From: "The Phillies Fan Union" <fans@...> Subject: The Phillies Fan Union Newsleter The September 5th, 2005 Edition Membership as of September 4th, 2005: 100,469

___ FEATURE STORY The Phillies have entered that special time of the season. The rest of the NL East is waiting. The "beast of the east" is ready to slay the Phillies. Ryan Howard and the rest of the Phillies have less that one month to wield the sword that lays waste to the monster that has had it's way with them all season. Bring on the beast. GET THE FULL STORY

 THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION Supporting the Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association ***Do whatever you can***This Week's Question:
On December 16, 1967: this popular Phillie was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Woodie Fryman, Harold Clem, and Bill Laxton, and infielder Don Money.
Who was this Phillies player?
Scroll down for the answer...

UNION NEWS:

NOT A MEMBER OF THE UNION YET?
Join Us And spread the word!
PFU HALL OF FAME VOTING
Have a favorite Phillie? Nominate him for the
PFU Hall of Fame. Feel free to use the Phillies
All-Time Roster - Courtesy The Sports Cube
Tony Taylor 11,967 Votes
Mickey Morandini 11,639 Votes
Bobby Wine 11,587 Votes
Andy Seminick 10,803 Votes
VOTE HERE
RESULTS OF THE WEEKLY SURVEY
Do you think the acquisition of Michael Tucker will help the Phillies?
Yes 29%
No 53%
Not Sure 18% 
GET THE BEST IN PHILLIES MERCHANDISE

