<\/a> (if Ryan Howard is moved) could play first. Maikel Franco could be an everyday first or third baseman or he could complement Asche and Howard at the corners. <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=429713#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=1&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Grady Sizemore<\/a> looks like he can contribute at least 75% of the time. What\u2019s needed the rest of the 2014 season are some evaluations of all these players, some tough decisions on which players can help and which need to move on, and a clear plan on a couple of positions that must be effectively upgraded in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Still with me? Alright, sing a quick verse of \u201cKumbaya\u201d and let\u2019s continue.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2) The bullpen is solid\u2014with room to spare.<\/strong><br \/>\nPeople desperately wanted the Phillies to part ways with <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=449097#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Jonathan Papelbon<\/a>, including Papelbon, at the trade deadline. It still might happen, but let\u2019s just look at what the Phillies now have in their bullpen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPap\u201d is now on the books for one more year at $13-million with a vesting option, and appears to be on the top of his game. Ken Giles has been stellar and looks to fill out the 8-inning setup role vacated by Mike Adams, who comes off the books after this season. <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=518617#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Jake Diekman<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=571786#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Mario Holland<\/a>s have struggled at times, but still look like legitimate lefty options and combine with <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=518603#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Justin DeFratus<\/a> to form an above-average bridge to the later innings. This allows <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=455374#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Antonio Bastardo<\/a> to look tremendous used solely in a long-relief role (since he seems to lose sight of the strike zone every time he comes into a meaningful game with a small lead). Plus, <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=646057#gameType='S'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=543495#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Ethan Marti<\/a>n and\/or a couple relievers from the mid-level minors add even more depth. If you catch a break and another young reliever steps up (remember Giles started last year in Class-A ball), you actually have a surplus of young, controllable pitchers\u2014a need nearly every other team has\u2014and could use a young arm to help improve your offense. No need to spend a few million on Chad Qualls or Chad Durbin this offseason\u2026the Phillies can concentrate whatever financial flexibility they have elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Nola\u2026Franco\u2026Castillo?<\/strong><br \/>\nThere are a few names that could (quick! grab a four-leaf clover) become major players for the Phillies in the next year or two.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s first-round draft pick Aaron Nola is on the fast track to the Big Leagues. He was just promoted to Double-A Reading and will make his first start this Wednesday, and it\u2019s very likely he will be a candidate for the Phillies\u2019 \u201915 rotation out of spring training. He projects as a #3 starter, but any warm body who can get outs will be welcome considering the team has only one of its current pitchers (<a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/team\/player.jsp?player_id=430935#gameType='R'&amp;sectionType=career&amp;statType=2&amp;season=2014&amp;level='ALL'\">Cole Hamels<\/a>, although David Buchanan will probably be called up this week) under contract for next year.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen Franco play in Triple-A quite a bit and have spoken with him three times this season, and I really think he will be a steady major league hitter. He could be one of the big power bats the team has been lacking, although I don\u2019t think they can go into next season anointing him as their clean-up hitter. He\u2019s a hard-working kid who respects the game and spent a lot of time in spring training talking to the veterans (especially Jimmy Rollins) about what it takes to be a successful big leaguer. At worst, he\u2019s a platoon option at either of the corner infielder positions for 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Rusney Castillo is a 27-year old Cuban outfielder that the Phillies saw work out (once publicly and once privately). Not much is known about him, but he may be a player the team must make an \u201call-in\u201d push for. He\u2019ll require mega-bucks, but if he\u2019s as good as advertised, he could be a right-handed bat w\/speed and pop who takes care of your center field dilemma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4) The Phillies need to make three \u201cshrewd\u201d and perhaps, slightly dangerous, off-season additions.<\/strong><br \/>\n(OK, here\u2019s where we REALLY need to think warm fuzzy puppies, big, yellow-smiling faces and a line or two from a Strawberry Alarm Clock song).