Filed Under » Philadelphia Phillies

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team as the 2010 season opens. Today:Philadelphia Phillies (2009: 93-69, National League champion).

In one of the most complex trades in MLB history, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has been dealt to the Seattle Mariners for Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay and a collection of prospects. Amaro, who became Phillies GM in 2008, initiated the deal by sending Cliff Lee to the Mariners, but three days and six teams later, Amaro has found himself in Seattle.

“I…don’t know what happened,” Amaro said, calling from what presumes is now his house in the suburbs of Seattle. “I called the Mariners to offer them Cliff Lee for some prospects, which I planned to spin over to Toronto for Roy Halladay, then somehow the Angels got involved, then the Dodgers, then the Oakland A’s, and a few whirlwind days later…here I am. I guess I kind of traded myself to Seattle, if that’s possible. Or not. I really don’t know what the hell just happened. Can somebody please call Pat Gillick?”

According to FoxSports.com, the details of the trade are as follows: Cliff Lee to the Mariners for prospects Phillipe Aumont and Juan Ramirez; Phillies farmhands Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor and possibly J.A. Happ to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay and maybe some cash; Aumont and Ramirez to the Dodgers for outfielder Matt Kemp, who was then sent to Oakland for Brett Wallace, who was flipped back to the Phillies for Amaro.

“Somehow, in all the confusion, in all the phone calls between GMs and assistant GMs, my name ended up in the mix,” said Amaro. “It’s going to take a lot of untangling to figure out where this all went wrong. Hopefully we can reverse the deal and send me back where I belong, but that’s going to be difficult. One piece gets pulled out of this deal and the whole thing falls through. It’s possible that I may just have to stay in Seattle. It’s not bad, I guess. Puget Sound is pretty.”

When questioned, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said he had “no idea” how Amaro ended up on the team’s roster and, in fact, wasn’t sure exactly who the team had acquired in the bizarre, tangled transaction.

“I wish I had a good answer for you,” Zduriencik told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. “I don’t even really know who we got and who we got rid of in this thing yet, to tell you the truth. I was kind of hoping you would tell me. All I know is that we got Cliff Lee. Wait, we did, right? Because if we didn’t we might have to ship Ruben back to Philly to get him.”

The Commissioner’s office has yet to comment on the transaction, but rules state that a general manager cannot be part of such a transaction. However, Rosenthal reports that until the final details of the deal are fully understood, the league probably won’t get involved.

“It’s kind of hard for the league or the union to get involved here since the details of the trade are so hazy,” said Rosenthal. "I will say this: the Mariners got a heck of a personnel man in Ruben Amaro, Jr. He’s one of the sharpest young minds in the game. Also, just as an aside: I broke this story. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. I don’t know what the damn story is quite yet, but I broke it. Kiss my ass, Jon Heyman.”

The team full of pricks topped that group of douchebags in six games last night, mercifully ending the World Series for most of the nation.

"World f—king champs!" hooted noted prick Nick Swisher in the victorious locker room.

Meanwhile, the mood in the opposing locker room was more subdued.

"I still think we were the better team," said uberdouche Jimmy Rollins. "We just didn't play like we were capable of."

The victory by the pricks over the douchebags followed most predictions as to how the Series would play out. The pricks were favored in Las Vegas and among baseball writers and analysts, as well as among casual observers of pricks and douchebags.

"As I thought, the pricks just had better pitching," said Fox analyst Steve Rosenthal.

"At the end of the day, pricks tend to just have more motivation," said Jeff Riley, a casual baseball fan who says he works with both pricks and douchebags, as well as many dickheads. "They can't be denied. Douchebags are annoying, yet possible to ignore if you make the effort to do so. I didn't watch the World Series, but it seems that's how it played out."

With the season at an end, the pricks will now celebrate with a parade before their adoring fans. While the douchebags must try to reload for another run next season.

"We were close," said incredibly douchey right fielder Jayson Werth. "We don't need to blow this team up — we get along great and we all love growing our facial hair together and shopping for Ed Hardy t-shirts. But we maybe need to look at the available free agents and see if there are some pricks we can add to the roster."

One week ago Chase Utley was simply a baseball star. Now, by tying Reggie Jackson's record for home runs in a World Series, he is a baseball immortal. Who is this guy? Here are some facts about Chase Utley.

Chase Utley was born December 17, 1978 and raised in the city of Long Beach, California. Utley was active in the Long Beach rap community as a teenager and can be seen bent over on all fours clapping his buttocks in the "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" video. He is credited in the video as Bitch 26. Coincidentally, that is his current uniform number.

The former UCLA star hit a grand slam in his first game with the Phillies but initially struggled to break into the everyday lineup because Placido Polanco was entrenched at second. The Phillies are the only major league baseball team to lose 10,000 games.

Utley frequently lends his help to animal rights organizations. In fact, his current hairstyle is to raise awareness about the endangered Slick-Back Otter of the Delaware River.