  
PHILLIES NEWS:
LIDLE TO THE 15 DAY DL
Phillies placed RHP Cory Lidle on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. Lidle had to leave a game against the Giants on August 25th with a strained left oblique muscle. He hurt himself on the swing before he grounded out. Lidle was replaced in the rotation by RHP Robinson Tejeda. In the first half of the season,
Lidle was one of the more consistent Phillies starters.
THOME TO THE 60 DAY DL
Phillies 1B Jim Thome was moved from the 15 day disabled list to the 60 day DL. Thome hasn't been healthy since the middle of last season. He opened this season with a
back problem which landed him on the DL for the first time
in May. He returned to active play, only to return to the disabled list in early July with elbow tendinitis. He had surgery in August and is expected to be out of action for three months. The Phillies are said to be actively shopping Thome and are reportedly willing to pay half of his remaining salary.
VICTORINO'S IN THE MIX
The Phillies picked up AAA outfielder Shane Victorino from The Dodgers in last year's Rule V draft. It now
looks like this year's minor league diamond in the rough
could dramatically alter the Phillies CF plans for 2006.
Victorino, fresh from being named the International
League Player of the Year on Tuesday, is now with the big
club for September play. He hit .310, with a career-high 18 homers, including a team-record 13. He also reached career highs with 70 RBI, 25 doubles, and 16 triples. He was riding a 22-game hitting streak when he was called up as rosters expanded on Thursday.
MYERS COULD BE ACE MATERIAL
After a difficult outing that saw Phillies RHP Brett Myers
reverting to his old mental form, the Phillies young starter
came back with the kind of game that aces are made of as he convincingly beat the Mets and ace Pedro Martinez at Shea on Thursday. Myers did all the little things that aces to and kept his head in the game after the Mets touched him for two runs early. Myers is currently 12-6 with a 3.51 ERA.
WAGNER; PHILLIES STILL NOT CLOSE
Phillies closer Billy Wagner and the Phillies are still negotiating. That's good. They're still far apart. That's not good. It's believed Wagner is looking for $27 million over three seasons, while the Phillies' top offer is a two-year, $14 million deal with an $8.5 million option. Wagner is now saying he'll accept a full no-trade clause over the first two seasons and a limited no-trade in the third season. The Phillies' latest offer includes a full no-trade for 2006, a limited no-trade for 2007, and nothing for 2008.
MICHAELS SOLID IN SHARED ROLE
Jason Michaels continues to impress for the Phillies. The four year CF has played in 89 games for the Phillies.
He has a .309 batting average to go with a .404 on-base-
percentage and a .413 slugging percentage. Michaels
has 3 home runs this season and 26 RBI. Michaels has
been sharing playing time with Kenny Lofton. He bats
against the right handed pitchers, with Lofton playing against the lefties.
TEJEDA MISSES START
The Phillies announced that rookie righthander Robinson Tejeda, who has pitched remarkably well since he joined the rotation in June, would miss his next scheduled start against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium because of inflammation in his right shoulder. Tejeda said he first felt discomfort in his shoulder August 24th in San Francisco, when he pitched two innings in relief of Cory Lidle. Tejeda felt pain again Tuesday in New York, and again Thursday when he threw a bullpen session. He threw just 10 pitches and had to stop. Tejeda was replaced in the rotation by rookie Eude Brito.
FLOYD RETURNS TO PHILLIES
Gavin Floyd pitched for the Phillies for the first time since he was demoted in April. Floyd gave the Phillies six effective innings in his first start in the Majors since April 15th, but the Nationals used a pair of three-run home runs to earn a 6-1 victory at RFK Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Floyd struggled at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre, going 3-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 17 starts. He regained his focus, his fastball,
and his curve in two sessions with part-time assistant Johnny Podres in July.
HOWARD WATCH
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, finishing the season in place of injured lineup anchor Jim Thome, has begun
to step up the pace as the Phillies make a run for a playoff spot in the National League. The Express looks right at home in the spotlight. He smashed his third home run in four games on Thursday, a ninth-inning bomb
that gave the Phillies their two-run lead. He hit one Pedro off Martinez on Wednesday, too, two games after he crushed one more than 425 feet off the centerfield wall in Arizona. In that game ESPN commentator was
comparing Howard to former Giant great Willie McCovey.
Howard went yard again on Saturday with an opposite
field shot against Washington. 
WADE WATCH - Week 37
Ed Wade's contract with the Phillies is now guaranteed through 2007 instead of 2006. Wade he had a clause in his contract that automatically kicked in another year on an unspecified date during the season. Some baseball
people were making comparisons between the circumstances
surrounding Jim Thome and those that befell Lenny Dykstra.
Dykstra's career was ended as a result of s chronic back
problem. To this, Wade said, "The circumstances here are different than Dykstra-Glanville. We knew that Lenny, at that point, was at the end of his career. I don't see Jim at the end." This is what scares Phillies fans when
it comes to Wade. Hey Ed. Do we have to wait for the end,
or wouldn't it be a good idea to move Thome while he still
has enough left to be worth something. Ah, Ed? IT'S WHAT
THE WINNING ORGANIZATIONS DO!
SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS
Five players, including outfielder Shane Victorino, the International League most valuable player, joined the Phils as rosters expanded to 40 yesterday. Utility man Matt Kata, catcher A.J. Hinch and pitchers Geoff Geary and Pedro Liriano also arrived. Pitcher Gavin Floyd will join the club Sonday, after his final start with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
PHILLIES, CITIZENS BANK TO PITCH IN
FOR HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF FUND - From The Phillies
SILENT AUCTION SET FOR MONDAY
Fans attending National League games during the 10-game homestand at Citizens Bank Park will have the opportunity to team with the Phillies, Citizens Bank and the American Red Cross to raise dollars for Hurricane Katrina victims.
The homestand, which includes pennant-race games against the Houston Astros, Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves, begins on Monday, September 5th, and concludes on Thursday, September 15th. Donations for the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund will be accepted at specially designated locations inside the First Base, Third Base and Left Field Gates at Citizens Bank Park when the gates open (1 ½ hours prior to game time during the week; 2 hours before Saturday
and Sunday games).
VICTORINO IS IL MVP - From The Red Barons
For the first time ever, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons can claim the IL's Most Valuable Player. Outfielder Shane Victorino has won the award on the heels of his best season as a professional, setting career highs in nearly every offensive category. Victorino put together an incredible season in 2005. After his average dipped to .243 on June 22nd, he put together five straight multiple-hit games, sparking the 24-year-old to a torrid second half. He currently enjoys a 22-game hitting streak, second longest of the season in the IL (former teammate Ryan Howard, 24). Known for his defensive skills in center field, Victorino is among the League leaders in several offensive categories, including 8th in batting average (.310), 3rd in hits (153), 3rd in slugging percentage (.534), T-1st in extra-base hits (59), 1st in runs scored (93), and 1st in triples (16). His 16 triples is two more than any other player has collected this season in all of professional baseball. The Wailuku, Hawaii native has twice been named the IL Batter-of-the-Week this season (July 25-31, August 8-14).
READING PHILLIES' RUIZ HEADS FOR HOLLAND - From The Reading Phillies
Randy Ruiz has left the Reading Phillies lineup once again, this time to head for Holland, where he will take part in the World Cup tournament, which begins Friday. The 27-year-old Ruiz was born and raised in New York, but his family heritage allows him to represent Puerto Rico in international competition. Ruiz is leading the Eastern League with a .349 batting average in 89 games. He has 385 plate appearances, which should, unofficially, be enough to qualify for the batting title. Ruiz is also leading the league in slugging percentage at .669. Ruiz has missed 45 games this season due to two suspensions after twice testing positive for a banned substance. He is one of three Reading players headed to the World Cup. Pitcher Greg Bauer is going to represent the United States, and pitcher Josue Matos is going to represent Puerto Rico. Two pitchers were added to the Reading roster to take their places: Travis Minix returned from AAA and Matt Sweeney was added from Single-A Clearwater.
PHIL-INS