<\/p>\n<p>The Phillies need to make at least three well-calculated additions, with at least one risky enough to make a Riverboat gambler blush. They\u2019ll probably need to add one or two starting pitchers and one or two position upgrades to improve the offense. They\u2019ll also probably have to move at least one core player\u2014somewhere\u2014to make it happen. Let\u2019s see how next season could play out with the current players in-tow:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>2015 Projections\u2026the Starting Rotation:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nSP \u2013 Cole Hamels<br \/>\nSP \u2013 (Free Agent #1)<br \/>\nSP \u2013 Cliff Lee (if healthy)<br \/>\nSP \u2013 A.J. Burnett (if he doesn\u2019t retire)<br \/>\nSP \u2013 Buchanan \/ Nola \/ Gonzalez (and\/or Roberto Hernandez, who might have earned a return to Philly based on his latest outings)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Outfield (any combination of):<\/strong><br \/>\nMarlon Byrd (if he\u2019s not traded), Castillo (if signed), Sizemore, Revere, Brown, Ruff \u2026plus, a major free agent addition #2<\/p>\n<p><strong>Corner Infielders:<\/strong><br \/>\nHoward (if he\u2019s not released), Franco, Asche and\/or a major free agent #3<\/p>\n<p><strong>Middle Infielders:<\/strong><br \/>\nUtley, Rollins, and your utility guy<\/p>\n<p><strong>Catchers:<\/strong><br \/>\nCarlos Ruiz, Wil Nieves, Cameron Rupp<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at the free agent position players first. Corner infield possibilities include Hanley Ramirez (a lifetime .300 hitter with current OBP of .370 and SLG of .462 this year), Pablo Sandoval (the 27-year old\u2019s numbers are down this year which could make him more affordable) and Chase Headley (the Phillies have had rumored interest in him for years). In the outfield, Nelson Cruz (his OPS is up from a year ago) and Melky Cabrera (he could set a career high in HRs this year) will be available. Also, a player like Yasmani Tomas, who\u2019s similar but not as polished as Jose Abreu (per mlbtraderumors.com) could help the Phillies\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n<p>Available pitchers include Max Scherzer (who is almost certain not to re-sign with Detroit since they\u2019ve added David Price), James Shields (109 wins, 3.77 ERA and 21 complete games for his career) and Jon Lester (unless he was serious about returning to Boston with a once-removed hometown discount). With an improved offense, you don\u2019t think a rotation of Hamels, Shields, Lee, Buchanan, Hernandez or Gonzalez and, with any luck, Nola can\u2019t at least get you to .500\u2014a stone\u2019s throw away from the second wild card spot? And imagine if they could lock up Scherzer instead of Shields to anchor that rotation?<\/p>\n<p>But hey, isn\u2019t all the Phillies\u2019 money tied up in the aging contracts of Howard, Lee, et al?<\/p>\n<p>Well, hop aboard my rainbow-colored chariot and keep an eye on a few items going forward.<\/p>\n<p>One, the waiver wire. A number of Phillies players will undoubtedly be placed on waivers this month, by which a team can claim a player and therefore pick up ALL remaining money on the player\u2019s contract. Yes, you get nothing in return&#8211;unless you agree with that team to work out a trade&#8211;but even Penny Lane wasn\u2019t built for free. If any team gets desperate and takes on a hefty contract, that\u2019s additional bucks the Phillies have to work with to sign free agents.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, the Phillies\u2019 new TV contract. They\u2019ll get $2.5-billion dollars in 2016, and by the end of that season, you\u2019ll have a number of the big-money contracts (Lee, Byrd, Rollins, Ruiz, Papelbon, Gonzalez and perhaps Utley) all expiring. If they go over the salary cap for 2015 (note: first-time cap offenders pay a much smaller penalty), then they\u2019ll be able to afford the added expense of the higher luxury tax, if they go over it a second time in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>All this is possible if the Phillies truly believe what they have been saying over the last several years\u2026that they will not rebuild, but will only retool, and look to be competitive each season.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the first decision to make is whether or not Amaro returns as GM next year. And while 98% of fans (and this might be a conservative estimate) have been clamoring for his firing for some time, remember this: if you bring in a new general manager, you\u2019ll pretty much have to guarantee him a \u201choneymoon\u201d season, which means you can throw 2015 out the window. I\u2019ve clearly been off the RAJ bandwagon for some time now, so I\u2019m not clamoring for his return by any means. But if they make a front office move, I would think they\u2019d go in a completely new direction, which means at least one year \u2013 perhaps two &#8211; of rebuilding.<\/p>\n<p>OK, I\u2019ll step off of the Magical Mystery bus now. If you think I have totally lost my mind\u2026or if there might actually be an opinion or two you agree with, feel free to email me at <a href=\"mailto:RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com\">RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com<\/a> and join us each Thursday live at 6pm on \u201cRCN SportsTalk\u201d to discuss\/debate in more detail.