Child Killed in School Bullying Incident to be Honored at Phillies Game

12-year-old Bailey O'Neill, who died from injuries sustained during a playground bullying incident, will be honored by the Philadelphia Phillies during their home game against the Red Sox on May 29.

The Philadelphia Phillies have announced they will dedicate their home game on May 29 to the memory of 12-year-old Bailey O'Neill, who died as a result of injuries sustained during a playground bullying incident in March. "We extended the invite to the O'Neill family, and they graciously accepted," said Scott Palmer, Public Affairs Director for the Philadelphia Phillies. "Now we're working on planning out the rest of the day." Bailey's father, Robert, was overjoyed to hear the news that his son—a staunch Phillies fan—would be honored by his favorite team. “This is wonderful news, and we’re so thankful for the Phillies to reach out to our family and dedicate a home game to Bailey’s memory," said Robert O'Neill. "It’s so exciting that people…

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GeneSimmons78

12:30 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013

Bullying may be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. If this is the case then yes it was bullying. From some of the accounts I read Bailey had an altercation on the playground where he was punched in the face by one …   more ›

Iron Pigs Host Fightin' Phils in '222 Classic' on Tuesday

See two Phillies farm teams in one great exhibition game to benefit Iron Pigs charities at Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday.

Get a sneak peek at the top prospects in the Phillies organization when the Lehigh Valley IronPigs host the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils in the sixth annual U.S. 222 Showcase exhibition game at Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday, April 2. Game time is 6:35 p.m. with all gates opening at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the 2013 season. Parking is free for this event.  All tickets to the 222 Showcase will be General Admission, granting fans access to the Field Level seating bowl on a first-come, first-served basis. All IronPigs Full Season Ticket Holders will receive one complimentary ticket for each seat in their account (details below). All other tickets are just $6 and are available at ironpigsbaseball.com, by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447) or by visiting …

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Eric Kratz, Kevin Frandsen to Headline Phillies Banquet at Sands Event Center

Phillies Winter Banquet will be held Jan. 24 at Sands Event Center in Bethlehem

  C Erik Kratz and INF Kevin Frandsen -- catalysts of the IronPigs 2011 playoff run and two of the most popular and successful players in franchise history - will both be Guests of Honor at the 2013 Phillies Winter Banquet presented by The Air Products Foundation, Coca-Cola and the Lehigh Valley Health Network to be held on January 24, 2013 at the brand-new Sands Events Center in Bethlehem. Additional guests, including Phillies personnel, will be announced in the near future. Seat or table reservations are now on sale and available by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447). Interested parties are reminded that seating is limited and the Phillies Winter Banquet has sold out in years past. Last year's event raised over $35,000 for IronPigs Charities…

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Iron Pigs Get New Manager for 2013

Dave Brundage will replace Ryne Sandberg as manager of the Iron Pigs.

  Former Gwinnett Braves skipper Dave Brundage has officially been named manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the 2013 season, as announced by the Philadelphia Phillies. Brundage replaces Ryne Sandberg, who was promoted to be the Phillies' third base coach and infield instructor. Brundage, who becomes the third manager in the history of the IronPigs, has posted an all-time managerial record of 1,085-1,026 (.514) in 2,111 career games, including a 433-422 (.506) mark over six International League seasons. The 48-year-old Brundage -- the only manager in the four-year history of the Gwinnett Braves (of suburban Atlanta) -- is entering his 16th season as a Minor League manager. Last season, he guided Atlanta's top affiliate to a 62-82 …

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Philly Sports Chatter

Is Phillies' Pitching Worth the Price?

Philadelphia Phillies contract to ace Cole Hamels puts a lot of payroll in pitchers.

To the delight of most Philadelphia Phillies fans, Cole Hamels will be wearing pinstripes for a number of years to come. With the signing of Hamels to a six-year, $144 million deal with a vesting option for a seventh year, the Phillies are telling fans that they haven't thrown in the towel, even if this season might be lost. Hamels' contract is the richest in team history. (Yes, it tops Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.) But is the price for pitching worth it?  Vote in our poll and tell us what you think in the comments section below. With Hamels locked up, the Phillies have now invested $68 million in three starting pitchers for 2013. That's a lot of green for Hamels, Halladay and Cliff…

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3:56 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012

Dino, all Amaro has done is open the check book for high priced players. ANYONE could sign Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, etc... if they had that payroll. What good GMs do is find young cheap players that can help the team for years before getting big money deals that break the bank and put you in a luxury tax situation. In fact as much as people hated Ed Wade, he was the one that found Howard, Utley, …   more ›

Baseball All-Stars to Compete in Carpenter Cup

High School baseball all-stars from across the Lehigh Valley set to compete in annual Carpenter Cup Classic in Philadelphia.

