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Everyone has that one relationship that just won’t die. It’s volatile, not right for either person, and will never work out… yet something keeps both sides going back for more. You’ve all had one (except for the SABR nerds– their undying love for baseball metrics will never be broken). In your head, you know the relationship is damaged beyond repair. Sure, there are sometimes signs of life. You don’t hate each other. Occasionally, talk of the future will spring up. But then there’s alway a cold water splash. Always a reminder that something is wrong, that too much has happened to be forgotten. Countless times you will tell yourself that it’s over– she’s too much of a bitch, he’s too self-centered, we’re not compatible, he doesn't hit with runners in scoring position, her cunt looks like a meat market after a fire. You think you have the courage to walk away, but you never do. So, you set deadlines. If it is still rocky by ____, I’m cutting ties and moving on. Usually, those deadlines coincide with specific milestone events. Maybe you’re going away to college, maybe it’s the start of summer or the holiday season. Maybe you just don’t want to buy them a birthday present. Doesn’t matter– the deadlines come and go. They pass without resolution and you continue to forge ahead. You hold on to something that doesn’t exist. And then, just when you snap out of it, realize the relationship is beyond repair, and start distancing yourself from the other person, they do something to reel you back in. They sense the loss, want it to be on their terms. So they pull you back in. What follows is a week of relationship events so extraordinary that you begin thinking all is right: little gifts, calls to say HI!, mind-blowing sex… hell, just sex. But all is not right. You’re just climbing higher for a harder fall. Things quickly turn sour again, and it hurts more this time. You can’t take it. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. Finally, you set a hard deadline. There will be no passing it without resolution. Either you’re all in… or you’re out.

Let’s call it, July 31st.

That, my friends, is the 2012 Phillies. You’re dating them and they won’t go away!

For those of you who have real jobs and weren’t able to stay up until 1:30, here’s the brief synopsis: The Phils got out to an earlier 1-0 lead with, gasp, a manufactured run. Roy Halladay had it working in the first inning, but then gave up four straight hits in the second as the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead.  The score remained that way until the eighth inning. The result look to be a forgone conclusion– the Phillies were 0-38 when trailing after seven innings. Not this time. The band is back together. Hunter Pence hit a two-run single to score Chase Utley and John Mayberry Jr. [Video here] Jonathan Paplebon shut it down and then shit himself after the final out. 3-2, good guys.

The Phils have now won four straight, including two against the Dodgers. They’re still 13 games out of first and 9.5 back from the Wild Card.

 

Doc

5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB. 55 strikes, 25 balls.

Halladay looked good. He struggled early on with his command, but for someone who hasn’t pitched in eight weeks, he did well. He spoke of the looming trade deadline and how the Phils are doing everything they can to avoid cutting ties with this season: [Phillies.com]

"It's an organization that has been committed to winning and you want to see that continue, and obviously there are points where they may have to reconsider how they're going to go about that, but I hope that's long after I'm gone to be honest with you," he said. "You want to have every chance you can to try to win. It's tough having a Trade Deadline and being at the point we're in. It puts the pressure on the front office. But I don't think any of us have given up on it, and I know they haven't in the front office." 

 

Deadline 

Yesterday, the Phillies rolled out David Montgomery and used sources to tell the likes of Jayson Stark that they weren’t ready to sell yet. There may still be some juice in this orange, and they have 12 days to figure out if there is.

 

Pence protects

Maybe Hunter should visit video game headquarters more often:

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Screen Shot 2012-07-18 at 9.14.19 AM

The last time I freaked out

I don't know how, or why, I got on these emails, but reader Jeff sent along a creep pic of Miley Cyrus. She is in Philadelphia and now has blonde hair. So, we ask you, is this girl just being Miley, or Jen Utley's evil blonde step-daughter?

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[As you can see here— this is what she was wearing in Philadelphia yesterday]