Amaro was quoted yesterday as saying he's not happy with our outfield. That's two of us.

I have been off the board for some time and wondered what the sentiment is among you: Are we done building the outfield?

Or is there a chance we manage to add another piece instead of this platoon scheme?

There are very few ducks on the pond...

I'm not overly joyed with it and if you listen to any analyst, neither are they, but I am also glad they didn't overspend or tie there hands up with a player who isn't worth it either. I will feel much better with the OF situation if the bullpen is showed to be much improved during Spring Training....that can hopefully cover up some flaws until it's time to possibly add someone mid season after we see if Ruf and Brown can play.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about it at the moment. He's definitely gonna make a move prior to the start of Spring Training. I personally wouldn't mind that deal for Soriano if the cubs are willing to eat everything but $10M.

Building the outfield?, building is when you create something new, what the Phillies have, is what is left. CF is a big ?, but it is obviously not Revere's fault, he might surprise?, jury is out, come back in July. The corner positions are where the problems lie. Know question the Phils are hoping they might have a right-handed hitting Howard?, in Ruff, time will tell. I will stick with my assessment of Brown in RF, until he proves me wrong. Her is simply a bigger, stronger version, of Jeff Stone, not the sharpest tack in the box. One of three things will happen, it will work out?, it will be a push?, or it will be a disaster?, simple as that. Are we going to actually miss Hunter, and Shane?, sometimes you don't realize what you had?, until it is gone?.

"...I wouldn't necessarily worry about it at the moment. He's definitely gonna make a move prior to the start of Spring Training. I personally wouldn't mind that deal for Soriano if the cubs are willing to eat everything but $10M..."

-- If I'm an owner of the Phillies, I'm making sure Jed Hoyer's phone number is on RAJ's 'Do Not Call' list. ;-)

I think Revere could be a very nice addition but my wariness lies with the idea of rookies in the corners. We know what we have in Mayberry and Nix -- not much.

I think many are wrong on Revere. He will be a fan fave before the end of the season and one of the FEW high points of the season. The rest of the OF is in a shambles IMO. That is unless Ruff beats all odds and does not digress at all. But Im pretty sure the other teams have been reviewing video of Ruff and preparing. Thats a LOT of hope to place on the man! Brown? He is like the everready bunny of endless hopes run amok. How many times do we place our hope in him to finally arrive? Ive lost patience in that at this point in Brown being more than he has been. Mayberry? Like the rest of our options should be warming the bench as a utility player not something you are counting on to get to a post season slot . This off season has been a terrible disapointment for me, the only people that are happy about it , it seems are the ones counting the size of the salary. Its hard to be happy with the players at our disposal at this point and Rube basicly said hes done. So may be the Phils.

I agree wholeheartedly. I think Revere is a nice pick up but his signing meant that Amaro needed to add someone with power to this line up.

I'm okay with the outfield. Going into the season with Ruf/Revere/Brown as the outfield could end up costing us in prospects at the deadline (Assuming we're in it), but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

"...I think many are wrong on Revere..."

-- What exactly are they wrong about, tuner?

You may call me crazy, but I'm almost glad we are not "set" in our outfield. I'm glad there is a little uncertainty, it creates hunger and competition. Is it April yet?

I think there is a thought out there, (i could be wrong, have been before) , that Revere was just a ho hum pickup and doesnt really change much. I feel he was the sole excitement this year and by mid season I suspect he will be a fan fave as a workhorse. Do I think its enough though? Not unless the miriad of "ifs" also come to fruition.

Maybe instead of calling them the Philladelphia Phillies this year Ill adopt the name the Philadelphia Ifs. If Brown finally steps up to what he was projected to be as a untouchable phenom prospect, if Chase enters the year healthy and stays that way, if Howard bounces back any wheres close to what he is paid to do, if Doc returns well, and NOW (if the arm scare on Cole is not like other seasons past where we are told its nothing to be concerned about and than turns out more to be concerned about), yada yada.........

