Philly

If you ask me, the Philadelphia Phillies got off to a pretty good start this weekend at home. Three games. Three wins.

That good start went way beyond simply getting three wins, however, as the team answered several imposing questions that people around the game held against them heading into the season. As Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt toed the hill, people questioned whether or not they would be able to live up to the hype. They responded by walking just one hitter, striking out 23 more and allowing just six earned runs in 19 innings pitched.

There may not be a team in baseball with more passionate fans than the Philadelphia Phillies. For all of the years of losing through the early 1970's, late 1980's and early 1990's, they have seen many years of success as well.

On the first day of spring training, all of Philadelphia was excited.  Finally, one of the most hyped pitching staffs ever reported to camp. 

Prognostications were made, and some said the Phillies could even challenge the 2001 Seattle Mariners' all-time mark for wins in a season.

Then the games started, and things started to unravel.  Phillies fans started getting worried.  Domonic Brown broke his hand.  Roy Oswalt got hit in the neck.  Brad Lidge started having problems with his shoulder.

When Cliff Lee decided to re-join the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-December, the first thought racing through the mind of every Phils' fan rotated around a star studded rotation that would help the team get the revenge they declared they would seek following a bitter ending to the National League Championship Series.

In a December to remember, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired the most coveted MLB free agency gem in Cliff Lee.

The Phillies' rotation now includes Roy Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

Lee gave the Phillies their fourth legitimate ace, and the group was christened R2C2.  This group has the potential to be historically good, which has gotten a lot of people to thinking: Why do they even need a fifth starter?

The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be the class of the National League in 2011. 

With Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, the Phillies have perhaps the most fearsome pitching rotation, on paper, in the modern baseball era.

Philadelphia has been installed as 13-to-4 favorites to win the World Series. The Phillies are overwhelming 1-to-4 favorites to take the National League pennant. 

The over/under on their win total has been placed at 96, which is also the best mark for any team in the league in the preseason. 

With spring training having begun, some of the prospects will be trying to earn their spot on the starting lineup, or at least their spot in the 25 man roster. Yesterday we saw the Cole Hamels is due to start the spring training game against the Yankees in Tampa, FL, and Vance Worley is to be the long reliever for that game. With the rotation and bullpen stocked the way that it is, how likely is it that Worley will see major league play time during the regular season?

Over the course of the past few seasons and offseasons, you've probably heard it said quite a few times. "It's a great time to be a Phillies fan." While that indeed is the case, it got me to thinking—where do some of today's Phillies' stars rank among the greatest Phillies of all time? How many Phillies could be called the greatest at their position in the history of this lengthy franchise? Are there any who could be called the greatest?

I hate to look ahead and into the future, but it's looking like the 2012 free agency period may be an important one for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Many of the main cogs of the franchise will be over to the age of 35 or close to it.  The window isn't exactly opened all the way.

Not only do some of the Phillies prospects have to prosper down the line, Amaro is going to have to make some tough decisions.  Who does he want to re-sign or sign during this time frame.  Philadelphia's farm system is ranked in the top five by the way.

Heading into the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Phillies are widely believed to be the favorite in the National League East, and maybe even the National League. 

However, to say that a team is without holes is unreasonable; in the case of the 2011 Phillies, there are indeed many questions that remain as they head to Clearwater to begin training.  On Friday, the Phillies packed up their trucks and sent the team's gear down I-95 to Florida.

Here are the top 17 questions that remain going into Spring Training.