  Sixteen teams of high school baseball all-stars from the Tri-State area around Philadelphia – including the Lehigh Valley -- begin competing today in the annual Carpenter Cup Classic at Ashburn Field in FDR Park in Philadelphia. The Lehigh Valley high school all-stars are scheduled to play Mercer County, N.J. Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. for their first appearance in the single-elimination tournament. The Lehigh Valley team won the 2011 tournament, defeating Burlington County, N.J. in the championship game at Citizens Bank Park. It was the third Carpenter Cup Lehigh Valley all-stars took home, having also won in 1998 and in 2001. The semifinal and championship games of this year’s tournament are scheduled to be played at Citizens Bank …

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Vote for Patch's Greatest Sports Fan

Vote on who should win $240 in StubHub tickets in Patch's Sports Fan Contest

We asked for the biggest sports fan and you sent in your pictures. Now it’s decision time. We’ve gotten some great pictures, but it’s up to you to decide who is the biggest sports fan. Check out the pictures and cast your vote in the comments area below. Each picture is identified in the gallery by a number. To vote, please let us know in the comment area which picture you think is Patch’s biggest sports fan. In order for the vote to count, please be sure to identify the picture by number. (one vote per user)  Voting will last until 9 a.m. April 30.  Patch will award five prizes in the greater Philadelphia area. Check out the rules in the PDF in the media area of this story. (Don’t want to miss who won? Make sure to sign up for our …

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The Phillies Philes

Halladay was Masterful After Rocky Start

Doc retired 21 straight batters on 82 pitches, allowing only one to be hit out of infield.

Four batters into game one of the National League Divisional Series, an eerie silence enveloped the crowd of 46,480 at Citizens Bank Park. The sold out crowd had been stunned by a three run home run off of Phillies ace Roy “Doc” Halladay in the first inning. The pressure of winning a seven game series is great enough, but when faced with the prospect of a five game series with games three and four scheduled at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Phillies 3-0 deficit loomed large. However, this is Roy Halladay we’re talking about. When Kyle Lohse, the Redbird starter retired the first ten Phillies with relative ease, the Phillies faithful squirmed in their seats.  What Halladay accomplished after his rocky start, was remarkable.  With an …

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The Phillies Philes

Fan Favorite Utley Struggling

Phils second baseman is in a tailspin and his output has been in decline for four years.

To fully comprehend what Chase Utley truly means to the Philadelphia Phillies, one only needs to attend a game at Citizens Bank Park, where Utley’s #26 is by far the most common jersey worn by the multitudes of Phillies fans despite the fact that the ballclub has had more productive superstars such as Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Chase Utley is considered by many to be the single most indispensable player on the team. In many ways, Chase Utley is an imperfect superstar, a player who has fairly obvious flaws which manifest themselves for long stretches during each rigorous campaign. For one thing, Chase is prone to lengthy slumps during which time his coordination at the plate is often out of sync for significantly long …

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The Phillies Philes

Raul was Redeemed During Hot July

Popular left-fielder might have made a case for another season in Philadelphia.

Whatever entered the mind of Raul Ibanez as he strode to the plate for his first at bat on Sunday July 31, the thought couldn’t have lingered too long.  A day earlier, his new teammate, Hunter Pence, a 28 year-old All-Star, had made his Phillies debut. The arrival of Pence essentially pronounced that Ibanez’s days in Philadelphia were numbered. After all, a 39 year-old outfielder in the final year of his contract, an outfielder who had endured hitless streaks of 35 and 18 earlier in the season, surely had to see the writing on the wall.  Although Domonic Brown, the young right fielder, was the player immediately optioned to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs to make room for Pence, Ibanez was fully aware that the Phillies organization considered …

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