Here is a partial transcript from Thursday's Ask Gonzo chat on Philly.com with columnist John Gonzalez:
Comment from matt: Eagles record?
Gonzo: 9-7. No playoffs. We get into the record a little more in [Friday's] You Talkin' To Me. Be sure to buy The Inquirer. It's how you know.
Comment from Guest: Can [Vance] Worley be any worse than [Kyle] Kendrick? And who's winning the division? And if the Phils don't, can they win the WS?
Gonzo: Probably not, but KK is a fifth starter for a reason. Look around MLB. There isn't a team in the league that has a killer fifth starter who wins all the time and doesn't make mistakes. Anything they can get out of him is a bonus.
Phils win the division. The Braves have to be sweating it right now. They were seven games up about a month and a half ago. Now they're looking up at the Phils, the two time NL defending champs. Not a good vibe for that clubhouse.
Comment from Ernie: I'm not worried about the offensive line or the offense in general but our defense worries me and so does return coverage.
Gonzo: Defense was 12th in the league last year overall - and that was without Stewart Bradley, Nate Allen, Brandon Graham, Ernie Sims and others. They looked good in the preseason. I think the defense will be much improved this year.
Comment from ryan: None in the National League seems to scare me. What about you?
Gonzo: The NL should be terrified of the Phils, not the other way around. They're healthy, the bats are getting better, and the top of the rotation is outstanding. The Lidge and J-Roll situations are troublesome, but I don't believe the Phils would trade positions or rosters with any other NL team.
Comment from Donovan McNabb: Bummer. The 2-yard out pattern on 3d and 11, with the receiver immediately getting shoved out of bounds, is not in [Mike] Shanahan's playbook.
Gonzo: What about the 90 m.p.h. fastball at the receiver's feet on a 5-yard curl, or the fail-to-get-the-play-in-on-time 2-minute drill?
Comment from Nick: Hey Gonzo, great chat as usual. I see Eagles 9-7 also. What is the latest on Lidge? I think he has a problem with that elbow more than the Phils are saying.
Gonzo: That's a lie, Nick, but I'll take it. The truth is overrated. The latest on Lidge is that he says he's fine. Problem is, he always says he's fine. So does Ruben Amaro Jr. and Charlie Manuel. And he hasn't been so fine since the '08 season. You never know with those guys. All of a sudden they're running the Andy Reid/Media Blocking Playbook.
