The word Phillies is never far from the lips of Jayson Werth. It’s like he can almost taste what it was like to play in a real baseball city.  

Usually, he's saying that he hates the team or the fans. But not yesterday. Yesterday, he told reporters in Florida that he fears his makers. Fears the Phillies… and all writers are stupid for – quite very literally – writing them off.

Werth on who he thought was the biggest threat to the Nats CROWN: [Washington Post]

“Phillies,” he said. “I think everybody is writing them off. They played good in September, when they were healthy. They’re not going to roll over, that’s for sure.”

And about the Braves? “Yeah, the Braves got the Upton brothers,” Werth said. “But they lost [Martin] Prado and Chipper.”

…

They may have lost 81 games last year, but any team with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee in its rotation should be considered a threat. It has not stopped the Braves from landing ahead of them in most early prognostications.

“That shows me how much everybody knows that writes for a living,” Werth told a reporter. “No offense.” 

 

Well, Jayson and I finally agree on something.

He's still a dick.

The best quote about the Phillies, however, came not from Werth, but from Danny Espinosa:

“Personally speaking, I just always wanted to beat them because of the way they carried themselves,” second baseman Danny Espinosa said. “The way that they walked into everything, they thought they already won the game. That’s how they walk around. And that’s the right attitude to walk around [with]. But for me, when I see that, that makes me want to beat someone even more.”

 

I’m guessing that’s the same cocky confidence that frightened that little baby cub Michael Schwimmer.