Raul Ibanez

Hot on the heels of the Cliff Lee acquisition, the Philadelphia Phillies entered spring training as favorites to reclaim the National League crown. With Lee joining Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton, the Phillies should have the rotation locked down.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, the team isn't without questions as it prepares for the regular season. Turnover in the bullpen, spring training injuries, and the loss of key players and coaches during the off-season has left the team with several potential headaches to sort out.

Dominic Brown's future in the Major Leagues is bright.  He's 6'5, has speed, quickness, baseball instincts, and is looked at as a "five-tool" player. 

However, the Phillies need to recognize where Brown is at in his career before they throw him into a starting role, or should I say the lion's den.

Here's some reasons why Brown will start the season in the minors.

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I know that it is way to early to be thinking about the 2012 season, as the 2011 season has not even started yet, or is it? Some teams as of right now know that they will not have a chance for the World Series, and some of those teams are probably already eying players who are due to hit the free agent market after the conclusion of the current season. It is wise for all teams to look at this point in time at the holes that may be left in their current roster after this season and see who will fit into that hole.

The injury bug was biting in Philadelphia in 2010 and the fallout was dramatic. Over the course of the regular season, three quarters of the Philadelphia Phillies' everyday regulars spent time on the disabled list for extended periods of time.

As the title says, this is my second annual bucket list—Phillies style. I hate the redundancy of writing a totally self-explanatory title and then reaffirming the topic in my first sentence but with those darn search engines constantly looking for articles with relevance, I’m already at a disadvantage.

When it comes to blogging about baseball, I’m the master at having nothing relevant to say.

Regular season baseball is a funny game. Postseason baseball is knee-slapping, Will Ferrell in Anchorman game.

APPRECIATING RAUL

Raul Javier Ibanez won't draw any NL MVP votes this year, and he may not even be in the top five of the Phillies' team MVP vote, but the Phils' left fielder should be commended for his 2010 season.

His numbers, at first glance, are not extraordinary. In fact, they're rather pedestrian. Okay, bad idea...on to the next story.

But wait—there's more.

Yes, I know it is way too early for a 2011 MLB season preview.

The Phillies are making a colossal playoff push and are looking to become the first National League team since the St. Louis Cardinals of the early 1940s to reach the World Series three consecutive years.

With this in mind, I still couldn't wait. So, here, sports fans, is your extremely premature Philadelphia Phillies preview for the 2011 season. 

       There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring a General Manager for a Major League Baseball team, either you hire a business man or a baseball man. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have gone the business man rout with Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and have been successful.

Philadelphia, PA- Just when you thought it could not get worse for the Philadelphia Phillies the injury struggles increased and, pending results, could send another Phillie to the overloaded disabled list.

What was thought as a minor sprain for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard could turn into something more severe as Howard was sent back to Philadelphia yesterday to meet with team doctors.