To make room on the 40-man roster for MichaelTucker the Phillies transferred JimThome (elbow surgery) from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL...
Double A outfielder Chris Roberson broke the Reading Phillies hits record set in 1987 by Tommy Barrett.
LF Pat Burrell has hit 29 career homers against the Mets, including a two-run blast in the series opener on Tuesday, with 15 of those at Shea Stadium. 
The Phillies finished August with a 16-11 record. They have a winning record for four straight months for the first time since September of 1992 and April, May and June of 1993 (excluding March and October).
The Phils needed to clear room on their 40-man roster for Shane Victorino and A.J. Hinch. They did so by designating pitcher Clay Condrey and third baseman Juan Richardson for assignment.
Hitting coach Milt Thompson was ejected for getting on home-plate umpire Larry Young after Ryan Howard was ruled out on a liner to right in the seventh inning of the Phillies' 3-1 win. Replays showed the ball had been trapped by outfielder Victor Diaz.
Courtesy of Hurricane Katrina, a river now flows in Phillies pitcher Jon Lieber's back yard in Mobile, Ala.
Reliever Aaron Fultz also resides in Alabama, but a few hours north of the Gulf of Mexico in Fayette, where damage was minimal.
The Phillies game at Florida on Sunday, September 18th, has been selected as an ESPN Sunday Night national telecast. Game time is 8:09 p.m. This the fourth ESPN Sunday night game for the Phillies this season.
David Bell hit the first grand slam of his career against the Nationals on Friday night.
Phillies players and coaches visited the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., this week. They signed autographs and took pictures with patients.
Lefthanded reliever Rheal Cormier has inflammation in his left shoulder.
PHILLIES: DID YOU KNOW?
Named for a verbal shorthand of the city of residence the Phillies replaced the Worcester (Massachusetts) Brown Stockings in the National League. However, the team was not relocated, the Worcesters were expelled from the league, and the new Phillies were given their spot. The name has nothing to do with horses. Their initial owners were John Rodgers and Al Reach, the first ever professional baseball player according to many definitions and he was the man to give the Phillies their name.
MLB STANDINGS - Courtesy Sports Illustrated
PHILLIES 2005 SCHEDULE/RESULTS - Courtesy USA Today
PHILLIES 2004 ORGANIZATIONAL RECAP - Courtesy MLB and The Phillies
UP-TO-DATE PHILLIES TRANSACTIONS - Courtesy The Sporting News
PHILLIES 2005 SCHEDULE - Courtesy MLB and The Phillies
BASEBALL STATISTICS 101 - Courtesy Baseball Almanac
NL TEAM STATS - Courtesy USA Today
PHILLIES FARM REPORT - Courtesy PhillyBurbs

THE PFU FEATURE OF THE WEEK - MICHAEL TUCKER 

PHILLIES OUTFIELDER MICHAEL TUCKER GET THE FOTW HERE! 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION: 

On December 16, 1967: Pitcher Jim Bunning traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Woodie Fryman, Harold Clem, and Bill Laxton, and infielder Don Money.
/FONT>

THE PHILLIES FAN UNION; EST. 1995 ©2005: THE PHILLIES FAN UNION