You ARE crazy!!!!! Ill take the team to beat on paper every single year, year in and year out and never once tire of it. You must be a glutton for frustration. The last few years have been the best of my entire life as a Phillies fan, it is as bad as it gets to me to fall back down and be the underdog again. I hate it!!!!! Loath it!!! Yankee fans have no idea how lucky they are to be the perenial favorites with 27 rings, I dont have enough years left to see a quarter of that for my team!

You and my wife are in agreement then, I'm totally off my rocker. :-)

I just like the idea of some fresh potential in Brown, Revere and Ruf instead of the same old 2009,2010, 2011, 2012 expectations with a set outfield, that the team had one goal and one only, to win it all or bust. IMO- It got stale. I don't care if I stand alone on this view, it's truly the way I feel, can't change that.

As opposed to those years, this team does not look like a team that will contend for a WFC, but in reality has the potential to do just that. They are at least as good as the Orioles and A's of last season. I guess I just like the chance of being pleasantly surprised instead of annually disappointed. They can't all be 15 million dollar players, some have to be young and/or under team control.

Remember the joy of 2005, 06, 07, and 08 when they were coming into their own, and you knew they'd stay together because so may were under control. When they kept bringing guys up in what seemed at the time to be an endless supply of blocked young talent. I don't know, this just feels closer to that, (not quite as good, but closer) and more exciting to me.

I do kind of know how you feel. It is a lot more exciting when the team is successful with low expectations. When you don't expect much from the team, it becomes much more enjoyable when they defy expectations. Even though it was still a longshot, I got excited those couple weeks last season that they looked they could pull off the second wild card; with how dominant the team had been in past years this should have been nothing but disappointing but because they were assumed to be finished for the season already it was so much better when they actually got something going. Having a great, high expectation team can be great, but it also often leads to dissapointment such as how 2011 ended. I would much rather be excited and surprised that the team made the playoffs against the odds then be dissapointed when they flop in the playoffs.

" Having a great, high expectation team can be great, but it also often leads to dissapointment such as how 2011 ended."

How can you even BEGIN to compare last years disgusting season to 2011???? At least in 2011 they were IN the efing playoffs!!! Ill take making the playoffs every stinking year! Win or lose at least your season continues somewhat into the most important aspect of the game while others go home! I dont find losing the regular season, no matter how close as anything other than losing, plain and simple.

You don't build a championship -- or even a playoff contender -- on ifs.

Howard looked lost against lefties last year.

Utley has been a soap opera for two consecutive seasons.

How is Halladay's balky shoulder suddenly going to heal itself?

And you don't say, IF Ruf can suddenly become a big league hitter after playing AA ball last season..

And Brown? I'll believe his potential IF I finally see it realized.

I'm not exactly psyched about a Mayberry and Nix off the bench. How Mayberry, given his build, didn't become a stud is beyond me. But unless he gets a high fastball, forget it.

Don't get me wrong I would take 2011 over 2012 every time. 2012 was very disappointing, but if we could have made the playoffs it would have been more exciting then making the playoffs in a year like 2011 when it is expected. I don't want to ever have a losing team and I wish to make the playoffs every year, but I would rather be the underdog like 2007-2008 or a hypothetical 2012 that we make the playoffs then be disappointed even though we had a great team and made the playoffs. Personally I was furious right after we lost in 2011, and it should have been frustrating but most of that disappointment came from very high expecations that made anything other than a world series win a disappointment.

I have no desire to have a bad team, and there will always be some level of disappointment whenever they do not make the playoffs. I would just rather be an unexpected, underdog team that makes the playoffs then be the national favorites with expectations that are not met. This is why I don't like subscribing to the "championship or bust" mentality, because with how rare it is to actually win a championship it is only setting yourself up for disappointment. A team like the Athletics and Orioles from last year were very exciting even though neither ever got very close to winning the world series. If possible, I will gladly take a championship every other year, but I know this is highly improbable and would rather not set myself up with such unlikely expectations.

Id rather make the playoffs every year for ten years and not once win the WS than lose the regular season every year and one time out of those ten years win it all as an underdog because in my book i would always know the playoffs becomes a lot of luck on who is more banged up, who gets hot and other aspects but winning the regular season is a true tell on how good the team truly is. Just the way i look at it!