Well, last night was pretty good. I'll admit to being ill and drugged, but I did manage to watch the last two innings of the Cubs win... and I figured I'd go dig my Nimbus 2000 out of the closet.

Now, here's hoping for yet another sweeping of the Phils, but to keep us informed, we'll save the antagonizing until after the series.

Yesterday, Mike Berquist of A Citizen's Blog agreed to become our latest Spinaker. And as usual, I answered his questions. To see my particularly insightful rambling, click here.

Q: Last year the Phils made the playoffs, but most people only remember the Mets collapse. Did you get more pleasure out of the Phillies post-season appearance, or the Mets' disappearance? Would you say your feelings are representative of most Phillies phans?

The thrill of seeing the Phillies make their first post-season appearance since 1993 was easily the best moment of being a Phillies fan over the last decade. The New York-based media was very focused on the '07 NL East race from the perspective that the Mets blew it and the Mets 5-12 run down the stretch was as great a collapse as the '64 Phillies. I think most Phillies fans recognize that as badly as the Mets played, the Phillies were terrific (13-4) and their triumph was a testament to their amazing play. The joy of seeing the Phillies erase the ghosts of '64 was amazing and nothing beats it. As much as Phillies fans dislike Mets fans, the joy they felt when Brett Myers struck-out the final batter against the Nationals was one of triumph and happiness, not schadenfreude.

Q: Did the Phillies get better or worse over the offseason. Walk us through the major acquisitions and losses. Which new player will have the biggest impact, which ex-Phil will be missed the most?

Gains: What about an old player in a new slot? The acquisition of Brad Lidge helps the Phillies send Brett Myers back to the rotation, which gives the Phillies both a terrific, established closer and a top-flight ace to anchor the rotation.

Losses: the Phillies lost Kyle Lohse and Aaron Rowand to free agency, while Michael Bourn and Geoff Geary were packaged in a deal for Lidge. Lohse was over-rated and never attracted the interest of the Phillies brass, who acquired him simply to bolster the rotation in the run to the playoffs last season. Rowand, whose defensive skills were over-rated and who was too much of a free swinger at the plate, was lost in free agency because the San Francisco Giants were willing to give him whatever he wanted as they try and move from the Barry Bonds era. Geary was a declining pitcher whose skills won't be missed. The Phillies lost Bourn, who stunned people by stealing 18 of 19 bases last season, but whom seemed destined to be a pinch-runner / defensive substitute.

The biggest loss was Jon Lieber, who left the Phillies after spending three years wearing the red pinstripes for the Cubs, will be badly missed this season. Despite having Cole Hamels and Brett Myers in the rotation the Phillies have a real quandry with the back end of their rotation as Adam Eaton and Kyle Kendrick continue to struggle. Lieber, the pin-point control artist who gets grounder after grounder and rarely gives up walks, will be missed by the Phillies later in the season.

Q: Who would win in a phight? The Phanatic or the San Diego Chicken? Are there any other professional mascots that are on par with the Phanatic?

The Phanatic is a clever mascot and would probably knee the Chicken in the groin after faking an injury. Winner: Phanatic.

One major leaguer once said that the Phanatic is the only mascot opposing players like to watch. Funny, energetic, there is no better mascot in baseball.

Q: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell... that's quite a middle of the order. Is the Phillies lineup the best in the National League? How does the rest of the lineup line up?

If there is a better middle order in baseball I haven't seen it. Perhaps the Rockies with Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitski come close, but the Phillies are tough to beat.

The rest of the Phillies lineup is pretty solid. Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins have been tasked with replacing Aaron Rowand's bat in the lineup and Werth will post some terrific numbers on his way to winning the job outright by the end of the season. Shane Victorino is a speedy threat on the bases (having stolen 37 of 41 bases last year) and Pedro Feliz will hit lots of home runs in the cramped quarters of Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Q: If you could pick any one player in all of baseball to add to the Phillies roster, who would you add? Explain.

Brandon Webb. The ground-ball oriented ace would be ideal for the Phillies, allowing few fly balls (always deadly at Citizens Bank Ballpark) and getting numerous strikeouts. Webb would be ideal to team with Cole Hamels and Brett Myers.

Q: What's the scouting report on your starting rotation and bullpen?

The Phillies rotation is thin, with Hamels and Myers inspiring confidence, Moyer astonishing (still pitching well after 22 seasons in the big leagues), and Kendrick and Eaton worrying. The Phillies rotation is much-improved over last season but has questions. J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson are solid pitchers, but Tom Gordon - the primary setup guy - is clearly slipping and Lidge needs to prove himself.

The sooner the Phillies turn to Madson and Romero to set up Lidge's saves, the better.

Bonus Q: Charlie Manuel - discuss.

Is there any better man to manage the Phillies? The clam, friendly Manuel didn't cause the Phillies to explode with the tension after their 4-11 start last season and he held them together during a long, stressful pursuit of the Mets last season. He kept the young Phillies focused on playing their best with humor and support instead of Larry Bowa's screaming and yelling.

Manuel's tactical decisions are always solid: he correctly steered the team away from small ball and towards a walks-and-home-runs oriented Moneyball-type strategy that plays to the strength of the team's personnel and ballpark. He might be the most under-appreciated manager in baseball.

Once again, thanks to Mike for taking time out of his day to answer me and to keep all our GROTA writers informed.

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