Roy Oswalt

Talk about beating a dead horse, right?

Just when I was fully prepared to turn the page on the whole Roy Oswalt coming to Boston notion, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo had to lure me back into the saga.

I'm like Michael Corleone, just when I thought I was out...

In Friday night's series opener against the Florida Marlins, Roy Oswalt pitched four innings of no-hit baseball and looked magnificent. After allowing a solo home run to Logan Morrison to lead off the fifth inning, he still pitched well, allowing only one more run through six innings of work.

However, at the start of the seventh inning, something was wrong.

The Phantastic Phour, R2C2, The Four Horsemen, The Foureign Legion...I could go on. The Philladelphia Phillies starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels created massive amounts of speculation this winter—could they be the greatest rotation ever assembled?

So, after two turns each, have they lived up to the hype?

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending all three games this weekend for the Phillies. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and the weather did not stop more than 45,000 "phanatical" fans from showing up at each game and proving once again that the stigma of the Philadelphia fan that booed Santa more than 50 years ago is indeed history.

The Philadelphia Phillies cured? Say it isn’t so.

But what if that figment of our imagination came true? What if the World Series favorite Philadelphia Phillies were indeed cursed from here on out?

Looking at the way this team is shaping up for the 2011 season, I’d put my money on the Phillies being cursed… here’s why.

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With Opening Day nearly a week away, the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff is still the top topic of preseason predictions. On paper, the Phils should easily pitch their way to the World Series, but so many things can happen over the course of the season that nothing is certain.

Roy Oswalt's frightening experience on the hill on Wednesday proved that seasons can be altered in the swing of a bat.

When you go through Spring Training, you don't expect to have to see players go down due to injury. Nonetheless, it does happen, and when it's a line drive right back to the pitcher, it's always a very concerning moment, since you worry if the pitcher's going to be alright.

I wish the season would start already. 

To give you an idea of how desperate I have been for baseball; pre-season baseball has been the highlight of my month.  I have watched countless recaps of pre-season games, and now I am aching for the regular season.

Many people believe that the season ends after the final pitch of the World Series, however I, and many other baseball fanatics alike, know that the season continues even after the World Champions are crowned.  

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt... What is and what isn't with the best 1-2-3-4 of the decade?

They're not going to win 80 games. They're not going to have the top three Cy Young vote getters. They're not all going to stay healthy.

They're not all going to win 20 games or make 30 starts. In fact, I bet they don't all make 25 starts.

They will be good enough to win the NL East. They will be very difficult to beat in the playoffs.

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?