The Numbers Lie: J.C. Romero Edition

My initial reaction to the signing of J.C. Romero to a Phillies minor league contract was along the lines of, "Hey, last time I heard about him, he was actually good!" Romero was a mainstay of my fantasy teams before we came to our senses and stopped giving out points for Holds.

A guy who was a star middle reliever in Minnesota not too long ago and a member of a winning 'pen this year is a godsend to the Philadelphia bullpen, right?

Right?

"Romero, who was released June 18, went 1-0 with a 3.15 earned run average in 23 appearances this season for Boston,"

Yes! I knew it. Are the Sox that rich with talent that they can afford to let this guy get away?

"but those numbers are deceiving."

Uh-oh.

"He allowed 24 hits and 15 walks in 20 innings. Opponents hit .308 against him.

'His command had not been great,' Amaro said. 'He had more walks than strikeouts [11], but our reports on him are pretty good as far as his stuff is concerned. It's a matter of him getting back to his old form, hopefully.'"

So he's basically a sieve right now. But at least his "stuff" is good, so get a good look at that gorgeous breaking ball before somebody rips it down the right field line.

Romero hasn't actually thrown since early June, when Boston first designated him for assignment, hence his placement on the Phils' rookie league team. With the current status of the Phillies bullpen--primarily the breakdown of Geoff Geary after pitching 90+ innings last season and on a 75-inning pace for this year--I'm guessing it won't be too long before Romero gets his shot at being the Man in the Middle.

Hey, it could be worse.

Team Is Hoping Romero Can Help [Philly.com]

In Brief: 2007 NFL Draft

Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles have had a draft that the Baker Bowl can get behind.

Even considering the brittleness of Donovan McNabb, the Eagles seemed set at quarterback considering the brilliant acquisition of Kelly Holcomb and Andy Reid's grade-school crush on A.J. Feeley. Then, as it so often does in Philadelphia, the other shoe dropped:



In a weak draft year for quarterbacks, the University of Houston's Kevin Kolb is no Brady Quinn. In fact, he's barely Drew Stanton. Beyond the lack of any visible need at the QB spot, what made this pick even more puzzling was the fact that Kolb is very much a "system" quarterback. Anybody can put up big numbers in college when you're throwing the ball 60 times a game. The names of fellow Cougars Andre Ware and David Klingler should be sending chills down the spines of Iggles fans everywhere.

Beyond that, the Eagles uncharacteristically traded down with a division rival and also drafted a guy with two first names (can't trust those people) who resembles somebody familiar.

This is the type of quixotic draft straight out of the Mike Mamula Era that we know and love, rivaled this year by only the Miami Dolphins (the obvious reach for Ted Ginn and the overlooked insanity of the John Beck pick--Dolphins fans, get ready for your own BYU/Ty Detmer flashbacks) and the Detroit Lions (the world's greatest destroyers of first-round wideouts).

Kevin Kolb Selected By Eagles...Kevin Who? [The 700 Level]