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While I was taking a few vacation days last week, two of the bigger summer sports happenings took place in the Delaware Valley: the opening and first week of Eagles training camp and the passing of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. I thought I\u2019d share this week\u2019s blog to touch on both topics. First,&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-sports","category-the-sportstalk-shop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp &amp; Phillies Thoughts - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp &amp; Phillies Thoughts - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While I was taking a few vacation days last week, two of the bigger summer sports happenings took place in the Delaware Valley: the opening and first week of Eagles training camp and the passing of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. I thought I\u2019d share this week\u2019s blog to touch on both topics. First,...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Michael\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris Michael\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Michael\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a\"},\"headline\":\"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp &#038; Phillies Thoughts\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1913,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\",\"Sports\",\"The SportsTalk Shop\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/\",\"name\":\"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp & Phillies Thoughts - ATVN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/\",\"name\":\"ATVN\",\"description\":\"Local Programming &amp; Astound Digital Cable, Internet &amp; Phone Services\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a\",\"name\":\"Chris Michael\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"\\\/atvn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg\",\"url\":\"\\\/atvn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"\\\/atvn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Chris Michael\"},\"description\":\"Chris handles play-by-play for RCN sports events, including baseball, football &amp; basketball games and produces\\\/hosts the station\u2019s 60-minute live call-in show. Among Chris\u2019s other responsibilities include reporting on local news &amp; sports stories, conducting \u201cTake 5\u201d interviews with community and political leaders, producing commercials, voiceovers and promos; and generating blog entries and videos on the internet. Click here to listen to the weekly Sports Talk podcast.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.astound.com\\\/atvn\\\/author\\\/rcntvchris\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp & Phillies Thoughts - ATVN","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp & Phillies Thoughts - ATVN","og_description":"While I was taking a few vacation days last week, two of the bigger summer sports happenings took place in the Delaware Valley: the opening and first week of Eagles training camp and the passing of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. I thought I\u2019d share this week\u2019s blog to touch on both topics. First,...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/","og_site_name":"ATVN","article_published_time":"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00","author":"Chris Michael","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris Michael","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/"},"author":{"name":"Chris Michael","@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/#\/schema\/person\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a"},"headline":"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp &#038; Phillies Thoughts","datePublished":"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/"},"wordCount":1913,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Featured","Sports","The SportsTalk Shop"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/","name":"The SportsTalk Shop: Eagles Camp & Phillies Thoughts - ATVN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-08-04T18:33:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/#\/schema\/person\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/the-sportstalk-shop-eagles-camp-phillies-thoughts\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/","name":"ATVN","description":"Local Programming &amp; Astound Digital Cable, Internet &amp; Phone Services","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/#\/schema\/person\/6aba8df7f74bf50b72426776afd0067a","name":"Chris Michael","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"\/atvn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg","url":"\/atvn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg","contentUrl":"\/atvn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Chris-Michael-Sports-Talk-Shop-Author-Image1.jpg","caption":"Chris Michael"},"description":"Chris handles play-by-play for RCN sports events, including baseball, football &amp; basketball games and produces\/hosts the station\u2019s 60-minute live call-in show. Among Chris\u2019s other responsibilities include reporting on local news &amp; sports stories, conducting \u201cTake 5\u201d interviews with community and political leaders, producing commercials, voiceovers and promos; and generating blog entries and videos on the internet. Click here to listen to the weekly Sports Talk podcast.","url":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/author\/rcntvchris\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}