Animal rights are such a concern to the second baseman that he has the logo of his animal organization placed prominently on his official website: ChaseUtley.com.

This logo is almost exactly the same as the one used by fellow Philadelphia sports star Michael Vick's shuttered Bad Newz Kennels, only that logo had the bat against the dog's head. And the baseball was a dislodged eyeball.

Utley's at-bat music is Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." The song was also the at-bat music of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels until Hamels discovered the Zeppelin classic is not about expensive and luxurious sweaters.

Utley angered some Philadelphia fans during the 2008 World Series celebration rally by yelling "World f—king champions" into the mic while on stage.

These two fans were immediately ejected from the rally and forced to move out of Philadelphia because, according to an official document from the city, "they were obviously not real f—king Philadelphians and should go live in some homo town where they f—king belong."

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels angered Philadelphia fans and teammates following his World Series Game 3 loss by stating that he couldn't wait for the season to end. But today he spoke to his teammates and manager Charlie Manuel to clear up any confusion and express to them how close they are to his heart.

"I am sorry if I hurt anyone with what I said," said Hamels, tearing up as he addressed the team. "But you guys mean everything to me. You're like stylists to me. No, no … I mean that. Chase, I look at you like my eyebrow girl, Mindy. You're that important. Cliff Lee, you're my manicurist Wan-Li. And, Charlie … oh, Charlie … you're my personal shopper and style consultant, Heather."

Hamels went through most of the team similarly until he was finally stopped by teammate Brett Myers.

"Okay. We get it," said Myers. "You like us. You don't want to quit. That's great. But you don't have to be such a freaking girl about it. Jeez. Have some dignity, you woman."

Other Phillies echoed Myers' sentiments, but also stressed that they appreciated Hamels speaking up.

"I needed to hear it, because I had my doubts," said Ryan Howard. "We're all in this car together driving towards one goal and it's good to know we still have Cole roller-skating behind us. Although I could have used not being compared to his pedicurist. Gross."

Hamels' wife, Heidi, a former Survivor contestant, says she knows her husband is sincere because he used a similar speech to propose to her two years ago.

"I'll always remember it," says Heidi. "Cole crouched down — he didn't want to get on one knee because he was wearing $300 Gucci slacks — and said: 'Heidi, I've wanted a shopping partner my whole life. And I totally love your style. Even better, we both love Savage Garden. I want to grow old with you. Although I won't grow old. I'll stay looking fabulous forever. If I ever get wrinkles or get fat I would, like, totally blow my brains out.' It was so romantic."

Hamels says he is just happy to be back in the good graces of his teammates.

"My hair just doesn't lay right when I'm stressed or feeling unloved," he said. "You ever get that? Horrors."

There are two things we have learned so far in the World Series:

1) Alex Rodriguez is a centaur.

And …

2) The Phillies have no idea how to pitch to this half-man, half-beast.

Rodriguez's 10 plate appearances in the last two games — both Yankee wins — have resulted in the following: HBP, home run, line out, HBP, walk, HBP, fly out, fly out, strike-out, game-winning double.

Clearly the Phillies need help. Lucky for them I know baseball. And I also know centaurs. So here are my:

Keys to Pitching to CentauRod

1. Exploit his massive strike zone. The strike zone in baseball is from the batter's knees up to the letters across the front of his jersey. On a centaur, that's about six to seven feet. Even a mythical being can't protect an area that big at the plate.

2. Distract him. In Greek mythology, centaurs are depicted as wild creatures enslaved to their unbridled passions. CentauRod is no different. The Phillies and their fans must distract him at the plate with athletic she-males, feed bags full of steroids, and mirrors.

3. Refer to the rule book. This may seem like a cheap way to win, but you're not the team putting a centaur in the lineup. First off, there has to be some sort of uniform violation with CentauRod. Second, weapons — such as a bow-and-arrow — are not allowed on the field during play. And, third, there's no way CentauRod is keeping all four of his legs in the batter's box. It's impossible.

4. Destroy his confidence in the field. If you can mess CentauRod up on the field, he'll lose some confidence at the plate. That's why the Phillies need to bunt down the third base line at him over and over and over. It's really hard for centaurs to bend down with their horse knees to pick up the ball. Of course, CentauRod may just pick the ball up with a spear. But then you just go back to the rule book violation.

5. If you're going to hit him, hit him in the right place. CentauRod has been hit with pitches three times in the last two games. That's not a problem. The problem is that the Phillies keep hitting him in the upper body. They need to hit him in the legs. Leg injuries are often fatal for horses. Centaurs are no different. A hard fastball just above the hoof should result in CentauRod getting slaughtered like Barbaro. Then who are the Yankees going to be stuck playing at third — Jerry Hairston, Jr.? Ha! He's no centaur. He's a nymph. Advantage: Phillies.